MG-GY 8623 Design Strategies

3 Credits

As change has become one of the only constants in today’s economy, established businesses are being disrupted, and business strategies need to be constantly re-framed. To be successful companies cannot only acquire more customers. They also need to successfully meet their customers’ changing needs, leverage technology to create new value propositions that are meaningful to them and generate revenues and sustainable growth for the business. To address these new demands, managers and entrepreneurs alike need a different set of tools and frameworks. Design thinking, a human-centered approach to innovation, one that starts with understanding what customers need and strategically connects to the organization that offers such a set of tools. This course draws on design thinking to equip students taking this class with tools to address business challenges and develop innovative new products, services, and brand experiences, transformative value propositions and creative strategies and business models. The course’s premise is that strategy in design rather than simply problem-solving. In other words, to resolve a given strategic issue, one needs to truly explore options before making a choice. Participants in this class will learn tools and develop skills that allow them to explore multiple options and develop new, creative and sustainable strategies.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate Standing