Analysis for General Managers
Professors Paul A. Argenti, Sydney Finkelstein
This minicourse focuses on general management—what it is, what it means for people and organizations, why
it's important, and how it affects the identification of key problems and opportunities that help define whether
companies will be winners or losers. The module has three primary goals: to introduce the notion of a general
management perspective, to foster understanding of the general manager's job, and to develop analytical skills
for effective problem solving and opportunity identification.
Click here for the syllabus
Capital Markets
Professors Richard J. Rogalski, Kent L. Womack
Managers in any corporate function should understand the pricing of stocks and bonds. This course examines
the complex interrelationships among equity and fixed income markets. Topics include the cost of money
(interest rates) in bond markets; how stocks and bonds should be priced and why prices are sometimes not
realized because of institutional factors or market inefficiencies; the optimal construction of portfolios of
investments, emphasizing the trade-off between risk and return in great detail; and the pricing and uses of
derivative assets such as futures and options and how they may be used to control financial risk in corporations.
Click here for the syllabus
Corporate Finance
Professors Diego Garcia, Rafael LaPorta
This course discusses basic principles of corporate finance and provides practical tools for financial decisions
and valuation. The course consists of five sections. The first, Capital Budgeting Decisions, shows optimal project
acceptance criteria consistent with the objective of maximizing the market value of the firm. The second section,
Estimating the Cost of Capital, extends the analysis from the Capital Markets course to the practice of
estimating a project's expected return. The third section, Valuation Techniques, develops several valuation
methods used in practice, including WACC, APV, multiples, and real options. Part four, Capital Structure and
Dividend Policies, involves a discussion of how capital structure and dividend decisions affect firm value and
survey industry practice. Part five of the course, Investment Banking, develops key principles and practices for
raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, and modern restructuring techniques.
Click here for the syllabus
Decision Science
Professors Jeffrey D. Camm, Stephen G. Powell
This course introduces the basic concepts of model building and encourages students to take an analytic view of
decision making. The electronic spreadsheet is used as the principal device for building models, and the course
covers the concepts of effective spreadsheet design and use. With that background, students acquire
knowledge about specific management science techniques, such as optimization and simulation, and the
student builds spreadsheet models to identify choices, formalize trade-offs, specify constraints, perform
sensitivity analyses, and analyze the impact of uncertainty.
Click here for the syllabus
Field Study in American Business
This course is open to students who wish to experience a more focused, goal-oriented summer internship. The
lectures/discussions, contrasting American business organization with alternative business systems, take place
in the spring term of the first year. After their summer internship, students submit a research report.
Click here for the syllabus
Financial Measurement, Analysis, and Reporting
Professors Robert A. Howell, Phillip C. Stocken
This course develops the basic concepts and procedures underlying corporate financial statements and
introduces tools for analyzing profitability and risk. We explore the impact of the alternatives available within
generally accepted accounting principles on financial statements, especially in terms of management's financial
reporting strategy.
Click here for the syllabus
Global and Competitive Strategy
Professors Constance E. Helfat, Margaret A. Peteraf
This course is concerned with the formulation of business strategy and its implementation. Strategy is
concerned with answering two central questions: 1) what businesses should we participate in? and 2) how
should we compete? Managing the enterprise in a way that facilitates arriving at and implementing the best
answers to these questions is referred to as strategic management. In this course, students learn concepts and
frameworks that are useful for analyzing and formulating business strategies. Students also develop skills for
identifying managerial issues, finding alternative ways to deal with those issues, and evaluating alternative
plans of action. Finally, students learn specific analytical techniques for diagnosing the competitive position of a
business, evaluating business strategies, and identifying and analyzing specific business options.
Click here for the syllabus
Global Economics for Managers
Professors Andrew B. Bernard, Matthew J. Slaughter
Global Economics for Managers will expand your knowledge of economics in two directions. First, expansion of
the scope of inquiry covers the economics of the nation in a global economy. This portion of the course will
cover international economics and macroeconomics. The focus of study will be on the larger economic forces
that shape production, trade flows, capital flows, interest rates, exchange rates, and other variables that create
the global economic landscape. The second direction is international microeconomics which will apply the tools
of microeconomics and international economics to illustrate how globalization influences performance, strategy,
and policy within firms. The ultimate objective is to help students develop a framework for analyzing both
opportunities and risks in a global economic environment.
Click here for the syllabus
Leading Organizations
Professors Ella L. Bell, William F. Joyce, Robert K. Kazanjian, Judith B. White
The basic premise of this course is that effective leaders create conditions that enable organization members to
be maximally effective in their roles and that lead them to act in the organization's best interests. The purpose
of this course is to develop students' effectiveness as leaders by (1) introducing them to frameworks that are
useful for diagnosing problems involving human behavior and (2) helping them learn how to exercise leadership
to solve those problems—from managing the motivation and performance of individuals and teams to leading at
the executive level.
Click here for the syllabus
Management Communication
Professors Paul A. Argenti, Mary M. Munter
This minicourse gives students the opportunity to improve their ability to communicate effectively as managers.
Students examine and practice the communication strategies and skills that are essential for success in
business. More specifically, the three course goals are to improve (1) understanding of and ability to apply
communication strategy; (2) managerial writing ability; and (3) managerial speaking ability.
Click here for the syllabus
Managerial Economics
This course applies the ideas and methodology of economics to analysis of the firm, key decisions within the
firm, and the industry. Topics covered include costs, pricing, competition, economic efficiency, and industry
equilibrium and change. Particular attention is paid to behavior of the firm and industries when uncertainty and
transaction costs exist. The course combines lectures/discussions of principles with cases covering both current
and classic firm and industry dilemmas. Issues of public policy, especially regarding antitrust issues, are also
covered.
Click here for the syllabus
Marketing
Professors Kevin L. Keller, Koen H. Pauwels
This course introduces students to the role of marketing within business firms. Through assigned readings,
lectures, case studies, and the MARKSTRAT simulation game, students apply analytical concepts and techniques
developed from economics, psychology, statistics, and finance to the definition and analysis of marketing
decision problems. Specific topics include buyer behavior, market segmentation, targeting, positioning,
marketing research, product policy, pricing, distribution channels, and advertising.
