Management

There is always an opportunity for organizations to function more efficiently and effectively. This means that skilled managers are constantly in demand. As new technologies emerge and industries evolve, it is crucial that the leaders of tomorrow be able to approach problems with innovative and strategic responses. With faculty well-versed in a number of critical disciplines, the Department of Management prepares you for leadership. Whether at the undergraduate, masters, doctoral or executive levels, you will be equipped with the tools necessary to succeed as innovative leaders and managers.

Degree Programs

Bachelors in Management MBA Executive PhD in Business

Koparan investigates entrepreneurial decision-making

Assistant Professor Ipek Koparan studies how entrepreneurs and firms navigate strategic decision-making under uncertainty. Her research — published in top journals like European Management Review, Multinational Business Review and Strategic Change — investigates how individuals identify opportunities, evaluate resources and build ventures in fast-changing environments.

A finalist for the 2024 Kauffman Best Paper Award in Entrepreneurial Cognition for her research exploring executive function, Koparan contributes to applied learning through case studies on decentralized finance and women-led social enterprises. Her innovative teaching includes an online adaptation of the board game BuyWord, designed to help Bentley students analyze the role of artificial intelligence in business strategy.

Pierni advances experiential learning and tech-driven education

With more than 30 years of leadership experience in global corporations and entrepreneurial ventures, Lecturer in Management Veronica Pierni brings real-world perspective to the classroom.

A co-founder of a consumer technology startup, she integrates applied business insights into her teaching and mentorship of aspiring entrepreneurs. Pierni also contributes to innovative curriculum design at Bentley, helping develop initiatives focused on equitable health care access and the use of AI and virtual reality (VR) in higher education.

Her recent projects include designing an immersive international course and a pre-college program, both reflecting her commitment to experiential learning and academic innovation.

Stavrulaki connects operations strategy with human behavior

Associate Professor Effie Stavrulaki’s research bridges operations, psychology and management to better understand how people and organizations make decisions.

Her recent paper in the European Journal of Operational Research examines how companies plan sequential product launches and integrate post-sale updates — insights that can improve product strategy and supply chain efficiency.

In a separate study published in Current Psychology, Stavrulaki and Peter Imbriale, PhD ’23 investigate how mindfulness influences charitable giving, revealing that brief mindfulness training can affect both cash and in-kind donations.