MBA and Sloan Elective Courses: General

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. The problems include 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. We 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. I will say more about this requirement in class, but in the past, students have analyzed securitizations, movie deals, recording contracts, real estate development projects, VC funds, pharmaceutical joint ventures, sports contracts and complex mergers.

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 and design. Major land uses are discussed including apartments, retail, office, and industrial projects. This course is designed for both the investor and the general manager to better understand real estate as an asset class.

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?

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 recently reconfigured course introduces the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery. Deliverables will include written documents and oral presentations and you will present both individually and in a team. You will receive feedback to improve your communication effectiveness. In the final team presentation, your challenge is to craft an oral presentation that will persuade your audience to accept your strategic recommendations. By doing this, you will see why ideas, data and advocacy are combined for a professional, persuasive presentation.

This practical course helps students develop confidence in their speaking and writing through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and videotaped feedback. An important new feature of this course is that a team of external communications coaches work in concert with the professor to ensure that students get rigorous and individualized coaching and feedback.

In this course you will learn to:

- Create communication strategies at an individual and organizational level
- Develop clearly organized and effective presentations and documents
- Diagnose and expand your personal writing and oral delivery style
- Adapt your delivery style to different material and audiences
- Enhance oral delivery through effective visual aids

Students at all levels of comfort and expertise with public speaking and business writing will benefit from this course. In the 2011-2012 academic year this course will only be offered once in the spring term. Waitlists have been long for this course and you're encouraged to keep that in mind as you make your super round selections.

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). The cases have all been developed by the professor from his personal experiences in China. He has lived and worked in China since 1981, successfully completing over $5 billion in China deals.

Several of the cases are written from the perspective of 'inside the negotiating room.' Among the role plays, students are asked to:
1. Negotiate with the powerful Bank of China over the first U.S Eximbank loan to China since 1949.
2. Lead the very first Chinese Dragon bond issue ($50 million) in the Singapore markets.
3. Advise Firestone (U.S.) on the optimal entry strategy to sell its radial tire technology throughout China.
4. Strategize with a European client on structuring a world-class equity joint venture to build China's largest agrochemicals plant.
5. Create a business (not legal) solution to a nasty trade dispute involving four countries, including your European customer and China's largest import/export corporation, Sinochem.
6. Evaluate investment rewards and risks for infrastructure projects in mobile telecoms (national), a power plant (Fujian Province), an airport expansion (Jiangsu Province) and a clean water BOT plant (Sichuan Province).
7. Strategize to win the mandate to be the lead underwriter for Tsingtao Brewery in the first Chinese IPO in Hong Kong.
8. Lead the Bank of China IPO in Hong Kong (May, 2006), one of the largest IPOs in the world.

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 new 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.
This practical course moves beyond the basics of business writing and presentation skills to look at increasingly more sophisticated and challenging situations where communication is the key to a leader's success. Through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and videotaped feedback you will learn to:

Create communication strategies for a multi-cultural setting
Deliver presentations and conduct meetings using distance technology
Adapt your delivery style to different material and audiences
Collaborate with translators to ensure your message succeeds
Enhance oral delivery through effective visual aids

Completion of the MCP's effective and confident delivery workshop is very strongly recommended for all students prior to the first day of class. Students at all levels of comfort and expertise with public speaking and business writing will benefit from this course. Students with fluency in a language other than English are welcome and encouraged to enroll; but proficiency in a second language is not required.

GSBGEN 334 Family Business

Family-controlled private and public companies are the dominant form of enterprise worldwide. Despite their prominence, teaching and research have traditionally focused on analyzing the widely-held model of the firm. The family business management and valuation course explores the unique challenges and opportunities faced by family firms. The course is taught by Leo Linbeck III, Lecturer since 2005 at the GSB and President and CEO of Aquinas Companies, LLC. The course balances managerial perspectives with general frameworks. The course is intended for four main audiences: (1) Students whose family owns a business. (2) Students who are considering working for a family firm. (3) Students who are interested in acquiring a private firm either directly (search funds, minority investments, etc) or indirectly (private equity, etc). (4) Students who seek to consult or provide professional services to closely held firms or their owners (wealth management solutions, management consulting, etc). The main objectives of this course are three. First, to understand the unique challenges and characteristics of family firms. Second, to provide a coherent and consistent set of tools to evaluate the most relevant decisions faced by family firms. Third, to focus on decision-making. The course uses a combination of case studies, guest speakers, and student presentations to explore the central ideas of the course.

GSBGEN 336 Business Models for Sustainable Energy

Transforming the global energy system to reduce climate change impacts, ensure security of supply, and foster economic development of the world's poorest regions depends on the ability of commercial players to deliver the needed energy at scale. Technological innovation is a necessary but not sufficient condition for this to occur. The complex institutional frameworks that regulate energy markets in the United States and around the world will play a major role in determining the financial viability of firms in the energy sector. In this course we survey the institutional contexts for energy enterprises of all types and consider what kinds of business models work in each setting. We will study the business models pursued by small and large companies to: develop and deploy breakthrough low-carbon energy technology, evolve smart grids, extract energy in politically-unstable regions, support national goals without compromising core businesses (for the case of state-owned enterprises), build out critically-needed electricity and pipeline infrastructure, and bring clean and reliable energy to the poorest populations. Particular attention will be paid to ways in which the institutional environments and challenges in major emerging markets like China and India differ from those in the United States. The objective of the course is to provide a robust intellectual framework for analyzing how a business can most constructively participate in any sector like energy that is heavily affected by government policy.

Instructors:
Frank A. Wolak, Director, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development
Mark Thurber, Assistant Director for Research, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development

GSBGEN 339 Environmental Innovation, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship

This course focuses on environmental innovations and entrepreneurship. The main driver of these innovations is an increasing awareness by businesses and policy makers that the scope and scale of economic activity is altering the dynamics of natural systems in historically unprecedented ways. The increased demand for energy and the concerns about greenhouse gas emissions is one area where sustainability considerations and business innovation opportunities intersect. Changes in water and land use, chemically benign production materials, and green products are additional areas where opportunities for innovative change have emerged in recent years. Many companies are transforming their supply chains and operations in response to these emerging opportunities. The course explores ways in which sustainability innovation is being integrated into routine operations, product design and corporate strategy.

