MGRECON 431 - Competitive Analysis

Course Description and Objectives

This course develops game theoretic techniques and applies those techniques in order to study strategic interactions in imperfectly competitive markets. The course provides students with analytical tools that are essential in order to quantitatively answer the following questions:

1. how industry structure determines the profit potential of each firm;2. how strategic decisions of an individual firm shape the structure of its industry, and therefore,3. how individual firms can strategically shape their industry in order to earn and sustain the highest potential economic profits.

Two central themes of the course are: (1) dynamic (inter-temporal) trade-offs and the credibility of strategic commitments, and (2) interaction in environments of uncertainty and asymmetric information. Specific insights that are developed by the use of game theoretic tools include: strategic timing of actions, strategic choice of product portfolio, strategic determinants of the boundaries of a firm, devices for strategic coordination, optimal trading mechanisms, pricing of privately-held information, incentive contracts etc.

The course uses a mixture of lectures, analytical problem solving, class exercises and case discussions. Grades are determined by performance in homework and case write-up assignments, case presentations, class exercises and contribution to class discussions. Working knowledge of microeconomic principles (at the level of MGRECON 300) is important; prior knowledge of game-theory is not required.

MANAGEMT 730 - Leadership, Ethics and Organizations

Course Description

The reality of business life is that no person is an island—smart quantitative analysis without the support of employees, colleagues, or supervisors goes nowhere. To succeed in your career and to improve the performance of your company requires working with others effectively. The goal of LEO, therefore, is to prepare you to be an effective leader and manager of others regardless of your career path and to be a good analyst of how best to organize people.

The course will accomplish these goals by focusing on two broad sets of questions. First, what principles can you draw on to analyze and improve performance in organizations? We will examine principles for designing incentive systems, motivating employees, running effective teams, making good decisions, harnessing diversity, and organizing the distribution of work. The second set of questions concerns what you need to do as an individual to be an effective leader. What can you contribute to your firm and why should others respect and listen to you? We will challenge you to reflect on your own personal strengths and weaknesses and to develop specific strategies for making a difference in the organizations to which you’ll belong.

STRATEGY 836 - Global Institutions and Environments

Course Description

This course considers several types of institutional arrangements that have evolved to address certain problems that must be resolved if there is to be commerce involving goods, services and

financial capital. The course addresses how the same problem is solved, or at least addressed, by differing institutional arrangements around the world, and the difficulties in applying a given institutional arrangement across jurisdictional boundaries. A central theme of the course is the evolving nature of global institutions, which are changing partly in response to pressure from competing interests. The course is not intended to provide sufficient expertise to resolve issues around how global institutions should change; that degree of expertise requires a deeper and broader understanding which can best be obtained from additional coursework. One objective of the course is to increase students’ appetite for and interest in courses related to globalization, institutions, incentives, corporate governance, regulation, business law, international finance and accounting, organizations and management (including culture), and international trade.

Strategy implementation:

Course Objective:

Understand key issues that arise when organizing a company to accomplish strategic goals.

Description:

Far more companies can articulate a profitable strategy than can actually deliver sustained profits. Profitable companies distinguish themselves through implementation, and in this class we’ll explore the building blocks of successful implementation. We will analyze how organizational realities shape the constraints on and opportunities for creative strategizing. By the end of the class you will recognize important implementation challenges for specific strategic choices, will be aware of common missteps in different areas of implementation, and will have the tools to analyze the implementation choices that create winners and losers across a wide variety of industries.

Class topics include strategic planning, people, culture, structure, and building strategies through relationships. The work of the course is divided between individual work (50% of final grade) and team projects (50%). The course culminates with a project analyzing implementation at a firm of your choice with comparison to a key rival or laggard in the industry.

Structure and Format

The class relies on case-based instruction. Classes begin with case discussion, built around the preparation questions for each case, followed by a discussion of the nature of the underlying implementation issues and the related reading. Work and Grading

The work of the class is divided between individual work and projects carried out in teams, though the final project may be carried out in a team of one. The primary elements of the class are as follows:

Individual work (100 points, 50%):o Participation & Preparation (20 points)o 8 (of 10) Case Assignments, 5 points each (40 points)o Knowledge Memo (20 points)o Quiz (20 points)

Team work (100 points, 50%):o Case update presentation (20 points)o Company Memo (20 points)

o Final project (60 points

Preparation & Participation

Careful preparation is essential for each class. Preparation includes reading the assigned material, developing your own analysis for each case and topic, and preparing the case assignment. Participation is evaluated based on the quality of contributions throughout the term, as well as evidence of regular preparation through consistent participation.

Knowledge Memo

Based on your personal experience, identify an area of knowledge that could create value for a company where you have worked. Explain why this knowledge is potentially a valuable competitive resource and why it is not being fully utilized by the company. Propose organizational changes to acquire or use this knowledge more effectively. Explain why these changes will affect the use of this knowledge. Discuss the potential cost of these changes and recommend whether the company should adopt the changes you recommend.

Team Assignments

Case Update Presentation

Jan 21 – Feb 20. For each class, one or more teams will present a case update or comparison. There are two goals for the presentation: i) tell us what has happened to the company since the time of the case and ii) explain what events since the time of the case suggest about the key issues of the case and class. The grade will be assigned almost entirely for how well you marshal the material to address the second question: what we can learn about the issues of the case and class from the events since the time of the case. The presentation will be graded using the rubric at the end of the syllabus, which puts heavy emphasis on having a few clear themes that build from all the sections of the report.

If it is appropriate, you can discuss how the firm’s implementation in this area (for instance, building value through partnerships at Starbucks) will need to change in the current difficult economic climate.

Depending upon the number of teams, in some classes two teams may present. For these sessions, the second team will choose a related company to compare to the primary case. The goal of this comparison is similar to the case update presentation: compare how this company dealt with strategic issues related to those discussed in the primary case. The presentation should aim to present a small number of insights into the implementation topic for that class based on the comparison of implementation at this company to the implementation discussed in the primary case.

