MGMT 409 Global Strategic Management
Distance Education Course Syllabus: Summer 2013
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor:
Dr. Jim Mueller
Email:
muellerj@cofc.edu
Virtual Office Hours:
daily email communication as required
COURSE INFORMATION
Class meetings:
Distance Education: No class meetings
Course description (adapted for distance education):
In this course students will learn about competing in the global economy. Students will be required to manage a global
manufacturing enterprise in a computer-based on-line simulation designed to integrate the core business disciplines of
management, marketing, operations & logistics, accounting, finance, and economics. Students will also be required to
complete a three-year strategic plan, create a global strategy presentation, and write an annual report based on their
company’s performance in the simulation. Simulation activities are supplemented by a series of on-line strategic
management textbook-based assignments. Prerequisites: ACCT 203, ACCT 204, DSCI 232, DSCI 314, ECON 200,
ECON 201, FINC 303, MGMT 301, MKTG 302, MKTG 326, MATH 104 and MATH 105; senior standing.
Required Course Materials:
The required textbook for this course comes bundled with a required business simulation. Each student is required to
purchase on-line access to the computer simulation on the first day of class. Detailed registration instructions are
provided at the end of this syllabus.
Textbook: Strategy: Core Concepts and Analytical Approaches (electronic version bundled with simulation)
Simulation: The Business Strategy Game (electronic version bundled with textbook)
http://www.bsg-online.com
BUSINESS SCHOOL OBJECTIVES
All of the following business school goals are addressed by this course:
COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Students will demonstrate the ability, via both written and spoken word, to effectively
present, critique, and defend ideas in a cogent, persuasive manner.
QUANTITATIVE FLUENCY: Students will demonstrate competency in logical reasoning and data analysis skills.
GLOBAL AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY: Students will be able to identify and define social, ethical, environmental
and economic challenges at local, national and international levels. Students will also be able to integrate knowledge
and skills in addressing these issues.
INTELLECTUAL INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY: Students will be able to demonstrate their resourcefulness
and originality in addressing extemporaneous problems.
SYNTHESIS: Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines incorporating
learning from both classroom and non-classroom settings in the completion of complex and comprehensive tasks.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
(1) to demonstrate the important role that strategic management plays in a business's success in the global environment;
(2) to provide an integrative medium in which the student must apply skills learned in the business curriculum in the
analysis of industries, firms, and the global environment in which they operate;
(3) to provide the opportunity to further develop the student's problem solving, decision making, and communication
abilities;
(4) to emphasize the importance of incorporating the issues of ethics, diversity, and quality into strategic management
decisions.
COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Communications Protocol. Electronic communications will be used extensively in this course. The three main
methods of communication in this course are: the OAKS course website, the BSG simulation website, and email.
OAKS course Website:
The main elements used on OAKS will be NEWS, CONTENT, DISCUSSION, and the DROPBOX.
NEWS (located on course homepage) : is used to communicate any changes and updates for the course. It is
important that you check this page daily.
CONTENT: is used to post assignment guidelines, miscellaneous notes, readings, etc. that are not included in
the simulation website.
DISCUSSION: is for you to post questions/comments that you want other students to view. You will also be
required to post your global strategy presentations here so that others can comment on it. The instructor will
also post several discussion topics during the course that you are required to comment on.
DROPBOX: is used to submit assignments that are not submitted elsewhere. Pay close attention to the
submission deadlines.
BSG simulation Website:
The BSG simulation website contains several methods for communication as well: there is email capability, chat, and
instant messaging. The website also links to the main components of the course: the BSG simulation screens, the
textbook, the textbook quizzes, textbook powerpoint slides, BSG quizzes, and the 3-year plan. There are also links to
instructional videos (how to play the game) that you will need to view since there are no face-to-face lectures in the
course.
Email communication:
You will need to use your college gmail account for all official communication with the instructor. I will not reply to
any other email communications. When you register for the game, please use the college email address as well. The
game website will send you automated messages (reminders and results) using my signature.
Late submissions and missed exams, coursework and quizzes
Because this is an on-line course, it is imperative that you pay close attention to the due dates for all course
components—there is no way for the instructor to remind you face-to-face. Penalty for late submission of any
coursework is an automatic F on that piece of coursework.
Honor Code. The College Honor Code is in force for all aspects of this course. Please read the CofC policy (at the
bottom of the syllabus).
