EE204: Business Management for
Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists

EE204 Assignment Syllabus

 

All assignments are listed in the following table. Cases, Required Readings, and Recommended Readings can be purchased directly from Harvard Business School. Students are responsible for preparing both the cases and the readings listed for each class. Web links lead to the actual assignments and supplemental readings for each date. Assignments list specific questions which students should be prepared to answer in class.

For those of you visiting this web site who wish to read the cases or articles, they can be purchased online at Harvard Business School Publishing (see "Course Reader" below).

Students with documented disabilities

Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) located within the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). SDRC staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is being made.

Students should contact the SDRC as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 723-1066, 723-1067 TTY).

Upcoming Events

 

lOOK HERE FOR WEEKLY SPECIAL EVENTS ON CAMPUS RELEVANT TO THE COURSE AND CASES WE'VE DISCUSSED

Course Reader

The EE204 course reader is available for purchase through Harvard Business Publishing. The cost of the course reader for 2014 is $136.74. We ask that students respect the publisher's copyright policies and purchase his/her own copy of the reading materials for the class.

Full course (all 10 weeks): https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/26075191

Week 1 (for waitlisted students): https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/26075356

Weeks 2-10 (for admitted waitlisted students): https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/26075239

 

Date

Assignment

 

Readings

Case Studies

Notes

01

4/01/14 
Introduction
  1. Note to the Student: How to Study and Discuss Cases
  2. Review EE204 website
  1. Introductory Case: Mobile and the car (will be handed out in class)
  

02

4/03/14 
Strategy
  1. What Is Strategy?
  2. Price/Features Matrix
  3. Apple Management Changes
  1. Apple Inc.

03

4/08/14
Competitive Forces
  1. The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy
  2. Product Lifecycle
  1. Nintendo: Disruptor Being Disrupted

Class Reception and Team Building

5:30-7:30pm at the Stanford Faculty Club, Red Lounge 

Soft drinks, heavy appetizers

04

4/10/14
The Innovator's Dilemma
  1. Introduction: Why Good Companies Fail to Thrive in Fast-Moving Industries
  2. Note on Team Process
  • Digital Microscopy at Carl Zeiss: Managing Disruption
Back Bay Battery Simulation begins

05

4/15/14
Marketing Myopia
  1. Marketing Myopia
  1. Yahoo! Inc.: Marissa Mayer's Challenge
 Simulation update

06

4/17/14
Financial Statements
  1. Financial Statements: The Elements of Managerial Finance
  1. Financial Statement Analysis: Identify the Industry
Simulation final results

Text Book Recommendation: Essentials of Accounting By Robert Anthony and Leslie Pearlman

  • Self-paced study of accounting.
  • 10-15 hours to complete.

07

4/22/14
Marketing Strategy
  1. Note on Marketing Strategy
  2. Breakeven Volume
  3. Marketing Strategy Example
  1. Kiva the Disrupter
  

08

4/24/14
Emerging Markets
  1. Finding Great Ideas in Emerging Markets
  1. Logitech, and the Mouse That Roared: How Multinationals Can Compete With Local Start-Ups as They Innovate in Emerging Markets
 

09

4/29/14

Diaspora Marketing
  1. Diaspora Marketing
  2. Can WeChat?
  1. Tencent: Expanding from China to the World
  

10

5/01/14
Midterm Paper
  1. Written case analysis guidelines
  2. Grading criteria and scoring sheet
  1. TaKaDu

Group Written Assignment due at start of class (9am) 

11

5/06/14
The Innovator's DNA
  1. The Innovator's DNA
  1. An Entrepeneur's New Product Development Journey
  

12

5/08/14
Designing Breakthrough Products
  1. Designing Breakthrough Products
  1. PadFone vs. Fonepad
  

13

5/13/14
Innovation Ecosystem
  1. Match Your Innovation Strategy to Your Innovation Ecosystem
  2. Breakeven Analysis
  1. HP: The Flight of the Kittyhawk (A)
  

14

5/15/14 
Company Culture
  1. Organizational Culture, Values and Fit in the Workplace
  2. Vinod Khosla article about Steve Jobs
  1. Cypress Semiconductor: A Federation of Entrepreneurs

Student-Written CaseWiki

Starts Thursday 5/15

12:00PM

15

5/20/14
CaseWiki
  1. CaseWiki Instructions
  2. SoundHawk
  1. Student-written case on SoundHawk

Student-Written CaseWiki

Ends Monday 5/19

12:00PM

16

5/22/14
Team Management
  1. Scaling a Startup: People and Organizational Issues
  1. CloudFlare: Running Hot?
  

17

5/27/14
Product Management
  1. The Product Manager
  1. Sample6: Partnering to Make Food Safer
  

18

5/29/14
Final Paper
  1. Written case analysis guidelines
  2. Grading criteria and scoring sheet
  1. Coursera

Final Written Assignment due at start of class (9am) 

19

6/03/14
Managing Oneself
  1. Managing Oneself
  2. Creating a Personal Brand & Networking

Class Party

5:30-7:30pm at McArthur Park

27 University Ave across from the CalTtain Station 

Beer, wine, soft drinks, heavy appetizers