Strategy Capstone
22-BA-5080 (001): TH 8:00-9:20AM: Lindner 221
Fall Semester 2012-2013
Course Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR
Jeremy A. Woods
PREREQUISITES
Senior standing and the completion of all course requirements in
the Junior Core.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
This course is intended to be the culmination of your
undergraduate curriculum. As a capstone course, it provides a
framework for integrating knowledge from functional foundation
courses throughout the undergraduate curriculum. You will be
expected to analyze and assess internal operations of a firm and
the external and competitive environment of an industry.
Students will also be asked to formulate effective competitive
strategies for firms under conditions of domestic and
international uncertainty. Comprehensive case studies, readings
and industry simulations will be used to help the student
understand the difficulties and challenges of effectively
implementing strategic plans.
This course is designed to
challenge your analytical and decision-making skills, as well as
develop interpersonal skills important to your future success.
COURSE
MATERIALS



Essentials of Strategic Management: The Quest for
Competitive Advantage, Third Edition, Gamble and
Thompson, 2011, Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
Thompson, Stappenbeck, and Reidenbach, GLO-BUS:
Developing Winning Competitive Strategies, (register to
participate at www.glo-bus.com). To complete registration,
you will need (1) a credit card and (2) the company
registration code provided by the instructor.
ASK INSTRUCTOR FOR REGISTRATION CODE BEFORE
SIGNING UP.
OFFICE/TEL
516 Lindner / 213-400-0829 / woodsj9@mail.uc.edu
OFFICE HOURS
Tuesdays 9:30 am – 11:30 am. If you need to see me outside of
normal office hours, please feel free to call/email for an individual
appointment.
ACADEMIC
INTEGRITY
University rules and regulations will be enforced. See The
Student Handbook for further details. If you have any questions,
please ask the instructor.
- PAGE 1
Course Objectives:
1.
To develop a managerial point of view - a capacity for analyzing and solving
problems from a broad business and company-wide perspective.
2.
To integrate the knowledge learned in functionally oriented classes in solving
complex business problems.
3. To practice distinguishing between basic causes of business problems and
attendant symptoms.
4. To develop habits of orderly, analytical thinking and skill in reporting
conclusions effectively in both written and oral forms.
5. To practice organizing and conducting tasks within a group setting.
GRADE EVALUATION:
Individual – Case Analysis Paper
Individual – Quizzes
Individual – Class Participation
Individual – Glo-Bus Quiz
Team – Case Analysis Paper
Team – Case Presentation
Team – Glo-Bus Presentation
Team – Glo-Bus Performance (Rank)
Team – Glo-Bus Performance (Strategic Plan)
200 points
150 points
150 points
10 points
200 points
100 points
100 points
50 points
40 points
Total
1000 points
Grading Scale:
Points
930+
929 - 900
899 - 870
830 - 869
800 - 829
799 - 770
730 – 769
700 - 729
699 - 669
630 - 670
<629
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Description
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Poor
Fail
- PAGE 2
Teams
Teams should be formed the first week of classes, and each team will be expected to complete a
number of assignments during the quarter. There should be 4-5 individuals per team. You may
choose your own teams, subject to the approval of the instructor. If you have difficulty finding
a team, please contact the instructor. Teams are expected to be self-directed and selfmanaged. If your team is experiencing problems, please see the instructor as soon as possible
for assistance in resolving them. Each team member will have the opportunity to evaluate team
member participation at the end of the term and these evaluations will be factored into each
individual’s participation grade for the course. If you do not participate with your team on the
simulation, case paper, and presentation, you will not pass this class.
Quizzes
To encourage you to review the assigned readings, you will be required to fill out an online quiz
before we discuss each section of the text in class.
Class Participation
Your participation grade will be a function of two inputs. First, you can’t participate if you are
not present. Therefore, attendance will be taken every class period via a sign-up sheet. Make
sure you sign this sheet every class period. Second, you must come prepared to discuss
assigned readings and cases. Students are expected to regularly volunteer comments relating
to the assigned readings and cases. You may also be called upon at random to discuss
assigned readings and cases. Because of the size of the class, I will not attempt to grade your
verbal participation during the class, as this detracts from the discussion. Therefore, at the end
of the quarter, each person will have the opportunity to submit a self-assessment of their
verbal participation during class. This self assessment should include any information that
substantiates your contributions. As a hint, you might find it useful to maintain a
personal log of your class comments to document your self-evaluation assessment.
Individual Case Analyses
Each person is required to prepare a case analysis. The case will have a list of assignment
questions specific to the case issues. Each case question will have specific grading criteria and
a minimum and maximum word count. These are individual assignments so you should not
discuss the cases, your analyses or your write-ups with anyone else nor may you use
content prepared by others.
Team Assignments
Each team will be expected to make weekly input decisions for the Glo-Bus business
simulation and prepare a presentation of your team’s performance at the end of the Glo-Bus
simulation exercise. The initial decisions will be more time consuming as your team learns the
mechanics of the simulation, but it will become easier as the quarter progresses. The
simulation offers an opportunity for students to practice formulating and implementing various
strategies in a dynamic and competitive international market.
- PAGE 3
In addition, each team is required to prepare a case analysis. The case will have a list of
assignment questions specific to the case issues. Each case question will have specific grading
criteria and a minimum and maximum word count.
Finally, each team will be required to prepare an in-class case presentation for each of the
cases discussed during the quarter. After the presentation, the group will be responsible for
leading discussion of the case.
Administrative Policies/Course Methodology
A.
Topics discussed in this class will be covered through a combination of lectures, case
studies, and group discussions. A case course accomplishes its objectives only when
students prepare and become involved in the activities of the entire class.
B.
I understand that other demands such as interviewing and illnesses may require you
to miss some class time. I strongly advise you to think about the cost of absences to
your grade when making decisions about whether you need to miss sessions of this
class. Attendance impacts your participation grade, and I reserve the right to drop
anyone with excessive absences from the class.
C.
It is your responsibility to let me know in advance via email if you're planning to miss
a class. If you do miss a class, it is your responsibility to provide me with
documentation of your reason for missing class.
D.
Some assignments will be done in a group setting and must be completed in part
outside of class. If you cannot find a way to meet and cooperate outside of class with
your group, you should not take this class.
J.
Any changes to this syllabus, due dates, course requirements or grading
requirements will be made as far in advance as possible. All students will be held
responsible for completion of all course components.
Note on Class Participation
Many managers, particularly general managers, spend only a small portion of their time reading and writing reports.
The vast majority of their interactions are verbal. For this reason, considerable emphasis in this class is devoted
toward development of verbal skills. The classroom should be considered a laboratory in which you can test your
ability to convince your peers of your solution to a problem and your ability to achieve the desired results. Some of
the things that contribute to effective class participation are:
1.
Is the participant a good listener?
2.
Are the points made relevant to the discussion? Are they linked to the comments of others?
3.
Do comments show evidence of analysis of the case or comprehension of the assigned reading?
4.
Does the participant base their comments on concrete data and apply the analysis techniques
which we are studying in class?
Students sometimes complain at the end of the term that they had their hands raised and were not called upon
frequently enough during the term. If you think this is happening to you, it is your responsibility to let me know as
early as possible in the term so that I can focus more attention on you.
- PAGE 4
Detailed Course Grade Calculations
22-BA-5080-001
Fall Semester, 2012
Instructor: Jeremy A. Woods
INDIDIVUAL ELEMENTS: 51% OF YOUR OVERALL GRADE