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE CONTENT
Textbook Quizzes: You are required to take 9 on-line quizzes based on chapters 1-9 of the textbook. Each quiz is
timed (2 hours) and you will have 2 attempts at each quiz-- your score is calculated by taking the average of the number
of attempts. The quizzes are open-book and will require that you search the textbook for the correct answers, as the
questions are quite detailed. Quizzes are due by 11:00 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays of the term, but they are available
as soon as you purchase the text/simulation, so you can work ahead and get them finished early (highly recommended!).
Business Strategy Game Simulation (BSG): The main component of the course is the BSG simulation. In this
“game” you will be required to make a series of business decisions related to the management of a global athletic
footwear company. Your grade for the simulation is scored by the computer, based on how well you perform against
your classmates, and how well you meet investors’ expectations. During the first week of class you will be making two
sets of practice decisions on your own so you can learn how to navigate the website and how to make decisions. After
the practice rounds are finished, the game is reset to the beginning, and you will have 9 sets of decisions to make (due
on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 11:00 p.m.).
Business Strategy Game Quizzes: You are required to complete two quizzes based on the Business Strategy Game
Player’s manual and decision screens. These are available on the dates indicated on the simulation website, and also in
the course schedule (at the end of the syllabus). These are also open book, and you will need a calculator to take them.
You only have one attempt at these quizzes, so you should look at the sample questions on the simulation website
before attempting the quizzes.
Three Year Plan: In year 17 of the simulation (seventh decision) you are required to submit a 3-year plan for your
company via the BSG website. The computer will grade your plan on the degree of forecasting accuracy achieved by
your team.
Global Strategy Presentation (on-line): Since the computer simulation is primarily a number-crunching exercise, you
have the opportunity to demonstrate your creative abilities by completing an on-line global strategy presentation. You
will upload your presentation to the OAKS discussion board so that your classmates can view/comment on them. Your
peers will also provide a grade on your presentation, the results of which will be used to reward your company with a
cash award bonus in the simulation. Please see the assignment guidelines at the end of the syllabus for details .
Examples of past students' presentations will also be posted on OAKS.
Annual Report: At the end of the simulation you are required to submit an annual report using (modified) SEC
reporting requirements (the form 10-K) based on your company’s performance in the simulation. You will be required
to submit this electronically to the drop box on OAKS. I will then submit them to turnitin.com for an originality
analysis to check for plagiarized content. Examples of past students' annual reports will be posted on OAKS.
Global Strategy Case Analysis: A global strategy case (Tata Motors) is included with the textbook. You are required
to read this case and conduct a global strategy analysis. To guide you through this analysis, you will be required to
answer a series of case-related questions and submit your responses to the OAKS dropbox.
OAKS Discussion Participation: Since there is no classroom interaction, I will post several discussion forums rduring
the course. You will be assessed on your contribution to these forums.
Course Component
On-line Textbook Quizzes
On-line Business Strategy Game (BSG) performance, quizzes, and 3-year plan
OAKS Discussion Participation
Global Strategy Presentation
Annual Report of BSG company operations
Global Strategy Case Analysis (Tata Motors)
Total:
Weight
20%
30%
10%
10%
15%
15%
100%
GRADING SCALE
Score (%)
93.0 - 100
89.7 – 92.9
86.3 – 89.6
83.0 – 86.2
79.7 – 82.9
76.4 – 79.6
73.0 – 76.3
69.7 – 72.9
66.4 – 69.6
63.0 – 66.3
59.7 – 62.9
Below 59.7
Letter
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Quality
Points
4.00
3.70
3.30
3.00
2.70
2.30
2.00
1.70
1.30
1.00
.70
0.00
College Catalog
Description
Superior
Very Good
Good
Fair
Acceptable
Barely acceptable, passing
Failure
College of Charleston Honor Code and Academic Integrity
Lying, cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code that, when identified, are
investigated. Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of deception involved.
Incidents where the instructor determines the student’s actions are clearly related more to a misunderstanding will be
handled by the instructor. A written intervention designed to help prevent the student from repeating the error will be
given to the student. The intervention, submitted by form and signed by both the instructor and the student, will be
forwarded to the Dean of Students and placed in the student’s file.
Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported directly by the instructor and/or others having knowledge of
the incident to the Dean of Students. A student found responsible by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty will
receive a XF in the course, indicating failure of the course due to academic dishonesty. This grade will appear on the
student’s transcript for two years after which the student may petition for the X to be expunged. The student may also
be placed on disciplinary probation, suspended (temporary removal) or expelled (permanent removal) from the College
by the Honor Board.
Students should be aware that unauthorized collaboration--working together without permission-- is a form of cheating.
