MBA 5303
Corporate & Business Strategy
Spring 2011
Professional MBA Program
Spears School of Business
Oklahoma State University
Instructor:
Dr. Steven C. Griggs, Adjunct Professor
Contact Information:
Office: 108G Gundersen
Telephone: (405) 744-4048
Fax: (405) 744-1891
Email: steven.griggs@okstate.edu
Desire2Learn: http://oc.okstate.edu
Office Hours: By appointments in the Desire2Learn chat room on Saturdays 9AM-12PM
Administrative contact: Alvina Shearer, Program Specialist, Distance Learning at
cepd@okstate.edu or call 1-866-678-3933 or 405-744-4054
Course Prerequisites
Admission to MBA program or consent of the director. Key issues in formulating and
implementing business and corporate strategies. The orientation of top management and
diagnosis of what is critical in complex business situations and realistic solutions to strategic
and organizational problems.
Course Objectives
This is an overview course on business strategy and competition. It is not designed to cover
all of the aspects of organization that affect firm strategy and performance, but rather is
designed to introduce students to some of the core concepts and analytical tools used in
strategic analysis. Since strategic analysis is inherently complex decision-making under
conditions of risk and uncertainty, a portion of the class will also focus on some of the
pitfalls and issues in making complex and uncertain decisions. Specifically, the course will
focus on three broad areas:
•
•
•
industry and competitive analysis
how firms develop and sustain competitive advantage over time
complex decision-making under conditions of risk and uncertainty
To help you achieve the above objectives, and to help hone your strategic judgement, we will
use a combination of pedagogical approaches: (1) class lecture on key theoretical concepts,
tools, and management approaches to strategy and their application in organizations; (2) class
discussion of aforementioned topics via threaded discussion on the class Desire2Learn; (3)
written analyses and discussion via Desire2Learn of complex business cases; and (4) a
strategic business simulation. There is a lot of emphasis on learning by doing. The more you
put into this course, the more you get out of it. Through the cases and strategic simulation
you will be exposed to a variety of strategic situations, and these situations will allow you to
use your knowledge, talents, judgements, and skills. By their very nature, the cases and
simulation are very ambiguous. Problems are multifaceted and there are typically no “right”
answers.
Text and Supplemental Materials
Grant, Robert M. 2010. Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 7th Edition, John Wiley & Sons
StratSimManagement: The business strategy simulation. Interpretive Software:
Charlottesville, VA.
Harvard Business School Publishing online cases
http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/access/6476399
HBS Online Cases to be purchased are:
• The US Airline Industry in 1995
• Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006
• Wal-Mart Stores in 2003
• Matching Dell
• Apple, Inc 2008
• Nucor at the Crossroads
• British Satellite Broadcasting vs. Sky Television
• IKEA Invades America
• Innovation Corrupted: The Rise and Fall of Enron
• Innovation at HP: The Role of the Innovation Program Office
• Broadcast Television in the Broadband World
• Investment Banking in 2008 (A): Rise and Fall of the Bear
• Debeers: Addressing the New Competitiveness Challenges
Class Desire2Learn online readings and business cases.
Grant Cases Provided on Website
1) Harley-Davidson, Inc., February 2004
2) Richard Branson and the Virgin Group of Companies in 2004
Desire2Learn
There is a class website available at http://oc.okstate.edu.
Use your okey username and password
Contact the IT HelpDesk at (405) 744-4357 for log-in troubleshooting
Desire2Learn will be the primary means of communicating outside of class. You will find
the syllabus, announcements, assignments, and other information on the class website. We
will also use the Desire2Learn to continue class topic discussions outside of class.
Evaluation
Class participation (open Desire2Learn discussions & Team assessment) – 10%
Pre-StratSim Quiz – 0% (will be used in assessing your contribution to StratSim effort)
Midterm Exam – 20%
Team Activities:
Case Studies – 10%
StratSim – 50%
StratSim performance: 60%
StratSim report: 30%
StratSim learning notebook: 10%
Final Exam – 10%
A 100-90
B 90-80
C 80-70
D 70-60
F < 60
The class policy is no makeup exams or class assignments. If for an excused reason you
miss assignment due dates, consideration will be give toward your final grade. I reserve the
right to adjust borderline grades in the student’s favor in exceptional circumstances.
The simulation and team projects are a majority of the grade in this class. However, students
failing the midterm or final will not be awarded any points for the team project. So do not
treat the midterm and final lightly.
