Course Overview
This page focuses on the course 15.232 Business Model Innovation: Global Health in Frontier Markets as it was taught by Professor Anjali Sastry in Fall 2013.
Entrepreneurs and leaders all over the world are pioneering novel business models for healthcare delivery right in the setting. Some of the most promising innovations are emerging in resource-limited frontier markets to scale up primary care, increase access to life-changing surgery, reduce maternal death, treat heart disease, and correct vision errors along with countless other needs.
This course explored success and failure in innovative healthcare delivery via cases, projects, and discussions with thought leaders. Drawing on strategy, marketing, operations, systems thinking along with other MBA tools and lenses, students learned to apply business thinking about scale, sustainability, and quality to one of the world’s most pressing problems: getting healthcare to the people who most need it.
Course Outcomes
Course Goals for Students
Students learn what works, what doesn’t, and why, in ambitious startups and leading-edge organizations that are remaking healthcare delivery across the globe.
Possibilities for Further Study/Careers
Some students go on to participate in 15.S07 GlobalHealth Lab (now known as 15.233), independent studies or theses to continue projects started in 15.232, and some even start new enterprises or change career paths to incorporate opportunities they have learned about in global health.
Instructor Interview
"I wanted to look at organizations that have figured out what works where that may be unexpected."
In the following pages, Dr. Sastry describes various aspects of how she teaches 15.232 Business Model Innovation: Global Health in Frontier Markets.
- Background and Inspiration for the Class
- Teaching Systems Thinking and Value Chains
- Case Studies and Problem-based Learning
- Structuring Assignments and Setting Expectations
- Impact
Curriculum Information
Prerequisites
Non-business school students require instructor’s permission to take the course, and must have previously completed at least three business courses.
Requirements Satisfied
Graduate elective
Offered
First half of every fall semester
Assessment
The students’ grades were based on the following activities:
- 15% Managerial briefing assignment
- 25% Class participation
- 60% Mini-case portfolio
Student Information
Enrollment
40 students
Breakdown by Year
Mostly graduate students
Breakdown by Major
Approximately 2/3 were MBA students or international experienced mid-career executive MBA and Sloan Fellows, 1/4 were PhDs and other students from across MIT, along with several experienced students from Harvard and Tufts.
Typical Student Background
Students who took the course have worked at the IFC, Israeli Defense Force, Microsoft, and GE Healthcare. Others worked in corporate finance, marketing, strategy, and asset management, applying their skills to telecoms, retail, and energy sectors. They’ve been management consultants, managed investments, and managed ambulance services. Some are medical doctors or EMTs; others have worked in medical device, pharmaceutical, or healthcare companies.
How Student Time Was Spent
During an average week, students were expected to spend 6 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:
In Class
- Met 2 times per week for 90 minutes per session; 12 sessions total; mandatory attendance.
- Activities also included case studies, discussions with thought leaders, and the in-class presentation of projects.
Out of Class
- Readings in preparation for class
- Team meetings
- Assignments and team deliverables
