What Every MBA Should Know About Climate Change (STRT-959-5) Over the next several decades, climate is going to become an increasingly significant part of every job function: finance functions that deal with risk and valuation, operations functions that have to accommodate greater unpredictability, strategy functions that will have to adapt to threats to existing business lines and see opportunities for new ones. Climate change will mandate new reporting and disclosure; will alter what product attributes customers care about; and will influence how leaders communicate within and outside their organizations. A siloed sustainability function will not be capable of responding to the threats that climate change (or opportunities that its mitigation) will present.
This course will teach students what they need to know to be climate-capable business leaders. Many people (not just MBA students) feel like they don't understand enough about climate change to know how to think well about it. The aim of this course is to teach students what they need to know in order to be literate in climate. This literacy means both an ability to understand the current public and policy discourse, and the tools necessary to continue to learn in the future.
Student don't need to have any prior experience or expertise in climate to take this course. This is meant to be a "one-and-done" course that is accessible to everyone. The major topics the course will cover include: Basics of climate science; Sources of greenhouse gas emissions and avenues for mitigation; Climate policy; Global climate negotiations; Opposition by vested interests; Climate justice and distributional impacts; Accounting, reporting, and data; and Investors and profit incentives.
The Economics of Energy Markets and the Environment (STRT-458-0) TThis course is about the economics of energy markets. Energy industries are particularly strongly driven by fundamental economic forces, which means that strategy setting and decision making in energy (and energy-facing) industries relies on having a good understanding of how energy markets work. While the course will cover various energy industries, the main emphasis will be on microeconomic tools of analysis that are useful across multiple industries. Topics include the drivers of supply and demand in competitive energy markets, including the roles of storage and transportation; market power and antitrust concerns; and the rationale for economic and environmental regulations. Class time will be a mix of lecture and discussions. The lectures will present formal microeconomic models of energy markets and describe relevant energy market institutions. Class discussion will focus on using the economic models presented in class to understand current events in various energy industries. Students should expect daily reading assignments of 6-10 popular press articles that will form the basis of class discussion. The course deliverables include regular homework assignments and a final exam.
Business Strategy (STRT-431-0) Strategy is the set of objectives, policies and resource commitments that collectively determine how a business positions itself to create wealth for its owners. This course introduces students to principles and conceptual frameworks for evaluating and formulating business strategy. Topics include the boundaries of the firm, the analysis of industry economics, strategic positioning and competitive advantage, and the role of resources and capabilities in shaping and sustaining competitive advantages.
