IBEAR GSBA 529
Strategic Formulation for Competitive Advantage
Popovich 204, Tuesdays – Thursdays 9:00 – 11:30
Fall 2012, Term I, 20 August – 12 October
Terance J. Wolfe, Ph.D.
Email:
Office:
Phone:
FAX:
Office Hours:
Terance.Wolfe@marshall.usc.edu
Bridge 307-F
213.740.0765
213.740.3582
Thursday, 3:45 – 4:45PM; by appointment
Course Overview
This course is designed to get you to think about the organization as a whole; in
particular, from the vantage point of the general manager or chief executive officer
responsible for managing across all areas of organizational operations. As such, the
course focuses on the formulation of management strategy; especially as it is affected
by external opportunities and threats, and internal strengths and shortcomings. A basic
premise of this course is that strategy does not exist independently of the strategist.
Therefore, the course presents you with the opportunity to examine the influence of your
style, knowledge, values, attitudes, and competencies on your personal predispositions
towards policies, and individual and organizational courses of action.
Objectives. The purpose of this course is to focus on the theory and practice of
strategy formulation. The major objectives for the participants are to:
1. Develop individual skills in strategic analysis, assessment, and evaluation.
2. Understand your personal style and functional organizational orientation as they
affect your approach to strategy formulation.
3. Examine the dynamic relationships between the organization and its resource,
technological, market, social, political, and economic environments.
4. Further an appreciation for the role and complexity of the position and
responsibilities of general management.
5. Encourage you to take an integrative, holistic perspective on management and
organization.
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Course Format
The course is designed around a series of lectures and integrative applications of
strategy concepts to real world cases (including a team project). In a given class
session, you can expect any combination of lecture, class discussion, case analysis,
and/or quizzes. Quiz dates and topics are identified in the Schedule of Sessions.
Students are expected to have read the assigned material and to be fully prepared for
class discussions. Some class time may be provided for small group discussions, but
you should expect to meet face-to-face or virtually outside of class with other team
members to prepare some case discussions as well as your team project assignments.
Cases and Team Projects
We will analyze nine (9) Harvard Business School case studies in class. The cases
selected will introduce you to a variety of industries, companies, managerial styles, and
organizational and strategic issues which will broaden your understanding of strategy.
Plan to be well-prepared and expect to be cold-called for your analysis of case material.
Learning from cases involves four parts:
Your own preparation and analysis of the case.
Class discussion of cases, during which other views and potential solutions
are presented and discussed.
Your active participation in class discussion, which entails not only holding
and demonstrating a point-of-view, but also engaging in constructive
discussion to further understand the nuances and complexities of a case.
My feedback and comments on the class discussions.
In addition, each student will participate on a term project team. Each team will conduct
a comprehensive strategic analysis of an assigned publicly traded company. The
companies selected will represent four different industries TBD. Each industry group
will have three “players”. The requirements of a “comprehensive strategic analysis” will
be described in class.
Team participants will function as consultants charged with the responsibility of
formulating an appropriate strategy given the company’s current circumstances. There
will be several project related deliverables distributed throughout the term. They will
require that you meet together in study teams between class sessions to formulate the
issues in your comprehensive cases.
Course Materials
Text (required):
Hill & Jones (2010) Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach – Theory, 9th ed.
Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Course Reader – articles and cases. Available on-line at Harvard Business School
