B523 Special Topics in Economics and Finance
Spring 2015
Class Time and Instructor
Instructor: Sung Won Sohn, Ph.D/ www.DrSohn.com
Classes: Wednesdays, 6:00 to 10:00 pm
Course Location: Thousand oaks Campus
Contact Information
Phone: 805 437 2789
Email: sung.sohn@csuci.edu
Cases and Articles
The course material comes from the following sources:
1. Competition Demystified by Bruce Greenwald and Judd Kahn, published by Portfolio
2. Cases from Harvard Business School (HBS) purchased at bookstore
Office Hours
Wednesdays 5:00 to 6:00 pm or by appointment at TO Campus
Learning Objectives
We will emphasize learning concepts, including some details of strategy, competition, ethics, supply
chain, etc.
There are three main areas the course will go into: current issues, chapters from the book and Harvard
cases.
1. Current topics: The Wall Street Journal, we will spend up to 30-45 minutes each session
discussing the important economic and financial issues of the week.
2. We will discuss chapters from the book, Competition Demystified by Bruce Greenwald and Judd
Kahn.
3. We will use Harvard Business School ( plus Thunderbird and Stanford) cases to support the
issues mentioned above.
At the end of the semester, you should become a more enlightened business manager or be able to act as
a management consultant to businesses using the tools you have learned here as well as in other classes.
Basis for Evaluation
The grade is based on mid-term exam (30 percent), final exam (30 percent), your presentation(s) of
chapters from Competition Demystified (10 percent), general class participation (10 percent) and a
student paper (20 percent). Additional 5 percent will be given to attending the IGER events on April 24
and June 5. Total scores add up to 105 percent. Your classmates will grade your presentation of
Competition Demystified. The exams will be essay-style covering everything we discuss in the class.
Paper
Suppose you are a consultant to a business. Students are encouraged to find a real business and write a
real-life case study related to the business. Preferably, it should be someone you know locally. The grade
will be based on writing style (organization, clarity, ease of reading), contents (What made the business
successful or failure?) and how we apply the tools learned in the MBA program to improve the operation).
A good question: Would you be willing to pay for the advice you give if you the business receiving the
advice?
What should you do to succeed in this course?
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Come to Class and Participate: Attendance is required. Class participation (10 percent of your
grade) could be important. Missing class means missing valuable discussion, and information
regarding assignments. Please note that this is not intended to be a lecture class. I will lead the
discussions but students should participate actively.
Read the WSJ, the Book and the Cases daily: They are very valuable sources of information and
clarification. Class discussion will be based on your readings. Classes are not intended to be
lectures. Your contribution in class is the key to the success of learning.
Get started on your paper early.
Attend the IGER Lecture on April 24 for extra Credit
Academic Honesty
All work that students submit as their own work must, in fact, be their own work. Verbatim
language taken from other sources -- books, papers, web sites, people, etc. -- must be placed in
quotation marks and the source identified. Similarly, work on tests and exams must be the
student's own work, not copied or taken from other students' work.
In accordance with the CSU Channel Islands policy on academic dishonesty, students in this
course who submit the work of others as their own (plagarize), cheat on tests or examinations,
help other students cheat or plagiarize, or commit other acts of academic dishonesty will receive
appropriate academic penalties, up to and including failing the course.
Assignments or papers with plagiarized language or ideas will receive a failing grade. Plagiarism
or cheating on quizzes or exams will also result in a failing grade. In cases where the cheating or
plagiarism was premeditated or planned, students may receive an F for the course.
Students are encouraged to consult with the instructor on when and how to document sources if
they have questions about what might constitute an act of plagiarism or cheating.
Course Schedule
The schedule below is flexible. For some chapters and cases, we can spend more than indicated here. The
objective is learning, not necessarily adhering to a rigid plan.
A couple of these classes will be held on-line using Voice Thread and Google Hangouts. Details will be
discussed in the class.
Week 1: Harvard Business Review: Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael Porter
#R0801E
Week 2: Greenwald: Chapters 1,2
HBS Case: Celeritas, Inc #4360
Week 3: Greenwald: Chapters 3,4
HBS Case: Disney and Pixar #9-709-462
April 24, IGER Speech by Dr. Sohn (12 noon to 1:30pm) at Malibu Hall at CSUCI Campus,
Free Lunch Included
Week 4: Greenwald: Chapters 5,6
HBS Case: Benehana of Tokyo #9-673-057
Week 5: Greenwald: Chapters 7,8
HBS Case: Patagonia #9-711-020
Week 6: Greenwald: Chapters 9,10
Thunderbird Case, Blood Bananas: Chiquita in Colombia #TBO245
Week 7: Mid-term Exam
Week 8: Greenwald: Chapters 11,12
Stanford Case: Wells Fargo and Norwest: “Merger of Equals” (A) HR-26A
Week 9: Dr. Cordeiro’s Lecture (June 3) and attend “How to export” seminar on CSUCI Campus on
June 5 Malibu Hall 8:30 to 12:00 noon.
Week 10: Internet Class Greenwald: Chapters 11,12
HBS Case: ZARA Fast Fashion #9-703-497
Week 11: Present Student Papers
Week 12: Final Exam on June 24