BUS 580: Summer 2013
Strategic Management:
Issues and Applications
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INSTRUCTOR |
Dr. Mark Meckler |
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OFFICE
HRS. |
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CLASSROOM |
Franz 214 |
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MONDAY |
4:10 PM - 6:10 PM |
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TELEPHONE |
503/943-7467 |
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TUESDAY |
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TELEPHONE |
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WEDNESDAY |
4:10 PM – 6:10 PM |
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FAX |
503/943-8041 |
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THURSDAY |
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EMAIL |
meckler@up.edu |
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FRIDAY |
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OFFICE NO. |
Franz 407 |
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TIME |
MW 6:10 – 9:50 PM |
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Or
by Appointment |
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Course Prerequisite: Required of all MBA students in one of
their last two semesters in the program
Course Description: The 21st century presents us with rapidly
changing markets, globalization, shifting government policies, new technologies
and increasingly fickle consumer tastes, all of which make the task of
strategic management more difficult and critical over time. This course is
about the strategic management process, i.e., how strategies are crafted and
executed with these conditions (and more) as complicating factors.
BUS580 is a capstone
course. The main theme of the course is that a company has greater potential
for success when (1) its managers formulate a good “game plan” (or strategy)
and (2) its managers are able to successfully execute that strategy.
We shall try to
integrate some of the knowledge you have gained in your core business curriculum.
The overriding teaching
objective, however, is to sharpen your abilities to "think
strategically." It means giving you
exposure to and some experience in trying to grapple with many issues and
weighing how they shape the actions needed from the perspective of the total
enterprise.
Learning Goals Addressed
in BUS580: the Pamplin School of Business has identified a
variety of learning goals (broad concepts) and objectives (what you will know
or be able to do) for our MBA program. The goals and objectives addressed in
Bus580 are described below:
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NA |
Research Skills |
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NA |
Interpersonal Skills |
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X x |
Value System – MBA graduates will be
able to evaluate the ethical and societal implications of managerial
decisions. Specific
objectives for this learning goal:
recommend
appropriate resolutions to these dilemmas.
environmental
tradeoffs resulting from business decisions. How
Bus580 will help you achieve these objectives… o You will be reading about
and discussing ethical issues both from an academic and an applied
perspective. Cases and class discussions will require you to analyze business problems from a triple bottom line perspective—economic,
environmental and social returns. o You
will be reading about and discussing ethical and social responsibility issues
as an input to
the strategy formulation/formation process.
In addition, several cases will explore the concept
of stakeholder analysis and how to balance competing values. |
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X X |
Analytic and Critical
Thinking Skills –MBA
graduates will possess the highly developed analytical and critical thinking skills needed by mid-level and
upper-level managers. Specific objectives for this learning goal:
o
MBA graduates will acquire the analytical and critical thinking skills
needed to identify, analyze, and
evaluate alternative solutions to business problems. o
MBA graduates will develop the skills
needed to craft and implement strategic and tactical plans. o
MBA graduates will be able to articulate,
debate, and defend their analysis and recommended
solutions to a business audience. How Bus580 will help you achieve these objectives… o Successful
performance in this class requires you to work at the highest levels of educational
objectives, i.e., analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. You will analyze cases in an attempt to understand their unique
situations and come to reasoned conclusions based on your
analysis and the assumptions you made. o Cases
require you to identify issues, prioritize them, suggest recommended action
plans and defend your
opinions and decisions during class discussions. |
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X |
Broad Core of Business
Knowledge - MBA
graduates will master a broad core of
business knowledge and be able to integrate and apply that knowledge
to business situations requiring interdisciplinary and global perspectives. Specific Learning Objectives: o
MBA graduates will be able to demonstrate
competency in the underlying concepts, theory and tools
taught in the core curriculum of our MBA program. o
MBA graduates will be able to use their
knowledge of different business disciplines to identify, analyze,
and recommend solutions to complex business problems requiring
interdisciplinary and global perspectives. How Bus580 will help you achieve these
objectives… o
Case analyses require you to demonstrate an
understanding of the fundamental concepts, tools, principles,
and procedures taught within the core courses of your MBA program. o
Successful performance in the class
requires you demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships among
business areas. |
Specific Objectives of the Course:
At the end of the course
you should be able…
- To explain
the central significance of strategy to managers and their organizations.
- To solve
problems from the point of view of a generalist rather than a specialist.
- To make
decisions as a pragmatic, results-oriented practitioner who must work
under conditions of uncertainty and always lacking perfect information.