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Summary of Class Requirements
In addition to the assigned readings, please come to class prepared to:
1. Complete a quiz on the assigned reading material
2. Submit a completed two-three page strategy application synopsis for two of the
assigned cases of your choosing. The synopsis must include your assessment
of the strategic situation based upon your application of appropriate course
concepts, as well as your specific strategic recommendations. See guidance
below.
3. Participate in a meaningful way to class discussions
4. Apply course concepts to your assigned team project in collaboration with your
other team members
By the conclusion of this course (October 12), in cooperation with your other team
members, you will complete a comprehensive strategic analysis of your assigned
company, submit a written assessment of your analysis and strategic recommendations,
and make an “industry-level” in-class presentation with two other teams.
Course Assignments and Grading
You will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Attendance and punctuality
Class participation
Quizzes (n = 6, drop 1; net =5).
Written case synopses (n = 2; 10% each)
Comprehensive Strategic Analysis and in-class
presentation
Expected!!!
10%
25%
20%
45%
100%
1. Class Participation (10%)
Being here, being “present”, and being on time are key. It is a measure of
courtesy and a sign of respect for the instructor and your classmates to attend
and to be on-time. Being “present” also means NO electronic devices – at all!
Participation in class discussions involves active participation that contributes
to the class. Active participation means asking questions, answering questions,
making observations, commenting on other students’ comments, or challenging a
view. The second requirement is that what you say actually makes a contribution
– merely repeating comments made by other students or telling the class that
you agree with what someone else said does not count. Your comments should
move discussion forward. Talking for the sake of talking, talking just to be
recognized, is a waste of all of our time. Please self-monitor.
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2. Quizzes (30%)
There will be six quizzes scheduled throughout the semester (check Schedule of
Sessions below for specific quiz dates). There is no midterm or final exam.
Each quiz is worth five percent of your total grade. The lowest quiz score will be
dropped. If you miss a quiz, that’s the one that gets dropped – no exceptions. If
you miss more than 1, you are SOL.
Quizzes focus on your knowledge of key course concepts as presented in the
required text/readings assigned for that week or as reviewed in class. As a rule
(there may be exceptions to this rule), quizzes will have twenty questions.
Questions will be objective in nature – that is, true – false, multiple choice, fill-inthe-blank, or matching. Quizzes will always be given promptly at 9:00AM (or
maybe between 8:50 – 8:55). If you think you will need more time, arrive early!
Late arrivers will not be given a time extension. In general, quizzes will take
about 20 minutes. Thus, papers will be collected by 9:20 – regardless of your
arrival time. There are NO make-ups for quizzes.
3. Case Synopses (20%)
Each student will submit two (2) three-four page case synopses. Each synopsis
is worth ten (10) percent of the total grade. Case synopses are due at the start
of class. Submissions received after 9:15 will be penalized.
A case synopsis will have the following format:
a. Address the case analysis questions provided for each case.
b. Which strategic management concepts are useful in the analysis of this
case?
c. Why do you think each of your selected concepts is useful for
understanding this case?
d. What strategic understanding did you develop as a result of this case
analysis?
e. Based upon your analysis, what specific strategic recommendations would
you make for the situation presented?
4. Written Comprehensive Team Strategic Analysis (45%) – due October 12
Each participant will work with her/his team to complete a comprehensive
strategic analysis of an assigned company and industry. This analysis will
constitute 45% of the total grade. There are several goals for this assignment:

