ADM4311 Y
Strategic Management
Summer 2022
Professor:
Nour El Kadri
Office:
SITE 4060 + Virtual
Telephone:
613-240-3181
E-Mail:
nelkadri@uottawa.ca
Office Hours:
flexible, but please make an appointment
Class Location:
Virtual – MS Teams & Brightspace
Tuesdays: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Class Hours:
TBA
Teaching
Assistant
Deliverables
2 case memos, Cases and questions are assigned in advance:
submit through Brightspace in the assigned folder. (group;
25%)
Intopia various simulation deliverables: see simulation schedule
(group; 35%)
Quiz I: June 7 (10%)
Quiz II: July 15 (10%)
Last class: peer evaluation form (10%);
Participation (all classes) (10%)
No final Exam
Exam
Textbook
Grant, Robert, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 10th Edition,
Wiley, 2018-
Program of study
BCom mandatory course
1. COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is the capstone course of the BCom curriculum. It focuses on the tasks of top and
middle managers as they generate and implement the strategies that set the general direction of
an organization and thus critically affect its success. The course consists of two essential parts –
knowing and doing.
The “knowing” part of the course involves learning about strategic management and the
organization of business enterprises: the readings, lectures, and case discussions should develop
your understanding of the associated strategic management concepts.
The “doing” part of the course involves the analysis of cases, class-based interaction, and in
particular your participation in a business simulation, called Intopia, which is described in more
detail below.
This online course contains both asynchronous and synchronous activities. Asynchronous
activities will include reviewing pre-recorded lectures and other material assigned in advance for
each class and for the business simulation. These activities can be completed at any time once
the material has been made available online. Synchronous activities will be completed during the
scheduled online class sessions using MS Teams (“MST”), and will focus on discussion of the
assigned case and Q&A-based review of the pre-recorded lecture and other assigned material.
The course requires you to have a laptop or desktop computer with a reliable, high-speed Internet
connection, a webcam, and audio/voice capabilities. Class sessions will be recorded, and your
image, voice, and name may be disclosed to classmates. Note that by remaining in sessions that
are being recorded you are agreeing to the recording.
2. COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
To advance your knowledge of the formulation and implementation of business and corporate
strategies.
To advance your knowledge of how general managers create competitive advantage.
To extend your familiarity with how large, complex organizations function.
To give you the experience of working as a team of top managers running a simulated company
and resolving management problems in real time.
Strategic management is the principal responsibility of senior managers. You are unlikely to
become a senior manager in the near future, but this course can be useful in ways beyond
formation for a senior management role. As a job seeker, your knowledge of strategy-making
processes and particular companies’ strategies may impress recruiters and help you decide
among job opportunities with different companies. As a lower- or middle-level employee, you
can use knowledge of strategy-making to understand how you can add value to your company.
Moreover, this kind of knowledge may help you position yourself in a corporation or part of a
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corporation that will be more successful, leading to promotions and higher pay. And as an
investor, knowledge of strategy-making processes and positioning, and particular companies’
strategies, should enable you to evaluate better the prospects of different stocks and business
opportunities.
2.1 Contribution to the B.Com learning goals (Undergraduate goals, “UG”)
As a course that focuses on total-organization performance, ADM 4311 emphasizes the
integration of discipline-based knowledge (UG1); the core pedagogical method of the case study
emphasizes the active demonstration of critical thinking and the business simulation emphasizes
the sustained exercise of dynamic decision making (UG2); teams and class-based discussion are
both important vehicles for the cultivation of leadership, interpersonal skills, and communication
skills (UG3); and the business simulation cultivates an attitude of fair-dealing with BCom peers
and the peer evaluation tool explicitly surveys for this (UG4).
3. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
The grading scheme is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of theory and
practice, and your ability to use theory to solve practical problems in organizations. A secondary
purpose of the grading scheme is to provide you with the opportunity to work with each other,
and to improve oral and written communication skills. The breakdown of marks is as follows:
Group case memos (2x12.5%)
Intopia simulation
Quizzes
Participation
Group-peer evaluation
Total:
25%
35%
20%
10%
10% (for work on the 2 case memos + Intopia)
____
100%
Groups
Groups will be assigned early in the course by the professor on Brightspace. Once you meet as a
group you should decide on a group liaison, and determine his or her contact information. The
group liaison is responsible for submitting all group work, and processing all queries on it.
