The course introduces students to basic economics and management concepts and how the organizational setting influences human behavior. The course will look at management and organization topics from different domains, such as strategy, finance, marketing, operations and business ethics, to get a rich understanding of managing. Rather than presenting managing a business as a simple social technique by which managers enforce organizational standards, we will take a critical approach to understand how theory influences practice and how our perceptions of leadership and management evolve through changing contexts. An essential context is climate change caused by human activities. Anthropogenic climate change is the most significant unmet challenge facing leaders, managers, organizations and those who study them throughout this century. Through readings, in-class activities, assignments, cases and/or simulations, the course will explore how managing and organizational behavior influences the strategies of organizations and businesses. The course builds upon the active participation of students. We expect students to prepare carefully for each course meeting and engage fully in group work.
