MAN 6782 – ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Spring 2012
INSTRUCTOR:
OFFICE:
OFFICE PHONE:
CELL PHONE:
OFFICE HOURS:
FAX:
HOMEPAGE:
EMAIL:
COURSE INFO:
Dan Marlin, Ph.D.
PNM 104B
(727) 873-4946
T 2-3pm, W 3-5pm, and by appointment
(727) 873-4192
www.usfsp.edu/marlind
marlind@mail.usf.edu
MAN 6782-691, W 6:00pm-8:50pm, STG 115
Course Description, Prerequisites, and Grade Requirements:
An integrated course that ties together concepts, principles, and skills useful in strategic
management and strategic direction making with issues of ethics and responsibility in
organizations in the 21st century. Prerequisites: USF St. Petersburg undergraduate prerequisite
classes and good standing in USF SP MBA program.
Course Objective(s):
At the end of this course, the student should understand important topics central to organizational
strategy and decision making, be able to apply theories and concepts to practical situations and
be sensitive to tensions driven by ethics and social responsibility aspects of decisions and
actions.
Specifically, students should:
1) Understand and be able to apply theories, tools and methods for a dynamic approach to
strategic management in today’s organizational environment
2) Gain and apply knowledge of strategic factors important for management and decision
making through course assignments and via written report and oral presentation assignments
using organizational theories, analysis, and critical thinking tools.
3) Understand how strategic management and decision making is situated in a milieu of valuepositions that compete for consideration in firms’ decisions and operations; be aware of
multiple views of strategy
4) Cultivate sensitivity to issues of ethics and social responsibility, and broaden awareness of
issues of globalization
5) Enhance written and oral communication skills in practice via class assignments, gain
experience working in teams, exercise integration of theory and practice, and be able to
recommend solutions for strategic management problems that managers face.
Required Materials:
1) Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization - Concepts, 9th Ed (2011). (M. A.
Hitt, R. D. Ireland, and R. E. Hoskisson), South-Western Cengage Learning (ISBN: 978-0538-75309-8).
2) Business Strategy Game Online, 2011 Edition (A. A. Thompson, Jr., G. J. Stappenbeck and
M. A. Reidenbach) McGraw-Hill Irwin (http://www.bsg-online.com/).
Grading:
3 Exams (200 points each)
BSG Simulation
Article Write-ups
Presentations
TOTAL
600 points
200 points
100 points
100 points
1000 points
Determination of Final Course Grade:
Course Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
Course Requirements
93% or 930 points
90% or 900 points
87% or 870 points
83% or 830 points
80% or 800 points
77% or 770 points
73% or 730 points
70% or 700 points
65% or 650 points
<65% or 650 points
Course Policies (Attendance, Preparation, and Participation):
Successful completion of this course will require that you attend class, prepare for class, and
participate during class on a consistent basis. Excessive unexcused absences with excessive
defined as more than 1 will result in up to a 5% reduction of your final class average for each
absence. Please turn off all cell phones before entering the classroom. Finally, text-messaging
and surfing the Internet is not appropriate classroom behavior. Those wishing to use a laptop
computer in class must seek my permission and I reserve the right to disallow you from using a
laptop computer during class.
Exams:
Three exams will be given, as indicated on the attached schedule. These exams will cover all
material from chapter readings and any other materials covered during class. Exams will consist
of short answer and essay questions. Exams will start promptly at the beginning of the scheduled
class time and will end 2 hours later. If you show up late then you will have less time to take the
exam. Make-up exams WILL NOT be given without clear documentation of the circumstances
that warrant being absent for an exam. If a make-up exam is given, the time, date, location, and
method of testing will be at the discretion of the professor.
BSG Simulation and Group Written Project:
You will be required to participate in a group project this semester built around an online
business simulation. Each group will make comprehensive sets of decisions that will affect the
competitive standing and performance of a simulated company for a period of eight years. Each
group will then develop a detailed written project on their company, the simulated industry, and
their company’s overall performance in the simulation. I will discuss the written project in more
detail later in the semester.
There are a few policies pertaining to your group efforts of which you should be aware. Each
group will consist of 2 to 3 people depending on the size of the class. Group member selection
can be critical to group performance and member satisfaction. Each group member is required
to participate EQUALLY on the simulation decisions and on the written project. Please
note that, since I am allowing you to choose your own groups instead of assigning them, you will
bear most of the responsibility for making sure that each group member does his or her fair share
of the work. However, if problems do arise, it is in your best interest to let me know as soon as
possible. If a group member is not contributing and/or is significantly disrupting the process of
working on the simulation decisions and completing the written project the other group
member(s) may remove this individual from the group. Also, the professor reserves the right to
remove a member from a group if he has documentation from the group that the member is not
contributing quality work to the process and/or is not doing his or her fair share. If you are
removed from a group you will not receive any of the 200 points allocated to this graded
component of the course.
The project will demand much of your time. Expect to spend a few hours each week making
simulation decisions. Planning your time and cooperating with team members is important. To
minimize free riding on the project, you will be required to complete the 2 online group member
evaluations included with the simulation. These evaluations will be used to adjust final
written project grades to reflect unequal member contributions to the project. These
adjustments will be made by multiplying the final project grades by each group member’s
average group member evaluation score. Finally, you will also be required to complete and pass
with a minimum 60% grade each of the 2 online quizzes as part of your simulation grade.
