MBA and Sloan Elective Courses: General
GSBGEN 111Q. Seminar in Entrepreneurial Communication
College campuses have been the incubators for thousands of new business ventures. What makes the difference between a successful entrepreneur and an initial failure out of the gate? It's often not the quality of the idea, but rather the ability of the entrepreneurs to successfully communicate their vision to potential investors, employees, and customers. This seminar will explore successful and failed entrepreneurial communication. Students will learn the basics of persuasive oral and written communication, and then apply these principles to their own ideas.
GSBGEN 304. Deals
This course will focus on the logic and structure of complex deals and on how professionals can add value by helping to engineer solutions to common problems. The goal is to explain both how private parties actually order their commercial interactions and also how they ought to. The first part of the course will examine the generic set of problems common to all complex transactions, such as transaction costs, adverse selection, moral hazard, problems of enforceability, strategic behavior, agency problems and contracting over time. These problems largely stem from asymmetric information and the possibility that the parties will act opportunistically to enrich themselves at the expense of the other. Students will also examine contractual and market responses that are intended to limit opportunism, induce parties to act for their collective welfare and, at the same time, divide the gains from the deal. This framework provides the analytical tools necessary to understand the logic behind complex transactions. In the second part of the course, students are asked to apply these conceptual tools to understanding the terms of an actual recent transaction. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 306. Real Estate Investment
The major objective of this course is to provide the student with a comprehensive understanding of the general fundamentals of real estate investment. Various aspects of real estate are covered including economics, market analysis, finance, taxation, appraisal, investment analysis, investment vehicles development, planning, merchandising, and property management. Major land uses are discussed including residential, retail, office, and industrial projects. The course is designed for both the investor and the general manager to better understand real estate as a fixed asset.
GSBGEN 311. Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
This course has two parts with each part focusing on a different form of ethical challenge. In the first part we will consider how ethics should be incorporated into the strategy of a corporation as it acquires responsibility for and to a growing range of stakeholders. Among the topics considered will be: What are the principle issues around labor and human rights? How responsible should a company be for the practices of its partners, vendors, contractors etc.? What factors should guide a company's philanthropy and community development activities? The second part of the course will focus on individual decision making and the implementation of ethical practices within organizations. Among the topics considered will be: How do companies ensure that the ethical standards of its leaders and employees are implemented? How can business leaders be made to see the inconsistency between their values and their actions? What structures can companies put in place to encourage ethical action and make it easier for employees to question the ethics of one another's actions? Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 315. Strategic Communication
Business leaders have marketing strategies, expansion strategies, finance strategies, even exit strategies. Successful leaders, however, also have communication strategies. This course will explore how individuals and organizations can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. This new course introduces the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery.
GSBGEN 320. Investment and Finance in China
This practical course with real world cases offers the latest on investment and finance in China, as well as highlights of the last 25 years since Deng Xiaoping's welcoming in 1979 of foreign capital. The five main areas covered by interactive discussion and pioneering cases are: (1) China's Banking System; (2) Foreign Direct Investment; (3) Trade and Trade Finance; (4) Infrastructure Finance; and (5) China's stock markets (and bringing a Chinese company to the international stock markets). Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 323. Communication for Global Leaders
Leaders in the 21st century face huge challenges not experienced by prior generations of executives and entrepreneurs. Globalization challenges almost every aspect of business from recruiting and managing a diverse staff to providing products and services which cross language, time, and cultural barriers. This course delves into the two areas impacting a leader's success in the global arena: technology and culture. Through a blend of class discussions and interactive activities students will study frameworks for effective communication in a global environment and then apply these lessons in team and individual projects. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 326. Leadership Fellows Laboratory
GSBGEN 327. Leadership Fellows Laboratory II
This two-quarter laboratory course designs and implements the leadership laboratory portion of the Strategic Leadership Course (SLC). In spring quarter, Fellows work together in teams developing the influence, presentation, facilitation, coaching and mentoring skills essential to run the Leadership Lab effectively in the Autumn (six teams of eight students). In Autumn quarter, these Fellow teams are responsible for the learning experience of one section of first-year students and each Fellow is specifically assigned a group of 8 students. Interested students apply during winter quarter and undergo an extensive and highly competitive application process from which successful applicants are invited to take part in the program. Information meetings are held in December and early January.
