Graduate Management Courses:
Management 621 Management of People at Work
Management 625 Corporate
Governance
Management 652 Foundations of
Teamwork and Leadership
Management 653 Field Application Project
Management 654 Competitive Strategy
Management 655 Global Strategic Management
Management 656 Global Immersion
Management 671 Executive Leadership
Management 690 Managerial Decision Making
Management 691 Negotiations
Management 701 Strategy and Competitive
Advantage
Management 711 Competitive Strategy and Industrial Structure
Management 714 American
Business History
Management 715 The Political Environment of
the Multinational Firm
Management 717X Deals: The Economic Structure of Transacting and
Contracting
Management 721 Corporate Development: Mergers & Acquisitions
Management 731 Technology Strategy
Management 736X Inside
Indian Business
Management 740 Leading
Effective Teams
Management 751 Strategic Management of Human Assets
Management 773 Managing Organizational Change
Management 782 Strategic Implementation
Management 784 Managerial Economics & Game Theory
Management 788X Governance and Management of Chinese Firms
Management 801 Entrepreneurship
Management 802 Innovation, Change & Entrepreneurship
Management 804 Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management
Management 806
Formation and Implementation of Entrepreneurial Ventures
Management 809X Private Equity in Emerging Markets
Management
810X
Societal Wealth Venturing
Management 811 Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition
Management 816X Building Human Assets in Entrepreneurial Ventures
Management 833 Strategies and Practices of Family-Controlled Companies
Management 871
Multinational Business Policy
Management 875 International Comparative Management
Management 890 Advanced Study Project in Management
Management 891 Advanced Study Project in Strategic Management
Management 892 Advanced Study Project in Human Resource and Organizational
Management
Management 893 Advanced Study Project in Entrepreneurial Management
Management 894 Advanced Study Project in Multinational Management
Management 899 Independent Study in Entrepreneurial Management
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Sample Syllabus. To view most current syllabus or the syllabus of a
specific instructor, please see the Course
Schedule.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: Work is a dominant theme in
the lives of most people. The way people are managed at work affects the quality
of their lives as individuals, the effectiveness of organizations, and the
competitiveness of nations. The material in this course develops some of the
basic themes associated with managing people. In many cases, these themes make
use of basic concepts that transcend the work place, such as the psychology of
individual behavior or of work groups. The basic issues associated with managing
employees include issues associated with motivation and job satisfaction, the
design of jobs and employee empowerment, group behavior and teamwork (including
arrangements such as quality of work life programs), and leadership. The course
concludes with a discussion of alternative models or systems of managing
employees - for example, the dominant Japanese employment system as contrasted
with traditional US practices.
Format: Cases, exercises, and other
materials that provide an employment context for these concepts.
Requirements: Class attendance and
participation in discussions.
Materials: Cases and readings.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: This course studies the
relationship between the firm and its owners. Managing owners and other external
stakeholders is a core part of senior leaders' jobs. The firm's owners need to
be able to effectively control the behavior of management if they are to protect
their investments. This course aims to train students to deal with corporate
governance issues from both sides of the table. The goals of the course include:
preparing students for leadership roles in firms as entrepreneurs, CEOs or
senior managers; preparing students to manage investments in companies in
Venture Capital, Private Equity or investment funds; educating students in the
responsibilities they may face as directors of companies and how they can be
effective in these roles; and giving students an overview of how business
activities fit into broader society by discussing who should control the firm
and the goals they should pursue.
Format: Lectures, case analyses and guest
speakers.
Requirements: Class attendance and
participation in discussions.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: Increasingly unpredictable
environments now require leadership and teamwork skills earlier in one's career
than ever before. This course focuses on individual leadership skills assessment
and development, team building and performance, and team leadership key topic
areas include self-awareness, working in teams, and leading others.
Format: We examine concepts and build skills
through team projects, class discussions, problem solving, case studies, and
role-playing.
Requirements: The Team Project and Leadership
Analysis Final Paper contribute 30 and 40 percent to the course grade,
respectively.
Class participation contributes 30 percent to the course grade.
Materials: Coursepack and in-class handouts.
Prerequisites: None.
