Behavioral Science
“How is behavioral science related to business management?”
How did Toutiao get its name? How do online travel agencies set their prices? How can an employee wellness program be successfully promoted? In fact, the success of leading companies like ByteDance and Booking.com and Google is grounded in their accurate insights into the psychology and behavior of their employees and users.
Behavioral science is a frontier interdisciplinary field that integrates knowledge of psychology, sociology, economics, and more. It is dedicated to researching the intricate patterns of human behavior, especially in working scenarios. Behavioral science is integral to today’s business management, running through the entire process of corporate production and operation. Whether it is strategic planning, business negotiations, employee motivation or marketing, the action and decision-making of managers underlie all these managerial activities. So, how can we improve organizational performance and become outstanding professionals who can discover behavioral mechanisms and implicit motives and make smart decisions by understanding people’s behavior and its basic pattern in management situations?
The second of installment of the #SISU MBA Program Featured Concentrations Explained# series brings cutting-edge insights and best practices of management centered on “people”.
Objectives
This concentration aims to cultivate versatile professionals in the context of digital intelligent transformation, equipping students with cutting-edge theory and methodology in behavioral science, analytical decision-making abilities, and the capacity to address complex real-world management challenges.
Highlights
The program is set upon the top-level “Ministry of Education and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior”, Institute of Organizational Behavior and Organizational Neuroscience at SISU, and introduces a distinguished team of professors from University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Yale University, and other top domestic and international universities. It provides students with cutting-edge theories and professional knowledge, insights into the psychology and behavioral mechanism of people in management activities, and guidance from senior corporate executives on management practice and career development.
The courses combine theoretical learning, case analysis, business experiments, and project participation. They are engineered to enable students to gain a deep understanding of the psychology and behavioral mechanisms of people in management activities, grasp the key elements of applying behavioral science to management, and make management decisions with “people” at the core, with a view to improving organizational performance.
Curriculum
Job Crafting and Management Incentives
Strategic Consumer Insight
Business Experiment
Behavioral Finance and Investment Strategy
Career Development
The curriculum of this concentration is in line with that of the Wharton School and other top business schools, providing a series of tailor-made and forward-looking courses for MBA students. It systematically delves into human behavior within management contexts, including how individuals make decisions based on bounded rationality, leverage human capital to achieve objectives, and gain strategic insights into consumers. From understanding how to satisfy employees’ psychological needs through management incentives to applying field study methods for business experiments that inform management decisions, the MBA courses in Behavioral Science equip students with the skills and insights needed to navigate complex organizational challenges and thrive in crucial leadership roles.