GSBGEN 339. Environmental Entrepreneurship
Markets have tremendous potential for solving environmental problems, and environmental entrepreneurs invent those solutions! Primarily through case analysis, students will learn to apply core business principles of finance, marketing, economics, operations, accounting, etc. to the provision of environmental goods and services. Case topics include innovation in materials and energy, conservation of land and wildlife, environmental product differentiation and supply chain management, investing under regulatory risk, and partnership between non-profit and for-profit organizations. Students will hear from environmental entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, corporate executives and nonprofit leaders, and will develop their own business plans in environmental entrepreneurship. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 346. Comparing Institutional Forms: Public, Private, and Nonprofit
For students interested in the nonprofit sector, and those in the joint Business and Education program. The missions, functions, and capabilities of nonprofit, public, and private organizations. Focus is on sectors with significant competition among institutional forms, including health care, social services, the arts, and education. Sources include scholarly articles, cases, and historical materials. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 348. The Economics of Higher Education
Topics: the worth of college and graduate degrees, and the utilization of highly educated graduates; faculty labor markets, careers, and workload; costs and pricing; discounting, merit aid, and access to higher education; sponsored research; academic medical centers; and technology and productivity. Emphasis is on theoretical frameworks, policy matters, and the concept of higher education as a public good. Stratification by gender, race, and social class. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 349. Introduction to the Politics of Education
The relationships between political and economic analysis and policy formulation in education; focus is on alternative models of the political process, the nature of interest groups, political strategies, policy efficiency, the external environment of organizations, and the implementations of policy. Applications to policy analysis, implementation, and politics of reform.
GSBGEN 350. Global Management Internship
No description available. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 351. Health Care Technology: From Innovators, to Providers, to Patients
This course examines health care businesses and how they use technology (primarily biotechnology, medical technology and information technology) to improve patient outcomes and manage costs. New technologies are commercialized by innovator companies (biotech and pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, diagnostics developers, and health IT companies). They are adopted by providers (hospitals, physicians) in patient care and paid for by third-party payers (commercial and government). The course will use case studies to examine the following: For the innovators, a) how they finance and manage new product development including clinical trial management and gaining regulatory approval, and b) how they develop their marketing, communication and sales strategies (both physician and patient communication and sales) to drive product adoption and gain third party reimbursement. For the providers,a) how they determine whether to adopt a new technology and b) the organizational changes new technology may necessitate especially when it generates new patient safety risks. Ultimately, for the payers we will examine a) the process they use to make reimbursement and coverage decisions, b) how they use selective provider network design to manage the added costs of these new technologies, and c) how managing these costs gives rise to new it-intensive business models. Through these case studies, the students will not only gain an in depth understanding of how new technologies get developed and commercialized in health care but how the whole health care value chain adapts to these new technologies. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 354. Globalization Strategies
This course examines the planning and execution of globalization strategies of (a) startups and SME's (small to medium-sized enterprises), and (b) larger firms. The challenges of "going global" can be very daunting; especially in ventures where resource constraints are severe. Yet, the opportunities from expanding beyond a local arena can be sufficiently large to warrant a sizable commitment of resources. The five keys are: 1. THE WHY: Pivotal importance of understanding diverse motivations for globalization. 2. THE WHEN: -Going Too Late versus Going Too Early Trade-offs. 3. THE HOW TO GO GLOBAL: Comparison of Greenfield expansion versus joint ventures versus franchising versus acquisitions. Also use of direct versus indirect sales approaches. 4. THE WHERE TO GO GLOBAL: Comparison of day 0 global rollout versus country-by-country roll-out. Approaches used to prioritize sequence of country-by-country markets to enter. 5. THE WITH WHOM: Use of quality partners to turbo-speed global reach. 6. CUTURAL/ECONOMIC/POLITICAL DIFFERENCES: Benefits/costs of localization versus upside of global execution/global brands. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 356. Dynamics of the World and Wine Industry
This Bass Seminar will examine the impact of the globalization of the wine industry on competitive strategies of wine producers. It builds on on-going field research on the role of organizational identity in creating sustainable advantage of niche producers in the Italian wine industry. This research concentrates on the contest between modernist and traditionalist identities and practices. This contest is being played out, to a greater or lesser degree, in most wine producing countries. Participants in the seminar will carry out research on the dynamics of the wine industry in one or a few countries. Collectively the seminar will attempt to provide an integrated account of industry dynamics in this industry over world regions. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 358. The Power of Social Technology
The goal of the class is simple: to marshal social technology in support of a clear social objective. This course is a Bass Seminar, and thus project-based - i.e. owned and driven by the students (rather than a more traditional class based on lectures and cases). The focus of this project-based seminar is to explore how social technology (e.g. the use of blogs, websites, podcasts, widgets, community groups, social network feeds) can change attitudes and behaviors in ways that cultivate social change and improve the lives of others. Students will study the strategies and tactics used by companies and causes that have successfully catalyzed active social persuasion (e.g., Facebook, Kiva, Google, Mozilla). Leaders from these organizations will also present during class sessions to offer first-hand perspectives about their experience and challenges they encountered along their varied paths to success. For the final project, you will work in small self-selected pods (i.e., teams) to develop an idea focused around improving the lives of others, broadly defined (e.g., finding a cure for a disease, raising money for a cause, improving the value of a brand for customers or employees).