To provide each student with the opportunity to participate in a
comprehensive strategic assessment.

To familiarize each student with the various concepts, tools and
techniques of contemporary strategy analysis and their application to a
real situation.

To provide a personal and, therefore, meaningful application of the model
of strategic analysis.
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Guidelines for the comprehensive strategic assessment are available in the Hill &
Jones text, and will be discussed during the first week of class.
The target length for the paper is 20 – 30 pages of 12 point, double-spaced,
paginated text excluding bibliography and appendices.
Final written strategic analyses for each team are due on October 12.
Each “industry” (comprised of three teams each) will be responsible for a seventy
(70) minute presentation and discussion on October 12. Presentation times for
each Industry will be determined by a draw from a hat.
The 70 minutes should be structured approximately as follows:

Macro-environmental forces impacting industry
10 minutes

Industry structure and challenges
10 minutes

Review of each competitors SWOT, key success
factors, distinctive competencies, key strategic
issues, recommended strategies
30 minutes (7.5
minutes/team)

Questions and discussion
20 minutes
A copy of the “industry-level” powerpoint presentation is due on October 12.
Term Project Grading Components .
Instructor Evaluation – 20%. Twenty (20) percent of total grade; forty-four (44)
percent of team project grade
Peer Evaluation (1) – 10%. Team Project Member (10%). A challenge of team
assignments is to monitor equal contributions to team performance. To control
for this, each team member will complete an anonymous peer evaluation of each
of her/his other members. Peer evaluations of team members will represent ten
(10) percent of each individual’s total grade, and twenty-two (22) percent of each
individual’s team project grade. Peer evaluations have a “forced-distribution”
such that all team members cannot receive the same grade. The number of “A’s”
available to each team is limited. See attached peer evaluation form.
Peer Evaluation (2) – 7.5%. Industry Group Member (7.5%). To ensure each
team within each industry cooperates in the development of the final
company/industry presentation, each team within an industry will do a peer
evaluation of all the team’s within its industry. Peer evaluation of industry
members account for seven-and-a-half (7.5) percent of each individual’s total
grade, and seventeen (17) percent of each individual’s team project grade.
Class Rankings – 7.5%. Each team presentation will be ranked by the rest of the
class from 1 (most effective) to 5 (least effective). The team ranked most
effective will receive an A+; the team ranked least effective will receive a B-. The
remaining teams will be distributed in between. Seven-and-a-half (7.5) percent of
your total grade, and seventeen (17) percent of your group grade, will be
assessed through class rankings.
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Academic Integrity Policy
The Marshall School is committed to upholding the University’s Academic Integrity code as
detailed in the SCampus Guide. It is the policy of the Marshall School to report all violations of
the code. Any serious violation or pattern of violations of the Academic Integrity Code will result
in the student’s expulsion from the degree program.
It is particularly important that you are aware of and avoid plagiarism, cheating on exams,
fabricating data for a project, submitting a paper to more than one professor, or submitting a
paper authored by anyone other than yourself. If you have doubts about any of these practices,
confer with a faculty member.
Resources on academic dishonesty can be found on the Student Judicial Affairs Web site
(http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS.). The “Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism” addresses
issues of paraphrasing, quotations, and citation in written assignments, drawing heavily upon
materials used in the university’s writing program. “Understanding and avoiding academic
dishonesty” addresses more general issues of academic integrity, including guidelines for
adhering to standards concerning examinations and unauthorized collaboration. The “20052006 SCampus” (http://www.usc.edu/scampus) contains the university’s student conduct code.
Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register
with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for
approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to
me (or to your TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
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IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER
CLASS PARTICIPATION
 Be fully prepared – ALL THE TIME: Readings & Cases
 Expect to be cold-called
 Class begins at 9:00, ends at 11:30 with one fifteen (15) minute break (~10:15)
 Do not be “coming and going” while class is in session
 ALL electronic devices should be turned off at ALL TIMES– NO EXCEPTIONS
QUIZZES (n = 6)
 Twenty questions, objective – multiple-choice, true-false, matching, fill-in-blank
 Begin at 9:00 (or 8:50/8:55); end at 9:20. NO EXCEPTIONS, NO MAKE-UPS.
Lowest quiz score will be dropped. If you miss a quiz, that’s the one dropped!
August 28
Porter article, H&J – C1 and C2
September 4
H&J – C3
September 11
Kim & Mauborgne article; H&J – C5 and C6
September 18
H&J – C9
September 25
H&J – C8 and C10
October 2
H&J – C11 and C13
CASE SYNOPSES (n = 2)
 Two - three pages each (see format, page 4)
C2: August 28
Cola Wars Continue: Coke vs Pepsi in 2006
C3: September 4
Wal*Mart Stores, Inc
C4: September 6
The US Wine Industry in 2001
C5: September 13
Walt Disney Company: Entertainment King
C6: September 18
Disney and Pixar: To Acquire or Not to Acquire
C7: September 20
Cooper Industries: Corporate Strategy
C8: September 25
Zara: Fast Fashion
C9: September 27
Philips vs Matsushita
COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT
 20-30 page team paper plus appendices
 “Industry-level” multiple team presentations
 Intermediate deliverables (bullet-point format) – consult Hill & Jones
August 30
Current (T0) statement of industry, vision, mission, strategy
September 11
Macro-scan, five forces, key success factors
September 18
Internal value chain
September 25
S W O T, Key strategic issues (KSI’s)
 Final Deliverables
October 12
All presentations
October 12
Written team project – ALL teams
October 12
Powerpoint decks for each “industry-level” presentation
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TEAM TERM PROJECT
COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC ASSESSMENTS
The Comprehensive Strategic Assessment (CSA) team term project will cover four
industries and twelve companies (3 companies for each industry).
The industries and companies include the following:
Heavy Equipment Manufacturing
Automobile Manufacturing