GSBGEN 340 Understanding the Recent Financial Crisis

This lecture course will explore the causes of the financial crisis of 2007-2008, solutions implemented during the crisis, and options for reform.
It will reside at the intersection of economics, financial markets and institutions, policy, and politics.

Topics we will consider include:
- Did a global savings glut, international savings flows, or Fed policy cause the credit bubble?
- What caused the housing and mortgage bubbles?
- How does a bad mortgage turn into a toxic financial asset?
- Why and how did large financial institutions fail? What's the difference between a solvency crisis and a liquidity crisis?
- What is Too Big To Fail? Is it real? Why was Bear Stearns bailed out but not Lehman?
- Was the global financial system on the verge of meltdown in September 2008? How? Why?
- What was the TARP? The TALF? The CPP? The stress tests?
- What can we learn from comparing the US financial crisis with that in other major economies?
- How effective were various policy tools during the crisis?
- How have policies enacted and implemented since the crisis changed the outlook for the future?

GSBGEN 346 Comparing Institutional Forms: Public, Private, and Nonprofit

For students interested in the nonprofit sector, those in the joint Business and Education program, and for Public Policy MA students. The focus is on the missions, functions, and capabilities of nonprofit, public, and private organizations, and the managerial challenges inherent in the different sectors. 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.

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.

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. (APA)

GSBGEN 350 Global Management Internship

The Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX) encourages MBA students to gain international work experience by spending part of their summer in corporate, government, or NGO-sponsored internships in areas of the world that are new to them.

From 1997 and the program's beginnings in China, GMIX has expanded to include internships in 41 countries in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the South Pacific.

A typical GMIX is structured as a supplement to a student's summer internship. Students usually spend 8 to 10 weeks with a summer employer and then at least four weeks working on a GMIX internship. Following the GMIX internship, students share their experiences with the GSB community and have the option to complete a research paper on an international business topic related to their internship for two academic credits.
Students intern in a variety of industries including consumer products, international development, energy, finance, media and entertainment, healthcare, and technology. Company sponsors include start-ups, joint ventures, and global companies.

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). We will use case studies to examine the following:

For the innovators,
a) financing and managing new product development
b) clinical trial management and gaining regulatory approval,
c) marketing, communication and sales strategies (both physician and patient communication and sales) to drive product adoption and gain third party reimbursement.
d) Business models to drive innovation.

For the providers,
a) The clinical and business case for adopting a new technology
b) The organizational changes new technology may necessitate especially when it generates new patient safety risks.

For the payers,
a) the process and criteria they use to make reimbursement and coverage decisions and how these criteria affect innovators,
b) selective provider network design to manage the added costs of these new technologies,
and c) 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. Interviews, panel discussions, and guest lecturers from prominent industry leaders will supplement the case discussions. Speakers and panelists in previous years included senior executives from Genentech, Gilead, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, United Health, DaVita, and Genomic Health; venture investors from Essex Woodland Health Ventures and Prospect Ventures; and heads of the health care/biotech practices at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs.

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. The general format for each class is a case discussion and linkage to an overall evolving conceptual framework. At about 80% of the sessions, there will be a class guest who will co-teach the session. Cases are drawn from multiple parts of the globe as well as across multiple types of industries. The grading is based on 2 case write-ups, a group project, and class participation.

GSBGEN 356 Dynamics of the World and Wine Industry

This 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.

GSBGEN 358 The Power of Social Technology

In the past year, a dizzying number of people have written about (and blogged about, tweeted about?) the mechanics of using Facebook, Twitter, email and YouTube, yet none addresses one of the biggest desires of individuals and corporations: how to leverage the incredible power of the new social technology to make a difference. (No offense to the dancing cats and exploding Pepsi bottles.). Thus the goal of the class is simple: to help you harness social technology in support of a clear single, focused goal ? and in so doing cultivate social good. To do so, we?ll travel with the Obama campaign as they use social technology to create political change, with Kiva as they foster economic justice by making micro-loans easily available, and with for-profits like eBay and Nike as they illustrate how social good and profit-making to go hand in hand. We?ll gain insight from leaders from Facebook, Twitter, and Google, learn a framework to structure your thinking and your action, and provide a PoST Toolkit that will get you started on using all the most important social technology tools.

The class will integrate methods from the d.school, marketing courses and psychology courses - including a focus on Ideation Labs, rapid prototyping, and real-time feedback. It is created for individuals interested in spreading ideas by harnessing the power of the ripple effect ? a set of small acts can create big change. Ultimately, this course demonstrates that you don?t need money or power to ignite seismic social change. We?ll show you how with energy, focus, and a good wireless connection, anything is possible.

This course is taught in conjunction with Design and Marketing, Building Innovative Brands class ? but can be taken as a nested set (working on a project common to the two courses) or independently.

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).

A key focus is on how the sports industry is similar to and different from other industries. Key concepts underlying the course are: value creation/value sharing; revenue ecosystem; virtuous circles and vicious circles; disruptive technologies; growth facilitators and growth inhibitors; leveragable assets/inherited liabilities; and entrepreneurship/new product innovations. Over 80% of the sessions typically will include a guest co-lecturer from the sporting industry.

GSBGEN 363 Fiscal Policy

One of every four dollars in the American economy will be spent by the federal government this year. This course will examine how federal spending, taxes, deficits and debt affect the U.S. economy and global financial markets, and how the economy affects the federal budget. We will look inside the federal budget to understand entitlement spending, what causes it to grow so fast, how it could be reformed, and why that's so hard to do. We'll understand where the money goes -- how much goes to infrastructure, education, housing, health care, energy and the environment, parks, scientific research, national defense, and other needs. We'll look at the stimulus vs. austerity debate, both within the U.S. and between the U.S. and Europe. We'll look beyond partisan battle lines and explore various fiscal philosophies that sometimes split the political parties. We'll cover the federal budget process from developing the President's budget to enacting individual spending and tax bills, and discuss process reforms including spending and deficit reduction targets, a balanced budget amendment, and line item veto. We'll cover the major players in the budget debate and understand where the big and small budget decisions are made. We'll look at federal taxation, where the money comes from, how it affects the economy, and how it might be restructured. We'll examine the recommendations of the President's budget commission and see if we can predict what will become of its recommendations. And we'll see if we, as a class, can solve our nation's fiscal problems as Washington has so far been unable to do.