Class Participation
A majority of this course is based on readings and case analyses, your active participation in
threaded discussions on Desire2Learn is considered very important in this class. Preparation
of the assigned readings and cases are essential. Participation will be assessed both
objectively (i.e. count of postings) and subjectively (quality of postings) via your postings to
threaded discussions on Desire2Learn. Be aware that quantity cannot make up for quality. I
will post threaded discussion questions for the cases, but it is your responsibility to raise
questions and discuss the readings and lecture material. Threaded discussions are expected
to last up to a week and start on the day specified in the syllabus. Some of the specific things
that have an impact on effective participation and on which you will be graded include:
-
Are the points you make relevant to the discussion? Are they linked to the comments of
others and to the themes that the class is exploring together?
Do the comments add to our understanding of the situation? Are they incisive? Do they
cut to the core of the problem?
Is there a willingness to challenge the ideas that are being expressed?
Is there a willingness to test new ideas, or are all comments “safe” (such as repetition of
case facts without analysis or conclusions, or of a comment already made by someone).
Does the participant integrate material from past classes or the readings where
appropriate? Do the comments reflect cumulative learning over the course, or does the
participant merely consider each case in isolation.
Team Activities and Structure
You will be divided into teams for two major activities (1) Team Business Case Analyses
and (2) Industry competitive computer game (StratSim Management). The teams will be a
nominal 4 person group chosen by the instructor. All team members will participate in all
group activities. Your teammates will be grading you on your performance so participation
is mandatory.
Each team activity will have a different group leader; see Peer Evaluations in this syllabus.
There will be a leader of each car company who is responsible for leading the team of four
during the simulation. The three other leadership positions will be for the Business Case
analyses exercises, see syllabus. It is recommended that you chose your leaders wisely. The
most capable leaders should be leading the StratSim simulation. Recognizing these are team
activities & everyone’s skills should be used for optimal results.
Team Case Analyses and Case Preparation
Part of your grade is participating in Business Case Analyses and reporting with your team.
Harvard Business School Cases will be used in the team Business Case Analyses. You can
purchase the Harvard Business Cases online and should read them prior to the beginning of
the team activity. Remember your teammates will be providing feedback on your
participation. The cases to be purchased for team case analyses are as follow.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
The US Airline Industry in 1995, Harvard Case Set
Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in the Twenty-First Century, Harvard Case Set
Wal-Mart Stores in 2003, Harvard Case Set
Matching Dell, Harvard Case Set
Apple, Inc 2008, Harvard Case Set
Innovation at HP: The Role of the Innovation Program Office
These are to be no more than 5 single-spaced pages and due two weeks after assigned, see
syllabus for due dates by 4:00 PM. Late cases will be penalized. These case summaries
should identify the nature of the strategic situation and make brief recommendations about
how the firm should react. It’s not easy to fit a rigorous analysis into such a short space but
this is what executives typically demand. A good starting point is look at the case discussion
questions and analysis requirements provided on the class Desire2Learn. These are general
questions and analyses that should help you begin to organize your thoughts for the case, and
will form the basis of the case discussion in class.
Case Preparation
I have provided a set of questions for each case on the class Desire2Learn. You should write
out answers to the case questions and assignments in preparation for Desire2Learn
discussion. Be prepared to justify your ideas in terms of solid logic, experience, frameworks,
or analytical tools. You should work the case as if your job depends on it. (In some ways
your current job as a student does depend on it.) Finally, don’t use sources other than the
case for substantive information.
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will cover the material discussed in class up until the exam date. Since
you will have started the simulation, questions from the simulation are also possible. The
exam is essay, although I reserve the right to change the exam format. It is open book and
must be returned to the instructor by 4:00 PM on the day specified in the schedule below.
Final Exam
The final exam covers all material throughout the semester and concentrate on the decision
making skills that you have developed while taking this course. The exam will most likely
be an essay, although I reserve the right to change the exam format. The exam will open
book and must be returned to the instructor by 4:00 PM on the day specified in the schedule.
StratSim & StratSim Performance
StratSim is a computer simulation composed of five companies competing against each other
in the automobile industry. Your group will comprise the top management team of a
company in this industry and will be responsible for all company business decisions.
Even thou this simulation has an uneven start, any car company can be a winner with the
right strategy. Make sure you have a strategy and stick with it. At the same time, realize
when you have to adapt your strategy due to the uncertainties of imperfect information—you
do not know what you competitors are doing. Use all the tools that are available in the
simulation to assess the industry, your competitors, your product placement and freshness,
inventory management, profitability, and capital structure.