Click here for the syllabus
Operations Management
Professors Joseph M. Hall, M. Eric Johnson, David F. Pyke
Operations management is the systematic direction and control of the processes that transform inputs into
finished goods or services. This course provides an introduction to the concepts and analytic methods that are
useful in understanding the management of a firm's operations. The level of analysis varies considerably, from
operations strategy to daily control of production processes, order fulfillment, and inventory.
Click here for the syllabus
Statistics for Managers
Professors Joseph M. Hall, Praveen K. Kopalle
This course provides an in-depth introduction to statistics as applied to managerial problems. The emphasis is
on conceptual understanding as well as conducting statistical analyses. Students will learn both the limitations
and potential of statistics and how to interpret results. They will also gain hands-on experience using Excel as
well as more comprehensive packages such as SPSS. Topics include descriptive statistics (central tendency,
dispersion, skewness, and covariance), continuous distributions (especially the normal), confidence intervals for
means and proportions, and regression analysis (model evaluation, coefficient evaluation and interpretation,
prediction intervals, multicollinearity, omitted variables bias, indicator variables, and model building).
Application areas include finance (for example, portfolio construction), operations (such as quality control), and
marketing (for example, promotion and advertising response).
Click here for the syllabus
Strategic Analysis of Technology Systems
Professors Andrew A. King, Alva H. Taylor
This course develops students' understanding of how firms use technology to position themselves strategically,
from the perspective of a director of business development. We begin with an understanding of how firms
develop technical know-how that is difficult to imitate. Then we examine how technological systems evolve,
with particular emphasis on the emergence of standards, and will then turn to understanding networks, such as
the Internet. We explore how network externalities affect competitive equilibria and examine how organizations
interact in networks and position themselves within networks. Finally, we build frameworks for understanding
how evolving information technologies are changing the competitive landscape and examine how firms use
information technology to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Click here for the syllabus
Advanced Competitive Strategy
Professor Richard A. DAveni
This course is designed to analyze the strategic lessons learned from the fields of military science, political
science, international relations, and history, especially of the history of world empires from Ancient Rome to the
British and even modern America. Applying these lessons to business, this course examines when and where to
use guerilla versus traditional war fighting strategies, defensive versus offensive strategic postures,
brinkmanship versus cooperative strategies, and revolutionary versus counterrevolutionary strategies. Part of
the course is devoted to the use of portfolio strategy as a competitive weapon to create mutual assured
destruction, to shift the balance of market power between competitors, and to create the conditions for
profitability and stability by guiding the evolution of industry structure. To apply these concepts to business, the
course develops visual tools such as price-quality analysis, stronghold analysis, know-how and smart-bombing
analysis, as well as competitive pressure mapping and sphere-of-influence analysis. The course is designed to
provide an alternative to traditional economic and strategic planning frameworks, sometimes presenting a
contradictory viewpoint.
Click here for the syllabus
Advanced Corporate Finance
Professor B Espen Eckbo
This course covers current research topics in corporate finance and investment banking. The objective is to
develop both critical thinking and a good understanding of key empirical regularities. Some of the hypotheses
considered are controversial. For example, do corporate insiders successfully time the market when offering to
sell or repurchase securities? Can issuers avoid leaving substantial "money on the table" in IPOs? We
distinguish between "inside" and "outside" equity, and use this dichotomy to explain the striking disappearance
of equity rights offerings. We discuss empirical evidence addressing the long-standing issue of whether firms'
capital structure choices reflect tradeoffs between tax benefits and distress costs, or concerns with asymmetric
information about the firm's asset in place (as in the "pecking order"). We investigate managerial investment
incentives during periods of financial distress and actions taken in response to hostile takeovers. Finally, we
discuss the controversy over executive compensation policies. The course requires active student participation
based on a substantial number of academic readings, a midterm project, and a term project.
Click here for the syllabus
Advanced Entrepreneurship
Professors Gregg Fairbrothers, Philip J. Ferneau
This course is integrative and experiential in nature, drawing from a broad range of business basics. Its main
focus will be in-depth exposure to the process of starting and scaling an enterprise from an idea and business
plan into a company. The course will cover: 1) developing a startup idea in technology, research, a small
business, or a nonprofit; 2) crafting a promising execution strategy and validating market potential; 3)
developing a credible business plan and delivering effective presentations, for investors if startup capital is
required, or in an alternative context if bootstrapped; 4) building a team of employees, partners, and investors;
5) managing growth while effectively executing product development; 6) and marketing, sales, and operations.
The class will expose students to what entrepreneurship takes in a startup context, and how integrative,
entrepreneurial execution can be successfully utilized in a variety of career and work contexts. Students will
formulate a plan to take an idea into execution, present and articulate elements of this plan in multiple sessions,
and defend it against challenge and criticism. There will be a special effort to integrate concrete, operational,
and execution-related information, to define key areas an entrepreneur should be aware of, to expose students
to a variety of successful entrepreneurs, and to provide a framework of "toolkit" resources relevant to startup
execution. The class will be structured to accommodate both students with a pre-existing plan and those
wishing to develop of an idea.
Click here for the syllabus
Advanced Financial Accounting
Professor Clyde P. Stickney
Advanced Financial Accounting is designed to prepare you to interpret and analyze financial statements
effectively. The course explores in greater depth financial reporting topics introduced in the first-year core
course in financial accounting and also examines additional topic not covered in that course. The viewpoint is
that of the user of financial statements. However, we develop sufficient understanding of the concepts and
recording procedures to enable you to interpret various disclosures in an informed manner. We discuss each
financial reporting issue in terms on its effect on assessments of a firm s profitability and risk. This course is
designed primarily for students who expect to be intensive users of financial statements as part of their
professional responsibilities.
Click here for the syllabus
Advanced Management Communication
Professor Mary M. Munter
This course focuses on managerial presentations in a variety of management settings: explanatory (such as
technical presentations), persuasive (such as sales presentations), and interactive (such as meetings and
brainstorming sessions). Students deliver a series of presentations and facilitate a series of collaborative role
plays, receiving extensive individual feedback on each of them from the instructor, peers, video playback, and
self-analysis. This feedback covers their communication strategy (speaker style and credibility, audience
analysis and motivation, and rhetorical structure) and their communication skills (delivery, organization, and
visual aids).
