Management Analysis



Spring 2009Business Policy and StrategyMGT 491 -- 01Mon & Wed 3:30 – 4:45Bryan Building 202Instructor:Terrie Reeves, Ph.D.Instructor: Dr. Terrie C. ReevesOffice: Bryan Building 369Phone: 336 256-8591Email address: tcreeves@uncg.eduOffice hours: TextDess, G.G., Lumpkin, G.T., & Eisner, A.B. (2008). Strategic Management: Text and Cases (4th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.Thompson, A.A. Stappenbeck, G.A. & Reidenback, M.A. (2006). GLO-BUS: Developing Winning Competitive Strategies. Participant’s Guide.Occasional required articles will be posted (or the URL will be posted) on BlackBoard.In addition to class time, I will communicate with you via email through BlackBoard and I will post notices on BlackBoard. Please check BlackBoard and your email regularly. In order to learn everyone’s name quickly, during the first weeks of classes, I will probably take your photograph. Catalogue Course Description:Capstone course in top management policy and strategy determination. Students learn to integrate various business functions and to develop skills and judgment in solving problems of the organizations as a total system in relations to its environment. Prerequisites: MGT 301, 309, 312, and 330; MKT 320; FIN 315; ISM 280: SSM 320; senior standing; admission to approved major. Course Goals:This is a course about organizational strategy and about how organizations become competitively successful. Thus, the first goal of course is to facilitate your understanding of strategic management concepts, theories, decision support techniques, and tools. Secondly, a goal of this course is to help you develop your analytical abilities and your abilities to think critically and strategically in analyzing management situations while using strategic management concepts, theories, decision support techniques, and tools. Thirdly, the course is designed so that you can integrate and synthesize knowledge, skills, and experience from previous courses and jobs. Approach used in the Course:Your ability to become an effective and successful strategic manager who is able to make good decisions for your organization will not depend upon simply memorizing facts. Similarly, a good grade in this class will not depend only upon memorization. Instead, your grade will, above all, depend upon how well you understand course concepts and how well you can apply them. It will also depend on your ability to critically analyze business situations, using your prior course work and your professional experience in conjunction with decision support tools. Finally, it will depend on how convincing you are in presenting your ideas--supported by facts and analysis. Your opinions are valued in this class and you are encouraged to voice them! Everyone benefits from hearing different viewpoints. Active class participation will allow you to develop some of the skills you’ll need as a manager and will help your fellow students deepen their understanding based on your comments. Both in writing and in class discussions, please be prepared to back your ideas and opinions with facts and analysis.Course Teaching Objectives:I designed this course to:Teach you key theories, concepts, models, tools, and techniques of strategic management.Help you integrate and synthesize previously learned knowledge and skills with strategic analysis knowledge and skills.Develop your analytical and critical thinking abilities.Course Learning Objectives:If you successfully complete this course, you will be able to:Understand the strategic issues and policy decisions facing businesses and how current management concepts address these issues.Understand and describe:The strategic management processThe difference between strategic analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategic controlThe complexity of strategic issuesHow to use new and existing knowledge to analyze "real world" casesHow organizational culture and ethical factors influence strategy, strategy implementation, and strategic controlIdentify and apply the most appropriate analytical tools, techniques, or theories in evaluating an organization’s competitive and strategic positionAnalyze new knowledge and use existing knowledge to conduct strategic and competitive analysis in a variety of industries.Evaluate business, corporate, and global level strategies, business and corporate strategic types, and alternative strategic actions and based on that analysis, to make sound strategic decisions using what-if analysisDiscuss the managerial tasks associated with implementing and competently executing organizational strategiesAssess the role of government policy in creating incentives and disincentives for a variety of competitive conditions for both domestic and international competition.Demonstrate your ability to integrate, synthesize, and apply functional-area oriented business courses and this course’s concepts by managing a company--through a business simulation game--and by conducting a strategic and competitive analysis of a company.Methods:Readings on relevant topics in texts and occasionally in the business press. Short lectures on relevant topicsClass and team discussions of topics and cases.Occasional classroom exercisesTeam case preparations and presentations.Team company simulation exercises, analysis, and presentation.Course philosophyI commit to making the course as enjoyable as possible. I will work hard to make sure that the class is successful. But, it is not possible for me to make the course successful without you. I