MANAGEMENT 4720
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Dr. Marshall Schminke
University of Central Florida
Office
E-Mail
CBA1, Room 310; Phone: (407) 823-2932
mschminke@bus.ucf.edu
Web Page
Course: http://web.bus.ucf.edu/faculty/mschminke/page/MAN-4720.aspx
Faculty: http://web.bus.ucf.edu/faculty/mschminke/
(The course website is the repository for most course materials and tools.)
Webcourses
In addition to the course website, you will use two WebCourses locations.
Lab activities are organized via your lab WebCourses site. Exams and
lectures are administered via the lecture WebCourses site.
Office Hours
Monday, 12:30-1:15 p.m. and 2:45-3:45 p.m. or by appointment
Lecture Location
and Time
BAI – Room 107; Monday 1:30-2:45 p.m. Open attendance.
Streaming video of lecture available through your lecture (not lab) section of
WebCourses at https://webcourses.ucf.edu . If you have any technical problems
with viewing the lectures, please call TRC support at: 407-823-5117.
Required text:
Competitive Advantage by Michael Porter
Optional reading: Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter
On Competition by Michael Porter
The Wall Street Journal (discounted subscriptions available at:
http://subscribe.wsj.com/semester).
Objectives
Welcome to MAN 4720, Strategic Management. This is your capstone
course, which integrates what you learned during your time here in the
College of Business. If you like business, you will really enjoy this class. It
provides the opportunity for you to showcase a broad range of skills,
culminating with the Great Capstone Case Competition at the end of the
semester. Our intent is to provide one of the most practical, hands-on classes
you’ve taken here at UCF.
The course goals are threefold: 1) to familiarize you with the strategic
planning side of running a business unit, 2) to integrate the various areas of
expertise required to operate a business unit successfully, and 3) to provide
an opportunity to practice using these tools in multiple settings. In all, the
objective of this course is to adopt a strategic or long-term perspective of
organizational effectiveness. The course is deliberately placed near the
conclusion of your undergraduate education to provide you an opportunity to
integrate the knowledge and skills that you have learned in your other
classes.
Of special note is that the strategic management tools and concepts you’ll
learn in this class are applicable to all organizations: large and small, public
and private, for-profit and not-for-profit, and domestic and international.
As such, you should find the content and skills developed in this class to be
immediately useful to you, irrespective of what the next step is on your
career path, or what type of organization you’ll be joining.
Again, welcome to the class. You’re going to enjoy it!
Lecture and
Breakout Labs
This course is taught in two separate classes, each of which meets once per
week: (1) lecture and (2) the breakout labs. In lecture, I will teach you the
general frameworks and theories that constitute the strategic management
process. Your lab instructor will show you how to apply the theories to real
life situations, and will evaluate your work and assign grades.
Specific questions about assignments, exams, and grades should be directed
to your lab instructor.
Relationship to the Cornerstone Experience
Teamwork
You will use your teamwork skills as you work with other class
members on Strategic Applications and the development of Strategic
Analyses and Plans.
Communication
You will have the opportunity to build stronger business
communication skills through participation in oral presentations and
written assignments.
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Creative
Thinking
The development of solutions to real world problems facing the
companies you will study requires a high level of creative thinking.
In particular, you will have the opportunity to develop a specific set
of Strategic Recommendations for a firm.
Adapting to
Change
Furthermore, the course will teach you how organizations can
anticipate and adapt to changes over which the organization has little
control. You will analyze firms and evaluate their ability to adapt to
changes facing them, as well as make a recommendation for how a
firm might best adapt to their competitive environment.
Course Assignments and Grades
Your grade will be based on 1000 total points, distributed as follows:
Group Grades*
First Case: Industry Analysis Presentation
First Case: Industry Analysis Paper
85 points
85
First Case: Total
170
Second Case: Strategic Analysis Presentation
Second Case: Strategic Analysis Paper
130
130
Second Case: Total
260
Total group points*
430
Individual Grades
Lecture Follow-Up Quizzes (in lab)
The 10-K Integration Project
Midterm Exam I
Midterm Exam II
Final Exam
70 points (8 quizzes, best 7)
50
150
150
150
Total individual points
570
Total overall points
1000
*NOTE: The points for group project grades represent the maximum possible team scores on
each group project. For the second case, your individual scores will depend on peer evaluations
of your contribution to the paper and presentation. Your instructor will provide details regarding
the peer evaluation process and how they may influence your individual scores.
