SYLLABUS
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
MANA 5336-005
Long Summer2010
Scheduled Meeting Dates:Tuesdays and Thursdays June 8 to Aug. 3
.
Time:5:30 pm to 7:50 pm
Place: Room 152
Professor:Charles D. Little, Ph.D.
Office Hours:Immediately before and after class
e-mail:
Phone:817/944-9825
Course Description
Integration of the MBA curriculum into a cohesive whole. Treats the several elements of business administration by use of discussions of strategic approaches, business policy cases, and analysis of various strategies deployed by organizations of all varieties.
Textbook*
Crafting & Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage, Concepts and Cases, Thompson, Strickland, and Gamble. 17th Edition. McGraw-Hill. Boston, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-70-353042-0
*This textbook is absolutely essential to the successful completion of this course!
Course Overview
This course “capstones” the graduate business learning experience. It deals with strategy, business policy, planning, and strategic decision-making paramount to management and leadership responsibility in a volatile, uncertain, and challenging business environment. The course combines all functional areas of business as they impinge upon strategic decision-making, vital to the future health and direction of an organization. The course will be different from most of the courses you have had in functional disciplines (e.g. accounting, marketing, etc.), because you will be required to use a wide range of business knowledge and exhibit diverse skills.
In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that all managers not only must apply knowledge from a variety of functional areas, but they also must perform activities that require knowledge and skills not addressed in those areas. Some of the trends that reinforce this need include downsizing, de-layering, empowerment, and intensified global competition. Therefore, it has become acknowledged that there is a unique body of knowledge that is not taught in functional business courses that should be taught in a course such as this. Topics such as the nature of managerial work, strategy formulation and implementation, and organization design are examples. Also, the development/refinement of skills in oral and written communication and conceptual/integrating ability is a major objective of the course.
Learning Centered Outcomes
Learn the enormous responsibility of management and leadership in the modern organizational environment, where vital decisions must be made, daily, in order to ensure success in the business environment and the marketplace. The center of attention is the total enterprise: the industry and the competitive environment, its long-term direction and strategy, its resources and competitive capabilities, and its prospects for success, all functioning together, strategically, to result in some pre-conceived outcome.
Learn to analyze a particular business situation through the study of cases. The cases presented with the class material are actual and true business scenarios involving real domestic and international companies. As you strengthen your analytical skills you will also learn to pull together an optimum strategic plan based upon internal and external environmental conditions. This is much more than reacting to specific situations, dealing with daily dilemmas, or asking questions and looking for concrete answers. The organizational and competitive environment is much more dynamic and complex than that.
You will learn to size up a company’s standing in the industry and its competitive environment considering its ability to go head-to-head with rivals, learn to tell the difference between winning strategies and mediocre strategies, and become more skilled in spotting methods and ways to improve a company’s strategy and/or its execution. You will learn to identify specific problems, and propose and justify specific solutions that are realistic, effective, and efficient. There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the successes and failures of organizations, and we will explore some of the more classic ones.
In summary, this course will spotlight many things that are involved in running a business enterprise! What do managers and leaders do, and what must they do well to make a company successful? The answers that emerge, which will become the theme of this course, are that good strategic planning and execution are key to organizational success and the most reliable signs of good leadership and organizational support. Our mission is to learn why good strategic management leads to good business performance, and to present the tools and concepts of strategic analysis. We will also practice the methods of setting reachable goals and objectives, while crafting a well-conceived strategy and putting it into action.
Course Assignments*
June 8Introductions and Teacher/Student Interaction
Syllabus Overview and Course Requirements
June 10Chapter 1-What is Strategy and Why is it Important?
Chapter 2 – Leading the Process of Crafting and Executing
Strategy
(Introduction to Strategic Management and Strategic
Management Process)
June 15Chapter 3 - The SWOT. Evaluating a Company’s External
Environment
Chapter 4 - The SWOT. Evaluating a Company’s Resources
and Competitive Position (The Internal Environment)
Case 2 - Costco Wholesale Corporation: Mission,
Business Model, and Strategy (Textbook, C-32)
June 17Team Assignments
Discussion - Preparing Cases in Strategic Management
(handout) Analyzing a Case in Strategic Management
Discussion - The Strategic Business Plan
June 22Chapter 5 - The Five Generic Competitive Strategies:
Which One to Employ?
Case 8 - Panera Bread (Textbook, C-162)
June 24Chapter 6 - Supplementing the Chosen Competitive Strategy:
Other Important Strategy Choices
Case - One Team: A Story of Performance. Burlington
Northern Railroad
Mid-Term Exam Review
June 29Mid-Term Exam
July 1Chapter 8 - Diversification: Strategies for Managing a Group
of Businesses
Case - PepsiCo’s Diversification Strategy in 2008
(Textbook, C-346)
July 6Chapter 9 - Ethical Business Strategies, Social Responsibility,
and Environmental Sustainability
Case - The Rise and Fall of Carly Fiorina (handout)
July 8Case - Competing on Capabilities: The New
Rules of Corporate Strategy; Wal-Mart (handout)
Video - Is Wal-Mart Good for America?
Case - Logistics Leverage: The case for integrating core
competencies in strategic planning (handout)
July 13Video/Discussion - The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (and its impact on
strategic planning)
Discussion - Accounting and Finance in Strategic Planning
Discussion - The Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley and its Future
July 15Chapter 10/11 – Executing the Strategic Plan
Discussion - Strategies in Action
Case – Southwest Airlines in 2008: Culture, Values, Operating
Practices (Textbook, C-367)
July 20Chapter 12 - Corporate Culture and Leadership: Keys to
Good Strategy Execution (PP)
July 22Discussion - Change, Change Management, and Implementing
Strategic Change
July 27Class Presentations
July 29Class Presentations
Final Exam Review
Aug. 3Final Exam
Final (written) Team Report Due
Class Evaluations
*All text assignments and handouts should be read prior to the class in which they are assigned.
