SPRING 2021 LEADERSHIP and ORGANIZATION

MOR-543: Leading with Mindfulness and Compassion.

This course explores mindfulness (non-judgmental awareness) and compassion and their relationship to leadership (1.5 units).

MOR 567: Interpersonal Influence and Power. Legitimate and effective use of power to resolve conflicts and mobilize action.

MOR 569: Negotiation and Deal-Making.

Strategies and dynamics of deal-making; practical skills necessary to win in a range of business transactions. Cases, role-playing, films and simulations.

MOR 570: Leading Effective Teams.

Analytical and behavioral tools that will enable students to effectively diagnose complex work group dynamics and take action to improve group performance.

MOR 571: Leadership & Executive Development.

Leadership, development, self-assessment and guest speakers.

MOR 579: The Business of Sports Entertainment. Business practices and issues in different sports markets. Industry speakers.

MOR-599: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.

Deconstruct the complexities of EDI issues in corporations and other organizations. Explain how structural, cultural, demographic, and political forces shape EDI in companies.

GSBA-555: Management & Organization of the Creative Industries.

How creative industries (motion pictures, television, publishing, radio, music, arts, games) operate and are organized. Critical discussion of pressing issues that these industries face.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING

MOR 547: Mergers & Acquisitions Management (1.5 units). Study a set of solutions to M&A Integration management: executing rapid, tactical, and operational transitions in mergers, acquisitions, and transformational business change.

MOR Graduate Elective Courses 2021

MOR 555: Designing High Performance Organizations. How to maximize performance by aligning structure, rewards, staffing, processes and culture

with strategy and environments. MOR 557: Strategy and Organization Consulting.

How consultants assist clients to formulate strategic plans and realign. Information about proposals and fee-setting. Speakers and projects.

MOR 564: Strategic Innovation: Creating New Business Models & Markets

How firms innovate strategically to discover and create new sources of value and to change the rules of the game.

MOR 565: Alliances and Cooperative Strategy.

Issues and problems in recognizing collaborative opportunities.

MOR 588: Corporate Strategy and Competitive Developments. Central challenges facing executives in multi-business firms; toolkit for analyzing and executing

strategic and operational aspects of corporate advantage, M&As and competitive dynamics.

MOR-599: Technology Innovation Strategy. How to develop a technology strategy - a set of well-thought-out plans on how to engage with technology

to gain a competitive advantage and to meet organizational goals in the long-run. A forward-looking approach focused on artificial intelligence and automation.

SUMMER 2020

MOR 554: Leading Innovation and Change. Practical knowledge on helping organizations develop innovations and lead change to leverage them.

MOR 557: Strategy and Organization Consulting.

How consultants assist clients to formulate strategic plans and realign. Information about proposals and fee-setting. Speakers and projects.

MOR 569: Negotiation and Deal-Making.

Strategies and dynamics of deal-making; practical skills necessary to win in a range of business transactions.

MOR 570: Leading Effective Teams.

Analytical and behavioral tools that will enable students to effectively diagnose complex work group dynamics and take action to improve group performance.

Department of Management & Organization. Marshall School of Business. Hoffman Hall 431. 213-740-0728. http://www.marshall.usc.edu/mor

http://www.marshall.usc.edu/mor

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GSBA 555 – MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES (General Overview – Draft) Instructor: Professor S. Mark Young, Ph.D. George Bozanic and Holman G. Hurt Chair in Sports and Entertainment Business; Professor of Accounting; Management & Organization; Professor of Communication and Journalism (Annenberg School) Office Hours: To Be Determined. Please contact me directly at any time by email. I am happy to talk with you about any aspect of the class or your career. Class time: 6:30-9:20 on Wednesdays. Email: mark.young@marshall.usc.edu

COURSE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES The objective of this course is to provide an overview of how the media and entertainment (M&E) industries are managed and operate. The M&E industries provides a very rich context to explore a wide variety of business issues. In particular we will discuss the history of the M&E industry and changes in organizational structures and technologies have led to a new Hollywood. In addition to technological changes, the industry faces a number of other significant challenges related to global competition, management and labor practices such as diversity and inclusion, and increasing innovation. Since we are located in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, we will take full advantage of our location and our many ties to the industry. While entertainment encompasses many areas, this course will focus on film, television, OTT, music, and video games. In addition to gaining a very broad base of knowledge, students will also have an opportunity to conduct in-depth research on a topic that interests them. There is no perquisite for the class. Each class is divided into two sections. In the first half of each class we will discuss background materials (books, articles, videos, etc.) on a specific industry such as how the industry is organized and the key issues they face. In the second half, senior executives from that industry will speak about their specific roles and how they address their major challenges. Students will also have an opportunity to conduct in-depth research on a topic that interests them and present their findings to the class. COURSE MATERIALS Required Texts: • Jeffrey Ulin, The Business of Media and Distribution – Monetizing Film, TV, and Video Content in an

Online World, 3rd edition (New York: Routledge, 2019). • Edward J. Epstein, The Hollywood Economist – The Hidden Financial Reality Behind the Movies, 2.0

(New York: Melvillehouse, 2012).

mailto:mark.young@marshall.usc.edu

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• Stephen Witt, How Music Got Free – A Story of Obsession and Invention (New York, Penguin Books, 2015.

• Other readings are available downloadable directly from the Internet, and PDFs will be uploaded to Blackboard.

