From theory to practice

In most courses, both those in the core curriculum and electives, there is a tension between how lessons play out in theory and how it truly works in "the real world." Case studies, current events, and students' own work experience can contribute to the discussion, but experts from the industry can be one of the best ways, in my opinion, to see how the ideas actually play out in practice. Here are three examples from this week of guests coming to campus...

• For a discussion of IPOs in the Corporate Finance course, the chairman of a leading IPO research firm lectured on the subject and shared some of the firm's experiences over the last decade.

• Leaders from several social enterprises in India who are working with the GSE India course shared their work experiences. GSE, Global Social Enterprise, allows Yale SOM students to consult on social enterprises in the developing world. The experience is a chance to apply lessons learned to business challenges.

• The elective "Insight to Outcome", taught by a managing director of a major consulting firm, is itself a bridge between theory and practice since the instructor brings his own experience in transforming companies. This week another managing director at the firm joined to share his insights from his time as a consultant.