Caterpillar, US

Tata Motors, India

Komatsu, Japan

Nissan Motor Co, Japan

CNH Global, The Netherlands

General Motors, US
Women’s Intimate Apparel
Airplane Manufacturing

Embraer, Brazil

Wacoal, Japan

EADS (European Aeronautic Defense
and Space), The Netherlands

Victoria’s Secret, US

Triumph International, Germany

Boeing, US
GUIDANCE
The basic structure for the CSA follows the outlines and questions for the “Strategic
Management Project” at the end of each Chapter in the textbook. A “good” CSA will
take into account, and answer as appropriate, the issues posed by these questions.
page 36, questions 1 – 4
page 69, questions 1 – 7
page 104, questions 1 – 7
page 174, questions 1 – 7
page 207, questions 1 – 4
page 280, choose the appropriate set of questions based upon whether or not
your company is currently doing business in other countries
C9: page 309, questions 1 – 6
C10: page 342-343, choose the appropriate set of questions based upon your
company’s portfolio decisions
C11: page 376, questions 1 – 4
C1:
C2:
C3:
C5:
C6:
C8:
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CASE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
As part of your case write-ups, in addition to the questions listed below for each case,
be sure to also address questions b, c, d, and e on page 4 of the syllabus.
APPLE INC IN 2012
1. Historically, what have been Apple’s competitive advantages?
2. Analyze the personal computer industry. Historically, why did Apple struggle in PCs?
3. How sustainable is Apple’s competitive position in PCs, MP3 players, and smartphones?
4. What are Apple’s long-term prospects for the iPad?
5. What advice would you offer Tim Cook, the new Apple CEO and Steve Jobs’ successor?
THE COLA WARS CONTINUE: COKE VERSUS PEPSI IN 2010
1. Historically, why has the soft drink industry been so profitable?
2. Compare the economics of the concentrate business to that of the bottling business.
Why is the profitability so different?
3. How has the competition between Coke and Pepsi affected the industry’s profits?
4. How can Coke and Pepsi sustain their profits given the flattening of demand and the
growing popularity of non-CSD’s?
5. What strategic advice would you give to the CEO’s of Coke and Pepsi, respectively?
Would it be the same or different? If different, what would you recommend to each one?
WAL*MART STORES, INC
1. What are Wal-Mart’s sources of competitive advantage in discount retailing?
2. How sustainable is Wal-Mart’s position in discount retailing in the future?
3. How effective do you believe Wal-Mart’s diversification into the food industry will be?
4. What risks does Wal-Mart face?
5. What strategic advice would you give Glass & Soderquist in order for them to sustain
and improve upon Wal-Mart’s phenomenal success?
CRAFTING WINNING STRATEGIES IN A MATURE MARKET: THE US WINE INDUSTRY IN
2001
1. How attractive is this industry?
2. Following the logic of competitive strategy, should a company enter this industry? If yes,
what should its strategy be?
3. Following the logic of competitive strategy, what strategy should an established player
follow?
4. What are the factors the competitors in this industry compete on and invest in? How
long has the industry competed on these factors?
WALT DISNEY COMPANY: THE ENTERTAINMENT KING
1. Why has Disney been so successful for so long?
2. What did Eisner do to rejuvenate Disney? Specifically, how did he increase net income
in his first four years?
3. Based upon the case information, has Disney diversified too far in recent years?
4. What strategic advice would you give Eisner as he looks to the future?
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THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND PIXAR ANIMATION: TO ACQUIRE OR NOT TO
ACQUIRE
1. Which is greater: the value of Pixar and Disney in an exclusive relationship, or the sum