Company Memo

Feb 6 (Fri). This two page memo should look at the strategy and performance of the firm you would like to be the focus of your final project. Address the following questions:

What evidence do you have that your chosen company has been outstandingly successful? What lies at the root of their competitive advantage? Has it changed over time?

Who is their most important rival? Why has their rival been unable to duplicate their success?

This material should provide the foundation upon which you can build an analysis of the relationship between their implementation choices and performance.

**Here is a more detailed page with some examples of the type of information and potential sources to consider.**

Final Project

A historical analysis of strategy implementation at a firm that you believe has demonstrated sustained competitive advantage, with comparison to a rival or laggard in the same industry. The goal of the assignment is to draw some lessons about the contribution of implementation to the firm’s success. The project will be judged based on the rubric at the end of the syllabus.

Project Expo (due Feb 24, Tuesday): We will have a final class focused on the case projects. This will be set up like an industry expo, rather than presentations. Each team should have a presentation of the key takeaways from their project and must give comments and suggestions to the other teams.

o A stand-alone visual presentation, such as a poster or a looping powerpoint on a laptop, to describe the core conclusions of the project to the rest of the class. (20 points)

o Comments to every other team based on your impressions of their presentation during the class. These should be sent by email, and a compilation of all the comments should be sent to me. (10 points)

Written Report (due **9AM** Feb 27, Friday): A written report summarizing your analysis and the lessons drawn from the comparison. 12 page maximum, double spaced, 11-12 point font. Exhibits and supplemental analysis can be included as supplemental appendices above the 12 page limit. (30 points)

STRATEGY 840 - Emerging Markets Strategy

Course Description

The course focuses on strategies that firms based in emerging market economies around the world are adopting in order to compete in their home markets and, increasingly, in regional and global markets beyond their boundaries. Firms based in these countries are adopting strategies that partly reflect what we have come to think of as traditional business strategy, but also incorporate important elements of strategy that arise from the distinct conditions of their home countries. The course explores similarities and key differences of business strategy in these emerging market environments.

Three dominant issues arise at the centre of the factors: Internalisation incentives, political strategies, and rapid transitions of complementary and competitive strategies. In turn, these issues lead to a range of questions involving supply chains and human resources, cost structure pressures, flexibility and uncertainty, and other dimensions of strategy.

We approach the issues from the perspective of firms based in the emerging market economies. Of course, the issues are also relevant for firms based in established market economies that are competing with emerging markets firms, either in their home markets or as they expand around the

world. The core point, from whichever perspective, is to understand the nature of competitive strategy in contemporary emerging markets.

Strategic management involves decisions that require long-term commitments of resources that influence firm-wide actions and performance. Strategic management is integrative, in that it draws on multiple people and resources within and across firms. Strategy often requires quick responses to short-lived opportunities. Strategy is often ambiguous, but requires that you act in the face of the ambiguity.

In order to capture the pragmatic, action-oriented nature of strategic management, we teach this course through the case method, supplemented with readings, lectures, and discussions. Our objective is for you to develop your personal synthesis and approaches for identifying and solving the key problems that you face as business managers.

Making game theory work for managers

In times of uncertainty, game theory should come to the forefront as a strategic tool, for it offers perspectives on how players might act under various circumstances, valuable information for making decisions. Use game theory to develop a range of outcomes based on decisions by reasonable actors and to present the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Our model shifts game theory from a tool that generates a specific answer to a technique for giving informed support to managerial decisions.

The global downturn and uncertain recovery, of course, have prompted radical shifts in demand, industrial capacity, and market prices. Some companies, emboldened by the crisis, have tried to steal market share. New global competitors from emerging economies, particularly China and India, are disturbing the established industrial order. They use new technologies and business models and even have novel corporate objectives, often with longer-term horizons for achieving success.

Game theory can revitalize and contribute clear information to decision making—but only if its users choose a set of inputs detailed enough to make the exercise practical and analyze a range of probable scenarios.

Instead of solving an individual game, the model automatically involves a sequence of several games, allowing players to adjust their actions after each of them, and finds the best path for different combinations of factors. As one result, it supports executive decisions realistically by presenting managers with the advantages and disadvantages of the strategic options that remain at each stage of the progression. In a second step, the model finds the “best robust option,” considering its upside potential and downside risks under all likely scenarios, assumptions, and sensitivities as time elapses.

The crucial element is to create a list that is both exhaustive and manageable. But the world is dynamic, and the payoffs for each player depend heavily on the details. Four factors, which must also be included in the rail model, can significantly affect the outcome.

In the common approach to game theory, analysts look at dozens of permutations of actions and reactions, choosing those they feel are consistent and mutually balanced, as well as most likely to occur. Then they make assumptions about these or other factors. The result is a solution, with one

particular set of assumptions, derived from all the interests of all the players. The solution could, for instance, be to fight the new entrant tooth and nail on all fronts.

Game theory can be applied to many complex environments and produce results informing many strategic decisions. In health care, for example, we examined the dynamics of the commoditization of certain drugs—in particular, after Asian manufacturers offered higher-quality versions of them. We also looked at the strategic options of companies in the chemical industry in the wake of recent overcapacity and reduced demand. Game theory is a powerful framework that enables managers to analyze systematically the ties among interactions between actors in a market and to develop appropriate competitive strategies. But it’s helpful only if executives expect a tool that helps them make informed decisions based on a range of market actions by each player, not a single answer that solves the whole riddle.

DECISION 312 - Decision Models

Course Description

Successful management requires the ability to recognize a decision situation, understand its essential features, and make a choice. However, many of these situations - particularly those involving uncertainty and/or complex interactions - may be too difficult to grasp intuitively, and the stakes may be too high to learn by experience. In these cases, we may benefit from using decision models - simplified representations of these situations that allow you to consider the different possible scenarios (i.e., ask "what if") and learn more about the problem. This course introduces several commonly used modeling tools and provides an introduction to the art of modeling. The skills learned in this course are applicable in almost all aspects of business and should be helpful in future courses.

