BS 492 04/10/20
SYLLABUS
Instructor: Gary Kieff
Office: JC 131
616-632-2929
Course Homepage http://www.kieff.com/gary/BS492
BS 492 Quad
Home: 784-1289 gary@kieff.com
Text: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Competitiveness and Globalization
Michael A. Hitt, R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, South-Western, 2001 (6th Edition) ISBN:
0-324-27528-5, http://hitt.swcollege.com/
Course Description:
A case oriented course focusing on organizational strategy and its implementation through top-level management.
Course Objectives: Common to all sections of BS 492, and will be the focus of assessment.
That each student will...
1.
Determine the economic environment
2.
Determine the financial position of the company through an analysis of the financial statements use of ratios etc.
3.
Determine the current marketing strategy of the company (products, services, target markets, marketing mixes, competition, etc.)
4.
Determine the management philosophy and/or style in place.
5.
Define and articulate the problem of the case.
6.
Determine appropriate alternatives, with stated strengths and weaknesses, for dealing with the problem (s)/issues in the case.
7.
Determine the most appropriate course of action to be taken.
8.
Explain how the chosen course of action will be implemented.
9.
Write a comprehensive analysis of the case.
10.
Give a comprehensive oral presentation of the case to peers.
Instruction:
Case analysis, readings, discussion, and small group work.
Grading:
Article Summaries (3@ 20)
Strategic Audit Worksheet (4 @ 20 pt.)
Exam (2 @ 50)
Team Members Evaluation (3 @ 10 pt.)
Strategic Analysis Presentation
Class Evaluation
Instructor Evaluation
Strategic Analysis Written
Participation:
14% 60 pt.
23% 100 pt.
07% 30 pt.
12% 50 pt.
12% 50 pt.
19% 80 pt.
21% 50 pt.
420 total pt.
Grading Scale
95% = A 90% = A-
87% = B+ 84% = B
80% = B- 76% = C+
74% = C 70% = C-
Since exchange is a necessary component of learning, students are expected to attend all class periods, come to class prepared for the discussions, and take an active part in work groups and class discussion.
I will do everything to make each class productive, but hope it will be a little fun as well.
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BS 492 04/10/20
CASES IN BUSINESS POLICY
Course Outline
Sessions
1 Mar. 15 Introduction and Overview
Strategic Management & Social Responsibility
2 22 Environment Scanning
What’s a Business For , Charles Handy, Harvard Business Review,
2002
3 29 Business Strategy & Corporate Strategy
What Really Works , Nohria, Joyce and Robertson, Harvard Business
Review, 2003
4 Apr. 5 Exam 1 Due (ch 1-6,C.i-C.xvii)
SA (Individual)
– Case to be selected
5 12 Acquisitions, International, & Cooperative
Strategy, Value, Innovation, and the Knowledge Economy,
Kim, Sloan Management Review, 1999 - ABI Inform databas e
W. Chan
7
8
6
Strategic Stories: How 3M is Rewriting Business Planning, Gordon
Shaw et al, Harvard Business Review, 1998
Group Meetings
19 Corporate Governance
Robust Adaptive Strategies, Sumantra Ghoshal, Sloan Management
Review, 1999 - ABI Inform database
Presentation Case #1 – ( SA , not presenting groups)
Team Evaluation #1
26 Strategic Leadership & Entrepreneurship
Presentation Case #2 – ( SA , not presenting groups) – SA
Presentation Case #3 – ( SA , not presenting groups)– SA
Team Evaluation #2
May 5 Exam 2 Due (ch. 7-13)
11 Strategic Analysis Written Due in my mail box or email
Presentation Case #4 – (SA , not presenting groups)- SA
Team Evaluation #3
Chapters
1, 2, 3
4, 5, 6,
C.i – C.xvii
7, 8, 9
10, 11
12, 13
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ARTICLE SUMMARIES
For specified reading assignments, a one-page summary of the author's key points will be required. The point here is to discuss what the author said, not your opinion, save that for class. I expect these summaries to be clear, concise statements of the important concepts and to be presented in a manner than reflects your understanding of what the author means, not a restatement of what he/she said.
STRATEGIC AUDIT WORKSHEET (SA): Case preparation
For the cases identified on the Course Outline in bold type and preceded by SA, each student will read the case and complete the SA (Strategic Audit Worksheet) prior to class. Including case financial work sheets.
