University of Missouri Winter 2009

Professor: Todd Chiles, Ph.D. Phone: 573-884-9709

Office: 443 Cornell Hall Email: chilest@missouri.edu

Office Hours: MW 3:20-4:20pm and by appt. Class: MW 2:00-3:15pm

I. Course Description

Welcome to the ―capstone‖ business course that focuses on strategic problems encountered by managers in a

competitive global environment. In this course, you will learn a set of tools and a way of thinking about strategic

management that can be applied in large corporations, medium-sized companies and small businesses, as well as

by investors and consultants. You can use what you learn to help companies formulate and implement strategies

that create competitive advantage and superior shareholder value. More specifically, you will take on the role of

strategy consultants for a company of your choosing. Using the concepts, frameworks and tools of strategic

management, your job will be to bring to bear the diverse talents of your group in investigating the strategic history

of your firm, in conducting strategic analyses of your firm and its external environment, in assessing its business

strategy as formulated and as implemented, and in formulating strategic recommendations.

Our topic—strategic management—is decidedly multifaceted. It involves people at all levels of the organization. It

deals simultaneously with the analytical, behavioral and creative aspects of business. It is part art and part science.

And it recognizes that most real business problems are multi-functional in nature, and therefore adopts an

integrative approach. Thus, you must bring to bear (1) your knowledge from previous coursework in accounting,

finance, human resources, marketing, operations, and information technology, (2) your work experience, and (3)

your creativity, intuition and business judgement.

This course provides the general management skills necessary for the company’s top leaders to strategically

navigate their organization through competitive waters. While top-level managers have traditionally assumed the

strategic leadership role in organizations, this ―top manager‖ focus is giving way to a ―democratization of strategy‖

in which employees at all levels actively participate in the formulation of strategy. Reebok and EDS provide

excellent examples of this. So, this course not only prepares those ready to assume top leadership roles, but also

those whose careers are currently at the staff, supervisory, or middle-management level. My students who own

small businesses as well as those who have chosen to work for smaller companies report being able to immediately

and effectively apply these concepts, frameworks and tools. Additionally, this course provides you with a

consulting model should your interests run more in that direction.

II. Course Objectives

1. Knowledge Objectives

To provide a broad perspective of the business enterprise in all its complexity.

To integrate knowledge from the functional specialties of business (e.g., accounting, finance, human resources,

marketing, operations).

To build a ―cognitive map‖ for understanding organizations in a strategic way.

To reinforce (and sometimes challenge) your existing knowledge, situating it within a broader context.

2. Skill Objectives

To learn how to apply strategic management frameworks and tools to comprehensively analyze a real business.

To hone your ability to persuasively communicate analytical conclusions and business judgements, both

verbally and in writing.

To sharpen your interpersonal skills critical for success in team environments.

Management 4970

Strategic Management

2

III. Content Outline

Conceptual Foundations of Strategic Management

The multi-faceted concept of strategy including plan, ploy, position, perspective, and pattern strategies.

A systems perspective of strategy using a modified and updated version of the venerable 7S framework to

understand strategy formulation and implementation.

External Environment

Strategic groups

Industry forces

Macroenvironmental trends

Competitors’ strategies, capabilities, and actions

Customers’ perceptions

Internal Environment

Strategic History

Intended, emergent, and realized strategies

First-mover advantages and disadvantages

Strategy Formulation

Corporate vision, mission, purpose, goals, and “mantra”

Business-level strategic positioning

Strategy Implementation

Core competencies

Organizational structure

Organizational culture

Organizational leadership

Value-creation activities

Strategic Configuration

Strategic fit of organizational sub-systems which comprise strategy formulation and implementation

Firm Performance

Financial analysis of firm performance, assessing cost structure and financial ratios.

Balanced scorecard assessment of both backward-looking financial and forward-looking operational

measures of firm performance.

Strategic Recommendations

Brainstorming in a unique three-step process to generate creative recommendations or to uncover

additional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

SWOT analysis to distill the most important opportunities and threats from the external analyses and the

most important strengths and weaknesses from the internal analyses, a necessary precursor to developing

strategic recommendations.

TOWS matrix to systematically develop a variety of strategic recommendations that are tightly linked to

all prior detailed analyses.

Corporate-level strategy to assess what portfolio of businesses a company should (and should not) have,

an important consideration for making divestiture and merger-and-acquisition recommendations.

3

IV. Course Materials

A readings packet is required and available at the University Bookstore.

