SYLLABUS

M&IS 44285, SECTION 010, CRN # 10071

INTEGRATED BUSINESS POLICY AND STRATEGY

SUMMER I, 2009

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

Kent, Ohio

PROFESSOR: Mr. David Lee Baker

ROOM: 115, College of Business Administration (COBA)

CLASS TIMES:  MON. – THURS., 2:15 PM – 4:10 PM

MY OFFICE HOURS: MON. – THURS., 4:15 – 5:30 PM

College of Business Administration, Room # A417, Fourth Floor, North End of the Building, in the Annex (across from copy room, near the elevator & small foyer)

E-MAIL: DLBAKER1@GMAIL.COM    

PROFESSOR’S PHONE: 330-672-1153, extension 1 (Voice Mail is 24/7)

DEPARTMENT OFFICE PHONE: 330-672-2750 (Pam Silliman, Administrative Secretary)

DEPARTMENT FAX: 330-672-2953

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is an upper-level, capstone course designed to give the student practical experience in Strategic Management Principles. This course deals with the integration of the functional areas of business in the formulation and implementation of policy.  Projects and case analysis of business situations provide students with the opportunity to apply analytical and creative problem solving skills.  The strategy class draws upon both theoretical developments and empirical findings within the field of strategic management to provide an understanding of how organizations choose to compete in a given marketplace.  It looks at why some firms succeed and grow, while others fail, and what might be done to improve a firm’s competitive position and economic performance.  The principal methods of instruction are casework along with active discussion, lecture and examination.  Participation in class is absolutely critical to your success in this course. 

At this level of your college career, there should be no need for prodding by professors to get you to do the work on a daily basis.  This class will be run much like a graduate class. However, if the professor sees people not prepared, reading the cases for the first time in class, and holding up classroom progress, then it is possible that your professor may revert to more classical teaching methods, as distasteful as they may be, to make sure that all students are fully prepared.

The course is designed to build upon previous work in the business program, thereby providing a total business perspective.  You will see how you can integrate and build upon material that you have previously learned in accounting, economics, finance, global and international strategy, management, marketing, and organizational behavior courses.

REQUIRED TEXT:

There is only one text required:

1.     Hitt, Michael A., R. Duane Ireland and Robert E. Hoskisson, Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, Concepts and Cases, Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning (Publishers, Inc.), 8^th edition, 2009, hardbound, 848 pages, ISBN-10: 0324655592 | ISBN-13: 9780324655599.  Please note that this is a brand new text and is currently available through each of our three local bookstores.  There may be electronic versions of this text available online at the publisher’s website (note that you need both the concepts [text] and the cases, although you may be able to order the cases individually here):                    http://www.ichapters.com/tl1/en/US/storefront/ichapters?cmd=catProductDetail&ISBN=9780324655599&cid=APL1  Please also note that earlier editions of this text, while available to you at perhaps reduced prices, will simply not work in this course as the material (as well as most, if not all of the cases) change substantially from one edition to the next.  So, please do not consider purchasing an earlier edition and attempt to make it work for this course—it simply will not.  (Hereinafter referred to as “T”, for Textbook [Concepts portion]; individual cases are referred to as “C” below).

OUTSIDE READING ESSENTIAL

Consider reading regularly, valuable business publications such as: The Economist (UK), Financial Times (UK), The Wall Street Journal (US), Barron’s (US), and Investor’s Business Daily (US).  Discussions will be conducted and perhaps assigned from these publications and your informed and current awareness is essential to your exemplary progress in this course.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE: This course is specifically intended to:

1.      Introduce you to the related elements of any business situation: strategic thinking, personal characteristics, influencing others, designing effective organizations, and managing change.

2.      Help you learn about a number of influential strategic management ideas, concepts, principles, and analytical frameworks.

3.      Assist you in improving your general business knowledge and aid in giving you a strong understanding of the interplay among different business areas.

4.      Cause you to apply these concepts, principles, and frameworks to real-life business cases.

5.      Guide you to be able to hone your analytical skills and practice managerial decision-making.

6.      Make it possible for you to develop the ability to structure, present, and sustain arguments in front of colleagues and clients, as well as giving you the ability to listen constructively and react to the arguments of others.

7.      Expose you to many excellent authors, both current and historical, who have made significant contributions to the subject of strategic management.

