Course Outline

.pdf
COURSE: BUS 478 (E100) SCHEDULE: Tu.4:30PM - 7:20 PM TITLE: Strategy OFFICE: SEMESTER: Fall 2022 INSTRUCTOR: Rui Basto da Silva ( [email protected]) Prerequisites Prerequisites: Bus 207, 312, 343, 360, and either Bus 374 or 381; 90 credit hours Course Content The study of Business Strategy is essentially the study of competition: how firms interact with other firms and with their external environment more broadly; and how those interactions affect firms' relative performance — i.e., who wins and why? This course starts with the premise that a business strategy is a "plan to compete," or more precisely, a plan to out - compete one's rivals, a plan to win the competition. Ideally such a plan specifies the firm's objectives and the key choices and trade -offs it is making to achieve those objectives in the face of competition from other firms (for example, what market position it will occupy and how it will allocate its scarce resources); in other words, how it will achieve a competitive advantage. In this context, strategic analysis — the analysis that supports the development of a strategy — requires first an understanding of the nature of competition in general and second an understanding of the specific competitive context faced by a given firm. In particular, strategic analysis involves assessing the competitive landscape, including the structure of the firm's industry; the firm's own internal strengths and weaknesses; and the strengths and weaknesses of its existing and potential rivals. This course will introduce tools, concepts, and frameworks used to analyze the nature of competition and to identify and assess strategic options. Objectives 1. Develop your capacity to think strategically about a firm, its business position, how it can gain sustainable competitive advantage and how its strategy can be executed successfully 2. Build your skills in conducting strategic analysis in a variety of industries and competitive situations and to provide you with stronger understanding of the competitive challenges of a global market environment 3. Acquaint you with the managerial tasks associated with implementing and executing company strategies, drill you in the range of actions managers can take to promote competent strategy execution 4. Integrate knowledge gained in other business courses, show how various pieces of the business puzzle fit together and demonstrate why different parts of a business need to be managed in strategic harmony for a firm to operate in winning fashion
Required Textbook and Cases Hitt, Ireland, Strategic Management Concepts, 13th Edition, ISBN: 9780176786021. Course package: https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/ivey-coursepack/a1R5c00000E8sIiEAJ Grading Standards An "A" is for work of distinction , a "B" is for work of good quality, and a "C" is for work of minimal acceptance. I make a conscious effort to evaluate your assignments by these standards. Grading Practices Faculties, departments, and schools reserve the right to scale grades in order to maintain equity among sections and conformity to University, faculty, department, or school norms. Students should therefore note that an unofficial grade given by an instructor might be changed by the faculty, department, or school. Grades are not official until they appear on a student's academic record. Case discussions / Midterms (2)/ Presentations Midterm 1 (25%) The midterm covers textbook chapters 1-5 as well as content discussed in lectures. The 2-hour midterm consists of multiple choices (~30%) and short answer questions (~70%). Midterm 2 (25%) The midterm covers textbook chapters 6-13 (except 11) as well as content discussed in lectures. The 2- hour midterm consists of multiple choices (~30%) and short answer questions (~70%). Case Discussions (5%) These cases are intended to be discussed almost entirely by the students and my role during these discussions is to facilitate. Students are evaluated individually based on the quality and quality of their inputs. Everybody will have a chance to participate, but students are expected to be proactive. The grading scheme is as follow: 0 - Absent or late to class. 5 - Present but does not participate. 6 - Participates with basic information such as case facts. 7 - Offers an opinion or asks/answers a basic question. 8 - Engages in a meaningful discussion with other members of the class. 9 - Shares an insightful analysis using data or evidence from the case or reading. 10 - Provides insight or asks a question that is instrumental in advancing understanding. Individual Case Write Up (20%) The case submission is a comprehensive case dealing with issues up to that point in the course. You will be asked to answer a number of specific questions that require you to analyze the case and make a recommendation. The case submission is an individual assignment and you may not consult with your classmates or any other individuals . The report needs to be submitted to Canvas and Turnitin by Friday, Nov.18 at 11:59 PM. The set of questions will be posted on Canvas 72 hours before the case is due and each submission must not exceed 2,000 words in total.
There is no make up for missing a submission . Late assignments will be subject to penalty as follows: 15% penalty if submitted 1 minute to 60 minutes late; 30% penalty if submitted 61 minutes to 10 hours late; and a grade of zero if submitted more than 10 hours late. Turnitin Written work for this course will be submitted via Turnitin, a third-party service licensed for use by SFU. Turnitin is used for originality checking to help detect plagiarism. Students will be required to create an account with Turnitin, and to submit their work via that account, on the terms stipulated in the agreement between the student and Turnitin. This agreement includes the retention of your submitted work as part of the Turnitin database. Any student with a concern about using the Turnitin service may opt to use an anonymous identity in their interactions with Turnitin. Students who do not intend to use Turnitin in the standard manner must notify the instructor at least two weeks in advance of any submission deadline. In particular, it is the responsibility of any student using the anonymous option (i.e., false name and temporary email address created for the purpose) to inform the instructor such that the instructor can match up the anonymous identity with the student. Class ID: 35744051 Enrolment Key: Strategy478 Final Team Presentation (20%) Students will work in teams of 5 to 6 people, depending on the number of students who signed up for the course. Each team is responsible for presenting the findings and recommend a strategy for a company of their choice. The class is expected to constructively challenge the team, and the team to constructively defend their work. The presentation is expected to take about 20 minutes and another 20 minutes for Q/A. Participation (5%) Students are encouraged to attend and actively participate in all classes, and marks will be allocated for such purpose. • 2% for being on time and productive in class. If you are late for more than 5 minutes, you will not get attendance marks for that day • 3% for Q/A during the final presentations Constructive contribution to the class is an integral part of the course. Just coming to class is not enough. It is impossible to ascertain whether you are prepared unless you open your mouth and say something. Academic Integrity The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply. You are reminded that University regulations regarding cheating and plagiarism are quite severe. If you are in doubt about any
matter pertaining to academic integrity please discuss the matter beforehand with the instructor. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences. Confidential Peer Evaluations Team work is a central component of the course and we encourage you to make friends and have fun. Being a good team member involves: a. Respecting your classmates b. Acting in good faith c. Attending team meetings d. Meeting deadlines e. Producing quality work that meets the team's standards f. Pulling your weight Every team member will have a chance to evaluate the contribution of each of the members in the group. The instructor may take into consideration the peer evaluations in determining the individual's grade for the "group work" should that individual have not contributed equally. For those that do not contribute to your group's efforts, you could hypothetically receive a grade of 0% on the group work worth 30% of your overall grade. No grade will be increased above the group grade. The peer evaluation reacts to consensus: being down-graded by a single team member does little damage and typically will be disregarded. Team members that work in good faith will not experience grade adjustments, while individuals that perform below the expectations of their peers will experience a negative grade adjustment. I reserve the right to adjust peer evaluations to ensure fairness. My advice is to be proactive and set expectations early. Poor communication and failing to manage expectations are often the source of discrepancies in peer evaluations. Teams are encouraged to meet with me if they encounter any issues with team dynamics or the performance of team members. Class Policies Attendance: Students are expected to attend 100% of their scheduled classes. Students missing more than 20% of scheduled classes for reasons other than illness will be withdrawn from the course. Withdrawals, depending on timing, could result in a "W" or an "F" standing on a student's transcript. Students must notify their instructor at the earliest opportunity if they are expected to miss a class due to illness. A medical note from a licensed, local doctor is required for missing a class with an in-class deliverable (e.g. midterm, case discussion). Tardiness: Students are expected to arrive for classes and activities on time and fully prepared. Late arrivals may be refused entry at the discretion of the instructor. Students arriving late will be treated as absent for that class. Electronic Devices: Research has shown that multi-tasking on laptops in class has negative implications for the learning environment, including reducing student academic performance and the performance of those sitting around them. Laptops and other electronic devices (cellphones, tablets, personal technology, etc.) are not permitted in class unless required by the instructor for specific in-class activities or exercises. Cellphones and other personal electronic devices must be turned off during class and placed away from the desk.
Schedule Date Week # Chapter(s) Topic(s) Deliverables Sep 13 1 1 • Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Sep 20 2 2 • The External Environment: Opportunities, Threats, Industry Competition, and Competitor Analysis Sep 27 3 3 • The Internal Organization: Resources, Capabilities, Core Competencies, and Competitive Advantage Oct 04 4 4 • Business Level Strategy Case 1: Samsung Mobile Oct 11 5 5 • Business Competitive Rivalry and Competitive Dynamics Oct 18 6 Midterm 1 (Ch1-5 + Samsung ) Oct 25 7 6, 7 • Corporate Level Strategy • Merger and Acquisition Nov 01 8 8 • International Strategy Case 2: P&G Japan Nov 08 9 9 • Cooperative Strategy Nov 15 10 12, 13 • Strategic Leadership • Strategic Entrepreneurship Individual Case Submission (Rivian)
Nov 22 11 Midterm 2 (Ch.6-9 and 12-13 + P&G Japan) Nov 29 12 Presentation Dec.06 13 Disclaimer While every attempt will be made to keep to this schedule, the instructor reserves the right at all times to make changes in the material to be covered including, but not limited to, the cases and the reading material. Advance notice of changes in the material will be provided in the classroom.
Uploaded by jordanspartan on coursehero.com