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Potential Extra Credit Opportunities
Participation in the semi-finals of the Case Competition
(Possible) participation in the Dean’s Office Career Survey
Lab credit (discretion of lab instructor)
10 points
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Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
930+
900+
870+
830+
800+
770+
C
CD+
D
DF
730+
700+
670+
630+
600+
fewer than 600
Group Activities
Early in the semester you will be divided into groups of several students (no more than five per
team) within your labs. You will stick with the same group throughout the semester, and will act
as a consulting firm, charged with delivering several strategic analyses. You will work with your
group on both un-graded and graded activities.
Lab Activities
The labs will include in-class exercises designed to help you learn and apply the concepts
presented in lecture. Therefore, you must view the lecture for the week before attending your lab
section. Some of these exercises will also require reading and pre-class preparation on your part.
Please be sure to check your schedule each week so that you can arrive to lab prepared.
Case Analyses
Your team will prepare two in-depth case analyses during the semester. The first will involve an
industry analysis, and the second, a strategic analysis of a specific company. Each will involve
both a paper and a presentation. The second provides the foundation for the Great Capstone
Case Competition. Your instructor will provide more details regarding both, but in brief:
Case 1: Industry Analysis Paper and Presentation
Your team represents a consulting firm that has been asked to provide an analysis of a specific
industry. Your lab instructor will assign your team one of several industries to examine with
respect to its current, real-world situation. A significant portion of class material and activities
will be oriented toward learning how to perform quality industry analyses. This effort will
culminate with a 10-minute presentation of your team’s analysis of the industry, to be presented
in class, and a 15-20 page paper (excluding appendices & references). These analyses will be
presented to the entire lab section over a two-session period as assigned by your lab instructor.
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The Industry Analysis Paper
Early in the semester, your lab instructor will provide a menu of industries that teams in your
class will select from to evaluate. Your team will conduct a competitive analysis of that
industry. The paper contains several sections. It begins with an executive summary and
introduction, followed by sections titled: 1) The Industry's Dominant Economic Features, 2)
Porter's Five Forces, 3) The Drivers of Change in the Broad Environment & Impact They Will
Have, 4) Companies in the Strongest/Weakest Positions, 5) Key Success Factors for Competitive
Success, and 6) Analysis and Summary: Industry’s Attractiveness and Prospects for Long-Term
Profitability. Your instructor will provide a more detailed description of this paper.
Your team will self-manage the process by which the various research, writing, analysis, and
presentation tasks are handled. It is not likely that everyone on the team will have an equal hand
in each section. However, it is expected that by the end of the project, all team members will
have contributed equally to the overall output. A peer evaluation will assess whether that
happened. Most group members are good about things like this, but you’ll want to be sensitive
to balancing the overall workload across the project. If your semester is a little more flexible in
the early weeks, you might contribute more on the research and analysis side. If it’s more
flexible later on, you might contribute more on the writing and presentation side. Show that you
can make this work.
Industry Analysis Presentation
Your team will have the opportunity to present the core findings of your analysis in a 10-minute
presentation to the class, followed by five minutes of Q&A. Your goal in this presentation is not
simply to present your paper. (Nobody wants to sit through eight consecutive reports of five
forces analyses.) Rather, your goal will be to summarize quickly your industry for the benefit of
the audience (less than a minute), and then move directly into what you learned from the five
forces analysis. For example, which of the forces is/are most critical at this point? Why? What
did you take away from these analyses in terms of understanding the attractiveness of this
industry? Would your consulting firm recommend entry into this industry? The goal here:
Don’t recite. Provide insights. That is, we don’t want you to simply recite your paper. (Your
instructor will see all the details of what you did in the paper and its appendices. S/he will
evaluate all of that via the paper.) Rather, we want you to convey the insights that your industry
analysis has yielded.
Your instructor will provide further guidance about how “creative” you can be in presenting your
work. But irrespective of the method you use to convey your ideas, remember it’s the quality of
the ideas, and the quality of your communication of those ideas, that count more than the
medium/method by which you deliver them.
