University of Central Florida
College of Business Administration
MAN 4720: Strategic Management (Lecture)
Fall 2014
(Updated August 17, 2014)
Course Information:
Course Number: MAN 4720: Strategic Management (Lecture)
Course Website: http://webcourses.ucf.edu
Course Room:
BAI 107
Course Time:
M 1:30-2:45
Instructor Information:
Instructor:
Dr. Aaron McKenny
Email:
Aaron.McKenny@ucf.edu
Website:
http://www.amckenny.com
Office:
BA1 340
Office Hours:
Mondays 10:00-12:00 or by appointment
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Course Description:
While the context of the course is heavily embedded in the strategic management of
organizations, an understanding of strategic decisions making process will likely benefit you in
more ways than are readily apparent. Knowing why and how strategic decisions are made and
implemented will not only help you become a better strategic decision-maker yourself, it will
also help you anticipate strategic decisions made by others that will ultimately influence your
career.
This course is designed to test students at the first three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
(Knowledge, Comprehension, and Application), with special emphasis on the application level.
Some class time will be spent ensuring that you know the materials discussed; however, the bulk
will be spent on developing your command of the course materials at the comprehension and
application levels.
Course Materials:
Required textbook:
Ketchen, D.J., & Short, J.C. (2012). Mastering Strategic Management, New York, NY:
FlatWorld Knowledge.
 PDF: Available for free at
http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Mastering%20Strategic%20Management.pdf
 eBook/Electronic/Hardcopy: https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/1671031
Other helpful resources:
Short, J.C., Bauer, T., Ketchen, D., & Simon, L. (2010). Atlas Black: Managing to Succeed,
Nyack, NY: Flat World Knowledge. (Chapters 1-5)
 Electronic: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:atlas+black
Memorization tool: http://www.memrise.com/course/338067/strategic-management-11/
Learning Outcome Statements:
By the end of this course, each student should be able to:
 Use strategic management methods and frameworks to analyze the internal and external
strategic environment of the firm
 Evaluate alternative strategic actions to arrive at a feasible recommendation and
implementation plan.
 Explain the concept of a sustainable competitive advantage and identify ways in which a
firm might establish such an advantage
 Apply knowledge gained in this and other business-related classes to real-world
situations.
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Applied Strategy Incorporated (ASI) (Course Details):
For many of you, this will be the last course that you take before you graduate and start putting
the business knowledge you have learned over the past few years to use. To facilitate this
transition, this course is operated as much like a company as is possible in an academic
environment. Accordingly there are some things you should understand about this course that
may (or may not) differ from previous courses:
Terminology – You are all new employees (students) of Applied Strategy, Incorporated (ASI the course). As part of your on-boarding, you will be responsible to attend training sessions
(classes). You will participate in two training sessions per week: corporate-level (lecture)
training sessions taught by the CEO (me), and SBU-level (lab) training taught by your SBU
manager (lab instructor). Your training manual (textbook) will be a key resource for you in your
pursuit of maximizing your compensation (grade).
Expectations – At ASI, we have the best employees in the world, and we reward their
performance accordingly. In turn, we hold high expectations for our employees. Many of these
expectations are outlined explicitly in your employment contract (this syllabus); however, as
with most contracts, this document cannot cover every contingency you may be faced with. As a
result, we expect that our employees will act as professionally and ethically. In sum, we expect
you to act as world-class organizational citizens.
Organizational Structure – We pride ourselves on the unprecedented access we give
employees of all levels to the top management team (i.e., CEO and SBU managers). However, it
reflects badly upon new employees when they needlessly escalate questions/issues to top
management when resources at lower levels have not been exhausted. Please consider the
following hierarchy for escalating your questions/issues:
1. Employment contracts/training session notes + recordings/ASI website (Canvas)/Internet
2. Your colleagues
3. University resources (where applicable - e.g., tech support for Canvas issues, library for
data sources)
4. Your SBU manager
5. The co-COOs (Nika Cresswell and Andre Fountain, Jr.)
6. The CEO
Contacting the CEO/COOs – If you do need to contact me, the best way to contact me is to
come to office hours or via email at: aaron.mckenny@ucf.edu. Due to the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act, all communications should come from your UCF email address so that I
can verify that you are asking. Further, it is illegal for me to discuss any aspect of your being in
my class with people not directly involved in your education (e.g., parents) unless you provide
written, signed, and notarized documentation giving me permission to do so.
