STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT OSWEGO
MBA 550:900 - Management Policy & Strategy
Spring 2009
Class Meetings:
Wednesdays 6:00 to 8:45 pm (Rich 320)
Instructor:
Sarfraz A. Mian, Ph.D.
Professor, Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship
310 Rich Hall ● Tel. ext. 3154 ● Email: Mian@oswego.edu
Home page: www.oswego.edu/~mian
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday: 11:00-1:30
And by appointment
Required Text:
Crafting and Executing Strategy: Text & Readings,
A.A. Thompson Jr., A.J. Strickland, and J.E. Gamble
2007, 15th Edition (with BSG/GLOBUS access card: 007-8186390),
McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Recommended
Readings:
Current issues of Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Fortune, and
Business Section of the Syracuse newspaper Post Standard. These
resources will be used to supplement the other teaching material.
Supplementary Books:
1.
Pearce, John and Robin, Richard (2008) Strategic Management: Formulation,
Implementation and Control, 11th Edition, Irwin/McGraw Hill, IL.
2.
Wheelen and Hunger (2007) Strategic Management and Business Policy, 11th
Edition, Addison-Wesley.
3.
Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn, and Ghoshal (2003) The Strategy Process, 4th Edition,
Prentice Hall.
4.
Hofer, Charles and Schendel, Dan (1978) Strategy Formulation, West Publishing
Company, NY.
Recommended Journals:
1. Strategic Management Journal
2. Journal of Business Strategy
3. Harvard Business Review
4. Sloan Management Review
5. Technological Forecasting & Social Change
6. California Management Review
7. Academy of Management Review
8. Academy of Management Journal
9. Administrative Science Quarterly
10.Journal of Business Venturing.
Course Overview:
An integrative capstone course designed to develop skills in diagnosing organizational problems,
and studying the management decision-making process in formulating and selecting strategic
alternatives. As a senior level graduate seminar it will draw from various functional areas such
as management, marketing, production, accounting etc. in developing organizational policy.
Course Objectives:
1.
To further advance the understanding, appreciation, and application of conceptual
managerial skills in strategic planning and management policy.
2.
To provide the opportunity to integrate concepts, principles and fundamentals from all
functional areas into the study, analysis and solution of organizational problems.
3.
To further develop general analytical skills applicable to the identification and solution of
managerial problems and issues through case analyses. And, to present findings and
recommendations in an organized, concise, and persuasive manner.
4.
To increase understanding of the importance of managerial planning with particular
emphasis on the formulation of mission, objectives, policies and organizational strategy.
5.
To increase awareness of economic and political trends, discuss global and ethical issues
in business along with other external and internal influences. Emphasize technological
developments (including information technology), which have a significant impact on the
role of the manager and the direction of the overall organization
6.
To experience the challenges and interaction necessary in managing a simulated business
firm over a number of operating years.
Course Requirements/Evaluation:
1. Writing standards: Effective managers and leaders are also effective communicators. Written
communication is an important element of the total communication process. The Business
School recognizes and expects exemplary writing to be the norm for course work. To this end,
all papers, individual and group, must exemplify graduate level writing and comply with the
format requirements of the publications manual of the American Psychological Association
(1986). Careful attention should be given to source citations, proper listing of references, use of
footnotes, and the presentation of tables and graphs.
2. Term Paper: Each student is required to prepare a term paper that fully explores and analyzes
the assigned topic (s).
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3. Company Simulation: Students will be divided into teams and asked to operate a simulated
company. An annual report will be due at the end of the game.
4. Class Presentations: Students will be required to make individual and team presentations to the
class. The quality of these presentations will be judged through instructor and peer evaluations.
5. Take Home Assignments: Student will also be required to submit synopsis of assigned articles
and write case analysis reports.
6. Grading: Grades will be determined as follows (subject to change):
Class attendance and participation....
15%
(Including ETS Major Field Test for MBAs)
Individual company audit paper .......
30%
Readings/articles: summary & synopsis… 10%
Simulation game and annual report….
30%
Projects review and exit interview….
15%
Course grades are computed as follows:
90 to 100 = A; 80 to 89 = B; 70 to 79 = C; 69 & below = F
NOTES
 Prerequisites: Senior standing in the MBA program is required. “Students without adequate academic
background should not remain in this course. Those who choose not to drop the course will not be
allowed to withdraw because of inadequate academic preparation. Inadequate preparation often leads to
poor performance.”
