University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Curriculum Proposal Form #3
New Course
Effective Term:
2137 (Fall 2013)
Subject Area - Course Number: MANGEMNT 787
Cross-listing:
(See Note #1 below)
Course Title: (Limited to 65 characters)
Business Policy & Strategy
25-Character Abbreviation:
Policy & Strategy
Sponsor(s):
James Bronson
Department(s):
Management
College(s):
Business and Economics
Consultation took place:
NA
Programs Affected:
Yes (list departments and attach consultation sheet)
Departments:
Masters of Business Administration
Is paperwork complete for those programs? (Use "Form 2" for Catalog & Academic Report updates)
NA
Yes
Prerequisites:
will be at future meeting
24 units
Grade Basis:
Conventional Letter
S/NC or Pass/Fail
Course will be offered:
Part of Load
On Campus
Above Load
Off Campus - Location AMFAM
College:
Business and Economics
Instructor:
James Bronson
Dept/Area(s): Management
Note: If the course is dual-listed, instructor must be a member of Grad Faculty.
Check if the Course is to Meet Any of the Following:
Technological Literacy Requirement
Diversity
Writing Requirement
General Education Option: Select one:
Note: For the Gen Ed option, the proposal should address how this course relates to specific core courses, meets the goals of General Education in
providing breadth, and incorporates scholarship in the appropriate field relating to women and gender.
Credit/Contact Hours: (per semester)
Total lab hours:
Number of credits:
0
3
Total lecture hours:
Total contact hours:
40
120
Can course be taken more than once for credit? (Repeatability)
No
Yes
If "Yes", answer the following questions:
No of times in major:
No of times in degree:
Revised 10/02
No of credits in major:
No of credits in degree:
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Proposal Information: (Procedures for form #3)
Course justification: Business Policy and Stratgy, a/k/a Strategic Management, is commonly the capstone
course in MBA programs. Business Policy and Strategy assumes a top down view of the firm and its
operations within a competive environment. Case studies are used to illustrate the use and implementation
of strategic actions.
Relationship to program assessment objectives:
Objective(s):
Making Strategic Decisions
Traits:
Generate alternatives
1. The instructor will select a case in the second half of the course that will require students to generate
strategic alternatives.
2. The instructor will prepare a grading schema containing the common strategic alternatives.
3. The instructor will rate students on the basis of the number and quality of strategic alternatives generated.
Justify choices that sustain competitive advantage
1. Based on 1 above, the instructor will invite students to select one strategic alternative and defend it as the
best choice for sustainable competitive advantage.
2. The instructor will prepare a grading schema listing the viable strategic alternatives and listing the
arguments in support of each alternative. Where possible, the instructor will rate alternatives on a scale
from most feasible to least feasible.
3. The instructor will rate students on the basis of the schema set out in step two.
Budgetary impact: MANGEMNT 787, a 3 unit course, replaces MANGEMNT 788, a 2 unit course, in
the MBA program. As a direct replacement, costs are largely administrative in nature. Both courses are
taught on an 8 week schedule. Despite the increase in units, there will be no increased staffing cost.
Course description: (50 word limit)
Business Policy and Strategy is a case based course that identifies the firm’s competencies as the building
blocks of strategies. Strategies that may implemented to make the firm competitive in a global business
environment.
If dual listed, list graduate level requirements for the following:
1. Content (e.g., What are additional presentation/project requirements?)
2. Intensity (e.g., How are the processes and standards of evaluation different for graduates and
undergraduates? )
3. Self-Directed (e.g., How are research expectations differ for graduates and undergraduates?)
Course objectives and tentative course syllabus: See below
Bibliography: (Key or essential references only. Normally the bibliography should be no more than one or two
pages in length.)
Business Policy and Strategy, a/k/a strategic management, is the capstone course in almost every undergraduate and
MBA program in the U.S. and most offshore business programs. Literally dozens of dedicated strategic management
texts have been offered for over 30 years at both the graduate- and undergraduate-levels. A very few of the most
popular articles and texts commonly used at the graduate-level include:
Burgelman, R.A. & Grove, A. S. (1996) “Strategic Dissonance,” California Management Review, 38: 8-28.
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Collins, J. (2001) Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, New York: Harper
Collins.
