Meet your personal development needs as well as the strategic needs of your organisation. Select between six and eight from 65+ electives across a range of formats in your second and third term. Study alongside students from across our programmes, interchange ideas and develop your network.
Add value to your organisation with our business project elective. Test the feasibility of a new venture on the Entrepreneurship Summer School. Demonstrate your ability to understand key challenges and implement tangible business solutions.
Economics
Competition policy, industrial economics and economic integration.
The objective of this course is to expose business students to applications of machine learning tools in business and finance. The course covers some of the most commonly used machine learning algorithms ranging from ridge and lasso and deep neural network for regression and classification problem to clustering and principal component dimensionality reduction. The course will end with a look at more advanced techniques commonly employed for specific tasks in economics and finance. The approach of the course is profoundly practical. For each algorithm we provide the essential theoretical intuition, most of the focus is on the practical implementation of these learning techniques. We will be using Python. No knowledge of Python is required. Students will work on the Python implementation of the various machine learning techniques to real-world data and applications in the second part of each class.
The aim of the course is to give a balanced evaluation of the opportunities and pitfalls for businesses in the main emerging markets of Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, South and East Asia, Middle East, and Africa. A detailed framework will be provided within which to evaluate the risks and gains from doing business in a wide variety of emerging markets, particularly the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies.
This course deals with the international financial environment in a globalised economy. It will provide tools for assessing the impact of economic policy shocks and financial disturbances on financial markets, exchange rates, and capital flows. The course is suitable for anyone seeking further understanding of the international macroeconomy, whose importance the recent crisis has revealed. It will be especially relevant for careers in investment analysis, asset management, hedge funds, capital markets, corporate finance, and the finance/treasury function of corporates. GCMC gives the global macroeconomic context for international financing decisions.
Digital networks shape our society and businesses by determining:o the information we access, o the people we interact with, o the products and services we access. But: o How do networks form, and what are their properties? o What is the impact of network homophily on how information diffuses and opinion forms? o How can we ``manipulate" digital connections to make our product or idea go viral? o How should we measure financial contagion, or more generally, systemic risk in an interconnected system? o How can we measure segregation in society and what is the effect of segregation on social mobility and inequality? This elective will equip you with the tools to better navigate in the real world where digital networks are more and more pervasive. Content and delivery: Made-to-measure teaching notes, scenario-based simulations & Class experiments.
This is a course in game theory and its application to business strategy. It offers an introduction to a selection of the methods and results of modern game theory. Special emphasis is placed on the practical applications of these tools. Many (if not all) business decisions depend upon the actions taken by others in the marketplace, either at the same time or in the future. Such decisions include optimal pricing rules, supply decisions, innovating, and capacity choices. When making a choice in these settings, a business faces a classic interactive decision-making problem: its best move depends on the likely moves of others. To anticipate these moves it must empathetically "walk in the shoes of others" so that it can assess what they might do.
In the past, the field of finance developed a successful paradigm based on the assumption that investors and managers are rational and that the market is efficient. Anecdotal evidence and research means we now know that this paradigm is insufficient to describe real financial markets. This course adds institutional, social, cognitive, and emotional biases into an analysis of financial market phenomena
The Project and Infrastructure Finance course focuses on the application of techniques and principles to structure, value and finance large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects. The course describes the many ways in which project finance techniques can be used to redistribute and mitigate the risks typically found in these complex projects. Students will work through a series of case studies to apply project finance techniques to real-life projects such as Public-Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure concessions and commodity development opportunities
There are some $90 trillion dollars of professionally managed assets globally. Where does the money come from? Where does it go? What factors shape how it is managed? Together we take a tour of the world of investment management. We look at the investment challenge through the eyes of the principal actors on the global money management stage - and the current trends shaping the industry in which they work. After 5 days you will be better prepared for a career in investment or one in which investors are your clients. Please note: this course is not a masterclass in how to invest; it is a unique look at how and why investors invest the way they do and the investment industry in which they operate. The block week runs dawn to dusk. It features a parade of practitioners. The level of assignments is not particularly difficult - but the pace and continuous participation required is demanding. Do not take this course unless you can devote the entire week to it
This course covers the emerging field of business analytics (BA) or data mining and expands and develops the students' analytical tool kit in analyzing massive data sets. Using case studies and hands-on data sets, students will learn advanced data query techniques, data cleaning and organization, explore various machine learning techniques including supervised and unsupervised classification schemes, text classification, clustering techniques as well as predictive analytics. Students will gain hands-on experience with a variety of software tools, including Tableau and XLMiner.
