Understanding Manufacturing Technology and Industry Evolution
Woodward Yang
HBS 4550 / ES 232
This graduate level seminar course will explore the relationships between manufacturing processes, technological innovations, and the development and evolution of an industry. We will review and investigate the basic scientific phenomena and technological innovations that underpin the manufacturing processes of three major industries, Steel, Semiconductors, and Automobiles. By reviewing the historical evolution of these technologies and the corresponding economic, political, legal, and sociological circumstances, we will develop a theoretical framework for understanding the strategic forces that shape industry structure. Working together in small groups, students will be assigned a term project to research and analyze the strategic forces that shaped other major industries such as Energy, Pharmaceuticals, Communications, and Textile/Clothing.
