Results for GSBGEN

Even the most artistically accomplished and well-managed performing arts organizations--symphony orchestras, operas, dance companies, and many theaters--tend to live on the edge financially. In fact, most performing arts groups are organized as nonprofit organizations, because they cannot make enough money to cover costs and survive as profit-seeking businesses. In this seminar we will explore the reasons for the tension between artistic excellence and economic security,drawing on the experience of performing arts organizations in the United States and in countries(whose governments have adopted quite different policies toward the arts). Using economic concepts and analysis that we develop in the seminar, you will first examine the fundamental reasons for the economic challenges faced by performing arts organizations. In later sessions, we will consider and evaluate alternative solutions to these challenges in the United States and other countries. The seminar may include meetings with managers and/or trustees of arts organizations.nnnBy the end of the seminar, you will be able to assess the economic condition of an arts organization, evaluate alternative strategies for its survival, and understand the consequences of alternative government policies toward the arts.nnnDuring the early part of the course, you will prepare two short papers on topics or questions that I will suggest. Later, you will prepare a longer paper applying concepts learned to one of the performing arts or a particular arts organization that interests you. You will submit that paper in stages, as you learn about concepts and issues that are relevant to your analysis. There will also be a final exam.

With leadership comes responsibility. This course explores the numerous ethical issues faced by managers and organizations and provides both analytical frameworks and the latest findings on human behavior to inform ethical decisions and strategies. The readings present challenging and controversial case studies, provide insights from experimental psychology and economics, and discuss relevant philosophical concepts and arguments. Through class exercises, rigorous discussion, and personal reflection, you will clarify your own ethical stance, think through ethical dilemmas, and practice articulating recommendations compellingly. You will also discover the diversity of ethical viewpoints and find out how to avoid the social and cognitive pitfalls that can make ethical leadership challenging.

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 Assistant Dean 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, typically due at the end of the quarter in which the course is taken. Specific assignment details and deadline information will be communicated to enrolled students. 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 an understanding of the fundamentals of real estate investment. The course covers land economics, market analysis, finance, taxation, investment analysis, investment vehicles, real estate risk, development and urban design. Major land uses are discussed including apartments, retail, office, and industrial. The course is designed for students with limited or no background in real estate.

Policy Time is about the policy choices faced by senior American policymakers. Our main perspective is American and executive: decisions faced by the U.S. President, Governors, and their advisors. The lessons can extend to certain international settings as well. We have two main goals:n1. To begin to build your personal policy approach, in which you will figure out how your values translate into real-world policy choices; and 2. To learn what it is like to be a senior policymaker. Each week will cover a different policy topic. Likely topics include immigration reform, economics, whether and when and how companies should take public positions on policy issues, guns and gun control, social media policy challenges, the opioid crisis, and trade and industrial policy. Our exact topic schedule is flexible based in part on current events. This class is heavily participatory and involves a lot of class discussion. You will write 5-10 weekly short memos to explain your choices. This class is for beginners and assumes you have no prior knowledge of policy or politics.

Political gamesmanship, financial crises, and financial innovation come hand-in-hand with real estate finance, which has played a central role in the rise and fall of economies, financial institutions, and the lives of ordinary Americans. This course explores these issues in depth. We examine the past, present, and future of the complex political economy surrounding real estate finance, its impact on markets, and the business challenges and opportunities arising from it, both domestically and abroad, before and after the financial crisis. We then tackle recent trends like the rise of shadow banks, fintech, and proptech. Through a mix of speakers, case studies, and hands-on exercises, we examine the problems these industries are solving and creating.Greg Buchak is an Assistant Professor in the Finance group at Stanford. He received his PhD in financial economics and JD in law from the University of Chicago. His research focuses on the industrial organization of financial intermediation and it¿s consequences in the real estate industry.Chris Mahowald is actively involved in the real estate investment business as the managing partner of RSF Partners, a series of real estate private equity funds totaling over $1 billion in equity. The firm invests across product types throughout the U.S. During his career, he has focused on value investing with deep experience in distressed mortgage debt. He also teaches real estate investment at the GSB (GSBGEN 306: Real Estate Investment).

As AI technology advances at an unprecedented pace, both start-ups and established corporations are racing to harness its potential, aiming to revolutionize every sector with innovative applications. What are these opportunities, and how are these firms creating a sustainable competitive advantage? In this class, the teaching team will guide interactive classroom discussions on adopting AI in business. Guest speakers - CEOs or venture capitalists at the forefront of AI - will tell their stories, offering valuable insights from a myriad of industries and perspectives. The structure for this course will be a combination of: addressing what is different about starting an AI company; asking how AI companies (particularly Generative AI) are being valued and the associated risks; exploring how large companies are rapidly adopting AI; and introducing relevant economic models. Almost all days will have engaging speakers, and 50% of your course grade will be participation, as you interact with them and with your peers. There are two assignments and a group project. The faculty will provide a structured foundation to guide you, and short lectures on a number of topics. Students do not need in-depth technical knowledge of AI; you will be expected to learn the basics along the way, and will be taught about LLM models through examples.

This is a course about the American legislative process. You will learn how the United States Congress and President enact a law by role-playing as Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, or as senior advisors to the President. You will engage in legislative debate, offering amendments, voting, and extensive policy and legislative negotiation, with the goal of enacting new laws. The simulated legislative agenda involves four policy topics: economic growth and income distribution, climate change, regulation of "Big Tech," and an international issue. As a class, you will try to enact a new law in each of these four areas. This class is for beginners. You will: -Learn a bit about four policy issues (likely climate change, economics, regulation of "Big Tech," and an international issue); -Learn both the formal and informal rules of legislating-how a bill really becomes a law; and -Develop and practice your "soft skills," including persuasion, negotiation, leadership, strategy, and organizational analysis.

