Introduction
Please note that this is a preliminary course description. The final version will be published in June 2026.
Unbridled advances in technology and connectedness have transformed the relationship between companies, customers, and competitors. With this transformation, the lines between business relationships, social connections, and competitive advantage are increasingly connected to one another. Thus, companies across all industries and size classes—from established industry giants to high-growth companies in new technology areas—require the skills and knowledge to strategically harness the power of “the crowd and AI”. This course addresses the distinct challenges and opportunities posed by the confluence of digital community, powerful and expanding data gathering and analytics, and the intertwining of technological change and business models.
Meanwhile, the world is experiencing ever-increasing sustainability problems –e.g., wealth inequality, gender gaps and climate change etc. These sustainability issues have heightened the demands for capitalism to take account of its various stakeholders –e.g., investors, customers, regulators, and employees etc. As a result, stakeholders no longer accept firms if they focus solely on profit maximization. Instead, ESG-oriented practices become increasingly critical for a firm and ultimately the world to thrive. This course explores the nature of the sustainability issues and difficulties inherent in ESG practices.
The course will introduce students to theories underlying the emergent disruptive technologies. Through in-class discussions and term paper writings, students will become knowledgeable about the widespread impact of big data, machine learning, identify the strategic value of crowd-based models of innovation and product development, and grasp necessary capabilities to address sustainability challenges.