Business Administration

This course introduces the theory of social networks and social capital, and how social networks may affect individual achievement. To analyze individual as well as interorganizational networks, the course introduces related cutting-edge strategic management theories and social network analysis tools such as UCInet and/or Netminer. 

The course is divided into four sections: advertising in context, advertising planning, models of advertising effectiveness, and social/cultural effects of advertising. It seeks to relate theories or issues to examples of advertising where possible, and draws on practitioner as well as academic literature in relating theory to practice. Video material is used, providing insights into the development of particular campaigns as well as different perspectives on issue such as stereotyping and the communication of values in advertising. Practitioner input into the course is also intended to relate theory to practice. 

In many situations, economic actors need to make decisions while knowing that the final outcome also depends on the decisions of others. Such situations are called games, and the actors involved are called players. In order to reach a good decision, it is important for a player to reason about the decisions and motivations of their opponents. This course teaches how to reason about your opponents in game theoretic situations, and how to use this reasoning to make good decisions. The theory is applied to various economic situations of interest.

Consumer behavior is an exciting, dynamic, and growing field of marketing that draws on different social science disciplines (i.e., psychology, economics, anthropology, and sociology). The field uses these perspectives to examine individual and collective consumption behaviors in various cultural, social, economic, and environmental settings. This course examines how and why consumers think, feel, and behave the way they do and what this means for marketing products, services, ideas, and experiences.