Business and Climate Change

See syllabus.

• Instructor: Gernot Wagner
  Wikipedia Info
• 1.5 points

Management Consulting Lab

This full-semester, lab course and strengthens your consulting, problem solving, and communication skills through work on a semester-long project with a company that is based in Africa. Students will work with companies that are enrolled in the Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness Africa. Known as EC-Africa, this program is offered by CBS Executive Education and equips African entrepreneurs with the skills, tools, and contacts to professionalize and grow their businesses in today’s global environment. Each company enrolls a team of two or three senior staff — CEO, founder, managing director, CFO, COO, or other leaders. The companies are all looking to scale. Each company is unique in industry and size, and typically ranges from $1M to $15M in annual revenue, and 10 to 500 employees. To learn more about the EC-America program and the enrolled companies, check out the EC-Africa website (https://business.columbia.edu/ecp)
The class is valuable not only for students who are going to work in management consulting after their MBA, but for everybody who wants to apply their learning from the MBA to the benefit of a company as well as those who want to sharpen their entrepreneurial skills. Through MCL, companies get access to CBS MBA students to work on a critical project. In return, MBA students experience a structured approach to learn 1) rigorous problem solving and project management skills, 2) client interactions, and 3) application of knowledge and skills learned in their coursework. The structure of the MCL course is very different than a normal class. The class is almost entirely project-based, and students are grouped into teams of three depending on their expertise.

The projects with companies from EC Africa, will also provide insights into opportunities and challenges for firms in Africa. Africa is the world’s second-fastest growing region – after emerging Asia – according to the African Development Bank Report. 1.3 billion people live in Africa and according to the United Nations, the population is expected to increase to 2.5 billion by 2050. The working-class population in Africa is growing by 2.7 percent each year (compared to 1.3 percent in Latin America and 1.2 percent in Southeast Asia). McKinsey projects that by 2025 two-thirds of the estimated 303 million African households will have discretionary income and consumer spending will reach $2.1 trillion.1 Not surprisingly, many firms and investors are viewing Africa as having tremendous of potential – but there are also uniq

• W 6 p.m.-9:15 p.m.
• Instructor: Joe Timko
  Info
• 3 points

Business and Climate Change

Climate science informs us that global emissions of greenhouse gas emissions must be rapidly and dramatically reduced if humanity is to avoid catastrophic climate change. After three centuries of rising emissions, the entire global economy must now decarbonize in the coming three decades. Fortunately, most of the technologies and investment capital necessary to reduce and eventually eliminate emissions exist or are in development, but the urgency to implement those solutions is critical.
This course provides an overview of climate change, its effects on business, and how businesses can (and should) respond. The course covers emissions sources and their impact on climate change, followed by an exploration of the policy landscape, including current legislation, carbon markets, and climate justice. The course then evaluates current and evolving mitigation technologies, reviews the tools of climate finance, and considers strategies for reducing emissions to net zero. Finally, the course introduces the role of businesses in addressing climate change, including net-zero goals, actions they can take to mitigate their impact, and the perspectives of shareholders.
Throughout the course, the business case for climate action is emphasized, highlighting the economic benefits of taking action to address climate change.

• R 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• T 2:20 p.m.-5:35 p.m.
• M 9 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• Instructor: Bruce M Usher
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• Instructor: Parinitha R Sastry
  Info
• Instructor: Gernot Wagner
  Wikipedia Info
• 1.5 points