While guests for Spring 2021 have not yet been confirmed below are some of my previous guest speakers:

Zhang Wei, President, Alibaba Pictures Group

Gary Kelly, President of Revenue Management, Interscope Records (former student)

Amanda Marks, Sr. Director Business Development, Software and Internet Services at Apple Music

Elaine Paul, CFO Amazon Studios

Jake Zim, SVP Virtual Reality Sony (former student)

David Wells, CFO Netflix

Jim Burtson, CFO, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Paul Shurgot, CFO, Walt Disney Studios

Nick Van Dyk, Co-President Activision Blizzard

DJ Caruso, Director, Disturbia, XXX, Return of Xander Cage

Barry Meyer, Chairman and CEO, Warner Brothers

John Nendick, Global Leader, E&Y Media and Entertainment

Christie Fleischer, Global Head, Netflix Consumer Products (former student)

Helen Moss, SVP, International Dist., Paramount

Dr. Drew Pinsky (my coauthor) and Adam Carolla

Larry Gordon Producer (Die Hard series and 150 other feature films)

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Your performance will be evaluated in this class using four criteria, class participation and attendance (10%), in-class quizzes (15%), a company analysis (25%), and a team research project (50%). INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY Dr. S. Mark Young holds the George Bozanic and Holman G. Hurt Chair in Sports and Entertainment Business within the Marshall School of Business (MSB) at the University of Southern California. Dr. Young is also a Professor of Accounting in the Leventhal School of Accounting and holds joint appointments as Professor of Management and Organization in the MSB, and Professor of Communication and Journalism in the Annenberg School of Communication. Young has also served as the Associate Dean and Academic Director of the Marshall MBA Program and held the position of Special Term Professor at Peking University, Beijing. Professor Young received an A.B. from Oberlin College (Economics), an M. Acc. from the Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. (Accounting) from the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests are in the areas of the business of entertainment, management accounting and college tennis. In 2020 he was awarded the Lifetime Contribution to Management Accounting Award by the American Accounting Association. Young coauthored The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America, (with Dr. Drew Pinsky, Harper Collins, 2009) - an analysis of how celebrity acting out behavior is having a profoundly negative impact on today’s youth and our society. This volume was on both the New York Times and LA Times Best Selling Lists. Young has also published a number of papers covering the entertainment industry and management accounting. In his role as team historian, Mark recently completed, Trojan Tennis – A History of the Storied Men’s Tennis Program at the University of Southern California (2018). The men’s team is the most decorated team in American collegiate history.

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Dr. Young has won several outstanding teaching awards at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including the Golden Apple Teaching Award at USC. Young is also a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Teaching Excellence. He has consulted and conducted research with Warner Brothers, Paramount, Chrysler, General Motors, Texas Instruments and Southwest Airlines among others. Mark comments regularly in the business and entertainment presses and has appeared on BBC’s Newsday, CNN’s Situation Room, The View, The Howard Stern Show, ABC News, the KTLA Morning News, and has been interviewed by The Guardian, The Economist, The Financial Times, Bloomburg-BusinessWeek, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, Marketplace, The London Times, Scientific American Mind, the Associated Press, Newsweek, Forbes, People Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Daily Variety, Allure, and Woman’s Wear Daily.

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University of Southern California Marshall School of Business

MOR-543: Leading with Mindfulness and Compassion

Professor: Michael Wesley Summerlin Email: msummerl@marshall.usc.edu Office Hours: By Appointment Spring 2021: 1.5 Units. Meets Wednesday, 6:40 – 8:00 p.m. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This 1.5 unit course explores mindfulness (non-judgmental awareness) and compassion and their relationship to leadership. While leaders can view challenges and opportunities through many different perspectives, this course helps students learn another perspective based on mindfulness and compassion. Topics include how mindfulness enhances clarity in purpose and productivity in leaders and the connection between mindfulness and compassion. To have a direct experience of mindfulness and compassion, students will engage in a practical application of these perspectives through exercises from evidence-based programs developed in medical research. These programs use mindfulness meditation as a centerpiece and are currently being used by business and governments internationally to develop better leaders. COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how mindfulness enhances clarity in purpose and productivity in leaders 2. Identify, describe and apply principles and practices of mindful and

compassionate leadership 3. Explain and practice meditation techniques developed in evidence-based

programs in medical research In-Class Participation: Given the experiential nature of what and how we will be learning in this class, engaged participation in all of the classroom activities will be essential to demonstrating your learning. Home Practice: Given that mindfulness and compassion can only be learned with practice, participants will engage in a daily home practice throughout the half semester. Each class session will be partly devoted to providing instructions on this daily practice and answering the various questions that arise from this practice.

mailto:msummerl@marshall.usc.edu

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Reflection Papers: You will be expected to submit 3 reflection papers on the dates that will be provided. Each paper should be 850-1000 words long and should report something specific and concrete that you tried during your home practice during the prior weeks. Discuss these experiences in relationship to the reading and classroom activities. EVALUATIONS: Participants will be graded on a credit/no credit basis. The determination of whether credit is assigned will be based on the evaluation criteria found in Appendix A.

APPENDIX A

MOR-543: Leading with Mindfulness and Compassion Evaluation Criteria Course Requirements Points

In-Class Participation

Student actively participates in class discussions. 5

Student shares personal perspective and experience with classmates in a whole class or small group format each week

5

Student asks clarifying questions of instructor and classmates frequently

10

Out-of-Class Practice Student practices meditation daily for 15-20 minutes (evidenced by logging of daily meditation practice - sent weekly.)

30

Student reports experiences of such practice through check-ins at each class meeting.

5

1st Reflection Paper Submitted on time with a 850-1000 word length 5 Clearly and thoughtfully answers the reflection questions given the

week before this paper is due. 10

2nd Reflection Paper

Submitted on time with a 850-1000 word length 5

Clearly and thoughtfully answers the reflection questions given the week before this paper is due.