This elective focusses on the business of sport and entertainment. The aim is to develop understanding and skills in the strategic, operational and marketing management of these two related and converging sectors. It is designed to foster strategic and operational thinking in a rapidly professionalizing area and one that is key to future economic growth.
To meet the challenges of the globalised and rapidly changing business environment, companies are increasingly adopting flat, flexible and matrix-oriented organisation structures in which work is structured around cross-functional business processes and projects. The success of such companies crucially depends on effective project management. The key dimensions of projects are people, time, costs, and resources. This course introduces methodologies and practical tools that facilitate and support the management of these dimensions, throughout the project design, planning and implementation phases.
The modern economy is characterized by reduced legal and technological obstacles to global trading. As a result, the success of modern enterprises is increasingly driven not only by their products, people and internal processes, but also by the performance of their supply chain as a whole. In this context, the goal of this course is twofold:
Advanced Marketing Strategy is concerned with how firms target, acquire, retain, and grow customers to achieve sustainable growth and profits. With our focus on marketing at the strategic level, less attention is given to the specific tactical decisions made by marketers to implement particular strategies. Each session covers a topic that is of importance to marketers and senior management. The first part of the course focuses on a customer-centric approach to marketing strategy. We examine how to identify, create, sustain, and leverage customer value to create value for the firm. In other words, we place the organisation's capabilities at the service of customers and not the other way around. We then discuss the Marketing function within the broader context of the firm, particularly as it relates to globalisation and to the interface with Sales. Finally, we focus on marketing analytics, emphasizing the manager's role and perspective (rather than that of the analyst).
Behavioural economics is an emerging field that shows most decision makers are not fully rational, and that their behaviour deviates from normative standards in systematic ways. Biases in judgment can lead to decision errors by managers and consumers alike. This also presents an opportunity, however, for managers, consumers and public policy makers because it is possible to change and improve decisions through behavioural interventions. The course will cover the main behavioural theories and develop students' skills to test and implement behavioural interventions through experimentation. Students will work on projects in collaboration with an external organization. Guest speakers applying behavioural concepts in different settings will feature. Because behavioural principles are applied in diverse settings, the course is suitable to a broad audience. The emphasis on biases and how decisions depart from rationality distinguishes this course from other courses on decision making.
Brands articulate a company's strategy, drive its execution, and are often the most valuable asset on (or off) the balance sheet. This course highlights the strategic implications of branding for organizations and delivers a framework and a set of tools for effective brand management. The course offers you the chance to combine theory and practice to understand the most important concepts in building strong brands, maximizing the value of existing brands, and managing a brand portfolio. From a theoretical perspective, the course aims to introduce you to the issues faced by brand stewards and to provide an overall framework and a set of more specific tools to manage these issues, paying special attention to emerging topics in branding. From a practical perspective, the course objective is to show how the principles learned in class apply to real-world problems by making extensive use of examples, cases, and guest speakers.
This course addresses the biggest barrier to creativity in business - the myth that being creative is the rightful preserve of the creatively gifted. It's not. Creativity is a way to solve problems and to think differently about business challenges.
This course addresses the management and marketing of innovation. Design themes underlying the course are: cutting-edge research, decision focus, process-orientation, strategic emphasis, adaptive and dynamic.
