| 授業名 | AI Strategy for Business |
|---|---|
| Course Title | AI Strategy for Business |
| 担当教員 Instructor Name | Sung Soo Eric Kim |
| 授業形態 Class Type | 講義 Regular course |
| 授業形式 Class Format | On Campus |
| 単位 Credits | 2 |
| 言語 Language | EN |
| 科目区分 Course Category | 応用科目200系 / Applied |
| 学位 Degree | MSc in Business Analytics & AI |
| 開講情報 Terms / Location | 2026 GSM Nagoya Fall |
| コード Course Code | GLP257_G26N |
授業の概要 Course Overview
Mission Statementとの関係性 / Connection to our Mission Statement
This course supports the Mission Statement of Nagoya University of Commerce & Business by developing leaders who can judge, rather than merely adopt, new technology. Participants are placed in the position of executives deciding whether and where artificial intelligence belongs in a firm, and must defend those judgments publicly and revise them under challenge. Cases are drawn from firms competing in the United States, Europe, India, Sweden, and Singapore, so participants practice reasoning across the boundary between the new era of Asia and the rest of the world. By requiring participants to reach conclusions under incomplete information and to take responsibility for them, the course cultivates the Frontier Spirit and the innovative, ethical leadership the mission calls for.
授業の目的(意義) / Importance of this course
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how firms compete, how industries are structured, and how work is organized. Understanding this shift requires an integrative grasp of three domains that are rarely taught together: AI, strategy, and operations.
By studying this course, participants will deepen their ability to reason as decision-makers rather than as technologists. The course assumes no technical background and does not teach participants how to build AI systems. It trains them instead to,
- Judge whether AI is the right solution to a given business problem,
- Identify where in a firm's value chain AI can and cannot create value,
- Decide whether to build a capability, buy it, or partner for it,
- Understand what an organization must change to make AI work.
The course is taught entirely through the case method. There are no lectures in the conventional sense. Each session centers on a real company facing a real decision, and participants take the position of the executives who had to decide without knowing how it would turn out. Class time is spent building an argument collectively: participants take positions, defend them under questioning, and revise them when a colleague's reasoning proves stronger. The instructor directs that inquiry rather than delivering conclusions. Frameworks and concepts emerge from the discussion rather than preceding it.
By studying this course, participants will deepen their ability to reason as decision-makers rather than as technologists. The course assumes no technical background and does not teach participants how to build AI systems. It trains them instead to,
- Judge whether AI is the right solution to a given business problem,
- Identify where in a firm's value chain AI can and cannot create value,
- Decide whether to build a capability, buy it, or partner for it,
- Understand what an organization must change to make AI work.
The course is taught entirely through the case method. There are no lectures in the conventional sense. Each session centers on a real company facing a real decision, and participants take the position of the executives who had to decide without knowing how it would turn out. Class time is spent building an argument collectively: participants take positions, defend them under questioning, and revise them when a colleague's reasoning proves stronger. The instructor directs that inquiry rather than delivering conclusions. Frameworks and concepts emerge from the discussion rather than preceding it.
学修到達目標 / Achievement Goal
By the end of this course, participants will be able to,
Knowledge and Understanding: Explain in plain language what current AI technologies can and cannot do, and why this matters strategically,
Specialized Skills: Analyze a firm's value chain to locate where AI could create or capture value, using the codifiability of each activity as the criterion; evaluate and prioritize candidate AI projects on evidence; decide whether to build, buy, or partner for a capability and explain the consequences for the firm's boundaries,
General Abilities: Analyze an unstructured business situation, identify the decision that must actually be made, and take a defensible position under incomplete information; argue persuasively in a demanding discussion environment,
Attitudes: Approach AI not as a one-off tool but as an ongoing search for better solutions, and anticipate the consequences of AI adoption for the people inside an organization.
Knowledge and Understanding: Explain in plain language what current AI technologies can and cannot do, and why this matters strategically,
Specialized Skills: Analyze a firm's value chain to locate where AI could create or capture value, using the codifiability of each activity as the criterion; evaluate and prioritize candidate AI projects on evidence; decide whether to build, buy, or partner for a capability and explain the consequences for the firm's boundaries,
General Abilities: Analyze an unstructured business situation, identify the decision that must actually be made, and take a defensible position under incomplete information; argue persuasively in a demanding discussion environment,
Attitudes: Approach AI not as a one-off tool but as an ongoing search for better solutions, and anticipate the consequences of AI adoption for the people inside an organization.