10

3rd Reflection Paper Submitted on time with a 850-1000 word length 5 Clearly and thoughtfully answers the reflection questions given the

week before this paper is due. 10

Total Possible Points 100 Passing Points for course credit 75+ Insufficient contribution - no credit

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MOR-547: M&A Integration and Organization Spring 2021; March 8 to April 26 Monday, 3:30-6:20pm (1.5 units) Professor: Gregg Nahass

Course Description Managing and executing a merger or acquisition (M&A) can be one of the most complex and Managing challenging activities a company can do. Deals are hard. Successful integrations are even harder. The most experienced dealmakers say they know what to do, but despite their best intentions, research shows that 70% of all deals fall short of meeting set expectations. In this class you will learn how to organize for success in M&A, with particular focus on managing the integration process and the impacts on people and organization across functions to realize desired synergies and allow companies to return to a "business as usual" environment as quickly as possible after a deal. Learning Objectives This class offers a real-life perspective and a practical, readily accessible set of solutions to M&A Integration management: executing rapid, tactical, and operational transitions in mergers, acquisitions, and transformational business change. By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Recognize how organizations use M&A as a strategic tool to provide growth, enhance competitive position, transform a company or industry, and create shareholder value

• Analyze publically available information to identify organizational implications resulting from different types of M&A transactions

• Describe how organizations should drive and manage M&A Integration • Apply a framework that companies can use for managing M&A Integration, including

converting acquisition strategy into integration strategy, executing the close and planning for Day One, managing across the enterprise, and capturing synergies

• Analyze functional requirements and cross-functional implications in an organization during M&A Integration, and develop perspectives on the impact to stakeholders, including the drivers that impact behavior within the company - and ultimately its performance

The emphasis of this course is on the operational aspects of M&A, rather than strategic, financial, or legal considerations. While we will cover deals from a variety of industries, many of them will be from the Technology industry. This is due to the continued prevalence and importance of external growth strategies in this industry driven by innovation, and the fast pace it provides for early assessments of outcomes and management lessons.

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Grading Policies Course evaluation is based on the following criteria, explained below. Class Participation and Course Commitment (8 classes) 15% M&A this Week (individual assignment) 15% Deal Dashboard (individual assignment) 35% M&A Integration Plan, Report, and Presentation (group project) 35% Final grades will be based on how you perform in the class relative to other students. Your grade will not be based on a mandated target, but on your performance.

MOR 555: Designing High-Performance Organizations Spring 2021: Tuesday, 6:30-9:30pm

Professor Ken Perlman

DRAFT—SUBJECT TO CHANGE

In 2020, organizations of all kinds experienced years of change in just weeks and months. Businesses and non-profits continue to face unprecedented challenges in terms of size, scale and speed. Across virtually every industry, managers are confronted with new conditions of brought on by COVID-19, social unrest, technology changes, intense global competition, changing legislative landscapes, and growing demands on organizations. As traditional sources of competitive advantage are being eroded, organizational effectiveness is becoming an increasingly crucial factor in the survival and success of organizations. How do you operate in, lead and/or design a high-performance organization? Research and practical experience have demonstrated that organizations are most effective when it (a) develops a strategy that fits the demands of the external environment and (b) adopts an organization design that enables it to effectively implement that strategy. Organization design refers to the arrangement of the organization’s formal and informal structure as well as its processes, staffing, rewards, and culture. Both strategy and organization design are essential: a great organization without a strategy doesn’t know where it’s going; but an organization with a great strategy and a poor organization design cannot get there. Other courses in the MBA program equip you to develop strategy; this course aims to prepare you to help lead in the design of high-performance organizations, and drive the performance needed to deliver on those strategic expectations. This course aims to prepare you to contribute to, or lead, in the design of high-performance organizations – either as an internal participant in the operation or as an external consultant to the organization.

By the end of the term, you will have learned how to:

1. Examine organizational structures (e.g., hierarchies, networks, teams) 2. Evaluate how different types of organizations operate, and their strengths and weaknesses in achieving different types of strategies 3. Discuss other factors that drive performance (e.g., goal alignment, role clarity, leadership, recognition, culture, brain functioning) 4. Align strategy, structure, rewards, people, systems, and culture for peak performance. 5. Apply a set of practical, tactical and applicable tools to help you as leaders get the most from your team and your organization.

MOR555 has been updated in light of COVID and the implications that has brought to how we work, where we work, and how we are organized. We will work through a progression of learnings together:

1. Basic concepts and structures of organization designs – their strengths, weaknesses, when appropriate 2. Hybrid and evolving models and how those operate 3. Analyzing the factors, alternatives, and outcomes of different case examples 4. Understanding the leaders’ effects on organization performance and levers they have to improve or undermine that performance 5. Evaluating your team’s performance as a learning lab for experiential learning about teamwork and leadership

Course deliverables include case analyses and exams. Case analyses are team efforts resulting in video presentations supported by documentation (slides, appendices, etc.). Exams are individual efforts involving multiple question types and a brief case analysis. This is a class on high performance teams, our standards and expectations are high. The feedback you will receive will be direct, thorough and constructive. Regardless of how well you performed on the last assignment, you have the roadmap to perform even better on your next. We use the classroom as a lab for building your leadership skills and applying the techniques we cover. We “make a mess” and make mistakes in the classroom so that you can immediately apply what you learn at work. As an alum, I endeavor to make this class indispensable, – a class I wish I had when I was a student. We create that experience together.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

COURSE FORMAT AND DELIVERABLES

DRAFT SPRING 2021

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MOR 557 – Strategy and Organization Consulting Monday & Wednesday, 5 to 6:20 p.m.; JKP212

General Description: This course is designed to initially overview the consulting profession with a subsequent emphasis on organization consulting issues. Effort will be placed on developing proficiencies in a range of skills required to practice consulting. The course is relevant to those 1) who are specifically interested in consulting careers and / or 2) whose current or future jobs involve staff consulting or line management using consultants. Instructional Objective: The overall objective of this course is to provide you with an overview the ‘world’ of general management consulting and to help you develop a basic understanding of that world and the skills and knowledge to be successful in it. Specific Learning Objectives: 1) Gain knowledge of management consulting practices. 2) Improve your ability to define key factors and issues relevant to a consulting engagement and examine their inter-relationships and learn to ‘massage’ them conceptually. 3) Gain practice in conducting a field-consulting project. 4) Improve your ability to present analyses of issues and organizational problems in a concise, accurate, clear and interesting manner from the perspective of a consult. 5) Gain exposure to a variety of processes and interventions involved in the management-consulting arena. 6) Learn how to match your individual strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, personality and goals with consulting opportunities, demands and behaviors so as to help you enhance placement and career opportunities in management consulting. The primary objective of this course is to provide you with an opportunity to become familiar with the typical phases in a consulting project. These phases include: selling a project, entering the client firm, gathering data, diagnosing issues, implementing solutions and leaving. In addition to discussing these phases in class, we will discuss how similarly, and how differently, consultants work with their clients. We will also study the functional specialty areas in which most consultants practice. We conclude the course with discussions of ethical issues, career concerns and expert witnessing of consultants. Evaluating Student Learning: The following sources will be used to stimulate student learning:

