Global Economics & Management

Explores the role of central banks and monetary policy in the global economy and the effects of their policies on countries, companies and global financial markets. Reviews the decision-making process and policy implementation, and provides conceptual tools for analyzing and predicting central bank decisions and assessing their likely impact. Covers monetary policy, bank regulation and crisis management, drawing on the experience of the Federal Reserve, the ECB and other central banks in advanced and emerging market economies.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:  

• Athanasios Orphanides

15.218: Global Economic Challenges and Opportunities

This course provides in-depth analyses of the major risks and opportunities in the global economy. It discusses the key economic forces and policy responses that will shape the business environment in the next decade and for which every organization should prepare. The course not only analyzes global economic issues currently in the headlines, but also develops the tools to understand and interpret these events. The objective is to provide students with the context and frameworks to be able to perform their own critical analyses, so that they can plan for and respond to the inevitable surprises in the global economy that will affect them in their future careers.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course

• Kristin Forbes

Description: Examines opportunities and risks firms face in today's global market. Provides conceptual tools for analyzing how governments and social institutions influence economic competition among firms embedded in different national settings. Public policies and institutions that shape competitive outcomes are examined through cases and analytical readings on different companies and industries operating in both developed and emerging markets. Restricted to MIT Sloan Fellows in Innovation and Global Leadership.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• Simon Johnson
• Dean Richard Locke
• Luis Videgaray

Description: Provides an integrated approach to analyze the economies of China  through action learning. The classroom portion covers macro issues of China , project-related issues and personal and learning reflections. The onsite portion involves working with a host company in China . Students work in teams to tackle a real world business problem with an entrepreneurial Chinese  company and produce a final deliverable for the host company. Students are required to take a mid semester trip during SIP and Spring Break to China to work onsite with the host company. Past lab projects have included creating a business plan for fundraising, developing a new market strategy, and crafting financial models; the projects have included both for-profit and NGO projects. Limited to graduate students who participate in China Lab. 

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• John Grant
• Yasheng Huang

Provides integrated approach to analyze the economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region — specifically Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia — through action learning. Covers modern history, economics, and politics in that region that shape the business environment, cases of companies operating in that region, and project-related issues and personal and learning reflections. Students work in teams to tackle a real world business problem with an entrepreneurial Indian ASEAN-based company and produce a final deliverable for the host company. Projects focus on dynamic sectors such as artificial intelligence, the sharing economy, social media, health care, energy, and manufacturing; examples include creating a business plan for fundraising, developing a new market strategy, and assembling financial models. Limited to graduate students who participate in ASEAN Lab.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• John Grant
• Yasheng Huang

Explores the intersection of public policy and the private sector. Senior level guests, who have been deeply involved in public policy, will join this discussion-based course weekly focusing on key economic policy choices - touching on technology, trade, tax, financial, macro-economic and competitions policies. Provides a deep understanding of the process by which policy comes to life. Examines how the private sector affects - and sometimes shapes - public policy. Taught through the lens of US policy decision-making; also covers international dimensions.
S. Johnson, G. Gensler

Description: Examines how new approaches to operations, revenue, marketing, finance, and strategy enable improved health care in resource-limited settings across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Draws on system dynamics, design thinking, and strategic analysis. Explores success and failure in innovative healthcare delivery. Analysis of novel business models draws on case studies, videos, industry reports, research, and guest speakers. Students present their assessments of innovative base-of-the-pyramid health enterprises that aim to do more with less. Students who have not taken at least three management or business classes must apply to the instructor for permission to enroll before the first day of class.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• Anjali Sastry

Explores blockchain technology's potential use - by entrepreneurs and incumbents - to change the world of money and finance. Begins with a review of the technology's initial application, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, giving students an understanding of the commercial, technical and public policy fundamentals of blockchain technology, distributed ledgers and smart contracts in both open-sourced and private applications. Focuses on current and potential blockchain applications in the financial sector. Includes reviews of potential use cases for payment systems, central banking, venture capital, secondary market trading, trade finance, commercial banking, post-trade possessing, and digital ID. Also explores the markets and regulatory landscape for cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings, other tokens, and crypto derivatives. Open to undergraduates with permission of instructor.

• Gary Gensler

Description: The objective of the Global Business of AI & Robotics (GBAIR) course is to analytically investigate where the near term opportunities and challenges lie for the commercialization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics around the world. This course will be rooted in the business school but will be cross-disciplined; we openly welcome non-Sloan students. No technical background is necessary. There will be a balance of frameworks, external speakers and projects but the success of the course depends on strong student participation.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:
 

• Simon Johnson
• Jonathan Ruane
• Eric So

Description: Practical study of the climate for innovation and determinants of entrepreneurial success. Teams of students work with top management in one company to gain experience in running and building a new enterprise. Focuses primarily on start-ups operating in emerging markets. Restricted to graduate students.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• Michellana Jester
• Simon Johnson

Description: Intensive module on the global economy, combining the key perspectives of macroeconomics and global economic strategy. Focuses on the policy and economic environment of firms, as well as on the development of a more international market in products, services, and capital, and how this affects trade and industries. Presents insights into national economic strategies for development, and into the evolving rules and institutions governing the international economic order. Develops an actionable appreciation for managers of the international dimensions of economic policy and strategy in an increasingly complex world economy. Restricted to Executive MBA students.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• Simon Johnson
• Alexey Makarin
• Athanasios Orphanides
• Rigobon, Roberto

Description: Provides students with the evidence, concepts and models for understanding company performance in a global world and the issues facing executives in the early 21st century. Prepares students to manage effectively in todays interconnected world by understanding this changing environment, principles of global strategy, and the relation between global strategy and organization. Focuses on the specificities of strategy and organization of the multinational company. Restricted to Executive MBA students.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• Hiram Samel

Description: Helps students discover and develop new and effective ways of managing and working together across national borders; also helps accelerate development of the context awareness and integrative management skills needed to lead in a globalized world. Involves intensive team engagement with a firm where students integrate their understanding of the relevant global and national economic and institutional contexts, industry dynamics, the firm's strategic position and capabilities, and its management organization and processes to provide the management sponsor with insight and effective recommendations. Includes a week-long site visit for research. Restricted to Executive MBA students.

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• Donald Lessard
• Anjali Sastry

Quantum Computing (QC) offers the potential to solve certain types of problems for human kind; problems that are today, prohibitive for traditional computing. It could lead to exciting breakthroughs in areas such as improved efficiency in logistics chains, increased battery performance for cars or helping to find new pharmaceutical treatments. But what is hype and what is realistic given the development of the field in recent years and its current trajectory? What role do scientists, engineers, managers, entrepreneurs, policy makers and other stakeholders play?

Professor(s) who recently taught this course:

• William Oliver
• Jonathan Ruane