You are responsible for your own group management and the group must work hard at resolving
any group-work problems. Individual group member delays or other problems are not a valid
excuse for the entire group’s late submission, poor functioning etc.
I expect early notice of any serious problems in group functioning, and only after you yourselves
have made strenuous efforts to resolve these. There should be some hard evidence (e.g. several emails) that show that it was made clear to a problematic member that his contribution/level of
contribution was a problem, and inviting him/her to mend his ways. I need to ensure fairness to
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all, and that abuse of interdependence and not reasonable misunderstanding is at the root of the
problem.
Group case memos: (2 x 12.5%)
Memos will address the questions (posted on BrightSpace) for the particular case. Each group
will submit on both cases. Your memo is to be delivered on Brightspace. Specifics on the
sessions will be communicated in class.
Each memo should be no more than five pages in length, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, and in
Times New Roman 12-point font. You may, if you wish, use a 6th page for any graphs, figures
etc. only. You may use smaller than 12pt font on this 6th page, and may include more than one
graph or figure, as long as the associated text is easily legible.
Refer to the case-memo guidelines on BrightSpace BEFORE COMPOSING AND
SUBMITTING YOUR WORK. Format and time constraints are strict: marks will be lost for
failure to adhere to them.
Composition guidelines for case memos
Do not repeat the wording of the question(s) in your memos
Brief opening and closing paragraphs to communicate the substance
Draw heavily on case for data (and no other sources)
Apply relevant course concepts
Quantitative analysis (where possible) to support points
Reference data points (case page or exhibit #)
Avoid summarizing case material; avoid direct quotation
Try to use all of the space available to you
Time, page limit, and format constraints are strict (see course outline)
Clearly identify the purpose of any graph or table; label all axes, columns etc.
In your text, walk your reader through any graph or table you compose
No value in including on page 6 of your memo a copy of an exhibit from the case
(simply reference it)
A statement of academic integrity (available on the course web page) signed by all group
members must be submitted for each memo (upload as an attachment to the memo or submit as
hard copy on the day of class). Memos without a signed statement will not be returned or count
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towards your grade. Graded memos may be returned even though the statement has not been
signed by all members: if securing the signatures of one or more members is proving unduly
difficult the group liaison should include a brief note to this effect on the statement that is
submitted. However, any member of the group who fails to sign the memo thereby indicates a
failure to contribute to the memo and risks not sharing in the marks for the memo.
Peer evaluation of group participation (10% x group’s average grade)
All students in a team must contribute equally to the two case memos and to the simulation. Peer
evaluations will be required of all group members: you will each fill out a form evaluating each
other’s individual contributions to the group. This form is available on BrightSpace and it is to
be submitted in the final class by each team member.
Quizzes (10%+10%)
There will be two 30-min Quizzes administered in class. These will be timed quizzes and done
online using Brightspace. You will be tested on material covered in the previous lectures. The
quizzes will be objective, Multiple Choice and True/False questions.
Course Attendance and Participation (10%)
All students are expected to participate actively in class discussion. This includes evidence of
thorough prior preparation of course materials, engaging in exercises, etc. Attendance at
all sessions is required except in previously arranged cases/emergencies.
As indicated in the academic regulations of the Telfer School of Management, attendance
at courses of instruction is mandatory. Students who are absent for more than 9 hours of class
time will receive an attendance mark of 0.
Participation – defined as oral contributions shared with the entire class - will be self-evaluated
via BrightSpace. You will have until 5:00 PM on the Friday after class to log your participation for
each session (there will be no participation assessment on the first class). It can be easy to forget to
do this self-evaluation, so it is in your own interest to try to do this within a couple of hours after
class while the session experience is still fresh. It is also recommended to use the chat if you are
not selected to answer a question. I will be referring to the chat for your contributions too as
additional contribution, but the verbal contribution is highly important
I will consider your best 4 classes towards contribution provided they are dispersed across the
course (two up to class 5 and two after class 5)
The participation log is made up of three questions. The first question asks you to rate
your contribution. The second question asks you to summarize (in a few sentences) the
main contributions you made and how these mattered to the class discussion including whether
and how they were corrected or developed by other students or by me. The third question asks you
to rate your preparation for class. I will monitor your self-assessments and I reserve the right to
change an assessment which I feel is inaccurate; queries of participation marks must be made
within one week of the class to which the participation applied.