Global Immersion: Doing Busine

Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, was a crossroads of many civilizations from its indigenous Berber population to the Phoenicians who founded Carthage in 814 BC, to the Romans who destroyed Carthage in 146 BC after three Punic wars, to the Arabs introducing Islam and Arabic in the 7th century, to the Turkish Ottomans who ruled Tunisia from 1574 to 1881, and more recently to the French who occupied Tunisia from 1881 to 1956. This melting pot of more than 3000-year history is what distinguishes Tunisia from other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Because of its free trade agreements with Europe and several countries in Africa and the Middle East, Tunisia can potentially become a gateway to a market of more than a billion people. As Tunisia is still going through profound political changes following the initial upheaval of the Arab Spring in 2011, there are many questions that await. Will it be able to create a business environment that is attractive to investors? If so, what investment opportunities exist in Tunisia? What are the risks involved and the future challenges? And, how best to enter such a market? The course will explore these questions with a focus on the entrepreneurship ecosystem and doing business in Tunisia. The course project involves working closely with start-ups from the region. The project provides a truly immersive, multicultural experience where students will partner, mentor, coach, and interact with young entrepreneurs, both online and offline.
Travel to Tunis will take place prior to the class meetings, January 14-20, 2024. A predeparture meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 5th, 12:30-2:00pm to prepare students for the pre-travel assignment and week of travel. For this course, the add/drop period will close on December 15th to allow for travel bookings to be finalized. No program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Students who require a visa to visit Tunisia will be assisted with this application given the tight timeframe so long as materials are received by the deadline; passports must have 6 months of validity beyond the travel date to apply for a visa. Students will need to submit requested visa backup materials to Chazen by December 5th. Citizens of the US, Canada and many European countries may travel without a visa; the full list of those who do not need visas can be found here https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a830dfd692ebe2c2963c329/t/5a985c6c9140b714127792f0/1519934573636/Visa%2BFor%2BTunisia_.pdf. Reach out t

• W 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• Instructor: Kamel Jedidi
  Info
• 3 points

Global Immersion Program: Nordic Family

This course provides an opportunity to learn about family enterprise, the predominant form of business worldwide, along with stakeholdership, sustainability, and innovation, through theory and practice that goes far beyond a typical class experience. Students will delve into the driving forces behind these timely issues, with specific focus on the Nordic region as a leader in each area. After a series of classroom sessions in NYC, students will travel to Sweden and Denmark, countries that are not only major players in the Nordics but also vibrant economies, innovative business environments, leaders in social enterprise, and consistent (positive) outliers on global "happiness" ratings. Other unique regional issues include current challenges caused by immigration shifts, transition from the Nordic model, and strong governance norms. English language fluency and relative openness and transparency about family and business provide an open window into personal experience and insights not always available elsewhere. Through site visits with principals, business executives, and experts at start-ups, foundations, and family businesses, students will have a chance to ask questions and compare notes on doing business, being family, and leading innovation with a sustainable focus in another part of the world. There is no better way to learn about family enterprise innovative business models than at the source. The trip will also provide an opportunity for students to travel with their peers and exchange ideas about the cross-cultural experience as it is happening. This help students re-consider their perspectives upon returning home. For this course, the Nordic region is defined as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway. There will be six 90-minute sessions on campus during the A term, followed by a weeklong trip March 10 - 16, 2024, and a de-brief session after the trip on March 29th. Course objectives are: • Increase understanding of the global role and importance of family enterprises through in-depth focus on the Nordic region. • Experience "behind the scenes" looks and engage in open discussions with family principals, owners and next generation members • Learn about cutting edge innovation and sustainable social enterprise, including in the family office context. •Explore stakeholdership in the region that was at the forefront of developing this vision of business. • Provide point of comparison to cultures in which students live and work. • Examine aspects of ownership and governance, including the N

• T 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• Instructor: Patricia M Angus
  Info
• 3 points