DRAFT SPRING 2021

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1) Lectures, Exercises and Class discussions 2) Cases analyses 3) Workshops 4) Consulting field project and presentation by student teams 5) Guest lectures by practicing consultants 6) Individual research paper 7) Quizzes Students will be evaluated as follows: 9% Individual 5 page written case analysis paper; choose one of two cases available 20% Individual contribution to class discussions including quizzes 28% Individual 2 page class discussion case analyses – 4 of 6 analyses due 10% Individual written or presented self assessment / research paper 8% Workshop field project slides (team) – 2 total (each member assessed) 25% Final client field project presentation slides (team)

Be prepared for quizzes on days when no written case is due. 100 % Class Component on Cultural & Ethical Issues: Individual cases and readings from the tests and handout materials focus on these issues. Also, one single class session is specifically allocated and designed to address ethical issues in the consulting profession. Guest Lecturers on Content, Process and Ethical Issues: Occasional guest lectures will be given by practicing consultants who are invited to provide information relevant to their firms and their particular expertise in the consulting profession. They will cover a variety of issues in consulting, including practice areas, change process and professional skills.

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MOR-564 – Strategic Innovation: Creating New Markets, Business Models and Growth

Spring 2021—Monday, 3:30pm – 6:20pm Professor: Dr. Violina Rindova

Course Description We live in a period of unprecedented uncertainty generated by a global pandemic coupled with transformative advances in technology and changing geo-political landscape. Amidst this unprecedented disruption, companies are facing both enormous challenges and surprising opportunities. These challenges and opportunities include demand for new and different products, delivered through new and different business models that disrupt and transform industries in fundamental ways. This is a strategic management course about how firms innovate strategically to discover and create new sources of value and to change the rules of the game.

The goals of the course are a) to introduce you to a dynamic view of strategy that enables the creation of new markets, new business models, and growth opportunities; b) to enable you to develop innovative strategies by using the tools of design thinking and disruptive innovation; and c) to develop the foundations of creative thinking for strategic innovation. The focus of the course is creative strategic thinking and industry transformation that is not limited to technological innovation. Instead you will develop systematic understanding of the sources of value creation and capture, and the opportunities for changing and renewing them. The course offers a comprehensive toolkit for innovation at the strategic level that covers current theories of business model innovation, disruption, blue-ocean strategy, open-innovation and stakeholder value co-creation. The course is organized in three modules: 1) Strategic and Business Model Innovation; 2) Industry Transformation; and 3) Methods and Approaches to Strategic Innovation.

This is an advanced strategic management course designed to hone your creative and analytical skills in combination to enable effective managerial action in companies that compete in dynamic competitive environments. To this end, the course includes two team projects that require discovery and analysis of new business models, and strategic redesign of an existing business models using the methods of design thinking. The course also requires that you use the knowledge you have accumulated in various functional areas in new and creative ways. The recent trend in the corporate world toward flatter, less hierarchical organizations has resulted in innovative strategies emerging from all corners of organizations. Functional specialists are increasingly asked to understand how their own areas contribute to the strategic change and innovation in their organizations and can benefit from understanding the challenges of developing innovative strategic solutions. Therefore, honing the creative, analytical, communication, and action skills emphasized in this course will you to better contribute to the innovation and growth goals of companies.

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Learning Objectives The objectives for this course reflect its main learning goal to complement your critical thinking skills with creative thinking skills required for solving ill-structured and wicked problems, which are the type of problems leaders face in in complex and dynamic national and global environments. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

o Use several methods for developing innovative firm strategies o Assess and design business models to create and refine value-creation

opportunities o Use systematic approaches (e.g. design thinking, lead-user innovation,

crowdsourcing) for discovering and creating strategic opportunities o Identify and assess opportunities arising from differences in market,

institutional, and cultural contexts o Devise strategies for industry creation and disruption o Develop leadership skills for leading teams and organizations toward making

unconventional choices and implementing novel strategies Grading Components

Weight

• Class Contribution 25% • Service Redesign (field team project)

- Presentation - Individual Field Interviews and Reflection Memo

35% 20% 15%

• Innovative Business Models Analysis (team project)

• Final exam

20% 20%

MOR 565 ALLIANCES & COOPERATIVE STRATEGY

SPRING 2021 TUESDAY/THURSDAY 9:30 – 11 A.M.; JKP 110

INITIAL DRAFT—SUBJECT TO CHANGE Instructor: Kyle J. Mayer E-mail: kmayer@marshall.usc.edu Phone (Fax): 213-821-1141 (Fax 213-740-3582) Office Hours: After class and by appointment Time & Room: tba

COURSE SCOPE AND MISSION This course is intended to improve your ability to determine whether, when, and how to execute cooperative strategies as part of your firms’ overall strategy. The last decade has seen an explosion in cooperative activity between firms. As a result, it is likely that, regardless of your chosen career path, you will at some point either work for, help to establish, or compete with cooperative ventures. Managers considering collaborative activity face a range of issues: When should an interaction be structured as a joint venture, a contractual alliance, or simply as an arm’s-length contract? When should I prefer an alliance to doing the project entirely in-house? How can I best structure and manage this alliance - and what do I do to prevent competition between my partner and me within this alliance? How do I evaluate whether a prospective partner is best for me?

