The Management Department of the Wharton School

To view most current syllabus or the syllabus of a specific instructor, please see the Course Schedule.

MGMT 100, Leadership and Communication in Groups

Description: As a Wharton undergraduate, you are in a position to become a future business leader. Management 100 is designed to increase your understanding of leadership and communication in teams and to help you build skills that are necessary for professional success. You will study literature on leadership, management communication, and group dynamics and also complete a field project, an integral part of the course. Your field project provides the context in which you will develop as a leader, practice communication skills, learn about the nature of group work, and enhance your sensitivity to community issues. Management 100 will enrich your Wharton experience by providing many opportunities for interaction with peers, advanced, students, alumni, faculty, and the community.

Format: Lectures, team meetings, and breakouts. The teaching method is highly interactive and experiential; students participate in simulations, discussions, and roleplays.

Requirements: Students will complete a field project, contribute to class discussion, engage in several reflective writing assignments, and deliver project team presentations.

MGMT 101, Introduction to Management

Description: This course addresses contemporary management challenges stemming from changing organizational structures, complex environmental conditions, new technological developments and increasingly diverse workforces. It highlights critical management issues involved in planning, organizing, controlling and leading an organization This course will help you understand some of the issues involved in both managing and being managed and equip you to become more effective contributors to organizations that you join. The course is targeted to underclassmen and is a prerequisite for most management courses.

Format: The course will cover several topics in management, organization and strategy. Each topic will span one or two weeks. Topics will include combinations of the following areas: organizational structure, organizational culture, strategy, interorganizational relationships, job design, groups, reward systems, work force composition, power and politics, social responsibility, organizational change, organizational decision-making, business history. The professor will cover an overview of the topic with frameworks and examples in the lecture and the teaching assistant will lead a case discussion that integrates these frameworks in the recitation.

Requirements: Midterm and final examinations, written assignments, group write-up and associated oral presentations, and class participation.

MGMT 104, Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management

Description: The focus of Management 104 is the economic and institutional constraints on organizations in the formulation and implementation of human resources management policies and strategies in the United States and, as appropriate, internationally. The specific constraints discussed are labor markets (external and internal), labor laws (governing employment policies and employee relations), and labor unions. Particular attention is paid to the relationship of these constraints to the competitiveness of American enterprise in the global economy.

Requirements: Class attendance, midterm and final examinations, and written reports as designated by individual instructors.

MGMT 111, Multinational Management

Description: Multinational management is the study of the international corporation and the global political and economic environment. This course provides an introduction to the more advanced offerings. It covers the historical origins of the multinational corporation, the economics of trade, investment in the world economy, and the policies and behavior of governments and international organizations. We place considerable emphasis in understanding the national and historic origins of the international firm, as well as on current issues regarding emerging economies and shifts in the political economy of global markets..

MGMT 205, Multinational Corporate Strategies

Description: This course focuses on the creation of competitive advantage in the multinational firm. It examines the nature of global competition by exploring the characteristics of global versus non-global industries and firms. We also explore different types of international strategy and structure and examine the specific challenges of managing in multiple countries and markets. Finally, we consider the strategic allocation of resources along the value chain and the role of strategic alliances as a crucial element of an effective global strategy.

Description: Globalization and International Political Economy is an upper level undergraduate course designed to provide the background necessary to understand globalization and the changes taking place in the international political-economy. The course objective is to help students develop a conceptual framework that will provide an understanding of the current international political-economic environment, provide a basis for thinking about the fundamental changes which are now taking place, and to build a solid foundation to which new material can be added throughout the students' careers.

Format: Class discussions will be interactive and structured to encourage maximum student participation.

Requirements: Take home mid-term exam, a final course paper of 10-15 pages and two shorter (1-2 page papers) dealing with the readings for the day. Participation will be important and count for a non-trivial portion of the grade.

MGMT 209, The Political Environment of the Multinational Firm

Prerequisites: For Wharton students: MGMT 100, MGMT 101 & MGMT 111 (recommended); For College students: A familiarity with international political economy.

Description: This course explores the intersection of international strategy and international relations to help students to identify and introduce sustainable and profitable business strategies in sectors with a history of or strong potential for ongoing political intervention. We will examine the identity, background, incentives and operations of relevant national and international political actors; and the process by which they generate policies that can adversely or favorably influence firm profitability. Corporations whose success depends crucially on a sophisticated analysis of the contending forces in the geopolitical arena and an ability to influence policy outcomes will serve as examples of the first-order strategic importance of incorporating the political environment in multinational strategy formulation.

