Cutting-edge Curriculum

This course will focus on understanding the identification, measurement, and the recording of business transactions in the financial statements, and more crucially on how managers can use the financial statement information in their analysis and appraisal of business performance. Emphasis will be on how managers can use accounting data to evaluate the firm’s financial performance and position, rather than on actual preparation of the statements. However, being an introductory course, we will cover the basic vocabulary and mechanics of financial accounting through the text, problems and cases.

Managerial decisions are often made in the presence of significant uncertainty. Making such decisions under uncertainty can be challenging because (a) understanding the nature of uncertainty may be challenging, (b) how should the uncertainty be incorporated in the process of decision making may be unclear, and (c) the outcomes of the decisions are not known when making them. Often, managers rely on heuristics to make such decisions which may work well under certain circumstances but can lead to biases, leading to poor, sub-optimal outcomes.

 The goal of the course is first to illustrate the different decision biases and then present a systematic/quantitative approach to making decisions, which are grounded in business facts and data.  We begin by reviewing the role of "intuition" in decision-making.  Next, we uncover some of the biases that stem from such intuition-based approaches. Then we discuss some effective interventions that can reduce the impact of these biases on decisions, both at the individual level and in group decision making.

Following that, we develop a framework for rational decision-making using the notion of utility functions. We discuss how the notion of "risk" is effectively captured using utility functions and how different decision-makers may have different attitudes towards risk, which guides their choices.  We introduce prospect theory, which helps explain observed behaviour and rationalizes a variety of seemingly non-rational choice behaviour.

Finally, we explore how analytic models can be used to support managerial decision-making under uncertainty. Decision analysis (deciding how to make sequential decisions over time in the presence of uncertainty) and simulation (modelling the business environment on a computer) are two practical tools in this context. We demonstrate their use in a spreadsheet environment.

Students taking this course will appreciate and be able to identify the enormous opportunities that currently exist in providing business analytics services based on data mining and econometric techniques. Upon successful completion of the course, students should possess valuable practical analytical skills that will equip them with a competitive edge in almost any contemporary workplace. In particular, the knowledge acquired in this course will benefit those who plan careers in analytics, targeted marketing, predictive modeling and strategic consulting. More formally, the course will provide participants with the following skills and knowledge:

●       Be aware of the business analytics’ potential in today’s data rich environment

●       Gain a practical understanding of the key data mining methods of classification, prediction, data reduction and exploration

●       Know how to decide when to use which technique

●       Understand how to implement major techniques using software

●       Become a smart and critical consumer of data mining techniques

●       Gain the intellectual capital required to provide business analytics services

This course addresses the management challenge of designing and implementing the best combination of marketing actions to carry out a firm's strategy in its target markets. Specifically, this course seeks to develop your skills in applying the analytic perspectives, decision tools, and concepts of marketing to the following decisions: Segmentation, targeting and positioning (assessing market potential, analyzing customer behavior, focusing resources on specific customer populations and against specific competitors), Product offering (including branding, the breadth of product line, features, quality level, and customer service), Pricing (capturing the value created for the customer), Distribution channels (the role of distributors, retailers, and other intermediaries), and Marketing communications (developing an effective balance of advertising, sales promotion, and personal selling)

This course focuses on the competitive strategy of the firm, examining issues central to a firm’s long- and short-term competitive position. Students are placed in the role of key decision makers and asked to address questions related to the creation or reinforcement of competitive advantage. The initial focus is on industry analysis and competitive advantage as it derives from the firm's strategic investments. We further examine how changes in the industry and the environment impact a firm’s competitive position. Later we also look at how strategy differs in global contexts and the logic of resource allocation in a diversified firm to enhance competitive advantage in each market. We continue by addressing the development of firm-specific capabilities, including the role of innovation in a firm’s competitive advantage. We also examine the process through which strategic decisions are made and implemented. This course thus helps in developing critical and integrative thinking.

Corporate Finance is a core course that addresses financial decisions relevant to managers of corporations. The main objective of this course is to develop the quantitative and conceptual tools to help firms decide what investments should be made and how they should be financed. We consider investment and financing decisions from the viewpoint of their effect on market value of the firm. Investment valuation is mainly based on the method of discounted cash flows. This technique involves forecasting the expected future cash flows and discounting them at a rate commensurate with risk. We consider models for implementing these methods in practice.