GSBGEN 360. Sports Business Management
This course will examine the diverse management challenges facing the sports industry. The course will cover issues at the league level, the team level, the athlete/agent level, and the college level. The diverse constituencies with interests in sports issues (athletes, fans, media companies, advertisers, and legislators to name a few) will be discussed. Sports issues at a global level (the IOC) and both U.S. and outside U.S. will be covered. There will be coverage of evolving business ventures related to the sports industry (such as venture backed sports companies and sports networks). Valuation issues related to sports teams will also be covered.
GSBGEN 374. Interpersonal Influence and Leadership
This course is for non-GSB students only. This course attempts to increase students' personal and conceptual understanding of interpersonal and small-group behavior. It seeks to improve students' skills in diagnosing interpersonal and intragroup activities, as well as to lead each person to a better understanding of how he or she affects others. While selected articles, books, and group exercises are used to stimulate discussion, major learning material is generated by the participants. Students learn how they function in small groups and how they relate to others from feedback and reaction of other class members. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 376. Work and Family
This course examines the strategies that highly educated women and men use to combine work and family and the strategies that managers can bring into play to help others balance work and family. Topics include the plusses and minuses of becoming a stay-at-home mom or dad, the economic value of unpaid labor, the career trade-offs necessary to balance two high-powered careers and children, the economics of marriage, fertility, child care, and elder care, the gendered division of labor in the home, time-management and work/family conflicts, strategies for making change at the work place, and the role of public policy. The course provides a safe space for open discussion of difficult issues. Guest speakers discuss these issues with respect to their own careers and lives as well as the roles their organizations play.
GSBGEN 381. Strategic Issues in Philanthropy
This course will focus on applying strategic decision-making models as frameworks, students will examine the translation of philanthropic vision and capital into social action. Students will analyze philanthropic strategies as they relate to individual objectives; foundation mission, financial management, infrastructure and social investment processes; domestic grantmaking and global social investing; and emerging trends such as venture/high-engagement philanthropy. The course provides an overview of the key operational and strategic distinctions between traditional philanthropic entities, such as community foundations, private foundations, and corporate foundations, as well as contemporary models such as funding intermediaries, social venture partnerships and other high-engagement grantmakers. Additional topics include how strategy implementation influences the intersection of philanthropy and the political sector; principles and practices of corporate philanthropy and social responsibility; and the increasing forces for high-impact innovation in the philanthropic marketplace, such as accountability, social return on investment, and outcome assessment.
GSBGEN 382. Thinking Like a Lawyer
Open to all graduate students at the University. Taught by a team of senior faculty at the Law School, this course will provide non-law students an analytical framework for understanding the core concepts of the law, and familiarize students with how lawyers analyze and structure their work. It will introduce students to some of the foundational principles of law and review topics such as contracts, litigation, intellectual property, constitutional, securities, and employment law.