Requirements: Several short case write-ups, midterm exam and final project. Class participation is critical.

MGMT 211, Competitive Strategy

Prerequisites: MGMT 100 & MGMT 101; some knowledge of microeconomics is suggested.

Description: This is an advanced course in competitive strategy. The course will apply the tools of industrial organization economics and game theory to examine the strategic decisions that managers make. We will examine those decisions concerning pricing, capacity investment, advertising, new product introductions, and research and development. Emphasis will be placed on the strategic interaction among rival sellers. In particular we will look at the various methods of entry deterrence and strategic commitment. The course will attempt to integrate traditional economic models with case study materials.

Format: The course will be discussion- oriented and based largely on case materials and mini-lectures.

MGMT 212X, Societal Wealth Venturing

Description: The basic thesis of this elective half-semester course is that many social problems, if engaged entrepreneurially, create opportunities for launching businesses that simultaneously generate profits and alleviate the social problem. This approach generates social wealth as well as entrepreneurial wealth. The course is distinguished from public sector initiatives to address social problems, and also from "social entrepreneurship" programs where social wealth creation is a by-product rather than the target of the entrepreneurial effort. Students are expected to begin the course with already conceived ideas for entrepreneurial solutions to social problems.

Prerequisites: MGMT 100 & MGMT 101; Students need to have taken a first college course in economics. Knowledge of multivariate calculus and of basic linear algebra is helpful but not essential.

Description: This course applies tools of economic analysis to develop an understanding of the processes of economic change in a market system. It examines the role of business firms as creators of economically valuable knowledge, and the relationships between firms and their market environments. Explicit attention to the dynamics of these relationships is a distinctive feature of the course. The intention is to give the student a good feel for “how the system works,” i.e., for the key issues and shaping mechanisms in a market system undergoing change. Among the specific topics are linear programming analysis of the firm, organizational knowledge, industry evolution, information economics, and capturing the gains from innovation. The course emphasizes quantitative understanding and uses computer simulation and optimization techniques to promote that understanding. MGMT 214 is designed primarily for students who are not economics majors. It is not appropriate as the exclusive preparation in intermediate microeconomics for an economics major, or for any student who intends to do further work in economic theory at more advanced levels. There is definitely an overlap in content with other courses in intermediate microeconomics, or managerial economics. Nevertheless, the treatment is sufficiently distinctive to make it complementary to those other treatments for a student who is particularly interested economic change, or is otherwise interested in acquiring a broader view of economics.

Format: Lectures and class discussions, with study questions and small exercises playing an organizing role in the latter.

MGMT 223, Business Strategy and Policy

Prerequisites: MGMT 100 & MGMT 101; seniors and juniors that have completed introductory courses in finance, marketing, and accounting.

Description: This course encourages students to analyze the problems of managing the total enterprise in the domestic and international setting. The focus is on the competitive strategy of the firm, examining issues central to its long- and short-term competitive position. Students act in the roles of key decision-makers or their advisors and solve problems related to the development or maintenance of the competitive advantage of the firm in a given market. The first module of the course develops an understanding of key strategic frameworks using theoretical readings and case-based discussions. Students will learn concepts and tools for analyzing the competitive environment, strategic position and firm-specific capabilities in order to understand the sources of a firm's competitive advantage. In addition, students will address corporate strategy issues such as the economic logic and administrative challenges associated with diversification choices about horizontal and vertical integration. The second module will be conducted as a multi-session, computer-based simulation in which students will have the opportunity to apply the concepts and tools from module 1 to make strategic decisions. The goal of the course is for students to develop an analytic tool kit for understanding strategic issues and to enrich their appreciation for the thought processes essential to incisive strategic analysis. This course offers students the opportunity to develop a general management perspective by combining their knowledge of specific functional areas with an appreciation for the requirements posed by the need to integrate all functions into a coherent whole. Students will develop skills in structuring and solving complex business problems.

MGMT 225X, American Business History

Description: This course examines how the kind of firms in which most Wharton students will spend the next stage of their careers came to be as they are today. At a superficial level, the course's objectives are descriptive and narrative. Its deeper purpose is to give students some idea of how to think about the future evolution of firms and industries. The course will discuss the historical development of the business enterprise as an institution. It will also cover the evolution of competition and strategy and of corporate finance. The focus will be on American developments, since many of the innovations took place here; but there is scope for comparison with institutions in Japan and the leading European economies if there is student interest. The course will certainly consider issues arising in a number of different management disciplines and show off their interrelationships.