Click here for the syllabus
Advanced Presentation Skills
Professor Mary M. Munter
This course will improve students' ability to speak effectively in various managerial situations, including
speaking impromptu, explaining extremely difficult subject matter, and persuading people on a volatile issue.
Students will: 1) build on and improve the subtleties of delivery, structure, and visual aids in much greater
detail than we did in the first-year Management Communication course; and 2) enhance their ability to give
feedback and to analyze their own strengths and weaknesses.
Click here for the syllabus
Advanced Topics in Strategic Management: Business Development
Professor Constance E. Helfat
This course extends the range of material covered in strategy courses. Many of the topics deal with business
development. The course addresses several sorts of questions in business development, such as: Which
markets should we enter? Do we have the capabilities to enter? If not, can we develop these capabilities, and
how? How do we acquire and manage the necessary knowledge? Should we exit some markets and when? To
answer these questions, the course covers market entry strategies, dynamic capabilities for change, knowledge
management, strategic alliances, and market exit. Class sessions will include case analyses, student discussion,
and lectures. Strong student involvement during the class sessions will be an integral part of the course.
Click here for the syllabus
Applications of Optimization
Professor Kenneth R. Baker
Building on the optimization coverage in the core Decision Science course, this course provides advanced tools
that are useful in many industries and functions. After reviewing and extending the formulation and
interpretation of linear programming models, the course introduces data envelopment analysis, a sophisticated
approach for evaluating the efficiency of similar businesses or business units. The course touches briefly on the
solution of nonlinear optimization models and then covers formulation and solution of integer programs, with
emphasis on marketing and logistics applications. The coverage then moves on to heuristic programming and
the use of evolutionary algorithms to solve problems that do not fit easily into the traditional optimization
frameworks.
Click here for the syllabus
Applications of Simulation
Professor Stephen G. Powell
This course extends and deepens the coverage of Monte Carlo simulation in the core Decision Science course. It
begins with an overview of simulation in spreadsheet models using Crystal BallSM, covering such issues as
choosing probability models, analyzing simulation outputs, and optimization of simulation models. Applications
in finance, economics, marketing, and operations are examined in depth. The course then moves on to discreteevent and continuous simulation using Extend+. This tool allows us to model applications in manufacturing and
service operations, marketing, and strategy. A course project allows students to apply simulation techniques to
a realistic problem of their own choosing.
Click here for the syllabus
Breakout Strategy
Professor Thomas C. Lawton
This course focuses on the challenges facing existing or aspiring business leaders who want to take a company
from a subordinate to a dominant market position. The central notion of the elective is that of breakout: the
strategic process by which enterprises come from nowhere to become, in the space of a few years, a formidable
competitor in their chosen markets. In some cases, new companies like AirAsia and eBay achieve breakout. In
many other cases, established companies such as Adidas or Starbucks breakout from existing secondary or
spatially limited positions to create or conquer new markets at home and abroad. In this elective, we identify
four types of breakout company and the five essential practices that underpin their market success. We
illustrate how the most successful strategies are often the simplest, so long as they adhere to the five realistic
and comprehensible practices that are at the heart of winning strategies: creating workable vision by
understanding and responding to stakeholder expectations, facing customers with a value proposition that is
clear and covers all the important bases, aligning what you do with what the customer really wants, balancing
the
hard
and
soft
sides of business to deliver on your promises and liberating and fully harnessing the
energies of a top management team. Taken together, these practices constitute the breakout strategy cycle.
Overall, the course is an invaluable source of tools, techniques and inspiration for ambitious entrepreneurs and
aspirational managers. For existing strategic leaders, it will prove to be a source of ideas that should bring
immediate practical benefits.
Click here for the syllabus
Business Development and Innovation
Professor Alva H. Taylor
This course provides a strategic framework for managing innovation in business. The emphasis is on conceptual
models that clarify the interactions between patterns of technological and market change, competition, and
internal firm capabilities. The analytical tools in this course are critical for development of an innovation
strategy. They can provide the basis for insightful strategic thinking when deciding which technologies to invest
in, and how to use and develop capabilities to exploit innovative activities for competitive advantage. As part of
the course, students have the opportunity to follow a company or industry of interest. The course is appropriate
for 1) anyone interested in managing a business with significant technology content or where innovation is a
necessity for competition, 2) those interested in new business ventures and consulting, and 3) investment
analysts, brand managers, and operations managers dealing with issues regarding innovation.
Click here for the syllabus
Business Law
Professor John T. Broderick Jr
Business Law is designed to provide students with practical knowledge of legal issues and principles that often
arise in the business environment. The course will also arm students with the ability to spot potential legal
problems and minimize their risk to a business. The range of course topics include: jurisdiction, contract law,
employment law, ADR, sexual harassment, employment privacy issues, copyright and trade secrets, business
torts, forms of business organizations, duties of officers and directors, corporate criminal law, corporate
governance, and securities regulations. The class has a hands-on, interactive atmosphere, and several topics
are led by distinguished speakers who have attained top positions in their fields and acquired extensive
specialized knowledge and experience.
Click here for the syllabus
Competition and Public Policy
Professor Victor O. Stango
The array of competitive tactics employed by companies is constantly expanding, and these tactics often face
scrutiny from antitrust authorities. In this course, we will study the variety of ways in which firms compete
through price, production, and entry and exit in markets. We analyze firms' motivations (both pro-competitive
and anti-competitive) for these strategies, how these strategies are implemented, when they are likely to be
effective, and how they are viewed by U.S. antitrust laws. The material will be structured around discussion of
well-known antitrust cases, ranging from classic cases in monopolization to the most recent cases in high-tech
markets. Central to the course is the Competitive Strategy Game, a simulated interaction among up to eight
companies competing in one or more of four possible markets. The game permits application of many of the
concepts studied in the course.
Click here for the syllabus
Consulting: Dimensions of Change Agency
Professor Ella L. Bell
The purpose of this course is to learn how to work with change on the personal and professional level. Students
will plan and implement change at the individual and organizational levels. On the personal level, students
select an individual change project on any goal they desire. On the group level, students work in small, selfselected change teams to complete a change project outside of class. This course is experiential, using lectures,
self-reflection, group processing, and readings.