Pricing presents managers with one of their most powerful levers for maximizing profits and shareholder value. This value often lies untapped within many organizations, because managers lack a clear understanding of how to improve on historical pricing practices within their companies and industries.
In most modern companies, the Product Manager (PM) plays a central role in bringing products successfully to market and also to manage their on-going life-cycle. S/he is the glue that binds the various functions within the company - including Engineering, Sales, Design, Marketing and more. The overall goal for this course, Product Management, is to help students understand all the various skillsets that are needed for the PM role, and to develop a good sense for what it takes to be a successful product manager - typically in a high tech company. By course end students will have learned various product management and product development frameworks. Also, they will have built some hands-on skills in product design based on customer requirements and product prototyping. Plus they will have a deeper understanding of product roadmaps, product-mix planning, overall product lifecycle and product portfolio management, go-to-market strategies, and product-related eco-system development.
Poll after poll has confirmed that an astonishing number of workers are disengaged from their work. But more than ever before, organizations need employee engagement and creativity to win. Why is this happening? And how can we fix the problem?
This elective has been developed based on extensive research with different stakeholders across the school (and is delivered in active partnership with the Career Centre) and in the business community to ensure you are equipped to meet the inter-personal challenges that become increasingly important and demanding as you get more senior.
The purpose of this course is to help you develop skills and knowledge critical for leading groups of people effectively in organisations. Through assessment tools, exercises, films, cases, role-plays, and other assignments, you will gain a stronger understanding of what it takes to excel in leadership positions. This course builds from the premise that leadership skills complement the technical and diagnostic skills learned in other London Business School courses. Because most candidates seek or encounter leadership responsibilities, this course is relevant for every student pursuing a managerial career.
In order to be a successful manager, you must regularly reach agreements with others. When interests and values are aligned, such agreements are easy to reach. But as we have all experienced, conflicts arise all too often, making agreements seem difficult if not impossible. One key reason for this difficulty is that although people often face conflict, most know very little about the strategy and psychology behind effectively resolving it and coming to an agreement.
Power, status, and influence are topics that make many people a little uncomfortable. However, they are a fundamental reality in much (maybe all) of organizational and social life. Power and influence are the key mechanisms by which things get done.
In a world of increasing change and uncertainty, successful companies can seldom rely on their past sources of advantage for long. They need to adapt rapidly, but for a future that is not at all clear. They need to become more 'agile' in the way they develop and execute emerging strategies. This elective explores different contexts of change and uncertainty, and provides tools and concepts to help companies become more agile in various respects. The impact of the pandemic has only heightened awareness of how important and pervasive is this need for flexibility and agility as much in large organizations as in small ones.
Build a rigorous, analytical, and quantitatively grounded understanding of strategic management by learning strategy from the perspective of a strategist as an integrator on this course. An integrator has a good understanding of the different functions in an organisation, how they relate together, and how to effect changes in the organisation that tighten both internal and external consistency.This course builds on the foundation you built in your strategy core course - internal and external consistency in choices inherent in a firm's business model is at the heart of competitive advantage.
Gain insight into the nature of corporate – as opposed to business – strategy. Many companies are not single businesses but 'groups', comprising a portfolio of more or less separate business units and one or more levels of 'corporate' management.
While traditional strategy tools (five forces framework, generic strategies, who/what/how, etc.) can still provide valuable insight, they are not sufficient to understand the complexities of some of the most popular business models around us today. In this course, we introduce new frameworks and techniques to better understand these business models. In particular, we look at four related topics: 1) the emergence of new platform-based business models and the key decisions for designing a successful platform, 2) the change in the competitive positioning of firms as they adopt platform-based business models; 3) the emergence of ecosystems where new platform-based business models interact with traditional models; 4) and the shifts in the fundamental institutions that shape businesses due to new technological trends such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Equip yourself to deal effectively with the issues you are likely to face in entrepreneurial ventures in emerging markets. Subjects covered include managing in times of rapid demographic and socio-economic change, innovating in emerging markets, managing in ethically corrupt environments, dealing with multinationals, building winning businesses in resource constrained environments, understanding consumers in emerging markets and what to do when the family calls and asks you to come home and save the family business.