Description:
This 1 c.u. course is unique since there are no
classroom meetings; all meetings are held in the professor's office in small
groups of 4 to 6. Student teams work with faculty and host managers to
construct innovative solutions to real-time issues. Solutions are integrative
and cross-functional in nature. The course encourages creative thinking and
uses cutting-edge ideas like game theory, measuring changes to brand equity, and
non-market cap equity indexing. An emphasis is placed on teaching students how
to frame unstructured business so as to convince others. Some projects are with
non-profits, particularly those in microfinancing and the arts.
Format:
Teams (4-6 members) meet with faculty on a weekly basis (30-45 minutes).
There will also be 3- 5
meetings with host managers. In addition to meeting with their Faculty Head,
students are given access to "area of expertise" faculty. These faculty members
are chosen based on their prime research areas. Students are given access to
the most up-to-date models and information.
Requirements:
Weekly team meetings with
faculty project head and a final PowerPoint report and presentation.
Materials: None.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: This course focuses on the
competitive strategy of the firm, examining issues central to its long-and
short-term competitive position. The course develops a set of analytical
frameworks that enable students to explain performance differences among firms
and that provide a structure for strategic decisions to enhance firms' future
competitive positions. The first module of the course analyzes strategy at the
business unit level, introducing tools of industry analysis and competitive
positioning. The later part of the course considers corporate strategy,
examining the economic logic for firms to diversify across businesses and for
vertical integration decisions across stages of the industry value chain.
Format: To be determined by the
instructor.
Requirements: Participation in class
discussions, case assignment, and final examination.
Materials: Coursepack and textbooks.
Description: This course deals with the strategic
and organizational management of multinational corporations (MNCs),
focusing on the creation of competitive advantage in a global context.
Format: The class will include lectures
and class discussions.
Requirements: Class participation, some
form of midterm exam or reaction paper, and final exam.
Materials: Coursepack.
MGMT 656, Global Immersion Program
Prerequisites: First Year standing.
Description: The centerpiece of this half-credit
unit elective is a 4-week immersion experience in one of several foreign
countries immediately following the Spring semester final exams. In past years,
programs were offered in Greater China, the ASEAN and South America. The program
offers students the opportunity to learn about a foreign business culture by way
of visits with corporate leaders, government officials and academic lectures.
Requirements: Weekly sessions prior to the
immersion experience and a research paper.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: Leaders mobilize resources
toward valued goals. In this course the focus is on growing the student's capacity as a
total (whole) leader. Performance and results are our central concern. And, in
response to the demands and opportunities in today's business environment, we
extend beyond work to develop leadership in the context of the student's whole
life. The core idea is that leadership is about making a difference in all
aspects of one's life. This course provides leadership and communication tools
needed to integrate work, family, community and self for increased performance
and enriched lives. Students learn key
leadership principles and apply them in self-designed experiments to better meet
their current and future leadership challenges.
Format:
In addition to readings, this course requires introspection, dialogue, and
creative action in the real world that involves work, family, community and self.
MGMT 690, Managerial Decision
Making
Prerequisites: MGMT 621
Description: There has been increasing
interest in recent years as to how managers make decisions when there is
uncertainty regarding the value or likelihood of final outcomes. What type of
information do they collect? How do they process the data? What factors
influence the decisions? This course will address these issues. By understanding
managerial decision processes we may be better able to prescribe ways of
improving managerial behavior. Building on recent work in cognitive psychology,
students will gain an understanding of the simplified rules of thumb and
apparent systematic biases that individuals utilize in making judgments and
choices under uncertainty. At the end of the course, students should understand
the decision making process more thoroughly and be in a position to become a
better manager.
Format: Lectures, classroom discussions
and demonstrations.
Requirements: Three short term exercises
and a term paper.
Materials: Text and coursepack.
MGMT 691, Negotiations
[Cross-listed with LGST 806 /
OPIM 691]
Prerequisites: None.
Description: Negotiation is the art and
science of securing agreements between two or more interdependent parties. The
central issues of this course deal with understanding the behavior of
individuals, groups, and organizations in the context of competitive situations.