Drucker, P. (1994) “The Theory of Business,” Harvard Business Review, Sept.-Oct: 95-105.
Hamel, G. (2007) The Future of Management, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2013) Strategic Management: Competitiveness & Globalization, 10th
ed., Mason, Ohio: South-Western, Cengage Learning.
Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Competitors, New York: The Free Press.
Porter, M.E. (1996) “What is Strategy?” Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec: 61-78,
Prahalad, C. K. (1994) Competing for the Future, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Rothaermel, F. T. (2013) Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M.A., Gamgle, J. E., & Strickland, A. J. III (2012) Crafting and Executing Strategy, 18th
ed., New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Course Objectives and tentative course syllabus with mandatory information (paste syllabus below):
SYLLABUS
MANGEMNT 787-22, Business Policy & Strategy – Fall 2012
James W. Bronson
bronsonj@uww.edu
Office: Hyland 4304B
(262) 472-5456
Office Hours: I should be close to the office Monday through Thursday, feel free to stop by if you are in the building,
or call/e-mail first if you are making a special trip. I do make it a practice to respond to all e-mails within 24 hours.
TEXT:
Rothaermel, Frank T. Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, 2013, New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. ISBN:
978-0-07-811273-7
Your text may be rented at: http://www.coursesmart.com/007732448X
Your text is also available in electronic format: http://bit.ly/xtlrUG
DESCRIPTION:
This course is titled “Business Policy & Strategy,” but most of us will recognize that the material consists of the
subject more widely known known as Strategic Management. Business Policy & Strategy (BPS) is the capstone
course in your MBA program. As an MBA capstone, BPS should reinforce your understanding of managerial
decision topics and further your understanding of the inter-relationship between the functional areas of business. To
this end strategy focuses on matching the competencies of the firm with the firm's changing environment. To achieve
this match, strategic management asks four fundamental questions about a business:
1) What business, or businesses, should the firm engage in and what should be
the scope of the firm's operations? (Who are we?)
2) What is the current state of the firm and its environment? (What is happening now?)
3) How will the environment change in the future, and how will the firm need
to change to remain competitive? (Where do we need to be in the future?)
4) What needs to be done to move the firm from its current state to that future
Competitive position? (How do we get there from here?)
OBJECTIVES and/or GOALS:
 Through the use of businesses cases, the student will apply a non-discipline specific and
integrated view of the firm; essentially the view of senior management. In applying this
view the student will identify and analyze strategic opportunities. In light of opportunity, the
student will analyze the nature and organization of the firm’s resources to determine their
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


suitability for the pursuit of opportunity, with the goal of achieving a competitive advantage.
Students will be required to identify and evaluate (a) the importance of the firm’s
Strategic intent and the role of the firm’s functional disciplines in achieving the firm’s
strategic intentions, (b) the relationship between strategy, competition, and the firm’s
performance, and (c) the need for an integrated approach when implementing the firm’s
strategies.
Students will apply a methodology for the systematic analysis of the firm’s environment and the firm’s
resources/capabilities/competencies, and evaluate appropriate business- and corporate-level strategies.
To apply these concepts to actual companies and situations through the use of case analysis.
ASSESSMENT
 Student’s ability to apply the courses’ terminology, concepts, and methodology will
be assessed through regular case discussion and case-based written assignments. Case-based
written assignments will typically be comprised of one question that assesses student knowledge,
comprehension, application, and analysis, and a second question that requires critical thinking in the synthesis
and evaluation of concepts.
COURSE STRUCTURE, ORGANIZATION AND ASSIGNMENTS:
The course is divided into eight modules; one for each of the seven weeks of the course, plus an optional eighth
module. You are expected to complete the first seven modules. However, if you miss an assignment or receive a
low grade in Modules 1-7 there is a “fix.” The assignments in Module 8 may be used to replace any corresponding
assignment in the first seven modules. Assignments may be replaced because: a) you didn’t complete the minimum
number of assignments for whatever reason, or b) you were not satisfied with the score you received on an
assignment.
