Strategy and Competition - Dr. Joseph Brum Webster University
Catalog Description
The student examines the conceptual and practical aspects of business policies and policy decision making by utilizing all the concepts, theories, and tools that were presented in the previous courses. The student should be able to analyze and recommend a comprehensive and workable approach to the situation. The course should cover current business issues and developments
Prerequisites
All other core MBA courses
Materials
Course Level Learning Outcomes
Outcome |
Expectation |
* Students understand the important facts, terminology, concepts, principles, and theories in the area of Strategy. |
Students can discuss the results of research that links strategic variables to firm performance (e.g. The PIMS findings). Students can describe the various models and methods used to conduct external and internal analysis (e.g. SWOT, BCG, Porter, etc.) |
* Students can conduct industry analysis to assess the relative market position of a firm or product division. |
Students can prepare a written analysis of a business situation, including market structure, within the parameters of the Porter 5 Forces Model or standard Economic Market Structures to assess market conditions. |
* Students can prepare a written analysis of a business situation, including market structure, within the parameters of the Porter 5 Forces Model or standard Economic Market Structures to assess market conditions. |
Students can determine the relative well-being of the firm and identify specific performance problems (e.g. inventory management, debt load, etc.) based on financial statements. Students can determine whether the financial condition of the firm will allow the firm to pursue a desired strategy. |
* The MBA will be able to use quantitative tools to assist in the analysis of the strategy of the firm. |
Students can discuss quantitative tools that can be used to assess competitive position and strategy. Students can identify situations when these quantitative tools can be helpful in the analysis. They can apply the tools and interpret the results. |
* The MBA can address unstructured business problems that span multiple functional areas. |
The MBA can address unstructured business problems that span multiple functional areas. |
REQUIRED TEXT: Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization: Concepts, Michael A. Hitt, Southwestern College, 7th Edition. ISBN: 0-324-40536-7.
To order: Call MBS Direct at 1-800-325-3252 or by Internet: http://www.mbsdirect.net.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS: Management Simulations, Inc. (Smith, D.C.) The student Capstone®; Team Member Guide will be distributed during the first night of class. The fee for the materials and registration is $39 - you will be required to register for the simulation during the first night of class through the Capsim website (http://capsim.com). You may use your credit card to pay for this.
COMP-XM Examination Guide will also be distributed first night of class.
The selections listed below are to assist graduate students in developing overall strategic management skills:
Wall Street Journal
Harvard Business Review
USE OF THE WEBSTER LIBRARY IS ENCOURAGED:
Eden-Webster Library at http://library.webster.edu. Go to Databases & Internet Resources: then to Online/full text Databases or
http://www.webster.edu/webmain2.cfm and then go to Library Resources: then to Online/full text Databases.
Grading
The GRADUATE catalog provides these guidelines and grading options:
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: PERCENT OF GRADE
A. Experiential Assignments 10%
B. Weekly Quizzes 20%
C. Capstone®; Business Simulation Rounds (8 rounds) 30%
D. COMP-XM Assignments 20%
E. Peer Evaluation 5%
F. Stockholders Debriefing 5%
G. Simulation Team Strategy 5%
H. Class Participation 5%
Grade Distribution for this course is as follows:
100 - 95 A
94 - 90 A-
89 - 87 B+
86 - 84 B
83 - 80 B-
79 - 75 C
Below 75 F
NOTE: Students using Tuition Assistance (TA) are responsible for ensuring that all Incomplete (I) work is completed within 120 days from the end of the course. If the work is not completed and a grade awarded, the military will take action to recover their TA payment from your pay.
Students are responsible for ensuring that all grades of Incomplete (I) have been changed prior to petitioning to graduate.
ACADEMIC REVIEW PROCEDURE: Grades of B- or higher may not be appealed. The appeal process begins with the instructor. If further review is warranted, a written request outlining the issue should be submitted to the Academic Advisor.
Activities
The primary class activities will be discussions of the material presented in class, case presentations and case discussions, the business simulation and discussions of the simulation.