Format: Readings will be predominantly cases and other primary-source materials. We may also make use of slide shows and videos. Occasional sessions will of necessity be lectures, but the instructor intends that the main teaching format be case-type discussion. The general pedagogical approach is to put the student into the position of great business decision-makers of the past. We try to assess, in class, whether the decisions the made were reasonable and sound given the information and opportunities they had and where, in hindsight, wisdom actually lay.

MGMT 230, Entrepreneurship

Prerequisites: MGMT 100 & MGMT 101; Completion of all Business Fundamental courses and second semester sophomore standing. Ideally, you will also have mastered the concepts of Business Policy.

Description: MGMT 230 integrates the material introduced in core courses and applies it to the design and evaluation of new ventures. The purpose of this course is to explore the many dimensions of new venture creation and growth and to foster innovation and new business formations in independent and corporate settings. The course addresses both a theoretical perspective on venture initiation and the application of writing an actual business plan.

Format: In this course you are asked to get out of the habit of being a receiver of ideas, facts, concepts and techniques, and get into the habit of generating ideas, identifying problems, analyzing and evaluating alternatives and formulating workable action plans, thus putting textbook knowledge into practice. Students will get this hands-on experience in the following ways: a) Through the formation and ongoing work of venture teams that will design a comprehensive business development plan for a particular start-up company. Teams are expected to utilize the tools and analytical approaches discussed in class to their venture. b) Through lectures and class discussions that are designed to familiarize students with the many dimensions of entrepreneurship and new venture initiation. Class format varies throughout the course. In some class sessions, there will be a lecture on specific topics. Other sessions will consist of case discussions of a particular topic or a discussion of the business concepts that students are developing. Guest speakers also lead and participate in some class sessions.

Requirements: Team term project to create a full business plan for a new venture. There will be a number of individual and team assignments.

MGMT 231, Entrepreneurship & Venture Initiation

Description: MGMT 231 is an advanced sequel to MGMT 230 focusing on independent entrepreneurship, business plans and the business planning process, and the operating management of small firms. Ideally, the course builds upon venture opportunities identified in MGMT 230.

Format: Case-study and lecture sequence with extensive background readings, occasional guest lecturers, and a term project.

MGMT 233, Strategies and Practices of Family-Controlled Companies

Description: This course is designed for those persons who desire to understand the distinct strategies and practices of family-controlled companies and family wealth management. It will focus on shareholder decision making; financial and market driven options for long-run competitiveness, organizational structures and management team issues; strategic planning from a resource-based perspective; transition planning for the corporate entity, wealth, leadership and relationships; family dynamics and communication issues; and leadership empowerment. The course in intended for those who plan to consult or provide professional services to family-controlled companies and for those planning a career in their family firm.

Format: The class is structured around topical lectures and in-class discussions.

Requirements: Participation in class case discussions, written case assignments and term project.

MGMT 234, International Comparative Management: The Challenge of Diversity and Integration
[Cross-listed with MGMT 875 / PSCI 234]

Prerequisites: Wharton students: MGMT 100 & MGMT 101, familiarity with topics in MGMT 111; SAS/Engineering students: Coursework in comparative and international politics and economics.

Description: This is essentially a course in comparative national environments for business and how aspects of these environments impact on the firm. The course examines a number of institutions and phenomena in various countries. Issues range from language, religion, gender and ethnicity to legal systems, financial markets and corporate governance. The lectures draw on ideas from history, geography, sociology, political science and economics to inform our analyses. The lectures and cases range over both developed market economies and emerging economies.

Format: The format of the course is lecture with case discussion, group and individual short papers and quizzes on the readings.

MGMT 235, Technological Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Prerequisites: MGMT 100 & MGMT 101; open to juniors and seniors in Engineering, Applied Science, and Wharton; others only with special permission. All students must receive instructor's permission.

Description: The focus of this course is on analysis of the issues and options which must be faced in developing a new technological venture. Particular attention is directed to the identification of technology-based venture opportunities, evaluation of technical feasibility and commercial potential, and planning for successful commercialization.

MGMT 237, Management of Technology

Prerequisites: MGMT 100 & MGMT 101; limited to Management and Technology students.

Description: This course examines the innovative process within technology-based organizations and the range of internal and external forces which impact on technological innovation and growth. Emphasis is placed on managerial initiatives which can influence the nature and rate of technological development. Technological innovation and change, technology forecasting and assessment, R&D management, technical planning and organizational models are among the topics to be considered.

Format: In addition to lectures and case sessions, guest speakers from industry will discuss technology and innovation management issues.