After the initial case, the SA may be completed as a group.
EXAMS
There will be two take homes exams consisting of 50 multiple choice and true and false questions covering text and material presented in class.
TEAM MEMBER EVALUATIONS
The first night of class teams of 5 – 7 will be formed. Theses teams will used to complete the Group Cases, the Country Presentations and for collaboration and support for members. Three times during the course, see Course Outline, team members will fill out an evaluation form on each team member’s contribution.
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS - WRITTEN (the final paper)
Each team will prepare a written strategic analysis of the case assigned to the team.
All papers should have the following or similar sections (complete with section headings):
Company Profile - briefly describe the firm. At minimum discuss the industries and markets in which the firm competes. Clearly indicate the companies current situation.
Environmental Analysis (External & Internal, include financials) - describe and analyze the firm’s task/industry environment, the macro environment and internal environment. You will have to do research on the industry in order to do this analysis. Evaluate both the present profitability and future potential of the industry. To support your assertions about current profitability, use Porter's methodology and refer to an analysis of key industry norms and financial indicators. When discussing the macro environment, threats and opportunities remember we are looking for trends outside the company. Ending with a good solid SWOT.
Analysis Of Corporate Strategy - describe and categorize the type of corporate strategy (e.g., vertically integrated global firm) the firm is following and whether this is driven by strategic motives (to improve the performance of the core business) or financial considerations (to spread risk). Often organizations make multiple decisions about the strategic direction of the firm at a corporate level. If your firm is doing this, you will want to assess whether there appears to be a coherent plan unifying all of these decisions, or whether you think they were made independently.
If there is a unifying plan at the corporate level, explain what the organization is trying to do. If not, you may want to concentrate on the one or two corporate moves that you believe are most significant to the firm's survival. Assess your company's critical strengths and weaknesses using either the concept of core competency or Porter's value chain approach. Analyze this strategy in light of your SWOT analysis.
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Analysis Of Business (Competitive) Strategy - describe and categorize the type of business strategy (e.g., overall cost leadership, focused differentiation in a single niche, etc.) the firm is following in its core industry, then analyze how well it addresses environmental issues while capitalizing on the firm's strengths and avoiding its weaknesses.
Strategic Recommendations - Based upon your previous analysis, what recommendations would you make to improve your organization's ability to gain competitive advantage? Justify your ideas.
As with the Strategic Audit Worksheet State at least three recommendations with a full discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each. Select one and support it. (see Company Analysis
Assessment form)
GUIDELINES FOR PAPERS
Your assertions must be argued using a combination of facts, expert opinion, theory, and logic.
The opinion from an expert can be used as evidence in making your argument. However, you should give your readers enough information for them to determine whether this source is reliable.
To make an effective argument, do not oversimplify complex issues. If contradictory evidence exists, you must present and deal with it.
All sections of your paper should tie together. For example, if you discuss a specific strength in the internal analysis, be sure to analyze whether or not the strategy is taking advantage of this strength. One way to ensure the coherence of your paper is to see that all of your recommendations flow from previous analysis.
Paper Format
Papers should be approximately 15 - 18 pages, properly referenced and have margins of at least 1".
Paper organization:
Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction, Body (Company Analysis), Conclusion or summary, References, and Appendix (if appropriate)
Quality, not quantity, is the key. I will be looking for the organization of the material presented, the conciseness and clarity of presentation, spelling and grammar, and the logic and depth of your analysis and presentation.
Your grade will be based upon how well you can demonstrate your understanding of critical strategic management concepts and can apply them by making a strong argument to support your conclusions. Take a stand and defend it!
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CAPSTONE SIMULATION:
Each student is required to purchase the simulation on-line after the semester begins. It is accessed through www.capsim.com
. The cost is $39. Details are provided in the Team Member’s Guide which will be provided to you and the extensive documentation available on the Capsim website which you are encouraged to study in detail. The simulation is administered on the Internet.
Capstone is an Internet/PC-based simulation that is designed to give students the opportunity to craft strategies, to make business decisions and to be held accountable for the financial performance of those strategies and decisions. You and your team members will assume the role of the top management team of one of 5 companies in the sensor industry. Over the 8 year time frame of the simulation, your team will encounter a range of strategic issues that will force you to integrate your knowledge of accounting, finance, marketing, operations, and strategic management.