This packet contains classic and foundational articles from premier business practitioner journals such as

Harvard Business Review, Academy of Management Executive, California Management Review, and

Business Horizons.

It also contains basic materials excerpted from texts, journals and leading books, including ones from

Harvard Business School Press.

And it includes articles selected from the business press (e.g., Business Week, Fortune, Wall Street

Journal) for their pedagogical value, some of which will be used as cases to explore strategic issues in

greater depth.

Additional business press articles may be assigned. Stay tuned for details.

Course website contains lecture notes, announcements, ancillary material, etc. You can log in to Blackboard

from the following web page: https://courses.missouri.edu/. Please check frequently for announcements.

V. Prerequisites

MGMT 3000, MKTG 3000, FINC 3000, and Senior Standing and TCOB students – restricted to TCOB seniors

admitted to the professional program.

Students failing to meet prerequisites will be dropped from the course.

Please be aware that instructors do not have the ability to waive prerequisites.

VI. Course Evaluation

The evaluation techniques and their respective weights are as follows:

“Capstone” Project

Checkpoint 1 Initial Presentation & Bound Copy of Slides (10%)

Checkpoint 2 Selected External Analyses (12%)

Checkpoint 3 Selected Internal Analyses (10%)

Checkpoint 4 Selected External, Internal, and Meta-Analyses (5%)

Checkpoint 5 Final Presentation & Bound Copy of Slides (12%)

Checkpoint 6 Final Report (20%)

69%

Quizzes

10 Quizzes

31%

Total 100%

Student performance will be evaluated on the following 100-point, plus/minus grading scale. Please note that the

instructor reserves the right to curve class grades as necessary.

Percentage Grade Description

100 – 97% A+

Excellent 96 – 93% A

92 – 90% A–

89 – 87% B+

Good 86 – 83% B

82 – 80% B–

79 – 77% C+

Average 76 – 73% C

72 – 70% C–

69 – 67% D+

Below Average 66 – 63% D

62 – 60% D–

Less than 60% F Failing

4

VII. Course Requirements

1. “Capstone” Project

Choosing Group Members and Companies. You will take on the role of strategy consultants to a company. Your

group will consist of approximately 6-7 people and should be as diverse as possible in terms of functional

background. Each group will be required to choose a company. It is very important to pick a firm that is

interesting to the group; so you’ll need to work at building consensus. Choice of firms should be limited to ones

for which sufficient secondary data exist (i.e., a publicly held firm). Firms to which you can gain some degree of

direct access are especially good choices (e.g., Wal-Mart, Home Depot, McDonald’s) as are firms about which

books (e.g., Apple, Coors, Home Depot, Starbucks, Harley Davidson) and cases (e.g., Wal-Mart, K-Mart, AOL,

Starbucks, Harley Davidson) have been written. You need to consider the tradeoffs of choosing a firm engaged in a

single-line-of-business (e.g., McDonald’s) versus a strategic business unit (SBU) within a multiple-line-of-business

firm (e.g., Disney’s theme park SBU).

PLEASE NOTE: It is your responsibility to engage in a ―due diligence‖ exercise for at least one (and

perhaps several) companies to ensure yourselves and me that you have chosen a viable company for the

project. Further, it is your responsibility to come see me in advance of the final due date with ―due

diligence‖ evidence in hand, so that I can provide advice and feedback. Finally, you need to make sure

that I have approved your choice of companies on or before the deadline noted in the course outline. To

facilitate your due diligence effort, you are required to review and complete the "Due Diligence"

Exercise: Ground Rules, Expectations and Checklist available on the course web site. Failure to complete

the due diligence exercise by the ―due date‖ (see ―course outline‖ below for ―instructor’s final approval

of company for project‖) will result in a 2% reduction in your overall course grade (e.g., 88% 86%).

General Requirements. Each group will be required to conduct a comprehensive strategic analysis utilizing a range

of strategic frameworks and tools. You will essentially be addressing three broad questions: (1) Where has the

company been? (2) Where is the company now? (3) Where should the company be heading in the future and how

should it get there? You will have a number of checkpoints at which to present your findings. The specifics of

each of these checkpoints are outlined below.

Checkpoint #1: Strategic history. Here you are asked to investigate your firm’s strategic history. Researching and

reporting your firm’s strategic history has two important goals: (1) to force the group to come up to speed quickly

on their chosen firm, and (2) to understand the strategic path that the firm has followed. Since a firm’s current and

future strategies are constrained by past strategic directions, resource commitments, investment decisions,

managerial mindsets, and a host of other historical factors, you need to gain a thorough understanding of your

firm’s strategic history.