8.      Help you to learn practical skills about business strategy through experiential exercises.

9.      Make it possible for you to anticipate and plan your management role within the business world.

10.  Prepare you to be a business leader in society.

ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS, AND EXAMS

Your professor has given you, on the following spreadsheet, a proposed listing of the topics and chapters to be covered in each session.  This is a breakdown of how these will work:

1.     Participation/Attendance (Individual): There are two components to this grade. The first, worth 250 points, is an individual award, determined by your unique participation in all class activities (see discussion on pp. 4-5).  Point values for this participation are as shown there.  The second portion, worth 50 points, is based upon your overall attendance and participation during classes, as well as your regular logging onto the FlashLine Website (as covered further below, on page 7).  This part of the grade is solely at the discretion of your professor, calculated by formula, non-negotiable.  The total for this entire grade portion is 300 points.

2.     Case Analyses (Individual): You are to prepare each case individually and be fully prepared to discuss it in our larger classroom session. Participation will be graded by your professor.  All case questions must be answered as well.  Note, this is not in outline format, but descriptive paragraphs using the outline ideas presented in class. You must use the long-cycle method (as discussed) on this part.  The point value here, on cases, will be included in the above participation and attendance figures, as your classroom participation is essential to a complete understanding of each case.  While these may be handled completely as in-class discussions, if your professor sees entirely too many people unprepared during our class meetings, then it is at his sole discretion that these may be re-assigned to all students as written assignments.

3.     Tests (Individual): These will be four (4) predominantly multiple-choice tests on concepts, terms, definitions, and examining your full understanding of the subject matter that will be held on the stated examination dates.  These will all be electronically graded type exams, and all work will be done in the classroom, closed book, individually. These will each count 175 points each towards your final grade and there may perhaps be up to 4-10 bonus points available on each.  You will have exactly one hour for each exam.  The lowest score that you receive on one of these exams (or the one that you have missed for any reason) will be discarded.  Therefore, only three of these exams will count towards your final grade in this course.  There will be case analysis and discussion with possible lecture subsequent to each exam.  Your attendance and participation at these events is also required.

4.     Project (Team): There is a possible team project that will be due by Friday, July 17th, based on the criteria to be determined. This should be not less than five (5) and not more than ten (10) typewritten pages, double spaced, with appropriate margins, footnotes and references, according to proper publication style guides.  Type must be in black print with a type font that must be 11 points or larger, in a clear, non-script typestyle.  If selected, this is worth 100 points towards your grade.  We will discuss this early on this term.

5.     Final Exam (Individual): This is a multiple-choice exam to be held on the last class date. It will be an electronically graded type exam, and all work will be done in the classroom, closed book, individually. This final exam counts 175 points towards your final course grade and there could be 4-10 bonus points available.  It will be comprehensive in nature as it will generally include everything covered during our entire semester.  You will have a total of one hour and fifty-five minutes for this exam.  You attendance at this exam event is mandatory.

PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE:

For each class session it is expected that:

1.      Students will be prepared.  For a theory session this would mean that the student has read the assigned chapter(s) and is familiar with the concepts and the tools contained within the readings.  For a case study session it means having read and analyzed the case and coming to class with a prepared set of personal notes that contains your best thoughts on the subject.  Study questions are given to highlight the key issues and to guide your analyses.  Should students be unprepared for class, written assignments and/or quizzes based upon chapters or cases will be assigned on the spot.

2.      Students will be active participants in class.  In theory sessions this would mean that students answer questions offered by the professor, ask their own questions, and volunteer insights or experiences about that particular topic(s).  Students may be called upon to speak about an issue.  During case analysis sessions, it means that you contribute your own ideas as well as building upon, agreeing with, or disagreeing with ideas and opinions expressed by your classmates.  You may be called upon to present your analysis or to lead a particular discussion.  You cannot be an active participant unless you are always fully prepared for each and every class.

Credit for participation will be earned as follows:

Session Contributor = 1 Point.  When you contribute your understanding (either voluntarily or when prompted by your professor), or pose interesting, thought-provoking questions, you gain one point for each session.  You don’t, however, gain multiple points for additional daily contributions; there is a maximum of one point per class session (either positive OR negative), in order to give everyone an opportunity to participate.  You should be always prepared then and attempt to contribute in every single class.