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Case 2: Strategic Analysis (of a specific company) Paper and Presentation
Your consulting firm will also prepare a strategic analysis of a specific firm. All teams in all lab
sections will be assigned the same company to examine, and your instructor will provide for you
a brief outline of the particular strategic issue we’ll be confronting.
A significant portion of class material and activities will be oriented toward learning how to
perform quality strategic analyses. This effort will culminate with a 12-minute presentation of
your team’s analysis of the firm and your strategic recommendations for it, to be presented
privately to your instructor. In addition, you will prepare a 15-20 page paper (excluding
appendices & references).
Strategic Analysis Paper
Your lab instructor will announce the company to be analyzed by all teams, and the particular
strategic issue of concern. Your team will conduct a strategic analysis of that company, using
current data and assessing their current situation and strategic needs.
The paper contains several sections. It begins with an executive summary and introduction,
followed by sections titled: 1) Current company mission and strategy, 2) analysis, 3) sustainable
competitive advantage and major problems, 4) strategic recommendations, and 5) fallout and
summary. Your instructor will provide a more detailed description of the process and format for
this paper. All papers are due at the beginning of your lab section meeting on the assigned date.
Papers handed in late are subject to a ten percent penalty for every 24 hour period they are late.
Strategic Analysis Presentation
Your team will then have the opportunity to present the core findings of your strategic analysis in
a 12 minute presentation to your instructor, followed by several minutes of Q&A. Once again,
your goal in this presentation is not simply to present your paper. (Nobody wants to sit through
eight consecutive SWOT analyses of the same firm.) Rather, your goal will be to quickly (i.e.,
less than a minute) summarize the firm’s situation for the benefit of the judge(s), and then move
directly into what you learned from the analysis, and what strategic initiative(s) you recommend
to the top management team at the company. For example, which aspects of the SWOT analysis
present the greatest challenges? What sustainable competitive advantage will we build (or build
upon)? What is the most opportune strategic initiative available to us right now? Do we have
the capacity to execute on it? How will we make it happen? Etc. Again, the goal is not to recite
your paper but to provide insights about the firm and its strategic options. As with the industry
analysis, your instructor will see all the details of what you did in the paper and its appendices.
S/he will evaluate all of that via the paper.)
As with the first case analysis, teams will self-manage the assignment of roles for the project.
However, it is expected that by the end of the project, all team members will have contributed
equally to the overall output. A for-credit peer evaluation will assess whether that happened or
not. The results of this evaluation whether you receive full or partial credit for your team’s
overall scores. Overall, this second case analysis forms the foundation for:
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The Great Capstone Case Competition
The Great Capstone Case Competition is the culminating event for this class, and for most of
you, your culminating experience at the UCF College of Business. After hearing each team in
the lab present their strategic analysis, each lab instructor will choose one team from his/her
section to advance to the semi-finals of the Great Capstone Case Competition. The instructors
will be looking for teams that cannot only think strategically but also work well together as a
consulting firm, and deliver a rigorous, competent presentation of those ideas. All teams will
have the opportunity to complete their case portfolio by preparing and presenting a strategic
analysis of a company in real time. Of these, the best will be invited to participate in:
The Great Capstone Case Competition Semi-Finals and Finals: Friday, April 27.
The top teams from across Capstone sections will advance to the semi-final round of the
competition. The teams will be seeded into several semi-final groups, and each team in each
semi-final group will deliver their presentation to a panel of judges, comprised of members of the
UCF Executive MBA program, UCF Business faculty, and/or executives from the firm that is the
target of the analysis. The judges will pick a winner from each semifinalist group to advance to
the finals. The semi-finals will begin at 3:45 pm. The winners of the semi-final competition will
be announced around 5:30 pm.
All students participating in the Semi-Finals will be invited to a Pizza Party following the
presentation sessions. Teams that advance through the Semi-Finals will go onto the Finals later
that evening and will receive awards for their efforts. The finals will begin at 6:00 pm. They
will be judged by a panel comprised not only of faculty experts, but industry experts representing
the Dean’s Advisory Council, members of the UCF College of Business Hall of Fame, The Wall
Street Journal, and/or the focal firm. This is your opportunity to present your skills to some
absolutely top-shelf business leaders.