make some assumptions about your efforts in exchange for my very best efforts. I assume that students taking this course are willing to learn new materials, to react and respond to materials their classmates and I present, to debate the issues explored in class, and thus to actively participate in their own learning and in the learning of their classmates. I assume that students are willing and able to work on projects independently, although I am always available for consultation if needed. I assume that students taking this course will devote the time and effort required to complete assignments by the dates specified. The work load for this class will be quite heavy—remember that the course is your capstone course, the course in which you can practice “putting it all together.” You should be prepared to spend about 5 hours each week outside of class, a couple of hours to read the assignments, a couple of hours to prepare the case, and a couple of hours working on your team’s projects. Although the course will be demanding, if you spend the time to be prepared, you will find the course to be rewarding and enjoyable. For additional information about the learning the learning community, you may go to Policies and proceduresAttendance: You must be present in class in order to join in class discussion and participation, which will be a large part of your grade. I will take attendance. Coming in more than 10 minutes late or leaving more than 5 minutes before the end of class will count as an absence (unless you make prior arrangements with me and I consider your reason for being late or leaving early appropriate). Once you have accrued 3 absences, for each additional absence, you will lose one letter grade, i.e., from B+ to B. Electronic Devises: I do not answer my cell phone during class time, and I expect that you will show your classmates and me the same courtesy. Your cell phone must be off (not just on silent mode) and put away. After one warning, your final grade will drop 10% each time your cell phone rings and/or each time you check or interact with your cell phone in class. The same rules apply to other electronic listening devices such as IPods or other MP3s. Laptop computers will be used only for classroom activities. In other words, close them until I ask you to use them. BlackBoardA number of course documents will be posted to BlackBoard. In addition, I may communicate with you through BlackBoard or make announcements on BlackBoard. Access to and frequent checking of BlackBoard will contribute to your success in this course.Grading:Introduction 20Participation in class discussion100Comprehensive Exam100Individual case analysis100Quizzes (4@20) 80Exams (2@100)200Team case discussion and presentationGLO-BUS Simulation:100320Simulation quizSimulation performanceStrategic PlanPresentation of strategy and discussion of performanceWritten report 20130 55 30 85TOTAL1020Assignments:General instructions for assignments: All assignments require that you express yourself understandably in English. If you did not hand in an assignment by the due date as noted in the topic and assignment schedule, you cannot hand it in later. All assignments are due at the beginning of class unless otherwise noted.Team assignmentsTeam Case Discussion and Presentation (worth 100 points): I will assign teams in order to get the maximum amount of diversity in each team. Research shows that diversity contributes to the best decision making in a business setting. You and your team will analyze and present a case, chosen from those on the assignment schedule. Each case will only be presented by one team on a first-come-first-served basis. Each team will give a copy of the presentation materials in hard copy to the instructor at the beginning of the presentation and will post the presentation materials on BlackBoard for the class. The object of this assignment is to help you analyze business situations, including political or global pressures, and management’s actions, to apply the theories and tools of strategic management in performing strategic and competitive analyses, to apply knowledge gained in our other course work to the situation, to make conclusions about the situations, to develop alternatives about the situation, and to present your analyses and finding to your class mates. Grading will be based on the depth and accuracy of your analysis, use of appropriate theories and tools, logic of relationship of conclusions to analysis, and clarity and conviction of presentation.GLO-BUS Simulation (worth 320 total points): This is a business simulation assignment played in a team that will allow you to practice making business decisions based on appropriate analysis. After we have become familiar with GLO-BUS, you and your team will make strategic decisions about your “company” based on the external environment, your company’s competitive position, and your company’s strengths and weakness. The objects of this assignment, which will be discussed in greater detail in class and will be handed out or posted on BlackBoard or in GLO-BUS, are to give you practice in making strategic decisions, and to help you develop the ability to compete successful in the global market place. The final deliverable is a report, to be handed in at the end of the term that details your GLO-BUS strategic and managerial decisions and your progress in the game. Your grade on the assignment will be based on how well your “company” performs and on your written report.Please remember: Use facts and analysis of