Business Environment and Policy (BPOL)

BPOL 6950 (1-6) Master's Thesis

Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

BPOL 7500 (1-3) Doctoral Seminar: Special Topics in Strategic Management

Focuses on the theoretical foundations and methodological challenges of conducting research in strategy and management. The course provides an introduction to the unique characteristics of strategic management and the strategic decisions that firms make. It offers an overview of the theoretical foundations of, and contemporary empirical research in, this area. The course exposes students to fundamental issues of strategy (e.g., how firms differ, what determines their scope, how they compete and organize themselves, etc.) and examines these topics in contemporary competitive and organizational contexts. The course provides an introduction to complex issues that empirical research needs to contend with as a consequence, such as causality, multiple levels of analysis, heterogeneity of firms, multiple decision makers, uncertainty, and temporal considerations for firms¿ decisions. It covers key theoretical traditions from the disciplines as well as theoretical perspectives developed within the field itself. In

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.

BPOL 7530 (1-3) Doctoral Seminar: Special Topics in Innovation

Focuses on the management of innovation and technology in organizations. The course provides an introduction to the theoretical foundations of, and contemporary empirical research in, this area. The examination of the literature is organized around several broad topics including the nature and timing of technological innovations, the manner in which technological innovations alter the competitive landscape, the links between organizational structure and innovation, the role of alliances and collaboration in supporting innovation activities, innovation, intellectual property and markets for technology, and issues of knowledge search and recombination. In addition to reviewing this broad literature, the course will also seek to identify gaps and promising areas for future research.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequsite course of BPOL 7500 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to Business Administration (BUAD) graduate students only.

BPOL 7560 (1-3) Doctoral Seminar - Special Topics in Entrepreneurship

Provides an introduction to the theoretical foundations of, and empirical research on, entrepreneurship. Our initial examination of the literature is organized around several broad topics associated with the identification, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities and the creation of new organizations. Special topics in entrepreneurship that highlight recent advances in the field will also be addressed. The course will focus on the main questions that currently define the field and attempt to critically examine how, using a range of theoretical lens and methodologies, researchers have approached these questions.

Requisites: Requires prerequsite courses of BPOL 7500 and BPOL 7530 (all minimum grade D-).

BPOL 8900 (1-3) Independent Study

Requires consent of instructor under whose direction study is taken. Departmental form required.

BPOL 8990 (1-10) Doctoral Dissertation