The course is divided into three parts. In the first part (classes 1-4), we discuss the use of decision trees for structuring decision problems under uncertainty. In the second part of the course (class 5-8), we discuss Monte Carlo simulation, a technique for simulating complex, uncertain systems. In the third part of the course (classes 9-12), we discuss optimization. Throughout the course, we will use Microsoft Excel as a modeling and analysis environment, using add-in programs as necessary. Familiarity with Excel is an important prerequisite for this course.

DECISION 410 - Strategic Modeling

Course Purpose and Objective

Uncertainty and complexity make many decisions difficult. Furthermore, real decision situations often involve strategic interactions with multiple players, multiple and potentially conflicting objectives, and interactions of forces that drive long term changes in business environments. In order to make good strategic decisions, one needs to have a deep understanding of these complexities. This course covers analytical approaches and modeling tools that address high level strategic decision making problems. For example, how should I evaluate a long term investment project with potential opportunities to expand/scale down the business in the future? How would you balance numerous considerations when you consolidate manufacturing facilities? Can we negotiate a deal when different parties hold private information about the uncertainties? How should I grasp the general trend in the business environment to decide whether to expand, or downsize my business? How do I form a strategy that is “sustainable” given constraints in my financial, human capital, and natural resources? In the first half of the course, we will develop Excel

based models related to real options analysis, multi-objective analysis, and negotiation analysis. In the second half of the course, we will focus on a new modeling paradigm, System Dynamics, and associated tools and applications.

This course is intended to be a general management course of interest to all MBA students regardless of functional area. The course is quantitative in nature, but not for “quant jocks” only. While the specific tools and methods that we discuss are useful in sharpening your problem solving skills, the structured and logical way of thinking suggested by the tools can be used every day, even when you do not use the tools explicitly.

The modeling tools require no more than a mathematical background in algebra, and some very basic concepts of probability. All Fuqua students already have the necessary math skills for this course, and the insights developed throughout the course should benefit everyone in a management role.

Forecasting

Course Description

This course will cover a variety of statistical forecasting methods that are applicable in many functional areas of business, including simple and multiple regression, exponential smoothing, seasonal decomposition, and ARIMA models. The emphasis will be on learning to apply these methods to real data using a full-featured microcomputer statistics package (Statgraphics) and a spreadsheet package (Excel). The course objective is for you to gain competence in using these forecasting methods as well as in general statistical data analysis and computer modeling. By the end of the course you should know how to collect data from diverse sources, massage it into a form which can be analyzed on the computer, perform various kinds of exploratory data analysis, and ultimately generate forecasts from it by selecting and fitting an appropriate statistical model. We will also discuss some of the managerial issues surrounding the use of forecasting models in business and the challenges posed by recent dramatic developments in the U.S. and global economies. Concepts of time series analysis introduced in this course should prove helpful in courses and professional work in finance, marketing, operations, and consulting.

Overview of forecasting: how do you predict the future? What kind of accuracy is possible?

Where to obtain data; data sources at Fuqua and on the web

How to move data around: useful things you can do with your word processor and spreadsheet

What to look for in data: seasonality, inflation, trends, cycles, etc.

How to transform data to reveal its structure; deflation, logging, seasonal adjustment

Illustration of basic operations in Statgraphics

Forecasts and confidence intervals for the simplest case: the "mean" model

Marketing of Innovations: Debabrata Purohit

Nominator's comment I am nominating Debu Purohit because of his skills as a professor, his boundless enthusiasm, and the extent to which he deeply cares about his students. I am in his Marketing of Innovations class.

Before taking the class, I was not very interested in marketing. However, Debu chooses interesting readings and brings the material to life through class discussions. He also finds an excellent balance between going in-depth into the material while maintaining a focus on practical applications of the concepts. Debu does not lose students by getting too theoretical, an approach that I have seen with other professors can be very unsuccessful. I feel that the concepts I have learned in class, through Debu's clear teaching, are ones that I will certainly apply in the future--such as how to price multiple products. Debu also understands his students and the many stresses in their lives. Many of us are currently going through an extremely busy recruiting process while balancing classes and clubs that can drain us of energy. However, Debu never lets this impact his teaching and his positive energy permeates the room, getting everybody excited and engaged in class discussions. His enthusiasm brings a smile to my face and makes me enjoy material I never imagined I would find so fascinating. Finally, Debu truly cares about his students, a characteristic that I really value. He cares not only that students learn the material but that they also are doing well in their lives outside class. by Monica, Duke University

MARKETNG 807 - Marketing Strategy

Course Description

Marketing strategy is concerned with how to manage customers to maximize firm profits. This includes strategies to manage the selection, acquisition, and retention of customers and actions to manage the firm’s value proposition, business model, cross-functional activities, and structure/culture to profit from customers.

The course builds on the core marketing class and the core strategy class. However, it differs from both in key ways. First, given the strategic focus of the course, relatively less attention will be given to the tactical-level activities of the marketing department using the 4Ps. Second, the customer focus of the course means that capabilities are evaluated relative to their contribution to customer value and not as inherently valuable.

This is a practical class. Each class examines a case involving a firm problem. Within each case, there is a set of concepts, tools, or ideas that we will derive and use to solve the case or discuss the case with a guest. These concepts, tools, and ideas are one source of value from the class. A second source of value from the class will come from working to solve these cases in small groups before class.

MARKETNG 469 - Strategy and Tactics of Pricing

Course Description

Profitable pricing is the harvest of firm's efforts to create value for its customers. Indeed, it is the only element of the marketing mix that produces revenue; all other elements represent costs. Consequently, setting prices is a critical managerial decision. For both strategic and tactical reasons, managers change prices more often than any other element of the marketing mix. It is reported that managers also often make mistakes in their pricing decisions: Pricing is too cost-oriented, pricing decision did not consider likely consumer response, pricing decision failed to anticipate competitive reaction, new price encourages cannibalization of existing product line, pricing is not consistent with

product position, pricing is not responsive to market changes. Knowledge of pricing is useful for those pursuing careers in marketing, and financial management.