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Guidelines for rating your contributions in class are included in the weekly on-line assessment.
You will have several ways to assure that your voice is heard:
x Selected groups will be called upon to individually discuss specific case questions in class
x Each individual shall read the assigned materials ahead of time and answer questions that are
posed by the professor.
x The professor reserves the right to call upon some names randomly to confirm the
attendance. Any missed class without a legitimate reason will result in the loss of attendance
and participation marks for that day.
Intopia - Group business simulation (35%)
All students taking ADM4311 will participate in a business simulation. This simulation, called
Intopia, requires teams to make decisions and manage a firm from start-up through several
different operational phases. The business decisions required vary from general management to
functional decisions (e.g., formulating strategy, negotiation, team-management expertise,
developing decision review processes, production, marketing, finance, and accounting
decisions). To begin, teams select to be a component supplier/product
manufacturer/wholesaler/financial company in one of several geographic markets (e.g., North
America, China, and Europe). Teams must then manage their operations effectively to enable
them to meet growth and profit objectives.
All the necessary details of how the game operates, the rules of the game, and other instructions
will be available at www.intopsim.com.
Group presentation on your Intopia experience (Optional): Each group must select a course
concept or topic and write a one-pager on what they experienced in relation to the Intopia
simulation. Note this is different from the Intopia 1-pager. You have the option to present that in
your final class and that would contribute towards your class participation. It is recommended
that a maximum of 3 people present in class, but all group members can contribute to the
discussion/Questions/Answers. Required format and presentation topics will be discussed in
Class 8. There will be a penalty of 1 point if you do not submit this 1-pager.
– Upload to BrightSpace Intopia Simulation exercise, by July 22nd
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Intopia Business Simulation: Schedule of Events
Preparation Phase
Deadlines
Individual Registration
Formation and
registration of teams
Self-assisted learning –
viewing of video library
Monday, May 16 at 10:00 pm
Wednesday, May 18 at 10:00 pm
Structured Trial 1
Structured Trial 2
Structured Trial 3
Structured Trial 4
Structured Trial 5
Quiz #1 (Individual)
Resubmission Deadline Results
(to correct errors)
From May 9 accessible only
with individual registration at
www.intopsim.com
Wednesday, May 25 at 10:00 pm
Friday, May 27 at 10:00 pm
Monday, May 30 at 10:00 pm
Wednesday, June 1 at 10:00 pm
Friday, June 3 at 10:00 pm
Online – before Sunday June 5
at 11:59 pm.
Next day at 10:00 pm
Next day at 10:00 pm
Next day at 10:00 pm
Next day at 10:00 pm
Next day at 10:00 pm
Next day by 8:00 am
Next day by 8:00 am
Next day by 8:00 am
Next day by 8:00 am
Next day by 8:00 am
Market Testing Phase
Deadlines
Results
Period 1
Period 2
Wednesday, June 8 at 10:00 pm
Friday, June 10 at 10.00 pm
Next day by 8:00 am
Next day by 8:00 am
Period 3
Monday, June 13 at 10:00 pm
Next day by 8:00 am
Period 4
Wednesday, June 15 at 10:00 pm
Next day by 8:00 am
PAUSE
Period 5
Monday, June 20 at 10:00 pm
Next day by 8:00 am
Period 6
Wednesday, June 22 at 10:00 pm
Next day by 8:00 am
Period 7
Friday, June 24 at 10:00 pm
Next day by 8:00 am
Quiz #2 (Individual)
Online – each student to complete individually before
Sunday June 26 at 11:59 pm.
