COURSE NUMBER: MBAW211-1
COURSE TITLE: Game Theory (Online version)
INSTRUCTOR: John Morgan
E-MAIL ADDRESS: morgan@haas.berkeley.edu
CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION
(HTTP URL): bCourses
MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: 15 Week course with live synchronous
sessions on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 7:30
PM PST via Adobe Connect. The first live session (First Class Session)
will occur on January 17th. In addition there will be an optional
GSI section that meets on Fridays from 10-11 am. This section will not be
mandatory but will serve a key part of the course. There is an
online Technology Orientation that all students are strongly recommended to attend
prior to the first class session*.
Please note that most of
the live synchronous sessions will run for around 60 minutes, but with
occasional sessions lasting up to 90 minutes. The remainder of the course,
about 67%, is delivered via online content and interactive simulations where
you will compete with other class members.
*NOTE: Strongly Recommended Technology Orientation: Friday, January
13th between 5:00 -6:00 PM PST. This will be an opportunity for you to test
your system requirements and ask any questions related to the technology and
online platform.
CLASS FORMAT:
Note that this course
will be taught in a fully online format, where all the course content is
delivered online with asynchronous online work (e.g. videos, assignments, group
work, and assessments) that students can complete anytime within the week in
which the work is assigned and mandatory “live” online synchronous sessions
with Professor Morgan on Thursday evenings noted above.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR
STUDENTS*: This class requires students to have access
to reliable, high-speed internet connection, a computer that has a webcam and
can run the most recent versions of the browsers (Firefox, Chrome, or
Safari), Students should not use any type of mobile device in
order to participate in the live sessions. A webcam and headset
microphone (to avoid feedback) are required for participation in the live
sessions. Many modern computers have integrated webcams that will work well. In
addition to these technical requirements, students are required to join
class from a quiet and well-lit learning environment.
Please watch this short
orientation video on what the system requirements are to be successful in this
course for the live sessions:
Preparing for your online classroom
*NOTE: Students attending live sessions without these resources may be
unable to fully participate and will not receive full participation credit.
PREREQUISITE(S): None.
REQUIRED READINGS:
Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff, The Art
of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life, ISBN-10
0393337170
David McAdams, Game
Changers, ISBN-10 0393239675
Gibbons, R. Game Theory
for Applied Economists (optional text), ISBN-10 0691003955
Plus a series of case
readings provided through Study.net
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:
· Attendance, Participation and Problem Sets: 25%
· Mid-semester project: 25%
· Final project: 50%
ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S
CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
This course is a survey
of the main ideas and techniques of game-theory as they relate to competitive
strategy, bargaining, conflict, and negotiation. As such, the course emphasizes
the identification and analysis of archetypal strategic situations frequently
occurring in strategic situations.
The key learning
objectives are:
1.
Apply game-theoretic
analysis, both formally and intuitively, to formulate and implement strategy.
2.
Develop the ability to
engage in outward thinking—planning and strategy based on the idea that rivals
have their own objectives and capabilities that must be accounted for in
developing strategy.
3.
Build a toolbox of key
game theory concepts, such as the value of commitment that can be used to
fundamentally alter unfavorable strategic situations and transform them into
something more promising. Simply put, students will learn how to “change the
game” in exploiting strategic situations.
The course has a strong
experiential component. Students will repeatedly participate in a variety of
games based on real-world business situations thereby developing the ability to
translate their analyses into practice. The experiences require students to use
analytic, economic, and psychological skills. The mid-semester and final
projects also emphasize translating the core concepts into usable strategies in
real-world markets.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
John Morgan is a
Professor at the Haas School of Business School and the Department of
Economics, University of California, Berkeley. He won the Cheit
Award in the Full-time MBA Program in 2007 and 2015 for the Game Theory course.
Morgan is the Oliver and
Dolores Williamson Chair of the Economics of Organizations..
He is also the Founding Director of Xlab, Berkeley's
laboratory for economic experiments, Faculty Leader of
the Center for Executive Education. His area of expertise is online
strategy, and he has consulted with Amazon, Google, Yahoo, and PayPal, among
many other clients.
Prior to joining Haas,
Dr. Morgan was at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. Professor
Morgan holds a Ph. D. in Economics from The Pennsylvania State University and
is a CPA. He is an alumnus of the Wharton School at the University of
Pennsylvania.
Professor Morgan has
published over a hundred academic and practitioner oriented articles. His
recent research centers on three, main topics:
-Pricing, advertising,
and business strategy in the online marketplace-Data analytics and disposition
of authority in organizations
-Navigating risks and
successfully commercializing innovation in startups