Click here for the syllabus
Consumer Behavior
Professor Gad Saad
Managers cannot plan marketing strategy without making assumptions about how and why consumers buy. This
course aims at making these assumptions more realistic, based on recent research on the psychology and
sociology of consumption. Topics include the behavioral science bases of market segmentation, product
positioning, pricing, and advertising evaluation. The course prepares students to ask the right questions of
consumers in order to develop marketing strategies that are responsive to consumer needs.
Click here for the syllabus
Corporate Communication
Professor Paul A. Argenti
This minicourse focuses on the changing environment for business and the corporate communication function.
Building on the first-year curriculum, it covers, in greater detail, the changing environment for business (as
viewed through literature and film), media relations, financial communications, corporate advertising,
reputation management, and crisis communication. Students also work on written and oral communications
skills through case analyses, experiential exercises, and presentations.
Click here for the syllabus
Corporate Restructuring
Professor Karin S. Thorburn
This course provides an understanding of a variety of financial restructuring techniques. The objectives are to
understand how different restructuring approaches can increase firm value, to recognize characteristics of firms
that are potential candidates for various restructurings, and to build a framework for analyzing corporate
restructuring
transactions,
primarily
through
corporate
valuation
techniques.
Students
get
a
basic
understanding of corporate governance, including managerial incentives and agency problems. Topics include
divestitures, spinoffs, equity carveouts, tracking stock, rollups, leveraged recapitalizations, leveraged buyouts,
private workouts, prepackaged bankruptcy filings, vulture funds, and restructuring of bankrupt firms.
Click here for the syllabus
Corporate Social Responsibility
Professor David E. Collins
This course examines the responsibilities of business corporations and corporate executives to shareholders and
other constituencies as they are manifested in the day-to day issues faced by senior managements. It begins by
exploring the rationale behind the proposition that business has a responsibility to society beyond that of wealth
creation. It then emphasizes values-based decision making and challenges participants to explore and apply
their own values to issues such as: responsibility for shareholders' profit vs. responsibilities for the interests of
other stakeholders; efficiency vs. community - or the conflict between profit making and employee welfare;
responsibility to the consumer-quarterly profit vs. quality product; responding to the demands of shareholder
activists, the media, and politicians on the attack, and the challenges of the international market place. Further,
the course will examine and discuss the content and value of codes, credos, and other normative standards that
have been advanced as models of responsible corporate behavior. It will close with a discussion of what
leadership demands in the global market of the 21st century.
Click here for the syllabus
Corporate Valuation
Professor Oyvind Norli
Students will have an opportunity to estimate cash flows and discount rates in order to establish values for
projects and firms. In addition to traditional discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis, the course explores
alternative valuation methods, such as real option valuation and comparable company analysis. The
contribution of corporate financial decisions regarding capital structure, cash distribution policies, and
performance evaluation schemes to value creation and destruction are also investigated. The course will use a
mixture of lectures, cases, projects, and guest speakers. Prerequisite: Corporate Finance or its equivalent.
Click here for the syllabus
Countries and Companies in the International Economy
Professors Andrew B. Bernard, Matthew J. Slaughter
This course focuses on countries, firms, and the interactions between them in the arenas of international trade,
investment, and finance. The first half of the course focuses on the economic analysis of countries. Case studies
provide a quick tour of the opportunities and challenges faced by nations at various stages of development. The
objective is to understand the country analysis required to analyze the global expansion options of a business.
The second half of this course focuses on the causes and consequences of exchange-rate fluctuations and
country risk. Cases and a simulation exercise are used to study the following topics in a variety of global
industries: corporate operating decisions on pricing, output, and investment; corporate valuation; cross-border
financing; and corporate hedging policies.
Click here for the syllabus
Database Marketing
Professor Scott A. Neslin
This course introduces the concepts and methods of database marketing in hands-on assignments that show
how specific methods pay off in terms of increased profitability. Students use real-world applications and
databases as they learn about topics such as the lifetime value of the customer, scoring current customer files
based on market potential, direct marketing process, next-product-to-buy, and market-basket analysis.
Click here for the syllabus
Debt Markets
Professor Joel M. Vanden
In the past decade, new markets have evolved for a variety of bonds, mortgage-related securities, assetbacked securities, and so on. More recent financial innovations have been associated with these debt securities.
This course provides an in-depth analysis of important concepts and applications related to debt markets.
Topics include an analysis of debt instruments, trading and pricing strategies, the term structure of interest
rates, the yield curve, volatility, default risk, futures, options, swaps and interest-rate derivatives, mortgagebacked securities, risk and bond portfolio management, and international bond markets.
Click here for the syllabus
Designing Organizations: The Implications of Structures, Control Systems,
and Rewards
Professor William F. Joyce
This course covers (1) designing basic operating structures; (2) designing complex operating structures
appropriate for conditions of high complexity, uncertainty, and interdependence; and (3) managing the
implementation of strategic change. The purposes of the course are to develop an integrated approach to
organization design and to help students think logically and clearly about problems of organization and strategic
change. The course uses lectures, cases, and an organization design simulation that involves role-playing.
Click here for the syllabus
Doing Business in Asia
Professors David C. Kang, Joseph A. Massey
This course introduces the distinctive institutions and characteristics of the business systems of the three most
important Asian economies—Japan, Korea, and China—and explores their differences from one another and
from classical Western models of capitalism. In addition to class sessions on key aspects of these Asian
business systems and on their business negotiation styles, the course includes an optional trip to these
countries over spring break for field visits to plants, corporate boardrooms, and government and financial
institutions.
Click here for the syllabus
Doing Business in Southeast and Central Asia
Professors David C. Kang, John B. Owens
Doing Business in Southeast and Central Asia This course is designed to introduce students to the cultural, legal,
and business environments in Southeast and Central Asia. The course will focus on the practical issues that a
foreigner will encounter in conducting business in international venues, focusing on managing in a developing or
transition economy in a third world country, and combining the academic research and skills with the
experience and wisdom of management practitioners. In particular, we will emphasize the acquisition of skills
required to manage in third world, emerging and transition economies. The DBSEA course will focus on two
aspects. One is to provide specific knowledge about the business systems in Southeast and Central Asia.
However, just as importantly, understanding and dealing with these issues clearly works best when there is a
specific context for the general point: for instance, how to deal with the many facets of pressure, corruption,
and influence in a foreign environment; how to deal with the problems of having one central headquarters and
yet operations around the region; and issues of dealing with and understanding myriad of different ways that
business is both organization and exercised. The goal is to use Southeast and Central Asia as a springboard for
more generalized lessons. In addition, we will invite selected guest speakers who can provide an inside
perspective on doing business in these regions. This course is designed to be both distinctive from, and a
complement to, the course "Doing Business in Asia," which covers Japan, Korea, and China.
