Results for GSBGEN

GSB students are eligible to report on work experience that is relevant to their core studies under the direction of the Director of the PhD Program. Registration for this work must be approved by the Director of the PhD Program and is limited to students who present a project which in judgment of the Advisor may be undertaken to enhance the material learned in PhD courses. It is expected that this research be carried on by the student with a large degree of independence and the expected result is a written report, due at the end of the quarter in which the course is taken. Because this course runs through the summer, reports are due the 2nd week of October. Units earned for this course do not meet the requirements needed for graduation.

Critical Analytical Thinking (CAT) will address issues that transcend any single discipline or function of management. In 14-16 person sections, you will analyze, write about, and debate fundamental issues, questions, and phenomena that arise in many forms in management. You will explore these critical issues broadly, as well as hone your analytic and persuasive skills. CAT will enhance your ability to identify critical questions when exploring a new business issue, to parse issues, to develop reasoned positions, and to make compelling arguments.

The economies of the world are ever more closely linked. Record levels of international trade and investment are achieved every year. Cross-border mergers and acquisitions are booming. The foreign exchange markets handle trillions of dollars of volume daily. Offshore provision of services has grown immensely. Host governments and non-governmental organizations operating internationally affect how companies do business far from their home bases and close to home. Few businesses today can avoid being connected to the world economy, and it is quite likely that the process of globalization will continue apace. To succeed as a leader in your career, you will need to be able to think systematically about the challenges brought about by globalization.nnnThis course is designed to help you develop as a leader in this international environment. Our objectives are:nn1. To help you develop an analytic framework that you can use to understand, systematically, why it is that countries are different or similar in ways that matter to managers of organizations.nn2. To see how successful organizations leverage these differences and similarities to their advantage, sometimes becoming more 'global' in reach and other times taking advantage of their more 'local' advantages.nn3. To help you develop the insights needed to successfully lead organizations in different contexts worldwide.

With leadership comes responsibility. This course explores the numerous ethical duties faced by managers and organizations. It combines analytical frameworks with the latest findings on human behavior to inform a wide range of ethical decisions and strategies. Readings include case studies, insights from experimental psychology and economics, and excerpts from or about major works of moral philosophy. Through online and in-class exercises, discussions, and personal reflection, you will reveal and assess your ethical intuitions, compare them with more explicit modes of ethical thought, and learn how to use ethics in business settings. A diverse set of ethical viewpoints will be considered with an emphasis on not only their implications for ethical behavior but also on the social and cognitive pitfalls that undermine the ability of business leaders to fulfill their ethical duties.

GSB students are eligible to report on work experience that is relevant to their core studies under the direction of the Senior Associate Dean responsible for the MBA Program. Registration for this work must be approved by the Director of the MBA Program and is limited to students who present a project which, in judgment of the Advisor, may be undertaken to enhance the material learned in the first year core required courses. It is expected that this research be carried on by the student with a large degree of independence and the expected result is a written report, due at the end of the quarter in which the course is taken. Because this course runs through the summer, reports are typically due in early October. Units earned for this course do not meet the requirements needed for graduation.

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. This course is designed for both the investor and the general manager to better understand real estate as an asset class.

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

For students interested in the nonprofit sector, those in the joint Business and Education program, and for Public Policy MA students. The focus is on the missions, functions, and capabilities of nonprofit, public, and private organizations, and the managerial challenges inherent in the different sectors. Focus is on sectors with significant competition among institutional forms, including health care, social services, the arts, and education. Sources include scholarly articles, cases, and historical materials.

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.

The relationships between political and economic analysis and policy formulation in education; focus is on alternative models of the political process, the nature of interest groups, political strategies, policy efficiency, the external environment of organizations, and the implementations of policy. Applications to policy analysis, implementation, and politics of reform. (APA)

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

This course examines the strategies that highly educated women and men use to combine work and family and the strategies that managers can bring into play to help others balance work and family. Topics include the pluses and minuses of becoming a stay-at-home mom or dad, the economic value of unpaid labor, the career trade-offs necessary to balance two high-powered careers and children, the economics of marriage, fertility, child care, and elder care, the gendered division of labor in the home, time-management and work/family conflicts, strategies for making change at the work place, and the role of public policy. The course provides a safe space for open discussion of difficult issues. Guest speakers discuss these issues with respect to their own careers and lives as well as the roles their organizations play.