The purpose of this course is to understand the theory and processes of
negotiation as it is practiced in a variety of settings. The course is designed
to be relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems that are faced by
the manager and professional.
Format: The class will include lectures
and class discussions. However, a series of negotiations exercises are also
central to the course.
Requirements: Class participation; group project; individual projects.
Materials: Coursepack.
Prerequisites: MGMT 654 or permission of
instructor.
Description: This course is concerned with
strategy issues at the business unit level. Its focus is on the question of how
firms can create and sustain a competitive advantage. A central part of the
course deals with concepts that have been developed around the notions of
complementarities and fit. Other topics covered in the course include the
creation of competitive advantage through commitment, competitor analysis,
different organizational responses to environmental changes, real options,
modularity, and increasing returns. An important feature of the course is a
term-length project in which groups of students work on firm analyses that
require the application of the course concepts.
Format: Strong emphasis on class
discussions based on prescribed readings and cases. Project presentations by
student groups.
Requirements: Informed participation in
class discussions; a paper and a presentation on the term project.
Materials: Coursepack and in-class
handouts.
Prerequisites: MGMT 654
Description: This is a course in analyzing
competitive interactions. The course emphasizes a vision of strategy in which
each competitor simultaneously chooses its strategy, taking into account the
strategies of its opponents. Crucial to this vision is the anticipation of the
moves of your opponent and, in particular, the expectation that your opponent is
(almost) as smart as you are. Equal attention will be given to the development
of techniques for analyzing competitive interactions and to the application of
those techniques. Game theory and the economics of industrial organization
provide the basis for the theoretical constructs developed in the course. Topics
that will be explored include: market failures and profitability, competitive
bidding, signaling, entry deterrence, agenda setting, regulations, and price
wars.
Materials: Coursepack and textbooks.
MGMT 714,
American Business History
Prerequisites: MGMT 654.
Description: This course examines how the
kind of firms in which most Wharton students will spend the next stage of their
careers came to be as they are today. At a superficial level, the course's
objectives are descriptive and narrative. Its deeper purpose is to give students
some idea of how to think about the future evolution of firms and industries.
The course will discuss the historical development of the business enterprise as
an institution. It will also cover the evolution of competition and strategy and
of corporate finance. The focus will be on American developments, since many of
the innovations took place here; but there will be a number of comparisons in
discussion to institutions in Japan and the leading European economies. The
course considers issues arising in a number of different management disciplines
and shows off their inter-relationships.
Format: Case and other document-based
discussion and occasional lecture, research paper or examination and class
participation.
MGMT 715,
The Political Environment of the Multinational Firm
Prerequisites: None.
Description: To deal with the complex and
turbulent international environment a manager requires both a basic conceptual
framework which can inform and order political and economical events and an
understanding of how the international political economy actually affects
strategy. Geopolitics explores the structure and evolution of the international
political-economic system and then applies a basic model to several critical
issues areas such as the European Community, technology policy, strategic
alliances, and national competitiveness. The emphasis of the course is on
implications for multinational strategy.
Format: To be determined by the
instructor.
Requirements: To be determined by the
instructor.
Materials: Coursepack and textbooks.
MGMT 717X,
Deals: The Economic Structure of Transacting and Contracting
Prerequisites: Class reserved for
2nd Year MBA students.
Description: This course focuses on the
role of professionals in creating value through transaction engineering. The
overall goal of the course is to explain how private parties actually order
their commercial interactions and to develop a relatively systematic theory of
how they ought to do this. The first half of the course will be devoted to
impediments to transacting including asymmetric information problems,
difficulties intrinsic to contracting over time, enforceability, and various
forms of strategic behavior and to a variety of possible responses rooted in
decision theory, option theory, techniques for minimizing information problems,
risk management, and incentive alignment. In the second half of the course,
student teams will apply the tools developed in the first half to a series of
real transactions. That part of the course will be described in a separate memo
to be circulated once the roster of deals is fixed. Enrollment will be
restricted this year to 48, of whom 24 will be second-year MBA students and 24
will be upper class Law students.