This course covers fundamental analytic tools, theories, and conceptual tools for formulating pricing strategy. The course also covers pricing tactics, and some new economy pricing models.

Course Goals

1. To familiarize you with the theories and conceptual tools required for setting prices.

2. To provide an opportunity to apply your understanding of concepts to solve business problems.

This course builds on Marketing 360 and Managerial Economics 300.

Course Topics

Customer DemandCustomer Sensitivity to PricePsychology of PricingUnderstanding Competitive Advantages, and Competitive Reaction Segmented PricingPrice PromotionsAuctions and Reverse AuctionsBundling

The course will be taught using a variety of methods, including lectures, case discussions and problem sets.

Management Communication

Communication plays a fundamental role in the success or failure of managers. On any credible list of the most important skills for managers and business leaders, communication is rated at or near the top.

Management Communication involves the study and practice of all aspects of communication between various constituencies in business settings. Managers and executives must be able to think about communication strategies and to select the proper strategy for each situation and each audience.

The field of Management Communication includes research on communication behavior, theories of communication strategy and application, and practical skill development for managers in a wide variety of areas. Such skill areas include Strategic Communication, Interpersonal and Corporate Communication, Presentations, Persuasion, Interviewing, Giving and Receiving Feedback, Communicating Technical Information to Non-experts, Communicating in Meetings, Team/Project Communication, Communicating across Cultures, Using New Communication Technologies, Facilitation Skills, and Managerial Writing.

Effective advocacy – elective:

M/T

Th/F

Jan15/16

Course Introduction; Syllabus

Jan20/21M classes meet T;T meet W

Persuasion & Advocacy

Short cases assignments

Team project assignment

Groups C and D only

Jan22/23

Persuasion & Advocacy

Short cases assignments

Team project assignment

Groups A and B only

Jan26/27

Framing: Persuasion and AdvocacySimulation in class

Groups C and D only

Jan29/30

Framing: Persuasion and AdvocacySimulation in class

Groups A and B only

Feb2/3

Short case presentations

Groups C and D only

Memo due from Groups C and D (via email)

Feb5/6

Short case presentations

Groups A and B only

Memo due from Groups A and B (via email)

Feb9/10

Prep Day for Team Presentations

Feb12/13

Team A: Team Case Presentation

Team B: Individual Position Presentations & Audience Devil's Advocacy Duties

Feb16/17

Team C: Team Case Presentation

Team D: Individual Position Presentations & Audience Devil's Advocacy Duties

Feb19/20

Team B: Team Case Presentation

Team A: Individual Position Presentations & Audience Devil's Advocacy Duties

Course Evaluations

Feb23/24

Team D: Team Case Presentation

Team C: Individual Position Presentations & Audience Devil's Advocacy Duties

Course Evaluations

MGMTCOM 395: LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION 2: FALL TERM 2

 

 

 

PREASSIGNMENT:

Read "Introduction to Belbin Team Roles"; print out your Belbin Team Roles Reports (Individual and Team) and bring them with you to the first class.

Read this syllabus thoroughly, print it out and bring it to class.

 

Oct3031

ALL GROUPS IN CLASS:

FIRST HOUR: Course Introduction (SR)Belbin Debrief (SR)

SECOND HOUR: Teams Meet to Discuss Belbin Results (TRs)

Nov34

ALL GROUPS IN CLASS:

Discussion of Readings (SR)

Samples of Speeches and Presentations(Assignmt: Morgan, pp 1 -110)

 

 

Nov67

FIRST HOUR:GROUPS A & B: Finding The Story: Team Presentations (SR)

GROUPS C & D: Behavioral Interviewing (CON)

SECOND HOUR:GROUPS C & D: Finding the Story: Team Presentations (SR)

GROUPS A & B: Behavioral Interviewing (CON)(Assignmt: Morgan, pp. 113-168)

 Nov1011

FIRST HOUR:GROUPS A & C: Purposeful Use of Resources (SR)

GROUPS B and D: Case Preparation (CON)

SECOND HOUR:GROUPS B & D: Purposeful Use of Resources (SR)

GROUPS A and C: Case Preparation (CON)(Assignmt: Morgan, pp. 171-228)

Nov1314

FIRST HOUR:GROUPS A & B: Difficult Conversations & Feedback (SR)

GROUPS C & D: Team Industry Analysis Prep (TR)

SECOND HOUR:GROUPS C & D: Difficult Conversations & Feedback (SR)

GROUPS A & B: Team Industry Analysis Prep (TR)

 

Nov1718

Team Industry Analysis Presentations

FIRST HOUR:GROUP A Presents to GROUP B (SR)

GROUPS C & D: On-Campus Recruiting (CON)

SECOND HOUR:GROUP C Presents to GROUP D (SR)

GROUPS A & B: On-Campus Recruiting (CON)

 

Nov2021

Team Industry Analysis Presentations

FIRST HOUR:GROUP B Presents to GROUP A (SR)

SECOND HOUR:GROUP D Presents to GROUP C (SR)

 

Nov2425

Teams review recordings of presentations and prepare and submit assessment memos

 

Nov2728

NO CLASS

Thanksgiving Holiday November 27 - 30

Dec12

FIRST HOUR: ALL GROUPSDesigning and Rehearsing

SECOND HOUR: Presentation Prep in Teams

 

Dec45

Preparation Day for Consultant Presentations

 

Dec89

Team Consultant Presentations

FIRST HOUR:GROUP B presents to GROUP A (SR)

GROUPS C & D: Meet with Leadership Fellow (TRs)

SECOND HOUR:GROUP D presents to GROUP C (SR)

GROUPS A & B: Meet with Leadership Fellow (TRs)

Dec1112

Team Consultant Presentations

FIRST HOUR:GROUP C Presents to GROUP D (SR)

GROUP A Prepares for presentation next hour (TR)

GROUP B Writes Presentation assessment memo (TR)

SECOND HOUR:GROUP A Presents to GROUP B (SR)

GROUP C -- TBA

GROUP D Writes Presentation assessment memo (TR)

The Journey Begins: Global Institute & Month 1Posted on September 2, 2011 by Dipesh Shah

My first year team after an incredible day of bonding!