Appropriate for any student driven to effect positive social change from either the for-profit or nonprofit sector, Strategic Philanthropy (GSBGEN 381/ EDUC 377C) will challenge students to expand their own strategic thinking about philanthropic aspiration and action. In recent decades, philanthropy has become an industry in itself - amounting to $307.65 billion in the year 2008 alone. This course will provide an overview of the key operational and strategic distinctions between traditional philanthropic entities, such as community foundations, private foundations, and corporate foundations; and contemporary models, including funding intermediaries, open-source models, and venture philanthropy partnerships. Course work will include readings and case discussions that encourage students to analyze philanthropic strategies as they relate to foundation mission, grantmaking, evaluation, financial management, infrastructure, and board governance. Guest speakers will consist of high profile philanthropists and foundation presidents, as well as Silicon Valley business leaders striving to redefine philanthropic models. The course will culminate in an individual project in which students will complete a business plan for a $10 million private foundation.

Open to all graduate students at the University, this course will provide non-law students an analytical framework for understanding the core concepts of the law and familiarize students with how lawyers analyze and structure their work. This course will be taught by Dean Larry Kramer, Vice Dean Mark Kelman and Law School faculty in their areas of expertise, with one to two classes devoted to each topic. It will introduce students to some of the foundational principles of law and will review topics such as contracts, litigation, intellectual property, securities and employment law.nn nnIt will be offered in the Winter 2010-11 quarter (1/3/11-3/11/11), meeting twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30-3:00 pm at the Law School. Additional TA-led discussion sections will be available on Thursday afternoon at 3 pm and Friday morning. The class will be offered as a lecture, on a Pass/Fail basis. There will be no final exam, but completion of problem sets on various topics as well as class participation will be used to determine grading.

Need approval from sponsoring faculty member and GSB Registrar.

This spring quarter elective, designed to help you prepare for a challenging, fulfilling, and meaningful future, sets the stage for you to capitalize on the unique opportunity presented by spring quarter in the second year: one last opportunity to take advantage of the low risk environment of the GSB to assess, reflect, and prepare for what is next. GSBGEN 510 will provide you with the opportunity to step back, synthesize what you have learned about yourself, think about what is truly important to you (both personally and professionally) and begin to make a plan for your continued development and learning. nn nnWe will address four major life and career themes: nn- Learning from Choices nn- Fulfillment and Meaningnn- Failure and Resilience nn- Transitions and Renewal nnThrough engagement with these topics, we will help you make sense of the journey you are about to conclude, mine it for learning and create a foundation with which to handle the upcoming transition of graduation and start of a new job (whether immediately or eventually). You will also emerge understanding how to better manage future transitions and the inevitable, unexpected events your career and life hold.nnnSpecifically, the objectives of the course are to:nn- Provide you with the opportunity and tools to take stock of what you have learned about yourself as a person and as a leader over the last 18 months at the GSBnn- Expose you to research on personal and professional development and help you apply it. nn- Encourage you to reflect on what matters most to you, personally and professionally, and begin to determine how to achieve itnn- Prepare you for the challenges and transition immediately ahead and, in so doing, learn how to manage life's big transitions in the future nnnThis class is limited to 36 students. Each class will begin with conceptual input and overview of that session's topic in the main classroom. The 36 students will then be divided into three twelve-person break-out groups during the remainder of the class time. These groups are NOT T-groups (for those of you who took Interpersonal Dynamics) but rather discussion groups. However, the discussions will be of a reflective and personal nature. Each discussion group will have 2 Group Leaders who are experienced executive coaches specializing in helping people through life and career transitions. Their role will be to facilitate students' exploration and learning, at a group and individual level as well as to direct various small group activities, as some work will be done in pairs, trios and quartets within your small group as well.

