Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/535050
JULY | AUGUST 2015 BizEd 37 required core courses, strengthened our functional disciplines—and added two distinct multidisciplinary dimensions. LEARNING TO COMPARE The first new dimension is supplied by a course on comparative politics and so- ciology. The literature in this field, which discusses the conceptual frameworks of various socioeconomic systems and forms of governance, is more commonly taught in political science programs than in business classes. Our comparative institutions course is led by Gerald Mc- Dermott, who has a PhD in political sci- ence and teaches in the Moore School's international business department. In the class, students systematically analyze the institutional configurations that shape a country's governance, tech- nology, and competitive international profile. "They learn to conduct com- plex risk analyses, identify sustainable innovation clusters, and evaluate trends in transnational regulations, while also learning how institutional foundations a•ect a company's competitive advan- tage," McDermott says. For instance, students might con- sider the case of Denmark, where the unionization rate is 80 percent and social expenditure as a percentage of GDP is more than 30 percent, one of the highest in the world. How do Danish companies manage to be among the most competitive in the world while also innovating at the frontiers of techno- logical change? Students also might look at Israel, which the IMD Global Competitiveness Yearbook ranks at No. 1 for innovation capacity and entre- preneurship. What explains the global competitive position of a country that is relatively small in population and lacks many critical factors of production? In both cases, students learn that distinct and radical national innovation systems link government institutions with public policy, industry capabilities, and institutions of higher education; all these sectors are aligned for the broader purpose of enhancing public and private goods. Informal institu- tions—such as culture, values, and role models—provide further motivation and rewards for companies and in- dividuals that pursue innovation. Students also learn that innovation and competitiveness are always influ- enced by macro-sociopolitical systems. We believe that this knowledge will enable them to understand the global competitiveness of any organization within any country. LEARNING ABOUT CULTURE Our second multidisciplinary dimen- sion is a course we developed with our anthropology department. It incorpo-