data only to support your writing; do not use your personal opinions. You must cite ALL of your sources in the body of the text, including web pages, using APA style. For help on APA style, go to owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. Any quote or anything that you cut-and-paste from any on-line source must be enclosed in quotation marks and followed by a citation including the page number. All references will be included in a bibliography, in APA style, at the end of your work.Individual assignments:Introduction (possible points 25)Write an introduction for yourself under the “Introductions” Discussion forum on BlackBoard. The objectives of the assignment are to contribute to a positive learning environment in the classroom, and to help you understand your classmates better. This assignment will be graded based on the clarity of your introduction and how much it contributes to the assignment’s objectives. In-class discussion participation (possible up to 100 points): Participation is a substantial portion of your grade, so come to class prepared to discuss the chapters and cases assigned. Read and analyze the chapters assigned. Come to class with written notes listing the things you found most interesting and why, and listing the questions you have about the material. We will discuss a case almost every class period, so you can earn points for case discussion almost every class period. I will post questions about each case on BlackBoard. The best way to earn maximum points for case discussion is to come to class with your notes about the case and/or answers to the questions. In addition to the questions posted on BlackBoard, here are some general questions to guide you in all cases: What is the major problem (not the manifestation of the problem) facing the organization?Based on the material you have learned in this class, what steps should the organization follow, or what procedures should it instigate in order to solve the problem? Does the organization have a competitive advantage? If so, upon what is it based and is it sustainable? If not, why not? The objective of this assignment is that you can interpret and assess what you read, relate what you have read to the larger topic of strategic management, synthesize what you have read with your other knowledge, make reasoned comments on what you have read, explain your interpretations and reasoning to others, and use the terminology and jargon of strategic management. Grading will be based on evidence of a) thoughtful deliberation about the case and its relationship to the topics we have studied in class, b) strong reasoning for a position taken, and c) correct use of the terms we learn. Comprehensive Exam (worth 100 points): Required of all Bryan School seniors in MGT 491 (except for exchange students). This is a standardized comprehensive exam covering the core elements of business education. There will be no make-ups for this exam. The exam is required in order for you to graduate. The exam will be given on FRIDAY, April 3, 2009, from 2:00 – 5:00 in Bryan 160. I will give you a sheet with more information about this exam, but please note that there will be no make-up times for this exam, so mark your calendar NOW. The objectives and assessment methods for this assignment will be on the sheet.Individual case analysis (worth 100 points): You will choose one of the cases marked with an asterisk (*) to analyze. You may NOT choose the same case that your team presents and discusses for the class. Your analysis is due at the beginning of the class on the day the case will be discussed by a team. The object of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to analyze business situations without input from your team mates. Like the team case analysis, this assignment’s objectives are to help you apply the theories and tools of strategic management to the situations, make conclusions about the situations based on application of theories and tools, and to develop alternatives about the situation. Grading will be based on the depth and accuracy of your analysis, use of appropriate theories and tools, logic of relationship of conclusions to analysis, and clarity with which you write out your analysis.Again, please remember: Use facts from the case and analysis of data only to support your writing; do not use your personal opinions. You must cite ALL of your sources in the body of the text, including web pages, in each installment using APA style. For help on APA style, go to owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. Any quote or anything that you cut-and-paste from any on-line source must be enclosed in quotation marks and followed by a citation including the page number. All references will be included in a bibliography, in APA style, at the end of your work.In-class quizzes; each worth 20 pts for a total of 80 points: These will be multiple choice tests given at the beginning of the class period covering materials assigned. The object of this assignment is to encourage you to read and comprehend assignmentsTwo Examinations, each worth 100 pts, for total a possible 200 points: There will be two examinations (timed closed book exams as noted in the Schedule). The most likely format for the exams will be multiple choice with a few short answer questions. The object of this assignment is to allow you do demonstrate your mastery of the material covered in the class. Grading: Grades will be assigned as follows:950 points and aboveA920 – 949 pointsA-880 – 919 pointsB+850 – 879 pointsB815 – 849 pointsB-765 – 814 pointsC+740 – 769 pointsC700 – 739 pointsC-675 – 699 pointsD+640 – 674 pointsD610 – 634 pointsD-609 or less pointsFACADEMIC INTEGRITY IS TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY IN THIS CLASS!!You are responsible for knowing and following the academic integrity policy of UNCG. Any breaches of academic integrity policy will result in the maximum sanctions allowed under the policies! I really mean it! We will discuss this policy briefly in class, but you are responsible for knowing all parts of the policy, whether we cover all parts in class or not. By signing the last page of this syllabus, you agree to abide by and be bound by the academic integrity policy of UNCG, which can be found at addition to many other things, being bound by the UNCG academic integrity policy means that you have not copied from anyone or anywhere without attributing the copied materials to that person or place. In other words, you have one of two options. 1) Either you do not ever use any information (oral or written), any materials, any writing, or any representations of any sort a.) that were prepared by anyone other than yourself (or you and your group), or b.) that were given or sold to you by current or former students or paper-writing services or c.) that were taken from any electronic sources; 2) Or, alternatively, you do include a complete citation for the source of any materials, information, writings, or other representations that were prepared by others that you used in any assignment. We will discuss citations in class. Please come talk with me if you have any questions about academic integrity! There is no reason for you to cheat in this class, so don’t do it. ?Topic and Assignment Schedule (subject to revision, especially toward the end of the term): Assignments due at the beginning of class on the dates in that row unless otherwise notedDateTopic Reading AssignmentCase AssignmentOther assignments dueJan 21Orientation and analyzing casesChapter 13Case 1 Robin HoodSigned last sheet due at end of classIntroduction due by 5 PM Jan 23Jan 26Strategic ManagementChapter 1Case 2 BoehmAssign teams, choose casesJan 28External EnvironmentChapter 2Case 25 Casino IndustryFeb 2Case presentationWhole Foods *Team 1 presents Feb 4Internal EnvironmentChapter 3Case 23 WWWFeb 9Case presentationUnited Way *Team 2 presentsFeb 11Intellectual CapitalChapter 4Case 18 SouthwestFeb 16Business Level StrategiesChapter 5Feb 18PresentationAnn Taylor *Team 3 presentsFeb 23Discuss GLO-BUSGLO-BUS practice decision due Feb 24 by 8 PMFeb 25Corporate Level StrategiesChapter 6GLO-BUS decision 1 due Feb 26 by 8 PMMar 2Case presentationCaribou Coffee *Team 4 presentsGLO-BUS decision 2 due March 1 by 8PMMar 4Exam on Chapters 1 -- 6Mar 7—15Spring BreakMar 16International & Entrepreneurial StrategiesChapter 7 & 8GLO-BUS decision 3 due March 15 by 8PMMar 18Case presentationFresh Direct *Team 5 presentsGLO-BUS decision 4 due March 17 by 8PMMar 23Case presentationSun Life *Team 6 presentsGLO-BUS decision 5 due March 22 by 8PMMar 25Strategic Control, Governance, DesignChapters 9 & 10Case 10 EnronGLO-BUS decision 6due March 24 by 8PMMar 30Leadership, Ethics, and Fostering EntrepreneurshipChapters 11 & 12Case 3 Skelton GLO-BUS decision 7 due March 29 by 8 PMGLO-BUS 3 Year Strategic Plan (years 8 – 10) due March 29 by 8 PMApril 1Case presentation Johnson and Johnson *Team 7 presentsGLO-BUS decision 8 due March 31 by 8 PMApril 6Case presentationDipping Dots *Team 8 presentsGLO-BUS decision 9 due April 5 by 8 PMApril 3Comprehensive examBryan 160, 2:00 – 5:00 PMApril 8Team meetings GLO-BUS decision 10 due April 7 by 8 PMApril 13Exam on Chapters 5 -- 12April 15Teams 1 and 2 presentationsApril 20Teams 3 and 4 presentationsApril 27Teams 5 and 6 presentationsApril 29Teams 7 and 8 presentationsMay 4Final GLO-BUS reports dueBusiness Policy and StrategyMGT 491 -- 01Written Case Evaluation CriteriaName __________________________________ Case _________________________________________________ (20 points possible) Identification of the major problems discussed in the case (not the manifestation of the problems).______ (20 points possible) Use of the strategic concepts and tools you have learned about in class.______ (20 points possible) Use of data and information given in the case to inform your analysis. Be sure to quote specifics and be sure to use ratio analyses if appropriate.______ (20 points possible) Identification of all appropriate alternatives, and recommendation of the most appropriate one.______ (10 points possible) Organization and clarity of your paper including grammar, spelling, punctuations, syntax, and layout. HINT: use of headings makes it easier for a reader to follow your thoughts.______ (10 points possible) Professional presentation of your report. Did you include a cover page, page numbers, correct margins, correctly formatted references and citations, etc? Total possible points = 100By signing this sheet, I agree that I have read and will abide by the academic integrity policies of UNCG, which may be found at . (If you agree, by the end of the first class session, please sign your name below and return this sheet to me. If you do not agree and will not sign, please drop the class as you will not be graded in the course.) ________________________________________ ___________________________________Print namePrint date_____________________________________________________________________________Sign name ................
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