Managing Through the Business Cycle – explore, using Behavioral Finance with actual examples, why forecasts can be wrong and what you can do to improve them. Identify economic indicators (GDP, unemployment measures, hours worked, DPI, personal savings, inflation, rail and truck traffic, and more) that can assist in understanding the current situation and forecasting the future. Discuss techniques that can incorporate strategy into your budgeting process. These include mission-based budgeting and rolling forecasts. Review numerous examples of actions organizations have taken to improve their value chain, including Lean Systems, new technology, expanding/modifying products or services, partnering and alliances.