Business Strategy and Policy
NEU - SUMMER 2012
Instructor: Dr. Deane Pham, MBA, Ph.D.
Email:
drdeanepham@drphamusa.com
Cell:
407 421 2938 (USA)
0164 133 326 (Vietnam)
Office: TBA
Office hours: by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on the strategy and policy of the firm that must be employed in developing and
maintaining competitive position and competitive advantage. It provides students/participant with an A.
analytical tool kit for understanding strategic issues that key decision makers or their advisor must face.
Text:
 The Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts & Cases 18th Edition by Arthur A. Thompson
Jr., Margaret A, Peteraf, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble, published by McGraw Hill.
Recommended Readings:
 Strategy and the Business Landscape by Pankaj Ghemawat
 The Case Study Handbook: How to Read, Discuss, and Write Persuasively About Case by
William Ellet

Videos and Websites
 What is Strategy by Michael Porter
 Blue Ocean Strategy vs. Five Forces
 What is Good Corporate Strategy by Richard Rumelt
 The Secret Origins of Corporate Strategy by Walter Kiechel
 Rethinking Capitalism by Michael Porter
 Michael Porter in Vietnam (1, 2, 3)
 Websites: investorpedia.com, thinkers50.com
Others
Other materials will be available via Dropbox.com. You are required to use dropbox.com for this
class, please make sure to send your request to access dropbox.com to drphamusa@gmail.com and
put your email address on the subject line so your access permission can be set up..
............................
Business Strategy and Policy - 1
COURSE OUTLINE
A. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Class 1:
Introduction and Course Overview
Class 2:
Charting the Company’s Direction - Reading Chapter 1 and 2
Reading Chapter 3 by Ellet
B. CORE CONCEPTS AND ANALYTICAL TOOLS
Class 3:
External/Internal Environmental/Financial Analysis
Reading Chapter 3&4
Competitive Strategy - Reading Chapter 5
C. CRAFTING A STRATEGY
Class 4:
How to Analyze a Case / How to write up a case
Case analysis class exercise - Mystic Monk Coffee
Class 5:
Case analysis class exercise – Whole food
Review for Exam1
Class 6:
Exam 1 on chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as well as other materials covered
Competitive Position - Reading Chapter 6
Class 7:
Going Global - Reading Chapter 7
Case analysis class exercise – Costco Wholesale Clubs
Class 8:
Corporate Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility
Reading Chapter 8 and 9
Group case analysis report due - Southwest
D. EXECUTING THE STRATEGY
Class 9:
Corporate Structure, Culture, Systems and Rewards Reading Chapter 10, 11 and 12
Class 10:
Individual Case Report due - Gap
Homework due
Case Presentation Preparations
Review for Exam 2
2
Class 11:
Exam 2 on chapter 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 as well as other materials covered
Group Case Presentation Preparation
Class 12:
Group Case Presentation
Class 13:
Group Case Presentation
Class 14:
Group Case Presentation
Class 15:
Group Case Presentation
Cases for Group Case Presentation: Apple computer, Namaste Solar, Blue Nile, and Good Hotel.
* This schedule is only tentative. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the schedule as deemed necessary. Any such changes shall be
communicated to the class. It is your responsibility to find out the changes that have been made to the syllabus.
Additional videos and recommended materials will be used to enhance your learning experience. All course works are expected to be performed independently
unless otherwise instructed.
GRADING POLICY
Your grade will be based on following components and point allocations:
2 EXAMS (100 points each)*
1 Individual case write-up**
1 Team case write-up**
1 Team case presentation**
Homework **
Participation ***
Grand Total Points
Points
200
50
50
100
60
40
----500
*Final exam is optional and comprehensive can be used to replace 1 exam.
**All cases, participation and homework s will be graded on the scale from 1-10 with 10 being the best and
1 as being the worst.
***Class attendance and discussions.
Point grade will be used for this course.
(Note: In America, letter grades are normally assigned based on the following scale with the professor’s discretion of course
A=>90%, B=>80%, C=>70%, D=>60%, F<60%. Bell curve distribution is also used for letter grades..)
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