With the digitization of information, most expertise is now available online with search engines such as Google. Therefore, experts for hire for certified occupations such as law, medicine, and accounting are likely to be automated and commodified. As a result, one has to transition from an expert for hire to a trusted advisor. This course, taught by Professor Jagdish Sheth, 2020 Padma Bhushan Award winner for Literature and Education, is based on interviews with more than 30 CEOs and chairmans of very large enterprises with the goal of identifying attributes of a trusted advisor. We highlight 7 specific attributes of great advisors including integrity, empathy, selfless independence, and big picture thinking. The best trusted advisors are those who have experienced adversity in their own lives.

With growing age, income, and ethnic diversity, customer expectations are also becoming more diverse. Therefore, it is becoming difficult to satisfy all customers with growing but divergent expectations. This course, taught by Professor Jagdish Sheth, 2020 Padma Bhushan Award winner for Literature and Education, suggests shaping customer expectations is as, if not more, important than exceeding customer expectations. There are three strategies to manage customer expectations: abandon the customer, accommodate the customer, and adjust customer expectations. Since not all customers are profitable, one must link managing customer expectations with profitability outcomes.

Many social issues are within the realm of public policy and civil organizations (NGOS), but corporations can also enable and champion social change. The business of business is more than business. As more and more companies engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR), they need to understand the ultimate users’ perceptions and motivations. This course, taught by Professor Jagdish Sheth, 2020 Padma Bhushan Award winner for Literature and Education, includes examples such as environmental sustainability, mindful consumption, and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Planned social change requires understanding customers’ predispositions and their actual behavior.