This course examines the opportunity for transformational change emanating from a corporate crisis. We explore the following question: how does senior level management effectively change an organization in response to dramatic changes in circumstances? All too often, managers and corporate boards fail to recognize factors that threaten the firm's business until its very survival is in doubt. In such cases, the board of directors and management may need to implement drastic and sudden changes in several aspects of the firm.
The course draws on several of the core disciplines in the MBA program, and provides an opportunity to apply them to organizations in the midst of major transitions. Students should come into this course ready to integrate various business disciplines- applying both quantitative and qualitative tools drawn from accounting, corporate finance, cash flow modeling, debt restructuring, negotiation, marketing, management, leadership and communication. An important aspect of the course is the role of leadership in creating a transformational opportunity resulting from a crisis. Financial, market, and organizational aspects of transformation will be explored through case studies, articles, texts and class discussion.
The course is relevant for students who anticipate working in any operating company or in a firm advising and/or interacting with such a company- including consultants, turnaround specialists, venture capital and private equity professionals, activist fund managers, and bankers. The skills developed in this course should be applicable to professionals throughout their careers. Specific attention is paid to cultivating skills appropriate to early stage career assignments.
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