Rotman Commerce - Special Topics Courses
- Content in any given year will depend on the instructor.
- Enrolment is restricted to Rotman Commerce students.
- To take a 400-series course, 14.0+ credits are required; and for a 300-series, 9.0+ credits are required; except when otherwise indicated in the course descriptions below
- Course descriptions may be found following the listings
Fall-Term 2026
RSM310H1F – One-to-One Marketing (Course number changed to RSM356H1)
RSM314H1F – ESG and Sustainability Accounting
RSM317H1F – Text Mining and Natural Language Processing
RSM414H1F – Marketing of Services
RSM415H1F – Strategic Decisions in Operations
RSM417H1F – Supply Chain Consulting
RSM418H1F – Progress: or How Big Things Get Done
Winter-Term 2027
RSM210H1S – Communicating for Impact
RSM311H1S – Strategic Change and Implementation
RSM312H1S – Earth-Centered Product Design
RSM313H1S – GenAI.Biz: Large Language Agents
RSM315H1S – Taxation for Business Professionals (Course number changed to RSM425H1S)
RSM318H1S – Business Operations for Sustainability
RSM406H1S – Corporation 360 (Course number changed to RSM499H1)
RSM408H1S – Real Estate Development
RSM410H1S – FinTech
RSM411H1S – Strategy in the Energy Economy
RSM412H1S – Global History of Banking
RSM413H1S – Digital and Social Media Marketing
RSM416H1S – Generative AI for Data-Driven Management
RSM419H1S – Chinese Markets and Investment (Course number changed to RSM427H1S)
RSM210H1S – Communicating for Impact
Instructor: Alexandra Motut
Prerequisite: Completion of the Rotman Commerce Guaranteed Admission requirements.
May be applied to the following focuses: None
Breadth Requirement: BR 2
Students learn oral communication skills in both casual and formal professional settings (i.e. from coffee chats to boardroom presentations): we cover the core elements of audience, message structure and delivery for a variety of professional communication contexts, both individually and in groups, with visual aids (slides) and without. We will also address aspects of professionalism including email and digital communication, etiquette, and intercultural awareness. Course methods emphasize low-stakes practice, feedback (including peer feedback), and personal reflection. Course format includes lectures and some asynchronous content, with a heavy emphasis on in-class practice and application of learning to promote skill development.
RSM311H1S – Strategic Change and Implementation
Instructor: Laura Doering
Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 Credits
May be applied to the following focuses: Leadership in Organizations; Strategy and Innovation
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
This course examines how managers turn ideas and goals into coordinated action. It focuses on the challenge of moving strategy from concept to reality—how people and teams make plans work in practice. Students will learn how strategy connects to organizational structure, informal networks, decision-making processes, and systems for rewarding performance. The course also explores how individuals manage competing priorities and limited resources, and how organizational design can either support or hinder progress toward strategic goals.
Through case studies, discussions, and applied exercises, students will analyze real-world situations to strengthen the link between strategy and action. The course emphasizes both analytical thinking and interpersonal understanding—examining not only how organizations are structured, but also how people work within them. By the end of the term, students will be able to view organizations as dynamic systems that adapt to internal and external pressures, and they will gain practical tools for diagnosing challenges, designing effective structures, and translating strategic intent into meaningful action
RSM312H1S – Earth-Centered Product Design
Instructor: David Soberman
Prerequisite: RSM250H1; Completion of 9.0 Credits
May be applied to the following focuses: Marketing
Breadth Requirements: BR3
This course provides a framework to address the challenge of profitably designing and managing sustainable products. Addressing the sustainable consumption challenge is perhaps today’s most consequential business imperative. But it is also a great opportunity for future product innovation and design. The course introduces the 3-triangle framework 3TF© for product design thinking which leverages the sustainable consumption challenge for profitable product design. The framework provides a template for product design and marketing strategy through an understanding of the underlying causes, constraints, and solutions for the sustainability problem. We will analyze the causes of sustainability traps in various markets – termed the “Devil’s Triangle” and its implications for product design and marketing strategy. We will also examine product marketing strategy implementation, and circular production and supply chain integration for successfully bringing sustainable products to market.
