GBUS / MBA 815: Business Policy & Strategy
COURSE OUTLINE
Semester: Winter 2015
Class Time: Wednesdays 7 – 9:45 pm
Instructor: Dr. Gina Grandy
Office: ED 540.5
Email: gina.grandy@uregina.ca
Tel: 306 585 5647 (office) 306 205 3989 (home)
Office hours: Before class & by appointment.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
GBUS / MBA 815 is intended to be delivered in the final stage of the MBA degree so that, acting as leaders,
students are able to draw upon knowledge from various functional areas (e.g., marketing, operations,
management, accounting, finance) to develop a more integrative and sophisticated assessment of an
organization’s internal and external environment and its impact on competitive advantage. Viewing the
organization from a strategic level, students will face the challenge of applying tools and techniques required to
make optimal decisions. Through the analysis and discussion of case studies, current affairs and academic
literature, students will be exposed to the highly complex and ambiguous context of real business situations and
expected to shift their focus of analysis from the functional to the strategic level. Students will be exposed to notfor-profit, public sector and for-profit organizations and will develop an appreciation for the similarities and
differences across sectors as it pertains to strategic decision making and implementation. The course also
includes a business press element that attempts to raise awareness about the constantly changing business
environment and the relevance of strategic management in the real world. Students will also engage with the
academic literature on strategic management and surface the links between theory and practice.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To introduce students to the concepts of strategic management and provide tools and techniques that
allow students to competently analyze the competitive situations of organizations.
2. To apply analytical techniques from finance, accounting, organizational theory, organization behaviour,
marketing, economics and related business disciplines.
3. To develop an ability to view the organization as a whole and understand the interdependence of
organizational functions and the environment in strategic management.
4. To critically analyze the organizational world and the field of strategic management.
5. To develop / improve communication skills, both written and verbal, through cases analyses and
presentations and case writing.
6. To encourage business press reading habits and provide a forum to establish a link between classroom
learning and outside world.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Given a written case study, individually and in teams, students will be able to present an internal and
external analysis, identify key strategic issues and alternatives, generate solutions and describe an
implementation plan, using assigned format guidelines.
2. In formative and summative course work, students will be able to negotiate team responsibilities and
collaborate to present case analyses within defined time periods.
3. During classes, students will be able to verbally contribute to discussions on course concepts in the
larger group.
4. In interactions with team members and the instructor, students will be able to communicate (verbal and
written) in a professional manner.
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5. Given guidelines, individually or in teams, students will interact with representatives from an
organization of their choice and collect primary and secondary information to write a case study on a
strategic decision facing that organization.
6. In a take-home exam format, students will be able to list, describe and apply course concepts in response
to case and essay-style questions and demonstrate critical thinking.
7. In lectures, seminars, case analyses and exam students will be able to identify and discuss (verbal and
written) similarities and differences in the theory and application of strategy concepts across different
sectors (e.g., health care versus manufacturing) and types of organizations (e.g., nonprofits versus for
profits versus SMEs).
TEXT / MATERIALS
1. Dess, G., Lumpkin, G., Eisner, A., and Perdis, T (2012). Strategic management. Creating competitive
advantage. 3rd Canadian Ed. McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
2. Readings & Cases – provided by instructor, accessed through library resources, posted on UR Courses
and to be purchases through Ivey & Harvard Publishing.
a. Students can expect to purchase 5 – 8 cases
3. Class slides will be posted in advance of class on UR Courses.
SPECIAL NEEDS
If there is any learner who, because of a disability, may have a need for accommodation(s), please discuss this
with the instructor and / or contact the Coordinator of Special Needs Services at 585-4631.
WRITING ASSISTANCE
The Student Success Centre (www.uregina.ca/ssc) offers both on-line resources and in-person tutoring on
writing skills.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
This course includes lectures, case discussions, videos and experiential exercises. As a result, regular attendance
in class and active participation in classroom activities are required. Students are expected to be comfortable
with ALL material discussed in class (not just textbook content). Lecture content will go beyond the coverage
in the textbook. It is expected that students will read and prepare appropriately for every class. If a student is
unprepared for a class 1 mark will be taken off her participation grade for the course (this will occur in every
class that the student is not prepared). Please read each section of the course outline for expectations on all
components of the course.
Throughout the course linking theory and practice discussions will occur. Students are expected to read local,
national and / or international newspapers and discuss in class how the newsworthy event relates (or not) to
content discussed in class. This will serve as an important aspect of participation grades.