You are required to tell a story about the evolution of your company’s strategy by organizing qualitative evidence

and time-series data using strategic eras and relevant categories to organize your storyline. Each group must deliver

this story in a 20-minute presentation. This time limit will be strictly enforced. Please see the instructional note on

oral presentations below for additional information. In addition, you are required to submit a spiral- or coil-bound

hardcopy of your overheads immediately prior to your presentation. In the bound hardcopy, be sure to provide a list

of references. Please provide a professional quality cover page with the company’s name, the checkpoint number,

your group number, the name of the course (MGMT 4970), the time of the course (i.e., 2:00), the semester of the

course (i.e., Winter 2009), and group member names in alphabetical order. The feedback provided should be

incorporated in the final report.

Checkpoint #2: Selected external analyses. You are required to hand in the following analyses in this order: (1)

strategic group, (2) five-forces. Be sure to organize the forces in the following order: (1) Rivalry among Existing

Competitors, (2) Threat of New Entrants, (3) Threat of Substitute Products, (4) Bargaining Power of Suppliers, and

(5) Bargaining Power of Buyers. These two analyses should be written up as exhibits for the final report. Please

provide a professional quality cover page with the company’s name, the checkpoint number, your group number,

the name of the course (MGMT 4970), the time of the course (i.e., 2:00), the semester of the course (i.e., Winter

2009), and group member names in alphabetical order. Please bind with a staple in the upper left-hand corner. (No

5

fancy bindings or covers, please.) The feedback provided on these graded analyses should be incorporated in the

final report.

Checkpoint #3: Selected internal analyses. You are required to hand in the following analyses in this order: (1)

VRIO analysis/core competence metaphor, (2) organizational culture analysis. (Be sure to organize the VRIO

analysis/CC metaphor in the following order: (1) VRIO, and (2) CC metaphor.) These analyses should be written

up as exhibits for the final report. Please provide a professional quality cover page with the company’s name, the

checkpoint number, your group number, the name of the course (MGMT 4970), the time of the course (i.e., 2:00),

the semester of the course (i.e., Winter 2009), and group member names in alphabetical order. Please bind with a

staple in the upper left-hand corner. (No fancy bindings or covers, please.) The feedback provided on these graded

analyses should be incorporated in the final report.

Checkpoint #4: Selected external, internal and meta-analyses. You are required to hand in the following analyses

in this order: (1) macroenvironmental analysis, (2) organizational structure analysis, (3) 7S analysis, (4) financial

and ratio analysis, and (5) brainstorming. These analyses should be written up as exhibits for the final report.

Please provide a professional quality cover page with the checkpoint number, the company’s name, your group

number, the name of the course (MGMT 4970), the time of the course (i.e., 2:00), the semester of the course (i.e.,

Winter 2009), and group member names in alphabetical order. Please bind with a staple in the upper left-hand

corner. (No fancy bindings or covers, please.) PLEASE NOTE: This checkpoint serves as a ―spot check‖ only. I

will be looking at these analyses in a general way, making sure they are completed. So unlike prior checkpoints, I

will not be providing detailed comments; however, I may make a few general suggestions. You must submit all five

analyses to receive credit. If you turn in only four of five analyses, for example, you will receive no credit (i.e., a

―0‖) for the whole checkpoint. In other words, it’s ―all or nothing.‖

Checkpoint #5: Strategy formulation, implementation, and recommendations presentation. Here you are asked to

(1) analyze the components of strategy formulation and strategy implementation, and determine how well the

formulated strategy is actually implemented using the 7S analysis, (2) analyze the external and internal

environment using a number of strategic analysis and synthesis tools, combining all of these using a SWOT

analysis, (3) make recommendations concerning the firm’s future strategic direction using the TOWS matrix as

your guide.

