PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS (Subject to Change)
MGT 5391 - STRATEGIC AND GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
SUMMER I 2011 BA 168
M, T, W, TH 10:30 – 12:50
Professor – Keith Brigham Ph. D. Office: BA 1111 (806) 742-2133
Office Hours M-TH 12:30 -1:00 and by appointment
Email: keith.brigham@ttu.edu
The following book will be required for all students:
Dess, Lumpkin, & Eisner – Strategic Management 5th Edition. ISBN # 978-0-07-724626-6.
Note: This is the softcover “Concepts” version. Don’t get the “concepts and cases” hardcover.
If you have never had a strategic management course, this book will provide a much fuller
explanation of the material presented and applied in the course.
There will be reading of some other "optional" books required for students working to get a
higher grade in the course. The other books are listed in the syllabus.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides students an opportunity to apply various business concepts and analytical tools
to complex problems and issues in organizational settings. Strategic Management is an integrative
course in two respects. First, it takes a broad view of the environment that includes competitive
dynamics and macro-environmental trends and developments. Second, it takes the perspective of
the firm as a whole and examines how each of the functional areas can be integrated into overall
strategies to address the firm’s key organizational issues and environmental challenges.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Develop students’ ability to think strategically.
2. Build students' analytical skills for conducting strategic analysis.
3. Provide students with the opportunity to develop business strategies for real world problems,
and to develop decision making skills.
4. Prepare for integration of knowledge to be gained in other business courses.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
 Describe, develop, and apply strategic vision.
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Analyze, describe, and understand the external and internal environments of the firm.
Describe, develop, and apply strategies in organizations.
Present strategic recommendations in a business environment.
Produce a strategic study of a company and its industry.
Apply course concepts to current events.
Identify the various stakeholders of firms and understand ethical dilemmas faced by
managers
Learning outcomes will be assessed through a variety of assignments throughout the semester.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
In order to receive a grade of “C” in the course the student will need to do “B”
quality work on each of the following five assignments:
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment #1 – Consulting Project
More information will be distributed in class. Final written report will be due on June 30th.
Assignment # 2 - In Class Presentation
Group presentations based on Assignment #1. Presentations will be delivered on, and June 28th &
June 29th.
Assignment #3
Turn in a three page critique from the list of books (below). You can chose from any of the
optional lists, but I would recommend that the JD/MBA students choose from the specified list.
In your critique of the book, briefly highlight the main points in the book. How do these points
relate to the course and which key points that you think will be valuable to you in the years to
come? Was there anything that you found particularly interesting or really made you think? I’m
looking more for your assessments and thoughts rather than a simple rehashing of the book. Then
on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the best) give an overall assessment of the book. These are due
in class on June 22nd.
Core Books (Optional):
Deep Dive by Rich Horwath (2009). Greenleaf Press. ISBN # 978-1-929774-82-1
Unstoppable by Chris Zook (2007). Harvard Business Press. ISBN # 978-1-4221-0366-1
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (2008). Little, Brown & Co. ISBN # 978-0-316-01792-3
Strategic Thinking: A Four Piece Puzzle by Bill Birnbaum. ISBN # 1-932632-13-1
JD/MBA Books (Optional)
Think Again! Innovative Approaches to the Business of Law by Jeff Nischwitz
The Lawyer’s Field Guide to Effective Business Development by William Flannery
The Lawyers Guide to Strategic Planning: Defining, Setting, and Achieving Your Firm’s Goals
by Michael Hudkins and Thomas Grella
Assignment #4
Turn in TWO current article summaries.
Article Summaries
These are short write-ups. You will find an article that addresses one or more of the
concepts we have been discussing in the course. You will then synthesize the article and turn in
a short written paper (2 pages double spaced) in which you briefly describe the essence of the
article and how it applies to the topic(s) we are addressing in the course. Be prepared to discuss
these in class and identify at least one question or issue that the article brings to light that might
spur class discussion.