Communication is crucial to the success of all leaders, but as you climb within an organization the ability to write and speak effectively is magnified. This course will explore how individuals can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. Together we will explore the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion at an executive level. Each of our sessions will focus on a different, yet related, element of the art and science of being effective and persuasive in business. nnnWe will study: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery. Deliverables will include written documents and oral presentations and you will present both individually and in a team. You will receive continuous feedback to improve your communication effectiveness. nnnThis practical course helps students at all levels of communication mastery develop confidence in their speaking and writing through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and videotaped feedback.nnnIn this course you will learn to:nn-Create communication strategies at an individual and organizational levelnn-Develop clearly organized and effective presentations and documentsnn-Diagnose and expand your personal writing and oral delivery style nn-Adapt your delivery style to different material and audiences nn-Enhance oral delivery through effective visual aids

The primary goals of this course are (1) to expose students to the startling and counter-intuitive insights being unraveled on the workings of the human brain and (2) then get to the "so what" of these findings for shaping business strategy, personal development, etc. In the process of accomplishing these goals, we will address several fundamental questions. For instance, when making decisions of considerable import (e.g., choosing between two equally attractive job offers), should one become completely rational and do what the economists would recommend, or follow the gut and decide instinctively? If you want to extract maximum pleasure from an experience (e.g., a massage, consuming chocolate), will you be better off paying attention to the experience or distracting yourself? Finally, if happiness is the overarching end-goal for us, what are the neural underpinnings of happiness and how can one actively accomplish this end-goal?

Uncertainty with changing opportunity shapes investment planning whether in financial firms, corporations or entities such as pension funds, venture capital and private equity, and, in particular, in non-traded assets or securities. We will develop an approach to understanding (1) capital allocation issues; (2) capital structure planning; (3) optimization policies with changing opportunity sets and adjustment costs; and, (4) the selection of levels of risk taking. These relate to what is needed to manage uncertainty. The following three areas: (1) developing feedback mechanisms to assist planning; (2) reporting mechanisms for management and investors; and, (3) compensation planning and business structure, relate to managerial effectiveness under uncertainty. These internal risks must be integrated with external risks such as geopolitical issues and fiscal and monetary policies in a global setting.nnnI plan to introduce each of these from my theoretical and applied perspective. I will provide selective reading on each topic and a list of questions to provide follow on discussion. Students will work with me to flesh out not only the answers to these questions, but also provide additional questions and discover additional readings that are germane to expanding understanding and to following developments in each of these areas.

The business plan is both a useful exercise for entrepreneurs to evaluate and think through a business concept and a standard tool to present the business to investors when seeking funding. This short course will focus on the process of going from a business concept to a business plan. The course will be hands-on, and it will start from a concept accompanied by preliminary market research (this means students don't have to come up with their own business ideas). It will then go through the analysis which leads, by the end of the course, to a basic business plan.nnnThis course is also an experiment in the use of Second Life to facilitate class discussion. Second Life is a three-dimensional, Internet-based "virtual world" that has recently begun to focus on opportunities in the educational space. Second Life users (i.e., faculty and students) create individual avatars and then attend (through their avatars) class sessions "in world" (i.e., within Second Life). The classroom in Second Life includes a set of tools such as whiteboards, URL boards, and poster boards. Class sessions will be private/closed door - only enrolled students will have access to the classroom. Prior to the class, students will go through a thirty-minute customized "orientation" where they will create an avatar and learn how to interact in a virtual classroom (this is significantly easier than the "general purpose" orientation in Second Life). The required hardware is a computer with a broadband Internet connection, a high-quality USB headset (for voice chat in the classroom), and a high-quality graphics card (which most newer-model computers already have).