I will not respond to questions about your deliverables (e.g., exams, projects, assignments) in the
24 hours prior to their deadline. I do this for several reasons. First, it encourages employees to
prepare deliverables well in advance of the deadline. Second, it provides me with enough time to
be thoughtful in my response. Third, it provides employees with sufficient time for them to
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incorporate the feedback into their deliverable. Finally, asking top management about key
information at the last minute reflects poorly on the employee’s preparedness and calls into
question the quality of the pending deliverable.
Please only contact the COOs with questions regarding the non-content aspects of the course
(and only after exhausting each of the previous levels). Questions about course content should be
directed to the CEO if the SBU manager could not answer your question. As with the CEO, the
COOs are not obliged to respond to emails/calls about your deliverables in the 24 hours prior to
their deadline.
Training Meetings (Classes):
Corporate training – Corporate training will take place on Mondays from 1:30-2:45 pm in BA1
107. Each training session will cover a different aspect of the strategic management process. You
are expect to have a baseline understanding of the course materials attending each training
session. Reading the assigned chapter(s) in the training manual and using the associated module
in the memorization tool should be sufficient preparation.
I believe that you will get the most out of your training if you come to the sessions in person;
however, the corporate training sessions will also be captured for remote viewing.
SBU training – On-the-job training is not very effective if you are not there…on the job.
Accordingly, on-site attendance of SBU training is mandatory. These training sessions will
reinforce the material from the training manual and corporate training, and are very interactive,
hands-on, and conversational. Each week you will tackle work given to us by our clients.
Self-directed training – Human resources has organized supplemental activities designed to
complement the formal training sessions and enhance your career at ASI and beyond. These
activities include watching online videos on a wide variety of business topics, attending special
workshops and events, and reading important articles aimed at enhancing your career. These
activities will be announced as the semester progresses.
Compensation (Grades):
Management Development Program employees all share the same compensation structure.
Salary is determined by each employee’s performance on key deliverables. These deliverables
are worth 1,000 points total. At the end of your program, your points will determine your
compensation (grade) using the following scheme:
930+
900+
870+
830+
800+
770+
“A”
“A-”
“B+”
“B”
“B-”
“C+”
730+
700+
670+
630+
600+
Under 600
“C”
“C-”
“D+”
“D”
“D-”
“F”
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You will be evaluated both as an individual and as part of your team.
Individual Evaluation Deliverables:
Exit Interview (Survey)
Weekly Interviews (Quizzes)
10-K Integration Project
Midterm Assessment (Exam I)
Final Assessment (Exam II)
Total (Individual)
10
90
100
150
150
500
Team Evaluation Deliverables:
Industry Analysis Report
Industry Analysis Presentation
Strategic Analysis Report
Strategic Analysis Presentation
Total (Team)
100
100
150
150
500
Grand Total
1,000
Deliverables:
Interviews
During the semester you will be given ten interviews (quizzes) to test your developing
knowledge as a strategy analyst. Each interview is worth 10 points, however, your lowest
interview score will be dropped to calculate your total of 90 points possible for interviews in this
course. These interviews will be based on the material presented in the corporate training
meetings and will be administered in your SBU meetings. There will be no make-up options for
missed interviews.
As of Fall 2014, all faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the
beginning of each course. In order to document that you began this course, please complete the
first interview by no later than August 26. Failure to do so will result in a delay in the
disbursement of your financial aid.
When you leave the organization, you will also be asked to complete an exit interview (survey)
to provide feedback regarding your experience as a student in the UCF business program. This is
worth the equivalent of one weekly interview (quiz) and will quite possibly be the easiest 10
points you have ever earned.
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Major Assessments (2: Midterm and Final Exams)
Major assessments (exams) will be administered to determine your progress in mastering analyst
language, tools, and applications. For students taking the class at the Orlando campus, you will
take the exam in the BAII 104 testing lab. For students taking the class at satellite campuses, you
will take the exam at the respective campus’ testing lab. You may not take exams at alternative
locations.
Each assessment is worth 150 points. Each will cover material from training meetings (lectures),
the book, and supplemental materials like the “Capstone off the Books” videos. All items are
multiple-choice. However, they are not all simply exercises in memorization. Almost all of the
questions move beyond simple recall to tap your deeper understanding of the material and your
ability to apply it.
