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STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS POLICY
BA 469 (4 Credit Hours) – Sections 001, 002
& 003 – BEXL 207, 417
Winter 2006 T-TH, 12:00PM – 1:50PM; 4:00PM –
5:50PM; 6:00PM – 7:50PM
Professor
Clay Dibrell,
Ph.D. Office: Bexell Hall 400b, Office Phone: 737-4110, e-mail: dibrellc@bus.oregonstate.edu. Office hours are scheduled for Tuesday (2:00
PM to 3:00 PM) and Thursday (3:00 PM to 4:00 PM). If necessary, appointments can be arranged at
other times.
Text
Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach Sixth Edition. Charles W. L. Hill and Gareth Jones (Your
text should include the cases).
Course
description (4 credit hours – meets 4 lecture hours per week)
Strategic Management & Business Policy is
a capstone course for business students and is generally taken near or after
completion of courses in all functional areas.
This course concentrates on strategy and policy formulation and
implementation at the top management level where major decisions are made. Advanced problems in determination,
execution, and control of the strategic management process in light of complex
environmental change will be focused on in this course.
Mandatory
Prerequisites: BA 340, BA
350, BA 352, BA 357, BA 390, and senior standing.
Course
objectives
The aim of this course is to provide students
with a broad overview of the basic concepts in strategic management. Students will be exposed to a number of
frameworks and models to better understand and analyze the macro-environment,
the industry environment, and firm level resources. At the end of the course, students should be
able to think strategically, as opposed to only having a functional
orientation, and students should be able to formulate and to implement creative
and innovative strategies that are conducive to the demands of the firm and the
environment in which it resides.
Measurable
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students
should have the ability to:
1.
Determine company wide strategy.
2.
Identify and explain the impact that external
environmental factors have on business strategy.
3.
Discern between the causes and the symptoms of
business problems.
4.
Use appropriate strategic assessment tools to
identify company wide problems.
5.
Identify and explain problems associated with
long-term strategy formulation and implementation.
6.
Create solutions to problems associated with
business-related problems.
7.
Think through the strategic implications associated
with solutions to business-related problems.
8.
Comprehend the difficulties encountered by people
working in organizations and groups.
9.
Communicate ideas and principles coherently to a
business-related audience through both oral and written mediums.
Class
procedures
Class will be conducted with equal emphasis
on lecture and class participation.
Class lectures will relate to chapter reading assignments but will not
attempt to cover all the material in the text.
Because this course is senior level, it makes heavy use of cases and is
designed to generate discussion of problems that you may face in real business
settings.
Statement regarding students with
disabilities
"Accommodations are collaborative
efforts between students, faculty and Services for Students with Disabilities
(SSD). Students with accommodations approved through SSD are responsible for
contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the
first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are
eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through SSD
should contact SSD immediately at 737-4098."
Student
conduct and expectations
Cheating and other academic misconduct will
not be tolerated. Violations will be
subject to disciplinary actions as specified by the Oregon State University
Academic Regulations. http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm.
Class members are expected to treat each other with courtesy and respect. The outcome is not that you have met certain
“minimum” standards; the outcome will be that you will leave this class with
knowledge of how to formulate and to implement an innovative company strategy
that you may utilize in the future.
Behaviors that signify to me that a student is committed to excellence
include:
1. Attending class regularly (and arriving on time!).
2. Being prepared for daily case analyses and
reading assignments.
3. Leaving such distractions as newspapers and
other courses’ assignments outside of the classroom.
4. Not talking in class while someone is
presenting.
5. Participating in class with active listening,
questions, or comments.
6. Talking with the instructor anytime an issue
discussed in class is unclear.
Student
expectations of the instructor
In order for this course to be a personal
success for you, it is necessary that you receive certain commitments from me
to receive maximum benefit. Just as I
have challenged you to pursue academic excellence in this course, I must do the
same, and I commit to doing the following:
1. Listen to your comments.
2. Keep you informed about the direction of the
course including any changes to the course calendar.
3. Be prepared for each class period including
starting and dismissing class on time.
4. Be open to your ideas, opinions, and
questions.
5. Be available to discuss any problems or
questions through office hours or appointments with you.
6. Return out-of-class assignments and tests so
that you have feedback in a timely manner.