Business leaders have marketing strategies, expansion strategies, finance strategies, even exit strategies. Successful leaders, however, also have communication strategies. This course will explore how individuals and organizations can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. This 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. This practical course helps students develop confidence in their speaking and writing through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and videotaped feedback. An important feature of this course is that there are two faculty members working in concert to ensure that students get rigorous and individualized coaching and feedback. In this course you will learn to: - Create communication strategies at an individual and organizational level - Develop clearly organized and effective presentations and documents - Diagnose and expand your personal writing and oral delivery style - Adapt your delivery style to different material and audiences - Enhance oral delivery through effective visual aids Students at all levels of comfort and expertise with public speaking and business writing will benefit from this course.

Successful leaders have to conceive, author, rebuild, pivot, differentiate, and finally maintain a personal reputation to make a lasting, recognizable and powerful identity. Reputation Management will explore how you can effectively communicate to create, adapt and maintain your personal reputation. Your reputation remains fluid as you navigate your career decisions and interact with different professionals along your journey. The course is designed along three interlocking elements: reputation management literature, relevant case studies, and curated guest speakers. Students will learn the fundamentals of strategic corporate communication and the risk of not managing reputation effectively. These frameworks will be extended with specific case studies to illustrate where individuals, groups, and firms have faced the challenge of managing reputation effectively. We will focus on both traditional and virtual components of communication including the relevancy of online reputation management. Finally we will invite well-known leaders from a range of industries who have built and sustained their reputations, through effective communication. Each leader has had to manage their reputations in the public eye, and alongside their peers, supervisors, and employees. Guests will be invited to discuss their conscious and unplanned strategies of how to successfully communicate the kind of person, leader, innovator, or public figure they strive to be. Students will benefit from a rich blend of frameworks, cases, and speakers enabling them to successfully enter the work force and create their own, personal reputations. Students will create a case study drawn from their own experience (or personal network), of a reputation dilemma. A final assignment requires students to research their own reputation history by projecting what they think their reputation is, creating their own survey for friends, colleagues and employers to take, conduct three interviews about their personal reputation with three individuals who have worked closely with them, and then synthesize all this feedback into a cohesive paper and short video that reflects their authentic work and personal reputation. Throughout the course students will post at least one blog drawn from class concepts and respond to posts by peers in the class.

Recent work on human performance is beginning to unravel biological, neurobiological and psychological factors that separate the best performers from the rest, providing rich insights into how we all can (re)wire our mind and body for manifesting sustained excellence. Adopting the format of a retreat, the thrust of this course is two-fold. First, expose students to neurobiological frameworks, serving as scaffolding for appreciating the importance of practices aimed hacking the body and the mind such as breathing, naps, laughter, fitness, etc. for setting oneself up for peak performance. Second, give students a chance to transform their own body and mind by experimenting with various techniques such as parasympathetic breathing, micro-breaks, the I(Interrupt)-R(Relax)-R(Reframe), the Invisioning-Envisioning series of exercises, etc. Students will be encouraged to monitor their transformation, including regular measurements of their Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a key marker for the emotional resilience and vibrancy that are at the core of manifesting sustained excellence.

This course examines alternative pathways for economies around the world to achieve deep decarbonization within a couple of decades. The overall perspective is to analyze the global decarbonization process at the intersection of technological improvements, financial fundamentals and the parameters set by public policies.The first part of the course will be concerned with the science and the political economy of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and the proliferation of net-zero pledges by governments and corporations. Included in this part is a closer look at countries for which the production and export of fossil fuels is a key economic activity. We then turn to the competitiveness of carbon-free or low-carbon technologies in different segments of the economy, including i) power generation, ii) energy storage, iii) transportation, iv) industrial production and v) food and Ag Tech. The final part of the course turns to the emergence of energy technologies with future commercial potential, including hydrogen, fission/fusion, carbon capture and utilization and synthetic hydrocarbons.The course will rely on lectures from each of the three instructors, guest presentations and select case studies.

Negotiation is a central part of business in the worlds of sports and entertainment. This course will examine negotiation dynamics and key takeaways for general management from multiple different settings where negotiations had an important role--these will include preparing for a negotiation, the negotiation process itself, contractual outcomes of negotiation and their execution and in some cases litigation. The settings will include negotiations over player and actor contracts, negotiations between leagues and players associations, negotiations between investors and movie companies, and negotiations between content providers (both in sports and entertainment) and distribution partners (such as cable stations, international media companies, and online companies such as Netflix). Each of the six sessions is planned to include at least one and in some cases two guests that have had extensive experience in negotiations.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education significantly, surfacing novel needs, while at the same putting decades long trends into sharper focus. This course explores the contemporary higher education industry, focusing especially on the places where disruptions of all kinds present significant opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs, investors, and the businesses that serve this huge global market, as well as for faculty, students, and higher education institutions and leaders, both incumbents and alternatives. Using a variety of readings and case studies to better understand recent disruptions and the unbundling occurring across the postsecondary landscape, from outside and inside the academy, both for-profit and non-profit, the course will examine technology in teaching and learning; the future of the degree and alternatives to the traditional credential; accreditation; competency based education; affordability, student debt, and education financing models; investing in the education space; workforce, skills development, and lifelong learning; and tertiary products and platforms that serve the student services market. Guests will include higher education leaders and practitioners, as well as investors, entrepreneurs, and social entrepreneurs. (Please note, the focus of this course is post-secondary education, skilling/lifelong learning, and learning in the workplace. It does not cover K-12 or early childhood education).

This is a civics course about the ideas that comprise a modern implementation of liberal democracy: freedom, democracy, capitalism, and a rules-based international order. Our principal focus will be on the post-WWII American implementation of these ideas. We will explore these ideas from the midpoint of theory and real-world implementation.