Check the weekly schedule for the dates of the assessments. Be sure to take advantage of the
COBA Pass system! http://www.bus.ucf.edu/cobapass/
NOTES: Assessments will not be administered early under any circumstance. Makeup
assessments will be allowed only under exceptional circumstances, will be entirely in essay
format, and will be administered by the CEO or the COOs. Excused absences are subject to
verification. This means that either the COOs or I will call the doctor/police/etc to verify that the
documentation you provide me is accurate and that, in their judgment, you could not have taken
the exam during the time allotted. If they cannot or will not verify the documentation, the
absence is unexcused – so make sure you make the appropriate arrangements as needed.
Employees are expected to consult with their SBU manager and the CEO as soon possible if a
planned assessment cannot be met.
REGIONAL CAMPUS EMPLOYEES NOTE: The testing lab times on the regional campuses
do not always align with the main campus times. Check with your SBU manager (lab instructor)
and/or your testing lab for assessment times at your campus! This is your responsibility.
“Capstone off the Books”
The capstone course is a four credit hour course. The fourth credit hour allows us to delve into a
variety of interesting aspects of business that would not fit within a three-hour Strategic
Management course. We will refer to these supplemental training opportunities as “Capstone off
the Books.” There are no separate deliverables associated with Capstone off the Books, but the
midterm and final assessments may include questions on each to assess your understanding of
the material covered in them.
Projects & Case Analyses
In addition to regular meeting activities, you will have the opportunity to participate in three
larger projects during the semester. The first, the 10-K Integration Project, is an individual
deliverable, based on your analysis of a firm’s 10-K document. The second is a team deliverable
involving an industry analysis, an in-depth investigation of several companies competing in the
same industry. The third is a team deliverable involving a strategic analysis and strategic
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recommendation for a specific firm. The second and third projects will be presented in both
paper and presentation formats, with the strategic analysis presentation being the foundation for
the Great Capstone Case Competition.
The 10-K Integration Project (an individual deliverable)
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 a separate document. This project involves
selecting a publicly-traded firm in the industry you are assigned to study, digging into the
business analysis section of its 10-K, and then applying what you discover there to the industry
analysis and strategic analysis frameworks developed in our training meetings.
This project is not a full-blown industry or strategic analysis. Rather, it is an opportunity to take
a first look at some real-world information and see how it maps onto the industry analysis and
firm analysis tools we will be using in the course. Thus, the project allows you to learn more
about a company you are interested in, and gives you a chance to use some of the tools that will
be critical in the subsequent case analyses. Guidelines will be provided to aid you in your
project.
Industry Analysis (a team deliverable)
Your team represents a consulting firm that has been asked to provide an analysis of a specific
industry, with respect to its current, real-world situation. You will use the results of your
individual 10-K research as primary sources of information for your industry analysis. A
significant portion of our training material and activities will be oriented toward learning how to
perform quality industry analyses. This effort will culminate with a 10-15 page summary using
the worksheet outline, and a presentation to your SBU manager.
The Industry Analysis Report (more specifics to follow)
The goal of this project is to conduct a competitive analysis of an industry. The worksheet
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. A more
detailed description of the process and format for this worksheet will be presented separately.
Your team will self-manage the process by which the various research, writing, and analysis
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 fairly equally to the overall output.
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The Industry Analysis Presentation (more specifics to follow)
Your team will use the results from the industry analysis worksheet that you develop to prepare a
10 minute presentation for your SBU manager. This research and presentation will serve as the
foundation for your strategic analysis report later in the semester. This report will focus on one
company in the industry that you analyzed.
Strategic Analysis (of a specific company - a team deliverable)
Your consulting team will also prepare a strategic analysis of a specific firm. This analysis will
result in both a paper and a presentation. All teams will examine the same firm, and will address
the same general strategic issue (which will be announced later). This effort will culminate with
a 15-20 page paper (maximum, excluding appendices & references) and a 13 minute (maximum)
presentation of your team’s analysis of the firm and your strategic recommendations for it.
Strategic Analysis Report
At a later date, I 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. In addition to information that you gathered for your
industry analysis, it will include 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. A more
detailed description of the process and format for this paper will be provided later.
