This course exposes and introduces the students to the contexts, the complexities, and the conditions of the external environment (i.e. technological, socio-political, economic, and demographic) of the new economy based on services, experiences, and transience. These in turn present opportunities, challenges, and a new mandate for leadership and innovation on the part of design-intensive and creative firms that are slowly subsuming traditional consulting practice. How to design, manage and improve those design firms will require new design-managerial capacity. Students will investigate the aspects and angles of this ongoing transformation of and in the field of creative industries and will be presenting research and critique/commentary via seminal works in the field. *MS and Certificate Strategic Design and Management students interested in registering for the online sections of this course should contact their advisor for assistance.