A final component of the course goes on to examine the choice between an alliance or M&A. When does in make sense to acquire another firm rather than working with via contract? What are some of the major challenges in trying to integrate an acquired company?

This course introduces students to the issues and analytical arguments behind these questions, drawing on recent advances in competitive strategy, organizational economics, and organizational behavior. Of course, even though it incorporates various theoretical perspectives, the course ultimately is designed to focus on the essential issues and problems of cooperative strategy as experienced by managers. The objectives of the course are to provide analytical frameworks and tools that will sharpen your ability to:

• Recognize and evaluate collaborative opportunities;

• Evaluate potential partners;

• Anticipate problems faced by cooperative ventures and to manage these effectively;

• Develop and assess an overall cooperative strategy;

• Compare the benefits of collaboration to M&A; and

• Prepare a coherent, internally-consistent plan and structure for a given collaborative venture. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

Participation – 20%

Two Individual Assignments – 25%

Group Project – 40%

Final Assignment —15%

mailto:kmayer@marshall.usc.edu

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MOR 567: Interpersonal Influence and Power

Spring 2021 – DRAFT Time: Tuesday, 6:30-9:30 p.m.—JKP 212

Professor: Dr. Christopher Bresnahan Office: HOH 417 Office Phone: (213) 740-0175

E-mail: chris.bresnahan@usc.edu

Introduction and Course Objective Interpersonal Influence and Power is an elective course designed to help you become knowledgeable about power as well as help you develop the skills and strategies necessary to make a significant impact throughout your life and career. Courses on power are among the most sought-after electives in top universities due to the fact that power is a reality in organizational life and because those wishing to achieve significant goals or champion new ideas must attend to power dynamics in order to succeed. The focus of this course is to help you get a head start on your path to power and influence. You will learn how to recognize and deal effectively with the dynamics you encounter throughout your career as well as think deeply about the particular approach to power that is the strongest fit for you. It is also designed to be a fun and interactive course. Learning Objectives Although a popular elective, this course is not for everyone. It requires a high level of commitment and engagement, both inside and outside of class. It requires an open mind and a willingness to explore concepts that are often new and uncomfortable. It is a good fit for those who have a passion to make a difference and who are willing to explore new and challenging ideas along the way.

• Global Objective o Gain knowledge, skills, and strategies related to power that help you to become highly effective and impactful in your career of choice.

• Detailed Objectives o Learn to see the world differently. After the course, you will be able to recognize power dynamics and assess the effectiveness of various decisions that people (including yourself) make. You will also be able to identify alternative actions and opportunities that would have been more/less likely to lead to power.

o Learn to act differently. After the course, you will have a personal strategic plan that will help you identify and develop your own personal path to power. The path that you choose will be a good fit for you based on your individual strengths, professional goals, and personal values. You will also have new skills, such as acting and speaking with power, that you tried out throughout the class and that you will continue to hone throughout your career.

o Develop a healthy respect for power and how it can change people. After the course, you will know the benefits as well as the costs and pitfalls associated with the pursuit of power. This understanding will be incorporated into your personal plan for developing power.

Required Materials • Power: Why Some People Have It – And Others Don’t, Jeffrey Pfeffer, HarperCollins

2010 • Course Reader.

Course Notes: Class information is available through your Blackboard account.

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Grading Summary:

Components

Points

% of Grade

SELF-REFLECTIVE ASSIGNMENTS (5) 80 20.0%

GROUP PROJECT (paper + presentation)

80

20.0%

INFLUENCE EXERCISES (2)

60

15.0%

CLASS PARTICIPATION

50

12.5%

EXAMS Midterm 60 15.0%

Final 70

17.5%

TOTAL 400 100.0%

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING DETAIL

Self-Reflective Assignments (20%). Individual, self-reflective writing assignments will be assigned 5 times throughout the semester. These assignments are an integral part of the course and designed to help you explore the content of the course in the context of your own plans, objectives, values, and experiences. Previous experience suggests that, if taken seriously, these self-reflective assignments are among the most useful aspects of the course. The assignments are due (in written, not electronic form) at the start of the class for which they are assigned. As long as you complete the assignment and turn it in on time, you will receive full credit Group Project (20%). The group project is described in an addendum at the end of the syllabus. The goal of the project is to have you explore the ideas of the course in a real-world setting. Learning by doing and through intensive involvement results in greater mastery and retention of the material than more passive forms of learning. I encourage you to take the group project seriously and have some fun with it to explore the ideas of the course. Influence Exercises (15%). To fully benefit from the content in this course, you must be willing to apply it. Toward this end, you will be required to complete two influence exercises throughout the semester. One involves choosing a concept or tactic learned in the class and applying it toward a goal. Another involves conducting a 1-1 meeting with a person in a field of interest to you. In each case, you will be asked to write brief (e.g., 1 page, single-spaced) account of your experience and what you learned from it. Class Participation (12.5%). will not be formally graded, but they will be an important check on your class attention, an opportunity for you to crystallize that day’s information, and a feedback mechanism for me regarding your digestion of the course material. Midterm (15%) and Final (17.5%). The midterm and final exams will contain a mix of multiplechoice and short essay questions. The best way to study for the exams is to do all the assigned readings on time and keep notes on the readings and class discussions. The goal is for you to create a valuable set of notes you can return to time and again throughout your career.