Strategic Analysis Presentation
Your team will have the opportunity to present your core findings of the industry and your
strategic analysis as part of The Great Capstone Case Competition (see below). This consists of a
13 minute presentation and follow-up Q&A session with the judges. Your goal in this
competition is not simply to present your paper. (Nobody wants to sit through a series of
consecutive SWOT analyses of the same firm.) As with the industry analysis, your SBU manager
will see all the details of what you did in the paper and its appendices. Your manager will
evaluate all of that via the paper. Therefore, you do not need to try to convey all of that during
the 13 minute presentation.
Rather, your goal will be to quickly (i.e., less than a minute) summarize the firm’s situation 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?
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Do we have the capacity to execute on it? How will we make it happen? And so on. Again, the
goal is not to recite your paper but to provide insights about the firm and its strategic options.
The Strategic Case Competition presentations start during the last few weeks of the semester.
Finalists chosen from each SBU (lab) will advance to the semi-finals (and possibly to the finals
as well) on the last Friday of the semester. If your team is selected to advance to the semi-finals
AND you participate in that semi-final round (and in the finals as well, if your team qualifies),
you are exempt from the final exam and will be awarded 150 points in lieu of taking the final
exam.
The Great Capstone Case Competition
The Great Capstone Case Competition is the culminating event for this class, and for most of
you, for your experience at the UCF College of Business. After hearing each team in the SBU
present their strategic analysis, each SBU manager will choose one team from his/her SBU to
advance to the semi-finals of the Great Capstone Case Competition. The SBU managers will be
looking for teams that cannot only think strategically but also work well together as a consulting
team, 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, December 5.
The top teams from across Capstone SBUs 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 experts
including 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.
Teams that advance through the Semi-Finals will go onto the Finals later that evening and will
receive awards for their efforts. They will be judged by a panel comprised of faculty experts,
industry experts representing the Dean’s Advisory Council, members of the UCF College of
Business Hall of Fame, and the focal firm. This is your opportunity to present your skills to some
absolutely top-shelf business leaders.
Extra Credit
Extra credit opportunities totaling 20 points are available over the course of the semester. Please
consult with your SBU manager for details.
Peer Evaluations
ASI uses a 360º evaluation system to determine grades. Accordingly, in addition to receiving
feedback from the management team, you will also be soliciting feedback from your peers. There
will be two anonymous peer evaluations over the course of the management development
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program. The midterm peer evaluation will be used to provide preliminary feedback to each team
member and will not affect the points received. The final peer evaluation will affect the number
of points received. Minor peer evaluation penalties generally subtract up to 100 points from your
total grade. However, peer evaluation penalties for serious contribution issues may extend well
beyond the initial 100 points at the discretion of the SBU manager.
Details will be provided in your SBUs later in the semester. The evaluations will be based on
factors such as (but not necessarily limited to) attendance at SBU meetings and team meetings,
performance on assigned team tasks, leadership in team activities, ability to work well with team
members, and so on. Peer evaluations provide a guide for your SBU manager’s assessment of
your team performance and in most cases represent the major input. But the final assessment of
your team performance lies with your SBU manager who may, under special circumstances,
override those evaluations.
Teams
We will form teams of four to five employees in your SBUs. Team leaders will ‘hire/draft’
employees at your first or second SBU meeting. If you are interested in being a team leader you
will have the opportunity to apply with your SBU manager. Each employee will complete a short
survey during your first SBU meeting that allows you to share your expectations and goals for
the semester. You will also indicate your schedule preferences for ‘after hours’ meetings (time
outside of class). Team leaders will use your expectations/goals and schedule preferences to hire
their team members. This system has proven to work very well for our applications at ASI.
Problems with Team Members
Non-performing team members may be fired from their teams. This may occur up to one week
before the Strategic Analysis submission deadline set by your SBU manager. All teams will
complete a team performance contract during your first two weeks – this will be your guide for
dealing with non-performance. 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 SBU manager.
If the issues cannot be resolved, the team member may be fired by unanimous vote of all team
members and approval of the SBU manager. If this happens, the fired team member will be
expected to complete all remaining team assignments on his/her own, as directed by the SBU
manager. 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.
A Quick Note on Financial Analysis
If you don't remember the basics from finance, accounting (how to do NPV and ROI analysis,
read balance sheets, read income statements, etc.) and marketing fundamentals, you’ll want to
update or refresh your skills in these areas. Your SBU manager and I will make several
suggestions on ways you can update your skills.