Prepared Student = 0 Points.  Completing your assigned work by the indicated date in this syllabus is a requirement and not a source of credit.  You only receive points for participation.

Unprepared Student = -1 Point.  Students are expected to have completed the assigned work prior to attending each class.  If you are called upon and found to be unprepared, one point shall be subtracted from your overall total participation score (not daily).  Should you find that you have an honest, unexpected emergency (see the section entitled: “Students’ Absences, Missed Classes/Exams” on pages 6-7) that precludes you from completing your assignments, then see me prior to class, and if I agree that you had a valid excuse, I may then exempt you from receiving the unprepared student deduction for that one day’s class only. 

Point System for Scoring Your Participation/Attendance Points:

We have 20 class meetings (four classes a week, Mondays through Thursdays; for five weeks) in this term.  The first and last class meetings are excluded for obvious reasons.  Therefore, there are a total of 18 sessions at which you should be expected to participate.  A score of 14+ would thus be considered excellent (or “A”) work then.  Other grades follow in similar fashion on this grading scale.  Below is a spreadsheet showing your potential percentage score.  (Remember to multiply this value by 2.50 for a total score within your final grade).

TESTS:

There will be five total tests; four tests during the course term (one of which is dropped), followed by a final exam on our last class meeting day.  All tests and other items will occur in class, unless otherwise previously announced.  Study guides may be provided at least one week before all exams.  Online quizzes are available for better understanding of the material.  The final exam will be comprehensive and attendance is always mandatory on this last class session date.

OFFICE HOURS:  

Office hours for the semester will be held (tentatively) according to the schedule on page one of this syllabus.  Should those dates/times not work for your own calendar (due to your work and/or school schedule) please see me or call me to suggest alternative times.  I can possibly do appointments during evenings and/or weekends if absolutely necessary.  It is best to call first for an appointment before just stopping by as I may be with other students or faculty members and there could be somewhat of a wait.  I prefer phone calls.  Leave a message if you must (my voice mail is always 24/7).  I check voice mail several times throughout the day, but e-mail much less often (especially on the weekends).  If you are having problems in this course, please see me immediately; don’t wait until the semester ends.  It may simply be too late then to help you.

GRADING:

There will be a total of 1,000 points available to determine your grade. The criteria for grading is divided and delineated as follows:

1.     Participation/Attendance: 300 points       See Syllabus Calendar

2.     Case Analyses:                  Incl. points      See Syllabus Calendar; included in Item #1 above

3.     Tests 1 through 4:             525 points       June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13; all in class

4.     Team Project:                    TBD                July 17, due no later than 5:15 p.m., in my office

5.     Final Exam:                       175 points       Thursday, July 16, 2:15 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.

      Total:                                1,000 points

To determine your overall percentage grade, divide your above total earned points by ten (10), and then use the following value guide to ascertain your corresponding final letter grade.  Scores are rounded off to the nearest one-hundredth of a point.  Therefore, an earned grade near the cusp, of say 79.95 will not be able to earn you a letter grade of a “B”.  Here is the grade chart:

A         100.00 – 90.00 points

B         89.99 – 80.00

C         79.99 – 70.00

D         69.99 – 60.00

F          Below 60.00

CLASSROOM DECORUM:

So as not to disturb classmates, your professor expects that there will be no reading or talking during lectures, as well as no eating or chewing gum during class.  Cell phones, pagers and beepers must be turned off upon entering the classroom.  If a student’s device rings during class or a test or exam the professor reserves the right to ask that student to leave the room for the remainder of that class period.  Please don’t let it happen a second time as other, stronger actions may be necessary.  This is in accordance with the University policy on disruptions in the classroom.

SYLLABUS:

While this is intended to be a strict overview of this course it is not a contract.  Things happen; accidents, emergencies, weather conditions, catastrophes, and the like, and this syllabus is therefore tentative.  As strategic business leaders you need to be flexible to change and a full understanding of that dynamic.  Your professor will give as much lead time as possible on all changes, so that you have ample time to prepare.

