TENTATIVE SYLLABUS

B AD 84262

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 

This is a doctoral seminar aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of modern strategic theory in relation to other allied fields of study such as, for instance, OT (organization theory).  After a quick review of the fundamental concepts of strategic thinking and theory development, this course will involve discussing the contemporary trends in advanced strategic theory, especially the dominant ones.  Our readings and meetings will thus discuss the Resource-Based View (RBV), the emerging theories of Real Options (RO) and of Dynamic Capabilities (DC), Transaction-Cost Economics (TCE), strategic optimization and Constraint Theory (CT), and dealing with uncertainty through Scenario-Driven Planning (SDP).  These approaches will be examined and grouped into logical clusters as a means for understanding the degree to which they may contain tautologies or elements of circularity.

 

 

 

COURSE PROCEDURE         

 

There will be joint meetings of all students with the instructor Tuesdays at 2:00 to 5:00pm in A402 BSA .  However, individual consultation will continue by telephone or e-mail throughout the week, including weekends.  Not only are the students allowed to critique and contribute, they are expressly invited to do so through a class participation grade to reward the seekers of deeper connections (20% of the grade).

 

 

 

GRADING

 

The general format of this seminar is that, in groups of two, the participating students will write two papers.  The first, somewhat shorter paper (30% of the grade), will sketch out the arguments that the final, more substantive and polished paper will develop more effectively (50% of the grade).  The two students in each team should also evaluate each other’s contribution.

 

            In the specific case of this Spring 2006 session, because all three participants have already acquainted themselves with the main concepts of strategy formulation and Real Options (RO) analysis, the first paper will present the RO perspective using the debate between Adner-Levinthal and McGrath et al. (2004) as a starting point, and showing how it could be better informed by bringing into it elements of constraint theory.  The second paper could broaden the discussion by considering the tautological limits of strategic theorizing possibly due the degree of generality to which it aspires.

 

 

 

COURSE MILESTONES

 

1-17      The distant past of strategic theory and introduction to the overall field of MM (macro-management theory).  Some of the basic notions, imported from Economics and OR/MS (operational research & optimization), most useful for ST (strategic theory).

 

1-24      The recent past of ST: the state of the art in strategic theory before, during and after Porter’s market model framework.

 

1-31      The present of ST: the split between the RBV (resource-based view of strategic theory) and the emerging theory of RO (real options analysis).

 

2-7               Student group work on preparing a draft for Paper I.

 

2-14           Paper I due in draft form.  Deconstruction and reconstruction.

 

2-21      Paper I due in final form.  Critique and plans for Paper II.

 

2-28      Tautologies, spirals and the evolution of strategic theories.

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4-11      The long-term future of ST: the relationship between ES (environmental scanning), SA (scenario analysis), “analytical entrepreneurship” and extensions of the RBV, such as DC Theory (or theory of dynamic capabilities).

 

4-18      Paper II due in draft form.  Deconstruction and reconstruction.

   

4-25      OPEN AGENDA

 

5-1       Paper II due in final form.      Sketching out some fresh ideas for future research.

 

 

 

REFERENCE LIST

 

Because this is a research seminar, the list of references is not predetermined, but will be developed jointly as we progress, based on an initial list I will give you during our first meeting.  After that, it will be augmented by suggestions coming from any of us.