Evaluation
and grading
Students are expected to do both individual
and group work and to remember that this is a writing intensive class
(WIC). As this is a WIC course, you will
be asked to write several different papers to assist in your learning of the
key concepts of strategic management.
For example, you will be given an opportunity to demonstrate your
business knowledge through both un-graded and graded writing exercises. This course satisfies the WIC requirement for
business majors. Please submit all
assignments on time. Grades for late
assignments will be reduced by 20% for every class period submitted late. Please talk to me if you have any problems
with understanding the material or completing the scheduled
assignments/examinations.
How I Grade:
1. A = Exceptional & Outstanding Work. You have wowed me.
2. B = Very Good Work
3. C = Average Work
4. D = Sub Par Work
5. F = Exceedingly Poor Work.
Your grade will be composed of the following
components:
- Partner
Project and Presentation 12.5%
- Class
Participation 12.5%
- Individual
case papers 25%
- Mid-term exam 20%
- Final exam 30%
1. Partner
Project and Presentation: As a partial fulfillment of the WIC requirements, you are to find a
partner from the class and seek out a strategy related newspaper, magazine, or
Internet article on a company or industry.
On your assigned day, you are asked to explain the article at the
beginning of class and turn in a two page written summary. In addition to your written summary, you will
need to turn in a handout of your slides and a copy of your reported article.
The topic for your article report will depend
on the day you sign up to present it.
You should find a topic that was recently covered or soon will be
covered according to the class schedule in this syllabus.
Your presentation should be ten minutes or
less for both of you (not including time for Q&A) and should tell us
how the article relates to the course material.
50% of your partner project grade will be based on your combined
presentation and the other 50% on your written summary. Please let me know if you and your partner do
not think you should each get the same grade because one of you contributed
significantly more than the other.
You
will do well if:
- You have creative solutions and
implementations.
- You have
thought through the potential implications that will be derived from your
recommended solution.
- You have
integrated all applicable strategic
terms in your paper from class.
- Your work is
reasonably insightful and shows a strong linkage to the course material.
- Your work is
clear, concise, and organized.
Please follow the format above –
do not recap the entire case. Likewise, your paper should be free of
spelling errors, as it will be one of the criteria that you will be graded
upon. Additionally,
you will have the opportunity to resubmit
two of your papers on the day of the final exam to be re-graded. You
must attach your original
paper to your revised paper when you turn them in to me with your changes highlighted
or bracketed on your original case.
This assignment is partial fulfillment of the WIC requirements.
1. Exams: There will be two exams that may consist of multiple choice, short answer, case analysis on the final, and/or essay answer – no make-up exams. However, you may take the exam in advance, if you have an acceptable reason.
2.
Personal
SWOT Analysis: You will be assigned to write a two-page
personal SWOT analysis at the end of class.
Your SWOT analysis will not be graded but will serve as a personal
assessment tool to guide you in your career development. This un-graded written assignment is partial
fulfillment of the WIC requirements for this course.
1. Individual
Papers (Case Analysis):
Each student is required to turn in a typed five to six page, 12pt Times New
Roman font, and double-spaced concept paper of each assigned case. You
should not have a cover sheet nor go over the six page limit. Each case paper should include each of the following
components (1) the major problem facing the company (e.g., 1 to 3 sentences),
(2) you will be assigned to do only one
of the following analyses for each case: a Strategic Financial Analysis, a SWOT
analysis, a Portfolio of Core Competencies analysis, or an Industry analysis
depending upon which analysis is assigned for that specific case (e.g., 1 to 11/2
pages), (3) your recommendation to solve your self-identified problem
(e.g., 1 to 3 sentences), (4) strategic implementation (1 to 11/2
page), and (5) the strategic implications of your recommended solution (1 to 11/2
pages). Remember that managers operate
with the limitations of their situation.
They make decisions based on the facts available, and often have less
than perfect information. Managers
accept responsibility for their decisions and fully realize that there may be a
better solution.
Grade breakdown for each case
paper for the following components:
- Identify the
major problem facing the company (1 point).
- Assigned
analyses chosen from one of the following: a Strategic Financial Analysis,
a SWOT analysis, a Portfolio of Core Competencies analysis, or an Industry
analysis depending upon which analysis is assigned for that specific case
(2 points).