- To analyze
an industry and its competitive environment and know how different
industry environments affect the functioning of an organization
- To identify
opportunities and threats in the environment as well as the strengths and
weaknesses of an organization.
- To recommend
alternative strategies and appropriate execution plans.
- To
demonstrate your mastery of the analytical skills acquired in functional
area courses--accounting, marketing, finance, etc.--in order to solve the
problems of an organization. The class builds on your previous
coursework, thus, it has a specific focus on integrating what you have
learned previously in the program. You are expected to utilize and connect
the principles and tools taught in your prior classwork.
- To practice
and demonstrate effective communication skills--both oral and
written. You will occasionally be
put into small groups for in-class exercises. You must use your teamwork
skills to organize quickly, share information and opinions, reach
decisions, and produce a quality response, whether verbal or written. In
particular, be prepared to use your financial modeling and managerial
accounting ratios to aid in your decision making where appropriate.
- To demonstrate
your ability to articulate and defend your point of view in a
constructively "critical" atmosphere.
Required Materials
(1)
Case Packet – Can be downloaded from
Harvard Business School Publishers via the following link xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .
Students pay for cases via the HBS publishers’ website.
PROFESSOR'S APPROACH TO THIS CLASS:
This is a capstone course, and students in the class are expected to be competent in their chosen major. Because this is the final course in the business curriculum, we expect every student to take this course very seriously. This includes a strong final effort to improve and polish those skills that are essential to ongoing success in the work-a-day business world.
Our goal is to re-expose students to the role of the other functional areas of the firm and to permit students to see the firm as a total entity; as an integrated whole. This general systems integration continues in it's the firm's relationship with external environments.
For some of the management problems presented, there will be several correct strategies. Some are more correct than others, some equally correct. I expect that students will participate and think critically and demonstrate the 'why' as fully as the 'what.' Group activities should help students to understand the various skills, perspectives, and abilities that come together in the workplace. However, performance, not effort carries the rewards in this class. I expect students to show their "managerial stuff" through written and oral assignments, case study analysis, and participation in class exercises.
Participation in discussion is critical, just as though classes were important business meetings. Therefore quality of class participation will be an important input into your grade. You will be expected to provide voluntary input to the class discussion. I will make it a policy to call on students to answer questions based upon the material we are currently discussing. You cannot pass this class without significant and impressive participation.
Time will generally be divided as follows: Discussion of current events,
discussion of current readings; break; work on case studies and consultation
projects.
ASSESSMENT
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Assessment Item |
Proportion of Assessment |
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Item 1: Individual Readings leadership |
5% |
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Item 2: Individual Class Contribution to Discussion of Readings |
25% |
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Item 3: Final Exam Or Item 3: Original Case
Study |
40% |
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Item 4: Weekly Case Study Analysis |
30% |
Grading:
Semester grades are based on the percentages shown below. There is a curve applied to the grades. Individual performance on case notes and case presentations will be calculated as a percent of the highest grade in the class, or a score near to that applied by the instructor.
{A = 93, A- = 90 to <93, B+ = 87 to <90, B= 83 to <87, B- = 80 to <83, …, F = < 60}
CASE STUDIES AND CASE POSITION PAPERS
The in-class performance grade is an assessment of your communication and critical thinking skills which you have demonstrated during class meetings.
Your will prepare a one two page maximum position paper for each case study
assigned during the term. Position
papers are written assignments consisting of an analysis of the current
case in the context of the readings from
this course, and especially with reference to the readings for that
particular class session.
The document should have a clearly stated and explained theoretical
perspective, a set of strategic priorities linked to this perspective, a
defense of these priorities, and a suggested action plan for each priority.
Please remember to address any important ethical issues or dilemmas management
may face. This is difficult work. The instructor’s document “Anatomy of a 7 out
of 7” is published on the class website to help you construct your position
papers and understand the grading.
Please follow these administrative
rules: These papers are due by 9
AM on the day that the case will be discussed in class. The
assignments must be e-mailed to the professor as an attached file. Make sure
your name is on your position paper, not just in your email message. In the
subject of your email, follow this syntax: 580 position paper LastName
CaseName
In-Class
During class meetings, students may be called upon to lead the discussion of
the case study or one of the readings assigned for the session. Discussions
will be moderated by the instructor and should be mostly led by the students.
The moderator may ask questions and/or call on attendees for perspectives. The student’s interaction level, engagement
level and contribution toward group understanding and contribution in
decision-making are assessed. Groups should have multiple media communication
strategy for presentation of their perspective. The media choices are open to
whatever the group thinks will work best.
