BUSINESS
STRATEGY
MGT 487 SECTION
03 Fall 2003
JUMP to ASSIGNMENTS
Class Meets: TR 11:00-12:15 p.m., Room: GLASS 435
Office: GLASS
412
Office Phone: 836-5082 Fax: 836-3004
E-mail: pcr259f@MissouriState.edu
Office Hours:
T, R – 2:00 - 3:30pm, W -- 2:00 - 4:00pm and by appointment on all days except
Friday.
Business
Strategy Syllabus and Research Resources on the web:
www.mgt.MissouriState.edu/rothschild
Thompson and
Strickland, Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases 12th
Edition
Subscription to Wall Street Journal.
IMPORTANT LINKS
| Blackboard - Check Attendance, Grades, PPT | Research Links |
| Peer Evaluation Form | Entertainment Management Online |
| Practice Case Part 1 Guidelines | Exam/Quiz Review Sheets (see "day of" on schedule) |
| Practice Case Part 2 Guidelines | Power Point Presentations (see blackboard) |
| Explanation of Executive Summary | |
| Guidelines for Evaluating Strategy Presentations |
COURSE DESCRIPTION
MGT 487 is
intended to be a challenging and exciting capstone course for the undergraduate business
school curriculum. It is first and foremost a course about “strategy” and about
“managing for success”. The course centers around the theme that a company
achieves sustained success if and only if its managers (1) formulate an astute “game
plan” and (2) implement and execute the game plan with some proficiency. We shall try
to “prove” how and why doing a good job of strategy formulation and strategy
implementation nearly always produces good business performance.
In studying the tasks of strategic management we shall also tackle another important function: That of trying to integrate much of the knowledge you have gained in the core business curriculum. MGT 487 is a “big picture” course, a trait that makes it a truly different kind of course from other COBA courses. Virtually all of the other required and elective courses you have taken were concerned with a specific functional area (production, marketing, finance, and accounting) and/or a well-defined body of knowledge (economics, statistics, and legal environment). More than a few of your previous courses have been highly structured and related closely to a well-developed body of theory. Some provided quantitative techniques for you to sink your teeth into and to master. Others related to information and to specific skills the faculty believe you needed to acquire. This course shares few of these traits. The problems and issues of strategy formulation and implementation cover the whole spectrum of business and management. While you will discover tools and filters to help guide your thinking, strategic management requires dealing with many variables and situational factors. Weighing the pros and cons of strategy entails a total enterprise perspective and a talent for judging just how all of the relevant factors add up to shape what actions need to be taken.
·
To develop
your capacity to think strategically about a company, its business position, and how it
can gain sustainable competitive advantage.
·
To build your
skills in conducting strategic analysis in the entertainment industry and competitive
situations.
·
To give you
hands-on experience in crafting business strategy, reasoning carefully about strategic
options, using what-if analysis to evaluate action alternatives, and initiating the
changes necessary to keep the strategy responsive to newly emerging market conditions.
·
To improve
your ability to manage the organization process by which strategies get formed and
executed.
·
To integrate
the knowledge gained in earlier business courses.
·
To develop
your powers of managerial judgment, help you learn how to assess business risk, and
provide you with a stronger understanding of the competitive challenges of a global market
environment.
·
To have you
become much more proficient in using personal computers to do managerial analysis and
managerial work.
·
To make you
more conscious about the importance of ethical principles, personal and company values,
and socially responsible management practices.
| REQUIREMENTS | Points | Grading Scale |
| Exam 1 | 200 | A=900-1000 pts. |
| Exam 2 | 200 | B=800-899 pts. |
| Practice Case Part 1 | 90 | C=700-799 pts. |
| Practice Case Part 2 | 75 | D=600-699 pts. |
| Formal Group Case Paper | 200 | F=Below 600 pts. |
| Formal Group Presentation | 90 | |
| Quizzes/Outlines/Assign/Participation (Includes 10 quizzes @ 10 pts; 1 In the News @10 pts; 3 homework @ 5 pts; 1 case reading homework @ 20 pts |
145 | Total Points Possible 1000 |
Dr. R reserves the right to change the weight of assignments above by 50 points, prior to any assignment being completed.
·
All
"group" assignments will have a Peer Contribution Grade factored in to
generate your individual points. If your group received 178 points of possible
200 points on the Formal Group Case Paper (about an 89%), and your peers
assessed you only contributed about an 80% effort, you would earn only 80% of
the 178 points on your Group Case Paper (you would earn only 142 points; about a
71%). Thus the degree to which you contribute to your group’s performance is
very important - you must pull your own weight on the group assignments.