The course will provide students from different disciplines with an understanding of the broad educational policy context. The course will cover topics including a) school finance systems; b) an overview of policies defining and shaping the sectors and institutional forms of schooling, c) an overview of school governance, d) educational human-resource policy, e) school accountability policies at the federal and state levels; and f) school assignment policies and law, including intra- and inter-district choice policies, desegregation law and policy.

This once-a-week full-quarter workshop will offer techniques and practical in-class exercises for writing better -- better memos, emails, cold-call letters, speeches, feedback for colleagues, news releases, responses to questions from the media and from interviewers, and opinion pieces. Glenn Kramon, an editor who has helped New York Times reporters win 10 Pulitzer Prizes, will teach the course along with accomplished journalists with expertise in powerful, persuasive writing for business. They will provide not only helpful tips but constructive feedback on students' work. They will also share thoughts on how best to work with the news media.

This is a course to help future business leaders understand the policy risks that result from the changing relationship between the United States and China.Driven in part by policy decisions over the past decade in Washington and Beijing, the world built by the West after World War II is changing. Most American policymakers now label the relationship between the U.S. and China as one of strategic competition. They are often less clear on whether this term applies to the governments, the peoples, the businesses based within each country, or the two nation-states. At the same time, these two superpowers also have shared interests. We seek to understand the changing relationships between the U.S. and China, and what both competition and possible cooperation between their governments mean for others. American business leaders may be caught between two governments with conflicting interests. Business leaders in other countries may be caught among three governments: America, China, and their home-country government. This is a course not about China per se, but instead about the interactions between these two superpowers' governments and policies.We will look at the U.S.-China relationship by unpacking and examining distinct elements, devoting 1 or 2 class sessions on each topic.Relying in part on guests with practical expertise in some element of the U.S.-China relationship, our goals are to understand:* The most significant changes in Chinese policy direction in the Xi era;* Changes among Western leaders' policy approaches as they have realized their 50-year-old policy toward China either was wrong or is now out-of-date;* What the strategic competition label might mean and how it could translate into specific policy changes in both countries;* What opportunities exist for cooperation and mutual benefit despite strategic competition;* How China might try to change the post-WWII international rules and organizations;* How leaders of global businesses, in the U.S., China, and other countries, are caught between these two governments;* What decoupling in certain industries might mean; and* Possible ways to think about these issues as the U.S.-China relationship evolves.

This course will examine the diverse management challenges facing the sports industry. The course will cover issues at the league level, the team level, the athlete/agent level, and the college level. The diverse constituencies with interests in sports issues (athletes, fans, media companies, advertisers, and legislators to name a few) will be discussed. Sports issues at a global level (the IOC) and both U.S. and outside U.S. will be covered. There will be coverage of evolving business ventures related to the sports industry (such as venture backed sports companies and sports networks). A key focus is on how the sports industry is similar to and different from other industries. Key concepts underlying the course are: value creation/value sharing; revenue ecosystem; virtuous circles and vicious circles; disruptive technologies; growth facilitators and growth inhibitors; leveragable assets/inherited liabilities; and entrepreneurship/new product innovations. Over 80% of the sessions typically will include a guest co-lecturer from the sporting industry.

This is a class about American economic policy, with an emphasis on the U.S. federal budget: government spending, taxes, deficits, and debt. We will examine decisions faced by elected officials and their advisors in the real world. These decisions are made at the messy intersection of economic theory, numbers and accounting, other policy considerations, the Constitution & the law, politics and communications, and the real-world challenges of practical governance. This class is for beginners and assumes you have no prior knowledge of policy or politics.

Stanford graduates will play important roles in solving many of today's and tomorrow's major societal problems-in areas such as education, health, energy, and domestic and global poverty-that call for actions by nonprofit, business, and hybrid organizations as well as governments. This course teaches skills and bodies of knowledge relevant to these roles, covering topics such as designing, implementing, scaling, and evaluating social strategies; systems thinking; decision making under risk; psychological biases that adversely affect people's decisions; methods for influencing behavior; and pay-for-success programs. The large majority of the course will be devoted to students' working in teams to apply these concepts and tools to an actual problem, with teams choosing whatever problem interests them.

Educational institutions are defined by their academic missions and their financial structures. When we refer to public/private or nonprofit/profit sectors, these are shorthand descriptions of the different capital structures that underlie educational organizations. Increasingly, these options - and novel variations on them - exist throughout the education enterprise: in K-12 schools, higher education, and ancillary service providers. In this course we will explore the relationships between academic goals and financial structures, with particular focus on management and decision making in educational organizations.

This course considers the form and content that climate innovation policies should take as well as implementation strategies to help climate tech companies cross the proverbial ¿valley of death¿. The course begins with an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of different regulatory approaches to environmental innovation, such as technology forcing standards, command and control oversight, subsidies, carbon taxes and choice architecture ¿nudges¿. Subsequently, specific examples of global and national regulatory dynamics that affect technology development are discussed in areas such as renewable energy, energy storage, solid waste reduction, food production, cement and steel production, hydrogen, autonomous/ electric vehicles, shipping, and the fashion industry. Relevant experiences of different countries will be presented including Danish policies to encourage a local wind-turbine industry, German programs to expand solar energy and Israeli government initiatives to foster sustainable Watech and Food tech companies. Potential outcomes of the recently enacted the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act will then be considered. The final section of the course involves analysis of specific case studies assessing Climate Tech companies in different stages of their development. Students will research a range of clean tech companies¿ experience and consider the way policies affect their business plans, financing, research portfolios and ultimate success or failure. The course will be based on instructor¿s lectures, interactive, virtual presentations by climate tech managers, and presentation of group projects.

Need approval from sponsoring faculty member and GSB Registrar. There is a limit on the number of units in courses of independent study that may be applied toward degree requirements.