After an entertaining and exhausting 3-day orientation, I completely forgot that there was this whole thing called academics that would actually start! Many may wonder, why does Fuqua start school a full month prior to many other MBA programs? The answer is simple … warming the students up slowly! While hitting the ground running may be fun for some, I know I needed some time to acclimate to Durham, school life, and the joys of studying again. Enter Fuqua’s Global Institute.

The Global Institute is a one-month introduction to Fuqua consisting of 2 courses and lots of team building. The courses are on Global Business, and Leadership and Ethics. The Global Institute is also an opportunity for students to begin working in their teams.  For those who may be unaware, all first-year students are assigned to a team of 6 – 7 classmates with whom you complete all group projects for the various courses. The teams are diverse and represent individuals from all backgrounds, both professionally and personally.

My teammate and I as we balance and along the ropes.

While academics are a strong focus during Global Institute, it’s also a lot of fun, including Triangle Training and lots of socializing with your classmates.

Triangle Training: This isn’t the ropes course you did in elementary school!For an entire day in August, each first-year team is taken out into the woods of North Carolina to a team-building ropes course. The course and entire day are built around team building and allowing individuals to get to know each other on a more personal level. In your teams, you complete lots of fun activities that require immense team work. By the end of the day, you have completely bonded with your team through rock climbing, ropes balancing, and other crazy activities! It may sound hokey but is perhaps one of the most memorable experiences you will have at Fuqua.

Socializing and getting to know your classmates: You were a commercial airline pilot before Fuqua? WHAT?!?As you warm up academically and get to know your team mates, a big part of the first month is also getting to know the rest of your 400+ classmates. August is spent at house parties, Shooters (best local bar/club), and exploring Durham. This is your opportunity to really begin networking with your classmates as you begin your journey together. This is the time when you meet people from countries you have never heard of, and learn how small a world it really is as you meet classmates who went to college, high school, or even elementary school with you! You will be amazed at the things people did before business school:

Commercial Airline pilot — Got one of those! Emergency Room Doctor — Got one of those! Construction Foreman — Got one of those!This variety of professional backgrounds is JUST from my 70 member section. Obviously, you can imagine the diverse backgrounds of your future classmates.

When August ends, you are warmed up academically and socially, and you are ready for that first term!

A Personal Leadership ResolutionPosted on May 3, 2013 by Sarah Feagles

41 new COLE Leadership Fellows are wide awake and ready for a full day of training, after being inspired by Professor Joe LeBoeuf.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of just going through the motions as an MBA student and making it a very “transactional” period in our lives. In retrospect, I have made the mistake of simply attending class, participating sporadically in a few extracurricular events, and thinking casually, if at all, about trying to develop my leadership skills while giving back to Fuqua. After speaking with Professor Joe LeBoeuf, head of Fuqua’s Leadership Development Program, I realized how ambivalent my attitude had been toward my overall development, and was inspired to write my previous blog post on leadership.Through our Consequential Leadership (C-Lead)classes with Prof. LeBoeuf, my classmates and I have had several opportunities to assess our current leadership skills and determine which areas need improvement, but introspection quickly gets pushed to the side when accounting or finance assignments are due. Last August, I thought I’d have plenty of time to discern what I needed to do to become a more effective leader and well-rounded person, but earlier this year, I felt like I was already severely behind the curve. Luckily, there was time during the spring terms for me to raise my hand and take ownership of clubs and organizations to which I can contribute most.

Taking Steps to Become a Leader of Consequence

My resolution for this year was to decide how I can make Fuqua a better place by committing my time and abilities to organizations that I am passionate about. For starters, I volunteered to become Co-Chair of Fuqua’s Leading Women Organization, which is a new joint initiative between the MBA Association and Student Life Office, dedicated to fostering connections among women leaders on campus. I have only been “in charge” for a few months, and I already appreciate the amount of time and effort leading a club requires! I’ve hosted several events this spring, and while the planning portion is getting a little easier, I always get nervous that something will go wrong on the big day! Luckily, I have a great Co-Chair and the support of Fuqua staff, which has helped me to learn that I don’t have to do everything by myself — a lesson in leadership that is crucial to success.

Students navigate through a "minefield" at COLE Fellows training.

Another step I’m taking in fulfilling my resolution is becoming aCOLE Leadership Fellow — we are students who are chosen to work with the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics, and we are guided by Prof. LeBoeuf to help shape leadership development for other Daytime MBA students. When I first arrived at Fuqua, I didn’t have the slightest bit of interest in becoming a COLE Fellow. It seemed like a large time commitment, and it’s unpaid!COLE Fellows are all second-year students, and I didn’t think that they would be able to help me become a better leader — I had been in the Navy, after all. But, like it or not, my first-year C-Lead team was assigned to a COLE Fellow, Dionne, and luckily, I had a wonderful experience with her. I understood that she wasn’t just there to help me develop my leadership skills, but to ensure that I was taking enough time to think about my personal happiness and whether I was actually transforming into the person who I want to be.

It isn’t easy to corral a team of 6 people together to talk about their feelings, stress levels, and any other issues they may be facing, but that is exactly what being a COLE Fellow is about. It is also about giving people an outlet for their concerns or frustrations during a hectic time in their lives, which is a necessary skill not only at Fuqua, but in the real world as well.