Incentives for Excelling in the Great Capstone Case Competition
If your lab instructor chooses your team to advance to the semi-finals, your team may choose to
participate or not. Your incentives to participate are as follows:
Participation in the Semi-Finals



Terrific resume point
Exempt from the final exam (if you choose).
(Notes: To qualify for this, you must be present for
the semifinals. If you opt out of the final exam,
your final grade will be calculated on 850 points
instead of 1000 points (final exam = 150 points)
All members of the semi-finals teams not reaching
the finals will receive 10 extra credit points for
participating in the semi-final competition
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Advance to the Finals
Winning the Competition






Even better resume point
Exempt from the final exam
Grade received on presentation portion of the
Strategic Analysis case will take the place of your
final exam score. For example, a 95% on the
presentation portion of your Strategic Analysis
translates into a 143 out of 150 for your final exam
grade. (In the unlikely event this option lowers
your grade, you will simply be exempt from the
final exam.)
Exceptional resume point
Exempt from the final exam
Your final exam score will be a perfect 150
Individual Activities
Quizzes
Across the semester, eight quizzes will be administered in the lab sections. These will be based
on the material presented in lecture, and are worth 10 points each. At the end of the semester,
you’ll have the option to discard your lowest score, resulting in seven quiz scores for a maximum
of 70 points. Notes: 1) There are no makeups on quizzes. The option to discard your lowest
score provides you with one “free” absence. 2) The final day of class is mandatory attendance,
meaning a zero on the quiz score for that day cannot be discarded, so plan ahead. 3) In most
cases, quizzes will be administered at the beginning of class. Therefore, late arrival to class will
result in a missed quiz and a zero score.
Midterms and Final Exam
Exams will be administrated in the testing lab in BAII. Each exam is worth 150 points. Each
will contain 50 multiple choice items, spanning material from lectures, the book, and the
“Capstone Off the Books” videos (explained below). Although all items are multiple choice,
they are not all simply exercises in memorization/recall. Some are. But others move beyond
recall to tap your understanding of the material. Still others allow you to demonstrate the ability
to apply the concepts. The 50 questions will reflect a mix of all three types.
Check the weekly schedule for the dates of the exams. Be sure to take advantage of the COBA
Pass system to minimize waiting time: http://www.bus.ucf.edu/testinglab/COBAPass/cobapass.htm
Exams will not be administered early for any reason. Makeup exams will be allowed only under
exceptional circumstances, will be entirely in essay format, and will be personally administered
by Dr. Schminke. Students are expected to work with him to find a mutually agreeable time.
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REGIONAL CAMPUS STUDENTS NOTE: The testing lab times on the regional campuses do
not always align with the main campus times. Check with your instructor and/or your testing lab
for exam times at your campus. Reservations can be tight, so sign up early!
The 10-K Integration Project
You will have the chance to showcase your individual research, analysis, and writing skills in the
10-K Integration Project. Details will be presented in your labs, but this project involves
selecting a firm you are interested in (different from the focal firm for the Great Capstone Case
Competition), digging into the business analysis section of its 10-K (the annual report required
by the SEC of all publicly traded firms), and applying what you discover to the industry analysis
and strategic analysis frameworks developed in class. This project allows you to learn more
about a company you’re really interested in, and gives you a chance to use the tools that will be
critical in subsequent Capstone projects (like the case competition).
Capstone “Off the Books” Videos
As you know, the Capstone course is a 4 credit hour course. This fourth hour of credit allows us
to delve into a variety of interesting aspects of business (and the forces that affect business) we
normally wouldn’t have time to cover. The “Off the Books” segment of the class is just that; it
happens outside the standard structure of lecture, labs, and textbooks. Rather, it is composed of a
series of (approximately) one-hour videos you will have the opportunity to watch online. No
papers will be required for this part of the course. But exams will include an average of five
questions per video to assess your understanding of the issues presented in each. Video topics
change according to current issues and events, but you can expect them to explore more general
issues related to economics, politics, international business, and professional development, and
more specific strategic issues like managing innovation, supply chains, etc.
