Teaching

The purpose of this Ph.D. seminar is to introduce doctoral students to critical conceptual and methodological considerations they will face in undertaking research in innovation and entrepreneurship. While the course primarily draws from established theory and empirics from management and economics, it also engages in meaningful discussions of emerging phenomena that require a multidisciplinary lens. The scientific method aims to discover the causal mechanisms underlying phenomena of interest. This course will introduce students to how scientists think about various important issues when conducting research in innovation and entrepreneurship. The course aims to equip students with a conceptual system that helps them quickly join and participate in research work. This course emphasizes research applications where students design and present their research ideas and proposals in innovation and entrepreneurship.

  Similar to other Ph.D. seminars, this course is highly interactive. Students are expected to actively contribute to classroom discussions and student-led presentations by answering questions, raising new issues, and offering potential solutions to complex problems. The most interesting questions are those for which there is no obvious answer, and innovation and entrepreneurship research deals with precisely these types of questions. In this course, the emphasis is not just on acquiring knowledge and applying them. Students are encouraged to exhibit traits of careful researchers, including going beyond the tools offered, questioning received wisdom, extending and adapting the identification strategies, and exhibiting critical thinking.

  This course is designed as an integrative and interdisciplinary seminar. While it draws together and builds on the ideas and methodological advances in related disciplines, the focus is on crucial questions in innovation and entrepreneurship that have implications for strategic management scholarship and high relevance for managers or policymakers.

Asia’s impressive journey toward emerging as a significant contributor to the global economy, projected to reach the top 50 percent of global GDP by 2040 (McKinsey, 2019), has been propelled by transformative business models. This course dives into the captivating business landscape of Asia, including but not limited to China, India, and Southeast Asia, where innovative business models drive groundbreaking development across sectors. With a primary focus on business model innovation in Asia, the course equips students with a strategic problem-solving ability to comprehend and apply the principles of designing and implementing pioneering business models in emerging markets worldwide.

The course primarily covers questions, such as what is a business model and how do companies create and capture value, how is business model innovation driving economic growth, how to think about value propositions and the business model canvas, what are the different kinds of business model innovations, and how to navigate the challenges firms and entrepreneurs face in bringing these innovative business model ideas to market and scaling them in Asia.

Throughout the course, students are encouraged to thoroughly analyze relevant cases spanning both emerging and established companies. While the course primarily draws upon cases from Asia, the lessons and insights extend beyond geographical boundaries, making it relevant for emerging markets in Africa and South America. This course encourages lively debates and discussions and aims to cultivate students’ strategic intuition and equip them with the necessary tools to thrive in the dynamic and competitive landscapes that seek to solve our time’s most pressing grand challenges.

This course introduces students to key concepts, tools, and fundamental issues in strategy. The course is focused on the information, analyses, skills, and business judgment managers must use to craft strategies to maximize long-term performance in the face of uncertainty and competition. It covers all essential aspects of strategic management: strategy analysis (internal and external), strategy formulation at different levels of the organization, and strategy implementation. The course also reflects on the strategic purpose of organizations, and their roles towards shareholders, stakeholders, and society.

Students take the perspective of the general manager who has the overall responsibility for the performance of the firm. The general manager’s most basic tasks are to understand the drivers of current firm performance, identify the changes that are most likely to affect future performance, and determine how to utilize the firm’s resources to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. At the end of the course, students will gain an appreciation for the challenges inherent to managing organizations and the nuances of formulating strategies in the face of an ever-changing environment. This course is designed as an integrative and interdisciplinary course, and draws together and builds on all the ideas, concepts, and theories from your previous introductory courses in economics, accounting, finance, and marketing.