Click here for the syllabus
Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector 1
There has been a worldwide explosion of entrepreneurial activities by organizations whose primary focus is on
improving the health, education, and well-being of individuals and communities. Most of this activity has been
undertaken by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or nonprofit organizations, which in the United States
generate revenues greater than the gross domestic product of Brazil, Russia or Australia. In recent years, some
entrepreneurs working in the social sector have chosen to incorporate as for profit organizations rather than
nonprofit organizations. Both models will be considered in this course though the vast majority of cases will be
about nonprofit organizations like Habitat for Humanity and City Year. This course will focus on the tools and
skills required to launch or grow a successful enterprise in the social sector. Because of the nature of the
funding in this sector, all but the largest organizations rely on an entrepreneurial style of management. During
this course students will meet outstanding social entrepreneurs who have succeeded in creating sustainable
enterprises that combat important social problems.
Click here for the syllabus
Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector 2
This minicourse is a continuation of Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector I. It enables students to deepen their
knowledge of this sector. Teams of students work on projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations. In addition
to an intellectually challenging project, students enjoy the opportunity to help a worthy organization.
Click here for the syllabus
Ethics in Action
In this brief mini-course, we will have the opportunity to consider the ethical challenges that arise across the
spectrum of business activity. Several faculty members from diverse disciplines will lead discussions of ethical
issues in cases involving their particular areas of expertise. We will look at several specific ethical issues faced
by businesses in the current environment both in the US and in the global marketplace, where different local
practices and cultural norms seem to muddy the ethical water. Our purpose in this course is to acquire some
practical business skills: the ability to identify the ethical dimensions of business problems, the ability to make
practical, reasoned decisions when faced with ethical dilemmas, and the ability to justify those decisions in
language that is both clear and persuasive.
Click here for the syllabus
Field Study in International Business
Professor John B. Owens
Students in this course conduct a three-week on-site consulting project for a major company in a developing
country. This is an excellent option for students who want an international experience but do not want to
sacrifice time at Tuck. The project work is completed between the end of the first-year summer internship and
the beginning of the second-year winter term.
Click here for the syllabus
Field Study in Private Equity
Professor Philip J. Ferneau
This course provides hands-on experience working with private equity practitioners and growth ventures so
students can learn to plan, manage, and invest in the contexts in which they operate. Graduates lacking such
experience are at a disadvantage in getting jobs at private equity firms and are less prepared to succeed when
presented with private equity or growth venture opportunities. Unlike independent study, in which student
teams report only to their faculty sponsors, this course requires teams to present their work to their classmates,
so all may learn from each other. More specific learning objectives will depend on each project's topic.
Click here for the syllabus
Financial Reporting and Statement Analysis
Professor Amy P. Hutton
This course provides a framework for using financial statement data in many business analysis and valuation
settings. It begins with an introduction and the development of a framework for business analysis and valuation.
The four key components of this framework are (1) business strategy analysis, (2) accounting analysis, (3)
financial analysis, and (4) prospective analysis. The course is designed for students entering careers in general
management who are interested in taking an additional accounting class.
Click here for the syllabus
Financial Statement Interpretation and Analysis
Professor Amy P. Hutton
This course develops the necessary concepts and skills to interpret and analyze financial statements in a variety
of settings, including credit decisions, prediction of financial distress, industry competitive analysis, and
valuation. The course is designed primarily for students who will be intensive users of financial statements as
part of their professional responsibilities. Students taking this course are advised to take Advanced Financial
Accounting. Students taking Financial Reporting and Statement Analysis may not take this course.
Click here for the syllabus
Futures and Options Markets
Professor Joel M. Vanden
This course examines options, futures, swaps, and other derivative securities that are pervasive in business and
finance. The theoretical foundations for valuing derivative securities are developed and their role in financial
engineering and hedging risk is studied. Through a variety of cases, simulations, and projects, students learn to
price and use these securities in several market and corporate practical applications.
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Global Strategy and Implementation
Professor Richard A. DAveni
This course is designed to analyze some of the basic issues related to the formulation and implementation of
global strategies. Part of the course is devoted to global strategy formulation issues such as the elements of
global strategy, global growth strategy, foreign entry strategy, local tailoring versus global economies of scale,
cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and location optimization and global value chain configuration. The
remainder of the course is devoted to global implementation issues, including transnational versus
multidomestic structures, global alliances, global knowledge transfer, and developing a global mindset among
people, processes, and systems.
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Growing an Entrepreneurial Business
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Implementing Strategy: Management Control Systems
Professor Vijay Govindarajan
Management control systems are a major way to implement strategy through performance measurement,
strategic planning systems, transfer pricing systems, reward systems, and so on. This minicourse uses case
studies to (1) introduce and discuss the key issues for several of the most important management control
systems in use in businesses, (2) illustrate and emphasize the need for a good "fit" between a particular control
system and the firm's strategy, and (3) emphasize the necessity for overall compatibility among the sets of
control systems in use.
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International Corporate Finance
Professor Rafael LaPorta
This course examines two fundamental decisions of multinational firms - the investment decision and the
financing decision. Topics discussed in the course include: valuation of foreign investments, global debt and
equity financing, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, financial distress and restructurings, foreign exchange
risk management, comparisons of corporate governance practices around the world, and project finance. In
contrast, we will not have time to focus on foreign exchange rate systems, currency and banking crises, foreign
exchange futures, options, and swaps. The course mostly benefits students interested in pursuing careers in
investment banking, or in managing/advising international corporations.
Click here for the syllabus
International Corporate Governance
Professor B Espen Eckbo
In the course we discuss how the value of financial contracts depends on a country's legal system and its
corporate governance practices. Greater investor protection lowers the cost of capital and results in greater
financial development and economic growth. Thus, countries around the world are searching for a set of
governance practices, rules, and regulations that will promote private sector development. In Europe, Asia, and
Latin-America, much of the governance debate focuses on protecting small investors from the actions of large,
controlling shareholders. In the U.S., the debate focuses in particular on the failure of many boards to protect
outside investors from powerful corporate managers. The course keys into this debate, covering areas such as
asset tunneling in corporate pyramidal structures, hostile takeovers and the failure of the market for corporate
control, executive compensation policies, and recent regulatory developments to increase corporate
transparency and the value of the shareholder vote. Students research selected geographical areas and debate
to what extent the increasing international capital flows causes governance systems to converge towards a
global standard.