Global Immersion: Culture, Politics and

This Global Immersion course provides students with knowledge, insights, and experiences with respect to Israel. The course's in-class meetings and its one week visit to Israel will cover such topics as Israel's leadership, politics, economics, business innovation, geography, and culture. Students will gain an understanding of Israel's unique circumstances and achievements, ethnic and religious diversity, challenges, and opportunities. Students will learn through the combination of academic learnings, class presenters, visits with government and business leaders, and on-the-ground experiences with Israeli businesses, cultural and historical sites. Students will present their related analyses after returning from the course's Israel trip.
This Global Immersion course begins with six two-hour sessions, followed by a one-week study trip to Israel (March 11-18), and concludes with a wrap up session on March 28. The course's pedagogy combines current examples, presentations, guest visits by leaders from business, government, and the media.
Global Immersion Program classes bridge classroom lessons and business practices in another country. These three credit classes meet for half a term in New York prior to a one week visit to the country of focus where students will meet with business executives and government officials while working on team projects. The course spans BOTH the A and B terms (with final class session on March 28).
The GIP fee of $1950 provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals It does not cover roundtrip international airfare.
Attendance both in New York and in-country and regular participation are a crucial part of the learning experience and as such attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences are highly frowned upon and will have negative consequences on class grade, and students who have expected conflicts should not apply for this course. Students who miss the first class meeting may be removed from the course.
No program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Please visit the Chazen Institute website to learn more about the Global Immersion Program, and visit the Global Immersion Policies page to review policies affecting these courses.

• T 2:20 p.m.-5:35 p.m.
• Instructor: Assaf Zeevi
  h-index: 40 Info
• 3 points

Global Immersion: Lessons from Rwanda on

Global Immersion: Rwanda

Parts of Africa are now some of the most exciting regions of the world for business. A growing number of African countries have achieved steady, high growth rates during the last few decades. A wide range of sectors in these “lion” economies – commodities, tourism, agribusiness, eCommerce, oil and gas, retail, etc. – are buzzing with activity and attention from foreign investors and multinationals.
But how can companies and investors enter and operate efficiently in African countries? What challenges characterize the private sector in Africa, how do they vary with context, and what strategies can firms and organizations adopt to overcome them? Where can new MBAs interested in Africa add the most value?
Rwanda is a wonderful country to explore and address these questions. In 1994, Rwanda suffered a brutal genocide in which nearly 1 million people were killed in a 3-month period. In the years since the genocide, the country has rebuilt with remarkable results. Rwanda is now one of the safest countries in Africa. Rwandans now live side by side in peace, the country’s economy continues to grow rapidly, and Rwanda has made great strides in reducing poverty and increasing entrepreneurship, education, and access to health care. Further, the country has been praised for its handling of the COVID pandemic. Armed with frameworks and analytical tools from management and economics, we will meet with executives in Rwanda to understand the leadership practices, processes, and structures that have led to Rwanda’s remarkable recovery, reconciliation, current peace, and economic growth.
About the Global Immersion Program
Global Immersion Program classes bridge classroom lessons and business practices in another country. These three credit classes meet for half a term in New York prior to a one week visit to the country of focus where students will meet with business executives and government officials while working on team projects. Upon return from the travel portion of the class, students may have one wrap up meeting at Columbia Business School. The 2023-2024 Global Immersion Program fee for most classes is $1950 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals; unless an increased fee is otherwise specified in the course description. It does not cover round-trip international airfare. Attendance both in New York and in-country and regular participation are a crucial part of the learning experience and as such attendance is mandatory. Stud

• FT 10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
• Instructor: Modupe Akinola
  Wikipedia h-index: 19 Info
• 3 points

Global Immersion: Philippines:

The Philippines is Asia’s rising tiger. It is among the world’s fastest-growing economies with average annual growth of 6 to 7% per year. After a dip in GDP growth during 2020 due to Covid, the economic growth rebounded to 7.6% during 2022. Average annual GDP per person has risen dramatically over the past two decades, from below US$ 1,000 per person in 2000 to US$ 3,500 by 2022. Philippines is on track to become one-trillion dollar economy by 2033. The central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, is well managed and follows a sound monetary policy. The long-term prospect for the country is contingent upon improvement in governance, reducing income inequality, tackling corruption and a better regulatory environment. After losing its way for the past few decades, Philippines seems to be on the right path. We will develop a strong foundation in understanding Philippines’ history, economy, industry and competitive position, before we visit the country. The Global Immersion Program is structured to create this depth through readings and classroom discussion.
This course will travel to the Philippines March 9-16, 2024. We will spend March 9-14 in Manila, the Philippine’s business hub and March 14-16 in Boracay, one of the world’s best islands. Global Immersion Program classes bridge classroom lessons and business practices in another country. These three credit classes meet for half a term in New York prior to a one week visit to the country of focus where students will meet with business executives and government officials while working on team projects. Upon return from the travel portion of the class, students will have one wrap up meeting at Columbia Business School. The 2023-2024 Global Immersion Program fee for most classes is $1950 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals; unless an increased fee is otherwise specified in the course description. It does not cover roundtrip international airfare. Attendance both in New York and in-country and regular participation are a crucial part of the learning experience and as such attendance is mandatory. Students who miss the first class meeting may be removed from the course. No program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Please visit the Chazen Institute website to learn more about the Global Immersion Program, and visit the Global Immersion Policies page to review policies affecting these courses.