In this course you will be encouraged and expected to engage in critical thinking. This will surface in class
discussions and the assigned readings. You will be rewarded for demonstrating critical thinking in your informal
and formal assessment exercises throughout the course. For this course, critical thinking is defined as an ongoing
process of active and reflective learning. It involves surfacing our underlying beliefs about concepts and
experiences and questioning why we ‘see’ it in this way. It also involves exploring how other individuals, groups
and disciplines might ‘see’ these concepts. Through this process we develop an appreciation for multiplicity,
difference, ambiguity, contradiction and new ways of understanding and being.
Students will be required to work in groups for a case presentations. The whole team will be held responsible for
the team’s success or failure. Group size will be a function of final course enrolment. Students must sign up for
groups in Class 2 Jan 14. Teams must include a ‘numbers’ person (e.g., accounting, finance, economics),
‘marketing’ person, AND management or general person. The instructor will attempt to accommodate the
students’ preferences, however, she reserves the right to select teams if necessary (for a variety of reasons).
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Use of laptops, cell phones, recording devices in class.
 Laptops can be used UNTIL misuse is suspected in class. If it is suspected that any one individual is
using a laptop to check email, search the web, etc. instead of taking notes, ALL laptop use could be
banned from class.
 No cell phones in class – no ringing or playing with phones.
 Recording devices – no recording of class lectures. Slides will be available to students in advance of
class – listen and engage with the material being presented and take notes based upon that. Exceptions to
this will be considered if the student makes an appointment and meets with the instructor to discuss the
reasons.
Academic Ethics. Students are reminded that they must adhere to the standards of ethics of the university (see
Section on Academic Conduct and Misconduct Regulations Governing Discipline for Academic and Nonacademic Misconduct in the Academic Calendar). Students must appropriately reference material and must
submit their own work. If unethical behaviour is suspected, all individuals involved will receive zero on this
component of the course.
GRADING
The following grading system will be used in assigning marks.
A+
A
AB+
B
F
90% +
85 – 89.99%
80 – 84.99%
75 – 79.99%
70 – 74.99%
Less than 70 %
Grade Allocation
Individual Short Case Submissions (best 2 of 3 submissions)
Individual (or Team) Written Case Study
Team Case Analysis (presentation *or* presentation & report)
Final Exam (take home)
Peer Evaluation (for the team case analysis)
Participation
Total
10 - 20%
15 - 30%
15 - 30%
20 - 30%
5%
10%
100%
You can choose within the ranges provided to have some ‘say’ in how marks are allocated across course
components. Grade profiles (posted on UR Courses) are due January 14, 2015, after that date *no changes* can
be made to the grade allocation. If you prefer to take the default allocation, it is as follows: Individual Short Case
Submissions 15%, Individual (or team) Written Case Study 15%, Team Case Analysis 25%, Final Exam 30%,
Peer Evaluation 5% and Participation 10%.
COURSE COMPONENTS
Individual Short Case Submission (best 2 out of 3)
Students will be assigned questions on case studies and answers are to be submitted at the beginning of the
class on which the submission is due. The submissions are to be 2 - 3 pages in length (single spaced and typed)
and can be submitted in bullet point format (or using tables, etc.) as long as the content provided is of sufficient
depth. Questions to be answered for each submission will be posted to URCourses.
NOTE: These are individual submissions and no collaboration among students is permitted.
Please submit with student ID only.
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Individual Case Submission #1. Due at the start of class Week 2. Jan. 14.
Individual Case Submission #2. Due at the start of class Week 4. Jan 28.
Individual Case Submission #3. Due at the start of class Week 5. Feb 4.
Team Case Analysis (Presentation or Presentation & Report)
In teams of 3 – 5 students will perform a strategic analysis and recommendations for an assigned case on either
Mar. 11 or Mar. 18. Teams can choose to submit a written report and deliver a presentation OR deliver a
presentation only (if the team selects to deliver a presentation only, all marks allocated to this component of the
course will be based upon the presentation). The presentation is to be of 20 mins in duration.
It is important that teams are comprised of members from all of the functional areas. Teams *should* include a
‘numbers’ person, a marketing person and a management (or general) person. It is expected that students
present in a professional manner (i.e., dress, behaviour). Every member of the team must play a significant role
in the preparation and execution of the presentation in order to receive a grade.
The in-class presentations will occur in Week 9 (Mar. 11) & Week 10 (Mar.18).