GSBGEN 384. Corporate Fraud
This course is intended to introduce 20 law students and 20 business students to the real world issues of major civil and criminal corporate fraud. The idea for the course arose out of the instructor's work as independent counsel for the Regents of the University of California, lead plaintiff or institutional plaintiff in the Enron, WorldCom, AOL Time Warner, and Dynegy federal securities cases. The seminar focuses on two major corporate frauds as case studies: (1) Enron and (2) Homestore.com (a major internet company). We will, of course, also compare and contrast with other major corporate frauds, such as WorldCom and AOL Time Warner. The class will also analyze current corporate fraud topics, such as stock options backdating, issues relating to the implementation of Sarbanes Oxley, the Thompson and McNulty memoranda and attorney-client and work-product waiver issues, pretexting, and the KPMG tax scheme. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 394. Global Project Finance
Public and private sources of finance for large, complex, capital-intensive projects in developed and developing countries. Benefits and disadvantages, major participants, risk sharing, and challenges of project finance in emerging markets. Financial, economic, political, cultural, and technological elements that affect project structures, processes, and outcomes. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 502. The GSB
This course concerns the GSB as an organization. The aim is to improve the understanding of participants on how the GSB is managed; what are the different constituencies it serves; what sorts of market and other pressures it faces; how it is governed; what is its strategy. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 503. Understanding "Cheating"
This course aims to develop a framework for thinking about the phenomenon of "cheating" that is documented in so many contexts. The course aims to further students' understanding of the factors that contribute to rule-breaking or violation of ethical norms, and their managerial implications. The course will address a number of questions including:
- What does extant empirical evidence suggest about the trends in cheating or violating rules over time? Is the tendency to violate rules greater than it has been at other times in history?
- What frameworks are useful for thinking about cheating?
- What are the characteristics of people, incentives, rules, monitoring systems and enforcement that influence the extent of cheating?
- What does the recent experience in sports, equity research, financial reporting and in educational contexts suggest for effects of different factors?
- What are the implications of the framework and evidence for organizational design? What organizational responses are likely to be effective?
- What are the implications for regulators? managers and employees?
The class will feature a diverse set of readings suggesting frameworks for thinking about cheating and factors that influence cheating, documenting empirical patterns or providing anecdotes. The class will feature a number of activities to develop a collective understanding of why cheating occurs, the consequences of cheating, the implications for organizational design, and the implications for students as future employees, managers and leaders. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 504. Writing on Business
Writing is an underappreciated aspect of business. When a report is written, however humble, the aim is not merely to put facts on paper but to persuade the reader of a point of view. For this reason, it is in one's interest to write well. More fluent writing is more likely to succeed in persuading. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 505. How Do Consumers Evaluate Products?
Managers and academics have long sought to understand how consumers shop, and in particular how they compare products. This seminar seeks to understand what is predictable about consumer behavior, and whether firms have much control over how consumers make their purchase decisions. This course will consider such general questions as: how do consumers evaluate products with unknown attributes; do consumers behave differently online; how do consumers make price comparisons; how do consumers make decisions about where and when to shop; and how do consumers evaluate new products. Not taught in 09-10.
GSBGEN 515. Essentials of Strategic Communication
Business leaders have marketing strategies, expansion strategies, finance strategies, even exit strategies. Successful leaders, however, also have communication strategies. This course will explore how individuals and organizations can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. As well as these essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery.
GSBGEN 520. The Frinky Science of the Human Mind
The primary goals of this course are (1) to expose students to the startling and counter-intuitive insights being unraveled on the workings of the human brain and (2) then get to the "so what" of these findings for shaping business strategy, personal development, etc. In the process of accomplishing these goals, we will address several fundamental questions. For instance, when making decisions of considerable import (e.g., choosing between two equally attractive job offers), should one become completely rational and do what the economists would recommend, or follow the gut and decide instinctively? If you want to extract maximum pleasure from an experience (e.g., a massage, consuming chocolate), will you be better off paying attention to the experience or distracting yourself? Finally, if happiness is the overarching end-goal for us, what are the neural underpinnings of happiness and how can one actively accomplish this end-goal?
GSBGEN 522. Ethical Issues in the Biotech Industry
This course focuses on the bioscience industry (biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics, and vaccine) with an emphasis on the ethical and social challenges of running these companies. Additionally, it will introduce students to the processes and decision-making with regard to new biotechnology product development, clinical research (both in developed and developing countries), responsibilities to human research subjects, regulatory hurdles, market timing decisions, interactions with physicians, product safety, data publication, direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs, and product litigation.