• M 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• Instructor: Medini Singh
  Info
• 3 points

Global Immersion South Africa:

In the short span of three decades, South Africa has transformed itself into a consequential economic and political power, with membership in the G20 and BRICS, and a dynamically evolving business ecosystem. This forward-looking course will consider the opportunities created by South Africa’s multiple identities, the lingering implications of its particular history, its current challenges, and its position at the intersection of advanced and emerging global markets.
Through a combination of lectures, guest speakers, group projects, and site visits, students will have the opportunity to develop an intimate understanding of South Africa’s business environment and to extract insights and lessons on creating impact in a range of economic landscapes. The course will delve into crucial issues that include South Africa’s ongoing post-apartheid transformation, the role of natural resources in South Africa’s past and future, developments in the country’s burgeoning new-economy sectors, prospects for innovation and entrepreneurship, and the possibilities created by ever-greater integration with the rest of the African continent. With a focus on climate change, sustainable development, and social responsibility, this course will also look at how South African business has made tangible progress in grappling with this combination of triple-bottom-line imperatives. We will meet with a diverse collection of business, labour, government, and community leaders from a wide range of sectors, industries, and organizations. Meetings will include multinationals that have adapted themselves to South Africa’s specificities and home-grown businesses that are taking South Africa to the world. We will also enjoy some of the rich cultural diversity of this textured, multilingual, multi-ethnic society. The class will travel to Johannesburg and Cape Town during March 9–16, 2024.
Faculty
The course will be led and facilitated by Brett House, a Professor of Professional Practice in the Economics Division at Columbia Business School. In 1994, Prof. House taught economics at the University of Cape Town and worked with the University’s Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) and the South African Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU). Also that year, Prof. House was a voter educator and election monitor with the Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (IDASA) during South Africa’s first elections under universal suffrage, which brought the ANC and President Nelson Mandela to power. Since then and

• R 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• Instructor: Brett House
  Info
• 3 points

Global Immersion: Africa's Consumer Mark

Global Immersion: Ghana

Africa’s consumer market has large potentials. Africa is the world’s second-fastest growing region – after emerging Asia according to the African Development Bank Report. About half of the growth of the continent’s GDP growth is due to consumer-facing industries. 1.3 billion people live in Africa and according to the United Nations, the population is expected to increase to 2.5 billion by 2050. The working-class population in Africa is growing by 2.7 percent each year (compared to 1.3 percent in Latin America and 1.2 percent in Southeast Asia). McKinsey projects that by 2025 two-thirds of the estimated 303 million African households will have discretionary income and consumer spending will reach $2.1 trillion. Not surprisingly, many firms and investors are trying to tap into Africa’s consumer market.
This course aims to train students’ global intelligence, i.e. their understanding of specific cultural aspects of different consumer markets by analyzing the potential and challenges of Africa’s consumer markets – using Ghana as a case study. A West African country with 29 million inhabitants, Ghana was one of the fastest growing countries in the world with 8.1 percent GDP growth in 2017. Unfortunately, the economic outlook is less stellar now, but hopefully the country is getting back on track. Ghana is considered one of the safest and most stable countries in sub-Sahara Africa and the country shares similar demographic and consumer characteristics with its neighbors: About half of income earners are young (between 16 and 34 years old) and aware and eager to try new products.
The students will work in groups on a project with an organization in Ghana that is consumer facing. Through work with the Ghana partner firm and interviews with consumers in Ghana, the students should develop ideas that can be turned into feasible solutions for the Ghana partner firms. The firms in Ghana will come from different industries ranging from a beverage producer to a tech platform facilitating the hiring of African coders. The projects are time-consuming, and students are expected to spend a significant amount of time in NY working on those projects. In-country, students will spend about 2-3 days working in Ghana with the partner firm and prepare a presentation to the leadership of those companies. As a return on their hard work, students will get a truly multicultural immersion experience in Africa working on a project.
The course aims at familiarizing students with interview-based customer