COLE Fellows are the backbone of Fuqua’s leadership program because they are the impetus behind so many leadership opportunities for students, like the Leadership Cohort Experience and BOLD. I want to be a part of an organization whose sole mission is to promote leadership within our community while also maximizing cohesion within C-Lead teams, which is exactly what I would be able to do as a COLE Fellow, so wish me luck as I work on my leadership style this summer, in anticipation of meeting my C-Lead teams in September!

Matt Ganderson hands RJ Fox a board to help him reach an “island.” The team building exercise was part of COLE Fellows training.

Leadership Cohort Experience (LCE)

Application for the Leadership Cohort Experience can be found below. The deadline to complete the application is Monday, September 24:

https://duke.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_e3t4uI63Tm7jgPj

The Leadership Cohort Experience is a unique opportunity for MBA first years who are interested in interacting with C-level business leaders and other executives from around the business world to hear their views and experiences on developing the leadership of tomorrow on a highly interactive and participative small group setting.

Each term, an outstanding group of 25 first year students is selected through an application process to engage in these discussions around leadership with executives that visit Duke and Fuqua. The small group format supports a closer and deeper interaction with speakers and fellow cohort participants. During breakout sessions small groups discuss the key topics introduced during the session promoting total participation, interaction and self-reflection from participants.

Leadership Cohort participants will attend 1.5 hour sessions on a bi-weekly basis for the term they apply and are selected for. The only requirement for selection into the Cohort is a commitment to attend each of the weekly LCE sessions.

Participants will have the opportunity to come back to the LCE the term after their participation to become a student moderator for the next LCE session. Furthermore, past participants of the LCE will have the opportunity during their Second Year to return and share their experiences about how the LCE helped them become better leaders to future LCE participants.

In last year’s end-of-year LCE survey, 100% of respondents said that they would recommend this experience to first-years.

Past speakers include:- Scott Starr, GE Leadership Program, and GroSolar (Topic: Leading at all levels)

- Philipp Hensler, Executive Vice President and Head of Distribution for Oppenheimer FundsInc. (Topic: Authentic Leadership)

- David Cutcliffe, Duke Head Football Coach (Topic: Leading in a new Organization)

- Katherine McClendon, Sabre Director of Strategy (Topic: Leading at all levels)

- Jim McCaffrey, Turner Broadcasting Chief Strategy Officer (Topic: Leading Globally)

- Philipp Hensler, Executive Vice President and Head of Distribution for Oppenheimer Funds Inc. (Topic: Authentic Leadership)

 

- Special Event: Rick Wagoner, retired CEO and Chairman, General Motors

- Special Event: Jim Quigley, Former CEO, Deloitte

#5 – Fuqua is a Student-Run School

Get ready to be overwhelmed with opportunities.In my eyes, one of the biggest differentiators at Fuqua is that the school is very much student run. What does that mean? As a future student, you will have immense opportunities to shape the way the school operates and the experiences of your current and future classmates. We all have the chance to leave a legacy. Still wondering how? What if I told you that the admissions interviews and campus visits are heavily organized by student volunteers? What if I told you that this blog you are reading right now is written by students, and we develop many of the story ideas? What if I told you that in addition to receiving guidance from Career Management Center staff, all first-year students are assigned to second-year career mentors? We also receive intense job prep through student run clubs. In addition, the professional clubs hold individual symposiums to not only bring the best speakers to campus, but to also educate current students on new trends in the industry. Finally, the MBA Association (the MBA version of student government) also provides more opportunities to shape your Fuqua experience. The leadership opportunities at Fuqua are immense and very diverse — it is up to you to decide where you want to be a leader.

#4 – Lots of Opportunities

How do I know what is best for me?I think you get the picture — there are lots of opportunities for leadership — but how do you know what is best for you? Well, it all begins the summer before you start at Fuqua. You will be asked to pass along a leadership survey to your former colleagues to provide anonymous feedback on your leadership, your strengths, and development areas. Using that information as a base, along with a month-long orientation in August, which includes a leadership and ethics class, you will be armed with the information you need to work on your areas of development. In addition, Fuqua provides each student with a leadership journal, and we are encouraged to reflect on where we are, where we want to go, and the steps we will take to get there.

For example, if your survey feedback says you need to work on mentoring, maybe you should take on a role as a mentor through Fuqua2Duke, which pairs MBA students with Duke undergrad mentees. Does your feedback say that you need to work on project management skills? Then maybe you take on a club leadership role where you will be responsible for managing work across multiple work streams.By arming you with feedback and by teaching you how to approach filling the gaps in your leadership skills, Fuqua provides you with the opportunity to develop into a better leader.

I chose to get highly involved with the High Tech Club as a first-year because it was a deep area of interest and passion for me, and I wanted to meet other students with that similar interest. As a second-year, I chose to get involved as a COLE Leadership Fellow, which provided an opportunity for personal leadership development and the ability to coach first years to think about leadership.

#3 – School is Intense During the First Year

Who will guide and coach me?As a result of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE), each first-year student and team is assigned to a COLE Leadership Fellow. The fellow’s role is to help guide and coach each first-year team so they remain high functioning. The COLE Leadership Fellow meets with each team 5 times over the course of the Fall and Spring terms and leads discussions on feedback, goals, and other relevant topics.Read more about this in Sarah’s blog post.The COLE Fellow also coaches each individual first-year student through using a Personal Development Plan (PDP). The PDP is a document that helps each student set very tactical and specific goals for everything from recruiting, academics, or life. By making the leadership development process a specific part of the curriculum, Fuqua provides an end-to-end leadership development experience.

While your COLE Leadership Fellow is one coach, you will end up with many coaches! You’ll have a Career Fellow, who is a second-year student dedicated to helping you with your career development. In addition, faculty and peers take on unofficial coaching roles based on your interests and passions. The Fuqua community is unbelievable in terms of the availability of people who are committed to your growth — it is up to you to express your interests and find these people!