Assignment #5
Complete a minimum of 70% of the in-class exercises (e.g., the personal strategy exercise).
In-class Exercises/Activities
Throughout the course, we will conduct a number of active in-class exercises. There will
be a minimum of ten exercises offered over the duration of the course. These will normally be
conducted and completed in-class. Participation is vital and some of these may not be able to be
“made-up” after the fact.
In order to receive a grade of “B” in the course, the student will need to do “B”
quality work on each of the preceding assignments, plus “B” quality work on the
following assignments:
Assignment #6
Turn in a three page critique of an additional reading from the list of books (above). You can
chose from any of the optional lists. In your critique of the book, briefly highlight the main
points in the book. How do these points relate to the course and which key points that you think
will be valuable to you in the years to come? Was there anything that you found particularly
interesting or really made you think? I’m looking more for your assessments and thoughts rather
than a simple rehashing of the book. Then on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the best) give an
overall assessment of the book.
Assignment #7
In addition, students will need to complete an additional article summary (3 total) and 80 % of
the in-class exercises
In order to receive a grade of “A” in the course, the student will need to do a
preponderance of “A” quality work on each of the preceding assignments, plus
“A” quality work on the following assignments:
Assignment #8
Turn in a three page critique of an additional reading from the list of books (see the list of books
above). You can chose from any of the optional lists. In your critique of the book, briefly
highlight the main points in the book. How do these points relate to the course and which key
points that you think will be valuable to you in the years to come? Was there anything that you
found particularly interesting or really made you think? I’m looking more for your assessments
and thoughts rather than a simple rehashing of the book. Then on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the
best) give an overall assessment of the book.
Assignment #9
In addition, students will need to complete an additional article summary (4 total) and 90 % of
the in-class exercises
Disability Accommodation: The University is committed to the principle that in no aspect of its
programs, shall there be differences in the treatment of persons because of race, creed, national
origin, age, sex, or disability, and that equal opportunity and access to facilities shall be available
to all. If you require special accommodations in order to participate, please contact me or arrange
a personal meeting. Students should present appropriate verification from the AccessTECH
office. No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to completion of this approved
university process.
General Guidelines for Written Work
All written work prepared outside of class should be typewritten and contain a cover page with
your name, course number, date, and title. Where page lengths are noted for particular
assignments, the page lengths assume 12 pitch (12 characters per inch) type, 8 1/2 by 11 paper,
double spaced type, and one inch margins on all sides. Please include a cover sheet for all work
which includes your name along with the date and subject of the case or project.
Written work will be graded for both content and quality. That is, grammar, punctuation,
spelling, coherence, style, and organization will be considered. A concise style is essential.
Corporate executives repeatedly emphasize the need for business schools to do a better job of
preparing MBAs to write in an organizational context. The standards applied to writing quality
will approximate those applied to major corporate documents that have been prepared for broad
distribution among senior executives.
Statement Regarding Academic Dishonesty
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities principles of a university. All members of the
academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and
honorably acquired, developed, presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to students
is dishonest whether or not the effort successful. The academic community regards academic
dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with consequences that range from probation to
expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult the
course instructor.
The general description of academic dishonesty is presented in Texas Tech Operating Policy
34.12 and in the Texas Tech Student Handbook, Code of Student Conduct. In general the
description of “Scholastic Dishonesty" includes, but is not limited to, "cheating, plagiarism,
collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair
academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially the same
written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor) or the attempt
to commit such an act.”
All acts of academic misconduct will be reported and adjudicated as prescribed by the Student
Code of Texas Tech University.
More specifically, for this course it will be considered academic dishonesty to engage in the following
activities:
1. Misrepresenting the written work of others as your own work.
2. Reading, viewing or discussing information developed by other current or prior students or
groups participating in graded group or individual case studies or projects, whether in or outside
of class time.
3. Obtaining by any means the ideas, concepts, answers, or actual written material developed by
another individual or group and presenting it as your own, either in writing or as discussion
materials.