MGMT 4710-U50
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Instructor: Dr. Kelly Mollica
Phone: 901-678-5010
Email: kmollica@memphis.edu
Office Location: I am located in 302 Varnell-Jones Bldg. at the UM Lambuth campus in Jackson,
TN. This is an entirely online course and therefore all interactions with students will be via the course
website, phone, and email. Of course, you are welcome to make an appointment to visit me at the UM
Lambuth campus, but you are not expected to do so.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND SIMULATION
Carpenter & Sanders, Strategic Management, 2nd/E (2009, Prentice Hall). ISBN 9780135039809
(packaged with Airline simulation); ISBN 9780132341400 (without simulation).
Smith, Golden, & Deighan, Airline: The Strategy Simulation (www.interpretive.com).
Interpretive Simulations, the company which administers the Airline simulation will be sending you
information about the simulation through your campus e-mail address. Please follow their guidelines
to be fully registered for the simulation and gain access to materials, including the student instruction
manual for the Airline simulation.
COURSE PURPOSE
Welcome to this class! The purpose of this class is to acquaint you with the strategic management
process and to allow you to practice using its concepts in two ways: within a case environment and
through a business simulation or game. The perspectives taken in this class will include those of
management at all levels, from top to the lower levels.
Strategic management is concerned with the formulation and implementation of strategies carefully
created and executed to lead the firm to achieve its own unique goals, one of which is to make a profit.
Our study will acquaint us with the methods of crafting an appropriate strategy to guide the firm from
where it is now towards where it intends to be in the future, and how will it get there. Your success in
this class will require your best critical thinking skills to develop business plans and create effective
ways to successfully implement them. Our required materials will include your choice of a hardback
textbook or an on-line ebook, plus a business simulation, Airline, which sets teams of students into the
competitive fray of the domestic airline industry.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
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Analyze in detail the strategic management process, including studying and forecasting the external
environment of the organization;
Assess the present and expected enterprise strengths and weaknesses;
Set enterprise goals while recognizing personal and societal value systems;
MGMT 4710-U50 SP 12
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Formulate and implementing plans to achieve these strategic goals;
Evaluate performance and progress toward strategic objectives;
Develop decision making skills using a management-level perspective;
Understand the integration of operating objectives and efforts to attain them within the
organization's strategy;
Learn to use the tools and concepts of strategic management; and
Continue to improve teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills.
TEAM LEARNING
To emulate the world outside the halls of academe, you will work with a team in the Airline
simulation, which is a significant portion of the requirements for this class. Grading will be based on
the weekly decisions that will be made by your team in the simulation, as well as a team audit report to
be prepared and submitted by your team at the end of the simulation period.
The Airline team decisions are one of the foundations of this course. These decisions will reveal your
team’s ability to develop and implement solid strategies that result in superior returns, thus meeting
investors’ expectations. Results of each Airline’s decisions will reveal the acumen of your
management team. Results of each decision round and the balanced scorecard ranking of each
company will be available by the next day after each decision has been processed. The best four
rankings that your company attains will factor into your team grade. The simulation will reveal the
companies’ results and identify the most successful companies -- this rank is very rarely maintained
over time. As each team implements its strategies, the competitive rivalry will cause jockeying among
competitors and change each company’s standings. As in today’s marketplace, companies with the best
ability to implement the best strategies will be the most successful. At the end of the simulation, the
Airline management team with the highest balanced scorecard score will win 5 points added to their
team grade.
After the simulation has concluded at the end of the semester, each management team will prepare and
submit a written management report. More information will be provided about this later.
Please note the following expectations for the team simulation:
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Your participation and contribution to your team will be evaluated by both the instructor and your
team members, and this evaluation will be factored into your team grade at the instructor’s
discretion. I absolutely WILL NOT tolerate “free riding” students. Your team members will
complete two team peer evaluations of your performance, one in the middle of the semester, and
one at the end. You can be assured that I take these peer evaluations VERY seriously. I will also
monitor the online team discussion forums. If there is strong evidence based on peer evaluations,
online discussions, and other observation that you have not contributed your fair share to the team
evaluation, I guarantee that it will be reflected in your grade.
The team as a whole is responsible for dividing tasks among its members so that everyone has
appropriate assignments.
If the designated Team Leader is not doing his/her job effectively, he/she may be replaced by
another team member, but your team must notify the instructor of any changes in team leadership.
You are expected to maintain regular communication with your teammates via the eCourseware
online discussion forum. Your team has the option of using a file sharing program (e.g.,
googledocs) to work together, but this is not required.
MGMT 4710-U50 SP 12
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You are expected to treat your team members in a professional and respectful manner at all times.