1. 1% (1 point) will be given for completing your profile. You do need to tell me how you prefer to be addressed,
e.g. Kathy as opposed to Kathleen or Bud as opposed to Ronald. You should include enough information so that
your class mates and I can associate a person with your name, e.g. your job, favorite leisure activities, etc. Less than
sufficient information will result in a point reduction. It is best that you not reveal any personal locator information
like your street address or personal phone number(s).
2. 21% (21 points) of your grade will be determined by your instructor’s evaluation of your online discussion.
Essentially, you will receive up to 3 points for individual discussion on 6 cases in 6 modules (6 case discussions X 3
points = 18).
The criteria for evaluating discussion are:
a. Well developed “ideas” that are new to the discussion. Preferably stated in a complete paragraph. An unusually
insightful idea may earn up to three points, mundane ideas are worth one point, repeating what others have
already stated is of no benefit to the discussion or your score.
b. Responsiveness to the ideas of others. Comments that evaluate and build on the ideas of classmates are favored.
Offering examples based on personal experience and updates to the case gleaned from the internet, and other
sources, is almost always appropriate.
c. The timeliness of your discussion. You are expected to read the existing discussion comments upon entering the
discussion and offer “new” contributions to the discussion. Early movers generally receive significantly greater
rewards than second movers and really late movers may find that most meaningful positions have already been
"spoken for."
d. Quantity of your discussion. Don’t confuse quantity and quality, three reasonable contributions to the discussion
will earn three points.
3. 77% (77 points) of your grade is based upon your written analysis of the case companies. There are 8 cases
listed in your syllabus, your final grade is based on 7 cases. Cases are either available in your textbook and/or posted
under the “Content” heading in D2L (or both). Cases are worth 11 points each, (7 case write-ups X 11 points = 77).
Your instructor has furnished questions for each case. These questions can be found near the end of the syllabus.
Case write-ups can be adequately handled in one or two pages; case write-ups exceeding two pages will not be
reviewed beyond the second page. I expect you to write for business and this means you should convey
information in an efficient manner. The criteria for evaluating written cases are:
a. Papers that properly apply the concepts and include most of the supporting material will receive 9 points.
b. Papers that properly apply the concepts, demonstrate some level of insight, and include the necessary supporting
material will receive 10 points.
c. Papers that properly apply the concepts, demonstrate insight, include the necessary supporting material and set a
standard for the class will receive a 11.
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All papers not meeting the above criteria will receive lower scores as appropriate.
4. 1% (1 points) of the available 100 points will be awarded to those students completing the
Course Evaluation.
GRADING: Approximate weighting of assignments.
Profile, 1 @ 1 pt. 1.0%
Discussion, 7 @ 3 pts.
Individual Cases, 7 @ 11 pts.
Course Evaluation, 1 @ 2 pts.
21.0%
77.0%
1.0%
100.0%
I anticipate letter grades will be assigned on a variant of the standard grading scale, i.e. ≥ 93% = A, 92%-88% = AB,
87%-84% = B, 82%-78% = BC, 77%-74% = C, 72%-64% = D & < 64% = F
GROUND RULES:
1. Assignments will be submitted electronically and are due at 11:59 PM on the date of the week stated in the
syllabus. Watch your punctuation and use your spelling checker. (We all make an occasional error, however sloppy
work is not acceptable and will be penalized.) Where appropriate, please ensure that the title of the assignment, the
course number, and your name are at the top of the first page. Assignments may not exceed two pages. Use 12
point Times New Roman or Arial font, 1” margins, quotation marks, citations, and other common writing
conventions. Note that I have intentionally not specified line spacing, please make your own choice of spacing
consistent with your presentation of the material.
2. Work may be submitted early, but typically will be graded near or after the due date. Your final grade will be
based upon the total of your best individual scores.
3. You are writing for a business course - I am looking for clear and concise answers to the questions. I don’t need,
or want, introductions to the topics. I do want enough information to be able to reasonably evaluate your response.
Please do use headings, bullets, lists, and “outline” type formats when they constitute the most effective and efficient
means of conveying the requested information. Should you find your responses to the case questions running over
two pages, I would suggest you go back and read the question(s) a second time to ensure that you understand what is
being asked of you.
4. Late assignments are only accepted in the case of incapacity, e.g. you find yourself, your spouse, your child, in the
hospital. Your instructor will be the sole judge of events constituting incapacity.
