Department of Management, California State University, Northridge
BUS 497 – Course Outlines
(FALL 2006)
Course:
Sessions and
Meeting Times
BUS 497: Strategic Management Seminar – Fall 2006
15839
1700 – 1815 TTh JH 1204
17378
1900 – 2145 W JH 1103
Professor:
Kalyan S Chakravarty
Office:
JH4223, Extension 4524
Email:
kalyan.chakravarty@csun.edu
Office Hours:
One hour before class and by appointment, if needed
Textbook:
• Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2007. Strategic Management:
Competitiveness and Globalization: Concepts and Cases, (7th Ed.),
ISBN: 0-324-31694-1, Thomson: South-Western (Required)
• Gopinath & Siciliano, 2005. Strategize! – Experiential Exercises in
Strategic Management, (2nd Ed.), ISBN: 0-324-25912-3,
Thomson: South-Western (Required)
• Wall Street Journal, Business Week or Fortune Magazine
Prerequisites:
Bus 302 and 302L, Mgt. 360, Mkt 304, Fin303 and the Upper
Division Writing Proficiency Exams.
Course Description
This capstone course has been designed to introduce the principles of strategic management. It is an
integrative and interdisciplinary course providing a broad view of the organization and its environment that
includes buyers/consumers, suppliers, competitors, complementors, and the government – while taking a
general management perspective throughout the curriculum.
The emphasis of the course will be on sharpening the analytical and decision-making skills necessary for
strategy formulation, implementation and control at both the corporate and business levels.
The learning objectives are:
1.
2.
To identify the key issues faced by a firm and analyze its internal strengths and weaknesses in the
context of current environmental forces impacting the firm.
To see the firm as a whole while examining critically how policies in each function like finance,
marketing, manufacturing and human resources can be synthesized and integrated into an overall
competitive strategy.
MGT 497 Fall 2006
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Department of Management, California State University, Northridge
3.
To be able to recommend a set of viable strategies that the firm might pursue and communicate
this analysis in a concise and persuasive fashion.
Preparations
The course will have an uniform blend of a number of teaching methodologies and aids with a strong focus
on group work and experiential exercises including the analysis of a number of cases, articles, etc. The
students are expected to prepare themselves well in advance before each session in order to participate in
the discussions meaningfully. The assigned readings must be read thoroughly before coming to the class in
order to derive maximum mileage from each session.
Course Work
The evaluation and grading will be based on the following course work. The components described below
are designed, both independently and collectively, to achieve the course objectives. Each component is
important both by itself and as a key part of the overall system (so any major omission may lead to an F for
the course).
A. (30%) Group Project:
Students will form groups of five or less, and each group will conduct an in-depth analysis of one
INDUSTRY (a different one for each group). They will research the writings related to this industry, and
apply the models described in the class to analyze this industry. The aspects to be covered should include
(1) the basics of the industry (including a basic description of the industry, the basic technology and
process, customer bases, suppliers and other significant stakeholders as the group members see
appropriate), (2) the general environment, (3) the industry environment (the five forces model and other
relevant industry analysis models when applicable), (4) the interplays among the major competitors in this
industry (competitive approaches and strategic groups), and (5) the strategic recommendations based on
your analysis to the competing firms in this industry. The outcome of this paper should be a better
understanding of the industry in particular and the ability to understand broad issues relevant to strategic
management in general.
The group will then make a formal presentation of the analysis in the class, with each member of the group
getting an opportunity to handle a section of the presentation. The total time allotted for each group will be
30 minutes. Please practice prior to the presentation so that you will be able to finish the report within the
given time limit. The presentation of each group will be evaluated by the instructor as well as the fellow
classmates using predetermined criteria that include presentation quality (introduction, style, structure,
preparation, and visual aids) and substances specified above. One half of the project grade will be a
weighted average of the above evaluations. Each group will also submit a report. This report will be
evaluated by the instructor. The completed report must be turned in on the day the group makes its
presentation. All references must be specified on a separate page. We will also utilize electronic submission
for the project report.
The industry to be analyzed will be determined with students’ input, and dates fixed in advance for the
presentations. The data used for the analysis and presentation should be up-to-date and could be from
primary or published data sources, and all the analyses will be conducted in the context of the course and
its coverage. Information about the reference materials is available in the textbook and from the library.
B. (30%) Individual Project
Extending from the industry analysis group project, each student will submit an individual written strategic
analysis and recommendation of a FIRM (a different one for each person unless approved in advance)
from the industry his or her group worked on. The strategic analysis will follow the framework (Strategic
Management Model) used in the textbook. Within this framework, he/she will be free to select the format
and length; the general principle is to present a comprehensive paper in a concise fashion. In addition to the
paper, a one-page single spaced Executive Summary highlighting the major points of his/her paper would
be required to be submitted.
The paper should be an individual effort and anyone attempting to share analyses and ideas will be
penalized. Sloppy work in terms of analysis, content, style, neatness, grammar, syntax, and spelling will be
MGT 497 Fall 2006
Course Outlines
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Department of Management, California State University, Northridge
equitably penalized and points deducted. The written paper will be due on the last day of the offical
instruction (December 13, 2006) at the beginning of the class. Late submissions will also be
appropriately penalized. More details will be provided later.