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The Real Game
Deadlines
Results
Projections submission and
business (X, Y etc.) declaration
Leaders’ Meeting via Zoom
Decision 1
Decision 2
Decision 3
Decision 4
Decision 5
Decision 6
Decision 7
Decision 8
Decision 9
Debriefing, social, and awards
Thursday, June 30 at 10:00 pm
Sunday, July 3
Monday, July 4 10;00 pm
Tuesday, July 5 at 10:00 pm
Thursday, July 7 at 10:00 pm
Friday, July 8 at 4:00 pm
Friday, July 8 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, July 9 at 10:00 am
Saturday, July 9 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, July 9 at 6:00 pm
Sunday, July 10 at 9:00 am
Sunday, July 10 at 12:15 pm
TBA
30 minutes after decision
30 minutes after decision
30 minutes after decision
30 minutes after decision
30 minutes after decision
30 minutes after decision
30 minutes after decision
30 minutes after decision
 Each student must register individually at www.intopsim.com to gain access to the
resource materials (manual, instruction videos, etc.). To register, use the licence key
provided with the e-mail confirmation of payment; to complete the access process you
will also need to create a password. Team membership must be listed by the team leaders
at www.intopsim.com: team membership will be typically the same as for all other
adm4311 coursework.
 The structured trial decisions will be a series of decisions that each team will
make. These decisions are aimed at demonstrating the way in which decisions are
entered on-line and the impact that these decisions have on team output. A list of the
decisions to be made per trial period will be available on the website. Decisions will be
submitted and returned on the website. There will be no direct carry-over of performance
from the structured trials to the market test.
 For the market test teams are free to make whatever decisions they wish. But teams will
be strongly encouraged to devise a basic strategy and to improve their understanding of
how to implement this in terms of the decisions they make. Teams will have more capital
than in the “real” game and will be encouraged to do business with each other during this
run. There will be no direct carry-over of performance from the market test to the “real”
game. For the projections assignment, teams will be required to upload a set of 5-year
projections based on their intended business for the “real” game. Initial capital will be
influenced by these projections.
 The leaders’ meeting is a face-to-face Q&A with Tim Jones (the game administrator);
only the leader (or delegate) from each team actively attends.
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4. COURSE MATERIALS (all are required):
Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 10th Edition
Robert M. Grant
ISBN: 978-1-119-49567-3 November 2018
E-Book is available for Rental for the duration of the course.
https://www.vitalsource.com/en-ca/products/contemporary-strategy-analysis-enhanced-etextrobert-m-grant-v9781119495673
Powerpoint overheads: posted in advance of class.
Links Readings posted in advance of class.
Cases to be analyzed, will be posted as per schedule.
Intopia simulation materials: www.intopsim.com (see note above)
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Deadline for group case-memo submissions: End of day as per schedule
(two required)
Session
Topic
Case study
Other preparation
(see note below)
Module I: Introduction to Strategy
Week
1.May 10
Topic
Course overview; Syllabus
The Concept of Strategy
2.May 17
Goals
Values
Performance

and 

Reading
Contemporary Strategy
Analysis, Ch. 1
Author/Deliverables
Grant, Robert
Contemporary Strategy
Analysis, Ch. 2
What is Strategy?
Harvard Business
Review, NovemberDecember 1996
Grant, Robert
Michael Porter,
Deadline:
Individual Intopia
Registration- May 16th,
10:00 PM.
Team Registration by
Team Leaders – May
18th , 10:00 PM
Module II: External fit: how the industry affects business success
3. May 24
4. May 31
Industry Analysis: The  Contemporary Strategy Grant, Robert
Fundamentals
Intopia structured
Analysis, Ch. 3.
Case I Assigned: General  The Balanced
begin May 25
Electric
ScoreCard
Extending the 5 Forces
Model and Competitive
Intelligence


trials
Contemporary Strategy Grant, Robert
Analysis, Ch. 4
Reading Discussions
Growth as a Process,
The HBR Interview,
Jeffrey R. Immelt,
Harvard Business
Review, June 2006
Module III: Internal fit: how the organization affects business success
5. June 7
Analyzing Resources and
Capabilities

Contemporary Strategy
Analysis, Ch. 5
Case II Assigned: Shell
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Grant, Robert
Case I Memo due, to be
submitted by 11:59 PM
on Brightspace.
