Course Syllabus
MGT 491.03 – Business Policy & Strategy
Bryan Room 216
T/TH 3:30-4:45pm
Instructor Information:
Lecturer:
Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail:
Phone:
Mr. Joseph Erba
Bryan #375
By appointment
jrerba@uncg.edu
334-3065
Required Texts:
Strategic Management: Text and Cases by Dess, Lumpkin & Eisner. 4rd edition (2008).
McGraw-Hill/Irwin, ISBN-10: 0-07-340498-5
Additional reading may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor. Documents will be posted on Blackboard or
provided in class.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Business Policy and Strategy (or Strategic Management) is considered the capstone course in your undergraduate
business education. The major focus of the course is about “strategy” and how the applications of strategic
management, including analysis, formulation and execution are employed to lead an organization to sustainable
success. Central to the theme of this course is the ability for students to recognize that an organization’s chances
of survival and later, sustained growth and success, lie in the ability to identify and understand those market
forces that create change and how each organization must adapt to survive. Only through a process of “strategic
management” will a firm be able to address the competitive marketplaces of today’s global economies.
As such, the course will be structured around defining the characteristics of a sound strategic management
process. Through analysis of external market forces and internal organizational challenges, students will begin to
paint a picture of organizational effectiveness. Next, the course will address the key elements in developing a
strategy and how the opportunity of “competitive advantages” becomes central to the firm’s existence. From
there, the course will delve into the issues, opportunities and challenges inherent when a firm attempts to
implement a strategy formulated. How should an organization be structured to compete in its markets? How does
a firm build its asset base (both tangible and intangible) to better meet the demands of its market(s) and finally
how does innovation play a significant role in the success of a firm?
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As the capstone course, it has been designed to provide you with the opportunity to develop an essential
leadership tool….confidence in your ability to analyze issues and make decisions. You will have the opportunity
to synthesize your learning’s from previous business courses, including marketing, finance, operations,
information systems and economics, into a comprehensive management process.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Understand the strategic issues and policy decisions facing businesses and how current management
concepts address these issues.
2. Understand and describe the strategic management process and the difference between strategic analysis,
strategy formulation and strategy implementation.
3. Acquire an understanding of how to use new and existing knowledge to analyze "real world" cases and
by so doing, to understand the complexity of strategic issues.
4. Elaborate on how strategic plans and policies are integrated, implemented and controlled and to
comprehend the culture and ethical factors that influence these management activities.
5. Analyze new knowledge and use existing knowledge to conduct strategic and competitive analysis using
various tools (e.g., five forces model, SWOT analysis, Portfolio matrix models) in a variety of industries.
6. Evaluate the formulation of business and corporate level strategies, the different business and corporate
strategic types, alternative actions, and make sound strategic decisions using what-if analysis.
7. Discuss the managerial task associated with implementing and executing company strategies, and the
action managers can take to promote competent strategy execution.
8. Assess the role of government policy in creating incentives and disincentives for a variety of competitive
condition for both domestic and international competition.
9. Demonstrate how the various pieces of the knowledge they have acquired in their functional-oriented
business courses fit together, and discuss why the different parts of a company's business need to be
managed in strategic harmony for the company to operate successfully.
10. Synthesize and apply the concepts and analytical tools exposed to in the course by participating in
managing a company through a business simulation game or conduct a strategic and competitive analysis
of a company, both individually and as a member of a group.
COURSE PEDAGOGY:




Lecturer by the instructor
In-class case discussions/formal Q&A sessions
Teamwork assignments focused on analysis and decision making
via the use of case studies (see following)
Examinations
EXPECTATIONS:
The workload in this course is well above average and to some, heavy. The assignments posted dictate a heavy
load of reading and comprehension early in the term, along with teaming assignments that will be given.
Accordingly, this course will be among the most mentally taxing, interesting, demanding and hopefully, enjoyable
of your undergraduate experience. If you follow the assignments, do the required work on time and participate
effectively in class and in group assignments, the workload is very manageable. If you delay in putting in the
initial effort you will most likely fall behind early and forfeit a great learning opportunity and the chance for
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personal satisfaction. My pledge to you is that I will work as hard as anyone else to make this course a success for
you and the class, as a whole.
