Business & Technology Specialization

This course is structured to provide students with an opportunity to practice the process of starting a venture, and learn to grow, and sustain innovative businesses. It begins with cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset and progresses through design thinking, customer discovery, and strategic financial planning. Each module is designed to build on the previous, incorporating elements like global market positioning and ethical business practices. Students will conclude the course by learning to effectively communicate their business ideas through compelling pitches aimed at securing funding and driving business growth. All students will form teams of 3-4 students and undertake a project intended to become a real business.

Pre-Requisites: None Required Textbook: None Other Required Materials: None Software Requirements: None

Modern organizations of all kinds face unprecedented disruption and change, driven in part by the universal impacts of technology, globalization and extreme forms of capitalism that push for better performance in the face of greater competitive threat. While change happens to or threatens an enterprise, its managers routinely face a choice – calmly protect what has historically worked or embrace and drive change as the new leadership paradigm. This course assumes the latter as the only successful approach for positive long-term performance. It is designed as an advanced experience that requires students to bring together foundational concepts they have learned throughout their curriculum, especially leadership, organizational change, strategy, and innovation, and apply them to lead a hypothetical strategic change program. Students will, working in small teams, develop a strategic change plan that includes i) a rigorous diagnosis of their business and an articulation of a “burning platform” for change, ii) an innovative strategy, at the company as well as key functional levels, that is designed to drive improved performance, and iii) an implementation plan (financial, project and mobilization plans) that recognizes the importance of milestones, momentum and organizational interdependencies, engages the organization, puts structure, accountability and effective communication around strategic projects, and allows for iteration and improvement as the organization learns. Students will appreciate that change leadership is today’s standard of leadership and is relevant in any management role and in any type of organization.