The course provides future CEOs, CFOs, and investors with the necessary tools for successfully managing financial aspects and investing in entrepreneurial ventures. We cover topics related to both fundraising and ongoing capital management in startups, ranging from early to late stages. We analyze the incentives of all parties in major financial transactions of startups and growing organizations: founders, employees, angels, VCs, corporate investors, and public markets. In addition, we will look at issues of financial management such as KPIs, dashboards, financial reporting, and forecasting.

What does it take to engage with people on issues of societal importance? How can you, as leader, spark this engagement? In this course, Leadership for Society Scholars will learn the skills necessary to create an environment that supports honest and productive dialogue on sometimes contentious societal issues. Scholars will put these understandings into practice by leading weekly peer dialogues on the theme Tensions: Business, Civic Society and Politics, explored during GSBGEN 495. GSBGEN 494 enrollment is limited to Leadership for Society Scholars and Scholars are prohibited from enrolling in GSBGEN 495.

The Leadership for Society program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business will continue their speakers series in January 2024 with the theme Tensions: Business, Civic Society and Politics. Maintaining a functioning society is a delicate balance of people, planet, and profit. Balancing short term return on investments with long-term goals of sustainability, equity, and social stability creates both significant opportunities and major challenges around the globe. In winter of 2024, Leadership for Society Conversations will explore this topic further through a series of discussions with leaders from a variety of sectors. Students will then delve further into these topics by engaging in peer dialogues led by the Leadership for Society Scholars.

This course asks you to consider how you will react to challenges that all future leaders are likely to face. Where are you likely to thrive? What will you find most testing? When the pressure is on, how will you balance competing priorities? The lessons you learn in answering these questions are designed to help prepare for and understand how you will behave in future leadership positions. To maximize your learning we will examine case studies, host leaders for Q&As and hold a weekend-long simulation that all students are required to attend. Enrollment is limited to MBA1 and MBA2 students.

Healthcare spending is now nearly 18% of the entire GDP of the U.S. economy. The S&P healthcare sector has been one of the best producing segments of the market for the last decade, and growth of healthcare expenditures continue to escalate at a rapid pace. Given the experiences of COVID, every single company must now at least understand how healthcare affects their business. This has triggered an abundance of opportunities for those interested in a career in healthcare management, investing, or entrepreneurialism. The Business of Healthcare-2022-23 will present the current market framework from the eyes of a clinician and with the perspective of the consumer-patient, but with the experience of a successful business builder and investor. Course will begin with the discussion of the channels of distribution of healthcare delivery, from providers, to practitioners, to consumer-facing 'healthcare lite' sectors of the market. Impact of the regulatory environment, with specific focus on the Affordable Care Act and the impending plans to Repeal/Replace, will be evaluated. High-level exploration of international health care markets and how they compare to the American market will be included. Overview of venture and private equity investing will be deeply probed, with many specific market examples of how investors develop an investment thesis, identify specific targets, diligence companies, and close an investment. Discussion around building financial modeling for target acquisitions will be presented, and the course will delve into the burgeoning area of healthcare analytics and outcomes management, including Artificial Intelligence, and its future impact on positioning, reimbursement and clinical outcomes, as well as value-based care. Sectors that will be discussed include: Healthcare services, Healthcare IT, Life Sciences, Pharma and Biotechnology, and Managed Care. The topic of the emerging importance of consumerism will be probed and consumer-directed healthcare related products and services will be explored, e.g. nutraceuticals, wellness, fitness, etc. Course will include preparatory readings, presentations from successful and powerful industry leaders, and robust in-class discussion and case studies requiring student engagement. Final grade will consist of class participation, one minor in-class presentation, and a final paper developing either a new healthcare business start-up proposition or presenting an identified investment target in the healthcare industry. Course will be especially valuable for those interested in a career in starting a healthcare company, healthcare investing, healthcare administration, or other healthcare-related management and goal of class will be provide an in-depth overview of how to get started or advance a professional interest in the industry.

Investing for Good will introduce students to the entire spectrum of purposeful, values-driven, and impact investing. We examine the field from the perspective of an institutional investor (i.e. fund manager, investment advisor, endowment manager, head of a family office, etc). Our goal is to have students emerge with a practical and analytical framework for: 1. evaluating impact and mission-aligned investments across multiple asset classes and sectors; 2. constructing a portfolio using impact as a lens; 3. designing an impact investment company; and 4. understanding the many practical and theoretical challenges confronting this exciting emerging field.We start by exploring some fundamental questions: what is a purposeful or impact investment; can impact investments be defined along a spectrum between conventional investing and philanthropy; whose money is it; what are the constraints and opportunities; how do we (re)define return and/or performance. We briefly analyze impact investing in the context of modern portfolio theory. We then develop a framework for portfolio construction and evaluation across four criteria: risk, return, liquidity, and impact. Through a combination of class dialogues, role plays, and case discussions, we will explore a wide variety of asset classes, impact themes, and investment challenges. A series of team-based investment committee simulations will comprise a significant portion of the course and will provide a significant experiential learning experience.Previous experience in finance, investing, social enterprise, entrepreneurship, or philanthropy is not required, but both helpful and welcomed. While first year students are encouraged to enroll, students who have limited familiarity with the basics of investing and corporate finance are strongly encouraged to purchase David Swensen's "Pioneering Portfolio Management" and cover the recommended chapters in advance of the course. It's is also important to note that this class will require financial modeling and detailed investment analysis.Many of the issues we'll be tackling have no unambiguous answers. Lively discussion and debate will be necessary and expected. This course is a 2-unit version of GSBGEN 305.

