ECTS : 3
Description du contenu de l'enseignement :
We will focus on the current state of research on the institutional drivers of firm behavior and performance, categories, social valuation, stigma and scandal, and discuss how these concepts and underlying theories may contribute to our understanding of how markets and organizations function.
This is a research seminar: the main goal is to provide you with an overview of the research directions and contributions in these lines of work and discuss potential avenues for future research.
With this course, my objectives are to help you to:
- Discover a growing stream of modern strategy thinking
- Understand the drivers of competitive advantage in complex modern settings
- Know how to critically read and discuss strategy research articles
- Write an effective research proposal
Compétence à acquérir :
The research seminar offers an introduction to some of the contemporary discussions in organization theory and strategy that consider the interplay between organizations and broader society and explore i) how organizations’ conduct and performance are affected by social and institutional factors, and ii) how organizations contribute in return to shape their social and institutional environment.
Mode de contrôle des connaissances :
Your evaluation will be based on a combination of article reviews (20%), session integration (30%), and a term paper (50%).
Articles review: You will be asked to hand in at least 3 days before class a short (one to two pages) review of one of the articles for the session. Your review should include a summary of the motivations and research question of the paper, and a brief assessment of its contributions and limitations. The class will primarily consist in discussing the articles.
Session integration: By group of 2 or 3, you will be assigned to one session and asked to prepare a presentation of the papers for the session, highlighting how they relate to each others. You will be in charge of animating the related session.
Term paper: If you opt for a ‘mémoire mineur’, you will be asked to hand in a 5- to 10-page research proposal connected to at least one of the topics discussed in the course, including a set of hypotheses and, if possible, ideas of how to test them empirically (setting, data). You may also choose to develop your work into a full-fledged ‘mémoire majeur’ (format and content to be discussed).
Bibliographie, lectures recommandées :
You may go back to your favorite strategy handbook. Grant's Contemporary Strategy Analysis (Wiley) is a safe option.