As we arrive at this checkpoint, I will review a number of suggestions for presenting this material and provide

detailed handouts of these suggestions. By the time you start putting your presentation together you must have

completed the following required analyses: (1) strategic history, (2) strategic group, (3) five-forces, (4)

macroenvironmental, (5) VRIO/core competence metaphor, (6) organizational culture, (7) organizational structure,

(8) financial & ratio, (9) 7S, (10) brainstorming, and (11) SWOT/TOWS matrix. Five other analyses are optional

and can be conducted for additional insight and extra credit: (1) competitor, (2) customer, (3) leadership, (4) value

chain, and (5) balanced scorecard. Any corporate strategy recommendations must be consistent with the coverage

of corporate-level strategy in this course. You will be required to present your findings to the class, and will have

20 minutes to do so. Please see the instructional note on oral presentations below for additional information. In

addition, you are required to submit a spiral- or coil-bound hardcopy of your overheads immediately prior to your

presentation. In the bound hardcopy, be sure to provide a list references. Please provide a professional quality

cover page with the checkpoint number, the company’s name, your group number, the name of the course (MGMT

4970), the time of the course (i.e., 2:00), the semester of the course (i.e., Winter 2009), and group member names

in alphabetical order.

Checkpoint #6: Final report. Here you are asked to write a final report with six main parts: (1) a title page (a

professional quality cover page with the checkpoint number, the company’s name, your group number, the name of

the course [MGMT 4970], the time of the course [i.e., 2:00], the semester of the course [i.e., Winter 2009], and

group member names in alphabetical order), (2) a table of contents, (3) a body (which is optional), (4) an appendix

(which is the heart of your report) that contains all your exhibits (i.e., each and every analysis should be presented

as an exhibit), (5) a list of references for all materials used to generate this report, and (6) copies of all reference

materials used. Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 should be bound together as your main report. Part 6 should be bound

6

separately. Your final report should end up being approximately 85-95 pages altogether, excluding copies of

reference materials. (Note: This means that, for a group of seven people, each person on average would be

responsible for contributing about 12 pages.) Please see the instructional note on written submissions below for

additional information.

2. Quizzes

Your performance will be assessed on ten quizzes to be given at the beginning of the class period. Please consult

the course outline for quiz material and dates. No make-up quizzes will be given. However, you may drop your two

lowest quiz scores. These quizzes are meant to: (1) encourage reading of the material, (2) promote class discussion,

and (3) prepare you for the project as well as cases and small group exercises.

3. Peer Evaluation Adjustment

In order to minimize the tendency of individuals to ―free ride‖ on the efforts of others in group projects and to

penalize those who do, each student will evaluate the other members of his/her group. Please see the instructional

note on peer evaluations for more details. The peer evaluation form can be found on the course web site.

4. Attendance

Without attending class, it is impossible to participate in exercises, discussions, workshops, cases, etc., and get the

full value of this capstone course. Given the importance of attendance to both your and your peers’ learning (and

success) in this class: (1) If you have perfect attendance, you will have 2% added to your overall course grade (e.g.,

88% (B+) 90% (A-)); (2) If you miss only one class session, you will have 1% added to your overall course

grade; (3) If you miss two or three class sessions, there will be no increase nor decrease in your overall course

grade; (4) If you miss four class sessions, you will have 1% subtracted from your overall course grade; (5) If you

miss five class sessions, you will have an additional 2% subtracted from your overall course grade; (6) If you miss

six or more class sessions, you will have an additional 3% subtracted from your course grade for each missed

session over five—for example, if you miss six class sessions (i.e., fail to show up for a full 20% of the course),

you will have 6% (1% for the fourth absence + 2% for the fifth absence + 3% for the sixth absence) subtracted

from your overall course grade (e.g., 88% (B+) 82% (B-)). (Think about the example this way: How long would

you remain employed if you didn’t show up for work one day a week (20%)?) Coming in just to take the quiz and

then leaving will count as an absence. A pattern of arriving late, leaving early, and/or exiting-and-reentering the

class while it’s in session will also count as an absence(s). Three such events constitutes a pattern. Your informing

me of an absence and my acknowledging this does not constitute an excused absence. While there are no excused

absences, MU does have special provisions if you are a member of a U.S. national guard or military reserve unit or

the Federal Emergency Management Agency called to active duty while the University is in session. See me for

details as soon as possible, should any of these apply. I will be keeping regular attendance records. It is your

responsibility to sign the roster during each class session and to legibly print your full name on quizzes as evidence

of your attendance.

5. Electronic Devices

Your ability to carefully focus and actively participate in class discussions and exercises is crucial to your success

in this course. Electronic devices – including, but not limited to, cellular phones, laptops, PDAs – have been found

to direct students' attention away from the learning process. Therefore, before the beginning of each class you are

required to turn off all cellular phones, laptops, and other electronic devices and store them someplace other than

your work area. Unless otherwise noted by the professor (e.g., strategic workshop days, student accommodation

through Disability Services), any student found using an electronic device in the classroom – no matter the length

of time – will have 3% subtracted from their overall course grade for each occurrence. See me at the beginning of

the term if you have any questions about this policy.

