Essential Business MOOCs For January

Say the word “globalization” out loud. I dare you.

Bet you get some dirty looks. They’re probably picturing “Barry” from Bangalore troubleshooting their computer or Rosa from Reynosa swiping their cushy union job. No, you won’t find much nuance when it comes to globalization. Most people view it as either a growing threat or a cure-all. And there isn’t much middle ground.

On one side, globalization is a sinister force, blamed for stagnant wages, trade imbalances, market volatility, and accelerated climate change. On the other side, you’ll find the advocates who view globalization as the path to peace, fairness, and prosperity, where openness and competition increase variety and reduce costs.

Whether you’re looking to prop up or upend the old order, you’re bound to create conflict. Call globalization the Rorschach test of our generation. Question is, are the sides debating the facts…or their perception of reality? That’s the central question behind Pankaj Ghemawat’s Globalization of Business Enterprise MOOC starting January 19th. Based on Ghemawat’s research, the course questions whether we’re really debating globalization per se.

In reality, globalization is still in its relative infancy according to Ghemawat, who is ranked among the 50 greatest management thinkers of all-time by The Economist. Despite technology and supply chains that supposedly draw us together, we’re really not all that connected in Ghemawat’s view. For example, only 5 to 10 percent of charitable giving ever goes outside a home country according to Ghemawat’s book World 3.0. While Japan is ranked as the fourth largest trader, exports account for 13 percent of their GDP.

So how do you measure globalization? In his course, Ghemawat, who has taught global strategy at IESE and Harvard Business School for over 30 years, introduces students to his CAGE framework, which compares nations in terms of culture, administrative capabilities, geography, and economics. In addition, he’ll outline the future implications of globalization in its many forms. Whether you believe in getting a bigger slice or expanding the pie altogether, this course will leave you with plenty to think about.

Alas, Ghemawat isn’t the only big name professor starting a MOOC in January. After a holiday lull in December, many of the world’s best universities are bringing out their big brains to teach online for free next month. Harvard Law’s Charles Fried, a former Solicitor General, will conduct the first MOOC of his 50 year career, examining the basics of contract law. John Cochrane, a mainstay at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, will hold a doctoral level MOOC on asset pricing. And you’ll find the best-and-brightest at the top schools covering a range of topics: Gamification (Wharton School of Business), Technology Entrepreneurship (Stanford), Game Theory (Stanford), Innovation and Commercialization (MIT), Business Growth (University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business), Financing Entrepreneurship (Babson), and Organizational Behavior (HEC Paris).

To learn more about these courses – and register for them – click on the links below.

Gamification / Wharton / January 26

Globalization of Business Enterprise / IESE / January 19

ContractsX: From Trust to Promise to Contract / Harvard University / January 8

Technology Entrepreneurship / Stanford / January 6

Asset Pricing – Part One / University of Chicago / January 18

Innovation and Commercialization / MIT / January 13

Grow To Greatness: Smart Growth For Private Businesses – Part II / University of Virginia / January 12

Financial Analysis of Entrepreneurial Ideas / Babson College / January or February

Time to Reorganize! Understand Organizations, Act, and Build a Meaningful World / HEC Paris / January 13

Game Theory II: Advanced Applications / Stanford / January 11

U.Lab: Transforming Business, Society, and Self / MIT / January 7