COURSE NUMBER: MBA295M.1

This course is cross-listed with the EWMBA Program

COURSE TITLE: Business Model Innovation and Entrepreneurial Strategy

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2.0

INSTRUCTORS: David Charron

EMAIL ADDRESSES: david.charron@berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Mondays, 6:00PM – 9:30PM, first 10 weeks of the semester 

PREREQUISITES: MBA Core

CLASS FORMAT: Primarily case discussions, with lectures and guest speakers

REQUIRED READINGS:

We do not have a textbook for the class, but will draw upon readings from several sources along with the case material, all of which will be available electronically. The readings are extensive, covering theory, cases that allow for historical business model analysis, and examinations of companies currently entering the market. To the extent possible, we will discuss business model issues facing new ventures in the Silicon Valley along with market changing trends, events and companies.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:

The main requirements for this course are class participation (case preparation and discussion) and three projects.  You will be required to quickly form teams focused on deeply understanding a market, a particular company or a specific type of business model. The first project will be done as an individual.  The second two projects will be done as a team.  All projects will focus on a company of your choosing.  The third and final project is larger in scope than the first two.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

This class explores innovation of the business model as a strategy for new venture creation and growth. We will see that the business model, the set of assumptions that fundamentally underpin a business, can dramatically affect the venture’s chances of durable success. The course will review the historical contexts of markets and the evolution of competitors in those markets with the aim of anticipating future opportunities based on business model changes.

The class presents an integrated view of the business model to teach how to characterize and analyze entrants, incumbents and competitors. We will cover basic methods to efficiently construct and test business models to determine how they might succeed in the market. The course shows how business models differ across industries and phases of a firm’s growth – from high-tech to social ventures and from the earliest start-up phases through realization and maintenance of significant value. The course provides students with the skills and knowledge to rapidly assess and shape business models to their advantage when constructing new enterprises and to create the potential to scale. You will learn about specific business model decisions that entrepreneurs make when building a company and how they drive the value capture process.

This course uses case studies, with short lectures and occasional guest speakers to reinforce frameworks and showcase actual business examples. Your preparation, attendance and active participation is critical and required for success in the course. You will be provided with opportunities to present to the class, and the class will have the opportunity to provide feedback during the presentation. At the end of the course you will be comfortable with discussing business models and business model innovation in any context.

INSTRUCTOR BIO:

DAVID CHARRON – Mr. Charron is a member of the professional faculty at Haas and has been teaching for the past eight years. He is currently a Senior Fellow with the Lester Center, the Haas School’s Entrepreneurship Program and has previously held positions as the Executive, and Associate, Director of the Lester Center, and Executive Director the Berkeley Innovative Leadership Development (BILD) program. He has been active in the field of entrepreneurship and technology commercialization for over 25 years and has worked in the private and public sector environments with companies such as Xerox PARC, MIT and Stanford University. In 1995, he co-founded Scientific Learning Corporation, a publicly traded neuroscience company. He has been active in many other entrepreneurial ventures and actively advises startups, inventors and entrepreneurs. He is a Board Member at Impact Carbon and is currently working on a new venture in neuroscience. He holds an engineering degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business.