Energy

“Managing in a Carbon-Constrained World” focuses on the business challenges and opportunities presented by the fast-changing dynamics of climate change and renewable/alternative sources of energy - at the international, federal and state levels. Consideration will be given to successes and failures of “first movers.” We will consider how to reconcile conflicts between the goal of a lower carbon future and the priorities of energy security and restoring a strong, sustainable economy. The course will close with corporate responses to the challenge. The course is intended to benefit students who intend to pursue careers as leaders in industry, finance, government, diplomacy, international agencies, non-government organizations (NGO’s), media and academia. The course will challenge you to understand diverse points of view. A background in economics, finance, management, engineering, or public policy will provide a strong foundation, but other disciplines may also apply.

The course is based on the principle that one cannot understand commodity markets without a good grasp of the technology and physical infrastructure behind production, transportation, and distribution of energy commodities and linkages between different segments of the energy complex. The review of the industry infrastructure will be followed by discussion of the institutional framework of the energy markets in the U.S. and other developed economies, including discussion of the different types of participating business entities, types of transactions and regulatory infrastructure. The course will be divided into three groups of lectures, covering the natural gas industry, power and coal business and oil / refined products markets, with an additional shorter lecture on regulatory issues.

Geopolitics of Energy builds on critical thinking developed in core courses such as Strategy, Finance and Ethics. The modules deal with historical themes, access to resources, operational issues occurring during the life of an investment, and decisions at the end of investment life (at expected maturity or prematurely). Scenario Planning is used - not to predict the future but to consider the viability of strategies under alternate future directions. The course uses the case method to a significant extent and deals with diverse regions and levels of economic development. Class participation, individual and group exercises account for grading.

This course provides students with tools, techniques, and frameworks for recognizing and analyzing operating performance opportunities along with a process-centric lens with respect to commercial competitiveness. The course provides a team project opportunity to identify business performance issues and take action by diagnosing and addressing relevant process components.