STUDENTS’ ABSENCES, MISSED CLASSES/EXAMS:

Along the same line as things that can happen above, your professor realizes that circumstances may occur in your schedule as well that could preclude your attendance for class activities; such as serious illnesses, family emergencies/events, deaths in the family, accidents, work commitments and business travel out of town, etc.  Advance notice to me will most always be required (at the very least, suggested).  The only exceptions to this notice are serious illness or death in your immediate family.  IMPORTANT: Make-up work will be available for the Final Exam ONLY.  Remember that one of your four tests will be dropped—this is usually the one that you had missed or one on which you had received the lowest score.  This means that no make-up is available for any of the following items; including, (but not limited to): Tests, Quizzes, Cases, Extra Credit, Additional Assignments, Experiential Exercises, Presentations, Projects, and/or Participation or Attendance Items.  In order to be considered for any make-up work you will first need to provide me with written, original proof of any absence to be excused, usually in the form of an original doctor’s note, original emergency room physician’s statement, and/or original hospital billing statement(s) with clear dates of treatment and/or admission.  It is not realistic to come to me after the exam and then explain a situation, other than that of a dire emergency or family death, and expect to get a make-up exam.  At the very latest then, in any event, you (or your representative) must notify me no later than 48 hours after any missed activity.

PRESENTATION SKILLS:

The ability to properly present topics of importance to your classmates, colleagues, clients, stakeholders, and supervisors is essential in both life and in the business world.  It is possible that, shall time permit, we will do some exercises in this vital area.  You will each be expected to present to the class, both individually and possibly as well within teams, sometime during this semester.  Please contact me early on in this course should you have any concerns about presenting in class.

REGULAR LOGGING ONTO FLASHLINE WEBSITE:

You will need to regularly and often log onto and read all new entries in FlashLine, My Courses, Integrated Business Policy/Strategy.  It is expected that you will log onto this site and pay very close attention to all new items posted at least twice a week, no later than 12:00 noon on all Mondays and Wednesdays during our semester.  A portion of your participation and attendance points comes from both this activity and classroom attendance and discussions in all scheduled class activities.  I make every attempt to advise you whenever new and important items are posted on the FlashLine System.  To save paper and avoid killing more trees, many of the items that you will need to read, study, and refer to within this course will be posted there, instead of handing them all out in class.  Many of these will be in PDF Format (Adobe Acrobat Reader).  You may print them out from the website if you so choose.  It will be imperative for you to have Adobe on your home (or office) computer(s).  This is available from a free download from their site.  Some files will be in Powerpoint, Word, and/or Excel format.  It would also behoove you to have these forms of software on your most-used computer(s); or at the very least have access to them on another computer.  Note that most (if not all) KSU computer labs have these programs and you may avail yourself of them in their labs.  The College of Business (2^nd floor) has a computer lab that is open every business day during the semester.  If you are having problems accessing the FlashLine website please see me immediately.  Do not wait until the end of the term to explain difficulties.

THE FOLLOWING POLICIES APPLY TO ALL STUDENTS IN THIS COURSE: 

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

Students have the responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools/FlashFast) during the first two days of this current semester to ensure that you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you need to correct the error with your advising office no later than Wednesday, May 27, 2009 for Intersession 2009 – Thursday, June 18 for Summer I – Sunday, June 21 for Summer II – and Thursday, July 23 for Summer III.  If registration errors are not corrected by these dates 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.

B.     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.   In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  Cheating also includes using or referencing any prior exams, tests, case analyses, presentations, projects, quizzes, and/or prepared work by others, from any prior semesters, for this course (or any other similarly taught Strategy courses at KSU).  Any discovered material of this nature will be immediately confiscated.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

C.    The course withdrawal deadline for this course for the Summer I 2009 term is Monday, July 6, 2009.  In case you may need them, here are the other deadlines for the Intersession and other Summer 2009 Terms: Intersession 2009 course withdrawal deadline is Saturday, June 6, 2009.  As mentioned above, the Summer I 2009 course withdrawal deadline is Monday, July 6, 2009.  Summer II 2009 course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, July 19, 2009.  Summer III 2009 course withdrawal deadline is Monday, August 10, 2009.  Please keep in mind that if you are having academic difficulty then you should immediately proceed to the Undergraduate Programs Office (Room 107, COBA, or call 330-672-2872) for consultation.

D.    University Policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content.  If you have a 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 Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas -or- http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/ for more information on registration procedures). Should this apply to you, your professor wishes that you so inform him on the first day that you attend his class.  Please do not wait until exam time to provide this information, as that does not allow your professor ample preparation time.  Thank you.