This course is designed to expose second-year MBAs to research on creativity in problem-solving. The course has straightforward practical goals: it will explore ways in which individuals, groups, and organizations can become more creative, in useful ways. In order to do this effectively, we will study hardnosed research on problem-solving. We will not read articles entitled "The five-fold path to creativity." If there really were recipes or algorithms for reliably increasing creativity, I would certainly teach them. (Or more likely, I wouldn't need to: they would routinely be taught in the core curriculum of every MBA program.) Instead, we will study what cognitive and social scientists have discovered about novelty and effectiveness in problem-solving. Some of this work---e.g., Scott Page's examination of the value of cognitive diversity in teams---will have relatively direct action-implications. The pragmatic implications of other research---e.g., on organizational norms for resolving conflict---will be more indirect. Because the course's practical goal is easy to state but hard to achieve, some patience is required. nnnAs indicated above, we will study creativity at three levels: individuals, groups and organizations. Because there is pretty good evidence that different kinds of factors are prominent at these different levels, the course's approach is multi-disciplinary. We will read articles and books by cognitive psychologists and cognitive scientists, social psychologists, organization theorists, and perhaps historians who have studied industrial innovation. Disciplinary boundaries are irrelevant: any work that articulates a significant claim about pragmatically useful creativity and backs up that claim with a good argument is grist for our mill. nn nnBecause the course focuses on creativity that makes a difference---i.e., that ultimately makes some organizational stakeholder better off---we will also study how innovations get selected. This inevitably means studying how new ideas get criticized and sometimes discarded. This process is less fun than generating new ideas, but given that brand-new ideas are usually flawed in one way or another, critical and hard-headed scrutiny of innovations is vital. Hence, we will examine psychological, political, and organizational obstacles to the effective criticism and evaluation of novel solutions, and we will also look at some ideas on how these obstacles might be reduced. nnnClasses will be run seminar-style: they'll focus on examining the readings closely and critically. Understanding what a study does not establish is sometimes just as important as understanding what it does establish. Hence, I will expect everyone to read carefully; skimming won't cut it. This effort will probably result in a rather deep and sophisticated comprehension of the topic. Given the importance of creativity and innovation in modern organizations, that should be adequate return for hard effort.

This course is open only to leaders of the Global Service Trips or Global Study Trips. The course will meet eight times during the first four weeks of Fall Term. In addition, the teams have the option of making use of a Master Coach just before their trip to review how they are operating as a team. There will be a 10th meeting during Winter term where the Winter Trip leaders will share their experience with the Spring Trip leaders. nnnThe purpose of this course is to help trip leaders in the planning and conducting of the trip so as to maximize the learning for the trip participants and the trip leaders as well as increasing the overall success of the trip. A range of topics will be covered including: articulating a vision for the trip, developing their team as a high performing team, making quality decision, resolving interpersonal issues (within the team and with participants), understanding how to make full use of the faculty member and dealing with the myriad of issues that are likely to arise.nnnClass time will mainly be spent discussing and role-playing a series of short cases that have been developed around issues that have come up in past trips. These willbe supplemented by short lectures to provide the conceptual underpinning. There will be a very modest reading list.

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

"Tell me the facts and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever." How do you tell a story? This question becomes important for leaders of companies, who often only need to act as an editor - shaping the stories told by employees and customers - to align with shared vision. And it becomes important as you craft a marketing campaign. A good story is not enough. It must be well told. In this seminar, we will break down the basic elements of story-telling, elucidate the power of the verbal as well as the visual, and discuss how story-telling helps build brands and organizations. For the final project, you will create tell a story about (a) your organization, (b) your brand, or (c) you. By creating powerful stories and then communicating them in your own uniquely human way, you'll see how causes, careers and businesses can gain momentum.

