BU 461 BUSINESS POLICY & STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Spring 2010

Wed., Fri (2:30-4:10 PM)

Jem 364

Instructor:DELETED FOR BLINDED MS (Jem 149 G)

Office Phone:654-2477

E-mail:DELETED FOR BLINDED MS

Office Hours:Mon. 10:30 am -11:30 am, Thursday 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, OR by appt.

4 Credits

Course Description:

The emphasis in this course will be on general management. Unlike other departmental requirements which focus on a single functional area of business (like accounting, finance, production or marketing) we will concentrate on the total business environment and how the various functional areas are integrated by the general manager. The central concepts that we will study are strategy formulation and implementation, as strategic management has long been considered the primary vehicle for integration of the many activities that comprise a successful organization. As a capstone course for business majors, this course will require you to draw on skills and knowledge gained from many aspects of your previous classes.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, you will have:

  • developed a managerial point of view for analyzing problems on a company wide basis.
  • integrated the knowledge acquired in previous courses and understand which elements are most germane to the role of the general manager.
  • developed systematic analytical thinking and the skill to report conclusions effectively in both written and oral presentations.
  • acquired an appreciation for the wide array of environmental forces which impact the formulation and execution of business strategy and the problems which confront businesses in a variety of industries.

Course Requirements:

To satisfy the objectives of the course we need to accomplish several things. You must have a basic understanding of the vocabulary and concepts of strategic management. We will reinforce these concepts in four ways.

1. A business plan for a start-up company or non-profit organization of your choosing. This will be done on a group/team basis. Depending on a preliminary evaluation by the instructor and other faculty members, your plan may be entered in the Enterprise Plan competition held this spring. Details on the competition are available at the web site for the event: The finals will be held on Friday April 30,2010, with finalists presenting in front of a select panel of judges as well as the Saint Michael's College community. This coincides with the annual Student Research Symposium, featuring student research from all departments/majors on campus. Those teams/plans which do not make it to the finals will be displaying their plans at a poster session, tentatively scheduled for 11:30 AM to 1:00 Pm on that date. Displaying your plan at the session is a requirement to receive full credit for your plan in this course.

A unique feature of this section of BU 461 is that you will be collaborating with one section of students in the Biology Dept. Senior Seminar, BI 410, taught by Prof. DELETED FOR BLINDED MS. The Biology students will serve as scientific advisors and work with your group/team on the development of business plans for “green” enterprise start-ups, businesses that address environmental problems. The two sections will come together for several joint sessions to develop ideas and work on the business plans.

2. Cases. We will also use cases to demonstrate the range of concepts discussed by the chapter readings and discussion. The cases should help you to gain some understanding of real issues faced by businesses today. Case write ups will consist of 2-4 pages double spaced written memos. The cases can/will be found in the etext which accompanies the computer simulation. Students who choose not to submit an assigned case for write up will instead submit a one page memo/summary of the main case issues. Failure to submit this memo will result in deductions from the grades on subsequent case submissions

3. Teams of three to four students will participate in a web-based simulation will give participants an opportunity to make decisions and consider the consequences of those decisions without having to risk real money. The simulation will allow students to choose between various strategic alternatives and understand how strategy is the means to allocate resources in an organization. Grades will be based on each team’s standing within the simulation, completion of several short, simulation-related written reports and the clear execution of your strategy.

4. Comprehensive examinations. There will be two exams in the course. One will be an exam reviewing your mastery of basic business concepts. This exam is prepared by an external source (ETS) and consists entirely of multiple choice questions. Scoring will be done by ETS To prepare for this exam, you will have to review your notes and materials from previous business courses you have taken (Accounting; Economics; Financial Management; Management & Organizational Behavior; & Marketing), as well as notes/slides from the in-class review tutorials (see below).

Theother exam will cover materials related to the text and readings. This exam will consist of a series of essay and/or short answer questions.

5. Teams of students will prepare review sessions/tutorials on one of the functional areas of business (Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management/Organizational Behavior, Marketing, Management Information Systems/Production Operations Management). These review sessions/tutorials will serve a dual purpose: They will help the class prepare for the ETS test, described in item 4 above, and they will give the Biology students an introduction to the basic concepts of business for purposes of developing the business plans. Note: The Biology students will also be leading similar tutorials sessions, to familiarize business students with the scientific basis for the various environmental issues/problems which the business plans will attempt to address.

Grades

Requirement / Percent of Grade
Business Plan
Rocket Pitch 5 %
Plan 20 %
Poster session 5% / 30
Cases : 4 @ 6 % / 24
Computer Simulation
Report @ 10 %
Results/standings 6 / 16
Comprehensive ETS exam / 20
Review sessions/tutorials / 4
Class Participation / 6
100 %

Texts & Materials:

a)Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J., and Gamble, J.E. Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage . 17th Ed. (available at ) ($43.21)

b) Barringer, B.R. Preparing Effective Business Plans: An entrepreneurial approach. Electronic custom book, available for purchase/download at ($26.67)

c )Computer Simulation: Introduction to Business and Strategy ( ($25.00)

d )Cases: All cases used will be found in the Thompson text.

Attendance Policy:

Attendance policy for the course is stipulated in the College's catalogue. Excessive unexcused absences will impact your grade in the course.

Academic Integrity:

Students are expected to adhere to the College's academic integrity policy, as outlined in the publication Responsibilities, Rights & Rules: StudentGuide & Code. Violations of this code will result in failure of the assignment and/or the entire course.

Classroom Policies

Please come to class on time. No texting/cell phone usage is permitted during class time.

Tentative Timetable

Wk / Dates / Topic(s) / Text Ch. / Case
1 / 1/13,
1/15 / What is Strategy and Why is it important?
Common session with BI class: Entrepreneurship, Enterprise Plan Competition, Green Business
/ 1
2 / 1/20,
1/22 / Leading the Process of Crafting & Executing Strategy
Evaluating a Company’s External Environment / 2
3 / Chemfree
Cascadia
3 / 1/27
1/29 / Evaluating a Company’s External Environment
Common Session with BI class / 3 / Wind to Energy
4 / 2/3
2/ 5 / Evaluating a Company’s Resources & Competitive Position
Common Session with BI class / 4 / Monsanto
5 / 2/10
2/12 / The Five Generic Competitive Strategies
Common Session with BI class / 5 / Terracyle
6 / 2/17,
2/19 /

Ethical Business Strategies, Social Responsibility, and Environmental Sustainability

Common Session with BI class / 6 / SelectPower
Fiji Water
7 / 2/24, 26 /

Common Sessionswith BI class: Business Plan ideation

8 / 3/3, 5 / Business Plan preparation & review
9 / 3/10,
3/ 12 / Business Plan preparation & review
Common Session with BI class
10 / 3/17, 19 /

No classes - Spring Break

11 / 3/24, 26 / Business Plan preparation & review- Rocket Pitches due
12 / 3/31
4/1
4/2 / Business Plan preparation & review
Bus plans due for grading
No class – Good Friday
13 / 4/7
4/9 /

Business Plan preparation & review

Business Plans due to Enterprise Plan Competition

14 / 4/14, 16 /

Computer Simulation

Computer Simulation
15 / 4/21
4/23 /

Exam II – ETS Major Field Test

Computer Simulation

16 / 4/28
4/30 / Computer Simulation
Student Research Symposium/Poster Sessions
Attendance Required

1