Many students come to the GSB with the intent to pivot upon leaving the institution. Some students feel they have outgrown their position or business, or they feel drawn to a new area that better suits their values and interests, where they can make a greater contribution. Some students have no idea what they want to do after graduating, they just know they want to make a purposeful change. And finally, some students want to strategically change their direction for reputation reasons. The average U.S. employee tenure is only 4-5 years and job roles often change dramatically within that timeframe. Pivoting is an intentional, methodical process for nimbly navigating career changes. A recent Gallup study revealed that almost 90% of workers are either 'not engaged' or 'actively disengaged; from their jobs. A pivot is a change made of your own volition when you have reached a point in your career when you are ready for increased challenge and impact. Strategic Pivoting is a course specifically developed for any student who already plans to pivot in their career and wants to figure out how to successfully build and create their next chapter. In this course we will discuss four stages for how to best pivot: 1) Planting, how to assess and set a strong foundation of values, strengths and interests. 2) Scanning, researching new and related skills, talking to others, and mapping potential opportunities. 3) Piloting, students conduct small, low-risk experiments to test their new direction, as well as gather real-time data and feedback. And 4) Launching, pulling the trigger, fully committed, to your carefully plotted pivot. The ultimate pay-off to Strategic Pivoting is acknowledging and adapting to a rapidly changing society when it comes to career paths. Because our careers are so fundamentally tied to our livelihood and sense of confidence, purpose and meaning, changes can be traumatic without a road map for traversing them. "Navigating this accelerated pace of change and this transitional career state, and learning to embrace it instead of resisting it, can become an edge and advantage." Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball icon, ABC/Fox Sports/ESPN commentator, entrepreneur, and CEO of A-Rod Corp will be a featured Guest Speaker in this course. Alex has also had a history of successfully pivoting his career and defying expectations. He is presently getting ready to host his own ESPN interview show called, "Pivot."

GSBGEN 514 - Creating High Potential Ventures in Developing Economies (2 Units) This course addresses the distinctive challenges and opportunities of launching and growing high-potential new ventures in developing economies. Developing economies are attractive targets for entrepreneurs because many are just starting to move up the growth curve, and they offer low-cost operating environments that can be great development labs for potentially disruptive innovations. They increase in attractiveness when their political institutions stabilize and they become more market-friendly. At the same time, developing economies pose serious challenges. Pioneering entrepreneurs take on significant risks to gain early mover advantages. Specifically, entrepreneurs will not be able to count on the same kind of supportive operating environments that we take for granted in the developed world. They often face cumbersome permit and licensing processes, poorly developed financial and labor markets, problematic import and export procedures, unreliable local supply chains, weak infrastructure, corruption, currency risks, limited investment capital, lack of financial exits and more. This course is designed to help would-be entrepreneurs - both founders and members of entrepreneurial teams - better understand and prepare for these issues as they pursue the opportunities and address the challenges to start, grow, and harvest their ventures in these environments. GSBGEN 514 is a seminar/discussion format in which students will read about and discuss the key challenges described above and potential solutions. Guests will describe their own startup and investing experiences in developing economies and answer questions. A framework based on the World Economic Forum (WEF) report on "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Around the Globe and Company Growth Dynamics" will be used to structure the course. Each student will prepare a short write-up as a final assignment on a case chosen from a selection provided by the instructors. Note: Groups of students who want to work as a team to investigate a specific new venture idea in addition to participating in the seminar/discussion sessions should also consider enrolling in GSB534, offered in Spring term.

Successful leaders understand the power of authentic, memorable communication. This course uses the lens of oral communication and presentations, to introduce the essential elements of the strategic communication strategies that make authentic, memorable communication work. Focusing on oral communication and presentation, we introduce the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, message construction, communicator credibility, and delivery. Deliverables include written documents, focusing on individual and team presentations, with students receiving continuous feedback to improve their communication effectiveness, and to sharpen their authentic leadership voice. This highly interactive, practical course, is focused on feedback to help students at all levels of communication mastery develop confidence in their speaking and writing. Course includes presentations, assignments, lectures, discussions, simulated activities, in-class feedback, and filmed feedback. In this course you will learn to:-Recognize strategically effective communication-Implement the principles of strategic communication across different platforms-Develop clearly organized and effective presentations and documents-Diagnose and expand, your personal authentic communication style.

We will examine selected issues that today's high net worth philanthropists are grappling with. After a brief introduction to strategic, or outcome-oriented philanthropy, we will consider issues including: tensions between philanthropy and democracy; alternative ways of serving marginalized communities; policy advocacy; dealing with uncertainty and long time horizons in philanthropy, including how they are handled in the Effective Altruism movement; whether foundations and donor advised funds should exist in perpetuity or should be required to spend down; the role of intermediary organizations that either advise donors on where to give or regrant their funds in sectors such as climate and poverty; trust-based and participatory philanthropy; the lessons that can and shouldn't be learned from the for-profit business sector in the practice of effective philanthropy; impact and ESG investing. Students will be graded pass/fail, based on contributions to class discussion and the submission of three papers commenting on the assigned readings.

This course is open only to leaders of GSB Global Study Trips. It is experiential and designed to highlight and support opportunities for developing leadership skills through trip design and execution. Lectures will include best practices from past trips that can inform and speed trip design. Role plays, cases, and exercises will be used to demonstrate and try out skills needed to successfully lead a group of peers as they develop into a learning community that explores an academic topic in locations around the world. Topics covered in the class include creating a high performing team, setting and managing expectations among various stakeholders, creating trip culture, holding peers accountable, managing crises on the ground, and more. In addition to the weekly class, meetings with teammates and coaches and advisors are considered a part of the course time commitment.