Requirements: Team performance, class
participation and a final exam.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: This course will explore the
use of corporate acquisitions as a method of affecting substantial changes in
the business mix of larger corporations. The course will focus on the impact of
acquisitions on the acquiring firm and the target firm involved in the
transaction. Equal attention will be devoted to theoretical issues and their
managerial implications. A conceptual framework with theoretical underpinnings
will be presented as a basis for understanding of the phenomenon. Then managerial
issues involved in implementing such transactions will be examined. Topics to be
covered will include diversification strategy, competitive bidding, joint
ventures, contractual arrangements, leveraged buyouts, and the concept of
corporate governance. In each of these topics, both organizational and economic
issues will be dealt with. The conceptual framework of the course will be
developed as follows: first the implications of the major merger waves will be
interpreted, to put the acquisition phenomenon in perspective; then a
theoretical framework incorporating the incentives for firms to acquire or set
up joint ventures will be developed. Pre-acquisition issues, such as selection
of an appropriate target firm and the determinants of the premium will be
covered. Cases and readings will be used to address the organizational and
managerial issues in the post-acquisition process. Finally, areas such as
negotiation strategies and choice of alternative modes of corporate governance
will be addressed. In this context, the currently visible phenomenon of
leveraged buyouts and its implications can be examined. To incorporate a level
of realism in the course, speakers with experience in investment banking,
consulting, and government will be invited.
Format: To be determined by instructor.
Requirements: Two written assignments and
a final paper.
Materials: Coursepack and textbooks.
MGMT 731, Technology Strategy
Prerequisites: Wharton MBAs; graduate
students in Engineering; others with instructor's permission.
Description: This quarter-length course presents tools
necessary for managing businesses involved in or affected by technological
innovation. It does so by developing and
applying conceptual models concerned with creating, capturing and delivering
value. The course is designed to meet the needs of future managers,
entrepreneurs, bankers or consultants who must understand the interactive role of technology
and organization to derive competitive advantage. The first half of the course
focuses on analytic frameworks for managing the innovation process. This segment
examines the patterns and sources of technological change and the mechanisms for
capturing the economic benefits from innovation. The second half of the course
studies the strategic and organizational challenges involved in managing
technological innovation. Case studies throughout the course will offer
opportunities to apply the frameworks.
Format: Lectures and discussion.
Requirements: Active class participation
and term paper.
Materials: Coursepack.
Prerequisites: MGMT 621, MGMT 652, MGMT
654, MGMT 655.
Description: This project-oriented course
focuses on Indian business. There are several themes underlying the course: the
nature of the economic reforms of 1991, and how established Indian firms,
particularly Indian conglomerates adapted during the 1990s to the changed
competitive landscape; software services and the remarkable global success of
several firms, and their contemporary globalization challenges; the experience
of MNCs in India, with a particular emphasis on innovative business models
(including the 'bottom of the pyramid' models); telecommunications; and a
comparison of China and India, and the convergences and divergences between
them. The emphasis is integrative, and the course builds upon several required
first year courses in Management. The main perspective of the course spans
several subfields of Management: Organization Behavior and Theory, International
Management, Human Resources, Technology and Strategy.
Format: The class will involve a mix of
lectures, cases and guest speakers.
Requirements: Group term paper on a topic
relation to India business (65%) and class participation (35%).
Materials: Coursepack.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: This
course is designed to develop students’ skills in
effectively designing, leading and consulting to teams in organizations. This
will be a highly interactive course, with emphasis on class participation and
experiential learning. One of the goals of this course is to provide both the
conceptual understanding and the behavioral skills required to implement
strategies. To this end, class sessions will make use of a variety of
approaches to teaching and learning, including the case method, simulation
exercises, and lectures. We will cover topics such as leading groups, group
formation and socialization, diversity, creativity, group problem solving and
decision-making, conflict, and knowledge sharing. Students will leave this
class with knowledge of how to most effectively lead a team as well as how to be
an effective team member.
Format: The class will involve a
mix of case discussion, simulations, lectures and exercises. Class
participation is an important component and will represent a significant
portion of a student's grade. The course is project based. The major
assignment will consist of a small group project where students will
build a consulting relationship with an actual team within a "live"
organization. The goal of the assignment will involve collecting primary
data from the client team to help identify positive and negative
elements of team functioning in order to make appropriate
recommendations to help improve team performance.