VIII. Instructional Notes

1. Note on Oral Presentations

A PowerPoint slide show is required in order to make the presentation more clear, interesting, and persuasive. I

strongly recommend that you come prepared with a backup set of materials that can be displayed on the document

camera. The presentation will be assessed by the instructor using an evaluation form that can be found on the

7

course web site. I do not require that each and every member of the group be a presenter; however, all members

should stand in front of the class in an orderly fashion during the presentation. I strongly encourage you to talk

with me prior to your presentation; I will try to answer any questions you may have, reduce your uncertainty, and

give you the best advice possible. It has been my experience that those who do not practice their presentations as a

group prior to delivering them have substantial problems with time, persuasive logic, and consistency and flow

between presenters—the moral: you really have to PRACTICE!!!

You will need to give considerable thought to the structure of your presentation. To help you prepare, we will have

several project workshops. To maximize the value of these workshops, you need to come as prepared as possible,

having thought about the project, having documents in hand from your research efforts, and having talked with me

informally.

If you choose to use technologies not supported by our classroom setup, you are responsible for securing all the

necessary hardware and software, and having it there on time. If you want me to assist you with such technologies,

I ask that you come see me at least one week in advance of the presentation.

Checkpoints will be presented on the dates indicated in the course outline below. If you miss the class period when

your group’s presentation is due, then your group members will present without you. Any problems associated with

a group member’s absence should be ―taken up‖ within the group (in advance of the presentation if at all possible).

For example, if someone misses a presentation, the group may want to make changes in the previously agreed-upon

division of labor or to reflect this lack of participation in a lower peer evaluation.

2. Note on Written Submissions

Given the nature of this course, your written submissions will be held to the highest of standards. Quality of

presentation, writing style, persuasive logic, substantiation and content will be assessed in grading. Please consult

the course web site for details on the areas of assessment for the final report (Checkpoint #6).

The final report should: (1) be within the five-page length requirement for the body, (2) be typewritten with a 12-

point font (however, exhibits may use a smaller font), (3) be in ―portrait‖ orientation, not ―landscape‖ for the body

(however, landscape may be appropriate for some exhibits), (4) be double-spaced for the body (however, single-

spacing for the exhibits is typically preferred), (5) have 1‖ margins all around (although exhibits with graphs and

graphical elements may require tighter margins (e.g., 0.5‖ margins), (6) have page numbers for the body, (7) be

―coil‖ or ―spiral‖ bound with front and back covers. You are required to submit one copy (which I will keep).

You’ll want to shop around for printing/binding to find the price/quality point you desire, as the range can be quite

broad (e.g., Kinko’s, Brady Commons, Ellis Library Copy Center, Office Depot, Staples) and, in some cases, the

price quite high. As noted above, the final report should have the following parts:

(1) The cover page should be of professional quality and include the company’s name, the checkpoint number,

your group number, the name of the course (i.e., MGMT 4970), the time of the course (i.e., 12:30, 2:00),

the semester of the course (i.e., Fall 2008), and group member names in alphabetical order.

(2) The final report should have a table of contents that uses categories to organize the various exhibits (see #4

below for examples of categories).

(3) The body is optional. If you choose to do it, the body should have arguments that are succinct, clearly and

professionally written, logically organized, and substantiated with evidence. It should be five pages

maximum. In these five (or fewer) pages, you need to introduce the reader to the company and the ways in

which you analyzed it. More specifically, begin by briefly introducing the company and delimiting the

scope of your work in terms of strategic business unit(s) and strategic group(s) covered. Then, in a general

way, take the reader through all the analyses you used in the project (see the list of a dozen required

analyses and three optional analyses on page 5 of the syllabus). Be sure to organize this around main

topics such as strategic history, external analyses, internal analyses, strategy formulation, strategy

implementation, firm performance, strategic meta-analyses, creative strategic synthesis and/or strategic

recommendations. The body of the report should do more than merely recite the analyses conducted; it

should specifically demonstrate your knowledge of strategic management. Please note that you should not

attempt to cover each analysis in fine-grained detail in the body of the report. For this detail, refer the

8

reader to each and every exhibit in the appendix of the report using the notation (see Exhibit 10) or (see

Exhibits 2, 3, 5 and 10), for example. If, after having done all of the above, you want to report the findings

from your analyses, be sure to distill them to their essence.