TIME REQUIREMENTS
Any way you
look at it, the workload in this course is above-average.
Expect to spend
3-5 hours preparing a case for class discussion (you will need 2-3 pages of notes/answers
to the assignment questions in front of you each day to sparkle and shine in the class
discussions!). Trying to wing it is ill-advised!
There are 13
chapters of text material (about 300 pages) to master and be examined on. You'll also
spend at least 2 hours prior to every new chapter presented reading and preparing for the
quiz that day.
And there are assorted quizzes, assignments, and article reviews that you will do.
Finally, you
will spend a significant amount of time preparing a written analysis of a Practice Case
and a Formal Case.
I reward good
attendance. Due to the fact that much of the learning will take place in a discussion
format and in-class activities, it is imperative that you attend each class. Almost
perfect attendance (defined as only one absence) will add 15 points to your
final number of points. On the other hand, for each absence above 3, your final grade
average will be reduced. The following scale applies: 4 absences =
reduction of 20 points, 5 absences =
reduction 40 points, 6 absences = reduction of 60 points, 7 absences = reduction of 80
points, and 8 or more absences will result in a failing grade. Students
should always notify professor (through office phone or during class) of anticipated
absence PRIOR to absence. When an absence is unanticipated, notification should take place
on the day of the absence. If a student is
absent on the day of he/she is schedule to make a presentation, and the student makes no
arrangements for a replacement, the student will receive a zero on that assignment. Consistent early
departures and late arrivals may constitute an absence - at the discretion of the
professor. In addition, disruptive behavior (verbal or nonverbal) in class may result in
student being asked to leave by professor, and will result in one absence per occurrence. It
is the student’s responsibility to inform professor (in person and on paper) of a
late arrival.
Each student is
expected to be an active participant and to make meaningful comments on cases being
discussed. Your grade on class participation is something to be earned via consistent,
daily contribution to class discussions. You should, therefore, make a conscientious
effort to attend class discussions of cases and to be sufficiently prepared to contribute
to the case discussions. Merely coming to class is not sufficient; attendance is not
participation.
On occasion,
there are students that must miss class due to participation in official SMS events (i.e.
athletics, music tours, etc.). Please examine your event schedule immediately to
determine how often you will miss this class. If
you anticipate you will miss more than six class periods during the semester, you should
register for this course some other semester. If
you will miss class to due official SMS event, students must follow these procedures: 1.
Notify instructor in advance in (hand) writing. 2. Within 7 days of absence, student must
provide a copy of official document with signature of sponsor, phone #, and date of absence.
The instructor may change scheduled examinations to an earlier or later date. If any exam dates are changed, students will be notified at least one week in advance. It is the policy of this course that NO MAKE-UP EXAMS will be given.
EXIT ASSESSMENT EXAMINATION
All students in
sections of MGT487 are required to take an
Exit Assessment examination during the final examination period. The purpose of the exam
is to evaluate the Business program, and to report required assessment information to the
State Coordinating Board of Higher Education. Your score on the exam does not affect your
grade in the course, nor does it affect your graduation status. However, if a student fails to take the exam, unless they have been
officially excused by the Dean they will receive an "I" (incomplete) for the
course grade in 487.
THE 145 POINT
GUARANTEE, well almost
It’s simple! If you turn in a chapter outline on the date a reading is due, and satisfactorily complete all other assignments that are due, you will guarantee yourself the maximum points available for the “quiz/outline” portion of your grade. One more thing...you don’t have to take the daily quiz if you turn in an outline of the chapter(s) for the day. If you will be absent from class, you must make arrangements for an outline to be turned in prior to class to receive Outline/Quiz credit for that day.
All assignments
must be turned in during class, or arranged for delivery prior to due date. Assignments will NOT be accepted after class, and cannot
be completed during class. Any assignments/outlines not turned in according to the
following standards will not receive full credit.
1.
Multiple pages should always be stapled.
2.
Top right corner of front page should have the following:
First Last Name, Strategy Sect.# ___, Date, Chapter # or Assignment
3. Use standard 8.5”x11” paper for all quizzes and assignments turned in.
4. Outlines
must follow standard outline format. See sample on web site.
KEEP YOUR ASSIGNMENTS
When I do not call roll in class, I will use the assignments for the day or the
quizzes for attendance. You should keep all assignments, including quizzes, in a folder
for this class. Disputed absences will only be considered if you have some evidence that
you were in class. If you do not take the quiz for the day, or complete an assignment, you
must turn in a blank sheet of paper with date and signature as evidence you were in class
for the day.
