M&IS 44285 Summer 2008 Franquesa

Classroom: BH 218

Time: M/T/W/Th 2:15 – 4:10 p.m.

PROFESSOR: Dr. Jaume Franquesa

Office: BSA A-407

Telephone: 67-21161

E-mail address: jfranque@kent.edu

Office hours: M/W 4:15 – 5:00 p.m. & T/Th. 4:15 – 5:30 p.m.

Required: 1.- Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization –Concepts, 8^th edition, 2009, Michael A. Hitt, R. Duane Ireland, & Robert E. Hoskisson.

(available at KSU bookstore, or at www.iChapters.com)

2.- Course pack with cases selected by the professor (available at www.shop.coursepacksetc.com).

Optional: A general business magazine or newspaper such as Business Week, Fortune,

or The Wall Street Journal is recommended. Selected materials from these sources may be assigned from time to time.

This course draws upon theoretical developments and empirical findings in the filed of strategic management to provide an understanding of how organizations choose to compete in a given marketplace, why some succeed and others fail, and what can be done to improve a firm’s competitive position and economic performance. In a nutshell, the course is about business success and failure. We will explore sources of competitive advantage and disadvantage of individual businesses and consider ways in which they could enhance their strategic position. We will also discuss sources of long-term shareholder value created (or destroyed) by diversified corporations.

The course takes the perspective of a practitioner general manager. Two main implications derive from this. First, the course is not just about concepts and analytical frameworks, but rather about their practical application to real-life business situations. Second, the emphasis of the course is on making the total organization successful, as opposed to concentrating on any single business function. As such, the course is designed to build upon previous work in the business program, providing a "total business" perspective. You will be able to integrate, and build upon material you have learned previously in your economics, finance, marketing and organizational behavior courses. 2

This course provides students with the opportunity to:

 

(1) Improve general business knowledge and provide understanding of the interplay among different business areas.

 

 

(2) Learn about a number of influential strategic management ideas, concepts, principles, and analytical frameworks.

 

 

(3) Apply these concepts, principles, and frameworks to real-life business cases.

 

 

(4) Hone your analytical skills and practice managerial decision-making.

 

 

(5) Develop the ability to structure, present, and sustain arguments in front of colleagues, as well as the ability to listen and react to the arguments of others.

 

The course is a broad survey of several topics of interest within the academic field known as Strategic Management. For each topic you will be assigned one book chapter and one case to prepare. Book chapters introduce concepts and managerial tools related to the topic. Cases provide a real-life business situation that calls for application of the concepts and tools learned. We will meet in class to discuss both kinds of materials. Accordingly, class time will be evenly split between theory and case analysis sessions.

During theory sessions, I will review and extend what you have read in the assigned book chapters. The purpose of these sessions is three-fold: (1) To reinforce main ideas, (2) to discover and clarify any remaining misconceptions, and (3) to provide you with an opportunity to ask further questions on each given topic.

During case analysis sessions, the focus will be on diagnosing what is critical in a complex business situation and on finding pragmatic solutions to the strategic and/or organizational problems at hand. We intend to benefit from group thinking and to learn from each other during these exchanges. I will take on a discussion facilitator role, pointing the group toward main discussion themes and/or asking specific questions. In turn, students are expected to introduce their own ideas and points of view, and to draw, challenge, and build upon ideas expressed by others. The liveliness and pedagogical value of these sessions will largely depend on the extent to which students engage the material and take ownership for class discussions.

Pages 9 to 16 of this syllabus contain a detailed course schedule, with reading assignments and study/discussion questions for each of our meeting times this semester.

For each class session, it is expected that:

 

(1) Students will be prepared. For a theory session, this means having read the assigned chapter and being familiar with the concepts and tools contained therein.

For a case-study session, it means having read and analyzed the case, and coming to class with a set of personal notes containing your best thinking. Study questions are provided to highlight key issues and to guide your analysis.

If students are unprepared for class, written assignments based on chapters or cases will be assigned on the spot.

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(2) Student will be active participants. During theory sessions this means answering questions presented by the professor, asking your own questions, and volunteering experiences or insights related to the topic. You may also be called upon to talk about an issue.

During case sessions, it means contributing your own ideas as well as building upon, or disagreeing with, ideas expressed and positions taken by others. You may also be called upon to present your analysis or to lead a discussion.

You cannot be an active participant unless you are fully prepared for class.

 

Given work load and expectations, here is my estimate of what it will take for you to be successful in this course:

 

(1) Assigned chapters are about 30 pages each. Accordingly, you should plan on a minimum of 2 hours of reading to prepare for a theory session.

 

 

(2) Assigned cases are also about 20 pages each. However, preparing a case is a bit more involved and it will require a minimum of 6 hours distributed as follows:

 

(i) Review of assigned discussion questions (to be found in pages 9 to 16 of this syllabus) followed by a first read of the case –highlighting important information and making notes on the margins. The objective here is to learn about the case’s facts and to identify those that are most relevant. (2 hours).