RSM313H1S – GenAI.Biz: Large Language Agents
Instructor: Mihnea Moldoveanu
Prerequisite: CSC108H1; 9.0+ Credits
Recommended Preparation: RSM338H1 or RSM358H1
May be applied to the following focuses: Data Science in Business
Breadth Requirements: BR 2
Students will analyze and reverse engineer existing and emerging business applications of Large Language Agents, ranging from client narrative, interaction, comment or reaction analysis and summarization (Amazon) to cross channel optimization of sales processes (Shopify) to personal(ized) banking assistants (JP Morgan Chase, WealthSimple) to virtual executive trainers, coaches and interview assistants (IU University) and code generators (RBC, Google). Students will learn how to program/pattern/design GenAI agents via natural language and Python scripts to solve useful problems across business functions and roles. They will learn to analyze human tasks in terms of how augmentable and automatable they are by agents that make use of LLM’s. They will design, test and refine agents that perform computational and inferential tasks (extractive/abstractive summarization, data pre-processing, hypothesis generation and testing, predictive and causal model building, calibration and testing, etc) as well as interactive tasks of communication, dialogue and co-reasoning tasks (virtual coaches, mentors, tutors, evaluators, feedback providers, meeting summarizers/annotators, etc).
RSM314H1F – ESG and Sustainability Accounting
Instructor: Elisa Zuliani
Prerequisite: 9.0+ Credits; RSM222H1 (Please note that this course is open to 3rd and 4th year students)
May be applied to the following Focuses: Financial Statement Analysis
Breadth Requirement: BR 3
The course focuses on corporate sustainability accounting and reporting. The course will focus on frameworks for developing corporate environment, social and governance (ESG) performance metrics. Trends and quality assurance of sustainability reporting will be discussed.
Learning outcomes include:
1. Appreciate the evolution of accounting for sustainability
2. Understand how to measure, report, and interpret various ESG factors
3. Identify the material sustainability concerns affecting a business and the adoption of non-financial disclosure.
4. Describe and critically evaluate the methodologies underlying popular corporate sustainability rating systems and the adoption of voluntary disclosure.
Introductory Slide Deck: RSM314H1 – Slide Deck
RSM317H1F – Text Mining and Natural Language Processing
Instructor: Gerhard Trippen
Prerequisite: 9.0+ Credits
May be applied to the following Focus: Data Science in Business
Breadth Requirement: BR 3
This course will introduce the students to a diverse collection text mining techniques and natural language processing using machine learning. These techniques are often aimed at identifying and quantifying various structures in the text data to answer business problems and provide managerial insights. Model validation and effective communication of model-based results will be stressed. The course will employ a “white-box” methodology, which emphasizes an understanding of the algorithmic and statistical model structures and how they apply to text analysis. Following leading industry standards, the course will use Python to apply a number of different algorithms to real-world big text data.
For further information please review this slide: RSM317H1 – Example Slide
RSM318H1S – Business Operations for Sustainability
Instructor: Gonzalo Romero
Prerequisite: RSM270H1
May be applied to the following focuses: International Business; Managing in Diverse Economies
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
This course will help you:
If when you look at major global challenges, you think that there are business opportunities (not just charity) among their solutions.
* If you suspect that maximizing return on invested capital is compatible with environmental and social responsibility, but you want to understand how.
* If you need space and support to figure out how to align your values and sense of mission with your career.
* If someday you want to design processes for companies, industries and economic systems that are socially and environmentally sustainable.
Please find an slide deck here: RSM318H1 – Mini Lecture 1 Sustainable Operations
Slide Deck: OSM Courses – Slide Deck
RSM408H1S – Real Estate Development
Instructor: TBA
Prerequisite: ECO204Y/ECO206Y; ECO220Y/227Y/(STA220H,STA255H)/(STA237H1,STA238H1)/(STA257H+STA261H); Completion of 14.0 Credits
Co-requisite: RSM332H1
Recommended Preparation: RSM483H1 and RSM484H1
May be applied to the following focuses: None
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of real estate development. Students will develop a wide range of financial and economic tools. Topics include residential and commercial real estate development, financial feasibility modelling, construction and permanent mortgage financing, current and forecast market conditions for major property types, as well as the analysis of valuation, options, risk, and liquidity. Academic lectures are supplemented by a series of current market case discussions.
Instructor: Ting Xu
Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 Credits; RSM333H1 (Please note that this course is open to 3rd and 4th year students)
May be applied to the following focuses: Finance, Strategy and Innovation
Please Note: This course may be counted as part of the 2.0 credits of 400-level finance courses listed in the Finance and Economics Specialist
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
FinTech, the application of information technology to finance, is rapidly changing the landscape of financial services. The purpose of this course is two-fold 1) to provide you knowledge and skills needed to understand various FinTech innovations, 2) to prepare you for careers in the technology space, particularly those focused on financial services. The course is geared towards management students and does not require engineering or computer science knowledge; the focus is on finance concepts, economic frameworks, the institutions, and social and regulatory implications. The course will be mainly qualitative with emphasis on economic insights. Topics covered include digital banking, payment, insuretech, P2P lending, robo-advising, real estate fintech, etc. We will introduce concepts from economics, such as network effects, coordination frictions, information asymmetry, disintermediation, and decentralization. We will also draw knowledge from strategy, law, marketing, and computer science. You will gain experience in analyzing cases of real companies and pitching new FinTech startup ideas.