Prerequisites: MGMT 621 or equivalent.
Description: This course introduces the
student to the strategic role human resource management might play in creating
competitive advantages for firms. We study P/HRM policies and practices in
context and consider broader corporate strategies, business activities, and
competitiveness in an increasingly global marketplace. We give attention to the
diversity of the American workforce, and to the effects of changing technologies
in production and in provision of services.
Format: This course covers specific
activities typically associated with the practice of P/HRM: staffing, the
assurance of equal employment opportunity, compensation, and employee relations.
The final section of the course comprises customized readings and programs for
study based on student interest. These modules will include interactions with
practitioners where possible.
Requirements: See instructor.
Materials: Assigned readings.
Prerequisites: MGMT 621.
Description: During the last decade it has
become clear that in the global economy, firms must constantly adapt to changing
technological, competitive, demographic and other environmental conditions in
order to survive and prosper. The importance of acquiring the knowledge and
tools for changing organizations successfully cannot be overemphasized
(particularly for students headed for consulting and management careers,
although not limited to them). This course focuses on specific concepts,
theories and tools that can assist executives entrusted with the task of leading
organizational change. Among other topics, the course will focus on the politics
of change, successfully leading change efforts, downsizing, restructuring and
reengineering, and organizational adaptation. An emphasis on both analytical and
clinical skills will undergird the course content.
Format: The class will involve a mix of
case discussions, outside speakers, lectures and exercises. Participation is an
important component, making attendance important.
Requirements: The course is project based.
The major assignment will consist of a small group project working on a real
'live' organization that is undergoing change and drawing lessons from such
involvement in the field.
Materials: Coursepack.
Prerequisites: MGMT 654 or permission of
instructor.
Description: This course is directed
toward the attainment of three interdependent objectives: 1) to develop an
understanding of strategy implementation in complex organizations, 2) to
understand how organizational planning, design, control, and human resource
decisions are interdependent and critical to successful implementation, and 3)
to develop a sensitivity to the "realities" of strategy implementation in
"real-world" organizations. Consideration of theories of implementation is not
sufficient; it is necessary also to see strategy implementation as a process of
change that, to be successful, must take a number of factors into consideration.
These include how decisions affect individuals in organizations and their
consequent commitment to implementation efforts. To meet these objectives,
emphasis will be on lectures, class discussions, and case studies as the
instructional techniques.
Requirements: Participation in class
discussion, final examination, and case assignments.
Materials: Coursepack.
MGMT 784, Managerial
Economics & Game Theory
[Cross-listed with BPUB 784]
Description:
The purpose of this course is to develop students’ abilities to apply game
theory to decision-making. Development of the tools of game theory and the
application of those tools is emphasized. Game theory has become an important
tool for managers and consultants in analyzing and implementing tactical as well
as strategic actions. This course will primarily focus on examples useful for
developing competitive strategy in the private sector (pricing and product
strategy, capacity choices, contracting and negotiating, signaling and bluffing,
takeover strategy, etc.). Game theory can also be used to address problems
relevant to a firm’s organizational strategy (e.g. internal incentives and
information flow within a firm) and to a firm’s non-market environment (e.g.,
strategic trade policies, litigation and regulation strategy).
Requirements: Active class participation and term paper.
Prerequisites: MGEC 621 (intermediate microeconomics) or
equivalent. It is expected that the student has been introduced to some basic
game theory. There will be a quick review of the basics and some recommended
supplemental readings for those who have little or no background in game theory.
Materials: Required bulk pack.
Description: This course provides brief
but intensive information of some of the largest business firms in the Peoples
Republic of China. From 1949 to 1988, business firms as we know them did not
exist in the PRC. In 1988, independent legal status was granted to state-owned
enterprises, which were made responsible for profits and losses; in 1993, state
enterprises were redefined as business corporations, and private businesses were
allowed to incorporate as limited liability or stockholding companies. China's
economy has grown rapidly since, but the development of Chinese firms has been
uneven. A few have large domestic market share and are global competitors, but
most outside of industries like electrical power, petroleum, and
telecommunications remain regional competitors at best and are small by Western
standards. The governance of Chinese firms remains work in progress. Repeated
reforms aimed at corporatizing firms while preserving state control have created
extremely complicated ownership and governance practices, which differ from
industry to industry and from region to region. This course will acquaint
students with the governance and management of some of the largest and best
known Chinese firms, and with the capabilities and liabilities of Chinese firms
and hence their strategic options. It will provide students tools needed to
assess the investment potential of Chinese firms and the opportunity to do
original research on issues of governance and management of Chinese firms.