本授業の該当ラーニングゴール Learning Goals
*本学の教育ミッションを具現化する形で設定されています。
LG1 Critical Thinking
LG4 Effective Communication
LG6 Innovative Leadership (MBA)
LG4 Effective Communication
LG6 Innovative Leadership (MBA)
受講後得られる具体的スキルや知識 Learning Outcomes
By completing this course, participants will gain,
The ability to assess critically whether AI is the right solution to a business problem, rather than assuming it is,
A method for analyzing a value chain to locate where AI can realistically create or capture value,
A structured approach to evaluating and prioritizing candidate AI projects on evidence, and judging when to commit,
The judgment to decide between building, buying, and partnering for an AI capability, and to see what each choice does to the firm's boundaries,
The ability to redesign work between people and autonomous systems, and to anticipate the consequences for skill and careers,
An understanding of why AI pilots succeed and scaling fails, and of what a firm must institutionalize to build durable capability,
Practical experience constructing and defending an AI strategy and communicating it to a non-technical audience.
The ability to assess critically whether AI is the right solution to a business problem, rather than assuming it is,
A method for analyzing a value chain to locate where AI can realistically create or capture value,
A structured approach to evaluating and prioritizing candidate AI projects on evidence, and judging when to commit,
The judgment to decide between building, buying, and partnering for an AI capability, and to see what each choice does to the firm's boundaries,
The ability to redesign work between people and autonomous systems, and to anticipate the consequences for skill and careers,
An understanding of why AI pilots succeed and scaling fails, and of what a firm must institutionalize to build durable capability,
Practical experience constructing and defending an AI strategy and communicating it to a non-technical audience.
SDGsとの関連性 Relevance to Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 9 産業と技術革新の基盤をつくろう(Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)
教育手法 Teaching Method
| 教育手法 Teaching Method | % of Course Time | |
|---|---|---|
| インプット型 Traditional | 0 % | |
| 参加者中心型 Participant-Centered Learning | ケースメソッド Case Method | 100 % |
| フィールドメソッド Field Method | 0 % | |
| 合計 Total | 100 % | |
事前学修と事後学修の内容、レポート、課題に対するフィードバック方法 Pre- and Post-Course Learning, Report, Feedback methods
I. Prerequisites for the Course
Participants are expected to dedicate 2 to 4 hours of preparation before each case. Three cases are discussed each day.
Pre-Class Preparation
Every case is distributed in advance. No case materials are handed out during class. Where a case comes in several parts — (A), (B), (C) — all parts are assigned and read together as one package before the session.
Read the assigned case and any pre-class readings in advance, and come prepared to take a position and defend it.
Cold calls are a standard and graded part of this classroom.
Post-Class Review
Revisit the frameworks that emerged in discussion and apply them to a firm of your own choosing, in preparation for the final report.
Assignment questions are issued for every case in a separate assignment sheet. A laptop is required.
II. Final Report
Case to be used: all cases. Assignment: synthesize what you have learned across the cases discussed in class and build an AI strategy. Detailed instructions will be announced during the course. Individually written and individually graded; participants may research and discuss together, but every submission is the participant's own work. Submission Deadline: 11:00 pm on the final class day. Submission Method: via Google Classroom (within 20 A4 pages, Times New Roman 12pt, double-spaced, PDF).
III. Feedback
There is no written preparatory report in this course. Feedback is given in three ways. First, contribution is acknowledged and challenged in class as discussion proceeds — this is the primary feedback mechanism of the case method, and it is continuous. Second, each participant receives an individual written comment on the quality of their class contribution at the end of the second day, so that there is time to act on it before the course concludes. Third, the final report receives written comments through Google Classroom on submission. No work is due after the course ends.
Participants are expected to dedicate 2 to 4 hours of preparation before each case. Three cases are discussed each day.
Pre-Class Preparation
Every case is distributed in advance. No case materials are handed out during class. Where a case comes in several parts — (A), (B), (C) — all parts are assigned and read together as one package before the session.
Read the assigned case and any pre-class readings in advance, and come prepared to take a position and defend it.
Cold calls are a standard and graded part of this classroom.
Post-Class Review
Revisit the frameworks that emerged in discussion and apply them to a firm of your own choosing, in preparation for the final report.