• T 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• Instructor: Stephan Meier
  h-index: 33 Info
• 3 points

Global Immersion: Foundations of VC in J

Global Immersion: FVC in

Learning Objectives:
(1) To understand and experience the process of investing in early stage startups and how that differs between the US and Japan
(a) Sourcing deals from the startup ecosystem
(b) Conducting diligence
(c) Valuing startups
(d) Negotiating term sheets (financial and governance terms)
(e) Managing a portfolio post investment
(2) To understand the investing landscape: players and resources
(3) To understand the structural differences between venture capital and angel investing.
This course covers many of the same topics as Foundations of VC and therefore students will not be able to take them both for credit. The course will travel during spring break March 9-16, 2024 to Tokyo, Japan.

Global Immersion Program classes bridge classroom lessons and business practices in another country. These three credit classes meet for half a term in New York prior to a one week visit to the country of focus where students will meet with business executives and government officials while working on team projects. Upon return from the travel portion of the class, students may have one wrap up meeting at Columbia Business School. The 2023-2024 Global Immersion Program fee for all classes is $1950 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals; unless an increased fee is otherwise specified in the course description. It does not cover roundtrip international airfare. Attendance both in New York and in country and regular participation are a crucial part of the learning experience and as such attendance is mandatory. Students who miss the first class meeting may be removed from the course. No program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Please visit the Chazen Institute website to learn more about the Global Immersion Program, and visit the Global Immersion Policies page to review policies affecting these courses.

• T 2:20 p.m.-3:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Angela W Lee
  Info
• 3 points

Business and Society

Business School offers important windows into the functions of business and into ways of conceptualizing challenges and opportunities. It also offers valuable cross-cutting tools for analysis, decisions, and leadership. But there’s more…: Very successful and admired business leaders think even more fundamentally and broadly about the economic, political, and social context of business decision making. They understand that the ‘corporation’ is a legal and social construct, not just an economic construct. Support for business corporations has not been and is not absolute and requires business leaders to examine the role of their business and business generally in the broader society — business and society. In contemporary language, what is the ‘purpose’ of business? For whom should the corporation be run? Answers to these questions and others shape business, business careers, and attitudes toward business.
Addressing such cross-cutting questions requires that we examine the business corporation and its role in society through multiple perspectives. In particular, we will study business and society through the lenses of the evolving business organization,
finance and investors, employees, corporate governance, privacy and big data, social movements, social justice, and climate change. To accomplish these views, we will draw on leading CBS faculty and their ideas. In each case, we will complement these ideas with the
experience of leading business practitioners as teaching partners. The introductory and closing sessions will feature longer conversations with a business leader on the role of business in society. Conducting the course in this way brings both ‘business and society’
and Columbia Business School’s ‘ideas, talent, and network’ to center stage.
You will also be co-creating this course with the teaching team. Your presence, preparation, and participation are vital to a successful class experience. The syllabus presents questions and readings to get you ready for our class discussion and analysis.
All of us on the teaching team look forward to working with you!

• W 2:20 p.m.-5:35 p.m.
• Instructor: R. Glenn Hubbard
  Wikipedia Info
• 1.5 points

(PHD) Research

• 0 points

MS INTERNSHIP

• Instructor: Elizabeth Elam
  Info
• 1.5 points

MS ACCOUNTING INTERNSHIP

• 1.5 points

PHD INTERNSHIP

• 1.5 points