*Course assignments are intended to provide students with basic information concerning the course. The syllabus can be viewed as a ‘blueprint’ for the course; changes in the syllabus can be made and students will be informed of any substantive changes concerning examinations, the grading, class dates, attendance policies, and changes in project assignments.
Method of Instruction
Seventeen 2 1/3-hour sessions comprised of text discussions, special topics discussions, speakers, videos, individual and team cases studies and analyses, and team presentations.
Withdrawal Policy
Adds, drops, withdrawals (WP and WF) should be done in accordance with current university policy.
Absence Policy
Regular and punctual attendance at all scheduled classes is expected of all students. University regulations authorize absences of students when representing the university, i.e. athletic, student government, student development, or fine arts events. Other authorized absences are those that may be necessary to fulfill course requirements. Absences may be excused in the event of illness or other emergencies and should be reported promptly to the instructor. Students are held responsible for all class assignments.
Late Exams and Assignments
In the event it becomes necessary to miss an exam or turn in an assignment past the due date, the student should notify the instructor as soon as practicable. With ample notice, an exam may be rescheduled at a time and date agreeable to both the student and instructor. Late assignments may be made up similarly. If it is not possible to make up work missed prior to the end of the semester, the instructor will consider awarding an “I” (incomplete) in accordance with university policy, i.e. extreme circumstances, and in agreement with how the “I” will be removed.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is highly valued at the University of Texas Arlington. Students must always submit work that represents their original words of ideas. If any words or ideas used in a class posting or assignment submission do not represent the student’s original words and ideas, all relevant sources must be cited along with the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citation include, but are not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable source. Please see the university catalog for more information about academic honesty, including consequences of academic dishonesty.
Children in Classes
Minor children of university students are not permitted to attend class with their parents.
Cell Phones
Classroom disruption by cell phone, paging, and texting devices is prohibited. A student facing the possibility of receiving emergency calls may leave the device on silent or vibrate during class if he/she has informed the professor. Otherwise, these devices must be turned off at the beginning of the class. Routine work-related calls or personal calls from friends are not considered emergencies.
Lap-top Computers
The use of lap-top computers for routine note taking is permissible as long as they are not a distraction to our discussions, students and the professor. Lap-tops nor any other electronic device may not be used during exams. Lap-tops may be used for class presentations.
University Policies
All students should read the current UTA Catalog and Student Handbook to become familiar with University policies. These policies include, but are not limited to grade appeal, sexual harassment, and student access to records and other policies specified in the current catalog are applicable unless otherwise stated in this syllabus.
The University of Texas Arlington adheres to a disability policy, which is in keeping with relevant federal law. The University will provide appropriate accommodations as required Americans with Disabilities Act. Students must notify instructors of any permanent or temporary disabilities and must provide documentation regarding those disabilities prior to the granting of an accommodation.
Grading and Requirements for Credit*
Mid-term exam = 1/3
Final exam = 1/3
Team presentation and final report = 1/3
90% to 100% = A
80% to 89% = B
70% to 79% = C
60% to 69% = D
50% to 59% = F
Class attendance and participation in discussions is encouraged. It can be a determining factor in a border-line grade.
If it is necessary to miss class, students are encouraged to advise the professor.
*In accordance with federal law and student’s rights to privacy, final grades will not be posted nor given by telephone.
Objectives of Case Analyses
Cases provide detailed information about organizations competing in different industries. They expose you to conditions, situations and problems associated with the diverse organizations and the industries in which they compete. They provide you with the opportunity to sharpen your skills in the diagnosis and strategic analysis of various business scenarios, and they will require you to integrate theknowledge of all the disciplines that you have been exposed to in your entire graduate plan of study. Insight into the actions and decisions of executives and managers in organizations, and the results of such activities, provides us with excellent material for analysis and critique. They provide you the ability to imagine yourself in the role of a leader, and challenge you to apply the tools and techniques of strategic management.
In general, you are to size up the problems and conditions of the case, and decide the soundness of the organization's strategic business plan (if they have one). Apply the concepts and tools in the text chapters and the knowledge of the business disciplines that you have studied throughout your graduate experience.
There are questions and issues that are pertinent to most all cases that need to be diagnosed, analyzed, and critiqued in conjunction with the strategic business plan, such as:
*The goals of the firm;
*The strategy the firm is using to support the goals;
*Leadership;
*The strength of the organizational structure to support the strategy;
*Talent available to support the strategy;
*Organizational technical competencies;
*Financial resources and policy;
*Other resources to support the strategy;
*The attractiveness of the industry in which the firm has chosen to compete;
*Market conditions and the competitive environment;
*Core competencies or weaknesses that might impact success;
*Situational issues (internal and/or external) that should concern management;
There will likely be other considerations relative to the unique scenario presented (although these are common to most all cases). The strengthof a case analyses will be in our ability to identify them, analyze them and prescribe recommendations that the firm should consider in order to develop and/or strengthen its business plan, i.e. create, revise, and improve the strategies to achieve organizational goals. *Always ask yourself the questions: Is this a sound strategy? If so, why? If not, why not? Then, as it pertains to recommendations, what would be a better strategy in consideration of the organization’s internal strengths, weaknesses and external environment (opportunities and threats). In short, where did the business plan fall short? What was missing? What would you do to strengthen their business plan?
Specific instructions for team case projects (class presentations and case analyses) will be discussed and prescribed in class.
Student Profile
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