GSBGEN 374 Interpersonal Influence and Leadership

This course is for non-GSB students only. The focus of this course is to increase one's competencies in influencing and leading the building more effective interpersonal relationships. Learning is primarily through engaging in giving and receiving feedback with other group members. This course is very involving and, at times, can be quite emotional. However, this course is not a substitute for therapy; we deal more with inter-personal issues than with intra-personal ones. If you are in therapy, please talk this over with your therapist and get their advice before enrolling in this course. The 36 students of the class are divided into three 12-person T-groups (T-training groups) that meet for 3 hours every Wednesday evening starting the second class and continuing till the end of the term. In addition, the class goes away for a weekend at the end of the course. It is very important to note that when you decide to take this course you are making an explicit contract to be actively involved. You are expected to attend all class and t-group sessions because of the 1) highly interactive nature of this course and 2) this section's one day format- half of each 3 hour afternoon class will be t-group in addition to 3 hours of evening t-group. Wait listed students need to attend the first class to secure your place should an opening emerge. Class Notes: Note 1: Students must pre-qualify before bidding on this course. Qualification information can be found at <https://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/OB_374_Qualification>.

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 pluses 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 Philanthropy

Appropriate for any student driven to effect positive social change from either the for-profit or nonprofit sector, Strategic Philanthropy (GSBGEN 381/ EDUC 377C) will challenge students to expand their own strategic thinking about philanthropic aspiration and action. In recent decades, philanthropy has become an industry in itself - amounting to over $303 billion in the year 2009 alone. This course will provide an overview of the key operational and strategic distinctions between traditional philanthropic entities, such as community foundations, private foundations, and corporate foundations; and contemporary models, including funding intermediaries, open-source models, and venture philanthropy partnerships. Course work will include readings and case discussions that encourage students to analyze philanthropic strategies as they relate to foundation mission, grant making, evaluation, financial management, infrastructure, and board governance. Guest speakers will consist of high profile philanthropists and foundation presidents, as well as Silicon Valley business leaders striving to redefine philanthropic models. The course will culminate in an individual project in which students will complete a business plan for a $10 million private foundation.

GSBGEN 382 Thinking Like a Lawyer

Open to all graduate students at the University, 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. This course will be taught by Dean Larry Kramer, Vice Dean Mark Kelman and Law School faculty in their areas of expertise, with one to two classes devoted to each topic. It will introduce students to some of the foundational principles of law and will review topics such as contracts, litigation, intellectual property, securities and employment law.

It will be offered in the Winter 2010-11 quarter (1/3/11-3/11/11), meeting twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30-3:00 pm at the Law School. Additional TA-led discussion sections will be available on Thursday afternoon at 3 pm and Friday morning. The class will be offered as a lecture, on a Pass/Fail basis. There will be no final exam, but completion of problem sets on various topics as well as class participation will be used to determine grading.

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 my work since April 2002 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.

The goal of this course is to learn the lessons of the "Enron era" from many of the top practitioners in the field. Guest lecturers will include (schedules permitting) the following top practitioners: judge (Judge Lawrence Irving), prosecutors (John Hueston, Doug Fuchs, Mike Wilner), SEC counsel (Jessica Puathasnanon), criminal and civil defense counsel (Terry Bird, Dan Petrocelli, Jim Brosnahan, Cris Arguedas), plaintiffs class action lawyers (Bill Lerach, Joe Cotchett), investment banker/Board member (Rock Hankin), institutional investor counsel (Chris Patti), accountant (Rich Corgel), and CEO/Board Chairman (Rich Fairbank).

The ultimate, and most exciting, part of the seminar is the class project. Students will divide up into teams of four and do a team presentation to a hypothetical Board of Directors on the results of their independent investigation of a major corporate fraud (e.g. WorldCom, AOL Time Warner, HealthSouth, Qwest, Cendant, Tyco, Global Crossing, Adelphia, or Parmalat). Each student will write a research paper on that investigation.

GSBGEN 394 Global Project Finance

The course covers principles of project finance as well as fundamentals of infrastructure project development, public-private partnerships, and principal investment in the burgeoning infrastructure asset class. The course provides a conceptual framework for how to think about structuring, de-risking, and financing large, complex, capital-intensive projects in the transportation, energy, communications, and social infrastructure sectors.

The course examines the range of public and private sources of finance currently available for infrastructure projects in developed and developing countries. It covers benefits and disadvantages of project finance as a financing style, major participants in project finance transactions, and risk allocation and mitigation. It reviews the financial, economic, political, social, environmental, and technological factors that influence project structures, processes, and performance.

The course involves a combination of lectures, case-studies, discussions, guest speakers, and a final project. For the case-studies and discussions, students will be asked to assume much of the responsibility for the quality of sessions by reading all required materials, raising questions, and participating actively. For the final project, self-selected student teams work with industry mentors, typically on a live transactions or assignments.

Prominent industry leaders and former students participate in many of the class sessions. Speakers and panelists in previous years have included infrastructure experts from a cross-section of infrastructure funds, transaction advisors, contractors, engineering companies, and law firms; as well as investment banks, commercial banks, insurance companies, multilateral institutions, and pension funds.

The student composition tends to be 1/3 GSB, 1/3 engineering, and 1/3 other departments at Stanford University including Law School, Management Science and Engineering, and Financial Mathematics. The small class-size and cross-disciplinary format makes for dynamic discussions and a strong alumni group.

Students who have taken the class have had the opportunity to build relationships with executives in organizations such as AECOM, Arup, Bechtel, BNP Paribas, Ferrovial, Goldman Sachs, Highstar Capital, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Santander, Table Rock Capital, Taylor deJongh, and other brand name infrastructure teams and organizations.

Students who have a strong desire to enter the fields of infrastructure development, finance, or investment will benefit from this course most directly. Students who are unsure about the fit of the course with their long term personal and professional interests are encouraged to reach out to the instructor at rjorr@stanford.edu to learn more.

GSBGEN 502 The GSB

This 1 unit course concerns the GSB as an organization. Grading is mandatory pass/fail. To receive a passing grade, students must attend (or have an excused absence for) seven out of the eight class sessions and must participate actively in discussions in class. For the typical class session, students will be given a reading about some aspect of the GSB. Whenever possible, a presentation will be made by the individual at the GSB (or outside) who is key to the particular function, with discussion following. 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.