StratSim Performance part of your grade is based on how you placed at the end of the
simulation. IF all firms leave their car companies in better shape than when they started
based on the sum of Market Value of the firm and Accumulated Net Income, then the
placement points awarded are:
1st 100
2nd 95
3rd 90
4th 85
5th 80
IF a team leaves their car company in worse shape than when they started then they get
below 80. It depends on how badly they leave it as to the number of points awarded.
You will be making decisions on a weekly basis per the syllabus. There is one catch. The
syllabus indicates 11 decisions are to be made. To ensure that end game strategies are not
used I can stop the simulation any time after the fifth decision or let it run the entire eleven
decisions. Since Market Value of the firm is the major driver of the comparative measurand
you should remember from finance that value is based on future expected cash flow. The
market has to believe that you have a future. End game strategies that reduce cost to make
Accumulated Net Income look good generally are at the expense of future cash flow. That is
what I mean by end game strategies.
StratSim Report
Each team is required to write an end of simulation report. It will be due near the end of the
semester, see schedule below. It should be concise and objective as to your team’s
performance in managing a car company. The report should be of high quality with an
introduction, analyses of all decisions and a end of simulation discussion as to what
happened, what you have done differently, and how you would proceed from here on out.
The report should be a reflection of your good and bad decisions and objective reasoning
behind expectations versus reality.
Your final report will be written to the chairman of the board of your car company using
“Writing to Win” techniques discussed in Lecture 1. The chairman will review it looking at
the decisions you made and the performance you obtained with those decisions. He will be
looking at your decisions from the beginning of the simulation until the end. Have you
learned from your mistakes? Are you performing better over time? Are your decisions good
ones even in an uncertain world? Are your decisions rational, integrated, traceable, and
defendable? The report should be concise and, just like we covering in class, you should
approach each decision with the following process.
The opening should include and initial assessment of your industry and the position of your
company (Cost Advantage/Segmented/combination). Where do you want to go (maximize
Market value and Accumulated Net Income) and how are you going to get there (the strategic
steps to maximize your goal). Then after each year (week in this case) you should reflect on
how you did toward obtaining your goal and if you need to change your strategy. Your
reflection should include:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
Analysis of the economy
Industry analysis
Competitor analysis
Resource analysis
Opportunity analysis (market research, gut feeling, ….)
Strategy to capitalize on opportunity (Segmentation, low cost, differentiation)
(7) Decisions that support strategy
a. Product center usage
b. Models upgrades & new
c. Market research
d. Production levels
e. B2B or not
f. Dealerships relationships
g. Advertising
h. Technology
(8) Pro-forma analysis
(9) Real performance analysis
Learning Notebook
Once the strategic simulation begins, your team should begin keeping a learning notebook
after each decision. The notebook is a place for you to record your thoughts about the
concepts we are discussing and is a place for you to keep track of your decisions and why
you made them. The notebook should contain your impressions of what we discuss in class
and how it pertains to the simulation. The best notebook entries are those in which a team
applies class concepts to the strategy formulation process as it unfolds in the strategic
simulation. DO NOT SIMPLY RESTATE THE DECISIONS YOU MADE. Each
notebook entry will be evaluated based upon the clarity, thoroughness, insight, and relevance
of the entries.
Your learning notebook is to help you save all of your decisions over time and learn from
them. It also should contain the rational, integrated, traceable, and defendable decision
making process. It is your performance plus decision making that determines your final
grade for the simulation. Lucky guessing does not count. Justify your decisions.
Peer Evaluations
Each Team will select a team leader for each team assignment. All team members must be a
team leader at least once. The group will evaluate the leadership capabilities of the team
leader for each team assignment. I would recommend that your group strategize the
leadership positions and select your best leader candidate for the leadership role of the
simulation.
Your individual grade on all group assignments will be adjusted based upon your group’s
evaluation of your contribution. In other words, your grade will be the group grade plus or
with the peer adjustment. The evaluation is a zero-sum exercise –all members of the group
cannot get grades above the group grade. However, if people generally pull their weight or
there is broad agreement about who put in time in effort, all group members will get the same
grade.
Evaluation forms for per review and leadership review will be posted on the Desire2Learn
Class site. Individuals receiving an overall evaluation of “0” will automatically receive a
failing grade for the assignment.