GSBGEN 534. Social Networks, Careers, and Markets
Social networks play a crucial role in firms and markets. Successful managers know how to think systematically about social networks, and can use social network thinking to advance their own careers and improve organizational performance. This course will introduce you to the latest thinking in the study of social networks through a mixture of cutting-edge research and case studies, and relate these insights to fundamental challenges faced by managers and entrepreneurs. We will cover a wide range of topics and questions. Some possible areas of focus include: How does the structure of your personal network (or your firm's network) affect your ability to create and capture value? How do networks influence job search and recruitment? How does the structure of social networks affect the flow of information and ideas? How can you identify key "taste-makers" to spread excitement about your product? How should teams (or new ventures) be designed to be both innovative and effective? What role do social networks play in mobilizing and maintaining organizational commitment? We will also focus on exploring business models that rely heavily on a social network component (e.g., LinkedIn; Ning); one session may be devoted to a site visit at such a company.
GSBGEN 542. How to Tell a Story
"Tell me the facts and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever." How do you tell a story? This question becomes important for leaders of companies, who often only need to act as an editor—shaping the stories told by employees and customers—to align with shared vision. And it becomes important in crafting a marketing campaign. A good story is not enough. It must be well told. This seminar will break down the basic elements of story-telling, elucidate the power of the verbal as well as the visual, and discuss how story-telling helps build brands and organizations. By creating powerful stories and then communicating them in their own uniquely human way, students will see how causes, careers and businesses can gain momentum.
GSBGEN 545. Business Opportunities in Education
This course will focus on how the combination of changing market mechanisms and emerging technologies fuel opportunities in for-profit education and training organizations, interaction of firms with public sectors, and boles of public administrators, educators, investors, and technology providers in defining opportunities, challenges, and constraints for education and training firms. It will also look at approaches to strategy formation, product development, and operations. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 547. Business and Environmental Issues
This speaker seminar examines the overlap and synergies between the business and environmental fields. Weekly speakers include leaders from both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 550. Issues in Leadership
This seminar will explore the nature and role of leadership in organizations. We will examine such questions as (1) What is leadership? (2) Why is it important? (3) What is it that leaders actually do? (4) How do they do it? (5) How are leaders developed? (6) Why do leaders succeed or fail? (7) What about your potential for leadership and your strategy for developing it? The primary objective in this seminar is to achieve a deeper understanding of the nature and role of leadership in organizations. The approach will be to examine a small sample of the literature, together with the amazing story of Ernest Shackleton and his Endeavor crew, and then to probe several key questions through lively class discussion. The discussion, informed by the readings and also by our collective experiences, will seek to develop some general principles and observations about leadership—particularly about how the student might better develop himself as a leader.
GSBGEN 552. Survey Design: Asking the Right Questions the Right Way
Do you want to understand customers' perceptions, thoughts, needs and wants? Whether launching a new product, segmenting a market, or developing an effective promotional campaign, understanding the customer is critical. One key method of gaining insights about customer characteristics is through conducting surveys. Surveys can be useful, but the answers you get are only as good as the questions asked. This class will cover both theoretical foundations of survey design as well as practical aspects regarding implementation. Students will learn about survey design through a series of hands-on exercises and discussions. Topics will include respondent recruiting, question selection, question wording and response format, respondent styles and biases, and more. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 554. Crafting Effective Interpersonal Communication
This course is designed for individuals interested in learning more about the art and science of influence in organizations—how to persuade people to go along with certain ideas and a given point of view. Many people are ambivalent, if not disdainful, of those who seek to wield influence over others, but organizations are fundamentally political entities, and interpersonal persuasion is a key mechanism by which things get done. For those considering careers in management, it is important to be able to craft a message that others find compelling in order to sway their opinion or shore up their support. After taking this course, the student will be able to: (1) craft effective communication in written and oral forms, (2) develop techniques for influencing others through interpersonal communication, and (3) understand the role of verbal and nonverbal messages in building cooperation and leading change in an organization. These skills will be invaluable throughout one's career.
GSBGEN 556. Dynamics of the Wine Industry
The contemporary world wine industry presents a fascinating arena in which to examine the interplay of (1) growing economies of scale and scope and (2) the vibrancy of niche strategies. This seminar will examine the implications of increasing scale and scope among major wine producers for the sustainability of mass-market strategies, niche strategies, and mixed strategies. A major theme is the importance of a producer's identity for success with a niche strategy, especially as seen in the context of ongoing field research on elite makers of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello.