This course is mainly case-based and requires active student participation.
Slide Deck: RSM410H1 – FinTech Slide Deck
RSM411H1S – Strategy in the Energy Economy
Instructor: TBA
Prerequisite: RSM392H1; Completion of 14.0 Credits
May be applied to the following focuses: Strategy and Innovation
Breadth Requirements: BR3
Reliable, affordable energy underpins nearly every aspect of modern life and economic activity. This course develops a toolkit for strategic decision-making for firms in the energy sector and energy-intensive industries through an economics and strategy lens, emphasizing how prices, market design, regulation, and policy shape firm behavior, performance, and industry outcomes. Students begin with the fundamentals of energy markets and apply these tools to electricity, oil, natural gas, and energy infrastructure real-world examples, current events, and cases. The course then turns to the environmental consequences of energy production and use, focusing on externalities, policy, innovation, and finance. Throughout, the course emphasizes practical strategic decision-making: how firms can anticipate market dynamics, navigate policy risk, make long-term investment decisions, and position themselves for success in an energy system undergoing rapid technological and regulatory change.
RSM412H1S – Global History of Banking
Instructor: Claire Celerier
Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 Credits; RSM333H1 (This course is open to 3rd and 4th year students)
May be applied to the following focuses: Finance
Please Note: This course may be counted as part of the 2.0 credits of 400-level finance courses listed in the Finance and Economics Specialist (updated June 17, 2025)
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
This course explores the role of banks in society and the nature of their activities by combining finance theory, history, and political economy. We investigate how banks have become central institutions, not only in capital markets but also within and between nations. The course examines how banks shape economies and at times the course of history, interact with states and regulators, and why banking crises and bailouts are so pervasive.
To do so, we trace the history of modern banking from its origins in Renaissance Italy to the present day, with a focus on Europe, the United States, Canada, and Asia. By analyzing banking activities and crises across centuries and continents, the course provides understanding of the foundations of today’s financial world.
RSM413H1S – Digital and Social Media Marketing
Instructor: Yiran Hao
Prerequisite: 9.0+ Credits; RSM250H1 (Please note that this course is open to 3rd and 4th year students)
May be applied to the following Focus: Marketing
Breadth Requirement: BR 3
Social media and digital marketing is changing society, changing the nature of marketing, and changing the way that business is conducted and managed. In this course, students explore the role of digital marketing in the life of the marketer and business manager. It begins with a detailed understanding of the origins, forms, and uses of social media. It expands into an examination and hands-on methods for researching and understanding social and digital media. The course then overviews the various uses and forms of digital marketing, ranging from consumer advocacy and word of mouth to content marketing to the effective and ineffective use of different social media platforms for business. The course features an applied student final group project where the students will prepare and present their social and digital media recommendations and plan to company representatives.
In this course, we explore the strategic role of social media and digital marketing in business and management. The learning objectives of this course are: (1) to introduce Rotman Commerce students to the managerial use of social media, and digital marketing (2) to explore the principles of its strategic use (3) to learn through case study and exercise how to face the strategic and tactical challenges involved in applications of social media and digital marketing.
By the end of the course, students will:
- be able to leverage digital advertising and social media to better communicate with customers
- know how to respond to customers through new digital marketing tools as they arise
- measure how digital marketing activities affect company performance
- be able to leverage Google Analytics, Facebook/ Instagram, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, YouTube and other online advertising platforms
- understand how trends like social and mobile media affect company strategies
- develop marketing plans for new products and services that take advantage of social media and digital marketing tools
RSM414H1F – Marketing of Services
Instructor: Inez Blackburn
Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 Credits (Please note this course is open to Y3 and Y4 students)
Co-Requisite: RSM350H1
May be applied to the following focuses: Marketing
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
This course tackles the distinct challenges faced by service industry giants—banks, restaurants, airlines, hotels, and insurance companies—while emphasizing the critical role of marketing in driving success within the service sector. With the rapid evolution of technology, we’ll explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming service marketing, from enhancing customer experiences to predicting needs and personalizing offerings.
Students will discover cutting-edge marketing strategies employed by service-based companies to boost customer loyalty, maximize lifetime value, and outpace competitors in an increasingly data-driven and competitive landscape. The integration of AI in service design, delivery, and customer interaction will be a key focus, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of its transformative potential.
Engaging in experiential learning with guest speakers, students will have the opportunity to craft comprehensive marketing plans that reflect both traditional strategies and innovative AI-driven solutions. This course will deliver insights and skills needed to thrive in the fast-paced, ever-changing world of service marketing, where anticipating customer needs, leveraging AI, and providing unparalleled service and value are essential for success.