University Policy
Drop Policy
See the most recent OSU catalog at:
http://okstate.edu/registrar/AcademicCalendar/AcademicCalendarMain.html
Academic Integrity
As a reminder, the University has a policy on academic honesty. You are expected to abide
by the procedures set forth in the document in all matters pertaining to this course. For more
information, please go to:
http://www.okstate.edu/ucs/integritystudent.html
Special Accommodations for Students
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully
demonstrating his or her abilities should contact the instructor as soon as possible, so we can
discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational
opportunity. For more information about OSU Student Disability Services, please go to:
http://www.okstate.edu/ucs/stdis/
Schedule and Assignments
This schedule should not be viewed as absolute. I reserve the right to add or delete from this
schedule. Changes may be necessary to accommodate time and other constraints. You will
receive additional scheduling information with regard to the StratSim simulation at a later
date. Discussion questions for each case can be found on the class Desire2Learn.
The chapter and Desire2Learn reading assignments should be viewed as supplemental to the
class lecture materials and online discussions. Time constraints also make it impossible to
cover each topic in every chapter in great detail. You are, nonetheless, responsible for the
material. If you have questions about material not covered, please post them to a threaded
discussion on Desire2Learn.
Jan 11
Jan 18
Lecture: 1
⇒ Introduction
⇒ Essential Team Behaviors (PAEI Theory)
⇒ Introduction “What is Strategy”
⇒ Having a Strategy
Reading Material:
⇒ Text Chapters 1: Introduction “What is Strategy”
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Crafting Strategy”, HBR Jul-Aug 1987
“What is Strategy”, HBR Nov-Dec 1996
“Is Strategy a Bad Word”, MIT Sloan Winter 2006
“Moments of Greatness”, HBR Jul-Aug 2005
Assignments:
⇒ Complete “Group Expectations” form by next week’s class date. Group
Assignments are on Desire2Learn
⇒ Purchase StratSim Management ASAP, Read the Student Manual
Lecture: 2
⇒ Goals, Values, and Performance
⇒ Introduction to Real Options
⇒ Analysis of Industry and Competition
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapters 2: Goals, Values, and Performance
⇒ Chapters 3: Analysis of Industry and Competition
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Reinventing Your Business Model”, HBR Dec 2008
“Blue Ocean Strategy”, HBR Oct 2004
“Option Games: The Key to Competing In Capital-Intensive
Industries”, HBR Mar 2009
“Options Approach to Capital Investment”, HBR May-Jun 1995
“Investment Opportunities as Real Options: Getting Started on the
Numbers”, HBR Jul-Aug 1998
Jan 25
Feb 1
“How Real Options Theory Can Improve Your Decision Making”,
Harvard Management Update Jan 2001
Assignments:
⇒ Desire2Learn Open Threaded Discussion:
Nucor at the Crossroads, Harvard Case Set
⇒ Team Case Study (1): due in two weeks (both cases are required for this
assignment)
The US Airline Industry in 1995, Harvard Case Set
Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006, Harvard Case Set
Due:
⇒ Completed “Group Expectations” form
Lecture: 3
⇒ Analysis of Industry and Competition
⇒ Introduction to Game Theory
⇒ Intro to StratSim Management (Team Project Simulation)
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapters 4: Analysis of Industry and Competition
⇒ Desire2Learn reading:
“How to Map Your Industry’s Profit Pools”, HBR May-Jun 1998
“The Right Game: Use Game Theory to Shape Strategy”, HBR JulAug 1995
“Competitive Cognition”, MIT Sloan Sum 2005
“Making Judgment Calls”, HBR Oct 2007
Assignments:
⇒ Pre-StratSim Management Quiz due 2/1
⇒ Your Teams StratSim Strategy due 2/1
Lecture: 4
⇒ Analyzing Resources and Capabilities
⇒ Developing Resources and Capabilities
⇒ Complexity and Resources
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapter 5: Analyzing Resources and Capabilities
⇒ Chapter 6: Developing Resources and Capabilities
⇒ Desire2Learn reading:
“Competing on Resources”, HBR Jul-Aug 1995
“Rapid-Response Capability in Value-Chain Design”, MIT Sloan
Win 2002
“Introduction to StratSim Management”, Interpretive Simulations
Assignments:
⇒ Desire2Learn Open Threaded Discussion:
British Satellite Broadcasting vs. Sky Television, Harvard Case Set
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 2 due 2/7 by 11:00 AM
The reason we are starting with Decision 2 is that StratSim has to
be run for one decision to give you a history (this has already
been done). You can tell which decision it is by looking in the
header banner of the window when you are in the software.