The news is filled with reports of one corporate crisis after another - names like BP, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, AIG, Siemens, Toyota, and issues like backdating, bribery, antitrust violations, insider trading, procurement fraud, health and safety violations, consumer class actions and the like. And often the cry is heard - where are the lawyers? This new course explores the evolution of the role of the general counsel of major American public companies and, more broadly, the expanding role of in-house counsel. These are the lawyers in the trenches, on the front lines of American businesses. Each week, we'll review another dimension of the general counsel's job. We'll review the different ways in which general counsels manage large corporate legal departments and direct functional legal areas like litigation, IP, corporate and securities, M&A, environmental and employment law. We will also examine the professional responsibilities and legal obligations of the general counsel -- including the delicate and sometimes conflicting reporting relationships to the CEO and the board of directors -- and consider how an in-house legal department fits into a corporation's organizational structure and how it supports the company's operating units on a day-to-day basis. We will explore the general counsel's role in internal investigations, shareholder derivative suits, regulatory investigations and compliance programs, and government affairs. We will also consider current practices in how in-house lawyers select, collaborate with and evaluate outside counsel. The class will meet weekly and we will invite several current and former general counsels of major corporations to join us occasionally for our discussions. Each student will be expected to participate actively in class discussions, and will be required to complete two projects, each in collaboration with three other students and submitted as a team, presenting how the team would address a complex set of legal and business issues. The course grade will be based 1/3 on class participation and 1/3 on each of the two team projects.

This seminar will explore the nature and role of leadership in organizations. We will examine such questions as (1) What is leadership? (2) Why is it important? (3) What is it that leaders actually do? (4) How do they do it? (5) How are leaders developed? (6) Why do leaders succeed or fail? (7) What about your potential for leadership and your strategy for developing it?nnnOur primary objective in this seminar is to achieve a deeper understanding of the nature and role of leadership in organizations. Our approach will be to examine a small sample of the literature, together with the amazing story of Ernest Shackleton and his Endeavor crew, and then to probe several key questions through lively class discussion. The discussion, informed by the readings and also by our collective experiences, will seek to develop some general principles and observations about leadership - particularly about how you might better develop yourself as a leader.

The health care system accounts for over 17% of US GDP and is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. This two unit class focuses on the interplay and tension between the main players in the health care field - providers of health care services (individual doctors, group practices, integrated health care systems), payors (insurances companies, employers, consumers, and government), patients, and innovator companies (biopharma, medical device, diagnostics, and health care IT). The course is designed for students with a broad diversity of backgrounds and interests who want to better understand the health care business and system. No prior experience in the health care or medical field is assumed or needed. The focus of the class will be primarily on the US health care system, but there will be limited discussion of non-US systems as well. nnnThe course is divided into five modules: nn1. An overview of the US Health Care System and the interplay between payers, providers, and innovatorsnn2. Provider organization models and incentive structuresnn - The relationship between quality, cost, and accessnn - Integrated systems and fee for service modelsnn - New IT technologies, including electronic data records, and incentives for adoption nn - How the delivery system structure affects technology innovatorsnn3. Innovator business models and issuesnn - Financing and managing new product development and portfolio managementnn - Clinical trial management and gaining regulatory approvalnn - Marketing, communication and sales strategies (both physician and patient communication and sales) to drive product adoption and gain third party reimbursementnn - Business models to drive innovationnn4. New technologies, business opportunities, and business modelsnn - Molecular diagnosticsnn - Stem cells and regenerative medicinenn - Consumer genomicsnn5. Health care system reform nnnThe class will be taught primarily from the perspective of a business person operating a company rather than that of a policy maker, academic, or investor. While there will be a few lectures to provide background and frameworks for course topics, most classes will involve a case discussion and prominent guest speakers from the health care industry. Speakers and panelists in previous years included CEOs and senior executives from Genentech, Gilead, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and Genomic Health; venture investors from Essex Woodland Health Ventures and Prospect Ventures; and heads of the health care/biotech practices at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs.