This course addresses the distinctive challenges and opportunities of launching high-potential new ventures in developing economies. Developing economies are attractive targets for entrepreneurs because many are just starting to move up the growth curve, and they offer low-cost operating environments that can be great development labs for potentially disruptive innovations. They increase in attractiveness when their political institutions stabilize and they become more market-friendly. At the same time, developing economies pose serious challenges. Pioneering entrepreneurs take on significant risks to gain early mover advantages. Specifically, entrepreneurs will not be able to count on the same kind of supportive operating environments that we take for granted in the developed world. They often face cumbersome permit and licensing processes, poorly developed financial and labor markets, problematic import and export procedures, unreliable local supply chains, weak infrastructure, corruption, currency risks, limited investment capital, lack of financial exits and more. This course is designed to help would-be entrepreneurs - both founders and members of entrepreneurial teams - better understand and prepare for these issues as they pursue the opportunities and address the challenges to start, grow, and harvest their ventures in these environments. GSB534 uses a team-based project to learn about and develop solutions to the key challenges described above and potential solutions. A framework based on the recently published World Economic Forum (WEF) report on "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Around the Globe and Company Growth Dynamics" will be used to structure the course along with a few lectures and guests who describe their own startup and investing experiences in developing economies and answer questions. The team-based projects are based on students' ideas; classmates will form teams of their choosing to explore a specific country and investigate an idea's viability. Students must come in willing to be team players and do the work necessary to complete this exercise over the full quarter. Teams of AT LEAST 3 STUDENTS EACH will be formed before the start of class or on the first day of class at the latest so students can decide if they want to enroll. The team will describe, in a final presentation, the challenges and opportunities in their country using the WEF framework. The final presentation will also include the team's thoughts on the viability of their proposed venture and how it capitalizes on their country's assets and addresses its challenges. A detailed business plan is not required; however, specific recommendations and plans for next steps that would be carried out during a 3 to 6-month field and market research study in the country will be part of the final presentation. Students who would prefer to learn more about this subject in a lecture/case discussion format should also enroll in GSB514, offered in Winter term.

What is sustainability? It is not just about air travel, ocean health or reducing plastic waste. It is about rethinking our role as humans and leaders in this ever-changing world and developing a mindset that leads to positive habits and creates strong relationships to nurture our planet. In a world where success is frequently regarded as a stopping point rather than a stepping stone to future endeavors, this mindset is critical to leading a life of purpose and meaning. In this class we invite you to rethink: - a sustainable self, by moving away from focusing on the short-run win associated with attaining a goal to the longer-term benefits associated with continued improvement after the goal has been achieved thereby sustaining healthy habits. - sustainable connections, by helping people feel they are valued members of a winning team on an inspired mission.n- sustainable planet, in small ways that ripple out small communities and the planet; the hope is to create a culture of shared prosperity. The goal of the class is to facilitate dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration among students and guests to create a sustainable toolkit to cultivate positive habits for our future based on a sense of shared prosperity. Lastly, we'll map out how to use time in ways that will help build sustainable lives (calm mind and healthy body), impactful teams and a beautiful planet, so each of our lives will have meaningful, lasting impact in the world.

There is a growing sense that both capitalism and democracy are in crisis. Is the focus on financial metrics and markets to blame for the eroding trust in corporations and governments? How do power dynamics shape the financial system and determine economic and political outcomes? In this course we explore the complex interactions among individuals, corporations and governments that help answer these questions. Topics include corporate governance, financial regulation, investor power, financial innovation, and the roles of auditors, regulators, whistleblowers, courts, and the media. The course draws on multiple fields in the social sciences but we will pay particular attention to issues around incentives, legal rights and responsibilities, and governance of all institutions. Visitors with extensive experience will enrich class discussions.

The skills and attitudes learned as a graduate business student can (with a bit of coaching) be applied to managing one's life. This course will help students think through the 'brand' they want to have, how to modify a personal 'operating system,' how to set achievable goals, and how to: 1) Summarize one's non financial assets/liabilities, 2) Manage a professional career (or careers), 3) Extend themselves into service, political or educational opportunities, 4) Deal with difficult bosses, unresponsive people, job transitions, 5) Turn around an enterprise, 6) Build durable relationships (professional and personal), 7) Overcome challenges (personal and professional), 8) Manage litigation, conflicts, reversals, 9) Negotiate win-win outcomes, 10) Set MAD goals, establish habits, 11) Add value beyond business goods and services, 12) Help aging parents, siblings, 13) Plan for retirement (money, geography, location, activities), 14) Set up traditions, travel, continuing education, etc. 15) Deal with wealth, gifts to children/others/charity, 16) Manage a non-profit (and any number of other challenges our grads face). The course will involve readings, faculty-led discussions, short papers, in-class exercises and role plays. In addition, GSB alums at various stages of life will return to campus to share their journeys and challenges. The final product will be a confidential 'Life Plan.' The course will be offered on a Pass-Fail basis.

Believe it or not, the "Silicon Valley model" is irrelevant to most businesses. Most companies are not started by MBAs; most startups are not funded by VCs; most employees don't work for tech firms; and most firms don't sell out to other businesses or go public. Rather, the vast majority of companies world-wide are started, funded, owned, and governed by families, and these firms create most of the employment in the global economy. Despite the prominence of family firms, most MBA courses focus on the widely-held or Silicon Valley model of the firm. This course explores the challenges and opportunities faced by family businesses. It is co-taught by Leo Linbeck III, Lecturer since 2005 at the GSB and President and CEO of Aquinas Companies, LLC, and Thomas Brenninkmeijer, a leader in his family business of Cofra Holdings AG. This course is an outlier in a world obsessed with tech startups and venture capital; it is a "Minority Report" from the heart of Silicon Valley. 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 or consulting with a private firm either directly (search funds, management consultants, etc) or indirectly (private equity, etc). (4) Students who are sick of only learning about cool, sexy startups and the geniuses who get rich from them. The course uses a combination of case studies, guest speakers, lectures, movies, projects, and reflections to explore the central ideas of the course, which are likely to appear irrelevant to everyone (save the instructors) but are intended to be informative and entertaining. This is a compressed version of GSBGEN 334.