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Students with Documented Disabilities:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1992 (IDEA; 20 U.S.C Section 1400 et seq.),
the American with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA; 42 U.S.C., Section 12101 et seq.), and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794 et seq.) requires the University of
Central Florida to provide “reasonable accommodations to any individual who advises us of a
physical or mental disability.” Any student who requires special arrangements in order to meet
the course requirements due to a documented disability should contact the instructor on the first
day of class to make any necessary arrangements. At that time students should also present
appropriate verification from the UCF Student Disability Services.
For additional information, you may contact the UCF Student Disability Services office in suite
185 of Ferrell Commons, by calling 407-823-2371, or by emailing sds@ucf.edu
Academic Integrity:
In recent years, businesses and business schools have been under considerable scrutiny due to the
corruption of business leaders (e.g. Jeffrey Skilling, Dennis Kozlowski, Bernie Madoff, etc). It is
my belief that these unscrupulous individuals are the minority; however, I am morally opposed
to passing those who exercise unethical judgment in my classroom. As such, I have a zerotolerance policy for all forms of academic misconduct as documented in the UCF Golden
Rule and handbook (http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/).
Penalties for any violation of the UCF Golden Rule and handbook include: grade reduction
(partial or to zero), administrative drop from the course, final grade reduction (partial or to “F”),
and other remedies as permitted by The University of Central Florida. The employee (student)
will also be referred to Student Judicial Affairs for further potential sanctions. These are the
possible penalties for violations, some more severe than others. However, this does not imply
that first-time offenders or offenses that you believe are ‘minor’ will be met with a ‘slap on the
hand’. Rather, you should expect the most severe response permitted by the University of Central
Florida for any violation and be pleasantly surprised by any degree of restraint.
If you have any questions or concerns, it is much better to ask for permission than to ask for
forgiveness in this area.
A Note on the Use of Study Aids
Employees (students) often spend considerable time and effort seeking various study aids such as
notes, guides, and “quiz-lets” created by others (for-profit or otherwise). Several points are
germane here.
1. Anyone wishing to share notes, quiz-lets, or any other study aid MUST email these materials
to me, the CEO, to obtain my written approval. I’ll likely approve items after a quick review.
Nevertheless, this process is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT to safeguarding academic integrity in
a manner consistent with UCF’s Golden Rule. If requested, I will create a discussion board
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where approved study aids can be shared openly and legitimately. Posting unapproved study aids
will be interpreted as an act of academic dishonesty under UCF’s Golden Rule.
2. Similarly, it is also EACH EMPLOYEE’S (STUDENT’S) RESPONSIBILITY to notify me of
alternative study aids discovered that are not posted on the Capstone Webcourses/Canvas page.
Possessing unapproved study aids will be interpreted as an act of academic dishonesty under
UCF’s Golden Rule. The presumption will be that employees (students) who are not transparent
(open) about the resources they possess are likely doing something wrong.
3. These processes will allow study aids to be shared in a manner consistent with UCF’s ethical
standards. But as a closing point, let me discourage you from using them, especially those
generated by external entities. We see those. Some are okay (at best). But more often they are
poorly executed and commonly contain errors. If you want to waste your dollars, that’s your
business. But if you have the extra time available for preparation, I’d suggest sticking to the
legitimate course materials.
Syllabus Changes
This document, particularly the schedule attached at the end, is subject to change at any time.
Any changes to the syllabus will be announced in class. It is your responsibility to note and keep
track of these changes.
Client Engagement Guidelines
In this class, you will have a real client (to be announced at a later date) for the class project.
This company is generously volunteering information about their firm and difficulties they may
be having to help you get exposure to real-world business issues before you graduate. Further, by
sharing details about their business and vision for the company, they are entrusting you with
competitive knowledge that influences their employees’ livelihood. Accordingly you should
consider the following when working with these business representatives.
 There will be a discussion board for questions directed to the client on the lecture
webcourses page. Please check here first for others who have asked the same question.