of the value that each could create if they operated independently of one another or
were allowed to form relationships with other companies? Why?
2. Assuming that Pixar and Disney are more valuable in an exclusive relationship, can that
value be realized through a new contract? Or is common ownership required (i.e., must
Disney acquire Pixar)?
3. If Disney does acquire Pixar, how should Bob Iger and his team organize and manage
the combined entity? What challenges do you foresee, and how would you meet them?
COOPER INDUSTRIES CORPORATE STRATEGY (A)
1. What is Cooper’s corporate strategy? How does it create value? What are its key
resources?
2. Should Cooper Industries acquire Champion Spark Plugs?
3. What are the limits to Cooper’s corporate strategy?
4. What specific strategic recommendations do you have for Cooper Industries?
ZARA: FAST FASHION
1. What is Zara’s basis of competitive advantage? How well does it travel globally?
2. What do you think of Zara’s past international strategy? Evaluate, in particular, its past
strategy for (product) market selection, its mode of entry, and its standardization of its
marketing approach.
3. What is the best way to grow the Zara chain? How, specifically, do you see prospects in
the Italian market? More broadly, what do you think about the strategy of focusing on
Europe versus making a major commitment to a second region?
4. What other strategic recommendations would you make to Inditex CEO Jose Maria
Castellano?
PHILIPS VERSUS MATSUSHITA
1. How did Philips become the leading consumer electronics company in the world in the
postwar era? What distinctive competencies did they build? What distinctive
incompetencies?
2. How did Matsushita succeed in displacing Philips as No. 1? What were Matsushita’s
distinctive competencies and incompetencies?
3. What do you think of the change each company has made to date – the objectives, the
implementation, the impact? Why is the change so hard for each of them?
4. What recommendations would you make to Gerald Kleisterlee? To Eumio Ohtsubo?
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Peer Rating Form for Team Project
Project Name: ______________________
Rank order each of the members of your group INCLUDING yourself on each of the items
below (1 is best, 2 is next best, etc.). The Peer Evaluation counts towards each student’s final
grade. Use the back of this form for required comments. See guidance at bottom of this page.
Please list each of your group members below in alphabetical order by last name. Be sure to
include yourself.
ALPHA by LAST NAME
Group Members:
A.
________________________________________________
B.
________________________________________________
C.
________________________________________________
D.
________________________________________________
E.
________________________________________________
F.
________________________________________________
G.
________________________________________________
Rating Criterion
/
Group Member
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
1. Quality of contribution to group discussions
2. Quality of contribution to writing the assignment
3. Quality of contribution to organizing the assignment
4. Quality of initiative when something needed to get done.
5. Reliability in completing assigned responsibilities
6. Amount of effort put forth.
7. Commitment to the group
8. Leadership, motivation provided to the group.
9. Emphasis on getting the task done.
10. Emphasis on cooperation and working well with others.
11. Would want to work with this group member again.
TOTAL
Assign an alphabetical grade to each member of the group
based on your OVERALL impression of her/his contribution to
the group’s performance. You may assign a group member any
grade from 0 to A+. However, you cannot assign A’s to more