5. Occasionally we all encounter an event beyond our control, e.g. prolonged illness, accident, or family emergency.
I sincerely hope you don't encounter such a misfortune, but should a misfortune befall you, please let me know at
your early convenience. I will make every reasonable, and some unreasonable, accommodations to meet your needs.
6. Unethical conduct will be penalized with prejudice. Unethical conduct includes plagiarism, i.e. failing to employ
quotation marks and/or citations when incorporating the ideas, writing, statistics, graphs, tables, etc. of others into
your assignments. All cases are checked with the Turnitin anti-plagiarism software to help assure the integrity of
the assignments. Severe penalties will be assessed should assignments share significant amounts of common
wording without proper attribution. Your instructor will take whatever action he deems appropriate under the
circumstances. (See “The Fine Print” at the very end of the syllabus for details.)
SCHEDULE, October 31-December 17
* I have used bold to demarcate both graded work and due dates.
(Week)/Dates
Assignment
October
(1) 31
Wed Chap. 1: What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important
Chap. 2: The Strategic Management Process
Profile assignment
Case A: Better World Books: Social Entrepreneurship and the Triple Bottom
Line, pp. C18
Note: Case assignments include both the case and the discussion and both case
and discussion are due at the same time on the same date.
November
(2) 07
Wed Chap. 3: External Analysis: Industry Structure, Competitive Forces, and
Strategic Groups
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Case B: Roger’s Chocolates, pp. C56
(3) 14
Wed Chap. 4: Internal Analysis: Resources, Capabilities, and Activities
Chap. 5: Competitive Advantage and Firm Performance
Case C: JetBlue Airways: Managing Growth, pp. C157
(4) 21
Wed Chap. 6: Business Strategy: Differentiation, Cost Leadership, and Integration
Wed Chap. 7: Business Strategy: Innovation and Strategic Entrepreneurship
Case D: GEOX: Breathing Innovation Into Shoes, pp. C87
(5) 28
Wed Chap. 8: Corporate Strategy: Vertical Integration and Diversification
Case E: Siemens Energy: How to Engineer A Green Future, pp. C281
December
(6) 05
Wed Chap. 9: Corporate Strategy: Acquisitions, Alliances, and Networks
Case F: Healthymagination at GE, pp. C261
(7) 12
Wed Chap. 10: Global Strategy: Competing Around the World
Course Evaluation
Case G: CEMEX: The Southdown Offer, pp. C327
(8) 16
Sun
Chap. 11: Organizational Design: Structure, Culture, and Control
Case H: Genentech: After the Acquisition by Roche, pp. C415
Your professor reserves the right to revise the syllabus if he deems changes are warranted!
THE FINE PRINT
University Policies
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory learning
environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with
University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation,
Discrimination and Absence for University Sponsored Events (for details please refer to the Undergraduate and
Graduate Timetables; the “Rights and Responsibilities” section of the Undergraduate bulletin; the Academic
Requirements and Policies and the Facilities and Services sections of the Graduate Bulletin; and the “Student
Academic Disciplinary Procedures” [UWS Chapter 14]; and the “Student Nonacademic Disciplinary Procedures”
[UWS chapter 17].)
“The UW System standard for work required per credit is that students are expected to invest at least 3 hours of
combined in-class and out-of-class work per week for each academic unit (credit) of coursework; thus, a 3-credit
course will typically require a minimum of 9 hours work per week (144 hrs./semester).”
College Policies
The College requires that a minimum of 50% of the students in online courses complete the course/instructor
evaluation. I have elected to ensure a high-level of participation in the evaluation by offering you the opportunity to
earn a small percentage of the grade points available in this course for completing the evaluation.
UW-W Student Honor Code
As members of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business & Economics community, we commit
ourselves to act honestly, responsibly, and above all, with honor and integrity in all areas of campus life. We are
accountable for all that we say and write. We are responsible for the academic integrity of our work. We pledge that
we will not misrepresent our work nor give or receive unauthorized aid. We commit ourselves to behave in a manner
that demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights and freedoms of all members of the community. We are
respectful of college property and the property of others. We will not tolerate a lack of respect for these values.
This code originated at Wheaton College
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