GRADING EVALUATION:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Class Participation
Group cases
Group presentations
Course Exams
Bryan School Comprehensive Exam
Final Exam
2 per student @ 7.5% each
2 per student @ 7.5% each
2 @ 15% each
15%
15%
15%
30%
10%
15%
Grading Scale:
A (90-100) ------
B (80-89.9) ------
C (70-79.9) ------
D (60-69.9) ------
F (0-59.9)
A-= 90-92.9 A= 93-97.9 A+= 98-100
B-= 80-82.9 B= 83-86.9 B+= 87-89.9
C-= 70-72.9 C= 73-76.9 C+= 77-79.9
D-= 60-62.9 D= 63-66.9 D+=67-69.9
I. Class Participation:
The weight of class participation is significant for the simple reason that “what” you say and “how” you verbalize
your thoughts and knowledge is just as important as the content of your speech. The more you practice it, the
better you become. You must get engaged in the class and the discussions. Class participation is a combination of
attendance, in-class comments and Q&A sessions to be conducted by the instructor. It is of paramount
importance that each student prepares for the class by studying the assignments posted prior to the given class.
Scheduled and unscheduled Q&A sessions by the instructor will be given to support your class participation
grade.
Regular attendance is essential to your understanding and mastery of this course. Therefore you are expected to be
present and participate in every class. Class attendance will be taken each class period. Occasionally
circumstances occur that prohibit attending a class. Even though absenteeism is discouraged, it is reasonable to
assume that one or two absences will occur during the term. After more than two absences, the student’s
participation grade will be reduced significantly. There is no make-up or extra credit processes to rectify
absences.
Note: I view attendance on days of case discussions and/or presentations as especially important class
participation activities.
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II. Group Case work:
Two per student/team. Prepare and Present.
A. Case document:
The class will be broken into 4- 5-person teams (depending upon class size) in the early part of the semester. Each
team will be given two cases from the text as their assignment. Each team will be required to prepare a
comprehensive written analysis of the companies assigned. The analysis must include at a minimum, the
following:





Brief analysis of the industry and major markets the firm participates in.
Identifying and explaining the key problem(s) facing the firm, utilizing Porter’s 5 forces model (e.g.
subsistence, managing growth, leadership, market forces, disruptive technological issues, etc,).
Identification and explanation of the key strategies, policies, internal and external events that have been
most important in achieving competitive advantages or conversely, leading to major problems.
-perform an analysis of the firm’s financial position.
-review & comment on the firm’s leadership & organizational structure
Defining whether these advantages are sustainable in light of business and industry issues.
Developing and explaining strategic recommendations for the firm.
***This is the key to your case work analysis***
The information provided in the text is a starting point for the team exercise. Although most of the information
provided is relatively current, further research of the firm will be necessary to bring your information up-to-date
and successfully complete this assignment.
Approach this project as though you are a team of consultants hired by the firm to conduct a strategic analysis.
Assign responsibilities based on your areas of interest and expertise. Select a group leader/facilitator to keep the
group moving forward. Create a time line to complete the specific assignments and self-monitor the team.
The written document for each case cannot exceed 6 single-spaced, (size 11 or 12 font) typed pages excluding
charts/graphs/appendix. Tables and figures may be prepared and referenced as supporting material and will not be
counted towards the page maximum. The written case must flow well and show no discernable difference in
author grammar or sentence composition (i.e. have one person write the final product and one type it). This should
be a professional looking document, void of any grammatical, spelling or format errors.
Your team is strictly limited to the 6- page maximum length. Any extension beyond the 6-page max will be
disregarded. Thus, part of the challenge is to complete the analysis and tell the story in the 6 pages allocated.
Note: Mere restatements of case facts will not be well received. You must use the tools of analysis to weave a
compelling story that supports your set of recommendations. The key component of this analysis is your set of
recommendations and support thereof. Always justify all key statements you make!
The team will receive one, combined grade for the written document, but individual grades may be impacted by
the Performance Monitoring process (see following explanation).
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B. Case presentation:
Each team of students will be required to present their case work on dates assigned during the semester (see
Schedule of Assignments following). Each member of the team has to present an equal portion of the case. The
oral presentations are a significant portion of your final grade. Each team member will receive a separate, single
grade for their part of the presentation. As such, considerable time should be allocated to practicing as a team so
that the presentation flows well from teammate to teammate in an understandable and succinct way, as the story is
told.
As a guide for the presentation, you want the audience to be able to strongly agree with the following statements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
I know considerably more about this company than prior to the presentation.
I understand the issues that the company has faced/is facing.
I understand the position the company maintains within its markets/industry.
I understand the recommendations the group is making to improve the company’s situation.
I understand why the group is making these recommendations.
The group displayed a deep level of knowledge about the firm.
The quality of the presentation (oral, visual) was professional.