Slide deck: RSM414H1F – Marketing of Services
RSM415H1F – Strategic Decisions in Operations
Instructor: TBA
Prerequisite: 9.0+ Credits; and RSM270H1 (Please note that this course is open to 3rd and 4th year students)
May be applied to the following Focus: Strategy and Innovation
Breadth Requirement: BR 3
This course provides a comprehensive framework and a set of analytical tools to analyze, evaluate, and optimize the strategic asset and process decisions involved in configuring a firm’s Operating Strategy. The emphasis is on making value-creating decisions that are firmly grounded in operational realities. Using Harvard Business Case Studies spanning tourism and hospitality, manufacturing, aviation, consulting, and asset-light business model design, this course also builds solid foundations for careers in consulting, international business, strategy, data science (with an emphasis on prescriptive analytics), and operations management. This course also incorporates case studies that challenge students to design operations strategies that are tightly aligned with other key functional strategies.
Specifically, students will learn that a firm’s Operating System—comprised of its Assets and Processes—must be uniquely designed to support its business model and competitive strategy.
Key topics include:
- Asset Decisions: capacity sizing, expansion strategies, flexibility, and location selection
- Process Decisions: strategic position defensibility, global and strategic sourcing, dynamic pricing and revenue management, smart technology and digital automation, innovation management, and operational risk management
The course extensively leverages Excel Solver as the primary software and Python (as a supplementary tool for data science students) to make strategic operations decisions that have far-reaching and lasting competitive impact.
The knowledge and skills acquired in this course will also prepare students for interviews with leading companies—such as Amazon, Walmart, and Coca-Cola—that are heavily investing in optimizing their assets and processes. These firms increasingly seek experts who can make data-driven decisions in the face of global uncertainties and geopolitical disruptions
Slide Deck: OSM Courses – Slide Deck
RSM416H1S – Generative AI for Data-Driven Management
Instructor: Gerhard Trippen
Prerequisite: CSC108H1; Completion of 14.0 Credits
Recommended Preparation: RSM371H1
May be applied to the following focuses: Data Science in Business
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
This course offers an in-depth introduction to Generative AI and Large Language Models like ChatGPT, GPT-4o, and Claude. Students will explore the historical development of these models, distinguish between encoder-only and decoder-only LLMs, and critically assess their capabilities and limitations. The course also covers efficient prompting techniques, designing applications that require fine-tuning or proprietary database access, and the latest trends in multimodal AI, ethical AI considerations, and model optimization. Students will learn about the impact of Generative AI on business strategy and data-driven decision-making, with practical insights into platforms like Hugging Face for model hosting and collaboration.
RSM417H1F – Supply Chain Consulting
Instructor: Paul Jan
Prerequisite: RSM270, 9.0+ Credits
Corequisite: None (Please note that ECO220Y, CSC108H/CSC148H, and data science related courses would help you prepare for this course.) (Please note that this course is open to 3rd and 4th year students)
May be applied to the following Focus: Strategy and Innovation; Data Science in Business
Breadth Requirement: BR 3
Immerse yourself in RSM417 to learn and experience the multidisciplinary operations of an organization. Whether you are a general management specialist or a data science major, you will gain valuable hands-on experience on how sales, marketing, operations, finance, and other departments work together to achieve a company’s goal. This year, we will continue to work with Maple Leaf Foods, a Canadian-based Consumer Packaged Goods company, to tackle supply chain-related challenges. Students have the opportunity to interact with Maple Leaf employees and stakeholders on a regular basis, analyze operational data, and propose recommendations based on analytical insights.
This is an excellent opportunity to see how a world-class company manages its operations and supply chain, learn how to conduct a consulting project, and, best of all, gain substantial real-world experience that you can share with prospective employers during interviews.
Please email me (paul.jan@rotman.utoronto.ca) if you have any questions about this course, and I look forward to seeing you this fall!
You can find a video about the course here: RSM417 Promo Video.mp4
Slide Deck: OSM Courses – Slide Deck
RSM418H1F – Progress: or How Big Things Get Done
Instructor: Kevin Bryan
Prerequisite: Completion of 14.0 Credits
Recommended Preparation: RSM392H1
May be applied to the following focuses: Strategy and Innovation
Breadth Requirements: BR 3
Why do rare organizations, in rare places, at rare times, get big things done? From the Industrial Revolution to the agricultural Green Revolution to the modern development of Silicon Valley and AI, we will use economic theory, sociology, philosophy, and the history of technology to understand how managers and policymakers can drive “progress”. This course involves substantial reading from across disciplines, active course discussion, and a term paper with original research.