Quiz 1- On
Brightspace – In
class, Covers classes 1
to 4
Intopia Quiz I: Online –
before Sunday June 5 at
11:59 pm.
6. June 14
The
Fundamentals
of 
Strategy Implementation
7. June 21
The Balanced ScoreCard – Using the Balanced
Scorecard as a Strategic
Strategy Maps
Management System
Leadership in Uncertain Strategy in a Weak Gartner
Times
Recovery
Business Strategy in Case II Memo due, to
be submitted by 11:59
COVID-19 Recovery
PM on Brightspace.
8. June 28
Contemporary Strategy
Analysis, Ch. 6
Grant Robert
Intopia market tests
begin June 8
Robert S. Kaplan and
David P. Norton
Intopia Quiz II : Online –
each
student
to
complete
individually
before Sunday June 26
at 11:59 pm.
Projections Submission
and
strategy
Declaration June 30th ,
by 10 PM.
9. July 5
Class Forgiven (Intopia
Simulation)
Class
Forgiven
(Intopia Simulation)
Module III: “Intopia” business simulation
July 4 Intensive simulation weekend
July 10
Leader’s meeting via zoom on July 4th at 10:00 PM. Decision 1 on July 5th, 10:00
PM
11.
12
July The Role of the General 
Manager
12.
July Intopia debrief
The Role of the Chief
Executive Officer in
Articulating the Vision
Ray Sata
Quiz
2
On
Brightspace
during
class time. Covers
classes 5 to 8.
Peer evaluation forms
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One-pager submission about
concept and experience.
due.
(Optional)10-minute
Presentation in class
about your strategy and
experience
*Note on class topics: the readings will be lectured on in class on the week for which they have
been assigned but they have been sequenced to precede the case analysis to which they most
closely relate.
We will adjust some lecture schedules based on a guest speaker appearance.
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COURSE POLICIES
Prevention of Sexual Violence
The University of Ottawa is committed to a safe and healthy campus for work, for study and for
campus community life for all members of the University community. The University, as well as
various employee and student groups, offer a variety of services and resources to ensure that all
uOttawa community members have access to confidential support and information, and to
procedures for reporting an incident or filing a complaint. For more information, please visit
uOttawa Sexual violence: support and prevention.
Class Attendance
Class attendance is expected and is necessary to successfully complete this course.
Students are expected to write (or submit) all course deliverables as scheduled according to this
Course Outline. Medical absences (with the appropriate medical certificate) are the only
acceptable reasons for failure to hand-in or complete a requirement of this course at the specified
time. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. For a missed deliverable, medical certificates
must be submitted along with a deferred exam application and a medical certificate form to the
Student Services Centre of the Telfer School of Management. For other missed deliverables, the
original medical certificates can be submitted directly to the Professor.
Language & Writing
You will be judged on your writing abilities on all written deliverables. It is recommended to
take the appropriate measures to avoid mistakes such as spelling, syntax, punctuation,
inappropriate use of terms, etc.
Professors show a marked bias for a movement from theory/definition (textbook, supplementary
readings, class discussion) to your own words to a concrete example. In other words, make a
clear reference to an accepted theoretical foundation, then explain it in your own words and then
provide a concrete example to support your idea (from a case study, from a class discussion,
from a real life situation that you have observed, from history,…).
In the event of poor language quality, you may be penalized up to 15% to the professor’s
discretion. Please see the “
Writing Resources”.
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Absences from exams
University regulations require all absences from exams/quizzes and all late submissions due to
illness to be supported by a medical certificate.
Absence for any other serious reason must be justified in writing, to the Telfer School, within
five business days following the date of the exam or date for submission of an assignment. The
Telfer School reserves the right to accept or refuse the reason.
Religious absences: If a religious holiday or a religious event will force you to be absent during
an evaluation, it is your responsibility to inform your professor as early as possible.