Assignment questions are issued for every case in a separate assignment sheet. A laptop is required.
II. Final Report
Case to be used: all cases. Assignment: synthesize what you have learned across the cases discussed in class and build an AI strategy. Detailed instructions will be announced during the course. Individually written and individually graded; participants may research and discuss together, but every submission is the participant's own work. Submission Deadline: 11:00 pm on the final class day. Submission Method: via Google Classroom (within 20 A4 pages, Times New Roman 12pt, double-spaced, PDF).
III. Feedback
There is no written preparatory report in this course. Feedback is given in three ways. First, contribution is acknowledged and challenged in class as discussion proceeds — this is the primary feedback mechanism of the case method, and it is continuous. Second, each participant receives an individual written comment on the quality of their class contribution at the end of the second day, so that there is time to act on it before the course concludes. Third, the final report receives written comments through Google Classroom on submission. No work is due after the course ends.
授業スケジュール Course Schedule
第1日(Day1)
This course is conducted through the case method, class discussion, and problem-finding and problem-solving work, in a bidirectional exchange between instructor and participants and a multidirectional exchange among participants.AI, Competitive Advantage, and Business Model Innovation
Where advantage comes from when every firm has access to the same models. Why some AI investments compound and others evaporate. Open versus proprietary as a strategic choice. Whether AI changes what a firm sells, not only how it operates. Value creation against value capture, and why the firm that builds a capability is often not the one that profits from it. Where in the AI stack durable value sits.
●使用するケース
Wu, A., Higgins, M., Zhang, M., & Jiang, H. (2023). AI Wars (Harvard Business School Case No. 723-434-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.Koning, R., Lakhani, K., Tempest Keller, N., & Melandinos, Y. (2026). Lovable: Vibe coding for the other 99% (Harvard Business School Case No. 826-220-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
Iansiti, M., Bojinov, I., & Herman, K. (2026). Manus AI: The Butterfly Effect Technology (A) (Harvard Business School Case No. 626-052-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
Wu, A., Higgins, M., Zhang, M., & Jiang, H. (2023). AI Wars (Harvard Business School Case No. 723-434-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
Koning, R., Lakhani, K., Tempest Keller, N., & Melandinos, Y. (2026). Lovable: Vibe coding for the other 99% (Harvard Business School Case No. 826-220-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
Iansiti, M., Bojinov, I., & Herman, K. (2026). Manus AI: The Butterfly Effect Technology (A) (Harvard Business School Case No. 626-052-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
第2日(Day2)
Value Chain Analysis and Project PortfolioWhere in the chain of activities to apply AI. Activity-level analysis rather than firm-level intuition. Codifiability as the criterion: an activity is a candidate to the extent the judgment it requires can be made explicit. Which candidate projects to fund and in what order — value at stake, data availability, technical feasibility, organizational absorbability. When to stop piloting, and how to read evidence rather than assert a conclusion.
●使用するケース
Srinivasan, S., Tadikonda, S., Dongha, P., Saxena, M., & Kak, R. (2024). Managing AI risks in consumer banking (Harvard Business School Case No. 124-093-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.Bojinov, I., & Lakhani, K. R. (2020, revised 2024). Experimentation at Yelp (Harvard Business School Case No. 621-064-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
Bojinov, I. (2020). Experimentation at Yelp — supplementary data (Harvard Business School Courseware No. 621-703). Harvard Business School Publishing.
Bojinov, I. I., Lakhani, K. R., Sasso, S., & Knoop, C.-I. (2025). K Health: Scaling an AI medical clinic (Harvard Business School Case No. 625-091-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
第3日(Day3)
Make-or-Buy and Organizational CapabilityBuild the capability internally, buy it, or partner. Firm boundaries and what determines them. The difference between outsourcing labour and outsourcing judgment. Irreversibility: building means committing early and being unable to unwind. Why pilots succeed and scaling fails, what remains in the organization after the first project ends, and how to build capability on a technology that keeps changing underneath you.
●使用するケース
Srinivasan, S., & Namirian, Z. (2026). Sarvam: Building sovereign AI for India (Harvard Business School Case No. 126-089-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.Bojinov, I. I., Sadun, R., & Zhang, S. (2026). Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions: The deployment of Copilot (A) (Harvard Business School Case No. 626-065-PDF-ENG), with supplements (B) No. 626-066-PDF-ENG and (C) No. 626-067-PDF-ENG. Harvard Business School Publishing. All three parts are read together.