Policy Statements: University Policies
(The following university policies must be inserted into your syllabus.)
University policies are provided in the current course catalog and course schedules. They are also available on the university website. This class is governed by the university's published policies. The following policies are of particular interest:
Academic Honesty
The university is committed to high standards of academic honesty. Students will be held responsible for violations of these standards. Please refer to the university's academic honesty policies for a definition of academic dishonesty and potential disciplinary actions associated with it.
Drops and Withdrawals
Please be aware that, should you choose to drop or withdraw from this course, the date on which you notify the university of your decision will determine the amount of tuition refund you receive. Please refer to the university policies on drops and withdrawals (published elsewhere) to find out what the deadlines are for dropping a course with a full refund and for withdrawing from a course with a partial refund.
Special Services
If you have registered as a student with a documented disability and are entitled to classroom or testing accommodations, please inform the instructor at the beginning of the course of the accommodations you will require in this class so that these can be provided.
Disturbances
Since every student is entitled to full participation in class without interruption, disruption of class by inconsiderate behavior is not acceptable. Students are expected to treat the instructor and other students with dignity and respect, especially in cases where a diversity of opinion arises. Students who engage in disruptive behavior are subject to disciplinary action, including removal from the course.
Course Policies Class meetings are to be treated as important business appointments. Because so much value of this course comes from class discussion, attendance is required. There are, of course, excusable absences. However, they will always be for reasons that are beyond your ability to control. Please talk to me about any absences.
CLASS ATTENDANCE: The following Webster University Graduate School Policy is in effect for this course:
A. The University reserves the right to drop students who do not attend class the first week of the term/semester.
B. The student should notify the instructor prior to class if an absence is anticipated and he or she should not miss more than four contact hours. Makeup work will be assigned and if the absence is unexcused, it may exceed the material presented.
C. For absences of eight hours, the instructor has the option to lower the student's grade one letter grade and to inform the student of the action.
D. If a student is absent twelve hours or more, the instructor has the option to assign a grade of "F" (work that is unsatisfactory) and to inform the student of the action. It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from the course.
E. For excused absences, in extreme cases, when the instructor chooses to award a grade of Incomplete (I) for twelve hours missed, the student must provide acceptable documentation to verify that the absences were unavoidable (e.g. illness, military duty/TDY). The actions will be coordinated with the Site Director, who will ensure that the documentation is placed in the student's file.
F. In all cases, without excused absences, the student should withdraw from the course if he or she has more than twelve hours of absences.
ETHICS: Webster University strives to be a center of academic excellence. As part of our Statement of Ethics, the University strives to preserve academic honor and integrity by repudiating all forms of academic and intellectual dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism, and all other forms of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and is subject to disciplinary action. The University reserves the right to utilize electronic databases, such as Turnitin.com, to assist faculty and students with their academic work.
Weekly Schedule Week 1: Introduction to the course; course objectives; class procedures; absence policy; make-up work; homework assignment policy, case analysis notes, and introduction to the Capstone®; Business Simulation Program.
Capstone®; Business Simulation Overview: Distribution of Student Guides; and registration via the Capstone®; web site.
Week 2: Discuss Chapter 1: Strategic Management and Strategic
Competitiveness; and Discuss Chapter 2: The External Environment: Opportunities, Threats, Industry Competition and Competitor Analysis.
Complete the following Experiential Exercise: Firms rely on gathering and analyzing the general, industry, and competitor environments to assess their potential for global growth and profitability. Go to the website for the U.S. retail chain Wal-Mart at http://www.wal-mart.com. Wal-Mart's global expansion plans are extensive. List how each of the six segments of the general environment prompted Wal-Mart to expand into the markets
that it has. Target is a major U.S. competitor of Wal-Mart. Check out the Target website at http://www.target.com. What are the firm's plans for global expansion? What types of opportunities and threats would prohibit
Target from taking Wal-Mart's rout? Would the students consider Targets a future key global rival of Wal-Mart? Be prepared to discuss your group findings in class.