Ongoing 08/28/2012 through 12/06/2012 in class – Individual – Class
Participation (15%)
o Divide number of sessions attended (or approved excuse) by total number of
sessions, multiply by 150 points.
o Adjust upwards based on individual participation & extra credit (can go over
150 points) or downwards based on group team member assessments.
Due 09/11/2012, 11:59pm – Individual – Glo-Bus Quiz (1%)
o 20 questions, 60 minutes to complete.
 Complete on Glo-Bus Website.
o Multiply quiz score by 10 points.
Due 10/11/2012, 11:59pm – Individual – Chapter Review Quizzes (15%)
o 15 questions each, 40 minutes to complete.
 Use Firefox browser. If you have any technical problems, call the
blackboard help line (513-556-1602).
o Eight quizzes (chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10). Drop lowest five scores,
average highest three scores, multiply by 150 points.
Due 10/30/2012, 11:59pm – Individual – Case Analysis Paper (20%)
o Netflix & Redbox cases (pp. 277-303 of textbook).
o 1,000 word or less written analysis.
 Graded based on:
 Clarity/readability of writing.
 Focus/strength of argument.
o Application of tools from strategic toolbox.
 Fill out toolbox tools based on information from the cases in the book,
augmented with information from the B&E library.
 Graded based on:
 Accuracy.
 Detail.
- PAGE 5
TEAM ELEMENTS: 49% OF YOUR OVERALL GRADE





Ongoing 09/11/2012 through 11/27/2012 – Team – Glo-Bus Performance (Rank)
(5%)
o Divide final standing in game into A/B/C categories (95%/85%/75%),
multiply by 50 points. 100% possible for outstanding performance.
Due 10/18/2012 through 11/29/2012 Thursdays in class (see emails I sent to teams
with case/date assignments) – Team – Case Presentation (10%)
o Each team will be assigned to one of the cases which we discuss in class.
 Graded based on:
 Public speaking ability (each group member must have a
meaningful speaking role).
 Accuracy of analysis (email me your PPT (or alternate
software) presentation).
Due 11/13/2012 11:59pm – Team – Glo-Bus Performance (Strategic Plan) (4%)
o Divide strategic plan scores into A/B/C categories (95%/85%/75%), multiply
by 40 points. 100% possible for outstanding performance.
Due 12/04/2012 & 12/06/2012 in class – Team – Glo-Bus Presentation (10%)
o In-class presentation of what your team did well and what you could have
improved upon.
 Graded based on:
 Demonstrated understanding of competitive cause/effect
relationships of game inputs.
 Public speaking ability (each group member must have a
meaningful speaking role).
Due 12/06/2012 11:59pm – Team – Case Analysis Paper (20%)
o “REAL WORLD” case – Utilize UC Business & Economics Library
resources to analyze the competitive situations of Procter & Gamble vs.
Colgate-Palmolive.
o 1,000 word or less written analysis.
 Graded based on:
 Clarity/readability of writing.
 Focus/strength of argument.
o Application of tools from strategic toolbox.
 Fill out toolbox tools based on information from the B&E library (i.e.,
NO CASE TO READ IN THE BOOK).
 Graded based on:
 Accuracy.
 Detail.
- PAGE 6