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Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Professor Gregg Fairbrothers
This course is designed to provide basic education in commercialization of technology, entrepreneurship, and
the starting of new business ventures. The course will address fundamentals in major areas of conceptualizing
and launching a successful new business, including: concept development, market and competitive assessment,
business plan development, team building, financing and investor presentations, and execution. Students will
be exposed to the startup process in detail. The course will combine lectures and visiting speakers, workshop
sessions, and readings. Throughout the term, participants will develop an executive summary of a business idea,
which they will present to a panel of potential investors at the conclusion of the course.
Click here for the syllabus
Investments
Professor Kenneth R. French
This course examines financial theory and empirical evidence that is useful when making investment decisions.
The topics covered include portfolio theory, equilibrium models of security prices (including the capital asset
pricing model and the arbitrage pricing theory), the empirical behavior of security prices, market efficiency,
performance evaluation, venture capital, and behavioral finance. The course: (1) provides an understanding of
the equilibrium pricing relationships in asset markets, as these relationships form the foundation for financial
decision making and management; (2) develops a specific set of analytical tools that can be used to solve
investment problems; (3) improves students' understanding of financial institutions and markets; and (4) helps
students develop a way of thinking about and framing investment decisions.
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Leadership Out of the Box
Professor Ella L. Bell
Exceeding performance expectations is not enough in today's business climate if an executive is to succeed.
Executives must find ways for developing their employees in order to get the very best productivity. Wise
leaders recognize that people are a source of corporate wealth. A potent leader co-creates with his or her
people to push the company ahead of the competition. But before a leader can assume this role and
responsibility, they must be willing to engage in their own developmental journey. In this course, we take
leadership out of the box by studying the lives of extraordinary leaders while engaging in our own selfexploration. Our intent is to appreciate the strengths and frailties all leaders possess, and to understand the
learning edges we all experience. This course creates the space to study, reflect on and discuss principles of
leadership, such as self-awareness, identity, faith, vision, courage, passion, mindfulness, and commitment. By
studying the lives of others, we learn how the context shapes the experiences and choices of leaders over the
course of their lives. We also recognize the power of the historical moment that enables certain men and
women to come to the forefront at critical times.
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Management of Service Operations
Professor Joseph M. Hall
This course develops a business process view of service delivery and focuses on the analysis and design of
processes to achieve organizational goals. The notion of services is broadly construed to include both “pure”
services, such as banking and health care, and the service components of manufacturing, such as after-sales
support and product design. Course content will include a mix of case discussions and lectures.
Click here for the syllabus
Managerial Accounting
Professor Richard C. Sansing
This course uses the concepts of opportunity cost and organizational architecture as a conceptual framework for
the study of managerial accounting. Opportunity cost is the conceptual foundation underlying decision-making;
organizational architecture is the conceptual foundation underlying the use of accounting as part of the firm's
control mechanism. We examine these issues using both a textbook and case discussions. The major topics
include cost behavior; accounting costs versus opportunity costs; divisional performance measures; transfer
pricing; budgeting; cost allocation; activity-based costing; and cost variance analysis.
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Managerial Applications of Game Theory
Professor Robert G. Hansen
A strategic situation exists when the outcome for one party depends critically on the action taken by another.
Making optimal decisions in strategic situations requires considering what other parties will do and what they
believe you may do. Game theory offers a set of analytical tools designed to aid decision making in strategic
situations. This minicourse covers the essentials of game theory, with explicit focus on managerially relevant
applications.
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Managerial Decision Making
Professor Kent L. Womack
The course Managerial Decision Making differs from most MBA courses in that instead of proceeding
normatively (i.e. how people and managers ought to make decisions), it focuses on providing descriptive
insights of how people and hence managers actually do process information and make decisions, often
inaccurately. That is, it studies the judgment and decision-making heuristics and biases that are profoundly
wired in the human mind. In a fast-changing corporate world, managers are constently faced with making risky
decisions under tremendous uncertainly. This course, while developing a sharper probabilistic and Bayesian
mindset in students, sheds light on why inferior managerial decisions are repeatedly made in various contexts budgeting, project finance, and marketing etc. and offers prescriptive insights. Though built on a rigorous
academic literature, the teaching method of this course is interactive and intuitive. Throughout the course, we
will conduct short surveys to help students examine their own judgment and decision making heuristics and
biases.
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Managing Strategic Business Relationships
Professor Leonard Greenhalgh
This minicourse focuses on how to manage strategic business relationships. Managers in today's organizations
must negotiate, use power, and resolve conflicts to manage across the organizations' boundaries. The course
explores relationships with value chain partners, competitors, parent organizations and subsidiaries, different
functional units, bosses, subordinates, and unions. Students participate in simulated situations, with guided
self-appraisal and analysis of videotaped performance, to develop an effective approach for dealing with people
and groups. The course focuses on the individual student and helps to develop an understanding of personality
predispositions, strengths and weaknesses, and ethical constraints and obligations.
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Market-Focused Strategy
Professor Kusum L. Ailawadi
This course will add to the conceptual frameworks introduced in the first-year marketing course. The course is
designed in three modules: managing markets, managing products and segments, and managing customers.
The first module provides the frameworks and skills needed to assess markets and make integrated product
positioning, pricing, advertising, promotion, and distribution decisions in the selected markets. It highlights the
importance of combining creativity and analytics in going to market. The second module focuses on the factors
that firms must consider as they expand their product line and tap new segments for sustained growth. It
emphasizes the strategic choice of new products and segments, and the importance of making holistic
marketing mix decisions that take into consideration the impact on existing products and segments. The third
module follows the evolution of marketing towards selecting and satisfying customers. The focus here is on
strategically selecting which customers the firm wants to serve or not serve, and evaluating marketing decisions
by their impact on customer equity (their ability to acquire and retain profitable customers). Cases will be used
from a variety of industries, companies, and decision contexts, and will be supplemented with readings, short
lectures, and presentations by visiting executives.
