MBA and Sloan Elective Courses: General
GSBGEN 306. Real Estate Investment
The major objective of this course is to provide the student with a comprehensive understanding of the general fundamentals of real estate investment. Various aspects of real estate are covered including economics, market analysis, finance, taxation, appraisal, investment analysis, investment vehicles development, planning, merchandising, and property management. Major land uses are discussed including residential, retail, office, and industrial projects. The course is designed for both the investor and the general manager to better understand real estate as a fixed asset.
GSBGEN 315. Strategic Communication
Business leaders have marketing strategies, expansion strategies, finance strategies, even exit strategies. Successful leaders, however, also have communication strategies. This course will explore how individuals and organizations can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. This new course introduces the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery. 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.
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 leaders 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.
GSBGEN 326. Leadership Fellows Laboratory
GSBGEN 327. Leadership Fellows Laboratory II
This two-quarter laboratory course designs and implements the leadership laboratory portion of the Strategic Leadership Course (SLC). In spring quarter, fellows work together in teams developing the influence, presentation, facilitation, coaching and mentoring skills essential to run the leadership lab effectively in the autumn (six teams of eight students). In autumn quarter, these fellow teams are responsible for the learning experience of one section of first-year students and each fellow is specifically assigned a group of 8 students. Interested students apply during winter quarter and undergo an extensive and highly competitive application process from which successful applicants are invited to take part in the program. Information meetings are held in December and early January.
GSBGEN 339. Environmental Entrepreneurship
This course will examine how market forces can be harnessed to encourage private solutions to environmental concerns. It will use case studies to show how innovative contracting must be combined with entrepreneurial visions if environmental entrepreneurship is to be successful. The course will draw on economic theories of principal-agent problems and contracting and on case studies of "enviro-capitalists." Students will learn how for-profit and not-for-profit organizations are using market forces by developing innovative contracts that specify the environmental products that are desired, the mechanisms for payment, and the contributions from input suppliers. In cases where governmental regulations stand in the way of private contracting and how these barriers can be overcome will be discussed. The course will also consider cases dealing with land, water, and wildlife resources and cases dealing with the tougher problems of air and water quality. Most cases will be from U.S. firms but international examples will also be considered. Students will hear directly from environmental entrepreneurs and will have an opportunity to develop their own case studies of enviro-capitalism.
GSBGEN 346. Comparing Institutional Forms: Public, Private, and Nonprofit
Seminar. For students interested in the nonprofit sector, and those in the joint Business and Education program. The missions, functions, and capabilities of nonprofit, public, and private organizations. Focus is on sectors with significant competition among institutional forms, including health care, social services, the arts, and education. Sources include scholarly articles, cases, and historical materials. Advanced undergraduates require consent of instructor.
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 organizations, the implementations of policy, applications to policy analysis, implementation, and politics of reform.
GSBGEN 351. Innovation and Management in Health Care
Biomedical innovations are rapidly redefining health care, transforming terminal diseases such as cancer and AIDS into chronic conditions. But progress comes at a huge cost: health care expenses now account for almost 14% of the GDP in the US, and they are expected to grow rapidly in the future. Further, the vast array of treatments and diagnostics spurred by innovation redefine the challenges faced by managers in this space. Management must coordinate different healthcare functions and firms into the pursuit of a common goal of ?healthcare value maximization.? This course will provide a unified view of the health care system, focusing on the effect of innovation on value generation and patient care integration. Specific topics will include: The multiple dimensions of value in health care; the health care value system; integrated care delivery systems and managed care; principles of managed care; health care reimbursement systems; incentives for health care innovation; the main innovators and their strategies (medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, information systems); financing innovation. These topics will be explored through a combination of lectures, case studies, and guest speakers.
GSBGEN 356. Dynamics of the World 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 360. Sports Business Management
This course will examine the diverse management challenges facing the sports industry. The course will cover issues at the league level, the team level, the athlete/agent level, and the college level. The diverse constituencies with interests in sports issues (athletes, fans, media companies, advertisers, and legislators to name a few) will be discussed. Sports issues at a global level (the IOC) and both U.S. and outside U.S. will be covered. There will be coverage of evolving business ventures related to the sports industry (such as venture backed sports companies and sports networks). Valuation issues related to sports teams will also be covered.
GSBGEN 376. Work and Family
This course examines the strategies that highly educated women and men use to combine work and family and the strategies that managers can bring into play to help others balance work and family. Topics include the plusses and minuses of becoming a stay-at-home mom or dad, the economic value of unpaid labor, the career trade-offs necessary to balance two high-powered careers and children, the economics of marriage, fertility, child care, and elder care, the gendered division of labor in the home, time-management and work/family conflicts, strategies for making change at the work place, and the role of public policy. The course provides a safe space for open discussion of difficult issues. Guest speakers discuss these issues with respect to their own careers and lives as well as the roles their organizations play and there are opportunities for lunch with all guest speakers.