Feb 8
Feb 15
Feb 22
Due:
⇒ Team Case Study (1)
Lecture: 5
⇒ The Nature and Sources of Competitive Advantage
⇒ Cost Advantage
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapters 8: The Nature and Sources of Competitive Advantage
⇒ Chapters 9: Cost Advantage
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“The 12 Different Ways for Companies to Innovate”, MIT Sloan
Spring 2006
“With Friends Like These; the Art if Managing Complimentors”,
HBR Sept 2006
“The Past and Future of Competitive Advantage”, MIT Sloan Winter
2001
Assignments:
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 3 due 2/14 by 11:00 AM
Lecture: 6
⇒ Differentiation Advantage
⇒ Writing-to-Win (How to write winning proposals)
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapters 10: Differentiation Advantage
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Creating New Market Space”, HBR Jan-Feb 1999
“Value Innovation: The Strategic Logic of High Growth”, HBR JulAug 2004
Assignments:
⇒ Desire2Learn Threaded Discussions:
Case: IKEA Invades America, Harvard Case Set
⇒ Team Case Study (2): due in two weeks (both cases are required for this
assignment)
Wal-Mart Stores in 2003, Harvard Case Set
Matching Dell, Harvard Case Set
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 4 due 2/21 by 11:00 AM
Lecture: 7
⇒ Organization Structure and Management Systems
⇒ Theory of Constraints for Organizational Process Improvement
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapter 7: Organization Structure and Management Systems
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“The Leaders New Work: Building Learning Organizations”, MIT
Sloan Fall 1990
“The Limits of Structural Change”, MIT Sloan Fall 2003
Assignments:
Mar 1
Mar 8
Mar 15
Mar 22
Mar 29
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 5 due 2/28 by 11:00 AM
Mid-term Exam due March 8 @ 4:00 PM
Due:
⇒ Team Case Study (2)
Lecture: 8
⇒ Industry Evolution
⇒ Competitive Advantage in Mature Industries
⇒ Economic Cycle Fundamentals
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapter 11: Industry Evolution
⇒ Chapter 13: Competitive Advantage in Mature Industries
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Reinventing Your Business Model”, HBR Dec 2008
“How Industries Change”, HBR Oct 2004
“The Art of Making Smart Big Moves”, MIT Sloan Win 2006
Assignments:
⇒ Desire2Learn Threaded Discussions:
Harley-Davidson, Inc., February 2004, Grant
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 6 due 3/21 by 11:00 AM
Spring Break
Lecture: 9
⇒ Technology-Based Industries and the Management of Innovation
⇒ Management of Innovation Fundamentals (Corp Entrepreneurship)
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapter 12: Technology-based Industries and the Management of Innovation
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave”, HBR Jan-Feb 1995
“The Challenges of Innovating for Sustainable Development”, MIT
Sloan Fall 2003
“Beyond Better Products: Capturing Value in Customer Interactions”,
MIT Sloan Sum 2002
“Reducing the Risks of New Product Development”, MIT Sloan
Winter 2006
Assignments:
⇒ Team Case Study (3): due in two weeks (both cases are required for this
assignment)
Apple, Inc 2008, Harvard Case Set
Innovation at HP: The Role of the Innovation Program Office,
Harvard Case Set
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 7 due 3/28 by 11:00 AM
Lecture: 10
⇒ Vertical Integration and the Scope of the Firm
⇒ Global Strategies and the Multinational Corporation
⇒ Globalization Fundamentals
Apr 5
Apr 12
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapter 14: Vertical Integration and the Scope of the Firm
⇒ Chapter 15: Global Strategies and the Multinational Corporation
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“The Competitive Advantage of Nations”, HBR Mar-Apr 1990
“Emerging Giants; Building World-Class Companies in Developing
Countries”, HBR Oct 2006
“Managing the Differences: The Central Challenge of Global
Strategy”, HBR March 2007
Assignments:
⇒ Desire2Learn Threaded Discussions:
Richard Branson and the Virgin Group of Companies in 2004, Grant
Broadcast Television in the Broadband World, Harvard Case Set
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 8 due 4/4 by 11:00 AM
Lecture: 11
⇒ Diversification Strategy
⇒ Managing the Multibusiness Corporation
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapters 16: Diversification Strategy and
⇒ Chapters 17: Managing the Multibusiness Corporation
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Is It Real? Can We Win? Is It Worth Doing”, HBR Dec 2007