Spring 2021, MOR 569 1

MOR 569: Negotiation & Deal-Making Marshall School of Business

Spring 2021--DRAFT Thursday, 3:30-6:20pm (JKP 110); OR Thursday, 6:30-9:30pm (JKP 210)

Course Description The purpose of this course is to make you a better negotiator. That is, the goal is to help you become better at getting what you want, particularly when your ability to do so depends not only on your own behavior but also on the behavior of others. The course is relevant to the full spectrum of negotiation situations, from the explicit types of negotiations one encounters in real estate deals and navigating employment terms, to the more implicit types of negotiations involved in promoting organizational change or persuading team members to adopt a new strategy or pursue an acquisition. A basic premise of the course is that negotiators need both analytic and practical skills to succeed in deal-making. Analytic skills are needed to discover optimal solutions to problems, but negotiators also need practical skills to get those solutions accepted and implemented. The class will therefore utilize an action-based learning approach that emphasizes simulations. Course Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: • Use a systematic framework for describing the negotiation process. By definition,

negotiations entail some dependence on the behaviors and choices of others, and as a consequence, it is rarely possible to specify a single simple formula that will maximize a negotiator’s outcomes. However, by using a systematic framework for understanding how to conceptualize and approach negotiation situations, well-prepared negotiators can create for themselves a substantial advantage over opposing parties, thereby improving their odds of achieving desirable outcomes.

• Become adept and comfortable implementing specific skills in the negotiation process in order to improve your chances of achieving the outcomes you desire.

• Develop confidence in the use of negotiation as a means for resolving conflict in organizations and in other life domains.

Course Format: The best way to learn and internalize negotiation skills is to negotiate in a setting where insight is offered, feedback is plentiful, personal reflection is encouraged, and careful analysis is required. Therefore, my course is highly experiential and is built around a series of negotiation exercises (simulations that you will conduct) and debriefs (analytical discussions following each negotiation). We will be negotiating in virtually every class. The number and type of issues on the table, as well as the parties at the table, will vary. Negotiation roles will be randomly assigned with the goal of maximizing interactions among classmates, tapping the natural cultural diversity of students. Negotiations will become increasingly complex, building on and reinforcing concepts. Please note that most of these exercises will be provided via iDecisionGames.com, which you need to register for by the first day of class.

MOR 570—Leading Effective Teams

Spring 2021, Wednesday, 3:30-6:20pm Location: JKP 112 Professor: Chris G. Bresnahan, Ph.D. Office: HOH 417 Office Phone: 213 740-0175 Office Hours: Monday @ five. Send an email to request a mutually beneficial time if this does not work. E-mail: cbresnah@marshall.usc.edu

Course Description Leading Effective Teams addresses the increasing use of teams in the workplace. This course utilizes analytical and behavioral tools that will enable students to effectively diagnose complex work group dynamics and take action to improve group performance. Learning Objectives This course will focus on the knowledge and skills necessary to build and lead high performing teams. Upon completion of this course each students should be able to:

• Be proactive and contributive as a team member. • Understand and apply concepts of effective team leadership. • Understand appropriate steps for managing team meetings and group processes. • Identify, diagnose team behaviors and take appropriate actions for improving the team

performance. • Identify, diagnose, and evaluate both high performing teams and poor performing teams.

• Course Notes • The class will include lectures, class discussions, class activities, presentations and

assignments outside of class. • The course is developed through a progressive series of readings, activities and

simulations which will require preparation in advance outside of class. Some of these activities will involve meeting as a team to prepare for class activities and for the team project. Teams will be formed early in the semester and continue through the term.

Grading Policies •

1. Participation and Contribution (15% of your grade) 2. Self – Assessments and Personal Development (10% of your grade) 3. First Team Paper (20% of your grade) 4. Second Team Paper (20% of your grade) 5. Analysis of another team in the class (10% of your grade). 6. Team Projects and Presentations (20% of your grade. Includes professor and

class evaluations). 7. Peer Evaluations (5 percent of your grade).

MOR-571: LEADERSHIP AND EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT Spring 2021 Wednesday, 6:30-9:30 (Draft)

Professor Chris Bresnahan

ABOUT THE COURSE

Why are you taking this course? Are you currently in a leadership role and want to get better at it? Are you considering moving into a leadership (management) role and want to understand what you are getting into? Have you become cynical as a result of experiences in poorly led organizations and perhaps determined not to become that kind of leader yourself? If so, you are in the right place. While the word “Leadership” has a magical ring to it, as if it is a remarkable gift bestowed on a special few, many years of research suggest otherwise. Most of the skills required for effective leadership can be learned. Unfortunately there is no secret formula, one best way, or simple solution to either leadership effectiveness or leadership failure. Finding your own path to success in a leadership role requires that you understand the challenges that leaders face, the various ways these challenges might be approached, and how you can acquire the skills you need meet them effectively. That’s what this course is about. Extensive research suggests that the central challenge of leadership is creating a context for other people to be successful in achieving the organization’s mission. Meeting this challenge depends on how leaders face five primary demands that are present in all leadership roles:

• setting and communicating direction, • aligning people behind the direction, • developing the temperament to handle the stress, ambiguity, and conflicts inherent in the job, • setting and living values, • and growth of self and others.

These five demands are the organizing principle for this course. We will examine each of them using cases, articles, video, lecture, discussion, interviews, and guest speakers. My expectation is that you will leave this course not a better leader, but with an understanding of what it will take to become a better leader. Before you commit to taking the course, please consider the following. You will need to keep up with developments and be prepared to go with the flow. Because the course is highly interactive, your level of engagement will determine a third of your grade. You need to be willing to share with your classmates aspects of your background, career experiences, and strengths and weaknesses, and be a receptive and trustworthy listener when your classmates share theirs. And, because MOR-571 is designed like an executive development program and each session is a module devoted to a specific content area, there is a premium on showing up, being prepared, and fully engaging with the class, guests, issues, and me. If you are unwilling or unable to accept these conditions, I ask that you not take the course.

EXPECTATIONS AND EVALUATION

During class please put cell phones on stun, and turn off laptops, Blackberries, blueberries, iPhones, things that beep, iPods, and any other distractions!

Grading will be based on three components: how actively you engage the course, a team project at the mid-term, and a final case analysis.

MOR 571, Page 2 of 2

1. ENGAGEMENT (1/3):

• Showing up Have you attended class regularly, arrived on time ready to work, stayed to the end, and appeared to be with us in both body and spirit? Attendance will be taken very seriously. As is done in the EMBA program, a sign-in sheet will be passed around in every class (please note, it is an honor violation to sign in for another student!) Attendance is especially critical on November 17 (for sharing of life maps), and will count heavily that day, so plan accordingly.