(4) The appendix is the heart of your report. It should present the detailed analyses that support the claims and

arguments made in the body of the paper. Exhibits should be organized in an appendix using categories

such as strategic history, external analyses, internal analyses, strategy formulation, strategy

implementation, firm performance, strategic meta-analyses, creative strategic synthesis and/or strategic

recommendations. Importantly, every analysis requires an exhibit. That is, you need a strategic history

exhibit, a five-forces exhibit, a 7S exhibit, a TOWS matrix exhibit, a brainstorming exhibit, and so on.

Every exhibit must be designated with some sort of numbering scheme.

(5) The list of references should include all materials used to generate the report, and be specific enough that I

can look them up and find them. Please be consistent in your referencing, whatever style guide you might

choose (e.g., APA).

(6) In addition, you are required to submit one copy (which I will keep) of your actual reference materials.

Please bind this separate from your final report. Nothing fancy here. A three-ring binder will do.

To improve the quality of your written work, assign multiple group members to a particular ―job‖ so that you build

in appropriate ―checks and balances.‖ A focus on sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, paragraphs with a

topic sentence and others that support it, organization of the paper including the use of headings/subheadings, and

persuasive logic will keep the reader from getting bogged down and will improve your grade.

3. Note on Peer Evaluations

Each group member will be required to complete a peer evaluation form for all group work associated with the

capstone project. Individual grades will be adjusted to reflect these peer evaluations where appropriate. Some cases

of free-riding can result in a substantial grade reduction. Please use the ―peer evaluation form‖ available on the

course web site. Every student is required to turn in a peer evaluation. Turning it in late or not at all will negatively

affect your overall course grade by 3% (e.g., 90% 87%) if 0.2-24 hours late, 6% (e.g., 90% 84%) if 24-48

hours late, and 9% (e.g., 90% 81%) if over 48 hours late.

In order that every member of the group understands the standard to which the group will hold them, I ask as a

group that you thoughtfully come to a consensus and render these standards explicit in a document of

understanding (DOU). Type it up, have each group member sign it, and submit this document to me in class on the

dates shown in the course outline. Each group member should keep a copy for his/her records. I have examples of

DOUs from prior groups that you are welcome to review. Consider, for example, these factors in your discussion

and drafting of the DOU:

Did they contribute to the group process? (1) On time for all group meetings, stayed for the duration of the

meeting, and was really ―into‖ it. (2) Coordinated his/her schedule with the group so meetings were easy to

schedule. (3) Met the task deadlines that were set up by the group. (4) Respected other group members’

time by coming fully prepared for all group meetings. (5) Kept the group organized, cohesive, and

progressing toward the completion of group goals. (6) Maintained a constructive, positive attitude

throughout the project.

Did they contribute to the group product? (1) Contributed useful ideas and suggestions. (2) Contributed

creative ideas that forced new insights. (3) Strong contributor in the development and/or delivery of the

group’s presentation. (4) Strong contributor in the development of the group’s report. (5) Skill in carrying

out his/her special role (computer graphics, research, presentations, etc.). (6) Overall quantity of work on

the project. (7) Overall quality of work on the project.

IX. Academic Dishonesty

Any form of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism of written work or verbal presentations and cheating on

quizzes will be immediately referred to the Assistant Provost for disposition according to University policies.

Disciplinary actions can include suspension or expulsion. Please see the University’s policies regarding Academic

Honesty in the MU Catalog and in the M-book. Bottom line: ―don’t cheat‖!!

9

X. Americans with Disabilities Act

If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me,

or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform me immediately. Please

see me privately after class, or at my office. (Please see page 1 or the course website for my office location and

hours.) To request academic accommodations (e.g., a note taker), students must also register with the Office of

Disability Services, (http://disabilityservices.missouri.edu), S5 Memorial Union, 882-4696. It is the campus office

responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting academic accommodations, and for

accommodations planning in cooperation with students and instructors, as needed and consistent with course

requirements. For other MU resources for students with disabilities, click on ―Disability Resources‖ on the MU

homepage.

10

XII. Course Outline

Mon Jan 19 MLK Jr. Holiday No class – Have a great MLK Day!

Wed Jan 21 Introduction and

Organizing for Group

Projects

Activity: Course Overview

Activity: What is Strategy?

Activity: Initial Group Formation & Company Identification

Due: Hand in a sheet of paper with your class time, group number,

company(ies) you are considering, and names of all group members.

