Introduction to Strategy and Organization- Simran
This Course sets the stage for learning about how business works. Beginning with an understanding of what an organization is and its basic purposes, topics will include vertical and horizontal integration, diversification, the managerial role, designing incentive plans, business strategy, the central importance of “value” in a business context, and the concept of industry attractiveness.
Faculty
Prof. Ian Larkin
Professor
His recent research focuses on corporate awards and other programs companies use to formally recognize employee performance, and demonstrates that these programs often have unintended costs, such as the demotivation of some employee groups. A final stream of research investigates physician prescribing decisions in light of different sales tactics used by pharmaceutical sales representatives. His research has been discussed in a variety of media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes and National Public Radio.
Ian teaches the core Business Strategy course at Anderson. Before coming to Anderson, he was a member of the faculty at Harvard Business School, where he taught an elective MBA course on human resource management, as well as several executive education courses. He received a Ph.D. from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, and a M.Sc. from the University of London, where he was a British Marshall Scholar. Ian worked as an Associate and Engagement Manager for McKinsey and Company, based in Hong Kong and Silicon Valley.
Ian’s hobbies include cooking, traveling and supporting the Green Bay Packers.
Prof. Phillip Leslie
Professor
Phillip has also written a series of papers on information disclosure as a policy tool. For example, in one study he shows that restaurant hygiene grade cards caused a 20% decrease in the number of people admitted to hospital with food-related illnesses. Another study shows that consumers at Starbucks reduced calorie purchases by 6% due to calorie posting on the menus.
In other research, Phillip has written about managerial incentives in private equity, consumer boycotts, inspection design and the behavior of inspectors, and the returns to education. His research is published in the American Economic Journal, American Economic Review, Journal of Labor Economics, Quantitative Marketing and Economics, Quarterly Journal of Economics and the RAND Journal of Economics.
Phillip is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. At Anderson he teaches strategic management and he is an experienced executive education teacher.
Education
Ph.D. Economics, 1999, Yale University
M.Phil. Economics, 1996, Yale University
M.A. Economics, 1994, Yale University
- Comm. Economics, Honors 1993, University of Melbourne
- Comm. Economics, First Class Honors 1991, University of Melbourne
Course Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
• Determine a company’s profit, using such key business concepts as input costs, transformation, total
cost, price, willingness to pay, and value.
• Make intelligent decisions about horizontal and vertical integration involving your business.
• Use a comprehensive business strategy to intentionally create, capture, and deliver value to your
company and your customers.
Syllabus
Introduction to Organizations, Part 1
Learning Objectives:
- As a result of participating in this module, you will be able to:
Explain the value of an organization in terms of how it manages resources and transforms inputs into
more valuable outputs - Evaluate a potential diversification opportunity that involves a key resource’s appropriability, control,
durability, and inimitability. - Determine the best course of action for a company that is considering vertical/horizontal integration or
geographic diversification.
Module Components:
Video Lectures:
- What Is an Organization?
- Organizational Scope & Horizontal Diversification
Readings:
- A Customer Value Creation Framework for Businesses That Generate Revenue with Open Source Software
- Horizontal Integration
- Vertical Integration
Quiz:
- Check for Understanding Assessment
Support