Requirements: Written case analysis, two research projects and class participation.

MGMT 238, Organizational Behavior

Description: Management 238 is the standard undergraduate course in organizational behavior. The course deals essentially with the management of people at work. It examines the individual employee in his organizational environment, as well as the organization itself. Topics range from motivation, leadership, groups all the way to organization structure, culture, human resources and organizational change. The course develops some themes in which these topics become relevant – for example, the networking organization and diversity at the workplace.

Format: The emphasis of the course will be on understanding and diagnosing management problems and management requirements of formal organizations and social movements, and applying leadership concepts to the management of large organizations.

Requirements: Students should expect to conduct a group project involving actual field work and might be asked to give a presentation in class.

MGMT 239, Organization Design

Description: We are born in and spend much of our lives in organizations. From families to schools to athletic teams and jobs, organizations play a central role in our experience. And this is especially so as we pursue careers. Few of us have the luxury of working as a lone artist unfettered by an organization’s demands and restrictions. At times we are grateful to organizations for their services and protection. At other times we hate them being unfeeling and inflexible bureaucracies. In this course we shall examine how organizations are structured with a particular emphasis on businesses and not-for profit organizations for which most of us will work. How can they be structured so that they are effective and efficient? And how can we personally survive in them when they are less than we might want?

Format: This course covers specific activities typically associated with the practice of P/HRM: staffing, the assurance of equal employment opportunity, compensation and employee relations. The final section of the course comprises customized readings and programs for study based on student interest. These modules include interactions with practitioners where possible.

MGMT 240, Group Dynamics

Description: This course is designed to develop students' skills in effectively designing, leading and consulting to teams in organizations. This will be a highly interactive course with emphasis on class participation and experiential learning. One of the goals of this course is to provide both the conceptual understanding and the behavioral skills required to implement strategies. To this end, class sessions will make use of a variety of approaches to teaching and learning, including the case method, simulation exercises and lectures. We will cover topics such as leading groups, group formation and socialization, diversity, creativity, group problem solving and decision making, conflict and knowledge sharing. Students will leave this class with knowledge of how to most effectively lead a team as well as how to be an effective team member. [NOTE: Instructors may have different objectives for this course. Please see individual instructors' syllabi for further clarification.]

MGMT 247, The Law at Work: Employment Law for Managers

MGMT 249, Corporate Development: Mergers and Acquisitions

Description: This course explores the role of mergers and acquisitions and alternative methods of corporate development in advancing the strategies of operating business. Emphasis is on the way companies use acquisitions to alter business mixes; seize opportunities in new products, technologies and markets; enhance competitive positioning; adjust to changing economics, and promote value-creating growth. Although the course will emphasize strategic acquisitions, it also will explore leveraged buy-outs and hostile financial acquisitions as well as their influence on corporate buyers.

Format: The course covers the entire range of the M&A process – from the decision to acquire through selection of targets, pricing, valuation, and post-merger integration among other areas. It also examines major external influences such as the mergers and acquisitions market (the market for corporate control), macro-economic drivers of acquisitions, taxes, and regulatory factors.

Requirements: The evaluation of students' work will be based on participation in team exercises, classroom participation, and a final paper.

MGMT 251, Consulting To Growth Companies

Description: This course offers students a unique opportunity to develop consulting skills and entrepreneurial expertise by working as consultants to entrepreneurial ventures in the Philadelphia area. This capstone course combines both fieldwork and class work and allows students to apply knowledge and skills acquired through other course work to real world issues that must be addressed by operating companies. An understanding of characteristics producing rapid entrepreneurial growth and skills related to effective communication and management of a business relationship are emphasized.

Format: Team term consulting assignment, lectures, case analyses, and small group discussions.

Requirements: Team term consulting assignment, lectures, case analysis and small group discussions.

Description: A study of the creation and presentation of art (e.g., theater, film, music, dance, painting and sculpture), the cultural context of creativity and the management of individual and institutional performance and exhibition. A combination of lectures by instructors and practitioners, case studies and consulting projects with local institutions will illustrate the relationship between creativity and presentation.

Description: This course is about business and economic development in lower income, and often economically distressed, high-risk locations in urban, metropolitan areas. It is also about public policies, programs, and public/private partnerships that can best support investment and entrepreneurship in such areas. This course will give students an overview of economic inequality in urban settings, and the opportunity to think about such areas in a new way -- as a potential, promising location for a successful business start-up, acquisition, joint venture, investment, or expansion. The course will discuss how to promote investment entrepreneurial actions, and creative development in communities that have experienced structural dislocation, long term stagnation, and chronic underperformance, economic deterioration, and under investment. This course offers an opportunity to develop and practice consulting skills, and to complete a research project, or an internship with a local community development organization. You will have the opportunity to produce findings and recommendations that can be implemented, and might make a lasting, tangible difference in growth of jobs and income in distressed urban areas. The tools we study can be applied to many situations where there is chronic under investment or disinvestment, such as manufacturing facilities leaving a community with no businesses to replace them.