Each team has the choice to use visual aids. They are not required, but will certainly lend a feel of professionalism
to the presentation. If the team decides to use slides/power points you are limited to no more than 6 slides in your
visual tool. Grading will be negatively affected if you do not comply with the limit.
Presentation Assessment:
Class members will be required to complete an assessment of the team presentation (Exhibit 1). The instructor
will combine the class’s assessment with his own to create a grade.
Each group will be allocated no more than 10 minutes to make their presentation. After each presentation, up to 5
students will be randomly selected by the instructor to ask questions to the presenting team (which will be
incorporated into student’s participation grading, Section I). This will hopefully maintain the attention level of the
audience, require the class to prepare by reading the case before the presentation and provide the presenting team
with a valuable learning experience in reacting to unexpected situations and defending their recommendations.
Performance Monitoring:
This section applies to both the Group Case Work exercises.
In every teaming situation, issues appear. Yet, in today’s business environments “knowledge work” has become a
key, competitive position. You will be required to work effectively with people of different skill levels, interests
and motivations to succeed. As such, you will have the opportunity to do so in this course. There are vehicles that
will be employed to monitor team performance.
Peer evaluations (Exhibit 2): Each individual in a team will be required to complete a peer evaluation on his/her
teammates at the conclusion of the two teaming projects for the course. This evaluation, along with the instructors
evaluation of the quality of work submitted will be used to assess an individual’s grade for the projects. I expect
honest, professional assessments. In the case where a team member receives consistently inferior ratings from
his/her teammates, a person’s total project grade will be appropriately reduced. Similarly, consistently superior
ratings will be rewarded accordingly.
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The “Trump” effect: In the case where a team member consistently underperforms during the development
stages of the projects, action can be taken by the team, in sequential steps, as follows (underperformance includes
but it not limited to missing scheduled meetings, not completing agreed-upon assignments in the time required,
etc.):
1. Team meets with the underperformer(s) and discusses the issues and clearly delineates the
expectations of the team. This meeting is documented and the notes of such are sent to the
instructor.
2. If, after a reasonable period of time, determined by the team, performance does not improve, the
team can request a meeting with the instructor to discuss the issues at hand. At that time, the
instructor will request a meeting with the underperformer(s).
3. After such meeting and a reasonable time to correct the issues has passed, the team will be given
the authority to “fire” the under-performer(s), with the approval of the instructor (supporting “just
cause”).
If a student is “fired” from a team, he/she will receive a case score of “F” on both sections.
III. Course Exams:
Two exams will be given during the semester covering subject matter from the text and other assigned reading
material. Each exam will hold the same weight in final grading. The exams will consist of multiple choice
answers and/or short essay questions.
There is no provision for make-up exams. It is expected that each student will complete the exams on the date and
time scheduled.
IV. Bryan School Exam:
All students taking any section of MGT 491 this semester are required to take the Bryan School comprehensive
exam. This exam is designed to test your recall of the core elements of your business school training (i.e. common
body of knowledge courses). The exam is one-day only and make-ups are not possible. Therefore all Bryan
students are required to take the test on the date defined (see attached Schedule of Assignments). Please inform
employers, family members and significant others now, that you have this obligation.
V. Course Final Exam
The final exam for the course will follow the same format as the two Course Exams. It will cover relevant matters
from designated chapters of the text as well as the cases covered in class. It will consist of a combination of
multiple choice questions and a case evaluation.
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General:
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE:
By the singular act of registering for this course, you are agreeing to abide by the UNCG Academic Integrity
Policy. All written work submitted must be original and produced by the student/team for this class only. If you
are for any reason unfamiliar with the contents of the code, please review it on the school’s website link:
http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/. Violations will be pursued.
The Bryan School of Business and Economics has recently developed and accepted Faculty and Student
Guidelines focusing on the expected performance of each. Since these guidelines are new, please take the time to
review them. They can be found at the following link:
http://www.uncg.edu/bae/faculty_student_guidelines_sp07.pdf
Communicating:
For purposes of this course, I will request that you check your personal e-mail (E-Spartan) daily as well as Blackboard
for messages and/or assignments.
Inclement Weather:
UNCG will remain open during adverse weather conditions until and unless the Chancellor makes the administrative
decision to postpone/cancel class. Students can obtain details on those decisions by calling the Adverse Weather Line at
336-334-4400 or accessing the website at: www.uncg.edu/iss/weather.htm.
Extra Credit:
There is no extra credit assignments scheduled for this course.
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MGT 491.03 Schedule of Assignments:
Instructor reserves the option to change/alter assignments and/or due dates will proper notice to students.
Changes will be communicated in class or electronically, on Blackboard.