Family firms make up around 70% of businesses worldwide and account for a substantial proportion of GDP. Many of the world's leading corporations originated as family firms, and retain cultural distinctiveness as a result. In some parts of the world, such as South Asia and the Far East, family firms occupy the commanding heights of the economy. Yet they are neglected in the management literature, and often treated as if they were a relic of the past. However, as the current financial crisis is illustrating, with their long time scales, adaptive cultures, and vision-led leadership many are much better fitted to survive the downturn in good shape than many PLCs.
Explore the issues and practices of financing entrepreneurial businesses, including start-ups, emerging growth companies, management buy-outs and buy-ins.
The course sets out to explore what is unique about social enterprises. This new organizational form holds the promise of tackling some of society's thorniest problems that traditional businesses have ignored in more efficient ways than traditional charities. For investors, it represents an evolution in corporate philanthropy as the original intent to contribute to society is fused with an investment approach to capital allocation. As a result, substantial amounts are directed toward the nascent market in social impact investing. Are the conditions present for this market to grow systematically or is this a passing fad? Are the entrepreneurial and management skills necessary to start and manage social enterprises different from those required for either traditional businesses or charities? What options are available to social businesses when their self-interest conflicts with their pursuit of social impact? This course aims to provide students with the analytical frameworks and tools f
Focusing on some of the most compelling strategy questions facing the luxury sector, and yet highly applicable in other competitive and increasingly commoditised sectors.
Seven of the top ten companies in the world by market capitalisation, and the vast majority of unlisted ‘unicorn’ companies, are players in the digital economy: they sell primarily digital products (or hardware for accessing digital products), they operate with platform-based business models that give them increasing returns to scale, they have few tangible assets and they employ relatively small numbers of people.
These features make digital organisations fundamentally different to “industrial” organisations such as food manufacturers, oil & gas companies or automobile companies, who make physical products and operate in the world of decreasing returns to scale on which traditional economic theories were built.
The purpose of this course is to help students understand the differences between industrial and digital organisations, and to provide them with frameworks and practical advice for how to manage and work in digital organisations.
MIRB explores whether and how the adoption of Responsible Business practices by companies, in association with the integration of ESG factors by investors, can be an effective way to address these global challenges. MIRB thus aims to fundamentally transform the way students think about the role of business and finance in society by empowering them to understand, develop and implement a model of broader stakeholder value maximisation in conjunction with positive societal impact. Despite highlighting the importance of creating value for society, the course also stresses the criticality of companies generating profits. Indeed, one of the punchlines is that an approach to business based on responsibility can be more profitable than one focused on shareholder value.
Examine a range of entrepreneurial businesses and gain the ability to recognise the patterns in business models and management processes. Learn how to manage the risks and convert opportunities on this integrative course that concentrates on the general management challenges facing founders or managers in entrepreneurial businesses
Get an overview of the process and challenges associated with starting an entirely new business, the skills required to prepare a persuasive business plan, approach prospective investors and launch your venture. Gain a clear understanding of how to assess an entrepreneurial opportunity, the resources needed to start a new business and the costs and challenges involved. Give an entrepreneurial bias to your career using this course as a springboard. A number of graduates who have taken the New Venture Development course and gone on to set up their own business or pursued careers in venture capital.
If you have fancied yourself as an entrepreneur or intend to work in the venture capital industry or in professional businesses supporting entrepreneurial firms this is the perfect entry level entrepreneurship course for you. You explore the many dimensions of entrepreneurship and new venture creation and growth, including: conceptualising, developing and managing successful new ventures. The emphasis in this course is on applying and synthesising concepts and techniques from the functional areas of accounting, finance, managerial economics, marketing, operations management, and organisation behaviour in the context of new venture development.
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