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.

GSBGEN 504 Writing on Business

Writing is an underappreciated aspect of business. When you write a report, however humble, your aim is not merely to put facts on paper but to persuade the reader of your point of view. For this reason, it is in your interest to write well. More fluent writing is more likely to succeed in persuading.

We will read and discuss books that exemplify effective writing about business. We will use a fairly broad definition of business writing, including such authors as Michael Lewis, John Kenneth Galbraith, Peter Bernstein, Kurt Eichenwald, and Robert Caro. We will avoid the kind of book that offers X easy steps to becoming a successful manager, as it is implausible that they are read by actual successful managers.

The books we will examine all make good reading, but we will focus less on content than on style. What are the tricks of the writing trade? In order to extract lessons about writing in general, from student assignments to business reports to nonfiction essays, we will try to dissect how the author does it.

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. We 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. While a short seminar such as this can only begin to consider these important questions, I will consider the seminar a success if it stimulates your desire to explore these questions further.

To address these and other questions, we will read and discuss various academic and managerial literatures, do our own experiments, and have a visitor or two. I will ask each attendee to research how consumers shop in a specific product class (e.g., digital music players, health plans, mutual funds, burger restaurants, gasoline stations, dating web sites). The product class is up to the student, but should be chosen in consultation with the instructor.

GSBGEN 509 Real World General Management Problem Solving and Synthesis

Real World General Management Problem Solving and Synthesis is designed to give 2nd year MBA's a substantively rigorous, challenging and rewarding opportunity to assess and integrate what they have learned here and apply it to a complex general management situation. After reviewing some of the fundamentals of business problem solving- including issue identification, problem structuring and critical analytical thinking- students will be asked to develop their own perspective on the issues facing an actual global high technology company in real-time, based on discussions with senior management including the CEO, members of the Board of Directors and their own research, analysis and insight. The final project, to be done in small teams, is a presentation on how to address the company?s major issues to a the CEO and other members of the senior management team.

Appropriate for ambitious students aspiring to general management in complex organizations or those in management consulting, private equity/investment, investment banking or other roles where addressing the wide range of strategic, operational, financial and organizational issues complex organizations face is an essential leadership skill.

GSBGEN 510 Taking Stock and Moving Forward

This spring quarter elective is designed to help you prepare for a challenging, fulfilling, and meaningful future. GSBGEN 510 seeks to:

Provide you with the opportunity and tools to take stock of what you have learned about yourself as a person and as a leader over the last 18 months at the GSB
Expose you to research on personal and professional development and help you apply it
Encourage you to reflect on what matters most to you, personally and professionally, and begin to determine how to achieve it, and
Prepare you for the challenges and transition immediately ahead and, in so doing, learn how to manage life's big transitions in the future.

We will address four major life and career themes:

Learning from Choices
Fulfillment and Meaning
Failure and Resilience
Transitions and Renewal

This class is limited to 36 students. Each class will begin with conceptual input and an overview of that session's topic in the main classroom. Students will then be divided into three twelve-person break-out groups during the remainder of the class time. These groups are NOT T-groups, for those of you who took Interpersonal Dynamics, but rather discussion groups. Discussion will be of a reflective and personal nature. Each group will have 2 Group Leaders who are experienced executive coaches specializing in helping people through life and career transitions.

GSBGEN 515 Essentials of Strategic Communication

Communication is crucial to the success of all leaders, but as you climb within an organization the ability to write and speak effectively is magnified. This course will explore how individuals can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. Together we will explore the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion at an executive level. Each of our sessions will focus on a different, yet related, element of the art and science of being effective and persuasive in business.

We will study: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery. Deliverables will include written documents and oral presentations and you will present both individually and in a team. You will receive continuous feedback to improve your communication effectiveness.

This practical course helps students at all levels of communication mastery develop confidence in their speaking and writing through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and videotaped feedback.

In this course you will learn to:

Create communication strategies at an individual and organizational level
Develop clearly organized and effective presentations and documents
Diagnose and expand your personal writing and oral delivery style
Adapt your delivery style to different material and audiences
Enhance oral delivery through effective visual aids

GSBGEN 520 The Frinky Science of the Human Mind

The primary goals of this course are twofold. First, to expose students to the rapidly emerging field of neuroeconomics and the startling and counterintuitive insights being unraveled on the chemical, biological and emotional underpinnings of the human mind. Second, to leverage the learnings to solve real-world issues. This class will be offered as a two-week hands-on project-based course in the GSB Co-lab, a space designed for radical collaboration and rapid prototyping. For select students, we will be offering a follow-on course during the latter half of fall quarter to further develop projects initiated in this compressed seminar.

GSBGEN 521 Managing Under Uncertainty

Uncertainty with changing opportunity shapes investment planning whether in financial firms, corporations or entities such as pension funds, venture capital and private equity, and, in particular, in non-traded assets or securities. We will develop an approach to understanding (1) capital allocation issues; (2) capital structure planning; (3) optimization policies with changing opportunity sets and adjustment costs; and, (4) the selection of levels of risk taking. These relate to what is needed to manage uncertainty. The following three areas: (1) developing feedback mechanisms to assist planning; (2) reporting mechanisms for management and investors; and, (3) compensation planning and business structure, relate to managerial effectiveness under uncertainty. These internal risks must be integrated with external risks such as geopolitical issues and fiscal and monetary policies in a global setting.

I plan to introduce each of these from my theoretical and applied perspective. I will provide selective reading on each topic and a list of questions to provide follow on discussion. Students will work with me to flesh out not only the answers to these questions, but also provide additional questions and discover additional readings that are germane to expanding understanding and to following developments in each of these areas.

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 customer physicians, product safety, data publication, direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs, and product litigation. Students in the class will be representative of those who work on this industry sector and, hence, will come from the schools of business, medicine (clinical and bench), bio-engineering, and chemical engineering. Law students are also invited to enroll, scheduling permitted. This is a 2-unit course that meets once a week.

GSBGEN 525 From Business Concept to Business Plan

The creation of a business plan is a useful process for entrepreneurs to evaluate and think through a business concept. The business plan is also a standard tool to present the business to investors when seeking funding. Business plans are as important for innovators who think through new business models and their implementation in established companies. This short course will focus on the process of going from a business concept to a business plan. The course will be hands-on, and it will start from a concept accompanied by preliminary market research (this means students don't have to come up with their own business ideas). It will then go through the analysis which leads, by the end of the course, to a business plan.