“10 Ways to Create Shareholder Value”, HBR Sept 2006
“To Diversify or Not to Diversify”, HBR Nov-Dec 1997
“From Competitive Advantage to Corporate Strategy”, HBR MayJune 1987
“How the Best Divest”, HBR Oct 2008
Assignments:
⇒ Desire2Learn Threaded Discussions:
Investment Banking in 2008 (A): Rise and Fall of the Bear, Harvard
Case Set
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 9 due 4/11 by 11:00 AM
Due:
⇒ Team Case Study (3)
Lecture: 12
⇒ Current Trends in Strategic Management
⇒ Innovation Driven Business
Reading Material:
⇒ Chapter 18: Current Trends in Strategic Management
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Feed R&D – or Farm It Out”, HBR Jul-Aug 2005
“Managing Project Uncertainty: From Variation to Chaos”, MIT
Sloan Winter 2002
“Charting a Path Toward Integrated Solutions”, MIT Sloan Spring
2006
Apr 19
Apr 26
May 3
Rest of Life
Assignments:
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 10 due 4/18 by 11:00 AM
Lecture: 13
⇒ Sustainability
⇒ Pitfalls in decision-making: Why strategies fail
Reading Material:
⇒ Desire2Learn readings:
“Seven Ways to Fail Big”, HBR Sep 2008
“The Four Principles of Enduring Success”, HBR Jul-Aug 2007
“Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”, HBR Jan 2007
“The Fundamental Dimensions of Strategy”, MIT Sloan Fall 2006
“Curveball: Strategies to Fool the Competition”, HBR Sept 2006
“The Tools of Cooperation and Change”, HBR Oct 2006
“Why Good Companies Go Bad”, HBR Jul-Aug 1999
“When a Turn Around Stalls”, HBR Feb 2002
Assignments:
⇒ Desire2Learn Threaded Discussions:
Innovation Corrupted: The Rise and Fall of Enron, Harvard Case Set
DeBeers: Addressing the New Competitiveness Challenges, Harvard
Case Set
⇒ StratSim Management Decision 11 due 4/25 by 11:00 AM
Lecture: 14
⇒ Summary of Semester
Assignments:
Final Due by May 3 by 4:00 PM
Due:
StratSim Learning Notebook and Final Report
Final Due
Think Strategically
Format for Case Summaries
The case summaries should be 5 pages, with 11 point fonts, single-spaced. It is not easy to fit a
rigorous analysis into such a short space. Graphics, tables, and bullets may help you to make
points in the most concise way. In terms of content, your analyses should focus on identifying a
specific problem in the case, undertaking an analysis of the problem, and making specific
recommendations. I will be looking for you to emphasize the use of frameworks discussed in
class as the basis for your analysis. Please do not simply restate the facts of the case.
A case summary generally has three parts:
1.
State the problem briefly and/or an overview of what you will be doing. Some cases do
not have specific problems but rather are designed to have you apply specific frameworks or
tools to understand the situation.
2.
Cover major points from analysis that lead to your conclusions
a.
Little or no background needed. Try to imagine if you were doing this analysis for a
client. The clients don’t need to read generic background on their own company.
b.
Overarching framework: Some problems involve complex analyses. If so, you should
outline your analysis using the appropriate framework if one applies. Tables are often helpful to
convey your analyses.
3.
Recommendations
a.
Benefits and drawbacks: You should present the benefits and drawbacks for each
recommendation. No recommendations are perfect.
b.
Don’t focus on the past: Your recommendations should examine what to do now (at the
end of the case) and not what they should have done.
Introduce each section with a brief statement telling the reader exactly what you will be doing so
that the sections flow. Your case analyses must follow this format. Submitted cases that do not
follow this format will be returned and not graded (i. e. a score of "0" will be recorded for the
case).
Student Participation Summary Sheet
This activity summary sheet identifies all other the deliverables that each student must provide
the instructor in order to meet the requirements of this course. See above for details on each.
Exams:
Pre-StratSim Quiz
Mid-Term (passing score)
Final (passing score)
Peer Review Evaluations
Leader Rating of Team Members (for the project you are the leader of)
Team Member Evaluation of Leader (evaluation of the leader for each project you are a
participant)
Team Rating of Other Team Members (evaluation upon completion of team projects)
Team Evaluation Form (evaluation upon completion of team projects)
Individual Projects
Participation in Desire2Learn Discussions
Team Projects
StratSim Management Report & Learning Notebook
StratSim Management Learning Notebook
Group Case Studies