Other Issues
Problems with Team Members
If a team member’s lack of contribution is hurting the team’s progress, the team should carefully
document relevant issues, and meet with their lab instructor. If the issues cannot be resolved, the
team member may be fired by unanimous vote of all team members and approval of the
instructor. If this happens, the fired team member will be expected to complete all remaining
team assignments on his/her own. The group presentations will be replaced with individual
written analyses. These assignments are due the same date that groups make their presentations.
The same late penalties apply.
The Golden Rule
Academic dishonesty in any form will be dealt with strictly in accordance with UCF Academic
Behavior Standards in The Golden Rule: A Handbook for Students and the UCF Undergraduate
Catalog. Please review the Golden Rule to learn your rights, obligations, and responsibilities.
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The Golden Rule is available at http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/. The following is a
verbatim excerpt from The Golden Rule, defining academic misconduct:
Rules of Conduct
The following defined and described actions include, but are not limited to, conduct for which
disciplinary action may be taken at the University of Central Florida. Individual students are
expected to abide by these Rules of Conduct, and administrators are expected to enforce them.
These Rules of Conduct should be read broadly and are not designed to define prohibited
conduct in exhaustive terms. Additional rules and regulations may be revised during the year;
announcements will be made on adoption of the changes or additions.
1. Academic Misconduct
a. Unauthorized assistance: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or
study aids in any academic exercise unless specifically authorized by the instructor of record.
The unauthorized possession of examination or course-related material also constitutes cheating.
b. Communication to another through written, visual, electronic or oral means. The presentation
of material which has not been studied or learned, but rather was obtained through someone
else’s efforts and used as part of an examination, course assignment or project.
c. Commercial use of academic material: Selling notes, handouts, etc., without authorization or
using them for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of the University
and the instructor is a violation of this rule.
d. Falsifying or misrepresenting your academic work.
e. Plagiarism: Whereby another’s work is used or appropriated without any indication of the
source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student’s own.
f. Any student who knowingly helps another violate academic behavior standards is also in
violation of the standards.
Cheating, Plagiarism, and Academic Dishonesty
The lab instructors and I have a strict “Zero Tolerance” policy toward cheating, plagiarism, and
academic dishonesty as they relate to all aspects of the course, its assignments, exams, and all
other activities. Any student caught violating any policy in the Golden Rule Handbook will
receive an “F” for the semester and will be immediately dismissed from class. The student will
also be referred to Student Judicial Affairs for further potential sanctions.
Turnitin.com
Your written Industry Analysis, Strategic Analysis, and 10-K Integration Project must be
submitted to Turnitin.com by the date the assignment is due. The submission portal will be
locked down immediately following the due date/time for your project so you will not be able to
submit your paper after the date/time designated in the syllabus. Failure to submit on time to
Turnitin.com will result in a 50% reduction in your paper’s grade.
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Your lab instructor will provide you instructions for how to interface with the Turnitin.com Web
site. Although your paper may be returned to you with a grade, no grade is final until a
satisfactory report from Turnitin.com has been received.
Turnitin.com has several good sources of information for you to investigate. For a good
definition of what plagiarism is, see http://turnitin.com/research_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.html
For hints on how to avoid plagiarism, see http://turnitin.com/research_site/e_preventing_p.html
For facts about plagiarism, copyright law, and fair use, see:
http://turnitin.com/research_site/e_faqs.html
A really serious note: Saying “I did not know” is not a viable excuse for cheating or
plagiarizing in any form. In addition, being sloppy with paraphrasing and referencing are not
legitimate excuses. If you plagiarize, then we can only assume that it was your intent to be
deceitful. One of the best ways to avoid the temptation of plagiarism is to get an early start on
your paper rather than waiting until the last moment. The temptation to cut corners gets greater
as the due date for an assignment nears. It is better to hand in a paper a day or two late (and be
penalized for a late paper) than to fail the course.
Capstone projects require substantial research. You are expected to use a variety of resources to
complete your work. You must cite your source material thoroughly. This includes a complete
bibliography as well as references embedded into the text of the paper. This concern is less
critical in your presentations. However, an interested party should be able to deduce from your
paper specific references utilized in the presentation.