- Recommendation
to solve your self-identified problem (2 points).
- Strategic
implementation steps (2 points).
- Strategic
implications of recommended solution (3 points).
You
will do well if:
- You have creative solutions and
implementations.
- You have
thought through the potential implications that will be derived from your
recommended solution.
- You have
integrated all applicable strategic
terms in your paper from class.
- Your work is
reasonably insightful and shows a strong linkage to the course material.
- Your work is
clear, concise, and organized.
Please follow the format above –
do not recap the entire case. Likewise, your paper should be free of
spelling errors, as it will be one of the criteria that you will be graded
upon. The
first two cases will be reviewed by your peers to provide you un-graded
feedback, which you can incorporate prior to formally submitting it. Likewise, you will have the
opportunity to resubmit two of your papers on the day of the final exam to be
re-graded. You must attach your original
paper to your revised paper when you turn them in to me with your changes
highlighted or bracketed on your original case. This assignment is partial fulfillment of the
WIC requirements. Case addendum
2. Exams: There will be two exams that may consist of multiple choice, short answer, case analysis on the final, and/or essay answer – no make-up exams. However, you may take the exam in advance, if you have an acceptable reason.
3.
Personal
SWOT Analysis: You will be assigned to write a two-page
personal SWOT analysis at the end of class describing your strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats for your life. Your SWOT analysis will not be graded but
will serve as a personal assessment tool to guide you in your career
development. This un-graded written
assignment is partial fulfillment of the WIC requirements for this course.
Example 2: If
you earn a final grade of 81.5 for this class, you will receive a B for the
term.
Negative Participation Rule: I reserve the right to lower the final grade of any
student who I feel has had a detrimental, distracting, or negative
effect on the classroom learning environment over the course of the term up to
one letter grade.
Final
Comments
I may change the course schedule during the term. However, these changes will be done in
consultation with the class and will be announced well in advance. Students
not attending class on the date changes are made to the schedule have the
responsibility for obtaining the information regarding the changes. If an exam is missed due to a changed date,
then the excuse of not being in class will not be accepted, and a grade of zero
will be given.
I will do everything that I can to help you learn the material and make
our class a meaningful experience. I
hope that you will do everything possible to be prepared so that you can enjoy
your learning experience.
Winter 2006 Course Calendar
Dates |
CH |
Concepts |
Deadlines |
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TUE 1/10 |
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THUR 1/12 |
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How do capital markets work: The Good, The
Bad, & The Extremely Rich |
Video: Barbarians
at the Gate |
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TUE 1/17 |
Practice Case (Nothing needs to be turned
into me): Nike: Sweatshops;
page C129; Self-Select Partners & Sign-up for Date to Present
Article. |
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THUR 1/19 |
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TUE 1/24 |
Case 1 Peer Feedback |
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THUR 1/26 |
Case 1: The Body Shop International: |
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TUE 1/31 |
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THUR 2/2 |
Strategy
in High-Technology Industries; Strategic Financial Ratios. |
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TUE 2/7 |
Case 2 Peer Feedback |
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THUR 2/9 |
Case 2: Whirlpool Corporation’s Global
Strategy; page C601; Strategic
Financial Ratios. |
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TUE 2/14 |
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Finish Any Remaining Topics; Exam Review. |
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THUR 2/16 |
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TUE 2/21 |
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THUR 2/23 |
Case 3: IBM Global Services: The
Professional Computer Services Industry; page C306; Industry analysis. |
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TUE 2/28 |
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Video: Pirates
of Silicon Valley |
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THUR 3/2 |
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Case 4: WestJet Looks East; page C134;
SWOT. |
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TUE 3/7 |
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THUR 3/9 |
Case 5: KMART Corporation: Seeking Customer
Acceptance and Preference; page C397; Portfolio
of Core Competencies Analysis. |
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TUE 3/14 |
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The Relationship
of the Ecological Environment to Business; The Natural Step |
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THUR 3/16 |
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Finish Any Remaining Topics; Review for Final
Exam |
Personal SWOT Analysis is due. |
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TUE 3/21 |
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Group Final Exam; PHAR 305 |
4 PM; room to be
announced; |