Mon Jan 26 Organizing for Group

Projects, and Searching for

Company and Industry

Information

Activity: Finalize Group Formation & Semi-finalize Company

Identification

Activity: Introduction to Library Resources by Business Reference

Librarian Gwen Gray

Due: Update the sheet you handed in last time, as needed.

Due: Student profiles with photo attached

Wed Jan 28 Conceptual Foundations of

Strategic Management: The

Multi-faceted Concept of

Strategy; Honda’s Expansion

into the U. S. Motorcycle

Market (Case Study)

Read: ―Five Ps for Strategy‖ (Mintzberg)

Read: ―The Honda Effect‖ (Pascale)

Quiz: Quiz 1

Mon Feb 02 Conceptual Foundations of

Strategic Management: A

Systems Perspective of

Strategy

Read: ―The 7S Framework‖ (Waterman, et al.)

Quiz: Quiz 2

Wed Feb 04 Strategy Workshop Activity: Come prepared to work in groups on the details of your

strategic histories.

Read: ―First-Mover Advantages‖ (Miller & Dess/Lieberman &

Montgomery)

Mon Feb 09 External Environment:

Strategic Group and Five-

Forces Analyses

Read: ―Strategic Groups within Industries‖ (Hill & Jones)

Read: ―How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy‖ (Porter)

Quiz: Quiz 3

Wed Feb 11 External Environment:

Five-Forces Analysis

Read: ―How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy‖ (Porter)

Due: Instructor’s final approval of company for project.

Due: DOU typed and signed by all group members

Mon Feb 16 External Environment:

Macroenvironmental

Analysis

Read: ―The Role of the Macroenvironment‖ (Hill & Jones)

Read: ―'E-mail Has Become the New Snail Mail' as Younger Set

Goes with Text Messaging‖ (USA Today)

Read: ―To Lure Older Girls, Mattel Brings in a Hip-Hop…‖ (WSJ)

Read: ―In Lean Times, Big Companies Make a Grab…‖ (WSJ)

Quiz: Quiz 4

Wed Feb 18 Strategy Formulation:

Strategy as Plan: Vision,

Mission, Purpose, Goals

Read: ―Developing a Vision and Strategy‖ (Kotter)

Read: ―Strategic Intent‖ (Hamel & Prahalad)

Quiz: Quiz 5

Mon Feb 23 Strategic History:

Presentations

Due: Checkpoint #1 (Groups 1, 2 and 3 present your strategic

history.)

Due: Hand in bound copy of slides with reference list.

11

Wed Feb 25 Strategic History:

Presentations

Due: Checkpoint #1 (Groups 4, 5 and 6 present your strategic

history.)

Due: Hand in bound copy of slides with reference list.

Mon Mar 02 Strategy Workshop Activity: Come prepared to work in groups on the details of your

strategic group and five-forces analyses.

Due: If your group wishes to update your DOU for any learning that

occurred during the first checkpoint, you may turn in the updated

version today. If you have no changes, then you don’t need to do

anything.

Wed Mar 04 Strategy Formulation:

Strategy as Position: Porter’s

Strategy Typology (Business-

Level Strategy)

Read: ―Choosing a Generic Competitive Strategy at the Business

Level‖ (Hill & Jones)

Read: ―Mass Customization‖ (Fortune)

Quiz: Quiz 6

Mon Mar 09 Strategy Formulation:

Strategy as Position: Business

Strategy at Wal-Mart and K-

Mart (Case Study)

Read: ―Loss Leader‖ (WSJ)

Read: ―Upward Mobility‖ (WSJ)

Quiz: Quiz 7

Wed Mar 11 Strategy Implementation:

VRIO/Core Competence

Analyses

Read: ―Looking Inside for Competitive Advantage‖ (Barney)

Quiz: Quiz 8

Mon Mar 16 Strategy Implementation:

Organizational Culture and

Leadership Analyses

Read: ―Organizational Culture and Leadership‖ (Dess & Miller)

Read: ―Building a Strategy-Supportive Corporate Culture‖

(Thompson & Strickland)

Read: ―Father, Son and Gum‖ (WSJ)

Read: ―How Apple Does It‖ (Time)

Quiz: Quiz 9

Wed Mar 18 Strategy Implementation:

Organizational Structure

Analysis

Read: ―Mechanistic and Organic Organizational Structures‖ (Jones)

Read: ―Business-Level Strategy and Structure‖ (Jones)

Read: ―Implementing Strategy: Creating Effective Organizational

Designs‖ (Dess & Lumpkin)

Quiz: Quiz 10

Due: Checkpoint #2 (Hand in your strategic group and five-forces

analyses.)