Bojinov, I. I., Lakhani, K. R., & Lefort, A. (2025). Building an AI factory at Procter & Gamble (Harvard Business School Case No. 625-015-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
第4日(Day4)
Work Design in the Age of AgentsHow to redivide work between people and systems. Automate, augment, or leave alone — and how to tell which. What agentic systems change relative to earlier tools: they act, not merely advise. Who supervises agents, and what that role consists of. Democratizing AI across a workforce, and where control must nonetheless be held. Consequences for skill, career paths, and the people who trained the system.
●使用するケース
Srinivasan, S., Ciechanover, A. M., & Gonzalez, G. (2025). Salesforce Agentforce: The limitless workforce (Harvard Business School Case No. 125-096-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.Bojinov, I. I., Lakhani, K. R., Hildebrandt, A., & Weber, J. (2025). Moderna: Democratizing artificial intelligence (Harvard Business School Case No. 625-070-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
Greenstein, S., Wattenberg, M., Viégas, F. B., Yue, D., & Barnett, J. (2023). Open source machine learning at Google (Harvard Business School Case No. 624-015-PDF-ENG). Harvard Business School Publishing.
成績評価方法 Evaluation Criteria
*成績は下記該当項目を基に決定されます。
*クラス貢献度合計はコールドコールと授業内での挙手発言の合算値です。
By university policy, active class participation is a fundamental component of this course and accounts for 70% of the final grade. In assessing class participation, emphasis will be placed on the quality of contributions rather than mere frequency. Thoughtful engagement in discussions — demonstrating logical reasoning and deep insights — will be valued over simply sharing facts, paraphrasing, or summarizing previous points.
When contributing to discussions, participants are expected to present well-structured arguments with clear, articulate points. Superficial or vague responses will not be considered substantive participation.
Cold calls are a standard and graded part of this classroom. Participants who do not participate in discussion cannot learn by this method, and their grade will reflect that.
The final report is graded on the strength of original reasoning, not on summary. It is important to deliver your own thoughts and critical reasoning, built on the cases discussed in class.
Turning in the assignment with imperfect English is fine. Using generative AI to write your report is strictly prohibited; if I judge that AI wrote a report, it will receive zero points.
All grading is individual. Participants may research and discuss together, but every submission is the participant's own work.
*クラス貢献度合計はコールドコールと授業内での挙手発言の合算値です。
| 講師用内規準拠 Method of Assessment | Weights |
|---|---|
| コールドコール Cold Call | 0 % |
| 授業内での挙手発言 Class Contribution | 70 % |
| クラス貢献度合計 Class Contribution Total | 70 % |
| 予習レポート Preparation Report | 0 % |
| 小テスト Quizzes / Tests | 0 % |
| シミュレーション成績 Simulation | 0 % |
| ケース試験 Case Exam | 0 % |
| 最終レポート Final Report | 30 % |
| 期末試験 Final Exam | 0 % |
| 参加者による相互評価 Peer Assessment | 0 % |
| 合計 Total | 100 % |
評価の留意事項 Notes on Evaluation Criteria
Participants are expected to study the three cases assigned for each day.By university policy, active class participation is a fundamental component of this course and accounts for 70% of the final grade. In assessing class participation, emphasis will be placed on the quality of contributions rather than mere frequency. Thoughtful engagement in discussions — demonstrating logical reasoning and deep insights — will be valued over simply sharing facts, paraphrasing, or summarizing previous points.
When contributing to discussions, participants are expected to present well-structured arguments with clear, articulate points. Superficial or vague responses will not be considered substantive participation.
Cold calls are a standard and graded part of this classroom. Participants who do not participate in discussion cannot learn by this method, and their grade will reflect that.
The final report is graded on the strength of original reasoning, not on summary. It is important to deliver your own thoughts and critical reasoning, built on the cases discussed in class.
Turning in the assignment with imperfect English is fine. Using generative AI to write your report is strictly prohibited; if I judge that AI wrote a report, it will receive zero points.
All grading is individual. Participants may research and discuss together, but every submission is the participant's own work.
教科書 Textbook
- 配布資料
参考文献・資料 Additional Readings and Resource
N/A
授業調査に対するコメント Comment on Course Evaluation
Newly Assigned Course