Intellectual property
All forms (printed, digital, etc.) of course materials prepared by the instructor (including emailed or Brightspace content) are protected by copyright. This covers all files, assessments,
solutions, cases, and other materials. Copying, scanning, photographing, posting, or sharing by
any means is a violation of copyright and will be subject to appropriate penalty as prescribed by
University of Ottawa regulation.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic Regulation 14 defines academic fraud as “any act by a student that may result in a
distorted academic evaluation for that student or another student. Academic fraud includes but
is not limited to activities such as:
a) Plagiarism or cheating in any way;
b) Submitting work not partially or fully the student’s own, excluding properly cited
quotations and references. Such work includes assignments, essays, tests, exams,
research reports and theses, regardless of whether the work is written, oral or another
form;
c) Presenting research data that are forged, falsified or fabricated;
d) Attributing a statement of fact or reference to a fabricated source;
e) Submitting the same work or a large part of the same piece of work in more than one
course, or a thesis or any other piece of work submitted elsewhere without the prior
approval of the appropriate professors or academic units;
f) Falsifying or misrepresenting an academic evaluation, using a forged or altered
supporting document or facilitating the use of such a document;
g) Taking any action aimed at falsifying an academic evaluation.”1
The Telfer School of Management does not tolerate academic fraud. Please familiarize yourself
with this guidance.
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STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS for students who need adaptive
measures
Students who have a disability or functional limitation and who need adaptive measures (changes
to the physical setting, arrangements for exams, learning strategies, etc.) to progress or
participate fully in university life should contact Academic Accommodations Service as early as
possible:
• By visiting our office on the third floor of the Desmarais Building, Room 3172
• By filling out the online registration form
• By calling us phone at 613-562-5976
The University is committed to providing students with disabilities academic accommodation to
allow them an equitable opportunity to fully access and participate in the learning
environment with dignity, autonomy and without impediment while preserving academic
freedom, academic integrity, and academic standards.
The Academic Accommodations service works collaboratively with our university community
and stakeholders to facilitate the academic accommodation process. To consult the policy, visit
the Academic Regulation I-16 - Academic Accommodations.
The academic accommodation process is a collaborative process and a shared responsibility
among all parties involved. Our role in the academic accommodation process is to assess,
establish, and implement appropriate academic accommodations for students who have a
temporary or permanent disability.
Students who need academic accommodations are encouraged to contact us as soon as possible.
Writing Resources
When working on any of your written assignments, please keep in mind that all written submissions are
expected to be grammatically sound (see Writing Quality expectations under Appendix 3: U Ottawa
Course Policies) and make appropriate use of research where applicable on how to avoid Academic
Fraud. Regarding writing quality, see the information on University of Ottawa Writing/Learning
resources below for further assistance:
 The Academic Writing Help Centre, University of Ottawa.
 The Elements of Style (Strunk & White). Also available at the library.
 APA style. (Also see the Quick APA guide posted on our Brightspace page)
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Other U Ottawa Services that you might find useful


Career Services:
o Telfer Career Centre
o U Ottawa Career Services
Counselling Service
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Personal Ethics Statement Concerning Telfer School
Assignments
Group Assignment:
By signing this Statement, I am attesting to the fact that I have reviewed not only my own work,
but the work of my colleagues, in its entirety.
I attest to the fact that my own work in this project meets all of the rules of quotation and
referencing in use at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, as well as
adheres to the fraud policies as outlined in the Academic Regulations in the University’s
Undergraduate Studies Calendar. Academic Fraud Webpage
To the best of my knowledge, I also believe that each of my group colleagues has also met the
rules of quotation and referencing aforementioned in this Statement.
I understand that if my group assignment is submitted without a signed copy of this Personal
Ethics Statement from each group member, it will be interpreted by the Telfer School that the
missing student(s) signature is confirmation of non-participation of the aforementioned
student(s) in the required work.
______________________________
Signature
______________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print)
______________________________
Signature
______________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print)
______________________________
Signature
______________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print)
______________________________
Signature
______________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print)
______________________________
Signature
______________________________
Last Name (print), First Name (print)
__________________________
Date
__________________________
Student Number
__________________________
Date
__________________________
Student Number
__________________________
Date
__________________________
Student Number
__________________________
Date
__________________________
Student Number
__________________________
Date
__________________________
Student Number
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