Unless the instructor specifies that students can work together on an assignment, quiz and/or test, no collaboration
during the completion of the assignment is permitted. Other forms of cheating include possessing or using an
unauthorized study aid (which could include accessing information stored on a cell phone), copying from others’ exams,
fabricating data, and giving unauthorized assistance.
Research conducted and/or papers written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in part for any assignment in this
class without obtaining prior permission from the instructor.
Students can find the complete Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook at
http://www.cofc.edu/studentaffairs/general_info/studenthandbook.html.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Business Strategy Game (BSG) decisions are due on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Textbook chapter quizzes are due on Mondays and Fridays
Major Assignments are due on Wednesdays.
ALL Decisions, Quizzes and Assignments are due by 11:00 p.m. on the due date.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
May 15
(1) Read Syllabus.
(2) View the following
video tutorials:
Read pages 14-21 of
BSG Players Guide &
view video tutorials:
Account Registration
Corporate Citizenship
Corporate Lobby Tour
Sales Forecast
Decisions/Reports
Program Overview
Plant Capacity
Capacity Purchases
Collaboration/Audio
Mode Demo
(3) Purchase Text and
Register for BSG by
11:00 p.m. See
registration instructions
below.
Capacity
Construction/Additions
If you have questions,
email instructor between
6:00- 9:00 p.m.
Read pp 30-34 of
BSG Players Guide.
View the following
video tutorials on the
Footwear Industry
Report:
Page 1 (scoreboard)
Page 2 (EPS, ROE, stock
price)
Page 3 (credit rating,
image rating, CSRC)
Page 3b (bonus point
awards)
Work on practice
round 1 decisions
BSG practice round 1
decisions due 11:00 p.m.
(individual decisions)
Publish a personal profile
photo on OAKS class
list. Then post a short
introductory paragraph
about yourself on the
OAKS discussion board.
May 22
View the following
video tutorials on the
Footwear Industry
Report:
Page 4 (industry overview
/ plant capacity)
Page 5 (financial
performance summary)
Page 6 (performance
benchmarks)
Page 7 (celebrity
endorsements / graphs)
Work on practice round
2 decisions
Textbook Chapter 1
Quiz due
Read pages 22-29 of
BSG Players Guide &
view video tutorials:
Branded Production
Branded Distribution
Internet Marketing
Wholesale Marketing
Bids for Celebrity
Endorsements
Finance and Cash Flow
If you have questions,
email instructor
between 6:00- 9:00 p.m.
If you have questions,
email instructor
between 6:00- 9:00
p.m.
May21
May 17
Private-Label Operations
(4) Read pages 1-13 of
BSG Players Guide
May 20
Textbook Chapter 2
quiz due
FRIDAY
May 16
May 23
.
BSG practice round 2
decisions due 11:00 p.m.
(individual decisions)
May 24
Textbook
Chapter 3 quiz due
BSG game data will be
reset to beginning on
Saturday, May 25th at
midnight.
May 27
Textbook
Chapter 4 quiz due
June 3
Textbook
Chapter 6 quiz due
May 28
START BSG GAME for
GRADE
decision 11 due
June 4
BSG decision 13 due
May 29
BSG QUIZ 1 DUE
(on BSG website)
June 5
Read Case:
Tata Motors: Can it
become a global
contender in the
automotive industry?
May 30
BSG decision 12 due
June 6
BSG decision 14 due
May31
Textbook
Chapter 5 quiz due
June 7
Textbook
Chapter 7 quiz due
Complete Tata Case
Assignment questions
1, 2 and 5 and submit
them to the dropbox on
OAKS
June 10
Textbook
Chapter 8 quiz due
June 17
Comments on Global
Strategy Presentations
Due (Post to OAKS
discussion Board)
June 24
Complete Tata Case
Assignment questions
4, 8, and 9 and
submit them to the
dropbox on OAKS
June 11
BSG decision 15 due
June 18
3-YEAR PLAN DUE
(BSG WEBSITE)
June 12
GLOBAL STRATEGY
PRESENTATIONS
DUE (Post them on the
OAKS Discussion
Board so others can
view them and
comment on them. )
June 19
BSG QUIZ 2 DUE
June 13
BSG decision 16 due
June 20
BSG decision 18 due
(on BSG website)
BSG decision 17 due
June 25
BSG decision 19 due
June 26
Annual reports due in
pdf format--submit to
dropbox on OAKS
June 27
June 14
Textbook
Chapter 9 quiz due
June 21
Complete Tata Case
Assignment questions
3, 6, and 7 and submit
them to the dropbox on
OAKS
Instructions for Purchase of Textbook and Registration for Business Strategy Game
BSG Premium Registration Procedure — Industry 12
It is important that each student register for a BSG Premium account. Only registered students have online access to
BSG Premium course materials; the ability to take the online chapter-end quizzes, online exams prepared by your
instructor, and BSG quizzes 1 and 2
To register:
(1)If you need a guided tutorial on how to register, please view the Account Registration video tutorial for help.