 If the question has not been asked and is not urgent (meaning: you can proceed with
your strategic analysis without this information for the time being)
o Post your question to the discussion board, or
o Save your question for October 27, when the client will hold a Q&A during the
corporate training session
 If the question has not been asked and is urgent (meaning: you cannot proceed with
your strategic analysis without this information)
o The client will provide you with a point-of-contact within their business who can
respond to requests for information. Do not reach out to other individuals within
the client company or their affiliates without first receiving permission from your
point-of-contact to do so.
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





o You should appoint one individual as a point-of-contact with the business
representative and all communications should funnel through that individual
unless specified otherwise by the business owner.
o Reduce the number of times you need to contact the business owner by waiting
until you have several urgent things to ask and have polled the other team
members for questions.
o All questions sent to the client must be carbon-copied to:
greatcapstonecasecompetition@gmail.com
o Be prepared to defend the urgency of your question, if the client tells us that
they are being flooded with questions you will be asked to do so for all questions
you have sent. At that time, any questions that are deemed not to have been urgent
by your SBU manager will count against your project grade.
You are representing the University of Central Florida, be professional in your
communications with the business representative. Don’t use textspeak, unnecessary
abbreviations, or business-school “lingo”. Do use spell check, grammar check, and read
the message twice before sending it.
You may ask for any information relevant to the project; however, understand that there
may be some information they will not share with you (e.g., financials, trade secrets, etc).
Do not lean on them for this information, instead make reasonable assumptions based on
what you do know about the business and other similar businesses and move ahead.
If they do provide sensitive information, treat it as private, confidential and proprietary.
Do not include this information in the oral presentation and do not share it with anyone
outside of your team, the instructors, and the business representative.
Do not ask for freebies/discounts/etc.
You have been commissioned as consultants for the business. Do not discuss any aspect
of your analysis, recommendation, or implementation plan, whether confidential or not,
with individuals outside of this class. Other businesses may have a turn to be analyzed by
other teams in future sections of this class. If there is a conflict of interest (e.g., you work
for a competitor), this must be disclosed to the business representative and the instructors
before you begin working on the project.
The questions from the discussion board will be sent to the client on October 28th. After
this point no further questions may be asked of the client (urgent or not)… so get your
questions together early!
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Lecture Course Schedule:
Session
Date
1
Aug 18
2
Ø
Ø
3
Aug 25
Aug 26
Sep 1
Sep 8
4
5
Sep 15
Sep 22
6
7
Ø
Sep 29
Oct 6
Oct 6-10
8
9
Oct 13
Oct 20
10
Oct 27
11
Nov 3
12
Nov 10
13
Nov 17
14
Nov 24
15
Ø
Ø
Dec 1
Dec 5
Dec 3-9
Events/Assignments/Topics
Reading: MSM Chapter 1 & 2
In Class: Course Introduction, Strategic Management Basics (Day 1)
In Class: Strategic Management Basics (Day 2)
Due on Canvas: Interview 1 (11:59 pm)
No Class – Labor Day
Reading: MSM Chapter 3
In Class: External Environment Analysis (Day 1)
In Class: External Environment Analysis (Day 2)
Reading: MSM Chapter 4
In Class: Internal Environment Analysis (Day 1)
In Class: Internal Environment Analysis (Day 2)
In Class: Intellectual Assets of the Firm
Midterm Assessment: Midterm Assessment opens Monday at 6:00pm
and closes Friday at 8:00pm server time
In Class: Presentation from client
Reading: MSM Chapter 5
In Class: Business-Level Strategy
Reading: MSM Chapter 6
In Class: Presentation from client and Competitive Dynamics
Reading: MSM Chapter 7
In Class: International Strategy
Reading: MSM Chapter 8
In Class: Corporate-level Strategy
Reading: MSM Chapter 9
In Class: Organizational Design and Strategic Control
Reading: MSM Chapter 10
In Class: Ethics, Governance, and Corporate Social Responsibility
In Class: TBA
Great Capstone Case Competition
Final Assessment: Final Assessment opens Wednesday at 7:00am and
closes Tuesday at 5:00pm server time
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Key Lecture Deadlines:
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
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
8/26
o
10/10
o
10/28
o
12/5
o
12/9
o
TBA
o
Interview 1 must be completed on canvas by 11:59pm server time
Midterm Assessment must be completed by 8:00pm server time
No further questions for the client are permitted
Great Capstone Case Competition
Final Assessment must be completed by 5:00pm server time
Exit interviews must be completed by 5:00pm server time
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