GSBGEN 528 Creativity, Problem Solving, and Innovation

This course is designed to expose second-year MBAs to research on creativity in problem-solving. The course has straightforward practical goals: it will explore ways in which individuals, groups, and organizations can become more creative, in useful ways. In order to do this effectively, we will study hardnosed research on problem-solving. We will not read articles entitled "The five-fold path to creativity." If there really were recipes or algorithms for reliably increasing creativity, I would certainly teach them. (Or more likely, I wouldn't need to: they would routinely be taught in the core curriculum of every MBA program.) Instead, we will study what cognitive and social scientists have discovered about novelty and effectiveness in problem-solving. Some of this work---e.g., Scott Page's examination of the value of cognitive diversity in teams---will have relatively direct action-implications. The pragmatic implications of other research---e.g., on organizational norms for resolving conflict---will be more indirect. Because the course's practical goal is easy to state but hard to achieve, some patience is required.

As indicated above, we will study creativity at three levels: individuals, groups and organizations. Because there is pretty good evidence that different kinds of factors are prominent at these different levels, the course's approach is multi-disciplinary. We will read articles and books by cognitive psychologists and cognitive scientists, social psychologists, organization theorists, and perhaps historians who have studied industrial innovation. Disciplinary boundaries are irrelevant: any work that articulates a significant claim about pragmatically useful creativity and backs up that claim with a good argument is grist for our mill.

Because the course focuses on creativity that makes a difference---i.e., that ultimately makes some organizational stakeholder better off---we will also study how innovations get selected. This inevitably means studying how new ideas get criticized and sometimes discarded. This process is less fun than generating new ideas, but given that brand-new ideas are usually flawed in one way or another, critical and hard-headed scrutiny of innovations is vital. Hence, we will examine psychological, political, and organizational obstacles to the effective criticism and evaluation of novel solutions, and we will also look at some ideas on how these obstacles might be reduced.

Classes will be run seminar-style: they'll focus on examining the readings closely and critically. Understanding what a study does not establish is sometimes just as important as understanding what it does establish. Hence, I will expect everyone to read carefully; skimming won't cut it. This effort will probably result in a rather deep and sophisticated comprehension of the topic. Given the importance of creativity and innovation in modern organizations, that should be adequate return for hard effort.

GSBGEN 530 Learning From Experience

It is commonly believed that experience is a great teacher. But is it? Are the lessons we learn from experience always the correct ones? Research on this question suggests that it is far from a given that the lessons we draw from their experiences are the appropriate ones. Often they are but often they aren't. This seminar addresses what research suggests about how managers and others learn and don't learn from experience. Among the questions we will consider are: (1) What make for valuable learning experiences? (2) What makes for good learners? (3) What prevents experience from becoming expertise? (4) How does the educational benefit of experience compare to that gained by "book learning"? (5) What are the challenges in communicating to others what our experience has taught us?

The seminar will meet 1:15-4:15, Sept 19-23. There will be readings and discussion questions assigned for each session. In addition, students will be required to interview experienced managers about their views on the questions addressed in the seminar and share these responses with the class.

GSBGEN 531 Global Trip Leadership

This course is open only to leaders of the Global Service Trips or Global Study Trips. The course will meet eight times during the first four weeks of Fall Term. In addition, the teams have the option of making use of a Master Coach just before their trip to review how they are operating as a team. There will be a 10th meeting during Winter term where the Winter Trip leaders will share their experience with the Spring Trip leaders.

The purpose of this course is to help trip leaders in the planning and conducting of the trip so as to maximize the learning for the trip participants and the trip leaders as well as increasing the overall success of the trip. A range of topics will be covered including: articulating a vision for the trip, developing their team as a high performing team, making quality decision, resolving interpersonal issues (within the team and with participants), understanding how to make full use of the faculty member and dealing with the myriad of issues that are likely to arise.

Class time will mainly be spent discussing and role-playing a series of short cases that have been developed around issues that have come up in past trips. These will be supplemented by short lectures to provide the conceptual underpinning. There will be a very modest reading list.

GSBGEN 532 Cleantech: Business Fundamentals and Public Policy

The course materials include case studies, book chapters, reports, homework exercises, videos, guests, and the presentation of final course projects.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Examine developments in the cleantech sector related to energy and carbon emissions.
Provide a framework for comparing the cost competitiveness of alternative energy solutions.
Examine current trends in public policy and regulatory initiatives related to carbon emissions and clean energy standards.
Understand challenges for the commercialization of new energy technologies. Examine strategies for avoiding the "Valley of Death."

GSBGEN 533 Sustainability as Market Strategy

The increasing social emphasis on environmental sustainability creates both dilemmas and opportunities for firms. Recognizing that sustainability means a focus on not just the environment, but also on broader issues of corporate social responsibility, we will examine the ways in which some companies are developing a "sustainability strategy." We will also consider the way in which companies are profiting from such a strategy with an eye toward understanding the conditions under which such a strategy can generate profits for firms. We will also focus on the way in which many companies are partnering with non-governmental organizations to develop business strategies that focus not only on profits, but also on the environment and social responsibility.

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 535 Succession Planning in Family Business

Description is currently not available.

GSBGEN 536 Business Models for Sustainable Energy

Instructors:
Frank A. Wolak, Director, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development
Mark Thurber, Assistant Director for Research, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development

GSBGEN 540 Understanding the Recent Financial Crisis

This compressed lecture course will explore the causes of the recent financial crisis, solutions implemented during the crisis, and options for reform. It will reside at the intersection of economics, financial markets and institutions, policy, and politics. Topics we will consider include:

Did a global savings glut, international savings flows, or Fed policy cause the surge in domestic investment?
What caused the housing and mortgage bubbles?
How does a bad mortgage turn into a toxic financial asset?
Why and how did large financial institutions fail? What's the difference between a solvency crisis and a liquidity crisis?
What is Too Big To Fail? Is it real? Why was Bear Stearns bailed out but not Lehman?
Was the global financial system on the verge of meltdown in September 2008? How? Why?
What was the TARP? The TALF? The CPP? The stress tests? Did they work?