Success of every organization depends upon its ability to attract and retain customers. This requires providing them with products and services that yield higher levels of customer satisfaction than the competition. With ever-increasing competition in today's domestic and global markets, customer expectations regarding product price, quality, variety, and availability keep rising. In order to acquire and sustain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, an organization must continuously maintain and improve its product and service offerings along these four dimensions valued by customers. Operations management is concerned with the planning and control of an organization’s business processes that transform available materials into desired products and services by means of the capital equipment and human resources on hand. This course will provide a critical understanding of process management concepts that enable an organization to acquire and sustain a competitive advantage through operational excellence

Strategies for the Digital Economy aims to provide an understanding of technology-led changes in contemporary business environments and how insightful executives leverage technology to create value and gain competitive advantage.

The course is divided into three parts – the first part of the course focuses on competition and business models in the high-tech industry using examples of companies like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. We will also explore how these business models collide with incumbent models in traditional industries to fundamentally alter competitive dynamics in these industries or even disrupt them. As a follow-on, the second part of the course focuses on how incumbent firms in traditional industries have leveraged technology to transform their business models and strategies to transition from the industrial economy to the digital economy. The final part of the course focuses on how an increasingly networked economy is changing fundamental business functions and the underlying loci, nature and scope decision-making in firms. Here, we will explore the role of open innovation networks, social network analytics, and big data analytics in transforming fundamental business functions of the firm.

The course will be useful for managers, consultants, technology entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and active investors. Or anyone who is looking to lead an organization in the digital economy.

The course is designed for management students who in their career as managers will have to decide whether to do marketing research, what kind of research to do and what objectives to pursue. Thus, students looking at careers in brand management, marketing management, consulting and entrepreneurship will find this course useful. The course also serves as a foundation for students intending to specialize in marketing research. At a higher level, the course concerns with introducing students to a structured, logical and critical approach to thinking about business problems.

In this course, we will place firms and businesses in the context of the national and global economy. We will explore how “shocks” affect aggregate economic conditions nationally and globally, and the implications that follow for firms. Such an investigation is particularly relevant as recovery from the Great Recession is not complete for many countries, especially the developed ones. Not that emerging economies are doing particularly well, with China slowing down, though there are promising signs for India after a few years in the doldrums. While we will address the current situation, with an eye toward the future we will also study long-run sources of economic wellbeing and the role of firms in this process. If there ever was a time to study the global economic environment of the firm to make sense of the world around us, this is it.

This course brings together cutting edge research on group dynamics, leadership competencies, team selection, and coaching to help you create and lead your own high-performing teams. The dynamics of teamwork are too complex to be understood through readings and discussion alone. We will combine readings and case work with regular experiential exercises. These case analyses and exercises will be conducted either as a class or in groups. We will also incorporate other learning methods such as videos, class discussions, and presentations to emphasize the topics covered in the class.

The aim of this course is to provide students with a solid foundation for managing innovation, especially in industries punctuated with rapid technological change. The course will teach students (a) how to anticipate the technological trajectory (b) how to decide on the nature of R&D to invest in (c) how to organize innovation (d) how to protect the intellectual property that emerges from innovation and (e) how to effectively use technology to acquire and sustain competitive advantage. This course combines the findings from economics, and business strategy to provide a rigorous foundation for managing innovation in a rapidly changing technological environment.

In this course we will view the supply chain from the point of view of a general manager. Logistics and supply chain management is all about managing the hand-offs in a supply chain - hand-offs of either information or product. The design of a logistics system is critically linked to the objectives of the supply chain. Our goal in this course is to understand how logistical decisions impact the performance of the firm as well as the entire supply chain. The key will be to understand the link between supply chain structures and logistical capabilities in a firm or supply chain.

The programme will focus on skills to implement effective negotiation strategy and reach more satisfactory outcomes. It will examine how strategic alliances, global competition, licensing agreements, and the use of teams have all changed the face of negotiations today - and how managers who stay on top of these changes get results. During the program, you will plan, negotiate, receive feedback, and discuss negotiation strategy in a collaborative learning environment. Working one-on-one and in teams, you will negotiate deals, resolve disputes, make decisions in competitive environments, and receive specific feedback regarding your negotiating strengths. This program will teach you how to use negotiation strategy to prepare for and carry out successful negotiations within your company and across corporate and cultural boundaries.

The corporation is an engine of growth that solves many economic and social problems, but also the source of other major problems including climate change, environmental degradation, and economic and social inequity. Fundamental issues about the purpose of corporations are open questions that are being debated actively. The course has two major parts. In the first part we seek to understand the expectations of different stakeholders. Is the social responsibility of a corporation to increase its profits, as Milton Friedman famously wrote 50 years ago? Can corporations do well by doing good, in which case expectations of different stakeholders would largely converge? We look at these questions not only from the point of view of different stakeholders, but also different conceptual lenses such as philosophy (ethics), sociology (institutional legitimacy), political science (solutions to collective action problems), and economics. Second, we understand the different mechanisms in place that determine and shape corporate behavior. These include the board of directors, gatekeepers such as auditors, risk management, whistleblower mechanisms, and the plethora of voluntary and required disclosures including on social responsibility and sustainability. By the end of the course, students will form their opinion on the proper role of the corporation and understand the different mechanisms of ensuring appropriate corporate behavior, including their strengths and limitations.