This seminar will explore the nature and role of leadership in organizations. We will examine such questions as (1) What is leadership? (2) Why is it important? (3) What is it that leaders actually do? (4) How do they do it? (5) How are leaders developed? (6) Why do leaders succeed or fail? (7) What about your potential for leadership and your strategy for developing it? Our primary objective in this seminar is to achieve a deeper understanding of the nature and role of leadership in organizations. Our approach will be to examine a small sample of the literature, together with the amazing story of Ernest Shackleton and his Endurance 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 almost 20% US GDP and is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. This two unit class focuses on the interplay and tension between the main players in the health care field - providers of health care services (individual doctors, group practices, integrated health care systems), payors (insurances companies, employers, consumers, and government), patients, and innovator companies (biopharma, medical device, diagnostics, and health care IT). The course is designed for students with a broad diversity of backgrounds and interests who want to better understand the health care business and system. No prior experience in the health care or medical field is assumed or needed. The focus of the class will be primarily on the US health care system, but there will be limited discussion of non-US systems as well. The course is divided into four modules:¿ An overview of the US Health Care System and the interplay between payers, providers, innovators, and patients¿ Provider delivery models, health care information technology, and incentive structures- The relationship between quality, cost, and access- Integrated systems, value-based, and fee for service models- New IT technologies, including electronic data records- The role of information and incentives¿ Innovator business models and issues- Financing and managing new product development- Clinical trial management and gaining regulatory approval- Marketing, reimbursement, and sales strategies- Business models to drive innovation ¿ Health care system reform and comparisons of the structure of the US Health Care system to that of other countries. The class will be taught primarily from the perspective of a business person operating a company rather than that of a policy maker, academic, or investor. While there will be a few lectures to provide background and frameworks for course topics, most classes will involve a case discussion and prominent guest speakers from the health care industry. Speakers will include CEOs, senior executives, and partners from leading companies and venture firms.

This twice-a-week, half-quarter workshop will offer techniques and practical in-class exercises for writing better -- better memos, emails, feedback for colleagues, news releases, responses to questions from the media and from interviewers, and opinion pieces. Glenn Kramon, an editor who has helped New York Times reporters win 10 Pulitzer Prizes, will teach the course along with accomplished journalists with expertise in powerful, persuasive writing for business. They will provide not only helpful tips but constructive feedback on students' work. They will also share thoughts on how best to work with the news media.

There is increasing scientific consensus that global warming threatens our world. This course explores how the next generation of leaders can use a combination of forward-looking public policy, political power, and financing new technologies to solve this vexing challenge. The course will integrate public policy and politics with finance and real life cases on companies from Impossible Foods to Tesla. The instructor will bring entrepreneurs, regulatory leaders, elected officials and venture capitalists to class to explain how each of these leaders drive change and discuss what obstacles they must overcome in the process. There will be a heavy emphasis on class participation and students will be asked to apply what they've learned in every aspect of their GSB education, from finance and accounting to marketing and organizational behavior. Students will be asked to make their own case on which new technology, piece of legislation, or regulatory mandate will have the greatest impact on solving global warming and what role they see themselves playing in making change.

Learning from those that shaped the space of impact investing. Exploring the business models that scaled or broke in the effort to scale. The goal is to hone the skills of identifying companies that perform in the long term with an integration of social and environmental impact.

In this seminar we will explore the intersection of art and commerce in the entertainment industry. We will look at creating films and television programing that are artistically meaningful and/or have the potential for commercial success. The class will also look in depth at the rapidly changing business of entertainment. Films are increasingly used as a tool for social change, and we will examine this power. The entertainment industry is one of enormous importance - both from a business and cultural standpoint, and has influence on virtually every sphere of our society. Sometimes the industry can seem baffling, mercurial, and characterized more by madness than method. But despite its uncertainties, Hollywood does have its own rules, rhythms, methods and strategies - and examining and evaluating them will be a key part of this seminar. This is a time when many existing formulas are being reconsidered, retooled, or jettisoned, and new technologies and expanding markets are having a profound impact on the industry and tracking and analyzing this will be a key part of the course. I will also bring some of my professional experiences into the classroom (including directing, writing, and producing for film and television, etc.), and discuss these experiences through the intersection of the business and creative sides of the industry. We will discuss the entertainment industry's future, and address varied and effective paths for creating entertainment product with artistic and/or commercial merit. Students taking the course will be asked to be part of an in-class group exercise, and also complete a final group project where they will present their work in class.

This year -- 2023 -- will be a fascinating backdrop for national as well as state and local politics. Implications of the recent pandemic, its dramatic economic impacts and an uneven but recovering economy, Inflation fears, a war in Ukraine, and the looming presidential year elections in 2024 in the U.S. will continue to complicate the political landscape Politics, perhaps like no other arena, provides a rich and dramatic laboratory for studying the art and science of influential communication. Whether it is a local school bond election or a Congressional race, a Presidential debate or a State of the Union Address, the demanding communications of politics provide insights into our own strengths and gaps as communicators and leaders. Political campaigns, by their very nature, are highly visible, oriented toward very specific objectives, and increasingly leverage a variety of new media platforms. They are often emotionally charged, and rife with conflict and drama. 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, elected officials, and leaders in all kinds of organizations communicate vision, values, and experience, as well as how they perform in very fluid environments, not the least of which may be during a crisis, has a great deal to do with their career success. In its 15th year, this highly interactive course allows students to explore both theory and practice behind effective positioning and presentation. Students will analyze and evaluate both successful and unsuccessful communications strategies of political campaigns and candidates. History is a great learning tool, something emphasized throughout the class. As such students will explore historic examples of US Presidential debates, from Nixon/Kennedy to the present, as well other political events from the near and distant past. Popular culture, the effect of social media, disinformation will also be topics of discussion. Students will experience discussion of political events as they happen -- with each class drawing lessons from political developments around the nation and the world. Students will also hone their own strategic communications skills in activities requiring both written and spoken communication. This is not a course in political science, American government, or in public speaking. However, the engaged student will gain insights into those areas as well. The course is taught by David Demarest, former Vice President of Public Affairs for Stanford University. Demarest has broad communications experience across the public and private sector in financial services, education, and government. Typically, Prof. Demarest shares many of his experiences -- some successful, some less so -- through storytelling, and while those stories may be entertaining, they also provide real-life examples of communications challenges and strategies, After serving as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, and Assistant Secretary of Labor in the Reagan Administration, in 1988 he served as Communications Director for Vice President George H. W. Bush's successful presidential campaign. He then became a member of the White House senior staff as White House Communications Director. After leaving government in 1993, he spent the next decade leading communications for two Fortune 50 companies, before coming to Stanford in 2005 to head the university's public affairs efforts.