GSBGEN 381. Strategic Issues in Philanthropy
Applying strategic decision-making models as frameworks, students will examine the translation of philanthropic vision and capital into social action. Students will analyze philanthropic strategies as they relate to individual objectives; foundation mission, financial management, infrastructure and social investment processes; domestic grantmaking and global social investing; and emerging trends such as venture/high-engagement philanthropy. The course provides an overview of the key operational and strategic distinctions between traditional philanthropic entities, such as community foundations, private foundations, and corporate foundations, as well as contemporary models such as funding intermediaries, social venture partnerships and other high-engagement grantmakers. Additional topics include how strategy implementation influences the intersection of philanthropy and the political sector; principles and practices of corporate philanthropy and social responsibility; and the increasing forces for high-impact innovation in the philanthropic marketplace, such as accountability, social return on investment, and outcome assessment. Guest speakers will include high profile global philanthropists and foundation presidents, as well as Silicon Valley business leaders striving to redefine the philanthropic model. Course work will include readings and case discussions, as well as role-plays and a group project that explores the grantmaking process, taking students through an actual real-time assessment of a non-profit grant proposal and submission of a funding recommendation to a local foundation. Based on student and instructor feedback, the grant proposal(s) considered to achieve the greatest social impact will subsequently be awarded significant funds by the respective foundation. Appropriate for any student driven to effect positive social change from either the for-profit or nonprofit sector, the course will challenge students to expand their own strategic thinking about philanthropic giving and influence.
GSBGEN 382. Core Legal Concepts: 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. 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. This course will be taught by senior Law School faculty in their areas of expertise, with one to two classes devoted to each topic.
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 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 522. Ethical Issues in the Biotech Industry
This course focuses on the bioscience industry (biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics, and vaccine) with an emphasis on the ethical and social challenges of running these companies. Additionally, it will introduce students to the processes and decision-making with regard to new biotechnology product development, clinical research (both in developed and developing countries), responsibilities to human research subjects, regulatory hurdles, market timing decisions, interactions with physicians, product safety, data publication, direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs, and product litigation. 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.
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 561. Sport Business Financing
This 9 session, 2 unit course will examine financial transactions pertaining to sporting bodies and sporting teams. This will include: 1. Financing of team investments (such as investment syndicates to purchase teams at both the major league and minor league level), 2. Financing of stadiums (both predominantly private such as PacBell and heavily public such as in Cincinnati), 3. Valuation of teams (both for purchase/sale transactions and rebalancing of ownership), and 4. Public equity market ownership of teams (very common in Europe, such as Manchester United but less common in U.S. with limited exceptions such as Green Bay). The role of major investment banks and boutiques who have specialized niches will be covered. There will be a combination of cases, readings and guest speakers.
GSBGEN 562. Sports Marketing
The sports industry (broadly defined) attracts a sizable amount of marketing outlays. This nine session (half-course) covers the planning, execution, and evaluation of sports marketing outlays. One part of the course will cover sponsorship decisions for sporting leagues, teams, events, and players. Naming rights decisions for stadiums are included here. Brand management issues at the league level, the team level, the event level, and the player level will be discussed. Another part of the course examines advertising planning and evaluation for sporting programs and events, including major events such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl. Ambush marketing issues are included in this section. Marketing mix decisions will also be examined. This mix decision is faced by multiple players (e.g., a brewing company deciding between sporting/non-sporting marketing outlays and then within sporting which sports; and, a sporting team allocating between brand enhancement outlays and attendance increasing outlays). Ticket pricing decisions (including variable pricing by day of the week, by opponent, etc.) are also analyzed. Decision-making will be viewed through the lens of the party making the outlay, the recipient of the money (be it a league, team, event, player, etc.), and the intended recipient of the message (be it a TV viewer, a stadium attendee, etc.). Where possible, the findings of marketing research on the specific topics covered will be integrated into the sessions. There will be a mixture of cases and readings as well as guest speakers.
GSBGEN 597. Stanford and IIMB Link (SAIL)
SAI—Stanford And IIMB(Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore)Link—is a program for cross-cultural learning of business and management in U.S. and India. The program is limited to 20 Stanford Graduate School of Business students and 20 IIMB students. The program consists of four elements: (1) Joint collaboration on academic group projects of four students each (two students from each institution); (2) A sequential two-way exchange where the Stanford students will go to IIMB for a period of one week to engage in a variety of learning and integration activities and then IIMB students will visit Stanford for a similar experience. Visits will be organized along three core aspects—academics, business, and social activities—with the goal of providing cross-cultural learning opportunities for the exchange students; (3) Readings and presentations by group participants about the companies and individuals that the group will be meeting in U.S. and India; (4) Preparatory lectures delivered by faculty, business professionals, and individuals from the public sector.
GSBGEN 598. Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program
This course is open only to students participating in the Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program and is required of those students. Requirements include researching and reporting on companies to be visited, attending lectures in preparation for the China visit, attending lectures at Tsinghua, and carrying out and reporting on a project with one or more Tsinghua student. Offered Pass/No Credit only. 2 units. Winter quarter.
