A&B 495 - Section 002
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CAPSTONE
SPRING QUARTER 2007
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor: Dr. Hillman Willis, CFPIM
Office: CAB 108A; Phone: 257-3558; Email address: willis@cab.latech.edu
Class Hours: 10:00-11:50 TTh, BUSN 214
Office Hours: 7:30-10:00 TTh AND 12:00-2:00 TTh
TEXT: Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts and
Cases by Thompson, Strickland and Gamble, 15th ed., McGraw-Hill-Irwin, 2007
Course Description: Administration policy determination through integration and application of
knowledge gained in previous courses; emphasizes interrelationships of major functions of
business under conditions of uncertainty; utilizes case study approach.
Course Prerequisites: All core business courses and senior standing in the College of
Administration and Business. Business core courses are FIN 318, MGMT 310 and 333, MKTG
300, CIS 310, and ECON 312.
Course Objectives:
1.
To develop your capacity to think strategically about a company, its business
position, and how it can gain sustainable competitive advantage.
2.
To build your skills in conducting strategic analysis in a variety of industries and
competitive situations and, especially, to provide you with a stronger
understanding of the competitive challenges of a global market environment.
3.
To give you hands-on experience in crafting business strategy, reasoning carefully
about strategic options, using what-if analysis to evaluate action alternatives, and
making strategic decisions.
4.
To improve your ability to manage the organization process by which strategies
get formed and executed.
5.
To integrate the knowledge gained in earlier Business Administration courses.
6.
To develop your powers of managerial judgment, help you learn how to assess
business risk, and improve your ability to create results-oriented action plans.
7.
To make you more conscious of the importance of ethical principles, personal and
company values, and socially responsible management practices.
Course Rationale:
A&B 495 is intended to be a challenging and exciting capstone for the undergraduate
business school curriculum. It is first and foremost a course about “strategy” and about “managing
success.” The course centers around the theme that a company achieves sustained success if and
only if its managers (1) have an astute, timely strategic game plan for running the company, and (2)
implement and execute the plan with proficiency. We shall stress how and why a well-conceived,
well-executed strategy nearly always enhances a company’s long-term performance.
In studying the tasks of managing strategy we shall also tackle another important function:
that of trying to integrate much of the knowledge you have gained in the core business curriculum.
This is a “big picture” course, a trait that makes it a truly different kind of course from other CAB
courses. Virtually all of the other required and elective courses you have taken were concerned with
a specific functional area (production, marketing, finance, accounting) and/or a well-defined body of
knowledge (economics, statistics, legal environment). More than a few of your previous courses
have been highly structured and related closely to a well-developed body of theory. Some provided
quantitative techniques for you to sink your teeth into. Others related to information and specific
skills the faculty believe you needed to acquire. This course share few of these traits. The problems
and issues of strategy formulation and implementation cover the whole spectrum of business and
management. Many variables and situational factors must be dealt with at once. Weighing the pros
and cons of strategy entails a total enterprise perspective and a skill of judging how all of the relevant
factors add up.
The CAB faculty of Louisiana Tech (as well as at all other good business schools) have seen
fit to require you to take this course in order to drive home what the role and tasks of the “managerin-charge” are, to introduce you to what strategy means, to lead you through the ins and outs of
formulating and implementing a strategic plan, and to get you into the habit of automatically
reviewing a firm’s situation and reappraising the need for strategy revision. The overriding
pedagogical objective is to sharpen your abilities to “think strategically” and to diagnose situations
from a strategic perspective. Accomplishing this objective entails introducing you to how an
enterprise cannot be assumed away or ignored, and how they affect strategic decisions. It means
giving you exposure to and some experience in trying to grapple with many determining factors and
weighing how they shape what actions needs taken from the perspective of the total enterprise. It
means drilling you thoroughly in the tools of strategy analysis and exercising you in the managerial
task of sizing up a company’s strategic position. It means systematically exposing you to the rigors
of industry and competitive analysis, to the process of formulating an attractive strategic plan, and to
the varied administrative tasks associated with implementing and executing the chosen strategy as
well as circumstance permit.
Classroom Decorum:
1.
Please refrain from carrying on unrelated conversations while the instructor or
someone else in class is speaking.
2.
Leave cell phones and beepers on vibrate.
3.
Hats are NOT allowed during a test.
4.
You are not expected to disrupt class by walking out unless you have permission
from the instructor.
Disability Notice:
The College of Administration and Business is dedicated to enabling each student to reach
his/her potential. Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her
from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible
so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your
educational opportunities.
Policies and Procedures:
Participation/Preparation: You are responsible for attending class; presenting a case in class;
completing all assignments as assigned; reading all assigned text and cases; preparing for case
discussions and exams; participating in class discussion; and submitting written cases on time.