GSBGEN 558. Commercializing New Technologies: Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
The science of stem cells and regenerative medical therapies has progressed dramatically in the last decade. Some medical scientists are arguing that within our lifetimes many serious medical conditions (e.g., heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson's) may be halted or reversed by these therapies. Needless to say, these technologies could radically change the landscape and economics of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. While the promise of regenerative therapies is great, significant ethical, scientific, and financial hurdles remain. To date, little attention has been paid to the role that businesses will play in moving research from the medical lab to the marketplace. This seminar will explore the role that business can and will play in the development and commercialization of regenerative medicine therapies. In particular, we will consider the challenges that venture capitalists and managers face in funding new ideas and bringing these ideas to market. This seminar will:
- Discuss the basics of regenerative medicine and stem cell science.
- Provide an overview of the industry and consider what business models existing regenerative medicine companies have adopted.
- Understand how investors might value a regenerative medicine company.
- Consider the role that public and private funding entities can play in developing and commercializing the science.
- Consider how laws and regulations will affect the like development of these technologies in the US and abroad.
- Discuss how companies and regulators have approached ethical concerns, not only in the USA and abroad.
Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 559. Leadership Laboratories-Condensed
Leadership Laboratories Condensed Spring course (Spring Labs) focuses on improving students' abilities to build relationships, motivate others, and influence outcomes. Spring Labs provide students with structured time to practice these skills with role-playing and other interactive, experiential exercises in a learn-by-doing environment. Spring Labs concentration on interactive, skill-based programming is geared toward ensuring that students actually develop their leadership skills, rather than solely gain knowledge about leadership.
GSBGEN 561. Sports Business Financing
This course examines financing and investment issues that face a diverse set of participants in the sports industry. A key theme is using general financial concepts to better structure decision making in the sports industry. Specific topics illustrate the broad set of perspectives considered: Player Payroll Financial Dynamics; Player Salary Management; Asset Appreciation Opportunities; Assessing the Value of Players (and General Managers); Investment Syndicates in Sports; Building a Startup League in Baseball; Financial Valuation of Sporting Clubs; Financial/Strategy Analysis for a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Venture; Financial/Strategy Analysis for a New Football (Gridiron) League; On-Line Sports Venture Evaluation.
GSBGEN 562. Sports Marketing
This course combines (a) a focus on key marketing themes (such as branding, customer attraction/retention, and celebrity power) and (b) an analysis of marketing in diverse areas of the sporting industry: the league level, the team level, the player level, the network level, the advertiser level, the sponsor level, the fan level, and the media level. The nine sessions cover the following: Corporate Sponsorship; Online Marketing; Events as Brand Building Investments; Marketing to Youth; Sports/Entertainment Nexus; Club Marketing Strategies; Brand Revitalization & Strengthening; Motor Sports Marketing; Marketing in a Web 2.0/Social Networking World.
GSBGEN 565. Political Communication
US Presidential election campaigns, as well as campaigns for other elected offices, are excellent laboratories for understanding strategic concepts and principles. They are highly visible, oriented toward very specific objectives, and increasingly accessible through a variety of new media platforms. The principles of political communications transcend politics, and are useful guides for leaders in business, the non-profit community, as well as government. How candidates communicate vision, values, and experience, as well as how they operate in very fluid environments, not the least of which may be during a crisis, has a great deal to do with their electoral success. This course will explore both theory and practice behind effective positioning and presentation. Students will analyze and evaluate both successful and unsuccessful communications strategies. In particular we will explore historic examples of US Presidential debates, from Nixon/Kennedy to the most recent debates from the 2008 election. Virtually every Presidential debate in the modern era has affected the outcome of the Presidential election.
GSBGEN 566. Real-Life Ethics
The goal of this course is to improve students' judgment in confronting ethical situations encountered in the normal course of business activities. The course, which will be case-based, will involve frequent student-to-student and student-to-instructor role-playing. Cases will be drawn from a wide selection of business situations, including such topics as raising venture capital, managing major industrial customers, product introduction through major retailers, developing financial instruments, sales force management and revenue recognition, etc.
GSBGEN 568. Managing Difficult Conversations
The goal of this course is to improve students' judgment as to how to effectively prepare for and confront difficult discussions in medical contexts. The course, which will be case-based, will involve frequent student-to-student and student-to-instructor role-playing in actual medical situations. Patients and physician-experts often will be present to participate as class guests. Relevant principles of professionalism, leadership, and psychology underlie the course pedagogy.