(2) Launch your web browser and go to http://www.bsg-online.com/.
(3) Click the Students button at the top-left.
(4) Enter your Company Registration Code (see table below). Make sure that you enter the Registration code for the
team that you have been assigned. The company registration codes are:
Initial Team
Assignment
Team
Team
Team
Team
Team
A
B
C
D
E
Student Name
Jessica Bernacchi
Emily Smith
William Winston
Dummy Company
Eliminated Company
Registration
Code
34610-JMR-A
34610-JMR-B
34610-JMR-C
34610-JMR-D
34610-JMR-E
NOTE: If your name does not appear in this table, then please email instructor immediately.
(5) Complete the brief registration form and click the Continue button at the bottom of the form.
(6) Then click the Credit/Debit Card Registration button on the next page. The registration fee is $104.50 for each
team member. Have a credit/debit card ready. Payment may be made using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American
Express. Should you not have a credit card, the easiest alternative is to use a teammate or friend's credit card to pay your
registration fee and then reimburse him or her by cash or check.
(7) Following registration, you will be directed to your Corporate Lobby page where you instantly have full access to all
BSG Premium materials and can view/print the text chapters, the chapter-end exercises, the Player's Guide for The
Business Strategy Game, and browse through all the course materials and assignments. You should spend 15-20
minutes familiarizing yourself with the menus, links, and information appearing on your Corporate Lobby page.
(8) At your earliest convenience, you should decide on a company name and enter it using the link at the top of your
Corporate Lobby page.
INTB 409-DE Global Strategy On-line Presentation Guidelines
You are to create an on-line presentation to describe your firm’s unique global brand image and other creative elements
of its global strategy. The guidelines for this presentation are not rigid--the main emphasis should be on exhibiting your
own CREATIVE abilities in illustrating. There are several examples of previous strategy presentations posted under
the CONTENT section of OAKS. Here are some examples of components that previous presentations have included
(these are NOT requirements, nor is the list all-inclusive):
Company Logo
Company Slogan
Mission Statement
Print advertisements
Story board for TV ads
Product brand names (if different from company name)
Product descriptions/designs
Global standardization vs. multi-domestic approaches to strategy
Foreign language ads and brand names
Global Human resource strategy
Global Sourcing strategy
Global Environmental strategy
TV ads (students have actually filmed them).
Company Website
Format of Presentation
Since there will not be an actual in-class delivery, all of your effort will go into the design of an effective multi-media
presentation. Although most students use powerpoint, you may use any presentation format as long as everyone else in
the class can gain access to it when you post it to the OAKS discussion board. (e.g., a link to prezi presentation,
YouTube video, or external website is perfectly acceptable).
Grading of on-line presentation
There are three main components of your grade: creativity, effectiveness, and effort. After all presentations are posted,
everyone in the class must view the presentation and provide feedback via OAKS on the creativity, effectiveness, and
effort of that presentation. The best presentation (as determined by the class) will receive a cash award bonus on the
simulation.
Due Date for posting presentation
All presentations must be posted to the OAKS discussion board no later than 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday June 12th.
Due Date for comments on presentation
All class members must post their comments on every presentation no later than 11:00 p.m. on Monday, June 17th.
INTB 409-DE Global Strategic Management
Annual Report Guidelines
You are required to submit an annual report of your company’s operations, following the SEC’s form 10-k reporting
guidelines (modified for this course). While you may include as much “glossy fluff” that you want for extra credit, you
MUST have the following sections:
Chairman’s letter, PLUS the following components of the 10-k report:
Description of Business
Risk Factors
Properties
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters
Selected Financial Data
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Please look at Nike’s annual report (or any other publicly traded enterprise with a form 10-K filing) for an example of
the above components. I have also posted a student-created sample annual report on OAKS for you to look at as well.
If you have any questions, please ask me.
Additional Guidelines:
You may use Year 17, 18, or 19 as the basis year for your report.
You must include financial data for a 3-year period (e.g. if you choose year 20 as the basis year, then you
would also include years 18 and 19 in your financial trend analysis.)
Due Date: Report must be submitted in PDF format to the OAKS dropbox by 11:00 p.m. on Wed. June 26.