 Attendance: Individual attendance is mandatory. Students who miss more than one class without prior
permission may not continue in the course.
 Disability: If you have a disability condition, which might interfere with your ability to successfully
complete this course, please contact the instructor within the first two class sessions to make appropriate
arrangements. For details contact the Office of Disability Services (phone 312-3358).
 Intellectual integrity: Intellectual integrity on the part of all students is basic to individual growth and
development through college course work. When academic dishonesty occurs, the teaching/learning
climate is seriously undermined and student growth and development are impeded. For these reasons, any
form of intellectual dishonesty is a serious concern and is therefore prohibited. Students are expected to be
fully familiar with the campus policy on intellectual integrity which can be found in the college catalog.
Please note that this semester your class is participating in the pilot use of TURNITIN software for your
term paper assignment.
 Drop and Withdrawal: It is the responsibility of the students to be fully informed of the college catalog
policies regarding course add, drop and withdrawal.
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Schedule of Events
(Note: In addition to the readings listed below, additional literature, case studies, and practicum
exercises may be assigned during the course.)
TOPIC
ASSIGNMENTS
Jan 28: Session #1 - Introduction
Course participants' introductions
Course overview/requirements
Understanding strategic management as
practiced in today's organizations
History & importance of strategic management
[Teams Formation]
[Text Ch 1]
Feb 04: Session #2 - Elements of Strategic Management
Key concepts and definitions
Strategic management process
A framework for strategic analysis
Strategy and ethics
Strategic audit
[Simulation overview]
[TEXT Ch 1&2]
READINGS TO BE ASSIGNED
Feb 11: Session #3 - Hierarchy of Purposing
Strategic vision
Organizational mission
Goals and objectives
Current practices
Developing company's mission
[Simulation practice decision 1]
[TEXT Ch 2]
READINGS # 1, 2 due
Feb 18: Session #4 - Environmental Scanning & Industry Analysis
Industry's dominant economic characteristics
Competition and Competitor analysis
Industry's key success factors
Environmental scanning
Assessing overall industry attractiveness
[Simulation practice decision 2]
[TEXT Ch 3]
READINGS # 3, 4 due
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Feb 25: Session #5 - Internal Company Situation Analysis
Assessment of current strategy
Company's relative cost position
Company's relative competitive strength
Major issues assessment
MMFT and SWOT analyses
[Simulation decision year 11]
[TEXT Ch 4]
READINGS # 5, 6 due
Mar 04: Session #6: - Strategy and Competitive Advantage
Understanding competitive advantage
Acquiring and defending competitive advantage
Generic strategies, Offensive/defensive postures
Vertical integration strategy
[Simulation decision year 12]
[TEXT Ch 5&6]
READINGS # 7, 8 due
Mar 11: No class—spring break
Mar 18: Session #7 - The Context: Matching Strategy to
Industry & Company's Situations
Emerging/young industry situation
Transition to maturity
Declining industry
Fragmented industry
International market
Competing as leader, runner-up or weak company
[Simulation decision year 13]
[TEXT Ch 7&8]
READINGS # 9, 10, 11 due
Mar 25: Session #8 - Diversification Strategies and Planning Tools
Why diversification?
Entering into new businesses
Related-diversification
Unrelated-diversification
Going international
Matrix techniques, BCG, GE, ADL
[Simulation decision year 14]
[TEXT Ch 9, 10]
READINGS # 12, 13, 14 due
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Apr 01: Session #9 – Strategy Implementation
Implementation basics
Key strategy implementation tasks
Role of leadership & org. culture
Significance of managerial decision styles
[Simulation decision year 15]
[TEXT Ch 11-13]
READINGS # 15, 16, 17 due
Apr 08: Session #10 – Company Strategic Audit
Presentations I
Student presentations of individual
company audits
[Simulation decision year 16]
Apr 15: Session #11 - Company Strategic Audit
Presentations II
Student presentations of individual
company audits
[Simulation decision year 17]
Apr 22: Session #12 - Company Strategic Audit
Presentations III
Student presentations of individual
company audits
[Simulation decision year 18]
[INVIDUAL AUDIT PAPERS DUE]
Apr 29: Session #13 – Company Simulation Presentations
Student groups’ presentations of results of
simulated companies
[GROUP SIMULATION
WRITTEN REPORTS DUE]
May 06: Session #14 – Conclusion and Summary Review
of class projects
Class projects review (oral) with each student
through an exit interview, course evaluation.
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