TUESDAY 6:15-8:55 PM, BSA 106

 

Instructor:           Susan Horne

Office:                 College of Business Administration, BA A417

Telephone:          330.672.1183

E-mail:                 shorne1@kent.edu – FASTEST WAY TO REACH ME

Office Hours:      Tuesday after class or by appointment.  I have class Monday and Wednesday evenings but can be available either evening between 7 and 8:30 PM as needed.

 

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS

·            Essentials of Strategic Management, CUSTOM EDITION, J. David Hunger and Thomas L. Wheelen, Prentice Hall

o       ISBN 0-536-86100-5 (green paperback)

·        Case Packet

·        Course website

o       https://vista.kent.edu:  you must check this site regularly for course information!  Additional details to be provided on the first night of class.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

·        To develop your capacity to think strategically about a company including its present business position, long-term direction, resources and competitive capabilities, and opportunities for gaining sustainable competitive advantage.

·        To build your skills in conducting strategic analysis in a variety of industries and competitive situations and to provide you with a stronger understanding of the competitive challenges of a dynamic global market environment.

·        To acquaint you with the managerial tasks associated with implementing and executing company strategies, the range of actions managers can take to promote competent strategy execution, and increase your potential for success as part of a company’s strategy-implementing team.

·        To integrate knowledge gained in earlier core courses in the business school curriculum, show you how the various pieces of the business puzzle fit together, and demonstrate why the different parts of a business need to be managed in strategic harmony.

·        To develop your powers of managerial judgment, help you learn how to assess business risk, and improve your ability to make sound decisions and achieve effective outcomes.

·        To increase your proficiency in using personal computers to do managerial analysis.

·        To increase your awareness of the importance of exemplary ethical principles, sound personal and company values, and socially responsible management practices.

 

GRADING PLAN

There are 500 available points for the semester broken down as folows:

 

 

 

Grades will be assigned as follows:

Quizzes (100 Points)

There will be series of five quizzes worth 15 points each sprinkled throughout the course as well as a final.  These quizzes will be based upon classroom exercises, case discussions, and topics from the text that will be covered in class and should be incorporated into the case work.  If you are actively engaged in all classes and complete all assignments, you should have little difficulty successfully completing the quizzes.

Feedback from previous students has indicated that the case analyses are the most valuable aspects of the course and provide the greatest opportunity for individual and group interaction and learning.  In response to that feedback, this course is almost exclusively case based.  We will be analyzing approximately one case per week; written analyses and in class discussion are required for each of these cases.  In some weeks, full strategic analyses will be required while in others, certain portions will suffice.  Your instructor will inform you which cases will require full analysis.  For clues, refer to the point breakdown on the schedule posted on the class website!

In Class Case Discussions (50 Points)

Attendance is required on those days an assigned case is discussed in class. Absence from class on case discussion days when you are on tap for discussion will result in zero points for you for that case as participation.  Active participation in case discussion with solid contributions in terms of meaningful analysis and solid arguments is worth up to 10 points per case for a total of 50 points.  Please note:  flipping through the case and reading points mentioned therein is NOT considered “meaningful analysis” and will be graded as such.  To prepare a case for discussion, read it thoroughly as many times as necessary until understanding is reached, complete the strategic audit form (Appendix to Chapter 11), and answer any questions provided.  Active involvement in your group’s write up of the case will often provide sufficient preparation for classroom discussion.

 

Your presentation will be on one of three appliance companies, the same as your final case analysis.  The presentation should be about 20 minutes long per group (so 4-5 minutes per person).  You will prepare as a group and be graded both as a group and individually.  Plan your presentation around key points you wish to convey to the audience.  Visual aids such as Power Points are not required but are suggested.

 

 

As this class is heavy on group work, it is incumbent upon you to carry your share of the load.  At the end of the semester, each of you has the opportunity to review your peers.  These evaluations will be used to determine how many of the 50 possible points each student will receive.  It is in your best interests to not only find ways to get along with your group mates, but to pull your weight.  Failure to do so can result in dropping one full letter grade.  Please take these evaluations seriously.  If a group member is not sharing the load, do not reward them.