Format: Lectures.
Requirements: Grading will be based on
short papers, group reports and class participation.
Materials: Case studies.
Prerequisites: Wharton MBA students only
(except in some sections in which a limited number of spaces will be reserved
for graduate students in Engineering).
Description: MGMT 801 is the foundation
course in the Entrepreneurial Management program. The purpose of this course is
to explore the many dimensions of new venture creation and growth. While most of
the examples in class will be drawn from new venture formation, the principles
also apply to entrepreneurship in corporate settings and to non-profit
entrepreneurship. We will be concerned with content and process questions as
well as with formulation and implementation issues that relate to
conceptualizing, developing, and managing successful new ventures. The emphasis
in this course is on applying and synthesizing concepts and techniques from
functional areas of strategic management, finance, accounting, managerial
economics, marketing, operations management, and organizational behavior in the
context of new venture development. The class serves as both a stand alone class
and as a preparatory course to those interested in writing and implementing a
business plan.
Format: Lectures and case discussions.
Requirements: Class participation, interim
assignments and final project.
Materials: Required coursepack.
Prerequisites: Wharton MBA students only.
Description: This course will provide
students with a theoretical foundation and a set of practical tools for the
management of innovation, and the change associated with it, both in corporate
settings and start-up situations. For the purposes of the course, innovation is
defined as the profitable commercialization of a new idea: product, market,
process or technology. The theoretical background will be provided by multiple
readings, your knowledge of which will be tested in a readings report. The
practical tools will be provided via lecture/discussion sessions, your skills at
which will be demonstrated in an innovation plan for an actual innovation
situation.
Format: Lectures, discussion and class
participation.
Materials: Required coursepack and
supplemental materials.
MGMT 804,
Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management
Prerequisites: MGMT 801 recommended.
Description: This elective half-semester course
focuses on venture capital management issues in the context of the typical
high-growth start-up company. The course is fundamentally pragmatic in outlook.
It will cover six principal areas relevant to the privately held high-growth
start-up - these include: commentary on the venture capital industry generally,
as well as a discussion of the typical venture fund structure and related
venture capital objectives and investment strategies; common organizational
issues encountered in the formation of a venture backed start-up, including
issues relating to initial capitalization, intellectual property and early stage
equity arrangements; valuation methodologies that form the basis of negotiation
between the entrepreneur and the venture capitalist in anticipation of a venture
investment; the challenges of fundraising, financial strategies and the
importance of the business plan and presentation; typical investment terms found
in the term sheet and the dynamics of negotiation between the entrepreneur and
the venture capitalist; corporate governance in the context of a venture-backed
start-up company and the typical dynamics that play out between VC and
entrepreneur in an insider-led, "down round" financing.
Format: Lecture, discussion and case
studies.
Requirements: Classroom participation,
weekly case assignments and final exam.
Materials: Textbook and coursepack.
Prerequisites: MGMT 801 required. MKTG 756
recommended.
Description: This advanced course
in entrepreneurship centers on writing a comprehensive business plan and
implementation plan for a venture of your choice. The course examines ways to
profitably launch and exploit business opportunities (as opposed to what
opportunity to explore). It will allow you to acquire the skill set necessary
for crafting a winning business model for your venture - developing and writing
a coherent and effective plan to start a business in either an independent or a
corporate setting. The venture must distinguish itself from existing companies
through differential innovation; for example, through an innovative product or
service, an innovative production process, a new business model, or by creating
a new market. Students must have successfully completed MGMT 801 before
enrolling in this course.
Format: Highly interactive with team
progress reports delivered regularly and student expertise shared with
presenters.