Articles and Article Presentations:
Each student will be required to find and then present an article from a popular business
magazine (i.e., Fortune, Forbes, Business Week, etc..) or journal (i.e., Harvard Business Review,
Sloan Management Review, etc..) that addresses one or more strategic management concepts.
The articles chosen must be approved by the professor and should be timely and relevant to the
materials we cover during the semester. Once chosen and approved I will post the articles on my
website. Those not presenting on a particular day will be required to read and answer a few
questions about the content of each of these articles as part of their weekly reading assignments.
Your answers are due on the day that we discuss the articles in class. You must attend class to
turn in your answers and you must be in class when we discuss the articles to receive credit
for completing them. Turning in assignments for students not attending class is academic
dishonesty. Late assignments WILL NOT be accepted. Articles, article questions, and
assigned student discussants will be posted on my website.
Topical Presentations:
Each student will also be required to prepare a presentation on a strategic management topic that
in some way significantly expands on a topic covered in the textbook. The topic chosen must be
approved by the professor and should be timely and relevant to the materials we cover during a
particular class meeting. The content of these presentations and/or the materials they are based
on will be included in and considered “fair-game” for examination purposes.
Recording of Lectures and Copyrights:
All unauthorized recordings of class are prohibited. Recordings that accommodate individual
student needs must be approved in advance and may be used for personal use during the semester
only; redistribution is prohibited.
University Assessment
You should be aware that some of the work you complete this semester will be used for purposes
other than calculating your final course grade. More specifically, different types of assessments
are required for us to maintain our accreditation as a university and/or as a college of business.
Most of these assessments are done as part of the course and will require no additional work
from you as a student. If you have any questions or concerns about this please let me know.
Key Leadership Skill(s) and Perspectives Addressed in This Course (Rating Scale 1-5):
Interpersonal
and
Communication
Skills
Analytical and
Critical
Thinking
Skills
Information
Technology
Skills
3(a)
5(b)
2(c)
Reflective
Thinking
and
Experiential
Learning
2(d)
Ethical and
Social
Consciousness
Multicultural
Competence
2(e)
2(f)
(a) Group written project, simulation decisions, and presentations.
(b) Chapter materials, simulation decisions, company report, and group written project.
(c) Presentations, simulation decisions, and conducting research.
(d) Chapter materials and simulation.
(e) Chapter materials, lectures, and presentations.
(f) Chapter materials, lectures, and presentations.
Academic Dishonesty:
See USF Procedures for Academic Dishonesty or Disruption of Academic Process at
http://www.stpt.usf.edu/spgrad/Studentconduct.htm#academicdishonesty
Because of the University’s commitment to academic integrity, plagiarism or cheating on course
work or on examinations will result in penalties that may include a grade of “F” for the specific
exam or course work and a grade of “F” or “FF” for the course. Any incident of academic
dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of the College of Business. Definitions and punishment
guidelines for Plagiarism, Cheating, and Student Disruption of the Academic Process may be
found at the web address listed above.
Students with Disabilities:
Please notify your instructor if you have a learning disability or require special assistance with
this course. Confidential personal and learning assistance counseling are made available to
students through the Division of Student Affairs. Contact R. Barry McDowell
(mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu) for more information.
Religious Holidays:
Students who must miss class or an examination due to a religious holiday should notify the
instructor during the first two weeks of class.
Tentative Class Schedule and Reading Assignments
Jan
11
13
18
25
Feb
1
3
8
15
22
29
Mar
7
14
21
24
28
Apr
4
11
18
25
May
2
Introduction to Course
Drop/Add/Fee Deadline (full refund of fees / no grade) – by 5pm
Chapter 1 – Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness
Topical Presentation Example
Assign Simulation Group Project
Chapter 2 – The External Environment
Chapter 3 – The Internal Organization
Simulation Practice Decisions Due
Simulation Online Quiz 1 Due
Chapter 4 – Business-Level Strategy
Chapter 5 – Competitive Rivalry and Competitive Dynamics
Article Presentation Example
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 11
Graduation Application Deadline
Exam I (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 12
Simulation Online Quiz 2 Due
Chapter 6 – Corporate Level Strategy
Presentations
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 13
Chapter 7 – Merger and Acquisition Strategies
Presentations
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 14
Chapter 8 – International Strategy
Presentations
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 15
Chapter 9 – Cooperative Strategy
Presentations
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 16
Spring Break
Exam II (Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9)
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 17
Withdrawal Deadline (no refund /“W” grade assigned)
Chapter 10 – Corporate Governance
Presentations
Simulation Decisions Due – Year 18
ETS Assessment Exam
Chapter 11 – Organizational Structure and Controls
Presentations
Chapter 12 – Strategic Leadership
Presentations
Supplemental Chapters/Readings on Strategy Implementation
Presentations
Group Written Project Due
Exam III (Chapters 10, 11, 12, Supplemental Chapters/Readings)