MANAGEMENT 4090 SECTION D
Course Outline
Spring 2011
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Brad Olson
EMAIL:
bradley.olson@uleth.ca
OFFICE:
M 4077
CLASS TIMES:
Tuesday & Thursday, 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Room: L 1060
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday 1:40 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. & Thursday 3:20 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. or
by appointment.
TEXTS: Wheelen, T. & Hunger, J. (2010). Strategic Management and Business Policy:
Achieving Sustainability, (Twelfth Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall.
Syllabus, power point slides etc. can be found on the Class Web Site.
Olson, B. (2010). Management Policy & Strategy (Cases), Custom CoursePack.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: To provide students with the knowledge to integrate core
business functions and implement sound strategic decisions. Students will become
familiar with the terms, concepts and theories associated with business policy and
strategy. During and after this course, it is hoped that students will understand and
appreciate that strategic decisions affect the entire organization, and thus learn the
importance of integrating disciplines such as economics, accounting, finance, etc.
Emphasis will be placed on the development of analytical skills, critical thinking, and
written and oral communication skills.
METHOD: To convey the foundation of business policy and strategy, I will incorporate
lectures, class activities, case analyses, presentations and videos throughout the semester.
The student, therefore, must be fully prepared so that he or she is aware of what is being
covered in each class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:
Case question(s):
Content exam 1:
Content exam 2:
Case final exam:
Group case assignments:
Participation:
Group project/presentation:
50
150
150
250
200
50
150
1,000 total points
860 – 1000: Excellent - 950 – 1000 = A+; 900 – 949 = A; 860 – 899 = A-;
740 – 859: Good - 820 – 859 = B+; 780 – 819 = B; 740 – 779 = B-;
620 – 739: Satisfactory - 700 – 739 = C+; 660 – 699 = C; 620 – 659 = C-;
500 – 619: Pass - 580 – 619 = D+; 500 – 579 = D;
0 – 499: = Fail - 0 – 499 = F.
MIDTERM EXAMS AND FINAL EXAM: There will be three exams given during the
semester. Two will be content exams consisting primarily of multiple choice and/or short
answer questions and some essay-type questions. Content exams will cover chapters
assigned and material brought up in lecture but not limited to your assigned readings. The
final exam will be a case analysis. We will discuss the format of the case exam during
the semester. The final case exam is an individual case, thus, there shall be no assistance
from others. The case for the final will be from the Ivey School of Business Website.
There will be a nominal cost to download the case so this cost should be factored in your
text book costs. Make-up exams will only be given in extreme circumstances. You
must get approval from me before the day of the exam. I reserve the right to refuse
any request for a make-up exam. No hats are allowed in the exams. IPods, cell
phones and other such devices must be turned off.
GROUP CASE ASSIGNMENTS AND GROUP PROJECT/PRESENTATION:
Classes will be divided into groups consisting of 3, 4 or 5 members (depending on class
size). The intent of these group case assignments/projects is to prepare students to work
with others that have different responsibilities within a company. Therefore, groups
should consist of different majors (i.e. accounting, management, finance, and marketing),
if possible.
Each group will participate in the group case assignments and group project/presentation.
I will incorporate between 5 to 7 cases throughout the semester. I will choose two cases
to grade. There is no minimum page limit; however, there will be a 10 page, double
spaced, maximum limit (excluding tables, graphs, references). These assignments will be
announced in class. Graded cases will be due at the beginning of class. Group cases that
are late will not be accepted and thus your group will receive zero points for that case.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The group project/presentation should be performed on a private or public company.
Whether it is a private or public company, you must interview someone in management
(ideally the CEO or founder) so that primary data can be collected. For the group
project/presentation, your group will complete and present a feasibility study.
.
Your analysis could include, but not be limited to, the following:
Company Analysis
1. Description of the Firm
- i.e. history, product lines, scope of firm, firm size.
2. Strengths and Weaknesses
- Which functional areas within the firm are particularly strong and which are
particularly weak? Why?
- Financial and non-financial performance analysis
- Other
3. Current Strategy
- Describe the firm’s strategies at the corporate, business, and functional levels.
Are they effective? Why?
Industry Analysis:
The industry analysis could be organized as follows:
1. Industry Environment
- Discuss the competitors
- Discuss the products and services produced by the firms in this industry.
2. Strategies in the industry
- Business-level strategies being pursued by firms within the industry
- What must a firm do well to compete effectively in this industry?
3. General Environment
- How have the general environmental factors (i.e. demographic) influenced the
industry?
