This course analyzes how managers make decisions and how managers impact the performance of their businesses. We focus on situations where managers faced challenges in product markets and financial markets as well as in times of crisis.
The class includes both case studies and insights based on academic research. We study managers of private businesses and those in the public sector. Many of the settings we study are inspired by the European location of the class. Themes include:
- how managers use different approaches and face different challenges depending on the structure of their business;
- how important different managerial characteristics and skills are to the value and performance of businesses;
- how managers set internal rules for their investment decisions;
- how managers organize sports events;
- how managers depend on the supply of financing through the financial sector;
- how the size of banks affects the efficiency of operations;
- how policymakers make bailout decisions during financial crises.