Readings Leadership
One or more times during the term (more or less as time and # of students allow), each student will summarize and otherwise lead a class discussion on one of the readings for the day. The student should: come up with a statement of the main idea of the reading; be able to explain the theory to the other students; discuss some potential usage's for the ideas in the reading; offer ideas about application of the reading to the current case study; and have a one page summary hand out for all of the other students.
You are to simulate the situation at a group meeting at work, a week after the last group meeting when the group leader assigned you to “go over this paper and be ready to explain it and what it means for us.” You are to be efficient (fast, clear) and effective (your intellect and your depth of understanding allow you to explain the reading to the rest of us in terms we can all understand and remember well into the future.)
While one student summarizes and leads discussion on a reading assigned for the session, other students are rated or their level of interaction, understanding and contribution toward decided during what events the knowledge in the reading might be most useful.
Original Case Study
You may be asked to write an original case study with case teaching notes. You will be given an example in class so that you can see and understand the requirements.
Final Exam
Details of the
final exam will be discussed and agreed upon in class.
POLICIES:
1. ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THAT TOPIC HAS ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED IN CLASS. Late work may or may not get to the professor in time to be included in the grading for that assignment. If it's too late, it’s too late. If for any reason you cannot attend class, the assignment may be placed IN THE PROFESSOR'S MAILBOX with a time stamp from the secretary on it, e-mailed or snail-mailed with a postmark no later than the date and time that it is due.
2. Written material will be graded on the basis of format, grammar, spelling, and professionalism as well as content. Business Content that is not Socio-Ethically defended is graded down.
3. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to obtain materials and class notes from a classmate. The instructor WILL NOT repeat lengthy instructions and lecture materials on a one-to-one basis.
4. A fundamental principle of academic, business and community life is honesty. Violation of this ethical concept will result in penalties ranging from a grade of "F" in the course to dismissal from the University. In all penalties, a letter of fact will be included in the student's file. Cheating in this class includes submitting work written by others as well as work written in other classes. The use of unauthorized material, communication with another student during an examination, attempting to benefit from the work of other students, or attempting to aid another student, and other similar behaviors which defeat the purpose of examinations and individual assignments is unacceptable. Violation of these standards is a serious offense and shall result in disciplinary actions allowed by the College and the University. (see University of Portland 1999-2000 Bulletin.)
5. By attending this class, you agree to the policies outlined above.
Class
Schedule:
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Class # |
Day |
Topic |
Assignments: Reading, etc. |
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1 |
5/13 |
Introduction Goals, Strategy and Governance
of Top Management |
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2 |
5/15 |
Getting Started:
Introduction to Business Strategies Case: Robin Hood |
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3 |
5/20 |
Business Strategies
Continued In Class Exercise: The Case of the Unidentified Industries |
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4 |
5/22 |
Organizations, Open/Organic
and Closed/Mechanical Case Study: Tootsie Roll |
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5 |
5/27 |
Creating and Appropriating
Value In Class Case Exercise: TBA |
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6 |
5/29 |
Product Strategy Case: Scott’s Miracle-Gro: The Spreader Sourcing Decision |
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7 |
6/3 |
The External Environment:
Analysis and Recognizing Strategic Opportunities In Class Exercise: Blue Ocean Case. |
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8 |
6/5 |
Choosing a strategy and
making it work Case: Crafting
Winning Strategies in a Mature Market: The US Wine Industry in 2001 |
16. Kerr, 1975, On The Folly of Hoping
for A while Rewarding B (JSTOR) 17. Christensen,
Clayton M.; Suárez, Fernando F.; Utterback, James M., Strategies for Survival in
Fast-Changing Industries. Management Science, Dec98
Part 2 of 2, Vol. 44 Issue 12, pS207, 14p |
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9 |
6/10 |
Choosing a strategy and
making it work, continued. Causation and Correlation. In Class Case Exercise: The Oakland A’s |
19. Navarro,
Peter. The Well-Timed Strategy: MANAGING
THE BUSINESS CYCLE.
California Management
Review, Fall2005, Vol. 48 Issue
1, p71-91, 21p, 1 chart, 1 diagram; |
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10 |
6/12 |
Company Capabilities and
Resources CASE: TBA |
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11 |
6/17 |
Getting more out of your
organization |
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12 |
6/19 |
Diversification and
Coordination FINAL EXAM OR CASE DUE |
Watch: Why stock prices drop after mergers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzhaeL-JbhY |