Each team manages and analyzes their own Capstone
®
Company and develops and implements strategic concepts. The management team will make decisions about various aspects of an assigned company's management for a given period of "simulated time". The simulation is played over several simulated years to maximize the firm's objectives. There will be 2 practice rounds and 8 'real' rounds (decisions) in this simulation exercise.
BOARD MEMBERS REPORT
CAPSTONE PERFORMANCE
Each team will chose the measures on which they would like to their company to be assessed.
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TEXT : http://hitt.swcollege.com/
Aquinas Woodhouse Library
To access these indexes and databases, you must be an Aquinas College student,faculty or staff member. Off-Campus users must follow the off campus access instructions before using these databases.
ABI/Inform (ProQuest)
Business and Company Resource Center (InfoTrac) http://www.aquinas.edu/library/data.html#bus : The Aquinas Library online databases. The first two contain many business and other publications. (Contains most readings for course) http://www.aquinas.edu/library/data.html#full : General Resource Gold contains Harvard Business
Review, generally full-Text from 1995-2000. http://www.aquinas.edu/library/Links/bus.html
: Links to sources of business information. The first few are repeats of the previous list http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/bones.html
: A bare bones tutorial for conducting web searches. (for some strange reason you will need to cut and past the url, it is not loading with a mouse click)
SEC (EDGAR) US Securities and Exchange Commission
U.S. Census Bureau
Organizational Structure and Design Wharton School of Business
Corporate Governance Wharton School of Business
Intro. to Theory of Management An excellent source for information about seminal contributors to the field.
American Management Association A membership organization for managers. Has search and article resources.
When Peter Drucker Speaks by Newt Gingrich
Forecasts 2002 : World Future Society
Knowledge Management
Hoover's.com
financial information source
Research company financial information online
Fortune 500 list
Strategy + Business Journal
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS :
Business for Social Responsibility
Economic Policy Institute : Sustainable policy
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Center for Environmental Leadership
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BS 492 04/10/20
COMPANY ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT FORM
COMPANY PROFILE - 10 pt.
Clearly and succinctly gives background, current situation, and information required to understand the analysis that follows.
Industries and markets
NAME_____________________
PAPER ____________
COURSE ____________
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS - 20 pt.
Macro Trends identified
Industry Clearly defined industry
Sufficient data on trend and financial/interpretation reasonable
Identification and analysis of significant forces - supporting evidence
Rivalry Entry barriers Buyer power Supplier power Substitutes
Opportunities identified and reasons clearly argued
Threats identified and reasons clearly argued
Verifiable evidence supporting arguments consistently provided
Internal Strengths identified - reasons clearly and correctly argued
Weakness identified - reasons clearly and correctly argued
ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE STRATEGY - 20 pt.
Description is specific and well documented
Categorization appears reasonable
Reasons for categorization clearly stated
Motive for strategy (financial/strategic) adequately described and argued
ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS (COMPETITIVE) STRATEGY - 20 pt.
Description is specific and well documented
Categorization appears reasonable
Reasons for categorization clearly stated
GENERAL ANALYSIS - 10 pt.
Persuasively argues how well strategy: deals with industry forces takes advantage of strengths takes advantages of opportunity avoids weakness avoids threats
RECOMMENDATIONS - 10 pt.
Reasonably follows from previous analysis
Persuasively argued.
PAPER ORGANIZATION - 10 pt. easy to follow
Follows required format
Presentation – packaging
Sources cited
Purpose clearly communicated
Demonstrates understanding of course
BOARD MEMBERS REPORT
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BS 492
Develop a Presentation to debrief the Board
Market Analysis (included but not limited to the following)
Describe the market (beginning—end)
What happened?
How did it develop
Competitors
Strategy
Current Status
Who were you strongest competitors and why?
Company Analysis (included but not limited to the following)
Strategy
Which market segment you emphasized
How did your strategy develop, any changes
Analyze performance over the last 8 yrs. (this is probably the longest section)
Products
Market Segments
Capacity
Costs
Finance
Ratios
Strategy for the next four years.
What changes would you make?
Products
Market Segments
Capacity
Costs
Finance
Ratios
What we learned
About managing a company?
What we would do differently?
Group Process/Critical Incidents?
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