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Weekly Schedule
MAN 4720
Spring 2012
Date
Lecture Topic(s)
Porter Readings Due
and “Capstone Off the
Books” videos available.
Lab events
(Quiz dates are estimates. Actual
dates selected by lab instructors.
Class exercises/activities subject to
modification.)
Jan 9
Course introduction.
Porter: Introduction/
Preface.
Introduction.
Syllabus/assignments in depth.
Select team presidents.
Jan 16
No lecture (MLK day)
(Note: All labs (except
Mon.) meet this week!)
Ch. 1
Video 1 available.
Form teams.
Q&A re: assignments.
Exercise: Finding information.
Introduction: Case 1 (Industry
Analysis). Rubric to follow.
(Note: your instructor may provide
interim due date earlier than final
due date noted below.)
Jan 23
Mission & strategy.
Intro/refresher on SWOT.
Ch. 1 (cont’d)
Video 2 available.
Exercise: A tale of three tales.
Assign: 10-K Integration Project.
Quiz 1
Jan 30
OT: External analysis
Video 3 available.
Exercise: Hall’s model.
Exercise: ID current competitors.
Quiz 2
Feb 6
SW: Internal analysis
(End of Midterm 1
material.)
Ch. 2
Video 4 available.
Exercise: Robin Hood
Quiz 3
Introduce Case 2 (Strategic
Analysis). Rubric to follow.
(Note: your instructor may provide
interim due date earlier than final
due date noted below.)
Feb 13 Midterm 1 week
Q&A midterm review.
No new readings due.
Midterm exam opens
Monday, 6:00 p.m., closes
Friday, 8:00 p.m.
Help sessions (cases, assignments).
Feb 20 Formulating strategies.
Ch. 3: pp. 62-64, 97-118.
Ch. 4: pp. 119-130, 150163.
(Optional: Ch 10, pp. 375379, Diversification.)
Video 5 available.
Case 1 presentations.
Due: Case 1 papers for those
presenting next week.
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Feb 27
Portfolio approaches.
Evaluating strategic
options.
Ch. 9: pp. 317-320.
Ch. 10: pp. 380-382.
(Optional: Ch. 15,
Attacking industry leader).
Video 6 available.
Case 1 presentations.
Due: Case 1 papers for those
who presented previous week.
Mar 5
Spring break.
No new readings due.
None.
Mar 12 Case Competition kickoff
and tips from Target.
Professional development.
Other critical stuff (TBA).
Ch. 9: pp. 320-326, 350353.
Ch. 10: pp. 364-368, 375376.
Video 7 available.
Exercises (that link first half
course material to Case 2):
--Creative strategies.
Quiz 4
Due: 10-K Integration Project.
Mar 19
Strategic control.
Implementation: Planning
and process. (End of
Midterm 2 material.)
Ch. 11: pp. 383-397.
Ch. 13: 445-457.
Video 8 available.
Exercises that link first half
course material to Case 2:
--Balancing portfolios.
--Evaluating strategies.
Quiz 5
Mar 26
Midterm 2 week
Q&A midterm review.
Paul Gregg.
Leadership & motivation
No new readings due.
Midterm exam opens
Monday, 6:00 p.m., closes
Friday, 8:00 p.m.
Continue “linking” exercises.
Exercises that link first half
course material to Case 2:
--Leadership & motivation
Quiz 6
Apr 2
Implementation: Ethics.
No new readings due.
Video 9 available.
Exercises: Ethics.
Quiz 7
Apr 9
Implementation: Structure.
Recall Ch. 1: pp. 23-25.
Recall Ch. 2: pp. 59-61.
Video 10 available.
The Great Case Competition
(Case 2) presentations.
Due: Case 2 papers for those
presenting next week.
Apr 16
Implementation:
International.
No new readings due.
The Great Case Competition
(Case 2) presentations.
Due: Case 2 papers for those
who presented previous week.
Apr 23
Final exam week.
Final lecture.
Q&A review for final
exam.
Final exam opens Tuesday,
10:00 a.m., closes Friday,
8:00 p.m.
Final lab meetings: Mandatory
attendance.
Quiz 8
Course wrap-up.
Apr 27
The Great Capstone Case
Competition:
None.
Semi-finals: 3:45-5:30
Finals: 6:00-8:45
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