C. (20% x 2) Middle Term Tests:
There will be two middle term tests. They will consist of a combination of multiple choice questions,
true/false statements, and short essays on topics related to course curriculum.
Grading
The final letter grade assigned to each student will be based on the scheme below. The total achievable
points are 100. The instructor does not have scope for any adjustment.
94-100
A
87-90 B+ 84-87
77-80 C+ 74-77
67-70 D+ 64-67
Below 60
90-94 AB 80-84 BC 70-74 CD 60-64 DF
Attendance
Class attendance is essential. There will be no penalty for those with a maximum of three absences.
Students with four or more unexcused absences will run the risk of even failing in the course.
Habitual lateness and/or leaving the classes early, for whatever reasons, are evidence of low commitment
and will be penalized.
Other Issues
1. The College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge prepares students
to be ethical decision makers. The college maintains high standards of ethical conduct that students are
expected to maintain throughout their academic and professional careers. Students in the College of
Business and Economics have identified the values of respect, honesty, integrity, commitment, and
responsibility as their guiding principles. Please visit http://busecon.csun.edu/dean/values.html for a
detailed description of these core values.
2. This syllabus is the basic guideline for various activities related to this class. Please read it carefully,
and refer to it as we proceed.
3. Please talk to me as soon as possible if you have any suggestions, questions, problems and
concerns.
4. Time management is critical when dealing with many, and often conflicting demands. Such
demands could be from your studies, your work, and/or personal obligations. To deal with them
effectively, you must set up your priorities straight and work accordingly. (When in this class, you are
required to engage fully in activities in this class.)
5. All instances of academic dishonesty will be dealt with strictly according to the University policies
and guidelines.
6. All students are required to use the CSUN computing facility to send and receive email
communications.
Guidelines to Group Effort
Members of each group will work together with little instructor supervision, and work out potential
conflicts within the team.. To ensure cooperation among members in completing the industry project, each
group may initiate disciplinary measures against non-contributing members as the majority sees fit.
MGT 497 Fall 2006
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Department of Management, California State University, Northridge
We shall be using a Confidential Team Contribution Evaluation Instrument to evaluate the relative
contribution of each team member to the preparation and conduct of your team project, using an
appropriate key, to obtain individual responses. This information may be used to adjust the grade of each
individual relative to the team grade on the project, but will not be disclosed to the other team members
Fall 2006 - Timetable
Dates
1:
9/6
Topics, Tasks, Readings
Housekeeping, Course Introduction; Clarifying Mutual Expectations.
Preparing for an Effective Case Analysis.
Chapter 1: Understanding Strategy, Strategic Thinking versus Strategic Planning,
Strategic Management: Decision Making at the Strategic and Operational Levels.
2:
9/13
Exercise: Innkeepers of America
Exercise: How do you define Strategy?
3.
9/20
Chapter 1: Vision and Mission; The Strategic Management Process; Stakeholders.
Exercise: How well do these organizations communicate their purpose?
4:
9/27
Chapter 2: The External Environment: Opportunities, Threats, Industry Competition,
and Competitor Analysis.
Case: Cola wars continue: Coke and Pepsi in the Twenty First Century
5:
10/4
Chapter 3: The Internal Environment: Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies.
Exercise: Competitive Advantage in Athletic Footwear
6:
10/11
Exercise: Organizational Resources: Core Competencies
MIDDLE TERM I
MGT 497 Fall 2006
Course Outlines
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Department of Management, California State University, Northridge
Fall 2006 - Timetable
Dates
7.
10/18
Topics, Tasks, Readings
Business Strategy; Customers: Their Relationships with Business-Level Strategies;
Purposes and Types of Business-Level Strategies;
Developing Generic Business-Level Strategy; Cooperative Strategy.
Exercise: Beating Wal-Mart: It’s tough, But it can be done.
8:
10/25
Case: Wal-Mart Stores Inc.: Dominating Global Retailing
Exercise: Choosing how to Compete in the Lodging Industry
9:
11/1
Competitive Rivalry and Competitive Dynamics; Competitor Analysis, Drivers of
Competitive Actions and Responses, Strategic Focus.
Case: Southwest Airlines: The King of the Hill that is changing an Industry
Strategic Focus: Is GM stuck in the 1970’s?
Has Coke Fizzled While Pepsi Popped the Top?
10: 11/8
Corporate-Level Strategy; Diversification Strategies; Acquisition and Restructuring
Strategies.
MIDDLE TERM II
11: 11/15
Organizational Structure and Controls: Relationship between Strategy and Structure;
Evolutionary Patterns of Strategy and Organizational Structure;
Corporate Governance; Critical Issues in Strategic Implementation.
Exercise: Designing Organizational Structures for Club Ed
12: 11/22
Strategic Leadership: The Role of Top Level Managers; Managerial Succession; Key
Strategic Leadership Actions;
Exercise: Transition at PeopleSoft Inc.
13: 11/29
GROUP PROJECT: PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
14: 12/6
GROUP PROJECT: PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
15: 12/13
GROUP PROJECT: PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
Individual paper due at the start of class
on the last formal class on Dec 13 2006
1
The timetable is subject to change.
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Course Outlines
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