You are expected to let team members know if there are problems, issues, conflicts, etc. within the
team that need to be openly addressed. It is too late to wait until the end of the semester to
complain to the instructor about team dynamics. Use this as an opportunity to learn how to
effectively work in a team setting. I understand that team assignments can sometimes be
frustrating and difficult. Do not be the “problem” student in your team. Be the “star” of your
team. And yes, if all of you are “stars,” then you’ll work together, have a positive team experience,
learn a lot, and do a great job!
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING
You will take an online, multiple-choice quiz on each chapter in the textbook. I will drop your lowest
quiz score, which could include dropping a ‘0’ if you did not take a quiz.
The Airline quiz is based on the on-line Student Manual provided by interpretive.com. The purpose of
the quiz is to ensure that you are familiar with the operational aspects of the simulation prior to
working with your team.
The individual case analysis is your “final exam” for the course. Near the end of the semester you will
be given a case to analyze and write-up in the form of a short paper. The purpose of this case analysis
is for you to demonstrate that you are able to apply what you have learned in this course about strategic
management.
GRADING
Individual Performance:
Chapter quizzes (12 of 13 quizzes)
Airline simulation quiz
Individual case analysis
35%
5%
20%
60%
Team Performance:*
Team Airline simulation results
Team Airline management report
30%
10%
40%
* Reminder: Your Team Performance grade can be adjusted at the instructor’s discretion based on
your overall contribution and participation as a team member in the Airline simulation. It is entirely
possible to make a very low grade or even fail this course due to your team performance grade, no
matter how well you do on the quizzes and individual case analysis.
Grading Scale:
A+ = 97-100 %
A = 93-96 %
A- = 90-92 %
MGMT 4710-U50 SP 12
B+ = 87-89 %
B = 83-86 %
B- = 80-82 %
C+ = 77-79 %
C = 73-76 %
C- = 70-72 %
D+ = 67-69 %
D = 60-66 %
F = < 60 %
COURSE POLICIES
Please be assured that I strive to apply rules to all students equally to avoid any perceptions of
favoritism. With very rare exception due to extreme circumstances, I may, at my discretion, make
exceptions to course policies for individual students. I reserve the right to make changes to the Course
Syllabus or Course Schedule at any time with prior notice to students.
You are responsible for keeping up with course announcements communicated by the instructor via the
course website and email.
You are responsible for learning how to navigate eCourseware and for registering for the Airline
simulation.
You are expected to address technical (computer and internet) problems immediately; failure to do so
does not excuse you from course requirements or deadlines. If you do not have access to a reliable
computer and adequate Internet connection, you should drop this class. I will not extend assignment
deadlines for individual students who are having problems with their computers or Internet access. I
will only extend assignment deadlines when there are glitches or technical problems that affect the
entire class, including eCourseware and the Airline simulation website, and errors on my part in
posting online content or instructions.
I will not accept documents sent to me hardcopy or via email. All documents must be submitted via
the course website Dropbox.
I will not offer or accept “extra credit” for students who are unhappy with their grade, and I will
negotiate course requirements.
not
Expectations for academic integrity and student conduct are provided by the Office of Student Judicial
& Ethical Affairs (http://saweb.memphis.edu/judicialaffairs/). I expect you to be aware of these
guidelines and conduct yourself accordingly. I do not tolerate cheating or plagiarism, and I will accept
no excuses for dishonest behavior. By taking this course, you agree that your written assignments may
be submitted to Turnitin.com, or a similar electronic detection method for the purposes of detecting
plagiarism. Blatant plagiarism will result in a failing grade and may be reported to the University for
further action.
If you experience significant learning obstacles in this course, or have questions or concerns about
your performance, grades, or other class-related issues, it is your responsibility to initiate a discussion
with me in a timely manner. I welcome criticism and feedback offered in a respectful and constructive
manner, and so should you.
Reasonable and appropriate accommodations will be provided to students with disabilities who present
a memo from Student Disability Services (http://saweb.memphis.edu/sds).
MGMT 4710-U50 SP 12
MGMT 4710-U50
SPRING 2012
COURSE SCHEDULE
Due Date
@ 11:59 p.m.
Chapter Quiz
Jan. 30
Ch. 1 & 2
Airline Simulation
Feb. 7
Ch. 3
Register for simulation
Read student manual
Take online quiz
Feb. 14
Ch. 4
Practice Decision 1
Feb. 21
Ch. 5
Practice Decision 2
Feb. 28
Ch. 6
Decision 1
March 13
Ch. 7
Decision 2
March 20
Ch. 8
Decision 3
Peer review # 1
March 27
Ch. 9
Decision 4
April 3
Ch. 10
Decision 5
April 10
Ch. 11
Decision 6
April 17
Ch. 12
Decisions 7 & 8
April 24
Ch. 13
Management report
Peer review # 2
May 1 -- Individual case analysis due
MGMT 4710-U50 SP 12