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 as you craft a marketing campaign. A good story is not enough. It must be well told. In this seminar, we 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. For the final project, you will create tell a story about (a) your organization, (b) your brand, or (c) you. By creating powerful stories and then communicating them in your own uniquely human way, you'll see how causes, careers and businesses can gain momentum.

GSBGEN 544 The Role of the Modern General Counsel

The news is filled with reports of one corporate crisis after another - names like BP, Goldman Sachs, Google, Hewlett-Packard, AIG, Siemens and issues like bribery, antitrust violations, insider trading, backdating, procurement fraud, health and safety violations, breach of privacy, consumer class actions and the like. And often the cry is heard - where are the company's lawyers?

This course, introduced last year, explores the evolution of the role of the general counsel of major American public companies and, more broadly, the expanding role of in-house counsel. These are the lawyers in the trenches, on the front lines of American businesses.

Each week, we'll review another dimension of the general counsel's job. We'll review the different ways in which general counsels manage large corporate legal departments and direct functional legal areas like litigation, IP, corporate and securities, M&A, environmental and employment law. We will also examine the professional responsibilities and legal obligations of the general counsel -- including the delicate and sometimes conflicting reporting relationships to the CEO and the board of directors -- and consider how an in-house legal department fits into a corporation's organizational structure and how it supports the company's operating units on a day-to-day basis. We will explore the general counsel's role in internal investigations, shareholder derivative suits, regulatory investigations and compliance programs, and government affairs. We will also consider current practices in how in-house lawyers select, collaborate with and evaluate outside counsel.

The class will meet weekly and we will invite several current and former general counsels of major corporations to join us occasionally for our discussions. Each student will be expected to participate actively in class discussions, and will be required to complete two projects, each in collaboration with three other students and submitted as a team, presenting how the team would address a complex set of legal and business issues. The course grade will be based 1/3 on class participation and 1/3 on each of the two team projects.

GSBGEN 545 Business Opportunities in Education

For students in the joint degree program in Business and Education; open to others. The combination of changing market mechanisms and emerging technologies fueling opportunities in for-profit education and training organizations. Interaction of firms with public sectors. Roles of public administrators, educators, investors, and technology providers in defining opportunities, challenges, and constraints for education and training firms. Approaches to strategy formation, product development, and operations. Visiting managers and other experts. (SSPEP/APA)

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. Past speakers have included business executives, alternative energy experts, environmental consultants, and professors. Group assignments build on concepts presented during the weekly 90-minute class discussions.

GSBGEN 548 Crafting Your Life Story

This new seminar explores how the "life stories" we tell ourselves influence the choices we make in life, including the personal and professional choices we make, the ambitions we pursue--and, ultimately, our very success. Together, we will look at the science and art of what might be called "generative autobiography"--finding the particular life story that helps you pursue a more consequential and meaningful life. In developing this idea, you will learn to identify the essential elements of a great life story. You will learn how to craft a better, more creative life story for yourself, and you'll learn also how to tell your life story more effectively to other people in order to engage them more deeply and lead them more effectively.

The course will include a series of outstanding readings from psychology, philosophy and literature on how to think more creatively about the life you are living now--and the life you hope to live going forward. One distinctive feature of this new seminar will be the extensive use of materials from award-winning films to illustrate the major themes and dilemmas of telling a good life story. We will examine the lives of a number of fascinating high achievers from business, science, politics and the arts. The course also includes several exercises designed to help you craft, refine, and project your life story. The seminar will be very discussion-oriented and very engaging.

GSBGEN 549 Leading Your Life

This course takes conventional managerial perspectives on the "strategic leadership" of organizations and applies them to the design and management of your life. Fundamental notions of "purpose" and "vision" are translated to the personal level in the form of "dreams" and "aspirations." Basic elements of strategy such as "scope" and "competitive advantage" are applied to help you evaluate fundamental choices about how you lead your life. Constructs such as "priorities," "commitments" and "resource allocation" all have analogues in individual life - as does the core objective of performance and success. The class begins with a hard-nosed and broad-based self-assessment of the quality of your life along a variety of dimensions including relationships, career, money, spirituality and health. Based on this assessment you will develop a strategy and a set of concrete goals for enhancing the quality of your life in targeted domains. The course consists of five intensive sessions designed to help you develop the skills and knowledge- but more importantly the insight and capacity - to be more strategic (in best sense of the term) and effective in how you lead your personal and professional life - meaning actively guiding, stewarding, and driving your results to create a life that is truly exceptional. Substantively, the course draws on a variety of different traditions including existential, humanistic, and positive psychology; personal growth, adult development, and the human potential movement; as well as the practice of life and executive coaching. Central themes and learning objectives include: * The development of self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-control * An understanding of the power of choice and "authoring" one's life * The essential role of dreams and aspirations * The art and discipline of knowing and speaking your truth * The challenges and self-limiting impact of negative thoughts and self-theories * Developing a stance towards oneself and others that is rooted in grace and wisdom NB: While we expect the class to be helpful and of interest to a wide range of students, it involves a substantial commitment of time and emotional and intellectual energy. It is not for the faint of heart or those who are ambivalent about introspection, feedback, or constructive confrontation.

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?

Our primary objective in this seminar is to achieve a deeper understanding of the nature and role of leadership in organizations. Our 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 you might better develop yourself as a leader.

GSBGEN 551 Innovation and Management in Health Care

The health care system accounts for over 17% of US GDP and is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. This two unit class focuses on the interplay and tension between the main players in the health care field - providers of health care services (individual doctors, group practices, integrated health care systems), payors (insurances companies, employers, consumers, and government), patients, and innovator companies (biopharma, medical device, diagnostics, and health care IT). The course is designed for students with a broad diversity of backgrounds and interests who want to better understand the health care business and system. No prior experience in the health care or medical field is assumed or needed. The focus of the class will be primarily on the US health care system, but there will be limited discussion of non-US systems as well.

