COURSE NUMBER: MBA292N.2

COURSE TITLE: Strategic Approaches for Global Social Impact

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2 Units

INSTRUCTOR: Shashi Buluswar

E-MAIL ADDRESS: buluswar@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Tuesdays, 4:00—6:00PM

PREREQUISITE(S): None.

CLASS FORMAT: Lectures + cases + invited speakers.

REQUIRED READINGS: Course reader, to be distributed in advance of each class. Course reader includes chapter from a new text-book.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Project (50%) + final exam (30%) + mid-term (10%) + class participation (10%)

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

Creating social impact is hard. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent over the past 50 years, with very little to show: poverty, conflict and devastating diseases continue to ravage large parts of the world, even as generations of hard-working, well-meaning individuals dedicate their careers to stopping them. One big reason for this failure: a distinct lack of strategic thinking.

This lack of results has forced a rapid evolution of the social sector, particularly over the past decade. There is, now, an unprecedented emphasis on strategic thinking: how to design effective solutions to these complex problems? And how to measure the social return on investment?

NGOs, philanthropic foundations, corporations, international institutions and even government agencies are increasingly turning to “business-driven” approaches, and to talented individuals trained in such business-based thinking. In that context, this course aims to (i) help students understand the analytical and strategic questions underlying important global issues like health, poverty, education and conflict; (ii) develop and examine effective solutions to these issues, with an eye towards replicability, scalability, sustainability, and catalytic effect. The course will be project-focused, with teams selecting an issue of interest, developing a rigorous business case for their approach, and working with field experts to stress-test their ideas.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Shashi Buluswar is the Executive Director of LIGTT (the LBNL Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies, at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab).  Before starting at LIGTT, he was a senior Partner at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, a mission-driven consulting firm.  

At LIGTT, Shashi and his team are developing technological breakthroughs for global development.  Their current project portfolio includes the world's first portable solar-powered vaccine refrigerator, a low-cost diagnostic device for TB, and low-energy medical devices for maternal/neonatal health.    At Dalberg, Shashi worked with a broad range of clients in international development such as social entrepreneurs, funders, NGOs, corporations, governments, and international agencies like the UN.  His projects spanned a number of sectors: economic development, health, agriculture, climate change, education, access to finance & financial services, post-conflict reconstruction, human rights, and corporate social responsibility.

Prior to joining Dalberg, Shashi was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, a Senior Vice President at Zurich Financial Services, and a Visiting Professor at Northwestern University. He holds a PhD from the University of Massachusetts in Robotics, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Beyond his professional interests, Shashi spent a decade competing on the Indian national rowing team, and recently made a critically acclaimed documentary film about the India-Pakistan conflict, which has been featured on National Public Radio, Al Jazeera and other forums. He has traveled to more than 60 countries.