PhD Strategic Management Courses
STRAMGT 630. Economics of Strategy and Organization
This seminar examines economic approaches to the classic issues of strategic management. Topics include "outside the firm" areas of research such as industry and competitor analysis, switching costs, network externalities, nonlinear pricing, and pricing with naive consumers as well as "inside the firm" areas such as leadership, allocation of authority, and organizational complementarities. The seminar also considers research on the boundaries of the firm including vertical integrations, contractual channel relationships, and the relationship of financial structure and strategy. Empirical work is emphasized, but theoretical work is also examined, especially as it informs the empirical work. Class sessions combine lectures, discussions and student presentations. Discussions emphasize evaluating the research methods employed in the papers and identifying opportunities for future research. For selected topics, we briefly discuss an MBA-style case study relevant to the topic. This provides "real-world" examples to inform the research and to familiarize students with MBA teaching. Not offered in 2008-09.
STRAMGT 690. Research Topics in Strategy and Organization
The seminar addresses selected topics in strategic management from the disciplinary perspectives of organizational sociology and psychology. The seminar focuses on entrepreneurship as a thematic lens for exploring and critiquing research frameworks ranging from social exchange theory and organizational demography to neo-institutional analysis. Theoretical insights are empirically grounded in the examination of contemporary and historical data sets on entrepreneurial phenomena. Not offered in 2008-09.
