GBUS 8870

Course Description

This course helps students become conversant with contemporary issues in the field of strategic management both in theory and practice. It covers selected strategy topics in depth that are chosen from three areas: First Year Strategy, current practice and issues, and current research in strategy and related fields of economics and organizational sociology. Four streams of literature will be discussed: organizational economics, resource-based/dynamic-capabilities view of the firm, business psychology, and business sociology. The course will allow students to become more conversant with relevant current issues in strategic thinking and the practice of strategy and to treat ideas in greater depth and rigor than possible in a traditional case course. Through this dialogue, students will sharpen their strategic thinking abilities and instincts. The course content will consist of a variety of readings from books, management and academic journals, and working papers. Class meets once a week, and the reading load is extensive. Grading will be based on class participation, weekly one-page papers, and a final essay.