Business Administration

This course introduces the concept of strategic management through case analyses, and considers the basic direction and goals of an organization, the environment (social, political, technological, economic, and global factors), industry and market structure, and organizational strengths and weaknesses. The course focuses on the strategic management of the company in a dynamic global context. Students examine the study of the external environment and internal resources and capabilities of the company, in order to guide strategic decisions. Topics include readings and case studies of companies around the world, with special attention to regional and national contexts.

This course examines the philosophical foundations and basic principles of ethics as they apply to businesses and the environments in which they operate. Topics include real-world case studies with insight into how businesses and organizations manage -- and in some cases fail to manage -- challenging ethical and moral dilemmas. Students consider the particular responsibilities of business leaders in fostering ethical awareness and practices within the corporate context.

This course examines conventional and alternative perspectives on leadership and provides a range of leadership case studies. 

This course introduces the basic mechanisms of global management and basic concepts of international management.  

Topics include globalization; national differences in political, economic, and legal systems; differences in culture; the competitive environment; foreign direct investment; developed vs. developing markets; exporting, importing, and countertrade; global production and supply chain management; and global marketing and business analytics.  

This course examines the formal methods of decision making. These methods include measuring risk by subjective probabilities; growing decision trees; performing sensitivity analysis; using theoretical probability distributions; simulation of uncertain events; modeling risk attitudes; estimating the value of information; and combining quantitative and qualitative considerations. 

The course gives an in-depth view of brand concepts and covers several aspects of marketing communication. The starting point and primary topic are how brands can be managed. The course studies what a brand is, which elements constitute a brand, and what needs to be considered in brand management. Brand measurement as well as the basic branding strategies related to brand systems and brand extensions are discussed. For building brands, advertising, and communication are perhaps the most important instruments and deserve explicit attention. Advertising and communication seek to influence consumer behavior; therefore, understanding the basic aspects of that topic is important for studying brand management.

Tracing the history of beer from China in 7000 BCE, through to the impact of US federal law and European Union regulations, this course explores the determinants and drivers of the economics of beer. It includes an examination of the labor market and brewing, technology and innovation, national beer market trends, media and marketing of beer, new and emerging beer markets, cultural and political factors impacting the beer market, and the decline and rise of local, import, and craft beers.

This course explores the transformative role of new information technologies (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping businesses. Its goal is to equip students with an in-depth understanding of essential economic principles that are crucial for operating and excelling in IT-enabled and/or AI-driven enterprises, while also highlighting the economic ramifications of IT and AI at various levels - including individual firms, broader markets, and society as a whole.  

Students will delve into competitive market analysis and examine IT-specific economic challenges related to pricing, bundling, information asymmetry, and uncertainty. In addition, the module covers AI-centric topics such as automated decision-making and the broader economic effects of AI technologies. Key economic issues associated with IT (such as competitive markets, pricing strategies, and bundling) and foundational concepts like user lock-in, switching costs, and the network effect are discussed. Participants also gain insights into the workings of AI-enabled businesses and address AI-specific economic concerns, including automated decisions, algorithmic bias, and the influence of AI technologies on the job market. 

This course examines enterprising behavior in a multi-disciplinary manner relevant to understanding and addressing real world challenges of today. It introduces skills needed to identify and assess opportunities, solve problems creatively, communicate persuasively, work effectively in teams, and understand individual and organizational impact.

This course introduces the basic tools of game theory and its applications to business choices. The course covers normal form and extensive form games, games of perfect and imperfect/incomplete information, and introduces equilibrium concepts such as Nash equilibrium, subgame-perfect equilibrium and perfect Bayesian equilibrium. It also looks at repeated games and the theory of reputation.