Practice Round due June 6
Debriefing of team results with the Instructor
Week 3: Weekly Quiz # 1 (Chapters 1 and 2) Discuss Chapter 3: Internal Environment: Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies and Discuss Chapter 4: Business-Level Strategy. Complete Experiential Exercise "Competitive Advantage in Athletic Footwear" on page 97 and be prepared to discuss your group findings in class.
Capstone®; Simulation Team Meeting. - Round 1 due June 13.
Debriefing of team results with the Instructor
What is the team's strategy for the Business Simulation game? This is a group written assignment. (Due in Week 4 and 5)
Week 4: Weekly Quiz # 2 (Chapters 3 and 4) Discuss Chapter 5:
Competitive Rivalry and Competitive Dynamics and Discuss Chapter 7:
Acquisition and Restructuring Strategies. Complete Experiential Exercise
"Determining the Best Path to Firm Growth", page 223. Be prepared to discuss your groups' findings in class.
Capstone®; Simulation Team Meeting. - Round 2 due June 20.
Debriefing of team results with the Instructor
Team Strategy Due (Initial Draft)
Week 5: Weekly Quiz # 3 (Chapters 5 and 7) Discuss Chapter 8:
International Strategy and Discuss Chapter 13: Strategic Entrepreneurship.
Complete Experiential Exercise "Entrepreneurship Goes Better with Koch" on page 424.
Be prepared to discuss your group findings in class.
Capstone®; Simulation Team Meeting. - Round 3 due June 27.
Debriefing of team results with the Instructor
Team Strategy Due (Final copy)
Week 6: Weekly Quiz # 4 (Chapters 8 and 13)
Capstone®; Simulation Team Meeting. - Round 4 due July 3.
Debriefing of team results with the Instructor
Week 7: Capstone®; Simulation Team Meeting. - Round 5 due
July 9. Round 6 will be worked in class and due July 12.
Debriefing of team results with the Instructor
Begin work on COMP-XM assignments
Week 8: Capstone®; Simulation Team Meeting. Round 7 due
July 15. Round 8 due July 18.
Debriefing of team results with the Instructor
Week 9: Stockholders debriefing on July 26.
Course wrap up.
DISCLAIMER: This syllabus is intended to provide a basic structure to this course. Adherence to this syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
Additional Information WEEKLY QUIZZES: Beginning in Week 3, there will be a short quiz, which will cover chapter(s) in the precious week's assignment. There will be a total of four quizzes. This accounts for 20% of your final grade.
EXPERIENTAL ASSIGNMENTS: Commencing in Week 2 there will be an experiential assignment(s). Each team is to prepare two typed copies of these assignments. One copy will be given to the instructor at the beginning of each class period and the teams will keep the second copy for class discussion. Weak responses or non submission of assignments will result in a loss of 10 points per week. There will be four assignments and it accounts for 10% of your final grade.
Capstone®; BUSINESS SIMULATION GAME ROUNDS: The purpose of the Capstone®; Business Simulation Game is to test alternative actions of an operating business in a competitive environment without incurring costs or the risk of implementing them in a real setting. Most strategic decisions, especially crucial ones, are made after consultation with key executives and colleagues in an atmosphere of committee deliberations and discussion.
Each team manages and analyzes their own 100 million-dollar Capstone®; Company and develops and implements strategic concepts. The management team will make decisions about various aspects of an assigned company's management for a given period of "simulated time". The simulation is played over several simulated years to maximize the firm's objectives. The objectives are, of course, achieved much more systematically and successfully by considering and applying concepts previously developed in prior MBA courses. There will be 1 practice round and 8 'real' rounds (decisions) in this simulation exercise. Students are REQUIRED to register for the simulation (a $39 fee) and to carefully read the student TEAM MEMBER GUIDE by the second week of class. These materials and further directions will be discussed in class and additional handouts provided. All rounds must be up loaded to the CAPSIM site by 10:00 p.m. hours. This section of the class assignments account for 30% of your final grade.