This course derives its logic from the increasing globalization of business and seeks to develop concepts and tools for designing and implementing effective competitive strategies in the rapidly changing global business environment. The course will build on the concepts and issues raised in the core competitive strategy course. In particular, the course objectives are as follows: To challenge you to think critically about various facets of global competition, To familiarize you with the problems and perspectives of doing business across national boundaries, To foster an appreciation of the external forces that influence and shape the business manager’s job in the global context, and To assist you in acquiring the skills necessary to analyze, assess, design and implement business strategies and programs that transcend national boundaries.

This course explores the modes of corporate entrepreneurship available to managers to drive firm growth and change. It focuses on the unique challenges in developing new businesses for established companies, which can be quite different from creating independent startups. The objectives are three-fold: (1) to equip you with a set of tools to facilitate corporate entrepreneurship; (2) to provide you with insights as to how to manage the different tools of corporate entrepreneurship (e.g. internal new business development, and corporate venture capital) and, (3) to help you to anticipate and overcome the challenges associated with getting support for new business projects in the corporate setting. Overall, participants will be better prepared for career options that include corporate business development and the leadership of new business divisions.

Multi-business corporations are prominent in the economy, yet the logic behind their success or failure – corporate strategy – remains unclear. In addition, a principal mode for implementing corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions (M&As), has had a mixed record of success. This course begins with explaining the nature and logic of corporate strategy – how firms and senior managers make decisions on scope, and how it is distinct from business level strategy. The issue of why firms diversify, relatedness and unrelatedness in diversification, and understanding the principles that underlie successful diversification make up the first part of the course. The second part of the course focuses on mergers and acquisitions, which research shows only succeed about half of the time. It provides a deep understanding factor explaining differential success and how managers can develop more successful growth strategies.

In this course, we will discuss security pricing, portfolio optimization and the fundamental principles of the trade-off between risk and return, with applications focused on equity portfolios. Through in-class discussion, cases and various assignments, you will learn to choose an optimal portfolio of risky assets and allocating investible wealth across asset classes, to apply factor models of security returns, and to analyze investment performance. You will also understand a number of stylized facts about the financial markets. The emphasis is on understanding the principles and applying them through problem solving.

This is an advanced course in corporate finance, focusing on the interface of firms with financial markets. The course will examine the capital raising and financing strategies of firms at different stages in their life cycles. On most occasions, we take the perspective of the corporate treasurer responsible for the financing activity. However, we will often look at the same transaction from the complementary viewpoints of the participating financial intermediary such as an investment bank, and the perspective of an existing or new investor in the issuing firm. We cover a wide range of capital market transactions ranging from simple to complex instruments, including initial public offerings by young firms to bank debt, public debt issues, and financing instruments that combine financing with an element of a risk management strategy.

This course is targeted at students interested in product development, product management, consulting, and marketing management areas. It would be particularly useful for students intending to start their own business. The course's primary focus is on the strategic marketing issues related to new product development and marketing. It takes an integrative view of marketing. Overall, the course aims to change the way students think and evaluate new product development opportunity by systematically questioning and analyzing important steps in the product development and marketing process.

The fundamental role of pricing is to convert the value created by firm's offering, be a product or service, in to revenue and profits. In today's highly interconnected world regardless of how innovative, useful, or high quality, firm's products are, their profitability depends critically on how those products are priced. Price setting is probably the most crucial of all marketing mix decisions. This course will introduce you to some of the key concepts and strategic alternatives that are available for pricing decisions. The goal is to help you understand the basic tradeoffs in pricing decision. The course will expose you to frameworks and analytical foundation for designing a profitable pricing policy. This course will use a combination of lectures, examples, cases and in class exercises to enhance your grasp of various pricing options.

Can we even count the number of brands that we interact with on a daily basis? When we wake up from our branded bed (maybe Norrwood Blonde by Zansaar) and bedsheet (Bombay Dyeing or Raymonds) and use a Colgate toothbrush/paste and mouth wash by Listerine, and so on and on till we get back to flossing at night with Colgate, we are surrounded by brands. We see them on billboards, on TV, on the newspaper, on FB, on web pages till we get saturated! Maybe we stop noticing them at some point. Do we? If so, how can brands stand out? How can they differentiate themselves? How can they grow? These are all very relevant questions for anyone working in the business world. This course is intended for students interested in learning how to build, measure, manage, and leverage brand equity.