#2 – I Crushed my Internship & I’m Back as a Second-Year

How can I become an even better leader?In the Fall of your second year, you will come back to campus for CLEAD-2, which builds on the orientation you completed as a first-year. While the topics may be familiar, the experiential aspects allow you to use all the skills and experiences you have gained over the previous year. You’ll also think about how you will make the most of your last year of business school, and create a transformational experience. The 3-day CLEAD-2 event puts you in uncomfortable business situations dealing with conflict, ethical grey areas, and courageous leadership. Each experience is meant to push students to think about how much they have grown and how they can use the time they have left at Fuqua to continue their leadership journey. For many, these situations will be an opportunity to practice how they may

deal with a difficult situation in a work environment and provides students a safe place to have deep discussions on a variety of topics. At the end of the day, this experience provides more opportunities to practice your leadership in a safe and protected setting, and to get feedback. Eventually, we all will be faced with difficult decisions in the real world, and it’s great to have the opportunity to practice while in business school.

#1 – My Fuqua Experience is Over …

Am I a leader of consequence?There isn’t a certificate at the end of your Fuqua MBA that grants you “leader of consequence” status. However, the 2-year journey will provide a ton of opportunities to develop yourself and your classmates, so together you become better and more equipped leaders. At the end of day, it is up to you to decide if you want to take the leadership journey or not. In my eyes, Fuqua provides an opportunity to make your MBA experience truly transformational. You have the opportunity to diagnose your weaknesses, chart a path to overcome or build on them, and then practice these skills so they become strengths. The Fuqua experience has been a transformational experience for me. It has allowed me the space to identify my leadership style, figure out what I want out of my career in the short- and long-term, and allowed me time to think about how my activities impact my personal purpose. I hope you will also follow the path, and allow it to be a transformational leadership development experience for you as well.

Fuqua2Duke is a student run organization out of Duke's Fuqua School of Business. The club's mission is to provide Duke undergraduate students with the opportunity to network and gain valuable insight from Duke MBA students in the areas of job hunting, networking, and evaluating career opportunities. Duke MBAs develop mentoring relationships with Duke undergraduates as they prepare for internships and full-time positions.

Experience to a Transformational JourneyPosted on March 19, 2013 by Sarah Feagles

Professor Joe LeBoeuf

Anyone who has ever had a conversation with Professor Joe LeBoeuf   will most certainly walk away with a renewed sense of urgency to become a better leader and leave his/her mark on Fuqua and the world. At least, that’s how I felt after our discussion about how to develop into a “leader of consequence.” A retired Army Colonel with 34 years of military experience, Prof. LeBoeuf helped shape Fuqua’s leadership program into an integral part of the Duke MBA experience and has earned recognition from BusinessWeek, Harvard, and other top-10 business school programs. Leadership development is a part of Fuqua’s fabric and leadership lessons are woven into the entire culture here — a culture that is continually supported and shaped by many faculty, staff, alumni, and current students. For me, though, it was Prof. LeBoeuf who really opened my eyes to the leadership potential that I have. His philosophy of making our time at Fuqua a transformational, rather than simply a transactional, two-year experience permeates all facets of Fuqua’s Leadership Development Program and ensures that students have the opportunity to hone their leadership skills in preparation for the “real world.”

Experienced Leader Gives Back

Prof. LeBoeuf attended West Point for undergrad and then went into active service from 1974 – 2003, serving in various operational roles, in Germany and the United States. He then earned a master’s in Engineering Psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1985, and returned to his original alma mater as an assistant professor, starting his career as a soldier and scholar. He returned to Ft. Carson, Colorado, for a two year operational assignment with the 4th Infantry Division before being selected by the Army to pursue a Ph.D. in Industrial — Organizational Psychology. With that degree, he returned to West Point in 1994, as a member of the permanent faculty as an Academy Professor to teach within the Behavioral Science and Leadership Department, where he served at the Deputy Department Head, a role which allowed him to educate, develop and train cadets into leaders of competence and character.After his retirement from the Army in 2003, Prof. LeBoeuf joined Fuqua’s faculty in 2004. He teaches management and leadership courses and serves as a scholar in the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE). One of his roles with COLE is supervising the COLE Leadership Fellows Program, and developing other enhanced leadership

programming. He is Faculty Director of Consequential Leadership II, an intense leadership developmental experience for all Daytime students. Prof. LeBoeuf also consults through Duke Corporate Education and with Praevius, Inc. and works with the Center for Army Professionalism and Ethics (CAPE), on an Army leadership and character transformation project — bringing his civilian and military expertise together to continually educate military leaders.

Building Leaders of Consequence Isn’t Easy

As one of the few faculty members at Fuqua with over 30 years of leadership experience outside the realm of academia, Prof. LeBoeuf understands the challenges of asking MBA students to confront our weaknesses and improve upon them to become better leaders. The way he helps structure Fuqua’s leadership development program allows us to take time on our own to fill out and tweak our Personal Development Plan, which details 3 goals we have for our time at Fuqua, whether they are related to leadership, academics, or even fitness. After we capture our initial thoughts, COLE Fellows, overseen by Prof. LeBoeuf, give us feedback and hold us accountable to reaching our goals. As Prof. LeBoeuf told us in an email in August, Fuqua is a “two year gift you give to yourself,” but what we do with this gift is up to us — we have to determine our own goals and priorities, and it helps to have a second-year COLE Fellow invested in our progress.

Prof. LeBoeuf not only oversees the COLE Fellows, who are at the heart of Fuqua’s Leadership Development Program, but he also ensures that the Fellows provide additional leadership opportunities for interested Fuqua students. A rigorous education and training program for the 40 Fellows in the spring includes a two-day retreat, a speech by Duke Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and a ceremony where Fellows are issued military-style dog tags to commemorate their commitment to the program. After the event, Prof. LeBoeuf empowers all Fellows to explore a leadership path that interests them, and to make related opportunities available to the entire student body. As a result of this challenge, the Leadership Cohort Experience was established, which brings students in contact with industry leaders and CEOs (and even an astronaut!) 3 – 4 times per academic term, beginning in Fall 2. It provides an intimate opportunity to learn about leadership in the “real world” directly from successful professionals.