Mon Mar 23 Spring Break! No classes – Have a great Spring Break!

Wed Mar 25 Spring Break! No classes – Have a great Spring Break!

Mon Mar 30 Strategy Implementation:

Value-Chain Analysis

Read: ―Value Chain Analysis‖ (Pearce & Robinson)

Wed Apr 01 Firm Performance:

Financial & Ratio Analysis,

and the Balanced Scorecard

Read: ―Financial Analysis‖ (Dess & Miller)

Read: ―Understanding and Analyzing Financial Statements‖ (Dess &

Miller)

Read: ―The Balanced Scorecard‖ (Daft)

12

Mon Apr 06 Strategic Meta-Analyses,

Creative Strategic Synthe-

sis, and Strategic Recom-

mendations: 7S Framework,

SWOT Analysis/TOWS

Matrix, and Brainstorming

Read: ―The 7S Framework‖ (Waterman, et al.)

Read: ―Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats‖ (De

Kluyver)

Read: ―The TOWS Matrix‖ (David)

Read: ―Brainstorming Works Best if People Scramble for Ideas on

Their Own‖ (WSJ)

Wed Apr 08 Strategy Workshop Workshop: Teams work on their projects in class

Due: Checkpoint #3 (Hand in your VRIO/core competence and

organizational culture analyses.)

Mon Apr 13 Additional Topics and

Analyses: Corporate Strategy

Recommendations, and

Competitor and Customer

Analyses

Read: ―Corporate Diversification Strategies‖ (Thompson &

Strickland)

Read: ―The Myth of Synergy‖ (MBA Jungle)

Read: ―After Years of Pushing Synergy, Time Warner Inc. Says

Enough‖ (WSJ)

Read: ―Competitor Analysis‖ (De Kluyver)

Read: ―What Strategic Moves Are Rivals Likely to Make Next?‖

(Thompson & Strickland)

Read: ―Niche Competitors Crowd into MySpace‖ (USA Today)

Read: ―The MySpace Invaders‖ (USA Today)

Wed Apr 15 Strategy Workshop Workshop: Teams work on their projects in class

Mon Apr 20 Strategy Workshop Workshop: Teams work on their projects in class

Wed Apr 22 Strategy Workshop Workshop: Teams work on their projects in class

Mon Apr 27 Strategy Workshop Workshop: Teams work on their projects in class

Due: Checkpoint #4 (Hand in your macroenvironmental,

organizational structure, 7S, financial and ratio, and brainstorming

analyses for a ―spot check.‖)

Wed Apr 29 Course Summary and

Strategy Workshop

Summary: I will summarize the major themes of the course,

attempting to ―put it all together.‖

Workshop: Teams work on their projects in class

Mon May 04 Strategy Formulation &

Implementation, and

Strategic Recommend-

ations: Presentations

Due: Checkpoint #5—Presentations by Groups 6, 5, and 4

Due: Hand in bound copy of slides with reference list.

Wed May 06 Strategy Formulation &

Implementation, and

Strategic Recommend-

ations: Presentations and

Final Report

Due: Checkpoint #5—Presentations by Groups 3, 2, and 1

Due: Hand in bound copy of slides with reference list.

Due: Checkpoint #6—All groups hand in bound copy of final report

with reference list plus separately bound reference materials.

Due: Peer Evaluation Form.

Note: The instructor reserves the right to amend or re-schedule the course outline as deemed necessary.

13

Student Profile

MGMT 4970 – WS 2009

Please place

recent photo

here.

Name: ___________________________________________

Major(s): ________________________________________

Student #: _______________________________________

Phone Number: ___________________________________

MU E-mail Address: ________________________________

Home city/state (e.g., Kirkwood, MO) or city/country (e.g., Tokyo, Japan) ______________________

Purpose: Please submit this form, along with a recent photo, no later than Monday, January 26th

. Please provide a photo that

looks like you currently look. If you don’t have a picture, take a picture id, set the copier to light, zoom it up, and make a

photocopy. Please affix your picture with tape or staples.

Employment Experience (If working this term, how many hrs/wk?):____________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

What do you hope to do after graduation? ________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Personal interests: ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Any special objectives or expectations for this course? ______________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________