The course is divided into five modules:

An overview of the US Health Care System and the interplay between payers, providers, and innovators
Provider organization models and incentive structures
- The relationship between quality, cost, and access
- Integrated systems and fee for service models
- New IT technologies, including electronic data records, and incentives for adoption
- How the delivery system structure affects technology innovators
Innovator business models and issues
- Financing and managing new product development and portfolio management
- Clinical trial management and gaining regulatory approval
- Marketing, communication and sales strategies (both physician and patient communication and sales) to drive product adoption and gain third party reimbursement
- Business models to drive innovation
New technologies, business opportunities, and business models
- Molecular diagnostics
- Stem cells and regenerative medicine
- Consumer genomics
Health care system reform

The class will be taught primarily from the perspective of a business person operating a company rather than that of a policy maker, academic, or investor. While there will be a few lectures to provide background and frameworks for course topics, most classes will involve a case discussion and prominent guest speakers from the health care industry. Speakers and panelists in previous years included CEOs and senior executives from Genentech, Gilead, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and Genomic Health; venture investors from Essex Woodland Health Ventures and Prospect Ventures; and heads of the health care/biotech practices at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs.

GSBGEN 552 Survey Design: Asking the Right Questions the Right Way

Do you want to understand your customers' perceptions, thoughts, needs and wants? Whether you are launching a new product, segmenting your market, or developing an effective promotional campaign, understanding your 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 you ask. 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.

GSBGEN 554 Crafting Effective Interpersonal Communication

This course is designed for individuals interested in improving their communication skills. As a leader, you will spend the majority of your time communicating with others--team members, subordinates, clients, and other constituents. Right now, you probably don't spend much time thinking about the way you communicate, nor are you likely, in the corporate setting, to get honest feedback on the messages you send. Yet the quality of your communications will have a large impact on your overall effectiveness. This class will help you appreciate the nature and complexity of communication and provide guidelines for both improving your communication style and recognizing the unique styles of others.

The class is based on the assumption that organizations are fundamentally political entities, and interpersonal influence through communication is a key mechanism by which things get done. Effective leaders don't simply lead by fiat--they often must influence and persuade others to go along with their ideas. In each session, we'll consider a number of well-studied tactics of interpersonal communication. For each tactic, we'll talk about why it works, when it works best, and what its limitations might be. We'll discuss how you can put these approaches to work in order to support your attempts at persuasion and how to resist them as an unwilling target of persuasion.

After taking this course, you will be better able to: (1) identify strategies for crafting effective communication in the form of everyday conversation, written work, and public presentations, (2) develop techniques for building strong, long-term alliances with your colleagues, and (3) become more persuasive in advancing an agenda, acquiring resources, or eliciting compliance from others. These skills will be invaluable to you throughout your career.

GSBGEN 556 Dynamics of the Wine Industry

The contemporary world wine industry presents a fascinating arena in which to examine the interplay of two strong forces. The first involves strengthening economies of scale and scope that result from globalization. The second concerns the renewed vibrancy of niche strategies, especially those that emphasize claims to authenticity. This seminar will examine the interplay of these two processes using results of ongoing field research on elite winemakers along with studies of related processes in brewing and restaurants. A major theme is the importance of a clear identity for success with a niche strategy. Seminar discussions will consider broader implications of the recent research.

GSBGEN 557 Authenticity in Markets: The Case of the Wine Industry

Evidence has mounted that consumer care about issues of authenticity in many kinds of markets. This seminar explores the meanings of authenticity in market contexts. It emphasizes the idea that authenticity attaches as much or more to the characteristics and actions of producers than to characteristics of products. Although these issues arise in many kinds of markets, they are especially intense for food and drink. So the seminar emphasizes these contexts, especially the wine industry. In wine production we see battles over the "soul of wine," what it means for a wine to provide an authentic representation of terroir, national traditions, and so forth. Especially interesting for understanding authenticity is the recent success of biodynamic producers.

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.

Notes: This is the second year that this seminar is being offered. MBA students who take this seminar do not need to have a medical or science background. Students do need to have an interest in using their business backgrounds and coursework to analyze the business opportunities presented by these therapies. The class will benefit from five outside speakers involved in

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 (& 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 Sports Marketing 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 563 Fiscal Policy

GSBGEN 564 The Entertainment Industry - An Intersection of Art and Commerce

In this seminar we will explore the intersection of art and commerce in the entertainment industry. We will look at creating films and television programming that are artistically meaningful and/or have the potential for commercial success. Films are also increasingly used as a tool for social change, and we will examine this power.

The entertainment industry is one of enormous importance - both from a business and cultural standpoint, and has influence in virtually every sphere of our society. Sometimes the industry can seem baffling, mercurial, and characterized more by madness than method. But despite its uncertainties, Hollywood does have its own rules, rhythms, methods and strategies - and examining and evaluating them will be a key part of this seminar. This is a time when old formulas are being reconsidered or jettisoned, and emergent technologies are bringing further changes - and tracking and analyzing them, will also be part of the class.

As a writer, producer, director in film and television, I will also bring my own experiences into the classroom, where I'll discuss my work (including directing, writing, acquiring financing, producing films, executive producing a network series, etc.), and its rewards and challenges, and look at these experiences thorough the intersection of the business and creative sides of the industry.

The students in the seminar, working either individually or in small groups, will be asked to generate and present proposals for projects that have artistic and/or commercial merit, and we will examine how they may best fit into the industry - to gain widespread distribution or have social influence. The seminar will cover the entertainment industry from multiple angles and be very discussion oriented.

GSBGEN 565 Political Communication: How Leaders Become Leaders

Politics, perhaps like no other field, provides a rich laboratory for studying the art and science of effective and influential communication. Whether looking at a local school bond election or a Congressional race, a Presidential debate or a State of the Union Address, when we analyze the demanding communications of politics we can gain insights into our own strengths and gaps as a communicator and leader.

Political campaigns, by their very nature, are highly visible, oriented toward very specific objectives, and increasingly leverage 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.

In its fourth year, this engaging course will allow students to 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. Further we will experience first-hand some elements of the upcoming 2012 Presidential election as it gears up in the fall of 2011. Finally, students will be able to practice their own skills as a communicator in a final activity requiring both written and spoken communication.

This highly interactive course is taught by David Demarest, Vice President of Public Affairs for Stanford University. JD Schramm, Lecturer at the GSB, director of the CAT Writing Program and Mastery in Communication Initiative and Advising will participate as class advisor as well. Schramm's teaching focus is in Management Communication and he has taught and coached thousands of students to present and write more effectively. Demarest led communications for two Fortune 50 companies, and has a diverse set of experiences in banking, education, and politics. In 1988 he served as Communications Director for Vice President George H. W. Bush's successful presidential campaign. He then served four years as a member of the White House senior staff as White House Communications Director.