This course is designed for individuals interested in improving their communication skills. As a leader, you will spend the majority of your time communicating with others-team members, subordinates, clients, and other constituents. Right now, you probably don't spend much time thinking about the way you communicate, nor are you likely, in the corporate setting, to get honest feedback on the messages you send. Yet the quality of your communications will have a large impact on your overall effectiveness. This class will help you appreciate the nature and complexity of communication and provide guidelines for both improving your communication style and recognizing the unique styles of others. nnnThe class is based on the assumption that organizations are fundamentally political entities, and interpersonal influence through communication is a key mechanism by which things get done. Effective leaders don't simply lead by fiat-they often must influence and persuade others to go along with their ideas. In each session, we'll consider a number of well-studied tactics of interpersonal communication. For each tactic, we'll talk about why it works, when it works best, and what its limitations might be. We'll discuss how you can put these approaches to work in order to support your attempts at persuasion and how to resist them as an unwilling target of persuasion.nnnAfter taking this course, you will be better able to: (1) identify strategies for crafting effective communication in the form of everyday conversation, written work, and public presentations, (2) develop techniques for building strong, long-term alliances with your colleagues, and (3) become more persuasive in advancing an agenda, acquiring resources, or eliciting compliance from others. These skills will be invaluable to you throughout your career.

Course examines financing and investment issues that face a diverse set of participants in the sports industry. A key theme is using general financial concepts to better structure decision making in the sports industry. Specific topics illustrate the broad set of perspectives considered: Player Payroll Financial Dynamics; Player Salary Management; Asset Appreciation Opportunities; Assessing the Value of Players (& General Managers); Investment Syndicates in Sports; Building a Startup League in Baseball; Financial Valuation of Sporting Clubs; Financial/Strategy Analysis for a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Venture; Financial/Strategy Analysis for a New Football (Gridiron) League; On-Line Sports Venture Evaluation.

This Sports Marketing course combines (a) a focus on key marketing themes (such as branding, customer attraction/retention, and celebrity power) and (b) an analysis of marketing in diverse areas of the sporting industry: the league level, the team level, the player level, the network level, the advertiser level, the sponsor level, the fan level, and the media level. The nine sessions cover the following: Corporate Sponsorship; Online Marketing; Events as Brand Building Investments; Marketing to Youth; Sports/Entertainment Nexus; Club Marketing Strategies; Brand Revitalization & Strengthening; Motor Sports Marketing; Marketing in a Web 2.0/Social Networking World.

Politics, perhaps like no other field, provides a rich laboratory for studying the art and science of effective and influential communication. Whether looking at a local school bond election or a US Presidential race, when we analyze the unique communication styles demanded by campaigns we can gain insights into our own strengths and gaps as a communicator and leader.nnnCampaigns, by their very nature, are highly visible, oriented toward very specific objectives, and increasingly accessible through a variety of new media platforms. The principles of political communications transcend politics, and are useful guides for leaders in business, the non-profit community, as well as government. How candidates communicate vision, values, and experience, as well as how they operate in very fluid environments, not the least of which may be during a crisis, has a great deal to do with their electoral success. nnnCo-taught by a practitioner and an academic this course will allow students to explore both theory and practice behind effective positioning and presentation. Students will analyze and evaluate both successful and unsuccessful communications strategies. In particular we will explore historic examples of US Presidential debates, from Nixon/Kennedy to the most recent debates from the 2008 election. Further we will experience first-hand some elements of the 2010 California Governor's race, which may entail a meeting beyond the 5 scheduled class sessions. Finally, students will be able to practice their own skills as a communicator in a final activity requiring both written and spoken communication.nnnDavid Demarest, Vice President of Public Affairs for Stanford University joins JD Schramm of the GSB Faculty to design and deliver this course each fall. Demarest brings a diverse set of experiences in banking, education, and politics to the classroom. In 1988 he served as Communications Director for Vice President George H. W. Bush's successful presidential campaign. He then served four years as a member of the White House senior staff as White House Communications Director. Schramm's teaching focus is in Management Communication and he has taught and coached thousands of students to present and write more effectively. He also leads the Mastery in Communication Initiative here at the GSB.