Your participation grade will include performance on case presentations, attendance, and class
discussion. Thus, preparation is critical! You should read all the assigned material before
coming to class. You must be present the entire class to get credit for attendance.
Attendance: Attendance is expected and attendance records will be kept. You are expected to
be in class on time. Excused absences will not be counted against the student Arriving late
disrupts the class and is disrespectful to the instructor and your classmates. Points will be
deducted for tardiness. If you miss a class, you are responsible for any material presented as well
as any assignments. If you must leave the class early for any reason, please notify the instructor
in advance as a courtesy.
Grading:
Exams: There will be three exams during the quarter. Exams can include material from the
following sources: (1) textbook reading assignments, (2) lecture material, and (3) assigned cases. A
makeup exam will be given only if you notify me prior to the test that you have an excusable
absence. Makeup tests must be taken prior to the next class, whenever possible.
Case Presentation and Discussion, Class Participation: Presentation and discussion of cases
and text material when called on in class will be an important portion of your grade.
Written Cases: You will be expected to prepare a paper (typed, double-spaced) of an
analysis of certain assigned cases. Late papers will not be accepted. I will grade them on the
basis of content (appropriate analysis and conclusion), grammar, spelling, and punctuation,
overall readability, and thoroughness of analysis.
Grading Scale
Point Allocation:
90%-100% = A
80%-89% = B
70%-79% = C
60%-69% = D
59% or less = F
Exams (3 @ 24% each)
Case Presentations and Participations
Written Cases
= 72%
= 7%
= 21%
100%
EXTRA CREDIT: NONE
Academic Misconduct: The University policy with respect to academic misconduct will be strictly
enforced. Any attempts at cheating, plagiarism, or facilitating academic dishonesty will be severely dealt
with and may result in a penalty of an “F” for the course. Students are advised to read the Academic
Misconduct section of the University’s Bulletin.
Exam Possession: Under no circumstances should you take an exam out of the classroom. All exams are
to be turned in to the professor after the exam is taken and after the exam has been temporarily returned
for review. Possession of an exam given in this course outside the classroom will be considered academic
dishonesty and will be dealt with accordingly.
Sound-emitting personal items/devices: You are expected to turn off/mute all items that emit sounds
and noises that may interrupt the class (e.g., cellular phones, pagers, watch alarms). You may not return
to class after answering a cellular telephone in the hall or responding to a pager.
Course Policy: All of the policies of the College and the University, including those described in the
Student Handbook and University Bulletin, regarding class conduct, attendance, etc., will be strictly
observed.
Cases:
Six (6) cases will be assigned during the term. A team will be responsible for presenting each case
to the class. Everyone will be responsible for turning in a written analysis of three cases. Every person’s
written case should be an individual effort.
A team will be assigned to present to the class each of the six cases. You are to select one case
from each part for your written case analysis. The written cases are due on the date stated on the schedule.
Assigned Cases:
Part 1
1. Case 4. Competition in the Golf Equipment Industry in 2005 C-68
2. Case 12. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in 2006: Is A Turnaround Possible? C-193
Part 2
3. Case 26. Outback Steakhouse C-436
4. Case 22. Procter & Gamble’s Acquisition of Gillette C-392
Part 3
5. Case 31. Merck and Recall of Vioxx C-518
6. Case 20. Harley-Davidson in 2004 C-356
Tentative Schedule:
Week Date
Assigned Material
Topic and Comments
1
Mar. 8
Introduction
2
Mar. 13
Mar. 15
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
What Is Strategy?
Crafting and Executing Strategy
3
Mar. 20
Mar. 22
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Evaluating External Environment
Evaluating Resources & Competitive
Position
4
Mar. 27
Mar. 29
TEST #1
Covers Chapters 1-4
5
Apr. 3
Chapters 5 and 6
Apr. 5
Cases 1 and 2
Five Generic Competitive Strategies;
Other Important Strategies
(Part 1 -Written Cases Due)
6
Apr. 10
Apr. 12
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Competing in Foreign Markets
Tailoring Strategy to Fit Situations
7
Apr. 17
Apr. 19
TEST #2
Chapter 9
Covers Chapters 5-8
Diversification
8
Apr. 24
Apr. 26
Cases 3 and 4
Chapter 10
(Part 2 -Written Cases Due)
Strategy, Ethics, and Social
Responsibility
(Apr. 27 - Last Day to Drop)
9
May 1
May 3
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Managing Internal Operations
Corporate Culture and Leadership
10
May 8
May 10
Cases 5 and 6
TEST #3
(Part 3 -Written Cases Due)
Covers Chapters 9-10, 12-13
11
May 15
May 17
Go over test
Course Wrap-up