Requirements: Class participation,
interim assignments, team project and team presentation.
Materials: Required textbooks, coursepack and
recommended supplemental and reserve readings.
Special note: MGMT 806 and MGMT 810x apply a
common theoretical framework to businesses with differing value propositions and
therefore students should not plan their course of study to include both of
these courses.
Prerequisites: Completion or waiver of
FNCE 601.
Description: This course is designed to
provide students with a practical understanding of private equity issues
focusing on developing country environments. The underlying premise of the
course is that private equity in developing country environments is a distinctly
different asset class than in industrialized countries for a number of reasons
that will be identified and analyzed by students, such as valuation, corporate
governance standards and practices, contract enforcement and regulations, and
exit alternatives. Students will assess these differences that heighten the
risks for private equity investors in emerging markets and explore how they can
be successfully mitigated. The course will be analytically rigorous and require
a high level of weekly preparation and class participation. The case method of
teaching will predominate, allowing students to gain a realistic understanding
of the roles, responsibilities and analytical skills required of practitioners,
and the tensions that arise between the various stakeholders, including
government officials who formulate regulations and policies that affect PE
investor behavior and performance. Cases will be based on actual transactions,
highlighting the challenges and tasks performed at each stage of the investment
cycle, such as structuring a new fund, originating investment opportunities,
conducting due diligence, monitoring and creating value in portfolio companies
and exiting.
Requirements: Two group and one
individual written assignments and active class
participation.
Materials: Required coursepack.
Prerequisites: MGMT 801 strongly
recommended.
Description: The basic thesis of this
elective course is that many societal problems, if attacked
entrepreneurially, create opportunities for launching businesses that
simultaneously generate profits and alleviate the societal problem. This approach
generates societal wealth as well as entrepreneurial wealth. The course is
distinguished from public sector initiatives to address social problems, and
also from "social entrepreneurship" programs where social wealth creation is a
by-product rather than the target of the entrepreneurial effort. Student teams are
expected to develop a plan to launch a societal wealth generating business. The
preference is for them to begin the course with already conceived ideas for entrepreneurial
solutions to social problems. They may also join a team to work on a project
proposed by a student who already has a business idea.
Format: Lecture, discussion, live case
studies (discussions of progress reports of students' own ventures).
Requirements: Classroom participation,
interim assignments and final business plan.
Special note: MGMT 806 and MGMT 810x apply a
common theoretical framework to businesses with differing value propositions and
therefore students should not plan their course of study to include both of
these courses.
Prerequisites: MGMT 801 strongly
recommended.
Description: MGMT 811 focuses on the
theoretical and practical issues of acquiring a business. The class focuses on
the following topics: locating a business, obtaining information on the entity,
reviewing and analyzing data, valuation, financing the deal, and the actual
acquisition process in terms of structuring the acquisition. Substantial time
throughout the class will be spent on adding synergy to any potential
acquisitions.
Format: The class consists of lectures as
well as in-class presentations from the students.
Requirements: Assigned readings, case
studies and a group project.
Materials: Required textbooks, coursepack
and recommended supplemental and reserve readings.
Prerequisites: Wharton MBA students only.
Description: This elective half-semester
course explores issues pertaining to building and managing human assets in a
high-growth entrepreneurial setting. The purpose of this case-driven course is
to develop the skills necessary to think systematically and strategically about
management of human assets in an entrepreneurial firm and to develop the
competencies necessary to design and implement human resource systems that
support entrepreneurial firms. We will focus on the following objectives:
identifying the talent needed to initiate and sustain an entrepreneurial
endeavor; structuring human resource policies and corporate culture to prepare
for and facilitate firm growth; assessing the human aspects of valuing
entrepreneurial companies; and responding to conflict and organizational threats
within nascent firms. This course will apply recent research from strategic
human resource management, personnel economics and organizational behavior to
the practical issues of building and managing human assets in new ventures.
Format: Case discussions, guest speakers
and lectures.
Requirements: Active class participation
and final project.
Materials: Required coursepack.
Prerequisites: Open to Wharton MBA and
Penn graduate students.