Presenting teams will assume the role of the consultant.
Grading of the full case presentation will be based upon the conciseness and clarity of the presentation, number
of major issues and problems addressed, accuracy of the analysis, depth of analysis, soundness of arguments
used to support recommendations and implementation plan, and the ability to address questions (~ 10 mins). The
marking template and other guidance will be made available to students.
IMPORTANT: You must provide the instructor with a copy of slides at the time of presentation
(handouts – 3 per page).
Individual (or team) Written Case Study
Individually or in teams of 2 – 3, students will conduct primary (e.g., interviews) and secondary (e.g., corporate
documents, Statistics Canada) research to write a case study highlighting a strategic management decision on an
organization of their choice. In addition, students must include a statement of teaching focus (suggested themes /
links to theory / learning objectives), as well as develop and answer three questions that could be used to guide
discussion if the case was used as a learning tool – this is to make clear the strategic management concepts that
the case is intended to illustrate. The case site can be a not-for-profit, charity, public sector or for-profit
organization (MNC or SME).
The submission is due in-class on April 8 and in class students will provide a short summary of the case and key
take-a-ways. Case writing guidelines, suggestions and assessment guide will be discussed further in class to
assist students in this process.
The submission must
 Have the case site approved by the instructor.
 Comprise of 5 to 6 pages in length for the main text (single spaced 12 Times Roman font) plus exhibits
plus statement of teaching focus / questions for discussion
 Have a clear decision focus which is at the strategic level (at the beginning of the case & end)
 Have a clearly identified decision maker
 Include the real name of the organization and key decision maker
 Have a clear time frame that is within the last year and preferably within the time frame of the course
(this should include the timing of the case and the period in which a decision must be made)
 Develop key characters (more than 1 interview should be conducted & include direct quotes)
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


Use secondary data for up-to-date industry / external / competitor / consumer trends with references
included (as endnotes) (4 – 6 sources)
Have a completed case release form signed by the organization and all interviewees (which will indicate
that the case may be further developed for publication at a conference or other scholarly source) – this
will provided in class
Focus on one of the following themes (some of these will require the students to read ahead in course
material)
o Growth or retrenchment (corporate level strategy)
o Positioning (business level strategy – NOT marketing)
o External Environment analysis
o Internal Environment analysis
o Mission
o Strategic Planning
o Strategic Change
o Strategy Implementation
o Competitive Advantage
o Governance
o Shared Value
o Or other topic if approved by instructor
Other considerations for inclusion:
 Relevant financial data (the extent of financial information necessary will depend upon the case focus –
you may want to check if the organization is willing to provide you with financials to share publicly
before deciding upon the organization and the focus of your case).
 Video of key decision maker discussing the situation as a supplement to the case.
Key dates.
 Confirmation of the case site and approval by the instructor by Week 7 February 24.
 Outline / draft of case (with at least one completed interview) to instructor for discussion by Week 11
March 25.
 Case & Statement of Teaching Focus, Discussion Questions & Answers (and short in class presentation)
Due Week 13 April 8.
FINAL EXAM
There will be a take-home final exam in this course. It will be comprehensive in nature and could include some
combination of case analysis and theory / practice essay style questions. Additional details will be provided in
class (formatting, structure). It is due during exam period Wednesday April 22 at 7 pm.
PEER ASSESSMENT (on team case analysis, *not* written case study project) 5%
All members of a team will be required to submit a team assessment that will include assessment of each team
member’s performance in the case analysis project (not the written case). This will be discussed in further detail
in class and it is due Week 11 Mar 25.
PARTICIPATION 10%
Participation will be graded on the value of the contribution to class, rather than solely on the number of times
one participates. It is essential that students are present for all classes, however, it is not enough to simply come
to class, students must be active participants in class. To receive enough points to get a passing participation
grade a student must participate regularly in class discussion. To do this one must come to class having prepared
for the topic under discussion. In addition, there will be times throughout the course that informal team
presentations will occur and will form part of the participation grade.
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An automatic grade reduction may be applied if you are not prepared to discuss the assigned topic for the day.
Attendance and participation is the responsibility of the student, if you expect to miss class, etc. it is your job to
inform the instructor. This will form 10% of the final grade.
SCHEDULE
The schedule of classes will be posted to URCourses. It should be noted that the schedule of classes may be
altered slightly to accommodate current events or to incorporate any interesting material deemed relevant by the
instructor that might come up at a later date.
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