Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly reinventing business models. As a result, the rapid and ongoing adoption of AI is creating significant demand for management professionals with a deep understanding of AI tools. With coursework focused on AI, analytics and data, the online Master of Business Administration from Radford University program prepares graduates for in-demand leadership roles that require this kind of advanced expertise.
A Gartner survey of executives found that AI is driving competitive advantage by transforming marketing, sales, customer engagement and workflow processes. The report notes that far from just a tool, CEOs now see AI as transformative for creating dynamic capacity in core areas of the organization including operating models and people strategies.
What Is AI and How Does it Work?
McKinsey & Company describes AI as a technology that enables computers to make decisions and predictions and to create code, text, images and other content. Machine learning (ML), a subset of AI, enables computers to learn from data and improve their performance without requiring explicit programming for each task.
AI combined with ML unlocks value in large, complex datasets by analyzing patterns to forecast outcomes and recommend actions. By processing vast, varied datasets using scalable algorithms, these technologies support prescriptive analytics for strategic decisions and provide practical insights that drive efficiency and innovation. Radford’s online MBA program teaches students to apply these techniques, examining strategic applications of trends, patterns and anomalies in large, complex datasets to drive business decisions.
Cutting-edge AI Platforms Relevant to Business Professionals
Evolving AI platforms are reshaping business models. For instance, the ability to analyze customer behavior data and purchasing patterns enables businesses to identify the most likely prospects for repeat sales. AI is also transforming customer experience models, allowing businesses to deliver hyper-personalized experiences and data-driven recommendations. Additionally, AI-driven systems are revolutionizing operations by automating routine tasks, reducing costs and enabling real-time, data-driven decisions that enhance efficiency and scalability.
As business leaders become more tech-savvy, their relationship with the CIO and organization must evolve from a customer-supplier dynamic to a true partnership model, according to this LinkedIn article about the evolving role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). The article cites a McKinsey study that found companies that promote tech/management collaborations innovate 37% faster and achieve 42% improvement in customer satisfaction. Evolving AI platforms that are transforming the way management professionals use data to accelerate operations, reduce costs and gain efficiencies include:
- ChatGPT (Enterprise) is a generative AI platform that creates images and text from data to evaluate market data, analyze survey results and debug programming.
- Jasper for Business includes functionality that optimizes marketing materials to create more authentic, on-brand consumer-facing content.
- Pictory generates videos from text, scripts, blogs, PowerPoint presentations and other written content. A diet supplement business achieved 10 times more Instagram engagement using Pictory to make Reels.
- HubSpot AI embedded in CRM workflows enables, among other things, personalized messages to customers who abandon shopping carts.
- Zendesk AI automates and optimizes customer experiences by using AI to support sentiment analysis and prioritize service tickets.
The McKinsey article went on to explain that Applied AI — artificial intelligence applied to real-world problems — has serious implications for the business world. It reported that from 2017 to 2022, investment in AI and adoption of the technology more than doubled with the most significant advances in marketing and sales, product and service development and strategy and corporate finance. Radford’s MBA curriculum addresses these real-world applications through core courses in operations management, marketing and strategic management, complemented by the AI & Machine Learning for Managers course that teaches students how to leverage AI tools like these to gain competitive advantage in their organizations.
How do Business Professionals Acquire High-demand Technical Expertise?
“Looking out toward the AI horizon, a new era may be dawning in which the distinctions and boundaries between technology and humans may blur,” Deloitte predicts. The Radford University online MBA program prepares graduates for senior management and leadership roles in AI-driven organizations by providing a broad, cross-functional business education. The 36-credit-hour program includes 21 credit hours of core courses covering essential business functions and 15 credit hours of electives, allowing students to customize their expertise. Coursework includes:
- AI & Machine Learning for Managers: Introduces students to management applications of AI and how to leverage them to gain competitive advantage.
- High Performance Innovation: Explores how businesses create value by nurturing workplace cultures that motivate high-performance employees and innovation teams. Students learn to apply these principles to foster organizational and product innovation in technology-driven environments.
- Predictive Analytics and Data Mining: Are well-established AI operations that examine the strategic applications of trends, patterns and anomalies found in large, complicated data sets. This course develops problem-solving skills designed to reduce uncertainty in decision-making environments.
Additional core courses provide the cross-functional foundation needed to implement AI strategies effectively, including operations management, marketing (focused on customer acquisition and engagement), accounting, finance and strategic management, all essential for managing AI transformation initiatives across organizations.
The online MBA degree from Radford University integrates strategic management, operations, finance and marketing explorations with elective options that allow students to tailor their expertise to the needs of AI-centric industries. As tech-savvy management professionals, Radford MBA students graduate well-prepared to compete for positions in organizations where AI and analytics drive business outcomes.
Learn more about Radford University’s online Master of Business Administration program.