4. Industry Specific Environment
- i.e. Porter’s five forces. – or could have incorporated within
opportunities/threats section
5. Strategic Groups within the industry.
- Identify strategic groups within the industry.
6. Industry Opportunities and Threats
- What are the key opportunities and which companies are most likely to take
advantage of these opportunities?
- What are the key threats and which firms are likely to be most affected by
these threats?
Recommended Actions.
Please note that the above format is just one suggestion as to how to approach your group
presentation. The important point is that you incorporate concepts learned in this class.
Your choice of industry and firm must be approved by the end of the fourth week of class.
There will not be a formal write-up, however, you must cite and reference your sources.
The group project/presentation will be graded on the quality of the content of the material
as well as the content of slides and the actual presentation of the material. Finally, there
will be a question/answer period. Thus, a portion of your grade will be based on how
well you answer those questions. Therefore, I will need a copy of your slides and
organized notes (no cue cards or hand written notes) by no later than 3:00 pm two days
before the presentation. It is essential that these organized notes are clear, specific and
well supported. Groups that are late will receive at a minimum 10% deduction from their
group project/presentation grade. Disorganized materials will result in points taken off. I
will provide more specifics on the analysis as the semester progresses.
There will also be peer evaluations for group assignments/projects. These peer
evaluations will be conducted to assess individual contributions to team performance; I
will adjust grades as necessary based on the peer evaluations. However, I do have the
right to adjust any evaluation if I deem it unfair.
CASE QUESTIONS: You will be responsible to be prepared for each case. For the
cases not graded for group case assignments, I will choose at least one case where I will
ask one or two questions that you (individually) will write responses to during the class
period. There will be a time limit on the written responses. If you miss this class, you
will receive zero points on that question(s).
PARTICIPATION: Participation will be determined by your involvement in class
discussions. It is recommended that you bring a name card (include you first name and
your initial for your last name) for at least the first four weeks of class. Coming to class
prepared (or not prepared) will increase (or decrease) your participation points.
Therefore, attending and preparing for class are essential. Rudeness to the instructor or to
your fellow peers will not be tolerated. Talking to classmates while the instructor or
other peers are in discussion is not acceptable, and you will be marked down for such
actions. The distribution of these points is solely at the discretion of the instructor.
Attendance does not equal participation, meaning coming to all classes will not, in itself,
warrant points associated with participation. Therefore, even if you came to every class,
yet you do not participate or participate very little in relation to other students, then you
should expect a small portion of participation points.
ATTENDANCE: You are expected to attend each scheduled class. If you must miss
a class, it is your responsibility to get notes, assignments and other information from
another student. I will make announcements of any schedule or exam changes in class.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: No form of academic misconduct will be tolerated.
Please see your student handbook or school catalog for the University's policy.
4090 Section D
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE ANY CHANGES DEEMED NECESSARY.
DATE
TOPIC
READING ASSIGNMENT
(OUTSIDE READINGS TBA)
01/11
Introduction/Strategic Management
Text: Chapter 1
01/13
Strategic Management
Text: Chapter 1
01/18
Social Responsibility
Text: Chapter 3
01/20
Social Responsibility
Text: Chapter 3
01/25
External Scanning
Text: Chapter 4
01/27
Internal Scanning
Text: Chapter 5
02/01
Business Level Strategy exercise
Text: Chapter 6
02/03
Business Level Strategy
Text: Chapter 6
02/08
Case Analysis
Edward’s Restaurant
02/10
Content Exam # 1
02/15
Corporate-Level Strategy
Text: Chapter 7
02/17
Corporate Level Strategy/Case Analysis
Text: Chapter 7/ Vincor
02/22
Reading week
02/24
Reading week
03/01
Organizing for Action
Text: Chapter 9
03/03
Organizing for Action/Case Analysis
Text : Chapter 9/Care Canada
03/08
Staffing and Directing
Text: Chapter 10
03/10
Staffing and Directing/Case Analysis
Text: Chapter 10/Loblaw Companies Limited
03/15
Evaluation and Control
Text: Chapter 11
03/17
Evaluation and Control/Case Analysis
Text: Chapter 11/ Carrefour China
03/22
Corporate Governance
Text: Chapter 2
03/24
Corporate Governance/Case Analysis
Text: Chapter 2/ Research In Motion
03/29
Content exam # 2
03/31
Group Project Presentations (one group)
04/05
Group Project Presentations (two groups)
04/07
Group Project Presentations (two groups)
04/12
Group Project Presentations (two groups)
04/14
Group Project Presentations (two groups)