B521
Special Topics in Economics
Fall 2012
Class Time and Instructor
Instructor: Sung Won Sohn, Ph.D
For Class Assignments go to: www.DrSohn.com
Classes: Wednesdays, 6:00 to 10:00 pm
Course Location: TO Campus
Contact Information
Phone: 805 437 2789
Email: sung.sohn@csuci.edu
Cases and Articles
The course material comes from the following sources:
1. Articles from Harvard Business Review (HBR)
2. Cases from Harvard Business School (HBS)
Office Hours
Wednesdays 5:00 to 6:00 pm or by appointment at TO Campus
Learning Objective
There are two main areas the course will go into: current topics, understanding business
strategies, marketing, finance, management.
1. Current topics: Each session, we will spend up to 30 minutes discussing current
economic issues of the week.
2. We will use Harvard Business School (HBS) cases and articles (HBR) from
Harvard Business Review to learn how real businesses faced and dealt with
business issues.
Basis for Evaluation
The grade is based on one mid-term exam (35 percent), one final exam (35 percent), class
participation (10 percent) and a student paper (20 percent). The exams will be essay-style
covering everything we discuss in class.
Paper
Students are encouraged to find a real business and write a real-life case study. Preferably,
it should be someone you know locally. If not, the paper can be based on published
information elsewhere. However, a well-developed real-life story will receive higher points.
The paper will be evaluated on three factors: (1) how well and clearly it is written, (2) how
well the story is developed and (3) your advice on how to improve the company based on
what you have learned in the MBA program. In short, pretend you are a consultant to the
company.
What should you do to succeed in this course?
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Come to Class and Participate: Attendance is required. Class participation will be
your best source of information for this course. Missing class means missing
valuable discussion, and information regarding assignments.
Read the Cases and articles: They are very valuable sources of information and
clarification. Class discussion will be based on your readings.
Get started on your paper early. Toward the end of the term, you will present your
paper to the class (20 percent of your grade).
Academic Honesty
All work that students submit as their own work must, in fact, be their own work. Verbatim
language taken from other sources -- books, papers, web sites, people, etc. -- must be
placed in quotation marks and the source identified. Similarly, work on tests and exams
must be the student's own work, not copied or taken from other students' work.
In accordance with the CSU Channel Islands policy on academic dishonesty, students in
this course who submit the work of others as their own (plagiarize), cheat on tests or
examinations, help other students cheat or plagiarize, or commit other acts of academic
dishonesty will receive appropriate academic penalties, up to and including failing the
course.
Assignments or papers with plagiarized language or ideas will receive a failing grade.
Plagiarism or cheating on quizzes or exams will also result in a failing grade. In cases
where the cheating or plagiarism was premeditated or planned, students may receive an F
for the course.
Students are encouraged to consult with the instructor on when and how to document
sources if they have questions about what might constitute an act of plagiarism or cheating.
Course Schedule
The schedule below is flexible. For some cases, we can spend more than indicated here.
The objective is learning, not necessarily adhering to a rigid plan.
Week 1: HBR Article: The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael Porter
R0801E
Strategy
Week 2: HBS Case: Benihana of Tokyo #9-673-057
HBS Case: Wells Fargo Mergers of Equals #HR 26A
Week 3: Cola Wars continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006 #9-706-447
Marketing
HBR Article: an Introduction to Marketing #9-584-12
Week 4: HBS Case: Colgate Palmolive Company #9-593-064
HBS Case: Walt Disney #5-705-495
Week 5: HBS Case: Patagonia #9-703-035
HBS Case: Prozac and Paxil #5-505-009
Week 6: Mid-term Exam November 5
Week 7: No Class Veteran’s Day November 12
Finance
Week 8: HBS Case: Brazos Partners and Cheddar Inc. #5-808-055
HBS Case: State Street #9-209-112
Week 9: HBS: Airbus A3XX: Developing the World’s Largest Commercial Jet (A) #9-201028
HBS Case: Samsung Electronics #9-705-508
Management
Week 10: HBS Case: Samsung Electronics Company: Global Marketing Operations #9504-05
Week 11: Student Papers
Week 12 : Final Exam on December 17