Academic accommodations are available
at no cost to students who can provide documentation of a disability and can demonstrate
that the requested accommodations are necessary for participation in university programs
within established guidelines. Academic accommodations coordinated by DSS include, for
example, sign language interpreters, out-of-class testing, taped textbooks, note takers,
adjustable tables, closed captioning, etc. An Assistive Technology Support Specialist is
also on staff.
Any prospective or currently enrolled student interested in obtaining information about academic accommodations at Southwest Missouri State University should contact DSS at 417/ 836-4192 (voice), 417/836-6792 (TTY), DisabilitySupportServices@mail.MissouriState.edu.
It is the responsibility of the
student to inform DSS or his/her professor if assistance is desired.
Any student who has been found by
the instructor to have committed academic dishonesty, as defined on page 1 of the Student
Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures manual, will, at the discretion of the
instructor, be subject to any of the sanctions described on page 4 of the manual, up to
and including a grade of XF (failing because of academic dishonesty).
SCHEDULE
OF ACTIVITIES
The Schedule of Activities
found on the next page may change over the course of this semester. I will notify you of
any changes via email and will give you ample time to complete the activities. It is
important that you check your email on a daily basis. As an alternative, my website at www.mgt.MissouriState.edu/rothschild will be updated
regularly.
Schedule
of Class Activities (as of
August 25, 2003)
MGT 487 Section 03 – Business Strategy,
Fall 2003, 11:00-12:15 pm - TR
Wk |
Date |
Reading |
Assignment Due |
| 1 | T - 8/26 |
Introduction to the Syllabus |
1. Email and web access very important in this class. I
will send email to your SMS email account only. |
| . | R - 8/28 |
Topic: The Abilene Paradox Tips for Team Projects (no reading for today) |
1. Discuss characteristics of Entertainment Industry |
| 2 | T - 9/2 |
Chapter 1: The Strategic Management Process: An Overview Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz. |
1. Read Chapter
1 2. Quiz/Outline (10 pts used only if another quiz is canceled) 3. (5 pts) Click here to Read Article and Submit Response – Online response due by Tuesday, no later than 9 a.m. Want
to read more? |
| . | R- 9/4 |
Chapter 1: The Strategic Management
Process cont'd
|
1. Form Teams: 3 Minute Resume
Exercise (60 minutes)
2. (5 pts) Read,
“The Best and Worst Corporate Boards of Directors” (See Business Week,
11-25-96:p. 82-98) or link below http://www.businessweek.com/1996/48/b35031.htm
and bring to class a typewritten sheet of paper with a listing of "What
the best boards do" and "What the worst boards do." 3. Dr R Presents: Five Roles of Corporate Governance (15 minutes) 4. (if time allows) In class exercise: Corporate Governance is Like... |
| 3 | T- 9/9 |
Chapter 2:
Establishing Company
Direction Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz |
1. (10 pts)
Quiz on Readings for the day (or outline) 2. Read this article “Why CEO’s Fail” Fortune Magazine, 06/21/1999 and be prepared for at least one quiz question on the article. |
| . | R- 9/11 |
Chapter 2: Cont'd Mission Statements and Ethics |
1.
