"Mathematics for Management" from Harvard Business School Publishing
Purchasing Instructions
To: Incoming MBA Students, Full-Time Program
From: Dr. Shreevardhan Lele, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs (MBA Programs)
Re: Optional Online Pre-Skills course: Mathematics for Management
Date: May 30, 2018
The Smith MBA program begins with intensely quantitative core courses. In order to ensure that you are able to maximize your learning during this part of the program, it is essential to enter the program with well-developed pre-skills in basic business mathematics.
Business math skills are needed for several core and elective courses in the MBA program. In the early part of the program, core courses such as Managerial Economics, Data, Models and Decisions and Financial Management require, and assume of all students, a thorough familiarity with basic math.
If your math skills are either (a) under-developed or (b) have become rusty due to disuse, it is strongly recommend that you take the online pre-skills course Mathematics for Management.
Mathematics for Management consists of 5 sections: Algebra, Calculus, Statistics, Probability and Finance. Your participation in these pre-skills courses are optional in that your performance in this online course is not directly tied to your grade in any particular Smith School course. Students may purchase any of the individual sections within the coursepack. Topics covered in each section are shown below:
Algebra
Functions, solving equations in one and two variables, linear inequalities, rules of exponents, order of operations, graphing straight lines, quadratic and polynomial functions, power functions, inverse functions, index numbers, logarithms and demand elasticity
Calculus
Derivative, rules for derivatives of polynomial and simple functions, second derivatives, maximizing and minimizing a function, convex and concave functions, inflection points
Statistics
Descriptive statistics, measures of central location, variability, skewness, histograms, correlation and covariance, using Excel to generate histograms and compute summary descriptive statistics
Probability
Basic rules of probability, probabilities of unions and intersections of events, mutually exclusive events, conditional probability, independent events, mean and variance of a random variable, the probability density function, normal random variable
Finance
Net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback, future value, annuities, perpetuities, compound interest, bond pricing, compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
According to Harvard Business School Publishing, students with little prior exposure to the math concepts reviewed in the course may take approximately 20 hours to complete the course.
Purchasing Instructions: HBSP's "Mathematics for Management"
All Mathematics for Management modules are included in the coursepack. Students may purchase any of the individual sections within the coursepack.
Login Information:
- Turn off all pop-up blockers
- Click on the following link for the discounted coursepack
- Select "Register Now"
- Fill out the required information, and select “Register”
- Login using your newly created credentials
- Under Coursepack View, click on “Purchase Materials”
- You will be prompted for payment information and click "Next"
Payment: Individually by student directly to HBSP. Students receive the Smith discounted price of $10.00 per section.
HBSP Product Numbers:
Algebra Section: 6004-HTM-ENG
Calculus Section: 6006-HTM-ENG
Statistics Section: 6007-HTM-ENG
Probability Section: 6008-HTM-ENG
Finance Section: 6009-HTM-ENG
Technical Requirements:
HBS courses are internet-based and cannot be accessed off-line; different computers can be used to for access, as long as each computer satisfies the following requirements:
- Device -- Computer with minimum 1024x768 screen resolution. FA is iPad compatible.
- Internet -- High speed internet connection (DSL / cable modem quality)
- Operating System -- Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7 / Mac OS 10.x
- Web Browser -- Firefox 3.6+ / Safari 4+ / Chrome web browsers with JavaScript and cookies enabled; Internet Explorer is not recommended for students using Online Courses or Tutorials--please use one of the other supported browsers instead.
Technical Difficulty? Please contact the Harvard Business School Publishing Technical Support:
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
U.S./Canada: (800) 810-8858
International:+1 617-783-7700
E-mail: techhelp@hbsp.harvard.edu