GSBGEN 566 will be an elective course offered to 2nd-year MBA and Sloan students. The goal of this course is to improve students' judgment in confronting ethical situations encountered in the normal course of business activities. The course will be taught by Mark Leslie, Lecturer, and will include additional guest lecturers in many of the specific areas.nnnThe course, which will be case-based, will involve frequent student-to-student and student-to-instructor role-playing. Cases will be drawn from a wide selection of business situations, including such topics as raising venture capital, managing major industrial customers, product introduction through major retailers, developing financial instruments, sales force management and revenue recognition, etc.nnnThis class is for two GSB credits and will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Sixty percent of the final grade will be derived from classroom performance; the remainder will be based on a final written assignment.

This abridged course will be taught at the medical school and it is the sister-course of the GSB's S355, Managing Growing Enterprises. It will be an elective course offered to 2nd-year business school students and 2nd-year, 3rd-year, and 4th-year medical students. The goal of this course is to improve students' judgment as to how to effectively prepare for and confront difficult discussions in medical contexts. The course will be co-taught by H. Irving Grousbeck, Consulting Professor of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Charles G. Prober, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education. nnnTeaching techniques that have been successful in helping students of S355 improve their ability to manage difficult conversations will be used. A medical background is not necessary. The course, which will be case-based, will involve frequent student-to-student and student-to-instructor role-playing in actual medical situations. Patients and physician-experts often will be present to participate as class guests. Relevant principles of professionalism, leadership, and psychology underlie the course pedagogy.nnnThere will be seven 2-hour classes starting at 1:15 p.m. on consecutive Mondays, beginning on October 4, 2010 (ending on November 15). Enrollment for business school students will be limited to 15 (including medical students, 35 total students). Classes will be taught at the Medical School in a class room to be determined. nnnThis class is for two GSB credits. Fifty percent of the final grade will be derived from classroom performance; the remainder will be based on a final written assignment. Due to the abbreviated nature of the class (7 sessions), students will be expected to attend all classes.

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

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

Global poverty is a problem that persists on a massive scale, and its persistence may itself be a major impediment to growth in emerging economies. Recent years have seen a blossoming interest in socially innovative approaches to alleviating poverty and stimulating economic growth in emerging economies. In this short course, we will explore different conceptualizations of the problem of global poverty, the potential role of entrepreneurship in helping to address it, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Some possible areas of focus include:nn- Different conceptualizations of the main drivers of persistent, extreme povertynn- The challenges to entrepreneurship posed by the institutional environments of emerging economies nn- The appropriate role of entrepreneurship as a means of addressing the concerns of the poornn- The pros and cons of different models (e.g., venture philanthropy, social enterprise, non-profit)nn- Ethical issues and concerns associated with different strategies nnnIn addition to reading and in-class discussion, the course will also draw on the expertise and experiences of one or more guest speakers.

This course is open only to students participating in the Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program and is required of those students. Requirements include researching and reporting on companies to be visited, attending lectures in preparation for the China visit, attending lectures at Tsinghua, and carrying out and reporting on a project with one or more Tsinghua student. Offered Pass/No Pass only. 2 units. Winter quarter.

This course covers various advanced quantitative methods with applications in marketing and economics. Topics include simulation-based estimation, dynamic decision processes, and other topics relating to empirical models of demand and supply. The course stresses the conceptual understanding and application of each technique. Students will learn to apply these techniques using Matlab or an equivalent language.

This seminar examines research on the psychology of judgment and choice. Although the normative issue of how decisions should be made is relevant, the descriptive issue of how decisions are made is the main focus of the course. Topics of discussion include choice, judgment heuristics and biases, decision framing, prospect theory, mental accounting, context effects, task effects, regret, and other topics. The goal of the seminar is twofold: to foster a critical appreciation of existing knowledge in behavioral decision theory, to develop the students' skills in identifying and testing interesting research ideas, and to explore research opportunities for adding to that knowledge.

