Arvids A. Ziedonis
Stephen M. Ross School of Business

          Corporate Strategy, STRAT 601 (MBA)

STRAT 601 is the core strategy course in the evening MBA program. In this course, we examine the fundamental question of strategy: Why are some firms more successful than others? This course analyzes the sources of competitive success among firms and helps students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be an effective strategy analyst, be it as a manager, a management consultant, or an investment banker. We will also tackle the complexity of analyzing the business enterprise in this era of increased uncertainty, technological change, and globalization.

 

Strategy, Technology, and the Management of Innovation, STRAT 673 (MBA)

Strategy, Technology, and the Management of Innovation provides a strategic perspective to technological innovation and its effects on industries and firms as a foundation for building an understanding of technology strategy. The emphasis throughout is on the development and application of conceptual models that clarify the interaction between competition, patterns of technological change, and the structure and development of internal firm capabilities. The course adopts the perspective of a general manager—an individual charged with diagnosing complex situations and resolving them in ways that enhance organizational performance—and emphasizes how general management decisions may contribute to the creation and capture of economic value through innovation. The course is organized around three broad questions: How do firms create value through technological investment, how can managers capture value from their technological investments, and how should managers assemble and organize knowledge resources to optimize their innovative output? In considering these questions we will develop an understanding of the types of technologies and markets that allow firms to create and profit from innovation as well as why many firms fail to incorporate new technology in a timely manner.

 

Strategy for Technology Commercialization, STRAT 647 (MBA)

From the life sciences to materials engineering to software, new discoveries with the potential to transform markets and create exciting new business opportunities continue to emerge. What factors should you consider when commercializing new technologies? How can you evaluate the trade-offs among different commercialization plans? This course examines strategic issues that must be addressed to exploit opportunities in the commercialization of new technology. A key feature of the course is a "strategic opportunity evaluation" of an actual early stage technology as a group project. Students may propose their own technology or select from actual inventions disclosed to the UM Office of Technology Transfer. This course is cross-listed as ES 647.

 

Doctoral Seminar in Strategy: Technology Dynamics and Firm Strategy, STRAT 897 (PhD)

The objectives of this seminar are to provide an overview of important work in the economics of technological change and technology policy, and to analyze the role of innovation in firm strategy.  The implications of historical, behavioral, institutional, and organizational perspectives on innovation, strategy, and policy receive particular attention in this course.