 

(ii) A focused second read of the case (mostly you go over your prior marks and notes). The objective now is to gain further familiarity with issues pertinent to the required analysis. (1 hour).

 

(iii) Your critical analysis. Typically, you will be asked to identify and characterize the roots of problems, which will call for you to apply tools, concepts, and models introduced in the preceding theory session(s). Often, you will also be asked to propose appropriate solutions as well. Use your best thinking and try to come up with practical recommendations that make good business sense. (2 hours, minimum).

 

(iv) Producing a minimum set of notes containing your analysis and final conclusions. (1 hour).

 

You should bring your case notes to class with you, to support your arguments during our discussion. To the extent possible I also recommend that you meet in small, informal groups to further discuss cases before class. Experience shows that students in large class groups tend to participate more when they have adopted a position before walking into class, and when they have some smaller group that they identify with. Create a study group that meets after everyone has become familiar with the case’s facts/issues. This will provide an opportunity for you to present your preliminary analysis and positions and have others react to them. This is also an opportunity to identify aspects of the problem you may have missed, as well as to learn about other points of view regarding the most appropriate solution.

In sum, you should plan on investing a minimum of 8 hours per topic to prepare for class (work loads are lighter prior to the first exam, and heavier afterwards). 4

Class Participation and Write-ups: 25%

Examinations: 75%

First Exam: 25%

Second Exam: 25%

Final: 25%

Final course (letter) grades will be assigned using the new plus/minus grading system adopted by the University. Also, numerical grades for all course components will be expressed in a 4.0 scale. The equivalence between numerical and letter grades will roughly follow the same scale used by the University to award academic honor points. Specifically, the grading scale for this course will be as follows:

3.6 – 4.0 = A

3.4 – 3.5 = A-

3.1 – 3.3 = B+

2.7 – 3.0 = B

2.4 – 2.6 = B-

2.1 – 2.3 = C+

1.7 – 2.0 = C

1.4 – 1.6 = C-

1.1 – 1.3 = D+

0.8 – 1.0 = D

0.0 – 0.7 = F

Participation in class discussions is instrumental to one of the learning objectives of the course. Also, the active participation format of the class provides incentives for you to be prepared for each and every class. Steady work over the length of the semester will prove the most important factor in your ultimate degree of success in the course. Correspondingly, participation is an important component of your overall course grade.

Participation points are awarded each session. I will jot down participation during the class session itself, with the help of a seating chart. I will also review my record right after each class, while memory is still fresh, and make any necessary corrections. I am counting on your help as well to make sure that I keep an accurate record. You are invited to check participation scores with me after every class. You are also encouraged to inquire about your overall participation points during office hours, if you ever suspect that the class record may be in error.

Credit for participation will be earned as follows:

Session contributor = 1 point. When you contribute your understanding (either voluntarily or prompted by the professor), or pose interesting questions, you get one point for the session.

To promote broad participation, students don’t receive multiple points for multiple contributions during a single session. You can only gain one point per session. You should be ready and try to contribute every single class. 5

Prepared student = 0 points. Completing your assigned work by the date indicated in this syllabus is an absolute requirement; not a source of credit. You receive no participation points unless you go a step further and contribute your thoughts to the class discussion. I encourage you to do so.

Unprepared student = -1 point. Students are expected to have completed the assigned work for each and every class. If called upon and found unprepared, a point will be subtracted from your participation record.

Also, students’ personal case-analysis notes (see below) may be collected for the professor’s review at any time; or short exercises be assigned in class at the professor’s discretion. Evaluation of these will be in the form of “preparedness” points (i.e., 0 or –1).

If for unexpected reasons you could not complete the assigned work for a one class, you should approach me at the beginning of the session and let me know about it. I will excuse your participation for that day and make sure not to call upon you. I will exempt you, as well, from any on-the-spot assignment/review that might take place during such class period.

REMEMBER: Any and all comments/opinions emanating from your understanding of course materials are always welcome. And you get a participation point every time you add to our discussion. One doesn’t need to be “right” to make a contribution. First of all, there is typically more than one reasonable alternative solution to managerial problems. Hence, the very idea of a “right” solution is often an oxymoron in the context of this course. Second, bold proposals or somewhat faulty arguments often make most valuable contributions: The former may open a new line of argument, while the latter gives us something to work with and may trigger a clarifying an enriching debate. So, just come to class prepared and share your best thinking with us!

Your final participation/write-up score at the end of the semester will be the sum of your participation points in all sessions (plus your write-up points). A student must be prepared and be an active and persistent contributor to get a good participation grade. We will meet for a total of 16 class sessions this Summer I term (not counting today or exam dates). The opportunity to contribute is unequal, depending on the nature of the session (theory versus case) and the time in the semester (i.e., there are more opportunities to contribute earlier in the term). Yet sessions are two hours long, and the size of the group is on the smaller side. Given all of this, I will consider a final score of 14, or more, to represent outstanding participation/write-up performance. Therefore, the correspondence between participation/write-up points and letter grades will be as follows: