Understanding the Brain: Using Neuroscience to Deliver Better Business Results

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Course Dates

STARTS ON

June 6, 2024

Course Duration

DURATION

6 weeks, online
4–6 hours per week

Course Fee

PROGRAM FEE

US$2,600 US$2,314 and get US$260 off with a referral

Course Information Flexible payment available
Course Fee

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program fee

US$2,600 US$2,314

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Overview

Examining the brain enables us to tap into human thought and behavior. On an individual level, the brain is tied to our happiness, interpersonal relationships, and productivity. On an organizational level, it impacts communication, team building, decision making, and our ability to gauge customer preferences and actions.

Neuroscience — the traditional study of the human brain and neurological systems, which regulate emotions and key decision-making processes — is empowering people to reach their full potential. It is helping leaders and businesses achieve more informed decisions, forge deeper social connection between teams, and predict customer needs and behaviors with increased precision.

Key Takeaways

Wharton's Understanding the Brain: Using Neuroscience to Deliver Better Business Results program offers you a pathway to understanding the brain and its functions through the study of neuroscience, a discipline that is integral to cultivating organizational success, leadership abilities, and personal growth.

  • Understand the basic anatomy and physiology of the brain and master techniques for leveraging cognitive insights
  • Leverage facets of the social brain to increase social capital, establish culture, and manage organizational change
  • Synthesize implications for business decisions using concepts such as normalization, the basis of choice overload and decoy effects, and evidence accumulation
  • Learn how to use neuroscience tools and insights to improve marketing efficiency and effectiveness
  • Examine the brain processes underlying exploration to enhance individual creativity and boost organizational innovation

Who Is This Program For?

Covering a wide variety of applications in neuroscience, this program helps anyone who wants to improve social connections, team effectiveness, make less emotion-driven decisions, and unlock the creative powers of the brain to achieve better, more creative innovation and results.

Program Modules

Following a natural progression, this program helps you master a fundamental understanding of neuroscience and develop expertise in its applications, including culture, decision making, innovation, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Module 1:

Introduction to Neuroscience

The brain is a complex organ — a hub for vital functions, such as perception, emotion, and thinking, just to name a few. In this module, you will learn about basic brain structure, the foundational practices of neuroscience in business, and how the makeup of the brain drives leadership, team building and creativity.

Module 2:

Building Culture and Relationships

The social brain plays a powerful role in building relationships. Explore how you can leverage this brain network to increase social capital, establish culture, manage organizational change, and foster personal and professional growth.

Module 3:

Neuroscience of Decision Making in Leaders

Decision making varies from person to person. Dive deeply into how people make decisions, examining concepts such as normalization, the basis of choice overload and decoy effects and evidence accumulation.

Module 4:

Neuroscience Applications in Marketing

Marketing is one of the most widely used business applications of neuroscience. Learn how neuroscience tools and insights can be used to improve marketing efficiency and effectiveness by examining relevant case studies and research.

Module 5:

Powering Innovation and Creativity

Innovation and creativity are critical to individual and collective success. Take an in-depth look at the brain processes behind exploration and how they can be leveraged to enhance individual creativity and organizational innovation.

Module 6:

Future Trends in Neuroscience

Journey forward to discover how trends in neuroscience might impact business and life in general and explore the future of neurotechnology.

Module 1:

Introduction to Neuroscience

The brain is a complex organ — a hub for vital functions, such as perception, emotion, and thinking, just to name a few. In this module, you will learn about basic brain structure, the foundational practices of neuroscience in business, and how the makeup of the brain drives leadership, team building and creativity.

Module 4:

Neuroscience Applications in Marketing

Marketing is one of the most widely used business applications of neuroscience. Learn how neuroscience tools and insights can be used to improve marketing efficiency and effectiveness by examining relevant case studies and research.

Module 2:

Building Culture and Relationships

The social brain plays a powerful role in building relationships. Explore how you can leverage this brain network to increase social capital, establish culture, manage organizational change, and foster personal and professional growth.

Module 5:

Powering Innovation and Creativity

Innovation and creativity are critical to individual and collective success. Take an in-depth look at the brain processes behind exploration and how they can be leveraged to enhance individual creativity and organizational innovation.

Module 3:

Neuroscience of Decision Making in Leaders

Decision making varies from person to person. Dive deeply into how people make decisions, examining concepts such as normalization, the basis of choice overload and decoy effects and evidence accumulation.

Module 6:

Future Trends in Neuroscience

Journey forward to discover how trends in neuroscience might impact business and life in general and explore the future of neurotechnology.

Program Experience

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LIVE TEACHING SESSIONS

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INDUSTRY EXAMPLES

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INTERACTIVE DISCUSSIONS

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KNOWLEDGE CHECKS

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CROWDSOURCING/POLLS

Final Project - Create a Pitch

You will get a chance to pitch a startup that develops and commercializes a novel application of brain science to business or pitch an application of brain science relevant to your current organization.

Industry Examples

Research and discuss real-world applications of neuroscience to deepen your understanding of what drives creativity, leadership, and team building.

Image of a phone showrron relating to the case study of Samsung/Apple

SAMSUNG/APPLE

Examine customer loyalty for well-known mobile phone brands through the lens of neuroscience.

Image of a lady wearing a neuro headgear relating to the case of study of Cogwear

COGWEAR

Learn how neuroscience can be used in organizations through this example of wearable technology — one of the staple applications of neuroscience.

Image of a glass of beverage relating to the case study of Coca Cola/Pepsi

COCA-COLA/PEPSI

See how researchers were able to assess and predict consumer preferences for soft drinks by measuring the impact of branding and marketing using the brain’s value network.

Image of chocolate bars relating to the case study of Mars

MARS

Discover how Mars integrated neuroscience into the marketing strategy for some of its well-known brands.

Image of a robot and human brain relating to the case study of Neuralink

NEURALINK

Learn how Elon Musk’s Neuralink aims to provide a breakthrough human–internet AI interface in the brain measurement segment of neuroscience applications.

Program Faculty

Faculty Member Michael Platt

Michael Platt

Director, Wharton Neuroscience Initiative; James S. Riepe University Professor; Professor of Marketing, The Wharton School; Professor of Psychology; Professor of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania

Scientist Michael Platt is known for asking some of the most challenging neuroscience questions in the 21st century — and formulating innovative ways to answer them. He focuses on applying insights and technology from brain science to business, particularly to questions in marketing, management, finance, and innovation. He has conducted expansive research in primate neurological behavior... More info

Guest Contributors

Faculty Member SORIN PATILINET

SORIN PATILINET

Global Director, Mars Marketing Communications Lab

A self-proclaimed marketing engineer, Sorin Patilinet leads the Mars Marketing Communications Lab where he spearheads the creation of future marketing capabilities using a combination of human sciences, data and technology, and consumer insights. He focuses on advising global and local marketing teams on media and advertising strategies that create brand and category growth. He is passionate about discovering new marketing concepts, simplifying complex theories, and understanding human behavior. Mr. Patilinet is currently partnering with the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative to evolve how Mars thinks about neuromarketing. His work has been featured in Business Insider, The Drum, DigiDay, and WARC. He holds a master’s degree in telecommunications engineering from the Politehnica University of Bucharest. Interview topic: The use of neuroscience applications in marketing

Certificate

Certificate

Upon successful completion of the program, you will earn a digital certificate of completion from the Wharton School.

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FAQs

  • How do I know if this program is right for me?

    After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated program advisor will follow-up with you very shortly.


    Are there any prerequisites for this program?

    Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page, as well as in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at the ID mentioned above.


    Note that, unless otherwise stated on the program web page, all programs are taught in English and proficiency in English is required.


    What is the typical class profile?

    More than 50 percent of our participants are from outside the United States. Class profiles vary from one cohort to the next, but, generally, our online certificates draw a highly diverse audience in terms of professional experience, industry, and geography — leading to a very rich peer learning and networking experience.


    What other dates will this program be offered in the future?

    Check back to this program web page or email us to inquire if future program dates or the timeline for future offerings have been confirmed yet.

  • How much time is required each week?

    Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.


    How will my time be spent?

    We have designed this program to fit into your current working life as efficiently as possible. Time will be spent among a variety of activities including:



    • Engaging with recorded video lectures from faculty
    • Attending webinars and office hours, as per the specific program schedule
    • Reading or engaging with examples of core topics
    • Completing knowledge checks/quizzes and required activities
    • Engaging in moderated discussion groups with your peers
    • Completing your final project, if required

    The program is designed to be highly interactive while also allowing time for self-reflection and to demonstrate an understanding of the core topics through various active learning exercises. Please email us if you need further clarification on program activities.


    What is it like to learn online with the learning collaborator, Emeritus?

    More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programs said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded.

    All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the program delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the program in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course.

    A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.


    How do I interact with other program participants?

    Peer learning adds substantially to the overall learning experience and is an important part of the program. You can connect and communicate with other participants through our learning platform.

  • What are the requirements to earn the certificate?

    Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what will be required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life.

    This program is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please email us if you need further clarification on any specific program requirements.


    What type of certificate will I receive?

    Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, resume, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile.
    The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program, once grading is complete.


    Can I get the hard copy of the certificate?

    No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.


    Do I receive alumni status after completing this program?

    No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.


    How long will I have access to the learning materials?

    You will have access to the online learning platform and all the videos and program materials for 12 months following the program start date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.

  • What equipment or technical requirements are there for this program?

    Participants will need the latest version of their preferred browser to access the learning platform. In addition, Microsoft Office and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts.


    Do I need to be online to access the program content?

    Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet, and video content is not available for download. However, you can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. For maximum flexibility, you can access program content from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device.

    Video lectures must be streamed via the internet, and any livestream webinars and office hours will require an internet connection. However, these sessions are always recorded, so you may view them later.

  • Can I still register if the registration deadline has passed?

    Yes, you can register up until seven days past the published start date of the program without missing any of the core program material or learnings.


    What is the program fee, and what forms of payment do you accept?

    The program fee is noted at the top of this program web page and usually referenced in the program brochure as well.

    • Flexible payment options are available (see details below as well as at the top of this program web page next to FEE).
    • Tuition assistance is available for participants who qualify. Please email learner.success@emeritus.org.

    What if I don’t have a credit card? Is there another method of payment accepted?

    Yes, you can do the bank remittance in the program currency via wire transfer or debit card. Please contact your program advisor, or email us for details.


    I was not able to use the discount code provided. Can you help?

    Yes! Please email us with the details of the program you are interested in, and we will assist you.


    How can I obtain an invoice for payment?

    Please email us your invoicing requirements and the specific program you’re interested in enrolling in.


    Is there an option to make flexible payments for this program?

    Yes, the flexible payment option allows a participant to pay the program fee in installments. This option is made available on the payment page and should be selected before submitting the payment.


    How can I obtain a W9 form?

    Please connect with us via email for assistance.


    Who will be collecting the payment for the program?

    Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.

  • What is the program refund and deferral policy?

    For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at learner.success@emeritus.org or Schedule a call with one of our Academic Advisors or call us at +1 680 205 5118 (US) / +44 185 845 9995 (UK) / +65 3135 1422 (SG)

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