GSBGEN 566 Real-Life Ethics

GSBGEN 566 will be an elective course offered to 2nd-year MBA and Sloan students. The goal of this course is to improve students' judgment in confronting ethical situations encountered in the normal course of business activities. The course will be taught by Mark Leslie, Lecturer, and will include additional guest lecturers in many of the specific areas.

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.

This class is for two GSB credits and will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Sixty percent of the final grade will be derived from classroom performance; the remainder will be based on a final written assignment.

GSBGEN 568 Managing Difficult Conversations

This elective 2-credit course is offered to 2nd-year, 3rd-year, and 4th-year Medical students, Residents, and Fellows, and to 2nd-year MBA students who aspire to improve their ability to deal effectively with difficult interpersonal situations. The course will be taught at Stanford Medical School by H. Irving Grousbeck, Consulting Professor of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business, with assistance from Dr. Charles G. Prober, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education. Teaching techniques that have been successful in helping business school students improve their ability to manage difficult conversations will be used.

The course, which will be case-based, will involve frequent student-to-student and student-to-instructor role-playing in actual medical situations. Physician-experts often will be present to participate as class guests. Relevant principles of professionalism, leadership, and psychology underlie the course pedagogy.

There will be seven classes held on Mondays beginning October 3rd and concluding on November 14th. Each class will begin promptly at 1:15 and end at 3:00, without a break. Due to the abbreviated nature of the class (7 sessions), students will be expected to attend all classes unless excused in advance.

Class preparation will include reading of assigned cases; analysis of the cases and recommendations as to how to confront specific difficult conversations (consistent with assigned study questions); and reading of assigned background material. While optional, it is suggested that students form regular study groups. For GSB students, 50% of the final grade will depend on classroom performance; the remainder will be based on a final written assignment of no more than 6 pages. GSB students will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis. The course will be ungraded for Medical School students, Residents and Fellows. All students will be expected to complete the written assignment.

Class size will be limited to 35 students per the following: (1) a maximum of 15 MBA2 students and (2) a maximum of 20 2nd-year, 3rd-year and 4th-year Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows.

GSBGEN 571 Become a Leader: Managing Early Career Challenges

This course is based on 60 interviews with MBA grads who have been out of the GSB for 4-10 years. These interviews identified a set of common early career challenges that young MBAs faced--and the lessons they learned from these. This 10-session course is based on these critical transitions, formative experiences, and personal conflicts that characterize the challenges young leaders face. The course objective is to help current students better understand some of the pitfalls they are likely to face as they become leaders and to avoid the career-limiting mistakes that these can bring.

GSBGEN 575 Leadership and Crisis Management

During this class, you will:

Challenge your basic beliefs about the nature of crisis
Learn to scan your business practices for political and social risks
Anticipate and prepare for potential crises
Explore techniques for successfully solving problems in high-pressure crisis situations characterized by complex decision environments, time-pressure, high stakes, unanticipated events, and information overload
Develop strategies for managing stakeholders, public opinion, media relations, and public officials
Integrate your crisis management approach into your overall business strategy

GSBGEN 577 Market-Based Education Reforms

This seminar course examines market-based education reforms and evidence on their impacts. Topics considered in depth will include public school choice, charter schools, vouchers, incentives for students and teachers, and accountability. We will pay special attention to the design and operation of education markets, the politics and legal challenges of market-based school reform, and methods for evaluating reform initiatives. The course will draw on cases both within the United States and internationally.

GSBGEN 583 International Deal Making: Legal and Business Aspects

Stanford School of Law (SLS), together with Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), offer this course 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. The caselets (short-form cases), developed by the professor (JD/MBA/CPA) from his 25 years of experience in deal-making in China and Asia, raising $9 billion in equity and debt, often place the student inside the negotiating room and challenge the student to strike deals with senior private and public officials. This course ideally is structured as an intense large seminar with a maximum of 20 law and 20 business students, mixed into groups for class work and presentations.

Course objectives:

To give the law 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
To give the business student 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
For both sets of students, there will be the opportunity to strategize, structure and be the principal negotiator in real world, substantive, international business deals. Following the outcomes decided in class, the actual outcomes and subsequent events will be shared.

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.

GSBGEN 585 Social Innovation through Corporate Social Responsibility

This course accepts that the (CSR) movement linking business, communities and sustainability has moved past the stage of debate. The last decade has seen an increased awareness in regard to environmental and social issues that has found its way up the corporate ladder and into company boardrooms. How companies incorporate CSR programs and strategies, however, is varied and diverse. The course will utilize reading assignments, case analysis and/or company presentations to provide an overview of CSR, the frameworks and models for developing a CSR strategy and the growing utilization of cross-sector partnerships in CSR and innovation efforts. Particular focus will be on cutting edge business strategies for squaring social and environmental responsibilities with competitive demands. The latter part of the course will examine the role of cross-sector partnerships as a critical lever. Cross-sector collaboration is increasingly desirable as a strategy for addressing many of society's problems; however, research evidence indicates that it is hardly easy. Guests will bring to life the challenges and rewards in working collaboratively to implement social change.

GSBGEN 586 Poverty, Entrepreneurship, and Development

Global poverty is a problem that persists on a massive scale, and its persistence may itself be a major impediment to growth in emerging economies. Recent years have seen a blossoming interest in socially innovative approaches to alleviating poverty and stimulating economic growth in emerging economies. In this short course, we will explore different conceptualizations of the problem of global poverty, the potential role of entrepreneurship in helping to address it, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Some possible areas of focus include:

Different conceptualizations of the main drivers of persistent, extreme poverty
The challenges to entrepreneurship posed by the institutional environments of emerging economies
The appropriate role of entrepreneurship as a means of addressing the concerns of the poor
The pros and cons of different models (e.g., venture philanthropy, social enterprise, non-profit)
Ethical issues and concerns associated with different strategies

In addition to reading and in-class discussion, the course will also draw on the expertise and experiences of one or more guest speakers.

GSBGEN 588 Crisis Management on the World Stage

In this unique, one-week September Session, Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. Secretary of State, and David Miliband, the former U.K. Foreign Secretary, will guide students through a series of international challenges that they faced together as their nation's top diplomats on either side of the Atlantic. Students will actively confront crises at the intersection of international politics and the global economy.

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.

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.

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. Offered Pass/No Pass only. 2 units. Winter quarter.

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