MBAD 698
Loyola Marymount University
Information Age Strategy
MBAD 698 01
Loyola Marymount University
Summer Session I- 2007
Meeting Information:
Day and Time:
Dates:
Place:
Monday and Wednesday, 7:10 – 10:10 PM
May 14 – June 22, 2007
Hilton room 119
Instructors:
Names:
Jeff Covert and Carlos Cruz-Aedo
Contact:
Jeff Covert
818-793-1264
jcovert@lmu.edu
Carlos Cruz-Aedo
310-567-7349
ccruz_aedo@lmu.edu
Support:
Before and after the class; by appointment; by email and phone
Class Collaboration/Information: www.lmu.edu/blackboard
Summary
This MBAD 698 course studies how to use technology to extend, and leverage strategy. Information technology is not
a panacea, but can be used to accelerate and achieve strategic objectives. For example, Goodyear Tire stopped making
prototypes in favor a virtual design process and saved 2.6% in cost of goods sold, which saved millions of dollars per
quarter. DirecTV spends $3 for each customer’s monthly paper mailed invoice. Online billing accelerated their cash,
reduced costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction for DirecTV’s five million clients. We study the work of Geoffrey
Moore, Michael Treacy, Clayton Christiansen and others. The class has the following hands-on learning objectives:
Identify strategic objectives, leverage technology conceptually, and the development of a successful capital business
case. We will achieve these objectives by combining real world experiences, guest speakers, relevant reading, and
case study. The class focuses on how to leverage technology, not configure or assemble technology, and therefore is
business-driven.
The tools and reading assigned in class are utilized today in many organizations. Case work will bring a level of
familiarity to the tools and processes. These topics have been actual interview questions from previous students.
At the end of the course you should be comfortable understanding, evaluating, and formulating an organization's
business strategy and corresponding technology direction. This understanding will be from the perspective of a CEO,
CFO, COO, CIO or business unit leader.
Prerequisites
A broad understanding of strategy and the usage of strategic alternatives is required. The minimal required course is:
MIS (MBAA 609) and ideally the completion of a graduate-level business strategy course.
Required Textbook:
Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation Burgelman, Christensen, Wheelwright, McGraw-Hill Irwin
(2004) ISBN: 0-07-253695-0
Case Study:
2006 Covert Cruz-Aedo
1
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MBAD 698
Loyola Marymount University
The small teams will identify subject organizations from the popular press. A case outline will be provided to follow
the progression from business drivers to strategy and from strategy to technology approach. Outstanding cases will be
those that demonstrate creativity with the analysis and remain within the format.
Class Participation:
Each class will include group discussion. There is an incentive of 10% of the course grade for class participation.
You are called upon to draw from your experience at work, readings or in any other kind of decision making situation.
Try to interpret how textbook and lecture topics can apply to those situations. It is therefore, necessary for you to have
read the assigned readings before you come to class and be prepared to share your thoughts and questions. If you are
uncomfortable with these ad hoc comments you may present a 10 minute relevant topic for the 10% grade.
Additional readings will be assigned as necessary. You are responsible for all readings assigned below as well as those
assigned during the course of the semester.
Grade Allocation:
Individual in-class case
1 Quiz
1st Group Case
Business Case research:
2nd Group Case
Class Participation:
TOTAL:
10 %
10%
20 %
20 %
30 %
10 %
100%
Grading Policy:
Letter grades are not given during the course of the term. At the end of the term the point scores are totaled and letter
grades assigned accordingly. You may use the following scale to judge your performance.
95-100%
90-94%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
65-69%
<65%
2006 Covert Cruz-Aedo
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
2
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MBAD 698
Loyola Marymount University
COURSE OUTLINE
Date
14-May
General Area
Topic
Course Overview
Course Overview
Create, Extend, Technology Literacy, Treacy 3 axis
maps, Balanced Scorecard, Five
Leverage
Forces model
16-May
Strategy Creation
What is Strategy & Core
Competence
Electronic Arts
21-May
Innovation
Innovator’s Dilemma
Examples from text
23-May
Why Extend
Strategy?
Nypro Case
28-May
Professor Only
Management
Perspective
pp. 1-12
J/C
Core
pp. 102 -129
Strategic Intent
pp. 550-562
EA pp 83 - 102
Innovator
pp 208-223
J
Quiz 1
Nypro pp 501-510 Individual Case
J
C
University Holiday-Memorial
Day
30-May
Project
Justification
A complete capital business case
Web research project assigned
04-June
Group Case 1
U.S. Telecom Industry
06-June
Discovery Driven
Planning
Product Lifecycle
Discovery Driven Planning
13-June
Relational
Product Design
Product Development
18-June
Group Case II
Otis Elevator
20-Jun
Final
Final Test
11-June
Reading due Assignments due
2006 Covert Cruz-Aedo
Living on the Fault Line
3
Project
Justification
Discovery-Driven
pp 838 - 846
Competing on
Capabilities
pp 846 - 848
Team New
Zealand
pp 1005-1012
C
Steve Smith –
Honda Finance
here
--
C
Business Case
Research due
J
Capital DecisionMaking Exec
Summary I
J
C
--
--
C OR J?
J/C
2/2006