This course is designed to introduce GSB students to the peculiar challenges of doing business in a continent, Africa, that shows tremendous promise and at the same time exhibits apparently great perils. How is it to be understood and analyzed? What is its reality? What is its future? What could be its future? How is a successful path to be built by business leaders in the midst of so much ignorance and competing narratives? This course will provide nuance and insight to students that have so far had to be content with sweeping single narratives. It is aimed at both students who have had extensive experience on the continent and those who have had no experience. Some of the lessons learnt will be applicable to other emerging markets.

The last few years have created significant educational challenges and opportunities, especially given the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI); there has never been a more pressing and urgent need in our history to foster entrepreneurship in education by leveraging new technologies. This course will help you develop the skills and strategies necessary to effectively create and evaluate educational services and education technology startups, much like educators, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and venture capital investors do. Some questions we will discuss include: How do entrepreneurs, educators, and VCs evaluate and grow successful education and edtech startups? Why do most startups in edtech fail, and what are the critical ingredients for success, especially in today's challenging times? What does it take to get venture capital financing in edtech? Why now? Each week will feature a different entrepreneur as a guest speaker; these leaders hail from a variety of innovative for-profit and non-profit startups. As we hear from the speakers, we'll evaluate all aspects of their invention, particularly in the context of AI, distance learning and hybrid learning ecosystems. A fundamental question we'll explore in this course is how educators and technologists can better collaborate to leverage the scale and impact of technology to improve educational equity and access. This course will be taught in person; attendance at each session is required. The maximum capacity is 50 students. Juniors, Seniors and graduate students of all Stanford schools are welcome. Syllabus can be viewed here: https://monsalve.people.stanford.edu/courses-and-seminars

Effective decision making is a critical skill for political and business leaders. Decisions must be made under pressure and often with incomplete information. George Osborne was Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, and this class will study three of the biggest challenges global economic policy makers faced during this time. Students will gain a framework for how senior leaders approach decision making, and will be given the chance to put this into practice. Each class will include a simulation where students are put in the role of a senior policy maker facing a key decision.

Academics must effectively communicate the importance of their research to a wide range of audiences, including colleagues, students, stakeholders, and the general public, as well as in a variety of contexts, from academic conferences and job talks to one-on-one conversations, news interviews, and social media. This highly interactive course is designed to equip PhD students with the skills to confidently present their research and connect with varied audiences. Students will craft an elevator pitch for academic settings, learn how to document and tell the 'story' of their research, develop both stage and screen presence for live and virtual talks, practice responding to Q&A and research critiques, and prepare for media interviews about their research. This class combines best practices from public speaking with elements from related fields, including the art of improv, the science of communication, and narrative journalism.

This course introduces students to the role of theory-based structural econometric models in i) estimating determinants of behavior from revealed preference data, ii) evaluating counterfactual decisions or policies by firms, organizations and/or the government and iii) assessing identification when using descriptive or "model-free" approaches to inference. It begins with discrete choice models applied in consumer choice contexts, then extends those models to consider state-dependence, forward-looking dynamics and equilibrium peer effects. A focus throughout is the role of heterogeneity for both identification and firm decisions. The class also considers simulation-based estimation and empirical pricing or advertising models. The emphasis is on an intuitive understanding and coding and estimation of entry-level models of consumer behavior.

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.

This course provides an introduction to microeconomic theory designed to meet the needs of students in the GSB non-Economics PhD programs. The course will cover the standard economic models of individual decision-making, models of consumer behavior and producer behavior under perfect competition, the Arrow-Debreu general equilibrium model, and some basic issues in welfare measurement. This class assumes a basic knowledge of undergraduate intermediate microeconomics, comfort with multivariable calculus and linear algebra and some exposure to real analysis.

The purpose of the course is to (a) introduce graduate students to questions and methods in the rapidly evolving fields of climate/sustainable finance; (b) connect researchers from across the globe interested in this topic to stimulate more rigorous, relevant, and collaborative work. Addressing climate change demands changes in natural, social, and economic systems and will require greater collaboration. In that spirit, this course is being offered by a team of professors from different schools and universities across the globe. Each instructor will deliver one or more lectures and there will be students from a number of different schools. Our teaching group consists of current and former AFA and EFA presidents and some of the leading climate finance scholars, including Laura Starks (current AFA President), Patrick Bolton (former AFA President), Stefano Giglio, Marcin Kacperczyk (former EFA President), Caroline Flammer, Geoff Heal, Stefan Reichelstein, Ben Caldecott and Peter Tufano. Pre-requisites and finance context: The course will assume that participants have a background in core graduate-level finance. The course will cover topics from a variety of subfields in finance (asset pricing, financial intermediation, household finance, corporate finance). The introductory block of three classes is intended to orient students to the science of climate change as well as to refresh key concepts from economics and finance; the remaining classes will dive into detail on current research in different subfield. We will conclude with a discussion of open topics in this field. We expect that the course will be useful to doctoral students in finance, economics, and accounting. As a global class, we will largely be on Zoom. Beyond weekly preparation and participation, students will be expected to write a paper either laying out a potential research topic or synthesizing a set of related papers that were not discussed in class.