 

 

 

Groups have been assigned to maximize group diversity among declared majors.  This is to provide each group with as broad a set of perspectives as possible in performing case analysis.  In some cases, groups will not function in an optimal fashion and group members may wish to realign themselves with another group or to eliminate nonperforming group members.  If you refuse to cooperate with your group in their preparation for cases or projects or written cases, your group has the right to eliminate you from the group. I will respect the decision of the group members’ majority vote on this issue and you will have to complete the course on your own or as part of another group willing to take you in.  Please be advised that your original group mates will have input into your peer evaluation at the end of the semester.  As such, if a group situation is not working out, it is best to address it sooner rather than later.

 

Please realize that any work received from your group will be graded as a group.  This means that any shortcomings present in any written submission will be credited to all members.  I would advise you to complete work early enough so that when various contributions are combined, you have time to assess and address any shortcomings in the finished product.  Remember: you cannot receive an A unless the work is of superior quality from beginning to end, irrespective of who was responsible for each individual piece.

 

Please contact me directly regarding group composition issues.

Written Case Analyses (160 Points)

You will be required to complete a written case analysis including financial summary (when relevant) for each of the cases being discussed.   These are to be turned in at the beginning of class discussion and are worth 160 group points of which 30 points are for the final case. 

 

Some guidelines for the written cases are:

 

1.   Identification of key problems/strategic issues.

2.   Use of appropriate analytical tools techniques, including the use of charts and tables where appropriate. You are expected to demonstrate that you can use the tools and techniques of strategic analysis presented in the chapters. Both breadth and depth of analysis will be evaluated.

3.   Presenting realistic, workable, well-supported recommendations for action.

4.   Use of good communication skills—failure to use good grammar, spelling, and other written communication skills will result in a full one-letter grade reduction.

5.   Evidence of adequate preparation, pride of workmanship, and display of professional attitude and approach.

Cases turned in after the due date are eligible for a grade no higher than a C (and that only if the paper is otherwise an A or B paper). No late papers will be accepted if submitted more than 2 class days past the scheduled due date (except by prearranged consent of the instructor).

 

All written cases are to be typed (1.5 spaced) and should incorporate correct form, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and communication skills.  The biweekly cases are to be no more than five pages in length; in most cases, three pages will be sufficient.  The final case should be approximately 10 pages long.  Conciseness is highly valued and your ability to make your points concisely without redundancy will result in a higher grade.

 

Papers which, in the opinion of the instructor, employ disproportionately poor grammar and poor quality written communication skills will be assigned a grade that is a full one-letter lower than would otherwise be assigned.

 

Your presentation will be on one of three appliance companies, the same as your final case analysis.  The presentation should be about 20 minutes long per group (so 4-5 minutes per person).  You will prepare as a group and be graded both as a group and individually.  Plan your presentation around key points you wish to convey to the audience.  Visual aids such as Power Points are not required but are suggested.

TIME REQUIREMENTS

Anyway you look at it; the workload in this course is heavy. The time requirements are fairly significant:

 

·        Expect to spend at least 4 hours preparing each case write up.  You may require additional time depending upon the level of cooperation from your group mates.

·        Expect to spend 10 to 20 hours doing the final case and preparing for the presentation.

Please be aware that the instructor is quite capable of discerning the level of effort expended in preparing cases.

Don’t let the hours/time requirements intimidate you.  The course has been deliberately designed to push you to do your best under pressure and to provide you with applicable skills that you can take with you and apply in your career. In a very real way, the entire course is your final exam for business school.

A.     Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

 

B.     Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Friday, January 29, 2006 to correct the error with your advising office.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

 

C.     Academic Honesty:  Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade (0 points) for the work or course.  Repeat offenses may result in dismissal from the University.

 

D.    For Spring 2006, the course withdrawal deadline is March 26, 2006. Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

 

E.     Students with disabilities:

University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access equal access course content.  If you have documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments.  Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through the Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures).