MBA 980X – Business Strategies
Winter Quarter 2009
Instructor – Jay Barney
Interim 1
Topic: Business Strategy
12.22.08 Assignment:
Reading
Barney and Clifford, entire book
Barney, chapters 1, 3, 4, and 5
Individual Homework:
In no more than two double spaced pages, please answer the following questions about your
firm:
1. What is its strategy?
2. How attractive is your industry?
3. What are your primary sources of sustained competitive advantage, if any?
Assignment due by 11:59 PM (EST) 12.22.08. Submit file through website.
01.05.09Assignment:
Text Reading
Barney, Chapters 6, 7, and 9
Case Reading:
Crown Cork and Seal in 1989 (9-793-035)
1. How attractive is the metal container industry?
2. How would you characterize the strategies of other large firms in this industry?
3. What is Crown’s strategy? (Hint: It is not described in the section of the case labeled
“Crown’s Strategy”)
4. If you were Avery, what would you do next?
Case Reading:
Southwest Airlines 2002: An Industry Under Siege
1.
2.
3.
4.
How attractive is the U.S. airline industry?
How would you characterize the strategies of other U.S. airlines?
Why has Southwest been so successful?
How should Southwest respond to the recent challenges in this industry?
Case Reading:
Cardinal Health’s Pharmaceutical Distribution Strategy (A)
1. What has Cardinal’s strategy in the pharmaceutical distribution business been?
2. What should this strategy be going forward?
3. What implications does this strategy going forward have for Cardinal as an
organization?
Group Case Write-ups:
Crown Cork and Seal in 1989
Groups 1, 2, 3
Southwest Airlines 2002: An Industry under Siege
Groups 4, 5, 6
Cardinal Health’s Pharmaceutical Distribution Strategy (A)
Groups 7, 8, 9, 10
Assignment due by 11:59 PM (EST) 1.05.09. Assign one team member to make the
submission. Submit file through website.
Schedule
01.08.09 Class:
8:00 - 9:00
Lecture: “Introduction to the Quarter”
01.09.09 Class:
1:00 – 5:00 PM
Case: Crown, Cork & Seal in 1989
Case: Southwest Airlines 2002: An Industry Under Siege
01.10.09
1:00 – 3:00 PM
Case: Cardinal Health’s Pharmaceutical Distribution Strategy (A)
Interim 2
Topic: Vertical Integration and Strategies
02.02.09 Assignment
Reading:
Barney, Chapter 10
Individual Homework:
Choose a business function in your organization and answer the following questions in one
double-spaced page or less.
1. How vertically integrated is this business function?
2. What is the appropriate level of vertical integration of this function according to
transactions cost economics, capability theory, and real options?
3. Which, if any, of these analyses is correct?
Assignment due by 11:59 PM (EST) 2.02.09. Submit file through website.
02.02.09 Assignment:
Case Reading:
Arauco (A): Forward Integration or Horizontal Expansion (9-705-474)
1.
Should Arauco build the pulp plant?
Case Reading:
Nucleon, Inc. (9-692-041)
1.
Should Nucleon build a manufacturing facility for Phase I/II testing?
Case Reading:
Harlequin Enterprises: The Mira Decision (9B03M007)
1. Should Harlequin enter the single title business?
Group Case Write-ups:
Arauco
Groups 1, 4, 7, 10
Nucleon
Groups 2, 5, 8
Harlequin
Groups 3. 6, 9
Assignment due by 11:59 PM (EST) 02.02.09. Assign one team member to make the
submission. Submit file through website.
Schedule
02.05.09 Class:
8:00 AM – 12:00 noon
Case: Arauco
Case: Nucleon
02.06.09 Class:
1:00 – 3: 00 PM
Case: Harlequin
Interim 3
Topic: Corporate Strategy
03.02.09 Assignment:
Reading:
Barney, Chapters 11, 12, 13, and 14
Individual Homework:
Answer the following questions about your organization in one double-spaced page or less:
1.
2.
3.
How diversified is your firm?
If it is not diversified, should it pursue this strategy? If yes, how? If no, why not?
If it is diversified, what economies of scope, if any, is it pursuing? What is the value
of these economies of scope? If it is not exploiting any economies of scope, how
does it justify its diversification strategy?
Assignment due by 11:59 PM (EDT) 03.02.09. Submit file through website.
03.02.09 Assignment:
Case Reading:
Cooper Industries’ Corporate Strategy (0-391-095)
1. What is Cooper’s core competence?
2. Should Cooper acquire Champion? Should they acquire Cameron Iron Works?
Case Reading:
Newell Company: Corporate Strategy (9-799-139)
1. What is Newell’s core competence?
2. Did the Rubbermaid deal make sense? How about Calphalon?
Case Reading:
Sunrise Medical, Inc.’s: Wheelchair Products (9-794-069)
1. Who in the wheelchair industry is best positioned to take advantage of changes in this
industry?
2. Should Sunrise let Guardian introduce a lightweight standard wheelchair product? If
yes, why? If no, why not?
Live Integrative Cases, Case Reading:
TBA
Group Case Write-ups:
Cooper Industries’ Corporate Strategy
Groups 1, 3, 5
Newell Company: Corporate Strategy
Groups 7, 8, 9, 10
Sunrise Medical, Inc.: Wheelchair products
Groups 2, 4, 6
Assignment due by 11:59 PM (EST) 03.02.09. Assign one team member to make the
submission. Submit file through website.
Schedule
03.05.09 Class:
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Case: Cooper Industries’ Corporate Strategy
Case: Newell Company: Corporate Strategy
03.07.09 Class:
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Case: Sunrise Medical: Wheelchair products
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Live Integrative Case: TBA