GSBGEN 571. Become a Leader: Managing Early Career Challenges
This one week course is based on 55 interviews with GSB grads who have been out 3-5 or 7-10 years. These interviews identified a set of common early career challenges that young MBAs faced—and the lessons they have learned from these. The course will address the critical transitions, formative experiences, and personal conflicts that characterize the typical challenges young leaders face. The course objective is to help current MBAs better understand some of the common challenges and pitfalls they are likely to face as they become leaders. The combination of vignettes, role plays, and speakers are designed to help class participants prepare for these potentially career-limiting events.
GSBGEN 583. International Deal Making: Legal and Business Aspects
This course is specifically focused on the application of legal and business knowledge to real world transactions in the international context. This is a practical course for students who are interested in applying their knowledge to deal structuring, identifying and resolving legal and business concerns, negotiations, documentation and deal closing. Course objectives: (1) To give the student a deeper understanding of the legal issues that arise in cross-border transactions, and a broader understanding of the business context in which legal advice is asked for and given; (2) To give students an appreciation of the importance of reading the legal documents which purport to describe his/her business transaction, and an understanding of the role the legal advisor can and should play in deal structuring, negotiating and documenting aspects; and (3) To recognize there will be the opportunity to strategize, structure and be the principal negotiator in real world, substantive, international business deals. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 584. Making Markets Work
This course will explore how markets can be used to broaden access for the least advantaged. The course will begin with arguments for broadening access by reviewing two, sometimes competing, frameworks: economic theory on inefficient markets and real world market failures, and the ethical notions of social justice and society's distribution preferences. Building upon these two frameworks, the course will then examine the different mechanisms that are used to direct capital to specific issues of access, with emphasis placed on innovations in the field. Next, the course applies the preceding frameworks to two specific issues of access, and real world experiments that attempt to address them. Finally, the course asks students to apply the framework they have learned to a new area of access of their choosing. In so doing, the students will be asked to identify the problem (i.e. market failures/barriers to access, the economic and ethical rationale for intervention), and then propose one or more market-based experiments or public-private solutions that may ameliorate the failure and expand access. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 591. History of Innovation in Silicon Valley, 1930-Present
What makes Silicon Valley tick, and how has the answer to that question changed in the past seventy years? This course explores the history of innovation in Silicon Valley, from the 1930s, when the region was best known for its apricots and plums, to its present incarnation as a global center of entrepreneurial activity. Students will use a variety of sources—including books, films, cases, guest lecturers and historical artifacts—to study Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and managers (such as Hewlett, Packard, Noyce, Grove, and Jobs) who developed innovative approaches to company building. At the same time, students will come to understand the complex roles that international competitors, venture capitalists, suppliers, customers, immigrants, universities, local governments, and the U.S. Department of Defense have played in the development of Silicon Valley, its corporations, and its culture. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 594. Studies in Grand Strategy
This one-week seminar focuses on great texts of grand strategy across two and a half millenia. It defines grand strategy both as the calculated relation of means to large ends, and as interrelated attention to all major factors of leadership and collective achievement: managerial, national, and international. Among these are negotiation, rhetoric, policy, long-range planning, crises and disasters, etc. Texts discussed will include Sun Tzu, Plato, Thucydides, Machiavelli, Kant, the American Founders, Clausewitz and contemporary Islamic strategists. Not taught in 2009-10.
GSBGEN 597. Stanford and IIMB Link (SAIL)
SAIL—Stanford And IIMB(Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore)Link—is a program for cross-cultural learning of business and management in U.S. and India. The program is limited to 20 Stanford Graduate School of Business students and 20 IIMB students. The program consists of four elements: (1) Joint collaboration on academic group projects of four students each (two students from each institution); (2) A sequential two-way exchange where the IIMB students will come to Stanford for a period of one week to engage in a variety of learning and integration activities and then Stanford students will visit IIMB for a similar experience. Visits will be organized along three core aspects—academics, business, and social activities—with the goal of providing cross-cultural learning opportunities for the exchange students; (3) Readings and presentations by group participants about the companies and individuals that the group will be meeting in U.S. and India; (4) Preparatory lectures delivered by faculty, business professionals, and individuals from the public sector.
GSBGEN 598. Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program
This course is open only to students participating in the Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program and is required of those students. Requirements include researching and reporting on companies to be visited, attending lectures in preparation for the China visit, attending lectures at Tsinghua, and carrying out and reporting on a project with one or more Tsinghua student.