Click here for the syllabus
Marketing Communications
Professor Georgios A. Bakamitsos
This course takes an analytical approach to the study of marketing communications of business firms and other
types of institutions. It focuses on the process and the challenges involved in developing effective
communication strategies for organizations. Contemporary and classic case studies are used to illustrate the
key issues in developing effective advertising and serve as a basis for the discussion of the topics covered in
class. The major objectives of this course are to (1) identify the role of advertising as it relates to other
marketing functions and other promotional activities; (2) provide an understanding of the advertising industry
and the environment in which it operates; (3) develop analytical skills useful in planning and evaluating
advertising campaigns; and (4) provide students with a forum for presenting and defending their
recommendations and for critically examining and discussing the recommendations of others.
Click here for the syllabus
Marketing Research
Professor Tridib Mazumdar
This course is designed to give students an appreciation of the scope of marketing research and the nature of
marketing research techniques. The goal of the course is to make students knowledgeable users of marketing
research information. The first part of the course considers the acquisition of data. Research design, sampling
procedures, and questionnaire design are discussed in the context of both traditional and online market
research. The second part of the course introduces students to multivariate data analysis techniques, including
cross-tabulations, factor analysis, discriminant analysis, and conjoint analysis. The course uses readings, case
studies, and hands-on business projects.
Click here for the syllabus
Medical Care and the Corporation
Professor Michael Zubkoff
The course is intended to (1) illustrate the applicability of management concepts and techniques to the
healthcare industry, (2) enhance the ability of managers to serve as hospital trustees, and (3) demonstrate how
corporate managers can exercise judgment and control over expenditures for healthcare benefits while
protecting the health of the employees. The characteristics and components of the healthcare system and their
interactions and determinants are analyzed. The history of corporate and governmental intervention in
healthcare are reviewed. The importance of understanding the medical market dynamics and the options for
data-driven strategies for market reform are stressed. Case examples highlight the use of new analytic
techniques for understanding and managing medical markets. A project is an important part of the course.
Click here for the syllabus
Negotiations
Professor Jeff A. Weiss
This course is designed for students who seek to learn how to become effective negotiators in managerial
settings. The course is largely experiential, which means that students learn the theory, concepts, and models
underlying good practice inductively they learn by doing and then reflecting on their effectiveness. As a result,
perfect attendance, promptness, and adequate preparation are course requirements. Simulated negotiations
span the range of situations managers will encounter.
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Organizational Culture
Professor Zeynep Aksehirli
Despite its profound effect on our every move in any organization we belong to, organizational culture
continues to be an elusive concept for managers. This course aims to introduce organizational culture concepts
and gives you some first hand experience in understanding the cultural values of an organization. After arming
you with tools and frameworks that can be used to identify and evaluate key cultural values of an organization,
it will also equip you with some tools and techniques about changing the corporate culture to increase
satisfaction and performance. At a personal level, these insights in organizational culture will help you find your
fit for your future job and connect with your company's culture. This will be a hands-on course. We will have
several lectures and in-class experiential exercises that will give you the necessary background. However, your
main learning will be through the course project, where you will go into an organization with the intention of
deciphering its explicit and implicit cultural values. You will also get a chance to compare the cultures of several
organizations through your colleagues' projects and cases we will cover in class.
Click here for the syllabus
Private Equity Finance
Professors Colin C. Blaydon, Fred E. Wainwright
The purpose of this course is to examine the financial perspective on decisions in entrepreneurial settings.
While focusing on financial decisions, the course is integrative in looking at entrepreneurial financial decisions
from the perspectives of the business opportunity, the goals of the participants, and the context, as well as
looking at the "deal" and the resources employed. The course also offers a close examination of the investor's
role and the expanding institutional environment of private equity financing.
Click here for the syllabus
Professional Decision Modeling
Professor Peter J. Regan
This minicourse applies decision science (simulation, optimization, and decision analysis) in the context of a
case drawn from professional decision consulting. The case challenge is to value an asset in the context of a
spin-off negotiation. Students receive case information in weekly installments and work in teams to design and
build spreadsheet models as a means of making recommendations on questions posed by client management.
Students present results and modeling approaches in class. CheckThisOut! sessions introduce spreadsheet
modeling techniques of general interest with examples that students work through on their laptops. Excel,
Crystal Ball, and Solver are used. A course website supports a weekly discussion forum and step-by-step guide
to spreadsheet techniques demonstrated in class.
Click here for the syllabus
Real Estate
Professor John H. Vogel Jr
The real estate course is designed to provide an overview of the real estate industry and the basic analytic
techniques for investing in this $17 trillion asset class. Real estate knowledge is also important to managers
because they must make decisions about where to locate facilities and how to structure leases. Students will
find that this course takes a practical, hands-on, problem-solving approach. Cases are used in every class
because they reflect the project oriented nature of this industry. It is a general management course that blends
quantitative and qualitative analysis. The course also emphasizes the entrepreneurial management style and
risk analysis techniques used by successful investors and developers. One of the highlights of this course is the
opportunity to interact with industry leaders who expose students to the latest techniques and trends.
Click here for the syllabus
Real Estate Mini
The real estate mini-course is designed to provide an overview of the real estate industry and provide basic
tools for analyzing real estate investments. It also touches on critical management issues like leasing. It is a
general management course that blends quantitative and qualitative analysis. Cases are used in every class
because they reflect the project oriented nature of the real estate industry. Students often ask about the
difference between the mini-course and the full course. The full course allows us to look at a broader range of
cases, build stronger skills, get first hand experience with an actual development in Hanover and meet industry
leaders. The mini- course tries to cover the basics that every manager and investor should know.
Click here for the syllabus
Sales Promotion
Professor Scott A. Neslin
The objective of this seminar is to develop an in-depth understanding of the theories, functions, and workings
of sales promotion. Topics include (1) economic and behavioral theories of sales promotion, (2) how sales
promotion affects sales, (3) potential strategic and tactical objectives of sales promotion, (4) the sales
promotion planning process, and (5) quantitative evaluation of sales promotion. The course blends theory and
practice and is intended for students whose careers will require them to be deeply involved with sales
promotion decisions, either as line managers or as consultants.