than 60% of your total group members. A 4-person group
cannot have more than two A’s, 5 person = 3 A’s, 6 person = 4
A’s, 7 person = 4 A’s.
On the following page, provide at least three directly observable behaviors that represent what you
believe each team member did well, AND at least three behaviors that you observed that represent areas
for improvement/development for each team member. This is NOT about personalities, but rather it is
about those behaviors that are in service and supportive of successful team work and those behaviors that
are not.
Peer Rating Form_Team Project
Page 11
Peer Rating Form for Team Project
Project Name: ______________________
A:___________________
Did Well (behaviors):
Area for improvement/development (behaviors):
B:___________________
Did Well (behaviors):
Area for improvement/development (behaviors):
C:___________________
Did Well (behaviors):
Area for improvement/development (behaviors):
D:___________________
Did Well (behaviors):
Area for improvement/development (behaviors):
E:___________________
Did Well (behaviors):
Area for improvement/development (behaviors):
F:___________________
Did Well (behaviors):
Area for improvement/development (behaviors):
Peer Rating Form_Team Project
Page 12
Schedule of Sessions and Readings
Week
Date
Topic / Assignment
1
2
3
4
Due
Aug 21
Introduction/ Course Overview
H&J, Chapter 1: Strategic Leadership
H&J, Part Five: Cases in Strategic Management
Learning Style Inventory (LSI)
Aug 23
The Concept of Strategy
Porter, What is Strategy
Case 1: Apple Inc in 2012
Aug 28
External Analysis: Macro-Environment
H&J, Chapter 2: External Analysis – ID Opportunities, Threats
Case 2: Cola Wars Continue: Coke vs Pepsi in 2006
Quiz #1
Porter; H&J: C1, C2
Case Synopsis #1
Coke vs Pepsi
Aug 30
External Analysis: Industry Structure
Exploring the Five Forces and the Value Chain
CSA:
Current Industry, Vision,
Mission, Strategy
Sept 4
Internal Analysis: Internal Environment
H&J, C3: Internal Analysis – Sources of Competitive Advantage
Case 3: Wal*Mart Stores, Inc
Quiz #2, H&J: C3
Case Synopsis #2
Wal*Mart Stores, Inc
Sept 6
Business-Level Strategy (1)
H&J, C5: Building Competitive Advantage
Kim & Mauborgne, Creating New Market Space
Case 4: Crafting Winning Strategies in a Mature Market: The US
Wine Industry in 2001
Case Synopsis #3
US Wine Industry, 2001
Sept 11
Business-Level Strategy (2)
H&J, C6: Business-Level Strategy and Business Environment
Quiz #3, H&J: C5, C6, Kim &
Mauborgne article
CSA:
Macro scan, 5-Forces, KSF’s
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Week
Date
4
5
6
7
8
Topic / Assignment
Due
Sept 13
Corporate-Level Strategy (1)
H&J, C9: Corporate Level Strategy: Integration
Case 5: Walt Disney Company: Entertainment King
Case Synopsis #4
Disney: Entertainment
Sept 18
Corporate-Level Strategy (2)
Case 6: Disney-Pixar
Quiz #4, H&J: C9
CSA: Internal Value Chain
Case Synopsis #5
Disney-Pixar
Sept 20
Corporate-Level Strategy (3)
H&J, C10: Corporate Strategy: Diversification
Case 7: Cooper Industries: Corporate Strategy
Case Synopsis #6
Cooper Industries
Sept 25
The Global Context of Strategy
H&J, C8: Strategy in the Global Environment
Case 8: Zara: Fast Fashion
Quiz #5, H&J: C10, C8
CSA: SWOT, KSI’s
Case Synopsis #7
Zara: Fast Fashion
Sept 27
Strategy Implementation
H&J, C13: Implementing Strategy Across Borders
Case 9: Philips vs Matsushita
Case Synopsis #8
Philips vs Matsushita
Oct 2
Wrap-Up, Review, Industry-Level Presentation Preparations
H&J, C11: Corporate Performance, Governance, Ethics
Quiz # 6, H&J: C11, C13
Oct 4
No Class – Team Presentation Preparation
Oct 12
(Double
session)
Team Presentations – ALL
Team Comprehensive Strategic Analysis Due – 5:00PM
“Industry-Level” Powerpoint Presentation Slides Due – 5:00PM
CSA = Comprehensive Strategic Analysis intermediate deliverables
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