Class
Date
1
1/20/09
2
1/22
3
1/27
4
1/29
5
2/3
6
2/5
7
2/10
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Subject matter
Assignment & due date
Strategic Mgmt: Creating
Competitive
Advantages
S.M. Ch.1
Analyzing the firm’s external
environment
S.M. Ch.1
Case: #2 E.M. Boehm Inc.
S.M. Ch. 2
Own your own
S.M. Ch. 13
Case: #25 Casino Industry
Assessing the firm’s internal
environment
Student Group Cases:
S.M. Ch.3
2/12
Recognizing a firm’s Intellectual
Assets
S.M. Ch.4
9
2/17
Student Group Cases:
1. #18 Southwest
2. #27 Claire’s Stores
10
2/19
EXAM #1
Ch’s 1-4
11
2/24
Business-level Strategies
S.M. Ch.5
12
2/26
Student Group Cases:
1. #38 Ford Motors
2. #28 Caribou Coffee Inc.
13
3/3
Corporate Level Strategies
S.M. Ch.6
14
3/5
Student Group Cases:
1. #12 Whole Foods
2. #14 Ann Taylor’s
1. #35 UPS/Fed Ex
2. #37 General Motors
SPRING BREAK 3/7-16
15
3/17
International Strategies:
Globalization
S.M. Ch.7
8
16
3/19
Student Group Cases:
1. #29 ebay Asia
2. #21 Heineken
17
3/24
Entrepreneurial Strategies &
Dynamics
S.M. Ch.8
18
3/26
Student Group Cases:
1. #20 Yahoo
2. #32 Fresh Direct
19
3/31
EXAM #2
Ch’s 5-8
20
4/2
S.M. Ch.9
21
4/7
Strategic Controls & Corporate
Governances
Student Group Cases:
22
4/9
23
4/14
Creating Effective Organizational
Structures
Student Group Cases:
24
4/16
Strategic Leadership
25
4/21
Student Group Cases:
1. #30 Apple Corp.
2. #24 Procter & Gamble
26
4/23
S.M. Ch. 12
27
4/28
Innovation & Corporate
Entrepreneurship
Student Group Cases:
28
4/30
Review
5/6
Reading Day
TBD
FINAL
1. #10 Enron
2. #8 Automation
Consulting Services
S.M. Ch.10
1. #19 Johnson &
Johnson
2. #4 The Best Laid
Incentive Plans
S.M. Ch. 11
1. #26 Samsung
2. #23 World Wrestling
Ent.
Ch’s 9-12
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Exhibit 1
COMPANY ANALYSIS PRESENTATION EVALUATION FORM
Your Name:_____________________________ Company being analyzed: _____________________________
0……..….……………2….……….………4……….…..………..6………..…….……..8………….….....…10
Unacceptable
Not that good
Acceptable
Pretty Good
Well Done
Outstanding
1.
_____ This group was prepared.
2.
_____ I know considerably more about this company than when the presentation started.
3.
_____ I understand the competitive conditions in this firm's industry (external analysis)
4.
_____ I understand the company’s strength and weaknesses (internal analysis).
5.
_____ I understand the strategies the firm is pursuing (competitive positioning)
6.
_____ It is clear to me what this group thinks the company needs to do now (recommendations).
7.
_____ This group answered questions well.
8.
_____ This group displayed knowledge beyond the content of their presentation.
9.
_____ The quality of the visual aids and/or handouts was high.
10.
_____ The group was professional in manner and their dress was appropriate for the task.
COMMENTS TO CLARIFY RATINGS:
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Exhibit 2
PEER EVALUATION FORMS
YOUR NAME: ______________________________________
Team # ___________
Assign a number between 1(low quality) and 5 (high quality) for the quality of each member's
contribution. This includes ideas the individual generated, contributions to developing the strategy, the
quality of his or her effort in the overall report, etc. (include yourself). Then:
Assign a number between 1 and 5 for the quantity of each member's participation. This includes their
ability to meet with the group and the amount of individual contribution to the group effort (include
yourself).
Name: List yourself first
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Quality Score (1-5)
Quantity Score (1-5)
Total Score
After completing this form, write a few sentences on the reverse side describing your perception of each
member's involvement, commitment and contribution to the TOTAL case effort. Do this carefully and
thoughtfully. The person's grade will depend in part, on your overall evaluation of their performance.
Specifically, compare the tasks assigned by the group to each person and his or her execution of these
tasks.
You will not receive a grade for this course until this form is turned in to me. I will not share this
evaluation with ANYONE. Write your name on the form, fold it and turn it in at class.
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