COURSE NUMBER:  MBA 292C.1

 

This is an Applied Innovation elective and has a co-requisite core course: MBA200P Problem-Finding, Problem Solving. If you enroll and have not completed MBA200P, PFPS will be added to your schedule after the Add/Drop period.


COURSE TITLE:  Strategic and Sustainable Business Solutions

UNITS OF CREDIT:  3 Units

INSTRUCTOR:  Robert Strand
E-MAIL ADDRESS: rstrand@haas.berkeley.edu
CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://responsiblebusiness.haas.berkeley.edu/students/courses.html
PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT:  Discussion-based course comprised of lectures, guest lectures with sustainability experts, student presentations, and in-class time for teams to work on client consulting projects.


BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:   35% Individual class participation & contributions, 15% Individual short writing assignments, 40% Team client deliverables, 10% Individual in-team contributions.

 


ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
As the size and influence of corporations continues to expand, the opportunity for corporations to have great positive or negative impact upon society grows as well.   In this course we critically and constructively explore the role of corporations in society.  We consider the question “What is the purpose of the corporation?” through deep explorations into the concepts of sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and creating shared value (CSV).  These concepts can be considered as responses to mounting criticisms of corporations as well as recognition of the incredible opportunities corporations have to create positive social impact.  Through this, we consider how sustainability, CSR, and CSV can serve as a lens to realize business opportunities and are central to effective corporate strategy.

 

Approximately half of this course is dedicated to the philosophical exploration of business and corporations in society, drawing upon influential thinkers throughout history including Adam Smith, Milton Friedman and Michael Porter. The other half is dedicated to the practical and strategic application of sustainability, CSR, and CSV through team-based student consulting projects. Industry clients vary by semester with representative companies including:  Aibnb, Cisco, Goldman Sachs, Kimberly-Clark, Microsoft, Nike, and Patagonia.  This course fulfills the Applied Innovation Experiential curriculum (BILD) requirement and utilizes Teams@Haas.

CAREER FIELD:  “Mainstream” business practitioners (marketers, financiers, operations, accountants, etc); sustainability/CSR practitioners; consultants

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:  Dr. Robert Strand is the Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business and member of the faculty at the University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business.  He is also Assistant Professor of Leadership & Sustainability with the Copenhagen Business School.   Prior to joining academia, Robert spent a decade in industry with IBM and Boston Scientific in a range of roles in manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, strategy, and investor relations.   With his wife Sarah, he is the proud parent of two wonderful boys, Mikkel (3 years) and Jonas (1 year).