Click here for the syllabus
Selling and Sales Leadership
Professor Eli Jones
Today's business-to-business selling environment is very complex due to globalization, a rapid infusion of
technologies, and more competition. This course covers professional selling from the perspective of business
development in major accounts under hypercompetitive business conditions. It is targeted toward those who
are interested in the strategies and activities associated with key account management; i.e. the process of
formulating selling strategies, implementing, and evaluating a sales program. Communication, selling, and
negotiating techniques will be included.
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Seminar in Strategy: Managing Corporate Entrepreneurship
Professor Christopher R. Trimble
To stay on top, corporations must learn to continuously create, grow, and profit from completely new ways of
doing business. They must simultaneously pursue both excellence in their existing business and creativity in
generating new businesses. This minicourse will take two perspectives. The first is that of the CEO of a
corporation. How can a CEO build a corporation that can balance managing the present with creating the
future? How is such an organization structured? What policies need be put in place? The second is that of the
CEO of a new venture within a larger corporation. How is the relationship between the new venture and the
parent best managed? What tensions naturally arise? How may they be overcome?
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Services Marketing
Professor Gail A. Taylor
Services are becoming the dominant economic driver in the U.S. economy, and are critical for gaining
competitive advantage in companies from all industrial sectors. Superior service quality drives the competitive
advantage of leading companies, such as Charles Schwab, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and FedEx. Even for companies
not considered traditional service companies, services represent primary growth and profitability strategies into
the 21st century. In this discussion-based course students learn critical skills and gain knowledge needed to
implement quality service and service strategies for competitive advantage across industries. Frameworks for
customer-focused management, and how to increase customer satisfaction and retention through service
marketing strategies will be presented. Students will learn to map services, understand customer expectations,
and develop effective relationship marketing strategies. The course places an emphasis on the total
organization and how effective marketing and customer focus must be coordinated across multiple functions.
Click here for the syllabus
Social Capital
Professor Zeynep Aksehirli
Social Capital can be defined as the degree to which an organization or community collaborates and cooperates
(through such mechanisms as networks, shared trust, norms and values) to achieve mutual benefits. The
objectives of this course are to introduce you to social capital, to enable you to identify and evaluate key
elements that enhance value of an individual's social network, and to familiarize you with some tools and
techniques for managing organizational social capital and the value derived from it. We will examine different
types and combinations of social relations, network structures of these relations, and institutional environments
that impact them. This course will be a combination of lectures and case based class discussions. I will also ask
you to bring in and discuss your own personal experiences as well as the experiences at your previous or
current organizations.
Click here for the syllabus
Strategic Brand Management
Professor Susan M. Fournier
One of the most valuable assets that firms have is the brand names associated with their products or services.
This course addresses important branding decisions faced by an organization in terms of how to build, measure,
and manage brand equity. Its basic objectives are to (1) provide an understanding of the important issues in
planning and evaluating brand strategies, and (2) provide the appropriate concepts and techniques to improve
the long-term profitability of brand strategies. The course consists of lectures, case discussions, guest speakers,
and a brand audit project.
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Strategic Responses to Market Failure
Professor Andrew A. King
Market failure limits the welfare of nations, but it can be an opportunity for firms to increase their profits. This
class explores some of the strategies that firms can use to profit from market failure. We will explore both
unilateral and collective strategies and identify when each can be used. The class emphasizes asymmetric
information and property rights problems. We will consider how firms can credibly communicate information,
and how they can resolve common property issues. We will explore cases where these actions provided
sustained advantage and investigate the implication of these examples for corporate and national development.
Because market failure is traditionally the provenance of governments and institutions, we will consider the
history and function of some examples. We will investigate how for-profit firms acted to change or augment
them.
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Structuring Mergers and Acquisitions
This course deals with issues related to corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Students will develop skills
necessary to design a deal or form an opinion about a proposed deal. Focus will be placed on method of
payment, deal structure, bidding strategies, merger negotiations, and defensive tactics. The legal and
regulatory framework for corporate takeovers will be covered, including anti-trust and fiduciary duties of the
board of directors, as well as issues particular to cross-border deals and what it takes to make an acquisition
successful. The course uses a mix of case assignments, providing ample opportunity to practice valuation skills,
and visitors will give their own perspective on the art of the takeover. Students will present their analysis of an
M&A transaction to visiting investment bankers (mid-term) as well as write a pitch book as a final term paper.
Click here for the syllabus
Supply Chain Management and Information Technology
Professor M. Eric Johnson
This course focuses on managing material and information outside the factory walls, including aspects of
product design and configuration, forecasting, inventory planning for both material and finished goods, global
sourcing decisions, distribution system design, channel management, logistics, and facility location. We will
explore marketing distribution strategies, including order fulfillment for e-retailers and the impact of electronic
commerce on both distribution and back-end supply chain processes.
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Taxation and Business Policy
Professor Richard C. Sansing
The objective of this course is to help students develop an understanding of the key underlying concepts that
pervade the many specific provisions of the tax law and how income tax considerations interact with non-tax
considerations in a series of business decisions. Topics discussed include compensation planning, the
organization form decision, taxation of earnings of domestic and foreign affiliates, corporate distributions,
mergers and acquisitions, and corporate spinoffs.
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Tools for Improving Manufacturing
This minicourse examines the use of manufacturing and operations as competitive weapons. In this class, we
formulate a framework for developing and implementing a manufacturing strategy. The main goal is to provide
students with simple, powerful approaches for improving operations, particularly at smaller companies. The
objectives are to equip future general managers, consultants, and manufacturing managers with the
perspectives and skills to effectively use manufacturing as a competitive weapon; to develop a framework for
the strategic management of manufacturing; and to develop facility with simple technical tools and frameworks
which apply directly to operational decisions and can be useful in adding value to manufacturing firms.
Click here for the syllabus
Top Management Teams
Professor Sydney Finkelstein
This minicourse examines the effects of senior executives on company strategy, performance, and vitality. How
can we better understand, predict, and improve organizational outcomes by paying greater attention to top
management capabilities and behaviors? Course topics include: executive selection and succession, executive
compensation, top management team composition and dynamics, and board-management relations. Though
the course is relevant for students who wish to strengthen their managerial talents, it is not a skills-based
"leadership" course; rather, it is intended to improve the student's ability to diagnose, critically evaluate, and
enhance executive capabilities in a firm.
Click here for the syllabus