Opportunities that Matter

Thanks to Prof. LeBoeuf, the students he supports, and the many senior faculty members he works with, Fuqua has become a premier institution for leadership development. Students here have the opportunity to leave a legacy at the school through leadership activities like the COLE Fellows and the Cohort Experience. Without Prof. LeBoeuf’s strong personal belief that receiving your MBA should be about more than just attending classes and getting a degree, this would not be the case, and students would enter the workforce unprepared for leadership challenges that await. We are privileged to have such a robust leadership program here at Fuqua, and I plan on taking advantage of all that it has to offer!

Global leaders start at homePosted on September 28, 2012 by Erin Worsham

This post was written by second year student, Mark Hiew.  Mark and fellow second year, Dawn Arthur, were the leads for the 9th annual Day in Durham, an annual event that introduces incoming Fuqua students to the social entrepreneurship community in Durham and how they can contribute during their time at Duke.

“Global leaders start at home.”That was the line emblazoned across the ‘Durham orange’ shirts of the over 150 participants at the 9th annual Day in Durham, a marquee event that connects first year Fuquans to the Durham community’s thriving social and environmental impact industries. For those new to the event, Day in Durham helps students wrestle with and refine their understanding of ‘consequential leadership’ in three ways:1. Showing that consequential leaders desire and work to have a meaningful impact, both in their local communities

as well as more broadly;2. Helping first year students to develop a deep understanding of their local community; and

3. Supporting students’ drive towards informed and impactful action.

Kevin Trapani – founder of the Redwoods Group, an innovative local social enterprise that leverages insurance services to protect youth -  spoke to the group and powerfully charged them to “Do important work; do it well; and bring it to scale.”Kevin spoke passionately about the need for MBA students to gain ‘MMC’ degrees – Masters in Moral Courage. As business scandals and student cheating continues to make news headlines, his message felt as timely as ever.

Following the keynote, I chaired the “Social Impact Through Business” lunch discussion.

“How many of you came to Fuqua in large part because of its leadership in the social impact space?” I asked.

Over half of the room raised their hands. Awesome! And these weren’t just your stereotypical ‘crunchy granola’ returned-Peace Corps volunteers or non-profiteers, but also consultants and bankers. Through conversation, I learned that general interest in social and environmental impact appears to be growing year-on-year within our school. I think this speaks to a broader generational mindset shift amongst ‘Millennials’, who seek to both ‘do good and do well.’

Students got the chance to see this in action when we arrived at TROSA, an innovative work-live program that supports recovering substance abusers. Kevin Macdonald, its dynamic CEO, enthralled our group with his story of transitioning from being a store-robbing drug addict to a business and community leader. After touring the facilities and meeting some of the residents, the group was treated to a panel featuring Rachel Weeks, founder of Schoolhouse; Matt Kopac, a sustainability officer at Burt’s Bees; and, Stephanie Nieman, who manages B Lab‘s exiting GIIRS   initiative. Moderated by Maria Ruatto, a Fuqua ’12 graduate, the panel delved deep into the challenges and major issues faced in working for businesses that balance the ‘triple bottom line’ metrics of financial, social and environmental impact.Following our panel, we returned to Fuqua for some delicious Locopops, while students shared their experiences from various panels. I enjoyed hearing students on the health care panel’s rave response toCAARE, a new venue for us this year, as well as the continued strong performance of the economic development, sustainability and education panels. (read more about the Health excursion here)Thanks to all our volunteers, sponsors and panelists, who help make this day great…and get ready for an even better Day in Durham next year, our 10th anniversary!

Fuqua on Board:

Why does FoB exist?

It provides a way for students to gain first-hand experience about non-profit corporate governance. This knowledge is a critical part of educating future business leaders in practical, ethical behavior in challenging situations. As for the participating non-profit organizations, they receive a fresh pair of eyes and a head full of ideas for their operations. My project was the organization of a board and management retreat to enhance collaboration and gather input for a review of the organization’s 5-year strategy.

How does FoB work?

Students must apply to the program and are chosen through acompetitive process. Students rank the boards that they’d like to join, in order of preference, and then they’re placed with an organization. Typically, students are paired up with a board member who has volunteered

to be their mentor and act as primary contact and facilitator. Whenever schedules permit, the students attend regular board meetings and board committee meetings. Program directors from Fuqua provide regular feedback channels, networking events, and expertise on difficult situations.

What do non-profits expect from FoB?

The expectation is that students have the courage to ask tough questions, as well as bring concepts from the classroom to the board. This can help enhance how the non-profits fulfill their mission. Since for-profit and non-profit organizations are distinct in many aspects, it is very fruitful to combine knowledge and skills from both sides.

What are the challenges for FoB?

Students with a busy academic schedule and little or no board experience can sometimes be overwhelmed by overenthusiastic boards. This can lead to mutual expectations that would be hard to fulfill. FoB coaches and staff therefore organize workshops and networking events for all parties to achieve realistic expectations and effective cooperation.

What’s new at FoB?

Fuqua on Board was reorganized during this past summer in many important aspects.

The program management was moved under the central Fuqua function of ‘Student Life’. There is now a student who serves as project-lead (Meredith Driscoll). There are also second-year coaches (like me) who served as active FoB students the

previous year. The engagement period has changed from one academic year to the calendar year.All of these measures aim to ensure that knowledge is accumulated and passed on over the years, that FoB is more tightly integrated into the life of Fuqua, and that non-profits can benefit from the cooperation according to their planning period.

How did I personally profit from Fuqua on Board?

As an international student, it was even more important for me to get out of the venerable walls of Fuqua and meet people in the community who are exemplary in their commitment to making Durham as best as it can be. Had I not done this, I would have missed out on a significant part of my Fuqua experience — listening to and learning from non-Fuquans.