Credits: 3
Schedule: 14.10.2019 - 11.05.2020
Teacher in charge (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
Philip Gylfe
Teaching Period (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
I-V
Learning Outcomes (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
The course has three learning goals for the students involved:
- Develop critical readings skills that allow participants to assess and selectively internalize contents of practitioner-oriented management literature.
- Familiarize students with classic and high-impact frameworks and approaches in the popular management knowledge
- Cultivate a habit of life-long learning by digesting business books, helping participant keep track of new ideas circulating in the business environment
Content (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
The course is organized as an ongoing ‘book club’, which offers participants opportunities to read recognized popular business books each month. The teaching staff and students will discuss their content together in a group led by different faculty members and teaching staff. The course is scheduled to go through eight books a year and hold two discussion sessions for each. To complete each version of the course (I and II), the student must read three books and attend the related discussion sessions. Each book is associated with one mandatory 3-hour session.
The course will run from September until May (not on December), offering students 8 alternative books to choose from. If the course is successful, we will continue the reading circle, providing students an opportunity to complete two sets of 3-book courses during the two years of their study. Some of the months we will meet virtually online, although most will be taught in a shared seminar room.
Assessment Methods and Criteria (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
The teaching related to each book/session will be done by a different teacher or facilitator. We envision PhD students to play a large role in running the book club, although some sessions may be run by professors or postdoctoral researchers.
The course is intended for Aalto students, but we also operate an open online discussion platform for anyone interested in discussing the book each month. We hope the course participants will be actively participating in sharing their perspectives also online.
Workload (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
Contact teaching 9h
Independent work 71h
(80h = 3 ECTS)
Study Material (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
Examples of books to be discussed:
1. Brad Stone, 2013. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon.
2. Robert Sutton & Huggy Rao, 2014. Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less.
3. Erik Ries, 2011. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses.
4. Jim Collins, 2001. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... And Others Don't.
5. Ed Catmull & Amy Wallace, 2014. Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration.
6. Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee, 2014. The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies.
7. Richard Rumelt, 2011. Good Strategy/Bad Strategy.
8. A.G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin, 2013. Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works.
Grading Scale (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
Pass/ Fail
Registration for Courses (valid 01.08.2018-31.07.2020):
via Weboodi
- Teacher: Philip Gylfe
- Teacher: Olli Rappe
- Teacher: Sofia Villo