• Contribution to the class Have you been a part of creating a constructive and lively classroom atmosphere? Have you added to the conversation by contributing your ideas, building on the ideas of others, and constructively challenging assumptions? Is it clear from your comments that you have read and understood the material? Did you ask thoughtful questions of our guests and take advantage of your time with them?

• The opposite behaviors, or distracting the class by grandstanding, repetition, talking for its own sake, etc., will count against you.

• Contribution to the team Have you contributed fully to the team assignment (as reflected in a peer rating)?

Were you a good listener and respectful colleague in the small group discussions?

• Have you done the assignments along the way and turned them in on time and in acceptable form? Deadlines will be specified in the course syllabus.

2. MID-TERM TEAM PROJECT: The purpose of the mid-term paper is to develop your ideas about some aspect of leadership important to you and your team. After identifying a leadership topic of interest, the team should develop a common interview format based on concepts from the course, your personal experience, and your personal interests. Each member of your team should select at least one effective leader to interview. Teams of less than five members still need to conduct a minimum of five interviews. After the interviews are completed, the team should write a paper of no more than 5 double-spaced pages that a) identifies the major themes from the interviews, b) integrates the results around those themes, and c) draws some conclusions about leadership. A (no more than) one-page synopsis of each interview should be attached to the paper. I will provide some additional guidance in class. A team ideally consists of five members, but in no case fewer than four or more than six. There will be a deadline for team creation. Keep in mind that more diverse teams usually do better on these papers.

3. FINAL PAPER: The final in this course will be a case analysis. The case materials will be distributed in class at the end of the term and you will have one week to complete your analysis (so plan accordingly). This paper should draw on material from the entire course.

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MOR 579: The Business of Sports

Spring 2021 DRAFT!

Thursday, 6:30-9:30pm, JFF 328 Professor David Carter

This course offers a unique perspective about the business of sport by exposing students to specific managerial challenges and issues facing industry leaders. It does so by blending assigned readings, current developments in the sports-business industry, and guest speakers. In order to address the flow of funds in the sports industry, the course examines the five most critical entities influencing the business of sport: Professional sports franchises and leagues; amateur athletics, including collegiate sports and the Olympics; corporate America; the media; and the public sector. This examination of the flow of funds requires close consideration of numerous industry stakeholders, ranging from network television and corporate marketing executives to collegiate athletic department administrators and sports economists. With the domestic sports business industry estimated at $500 billion dollars annually, and the global sports business industry estimated at $1.5 trillion annually, qualified professionals are required to manage this growing industry. This course provides prospective sports management professionals with the insight necessary to establish successful careers in the sports business by applying the knowledge gained from the GSBA core curriculum to this industry. Completing the GSBA core will enable students to examine sports industry accounting methods, its financial and marketing strategies, as well as planning concerns and managerial philosophies. Recommended Preparation: Completion of all GSBA core classes

LEARNING OBJECTIVES After successfully completing this course, students should be able to: 1) Comprehend the process involved in making managerial decisions in the sports management industry; requires knowledge of industry stakeholders as well as understanding of industry terms and concepts; 2) Analyze, evaluate, and critique the strategic decisions of key industry participants; 3) Devise a comprehensive strategy, including realistic recommendations, for an industry participant; and 4) Demonstrate orally and in written form the ability to analyze the sports management industry and provide strategic direction for industry participants.

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GRADING Students will be evaluated and course grades determined in accordance with the GSBA Dean’s standard for graduate elective courses. This standard dictates a maximum grade point average of 3.50. Note: Students are expected to conform to all university policies regarding academic integrity. Indiscretions and/or excuses will not be tolerated. GRADE COMPONENTS (points) 1) Term Project 5 page proposal 50 Written report 150 Oral report 150 350 2) Exams Exam #1 200 Exam #2 200 400 3) Class Participation In-class contribution 125 Attendance 125 250 1000

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MOR-588 CORPORATE STRATEGY AND COMPETITIVE DYNAMICS – DRAFT Professor Arvind Bhambri, Spring 2021 Thursday, 6:30-9:30pm 3 units COURSE DESCRIPTION

Corporations have undergone significant changes in the past few decades. Merger & acquisition booms followed by periods of restructuring and focusing have led to new forms of corporate organization and ongoing debates about the relevant boundaries of the firm. In addition, the success of each of these strategies has been increasingly dependent on the degree to which companies can influence competitive conditions through pre-emptive and other tactics designed to achieve competitive advantage.

This course explores the various modes of corporate development available to managers to drive firm growth and change, including outsourcing, corporate venturing, alliances, and mergers and acquisitions. The objectives include: (1) to arm you with a set of tools to facilitate the selection of the appropriate growth strategy in a given situation; (2) to develop a framework for executing M&As, from initiation to implementation; (3) to develop a comprehensive framework for managing multi-business organizations; and (4) to provide frameworks for evaluating real-time understanding of competitive dynamics through pre-emptive actions, market signals, and other advantage seeking strategies.

The emphasis is on strategic and operational aspects of these frameworks, rather than financial considerations. While we will cover deals from a variety of industries, a number of them are from technology-based sectors. This is not only due to the recent prevalence and continued importance of external growth strategies in these sectors, but also because the fast pace provides early assessments of outcomes and management lessons. As we will see, insights from these settings are generalizable to many other contexts.

We begin by examining the different modes of corporate development, including the applicability and management approaches for each. We then delve into acquisition screening and deal-making. Afterwards, we consider post-merger integration. Finally, we explore different competitive contexts and strategy dynamics including signaling and pre-emption. The course ends with the presentation of project reports.