The following Success Factors from Round 8 will be used in this section to ascertain your grade:
1 - ROE
2 - ROS
3- ROA
4- Asset T/O
5- Ending Stock price
6- Profit
7- Cumulative Profit
Grading for this category is as follows:
Team equals seven success factors = 100 points
Team equals or exceeds six success factors = 90 points
Team equals or exceeds five success factors = 85 points
Team equals or exceeds four or less success factors = 80 points
-OR-
Capstone®; Stars Analysis: There are five areas in this category and they are: Profit; Contribution Margin; Emergency Loans; Inventory and Stock Price. There are eight rounds, with five stars available for each round, thus a total of 40 cumulative stars. Grade for this category will be as follows:
30 stars or greater = 100 points
25 to 29 stars = 90 points
24 stars and below = 80 points
-OR-
Capstone®; Analyst Report: The analyst report evaluates your company in ten categories of management performance. Categories are worth 100 points in the overall evaluation of 1000 points per round, thus a cumulative total of 8,000 points. Grade for this category will be as follows:
6,000 points or greater = 100 points
4,000 points or greater = 90 points
3,000 points or greater = 80 points
COMP-XM Assignments:
Board Queries
There are five sets of Board Queries, one for each simulation round and a "wrap-up" Query after the simulation ends. The default MSI®; Board Queries test students across several categories:
R & D Marketing Production Finance Accounting
Human Resources Strategic Analysis Ethics Technology Skills
Your exam will be created with the default MSI®; Board Queries (the questions students answer about their simulation) and Balanced Scorecard (the measures and weights used to gauge simulation results). The default Board Queries consist of five quizzes with five questions each and has a maximum value of 500 points. The default Balanced Scorecard has a maximum value of 500 points for a total of 100 points.
850 to 1000 points = 100 points
749 to 849 points = 90 points
748 and below = 80 points
This assignment accounts for 20% of your grade.
PEER EVALUATION: The peer evaluation form is available on the CAPSIM web site under Section II. Course Data. Student(s) who do not complete a peer evaluation will receive a zero for this part of the assignment. Student(s) who do not receive a peer evaluation from their team members will be given 5 points for this section of the syllabus. This assignment accounts for 5% of your final grade.
Capstone®; TEAM STRATEGY: What basic strategy is the team pursuing? There are several strategies listed under the Manager's Guide available on CAPSIM homepage. State at least 5 measurable success factors. These must be higher than the beginning conditions for the game. Did the team attain the strategies and were the success factors met that were submitted in Week 5? If the answer is yes, the team members receive 100 points for this assignment. If the team did not achieve their strategy goals, the team members will receive 80 points for this assignment.
This section of the class assignments account for 5% of your final grade.
STOCKHOLDERS DEBRIEFING: Brief the audience on the strengths and weakness of your group during the past 8 years of running the corporation. In addition, you must prepare a PowerPoint presentation and all team Members must present. Prepare a copy of your presentation slides (3 to a page) and submit to the instructor prior to presentation. This assignment accounts for 5% of your final grade.
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Student must read the assigned chapters and complete the assignments before coming to class. It is imperative that all students get involved in discussion for each assignment. Class participation by everyone is expected and required. If you do not get involved in every weekly discussion assignment, then you will receive a zero for that week's assignment. If you miss a class, then your homework for that class must be turned in at the beginning of the next class in which you are in attendance. In addition you will be required to submit a written paper based on a topic to be assigned by the instructor. Failure to do both of these assignments will result in a loss of 10 points for that week. This assignment accounts for 5% of your final grade.
Additional Information Sometimes circumstances beyond one's control may require that they miss a scheduled class. If necessary, it is the student's responsibility to get any missed lecture notes or handouts. If you are unable to make it to class follow the instructions given by the instructor in the introduction to the course (SESSION 1). You are responsible for what takes place or is announced in class.
Students must go to Connections before the first class and obtain class materials which are posted under Files. You may want to have a copy of the power point slides for each class to follow the weekly chapter discussions.