MGMT 264, Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management

Description: This elective course focuses on venture capital management issues in the context of a high-growth potential start-up company. The course is motivated by rapid increases in both the supply of and demand for private equity over the past two decades. On the supply side, the amount of private equity under management has increased from under $5b in 1980 to over $300b at the beginning of 2003. Despite the recent downturn in private equity fundraising and investment activity, private equity funding is likely to remain an important activity in the near future as pension funds and other institutions continue to diversify their portfolios. On the demand side, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are interested in forming and growing their ventures. The supply and demand for funds are growing globally. The course is designed principally to address the interests of students who either expect to embark on an entrepreneurial career, or those who expect to assume a managerial role with a venture-backed start-up company, or students who wish to pursue a career in venture capital. The course will touch upon a range of fields including management, finance, accounting, strategy, and legal studies and attempt to identify mainstream "best practices" in the area of high growth potential start-ups, with the objective of ensuring that students completing the course will have a solid understanding of the questions and issues that face the typical start-up.

MGMT 282, Strategic Implementation

Description: This course is directed toward the attainment of three interdependent objectives: 1) to develop an understanding of strategy implementation in complex organizations, 2) to understand how organizational planning, design, control, and human resource decisions are interdependent and critical to successful implementation, and 3) to develop a sensitivity to the "realities" of strategy implementation in "real-world" organizations. Consideration of theories of implementation is not sufficient; it is necessary also to see strategy implementation as a process of change that, to be successful, must take a number of factors into consideration. These include how decisions affect individuals in organizations and their consequent commitment to implementation efforts. To meet these objectives, emphasis will be on lectures, class discussions, and case studies as the instructional techniques.

Format: Lectures will both focus on, and act as supplements to, the required readings. Cases will be used where appropriate to provide real-world applications of the theories presented or to integrate a number of important variables in an analysis of strategy implementation in an organization.

Requirements: Participation in class discussion, final exam and case assignments.

Description: This course provides an examination of some of the largest business firms in the Peoples Republic of China, acquainting students with the governance and management (both management structure and management teams) of some of the largest and best known Chinese firms. Students will also become acquainted with the capabilities and liabilities of Chinese firms and their strategic options. Tools needed to assess the investment potential of Chinese firms will be provided, and students will have an opportunity to do original research on issues of governance and management of Chinese firms.

Requirements: Participation in class discussion, reaction papers and a group report.

Description: This course includes not only conflict resolution but techniques which help manage and even encourage the valuable aspects of conflict. The central issues of this course deal with understanding the behavior of individuals, groups and organizations in conflict management situations. The purpose of this course is to understand the theory and processes of negotiations as it is practiced in a variety of settings. The course is designed to be relevant to the broad spectrum of problems that are faced by the manager and professional including management of multinationals, ethical issues and alternative dispute resolutions.

MGMT 353, Wharton Field Challenge

Prerequisites: Application process - Junior or Senior status with a minimum of 3.0 GPA.

Description: This 1 c.u. course is unique since there are no classroom meetings, all meetings are held in the professor's office in small groups of 4 to 6. Student teams work with faculty and host managers to construct innovative solutions to real-time issues. Solutions are integrative and cross-functional in nature. The course encourages creative thinking and uses cutting-edge ideas like game theory, measuring changes to brand equity, and non-market cap equity indexing. An emphasis is placed on teaching students how to frame unstructured business so as to convince others.

Format:: Teams (4-6 members) meet with faculty on a weekly basis (30 - 45 minutes). There will also be 3- 5 meetings with Host managers. In addition to meeting with their Faculty Head, students are given access to "area of expertise" faculty. These faculty members are chosen based on their prime research areas. Students are given access to the most up-to-date models and information.

Requirements: Weekly team meetings with faculty project head and a final PowerPoint report and presentation.

Materials: None.

MGMT 234, International Comparative Management: The Challenge of Diversity and Integration[Cross-listed with MGMT 875 / PSCI 234]

MGMT 234, International Comparative Management: The Challenge of Diversity and Integration
[Cross-listed with MGMT 875 / PSCI 234]