Description: This course is designed for
those persons who desire to understand the distinct strategies and practices of
family-controlled companies and family wealth management. It will focus on
shareholder decision making; financial and market driven options for long-run
competitiveness, organizational structures and management team issues; strategic
planning from a resource-based perspective; transition planning for the
corporate entity, wealth, leadership and relationships; family dynamics and
communication issues; and leadership empowerment. The course is intended for
those who plan to consult or provide professional services to family-controlled
companies and for those planning a career in a family firm.
Format: The class is structured around
topical lectures with frequent utilization of case studies. There
will be in-class case discussion, as well as on-site and off-site project
work time.
Requirements: Participation in class case
discussions, submittal of several written case studies and a term research project.
Materials: Required coursepack and
supplemental textbooks.
Prerequisites: See instructor.
Description: This course focuses on the
creation of competitive advantage in the multinational firm. It examines the
nature of global competition by exploring the characteristics of global versus
non-global industries and strategies that have been successful in a global
context. The course also considers issues regarding make versus buy, sourcing,
location decisions and alliances - all issues related to designing and
coordinating the global value chain for maximum advantage. Additionally, the
course examines how firms attempt to build a national presence, including
examining the market entry decision, the role of the country manager, as well as
design and human resource management policies in the multinational firm.
Format: See instructor.
Prerequisites: None.
Description: This course covers how firms
from the US, Asia, Europe, and Latin America adapt to different countries and
operate in the global economy. The complexities of a world of nation-states and
trade blocs produce both opportunities and challenges to firms operating across
national boundaries. Most recently, however, globalization has tended to delete
national boundaries in selective ways and has created new managerial challenges.
This course intends to provide the future international manager with a broad
view of the factors underlying international and global business success through
an understanding of the relevant comparative, cross-national differences. The
emphasis will be placed on providing students with concepts, techniques, and
factual knowledge useful for their careers in international and global business
management.
Format: Conceptual and theoretical
readings will be introduced in class by the professor and serve to frame the
discussion of the cases.
Requirements: Class participation, short
analyses of cases, a brief group exercise, and a final examination.
MGMT 890, Advanced
Study Project in Management
Description: ASP topics may be
individually selected by the student with the advice and consent of the
Management faculty member with whom the student will conduct the study.
All ASP registrations require the written consent of the
instructor/department. Students may see the course scheduling staff in
the Management Department to receive section numbers. If the proper
approval is not obtained, registration is not valid.
MGMT 891,
Advanced Study Project in Strategic Management
Description: ASP topics may be
individually selected by the student with the advice and consent of the
Management faculty member with whom the student will conduct the study.
All ASP registrations require the written consent of the
instructor/department. Students may see the course scheduling staff in
the Management Department to receive section numbers. If the proper
approval is not obtained, registration is not valid.
MGMT 892, Advanced Study Project in Human Resource and Organizational Management
Description: ASP topics may be
individually selected by the student with the advice and consent of the
Management faculty member with whom the student will conduct the study.
All ASP registrations require the written consent of the
instructor/department. Students may see the course scheduling staff in
the Management Department to receive section numbers. If the proper
approval is not obtained, registration is not valid.
MGMT
893, Advanced Study Project in Entrepreneurial Management
Description: ASP topics may be
individually selected by the student with the advice and consent of the
Management faculty member with whom the student will conduct the study.
All ASP registrations require the written consent of the
instructor/department. Students may see the course scheduling staff in
the Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs Office to receive section numbers.
If the proper approval is not obtained, registration is not valid.
MGMT 894,
Advanced Study Project in Multinational Management
Description: ASP topics may be
individually selected by the student with the advice and consent of the
Management faculty member with whom the student will conduct the study.
All ASP registrations require the written consent of the
instructor/department. Students may see the course scheduling staff in
the Management Department to receive section numbers. If the proper
approval is not obtained, registration is not valid.
MGMT 899, Independent Study in Entrepreneurial Management
Description: ISP topics may be
individually selected by the student with the advice and consent of the
Management faculty member with whom the student will conduct the study.
All ISP registrations require the written consent of the
instructor/department. Students may see the course scheduling staff in
the Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs Office to receive section numbers.
If the proper approval is not obtained, registration is not valid.
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