Doctoral Practicum in Teaching

Doctoral Practicum in Research

Communication is crucial to the success of all leaders, but as you climb within an organization the ability to write and speak effectively is magnified. This course will explore how individuals can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. This course introduces the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion at an executive level. We will study: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery. Deliverables will include written documents and oral presentations and you will present both individually and in a team. You will receive continuous feedback to improve your communication effectiveness. Through this highly interactive course, you will see why ideas, data and advocacy are combined for a professional, persuasive presentation. This practical course helps students at all levels of communication mastery develop confidence in their speaking and writing through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and videotaped feedback. This section is specifically designed with the needs of a senior leader in mind and is only open to Sloan Students. Students who elect to take this course in the fall should not also take strategic communication in the winter or spring; the courses will have sufficient overlap in concepts and assignments.

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.nnnThis recently reconfigured course introduces the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery. Deliverables will include written documents and oral presentations and you will present both individually and in a team. You will receive feedback to improve your communication effectiveness. In the final team presentation, your challenge is to craft an oral presentation that will persuade your audience to accept your strategic recommendations. By doing this, you will see why ideas, data and advocacy are combined for a professional, persuasive presentation. nnnThis practical course helps students develop confidence in their speaking and writing through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and videotaped feedback. An important new feature of this course is that a team of external communications coaches work in concert with the professor to ensure that students get rigorous and individualized coaching and feedback.nnnIn this course you will learn to:nnn- Create communication strategies at an individual and organizational levelnn- Develop clearly organized and effective presentations and documentsnn- Diagnose and expand your personal writing and oral delivery style nn- Adapt your delivery style to different material and audiences nn- Enhance oral delivery through effective visual aidsnnnStudents at all levels of comfort and expertise with public speaking and business writing will benefit from this course.

This one week course is based on 55 interviews with GSB grads who have been out 3-5 or 7-10 years. These interviews identified a set of common early career challenges that young MBAs faced--and the lessons they have learned from these. The course will consist of five 3-hour sessions addressing the critical transitions, formative experiences, and personal conflicts that characterize the typical challenges young leaders face.nnnBased on these crucible experiences, we have created a series of leadership video vignettes that describe these challenges. Each vignette consists of a protagonist (e.g., a recent MBA) briefly describing the situation they confronted, what choices they made, and what lessons they learned from the experience. Each 3-hour session will consist of a set of vignettes focused on a specific challenge, role plays, and speakers (GSB grads). At present, the topics to be covered include: nn* Moving from individual contributor to first-time manager nn* Managing transitions in scope and function (e.g., managing growth or turnarounds) nn* Career resilience: dealing with professional setbacks nn* Managing strategic differences with a boss (including ethically questionable practices) nn* Blending work, life and family nnThe course objective is to help current MBAs better understand some of the common challenges and pitfalls they are likely to face as they become leaders. The combination of vignettes, role plays, and speakers are designed to help class participants prepare for these potentially career-limiting events.

Educators must be experts in their subject matter, but also effective scholarly communicators. This course will examine the theories for effective communication in the wide range of settings that PhDs will encounter: seminars, academic conferences, job talks, and ultimately in the classroom.nnnThis course will provide PhD candidates with the opportunity to practice course principles in simulated communication settings and receive direct and video-taped feedback on their performance. Students will benefit from participating in observations of GSB classes (within and beyond their discipline), readings on current education and communication theory and practice, class discussion, and visits from GSB professors.nnnLearning Objectives:nnnBy the end of this course students will:nn-Understand the essentials of oral communication in scholarly settingsnn-Understand the fundamentals of business education including syllabus development, classroom instruction, case method teaching, assessment and grading.nn-Understand and practice the essential elements of effective presentations - the verbal, vocal, and visual aspects of oral presentationnn-Articulate essential distinctions of teaching undergraduate, graduate (including MBA), and executive education students, and how to adapt their approach for these audiencesnn-Demonstrate effectiveness as a presenter and growth in the ability to plan and present content in a variety of simulated settings from benchmark to final mock classnn-Apply course content to job talks, conference presentations, and other professional settings beyond the classroomnn-Evaluate peers and other educators on their ability to practice effective teaching and presentation delivery

This course is offered for students requiring specialized training in an area not covered by existing courses. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the reading.

This course is elected as soon as a student is ready to begin research for the dissertation, usually shortly after admission to candidacy. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the research.