Online Activity: (5 pts) Bring to class Personal Mission Statement as generated at Covey Site http://www.franklincovey.com/missionbuilder/index.html 2. (10 pts) Strategy in the News Due by Team # 1 (each team member brings their own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| 4 | T- 9/16 |
Chapter 3: Industry and Competitive Analysis Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz |
1. (10 pts) Quiz on
Readings for the day (or outline) Focus: Table 3.5 2. (10 pts) Strategy in the News Due by Team # 2 (each team member brings their own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| . | R- 9/18 |
Chap 3: Cont'd | (10 pts) Strategy in the News Due by Team # 3 (each team member brings their own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| 5 | T- 9/23 |
Introduction to Practice Case Part 1 | 1. Read Case Callaway Golf Company found in back of Textbook 2. Click here to find Case Questions for today's reading (20pts) (questions to be posted on 9/19). 3. Click here to print and bring to class Practice Case Part 1 Guidelines (These guidelines will be revised 24 hours prior to today's date) |
| . | R- 9/25 |
Chap
4: Evaluating Company Resources & Competitive Capabilities Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz |
1. (10
pts) Quiz on Readings for the day (or outline)
2. (10 pts) Strategy in the
News Due by Team # 4 (each team member brings
his/her own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| . |
T- 9/30 |
Chap 5: Strategy and Competitive Advantage
|
1. (10 pts) Quiz
on Readings for the day (or outline). Pay particular attention to the Illustration
Capsules throughout the chapter. |
| 7 |
R- 10/2 |
Chapter 8:
Tailoring Strategy to Fit Specific Industry and Company Situations Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz |
1. (10 pts) Quiz
on Readings for the day (or outline). 2. (10 pts) Strategy in the News Due by Team # 6 (each team member brings their own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| . |
T- 10/7 |
In Class Work Day |
In Class Work Day |
| 8 |
R- 10/9 |
Practice
Case Part 1 Due Introduction to Practice Case Part 2 |
Completed
Practice Case Part 1 Due today Completed Peer Evaluation Form Due today Introduction to Practice Case Part 2 |
| . |
T- 10/14 |
Team Building Session and Chapter 6: Strategies for Competing in Globalizing Markets | No quiz today unless announced |
| 9 |
R- 10/16 |
EXAM 1 |
Review Questions for EXAM 1 |
| . | T- 10/21 |
Chap 11: Building Resource Strengths and Organizational Capabilities Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz |
1. (10 pts) Quiz on
Readings for the day (or outline)
2. (10 pts) Strategy in the News Due by Team #7 (each team member brings their own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| 10 |
R- 10/23 |
No
Class Fall Break |
|
| 11 |
T- 10/28 |
Chap 12: Managing the Internal Organization Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz |
1.
(10 pts) Quiz on Readings for the day (or outline) 2. (10 pts) Strategy in the News Due by Team #8 (each team member brings their own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| . | R- 10/30 |
Coaching
Session: Commendations and Recommendations Final Case Assigned |
1. Graded Practice Case Part
1 will be returned today 2. Practice Case Part 2 Due Today 3. Final Case - Ready, Set, Go - clock is running |
| 12 | T- 11/4 |
Chap 13: Corporate Culture and Leadership
|
1. (10 pts) Quiz on Readings for the day (or outline)
2. (10 pts) Strategy in the News Due by Team #9 (each team member brings their own news summary of different articles - attach copy of article) |
| . | R- 11/6 |
Chapter 9: Strategy and
Competitive Advantage in Diversified Companies |
1. (10 pts)
Quiz on Readings for the day (or outline) |
| 13 | T- 11/11 |
Chap 10: Evaluating the Strategies of Diversified Companies Questions to Answer for Today’s Quiz |
1.
(10 pts) Quiz on Readings for the day (or outline) |
| . | R- 11/13 |
Practice Case Part 2 Discussion | Graded Case Part 2 will be returned today or last class period |
| 14 | T- 11/18 |
EXAM 2 |
Review Questions for Exam 2 |
|
R- 11/20 |
Out of Class Work Day | Required Work Day | |
| 15 | T- |
In Class Work Day and Mini-Meetings | In
Class Work Day and Mini-Meetings Print and Bring to class: 1. Guidelines for Evaluating Strategy Presentations 2. Executive Summary Explained |
|
R- 11/28 |
No Class Thanksgiving Break |
||
| 16 |
T- 12/2 |
ALL
PAPERS DUE THIS DAY Oral Presentations |
ALL
PAPERS DUE THIS DAY Completed Peer Evaluation Form Due by midnight evaluating ORAL PRESENTATION due for those teams presenting today. Oral Presentation Team: # 5 Cedarfair Oral Presentation Team: |
| . | R- |
Oral Presentations | Completed
Peer
Evaluation Form Due by midnight evaluating ORAL PRESENTATION due for
those teams presenting today. Oral Presentation Team: # 1 World Wrestling Entertainment Oral Presentation Team: # 6 Winter Sport |
| 17 | T- 12/9 |
Oral Presentations |
Completed
Peer
Evaluation Form Due by midnight evaluating ORAL PRESENTATION due for
those teams presenting today. |
| . | R- |
Oral Presentations |
Completed
Peer
Evaluation Form Due by midnight evaluating ORAL PRESENTATION due for
those teams presenting today. |
| 16 |
T- 12/16 |
Required Assessment |
Final Exam Period: Tuesday, December 16, 11:00am to 1:00pm. If a student fails to take the exam, unless they have been officially excused by the Dean they will receive an "I" (incomplete) for the course grade in MGT 487. |
Important Date to Remember:
The final drop date is December 5, 2003. The grade of N (withdraw passing) may not be awarded
after this date.