This course draws on a wide range of perspectives to explore the roots of long term competitive advantage in unusually successful firms. Using a combination of cases, simulations, readings and, most importantly, lively discussion, the course will explore the ways in which long term advantage is built from first mover advantage, increasing returns, and unique organizational competencies. We will focus particularly on the ways in which the actions of senior management build competitive advantage over time, and on the strategic implications of understanding the roots of a firm's success.

The purpose of this course is to lead students in an exploration of fundamental advertising principles and the role advertising plays in the promotional mix. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: distinguish advertising from other types of marketing communication; identify different forms of advertising messages that businesses use to reach their target markets; describe the pros and cons of a variety of data types for market researchers; identify the critical elements of a market analysis; discuss the process of using STP marketing to accurately and effectively focus a firmŐs advertising efforts; create an advertising strategy that employs an appropriate mix of message objectives and methods; construct a media plan; describe the elements of an advertising campaign proposal. (Business Administration 306)

An introduction to bargaining and negotiation in public, business, and legal settings. Combines a "hands-on" skill-building orientation with a look at pertinent social theory. Strategy, communications, ethics, and institutional influences are examined as they influence the ability of actors to analyze problems, negotiate agreements, and resolve disputes in social, organizational, and political circumstances characterized by interdependent interests.

" China's rise as a great power raises important questions about how that power might be used in its relations with other states. Nowhere are such questions more salient than in the future trajectory of China's conflict behavior, including its approach to deterrence, crisis management and the use of force. To explore these important questions in China's international relations, this seminar examines the evolution of Chinese strategic thought, in primary sources as well as its reflection in the interactions among Chinese states and between China and other states."

Introduces students to the basic tools in using data to make informed management decisions. Covers introductory probability, decision analysis, basic statistics, regression, simulation, and linear and nonlinear optimization. Computer spreadsheet exercises and examples drawn from marketing, finance, operations management, and other management functions. Restricted to Sloan Fellows.

A comparative study of the grand strategies and military doctrines of the great powers in Europe (Britain, France, Germany, and Russia) from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Examines strategic developments in the years preceding and during World Wars I and II. What factors have exerted the greatest influence on national strategies? How may the quality of a grand strategy be judged? Exploration of comparative case study methodology also plays a central role. What consequences seem to follow from grand strategies of different types? Open to undergraduates with permission of instructor.

Download the supporting PDF file for this episode http://bit.ly/f1v3iH from the Learning to Teach Online project website.

This case study examines the use of eBooks and eReaders as an extension of the usual Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS). This initiative was undertaken as part of the DUCKLING research project (Delivering University Curricula: Knowledge, Learning and Innovation Gains) conducted by the Beyond Distance Research Alliance at the University of Leicester in the UK.

While the context of this study involves distance students, using electronic books can have applications in any discipline where students are required to undertake a significant amount of reading. This case study discusses some advantages of using eBooks, and outlines the process involved in creating and uploading them to an eReader device.

Download the supporting PDF file for this episode http://bit.ly/ijlL3g from the Learning to Teach Online project website.

Engaging students in online learning is critical for success. In this episode, we speak with teachers and students about strategies for improving engagement and motivation in online learning environments. Effective facilitation, creating learning communities, strategies for motivating students, and encouraging and sustaining participation are discussed.

The primary objective is to teach students to do rigorous, explicit, customer-based marketing analysis which is most appropriate for new ventures. Explicit analysis of customers and potential customers, using available data, together with explicit and sensible additional assumptions about customer needs and behavior. Additional course objectives are to teach students about: (a) ways to implement marketing strategies when resources are very limited, and (b) common deficiencies in marketing by entrepreneurial organizations. From course home page: Course Description Educational Objective This course clarifies key marketing concepts, methods, and strategic issues relevant for start-up and early-stage entrepreneurs. At this course, there are two major questions: Marketing Question: What and how am I selling to whom? New Venture Question: How do I best leverage my limited marketing recourses? Specifically, this course is designed to give students a broad and deep understanding of such topics as: What are major strategic constraints and issues confronted by entrepreneurs today? How can one identify and evaluate marketing opportunities? How do entrepreneurs achieve competitive advantages given limited marketing resources? What major marketing/sales tools are most useful in an entrepreneurial setting? Because there is no universal marketing solution applicable to all entrepreneurial ventures, this course is designed to help students develop a flexible way of thinking about marketing problems in general. Career Focus This course is aimed at students who plan to start a new venture or take a job as a marketing professional in an early-stage business.

