Syllabus Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases 13th Ed. Thompson Strickland Professor Michael Guth

SYLLABUS

SULLIVAN UNIVERSITY

ON-LINE STUDIES

MGT 464 BUSINESS STRATEGY

March 21 – June 13, 2007

Spring 2007 Quarter

Instructor: Dr. Michael A. S. Guth

Contact Information:

Mailing address: 116 Oklahoma Ave.

Oak Ridge, TN

37830-8604

E-mail address: mike @ michaelguth.com

Work phone number: 865-483-8309

Skype: mikeguth

Required Text: Thompson & Strickland, Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, 13^th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Course Description:

This is the capstone course to the undergraduate business program. Students bring to bear all the experience of their study in economics, finance, marketing, accounting, and management to analyze central problems for businesses and the application of strategic management in both developing and executing business policies. This course explores the issues of defining corporate mission, objectives, policies, and goals. Participants focus on the analysis of the firm's external and internal environment to identify and create competitive advantage in a global context. The course emphasizes the cultural, ethical, political, and regulatory issues facing any global business and the need for leadership for a successful management of strategic change. Specific problems involved in the forming of consistent business policies and maintaining an efficient organization are discussed. Actual cases are used for discussions and preparation of reports for executive decision-making. As shown in the title of the course textbook, a primary focus in this course will be the craft of strategy: how to identify and choose a superior competitive position, how to analyze a strategic situation, and finally how to create the organizational context to make the chosen strategy work. To achieve this, we start from the analysis of the external competitive environment, looking at industry structure, value chain dynamics, and assess how a firm can select the best position within this environment. We then move to an analysis of firm resources and capabilities, and look at the firm's resource system, and examine the challenge of coordinating the pieces of the puzzle that underpin corporate success. We then turn to implementation, and to the way in which the organizational context enables us to put this strategy into action. The course concludes with a session on the challenges of strategic management in a time of rapid technological change.

What this course is about:

Management, in general, is about leading, organizing, motivating and planning within the organization and business environment. Strategic Management is concerned with how to make a company perform, and perform well, in a competitive business environment. Successfully crafting and implementing business strategies is a key responsibility for business managers, especially those in the upper echelon. Strategic management can be hard to pin down and define at times, complex to implement – and hence, challenging to grasp. This is in part because understanding, crafting, and implementing business strategy requires that managers have the abilities to comprehend the current business environment, satisfactorily project what the future is likely to be like for the firm, and use broad array of skills and knowledge. Strategic managers must be able to demonstrate that they have:

(1) quantitative business analysis skills

(2) the ability to reliably apply sound business principles and fundamentals

(3) a deep understanding of the purpose and objectives of a business

(4) knowledge of the nature of the competitive environment in which a firm operates

(5) an understanding the core resources and capabilities of a firm and its competitors

(6) knowledge about the various ways in which strategies may be implemented.

Course Objectives:

As a result of successfully completing this course, the student should be able to

1. explain conceptual frameworks and models which will assist you to analyze competitive situation and strategic dilemmas and gain insight into strategic management;

2. apply practical experience in dealing with strategic issues;

3. discuss and analyze the complexity of the organization and policy formulation by management within the public and private sectors;

4. evaluate organizational situations, problems, and opportunities in terms of managerial strategy;

5. identify the central problem of an organization in textbook and real-life situations;

6. develop alternative strategies and problem-solving scenarios;

7. understand the interrelationship of internal and external environment and the organization;

8. conceptualize policy from various perspectives;

9. define the strategic planning process;

10. show awareness of the internal and external forces that enable (and/or constrain) strategic action;

11. demonstrate an understanding of the strategies employed at the corporate, business-unit and functional level; and

12. use the analytical and quantitative tools required for effective strategic analysis.

The key to meeting these objectives lies in your ability to perform analysis, make informed decisions, and to clearly communicate the results of your analysis. Managers are frequently misinterpreted and cannot assume that others know about what they are talking. It is very difficult to clearly and succinctly express a complex plan or idea in ways that others can understand it and carry it out as you intend. You will practice communication skills in this course. You are assumed to have these skills (writing and speaking) already (meaning, as of the time you enroll in MGT 464).

By meeting the objectives of this course, you will learn concepts, apply tools, and develop thinking skills that can help you manage a business of your own, your home, your career, and help you understand (in the short-term) your boss’s job and why the company you work for behaves as it does. In the long-term, you may be an executive-level manager or CEO who, to fulfill the requirements of your job and keep your company performing well, will use the concepts of strategic management to determine the direction and activities of your company. Thus, this course has numerous applications that matter in everyday life and to your career.

Distance Learning Requirements (You must have access to):

1. A personal computer capable of running Netscape Navigator 3.0 or above or Internet Explorer 5.0 or above.

2. Access to the internet with a 56 kb modem or better

3. A personal e-mail account that you can access on a regular basis

4. E-mail software capable of sending and receiving attached file

Note: It is highly recommended that you use your own computer to enroll in this class. Students who take an on-line course without their own computers are at a disadvantage.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: Any student whose disabilities fall within the ADA must inform their instructor(s) at the beginning of the term of any special needs or equipment necessary to accomplish the requirements of the course.

ON-LINE LIBRARY: Sullivan University on-line library services are available to all currently registered students and be accessed through the Sullivan University web site (www.sullivan.edu).

ACADEMIC HONESTY: In accordance with the Standards of Conduct in the Sullivan University catalog, a student or organization may be disciplined, up to and including suspension and expulsion, if deemed in violation of the Standards of Conduct for the commission of or the attempt to commit this offense: Dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism or knowingly furnishing false information to the university, faculty, or other officers or employees of the university.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Evaluation and Grading:

Weekly Open-Book Exams (70%), Discussion Board Participation (including answers to case study questions) (30%).

Grading Policy:

A = 90% to 100% cumulative average

B = 80 to 89% cumulative average

C = 70 to 79% cumulative average

D = 60 to 69% cumulative average

F = 0 to 59% cumulative average

Incompletes:

A grade of Incomplete will be given in extenuating circumstances only. Poor planning of course load and class work by a student does not constitute extenuating circumstances. Failure to show up for any or either part of course will result in a grade of “F.” A grade of Incomplete will be given only if the student and the instructor mutually agree, in writing, prior to the last day this class meets. (Details will include what work is to be made up, how it is to be made up, and when the work is due).

Instructional Mode:

Topics for the week’s discussion are listed in this syllabus under course outline. Also, the instructor will post each week’s discussion topics on Monday morning. Each week you will be given open book quizzes covering that week’s reading assignments. The quizzes will consist of multiple choice and short answer sections. YOU WILL RECEIVE THE ANSWERS to the multiple choice section. These answers are provided to you as study guides. You will answer the short-answer questions by submitting them in the BODY OF an e-mail message to Prof. Guth at BusStrategy@michaelguth.com . NO ATTACHED FILES WILL BE ACCEPTED OR READ!

The subject line of your e-mail message should contain a message “Business Strategy Week 1, Chap. 1 & 2,” or “Business Strategy Week 2, Chap. 3,” etc. Students who provide too skimpy answers to the questions will have to resubmit their work. You should place the question in boldface and your answer in normal type. For Chapter 2, your answers will look like:

78. What is the difference between a mission statement and a strategic vision?

Your answer will be written here as several sentences or a couple of paragraphs.

79. What are the risks and pitfalls of defining a company's business in broad terms?

Your answer will be written here in normal face type.

Your weekly assignments should be sent to the BusStrategy@michaelguth.com address; however, any individual questions or direct contact with Prof. Guth should be sent via e-mail to mike @ michaelguth.com.

Attendance:

Everyone should be signed on no later than the Friday of the first week of class. The level of discussion board participation will be defined in the first two weeks of the course. Until further notice, you should assume that students will NOT be required to post three substantive messages to the discussion board each week.

Course Outline:

Week One