Pedagogical Approach and Evaluation

This is an applied, case-based course with accompanying readings to help structure your thinking. Discussion questions for the case will be set prior to each session, to enable you to focus your attention. Readings are designed to provide a starting point for analyzing the case, but extension of the ideas is encouraged, as they will be applied in an integrative fashion in the discussions. Given the nature of the course, we will also apply the lessons from the cases to understand the challenges and implications of relevant recent and on-going deals.

Since corporate development, and especially mergers and acquisitions, is a complex phenomenon which we can only discuss in parts, it is important that you evolve your own mental framework throughout the course, linking deal rationale and implementation. A main source of

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failure of deals in practice is that the objectives and execution are not consistent amidst such complicated transactions.

Evaluation in the course is based on class participation and a group project (described below), in the following proportion: Class Participation 10% Project 35%

Mid-term 20% Final exam 35%

Since class participation is a crucial component of not only the evaluation but also the learning in the course, it is expected that you are well-prepared for each session. At the beginning of each class, I will ask one person to open the discussion. In general, I will not hesitate to cold call on quiet individuals! Unexcused absences and tardiness will adversely affect class participation marks. A maximum of three excused absences will be accepted. Loss of the opportunity for class participation during excused absences may be partially made up for by submitting a written response to the discussion questions of the day.

MOR 599 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Business Three units – Tuesdays, 3:30-6:20pm – JKP 110

Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D. Provost Professor, Management and Organization Department Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership Verna and Peter Dauterive Hall, Suite 214 -- sharper@usc.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Despite written statements of values and commitment, occasional trainings, the existence of affinity groups for diverse employees, cultural food festivals, and other efforts, many corporations and organizations fall short in enacting their espoused commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Also, women, people of color, and LGBT employees are severely underrepresented in executive leadership roles at most companies; they tend to experience corporate environments in ways that undermine their performance, sense of belonging, retention, and advancement. Moreover, executives often lack the skills required to lead organizations that employ and serve racially and ethnically diverse clients in the U.S. and abroad; few know what to do when racial and gender crises erupt in their companies. This is attributable, at least in part, to a lack of prior preparation in solving EDI-related problems. Hence, this course aims to expose future leaders to real-life, real-time EDI challenges in business. In this course, students learn through ‘live’ cases from a range of actual companies. Each week, a new case is solicited from a business executive – cases reflect various aspects of real EDI problems with which these leaders and their colleagues are currently grappling. Students work in teams to collaboratively research and propose sensible solutions to 10 live cases throughout the semester. Executives join the course via videoconference each week to offer feedback on the strengths, weaknesses, feasibility, and usefulness of each team’s proposed solution to the case for that week.

Students are expected to thoughtfully engage each case; participate responsibly in the weekly proposal development, submission, and presentation processes; and exhibit high levels of professionalism and intellectual maturity in interactions with executives who visit the course via videoconference each week. Additionally, students are expected to use and frequently check their USC Marshall e-mail accounts and regularly use Blackboard as a resource for accessing/sharing course documents and engaging in out-of-class learning with teammates.

Assignment Points % of Grade 10 Live Case Submissions+ 5 per submission 50 Class Participation 10 10 EDI Values Script and Digital Recording 30 30 Final Assignment 10 10

Total 100 100

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USC Marshall School of Business

MOR 599: Technology Innovation Strategy Spring 2021

Monday, 6:30-9:30pm.; 3 units

Instructor: Florenta Teodoridis Office: Hoffman Hall 520 Office Hours: By appointment

NOTE: Email is the best way to contact me. I check it regularly. Phone: 213-821-0852 Email: florenta.teodoridis@marshall.usc.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION The course draws from studies of technical change to provide a set of tools to craft a technology strategy as an integral part of business strategy. For businesses, making decisions about responding to a new technology developed by someone else or about introducing a new technology is integral to strategizing on how to compete in the marketplace. The courses follows a two-step approach. First, it focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and automation as examples of new technologies that currently generate hype in the marketplace, are on the radar of business leaders and are expected to shape technology strategy in the future. Second, the assigned readings are based on theoretical studies and historical examples that facilitate deriving general-purpose principles which are then used in the context of AI and automation to discuss how they shape the technology strategy of forward-looking companies. All modern businesses need a technology strategy. Technology and innovation are pervasive in today’s business world. As a result, it is likely that, regardless of your chosen path, you will encounter situations where decisions about involvement with technology and innovation need to be made. Formulating a technology strategy implies well-thought-out plans on how to use technology to gain a competitive advantage and meet organizational goals in the long-run. Thus, the goal of this course is to provide those interested in managing organizations (including consultants) with a set of tools that can sharpen your ability to:

• Best prepare for and respond to waves of technological change that affect the behavior of competitors and customers;

• Best exploit waves of technical change to gain or maintain competitive advantage; • Evaluate which technologies to invest in and how to time those investments.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Learn to evaluate the expected evolution trajectory of new technological waves. We will build these skills through class discussion, reading assignments, classroom exercises, individual assignments, and a team project.

mailto:florenta.teodoridis@marshall.usc.edu

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2. Learn to evaluate the potential impact of new technological waves. We will build these skills through class discussion, reading assignments, classroom exercises, individual assignments, and a team project.

3. Learn to align an organization’s goals to benefit from or sustain technological change. We will build these skills through class discussion, reading assignments, classroom exercises, individual assignments, and a team project.

4. Learn to discern the implications of getting engaged in technological innovation relative to being

solely a technology consumer. We will build these skills through class discussion, reading assignments, classroom exercises, individual assignments, and a team project.

Let me dispel some myths: this course is not technical and hence will not turn a business student into a savvy engineer. Also, you should not expect to leave this course with a cook-book prescription for crafting a technology strategy. If anything, it will be obvious by the end that there are no simple recipes for strategic success in technology-intensive settings.

GRADING

Assignments Points % of Overall Grade Class Participation 15 15% Individual assignment 1 15 15% Individual assignment 2 15 15% Team project written report 20 20% Team project oral discussion 10 10% Final individual assignment 25 25% TOTAL 100 100%

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