This course provides practical instruction in the design and analysis of non-digital games. Students cover the texts, tools, references and historical context to analyze and compare game designs across a variety of genres, including sports, game shows, games of chance, card games, schoolyard games, board games, and role–playing games. In teams, students design, develop, and thoroughly test their original games to understand the interaction and evolution of game rules. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments.

" An historical examination and analysis of the evolution and development of games and game mechanics. Topics include a large breadth of genres and types of games, including sports, game shows, games of chance, schoolyard games, board games, roleplaying games, and digital games. Students submit essays documenting research and analysis of a variety of traditional and eclectic games. Project teams required to design, develop, and thoroughly test their original games."

This is a standard course in "game theory," designed with the School of Information MSI students as the primary audience. This course is the pre-requisite for several ICD courses. To be well-prepared for management, policy and analysis in the information professions you need to first have a solid grounding in game theory and its applications to problem solving. Thus, the primary objective is to teach you a set of useful theories and how to apply them to solve problems. The emphasis is on method and application.

Subject examines the opportunities and risks firms face in today's global world. Subject provides conceptual tools for analyzing how governments and social institutions influence economic competition among firms embedded in different national settings. Public policies and institutions that shape competitive outcomes are examined through cases and analytical readings on different companies and industries operating in both developed and emerging markets. 15.224 is similar to 15.223, but restricted to Sloan Fellows. From the course home page: In addition to traditional case/class discussions, this course will include some presentations by various guest speakers. The hope is that greater exposure to/interaction with these real-world practitioners will "bring to life" some of the issues discussed in the readings/cases. Whenever possible, informal dinners and/or coffees will be organized for small groups of students interested in meeting with our guest speakers.

Demonstrates the basics of Java GUI programming, and the design patterns involved therein.

Open to qualified graduate students who would like to pursue special subjects or projects. Please consult graduate administration prior to registration. Description from the course home page: The purpose of this seminar is to examine systematically, and comparatively, great and middle power military interventions into civil wars during the 1990's. These civil wars were high on the policy agenda of western states during the 1990's. Yet, these interventions were usually not motivated by obvious classical vital interests. Given the extraordinary security enjoyed by the great and middle powers of the west in the Cold War's aftermath, these activities are puzzling.

Seminar presents speakers who are Chief Executive Officers, Chief Information Officers, and consultants in a speaker series aimed at enriching student understanding of the world of Information Technology use and management. CEOs are drawn from companies in the field of IT. Consultant presenters are those focused on the use of IT in business transformation. Class interaction with the speakers is encouraged.

This is a course in industrial organization, the study of firms in markets. Industrial organization focuses on firm behavior in imperfectly competitive markets, which appear to be far more common than the perfectly competitive markets that were the focus of your basic microeconomics course. This field analyzes the acquisition and use of market power firms, strategic interactions among firms, and the role of government competition policy. We will approach this subject from both theoretical and applied perspectives.

Focus on the key role that information technology plays in enabling organizational change and integration, especially in manufacturing. Topics include: trends in core technologies, including computer hardware, software, communications, and networks; the development and evolution of the internet and web; business models for electronic commerce; reinventing business processes and supply chain management; evaluating and managing the use of advanced information technologies in manufacturing; and new technology-enabled forms of working and organizing. In virtually every industry and every firm, information technology is driving change, creating opportunities and challenges. Leaders who don't understand at least the fundamentals of information systems will be at a strategic disadvantage. This course provides broad coverage of technology concepts and trends underlying current and future developments in information technology, and fundamental principles for the effective use of computer-based information systems. There will be a special emphasis on manufacturing. Information Systems topics that will be covered include networks and distributed computing, including the World Wide Web, hardware and operating systems, software development tools and processes, relational databases, security and cryptography, enterprise applications, B2B, the semantic web and electronic commerce. Sloan LFM students with an interest in Information Systems are encouraged to register for this course.

Archive of 21 lectures in introductory game theory, from a course I delivered in semester 1 at the University of Canterbury NZ Feb to June 2007