STR 428 Strategy Beyond Markets
- Fall 2024Fall 2024 — T 17:40 - 21:00Course Syllabus
Consider this real-world scenario: You are the CEO of a major corporation, and a new US president takes office who has pledged to implement new government rules that would hurt your industry. How do you respond? You may think this scenario refers to President Donald Trump, but he was hardly the first president to attack corporations (although his tactics were certainly unorthodox). For instance, in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected, and in 2021, President Joe Biden laid out an agenda to take on "Big Tech." The lesson? Regardless of who is control of government, managers must incorporate factors outside of markets - including government, public opinion, activists, and the mass media - into decision making and strategy building. Simple? Yes. Obvious? No. In fact, we repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with "nonmarket" threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pressure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.
- Fall 2023Fall 2023 — T 17:40 - 21:00Course Syllabus
Consider this real-world scenario: You are the CEO of a major corporation, and a new US president takes office who has pledged to implement new government rules that would hurt your industry. How do you respond? You may think this scenario refers to President Donald Trump, but he was hardly the first president to attack corporations (although his tactics were certainly unorthodox). For instance, in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected, and in 2021, President Joe Biden laid out an agenda to take on "Big Tech." The lesson? Regardless of who is control of government, managers must incorporate factors outside of markets - including government, public opinion, activists, and the mass media - into decision making and strategy building. Simple? Yes. Obvious? No. In fact, we repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with "nonmarket" threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pressure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.
- Fall 2022
Consider this real-world scenario: You are the CEO of a major corporation, and a new US president takes office who has pledged to implement new government rules that would hurt your industry. How do you respond? You may think this scenario refers to President Donald Trump, but he was hardly the first president to attack corporations (although his tactics were certainly unorthodox). For instance, in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected, and in 2021, President Joe Biden laid out an agenda to take on "Big Tech." The lesson? Regardless of who is control of government, managers must incorporate factors outside of markets - including government, public opinion, activists, and the mass media - into decision making and strategy building. Simple? Yes. Obvious? No. In fact, we repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with "nonmarket" threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pressure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.
- Fall 2021
Consider this real-world scenario: You are the CEO of a major corporation, and a new US president takes office who has pledged to implement new government rules that would hurt your industry. How do you respond? You may think this scenario refers to President Donald Trump, but he was hardly the first president to attack corporations (although his tactics were certainly unorthodox). For instance, in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected, and in 2021, President Joe Biden laid out an agenda to take on "Big Tech." The lesson? Regardless of who is control of government, managers must incorporate factors outside of markets - including government, public opinion, activists, and the mass media - into decision making and strategy building. Simple? Yes. Obvious? No. In fact, we repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with "nonmarket" threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pressure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.
- Fall 2020
Consider this real-world scenario: You are the CEO of a major corporation, and a new US president takes office who has pledged to implement new government rules that would hurt your industry. How do you respond? You may think this scenario refers to President Donald Trump, but he was hardly the first president to attack corporations (although his tactics were certainly unorthodox). For instance, in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected, and in 2021, President Joe Biden laid out an agenda to take on "Big Tech." The lesson? Regardless of who is control of government, managers must incorporate factors outside of markets - including government, public opinion, activists, and the mass media - into decision making and strategy building. Simple? Yes. Obvious? No. In fact, we repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with "nonmarket" threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pressure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.
- Fall 2019
Consider this real-world scenario: You are the CEO of a major corporation, and a new US president takes office who has pledged to implement new government rules that would hurt your industry. How do you respond? You may think this scenario refers to President Donald Trump, but he was hardly the first president to attack corporations (although his tactics were certainly unorthodox). For instance, in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected, and in 2021, President Joe Biden laid out an agenda to take on "Big Tech." The lesson? Regardless of who is control of government, managers must incorporate factors outside of markets - including government, public opinion, activists, and the mass media - into decision making and strategy building. Simple? Yes. Obvious? No. In fact, we repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with "nonmarket" threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pressure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.
- Fall 2018
Consider this real-world scenario: You are the CEO of a major corporation, and a new US president takes office who has pledged to implement new government rules that would hurt your industry. How do you respond? You may think this scenario refers to President Donald Trump, but he was hardly the first president to attack corporations (although his tactics were certainly unorthodox). For instance, in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama promised to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies if elected, and in 2021, President Joe Biden laid out an agenda to take on "Big Tech." The lesson? Regardless of who is control of government, managers must incorporate factors outside of markets - including government, public opinion, activists, and the mass media - into decision making and strategy building. Simple? Yes. Obvious? No. In fact, we repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with "nonmarket" threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pressure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.