MGMT102Liang ChenAY2324 T2
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School
Singapore Management**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
MGMT 102
Subject
Management
Date
Dec 20, 2024
Pages
7
Uploaded by CommodoreMoon15980
Page 1 SMU Classification: Restricted MGMT102 STRATEGY Instructor: Prof. (Dr) CHEN Liang Title: Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship Tel: +65 6828 9650 Email: liangchen@smu.edu.sg Office: 5021 Office hours: By appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION This course introduces students to the theoretical concepts and analytical tools required for formulating and implementing appropriate strategies that affect the enduring success of the entire organization. Topics covered include external and internal environmental analyses, business-level strategies, corporate-level strategies, strategy process and implementation, and special topics such as competitive dynamics and competition in high tech industries. This course emphasizes the application of theory to the real world strategic issues. Students are encouraged to synthesize knowledge from other business courses into a comprehensive understanding of competitive advantage. LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this course, students will be able to: •Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of firms’ competitive advantage •Apply analytical techniques for diagnosing strategy formulation, including industry structure, resources, and business/corporate strategies •Apply analytical techniques for diagnosing strategy implementation, including corporate governance, structure, and strategic leadership •Identify strategic issues and design appropriate courses of actionPRE-REQUISITE/ CO-REQUISITE/ MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE COURSE(S) Please refer to the Course Catalogue on OASIS for the most updated list of pre-requisites / co-requisites for this particular course. Do note that if this course has a co-requisite, it means that the course has to be taken together with another course. Dropping one course during BOSS bidding would result in both courses being dropped at the same time. ASSESSMENT METHODS Students will be assessed in both group projects and individual contribution through the following: (1) Class participation (in-class) 20% individual (2) Group project (eLearn) 15% assigned group (3) Group presentation 20% assigned group (4) Take-home assignment (eLearn) 10% individual (5) Final exam 35% individual RECOMMENDED TEXT Main text: Strategic Management(6thEdition, 2024) by Frank Rothaermel. To help save costs, you may also use the 5thor 4thedition of this text. You may also be required to purchase case studies for class readings and for your The Lee Kong Chian School of Business Academic Year 2023/24 Term 2
Page 2 SMU Classification: Restricted assignments. I will provide the links at the beginning of the term. Additional reading materials will be uploaded onto eLearn periodically. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS Individual vs. Team Activities:Both individual and team activities will determine your grade in this course. Whereas Class Participation and Final Exam are individually graded, Group Project and Group Presentation are team activities. All members in a team are accountable for the team assignment. At the end of the term, each member may evaluate the overall contributions of other members in his/her team (relative to your own contribution). All members in a team will receive the same grade for team activities. However, your individual grade for all team activities may be adjusted downward if the majority of your team members evaluate your contribution unfavorably. (1) Class Participation (20%) In-class discussion is an important mechanism for learning. Help yourself make the class awesome and memorable. Participation is not about just answering my questions, but rather helping me make the class come alive, fun, and meaningful. Your participation allows you to gain a richer understanding of concepts and increases learning opportunities for the whole class. Participation includes (but are certainly not limited to) attendance, speaking up, presenting your work and engaging your peers. You are encouraged to share experiences and examples, provide your opinion or argument, and respectfully challenge/build on others’ opinions.You do not need to speak in every class session to gain full credit for participation, but you should engage in the class discussion often. It is the quality of the contribution that counts. Discussion Questions for the In-Class Cases:To be posted on eLearn throughout the term. Some guidelines which may help you participate: Criteria for class participation Below expectation Above expectation Attendance Missing ≥ 1 class without good reason Present in every class Speaking up Responding to or asking questions ≤ 5 times the entire term(this is a necessary but not sufficient condition) Responding to or asking question in most classes Speaking up with substance Repeat what others have said; ask only clarification questions throughout the semester Build on the discussion; challenge or test the limit of conclusions; ask insightful questions Present your work Not active in presenting your in-class exercise Present your in-class exercise at least once Offer quality feedback to others Rarely offer constructive, quality feedback to others presenting Often offer constructive, quality feedback to others presenting their in-class work Contribution to class atmosphere Disruptive behaviour, e.g., coming to class late, chatting excessively with your seatmates but not contributing to class discussion, etc. Conducive to collective learning, e.g., respects others’ need for concentration, helps explain another student’s questions that are not well answered, etc. Ultimately, my assessment of your participation is subjective, but I will make an effort to ensure that the process is fair and transparent. I will also provide ample opportunities for you to participate –take advantage of it. Based on the above-mentioned expectations, I will categorize each student’s effort in participation into five buckets in my mind (1. little/no participation/impression 2. Some participation/impression 3. Average participation/impression 4. Good participation/impression 5. Outstanding participation/impression.
Page 3 SMU Classification: Restricted Attending Class There are a few important rules related to attending your classes. Make sure you are aware of these rules: (1) You always have to attend the section you have signed up for. Nowadays classes are pretty much at full capacity and different teaching assistants will take care of different sections. In order to avoid administrative confusion and getting classes that exceed capacity it is important we stick to the outcome of the boss bidding process. So regardless of the reason you cannot attend any other sections than the one you have signed up for. However, if you miss a class make sure you read the material carefully. And if you have any clarification questions or if you want me to take you through the case you missed by not attending class I am more than happy to do so during my office hours. (2) Missing a class for whatever reason (sickness, job interviews, etc.) will automatically mean you cannot make any contributions that week towards your participation grade which will have an impact on your final participation grade. This also implies you do not need to apologize, justify your absence, or send me a medical certificate as this will not change the outcome of being absent. However, you can compensate for the loss resulting from your absence in class by participating more actively and by making better contributions in the other classes you are attending. (3) Class will start exactly at the specified time. Being late disturbs class and your fellow students, therefore, I will heavily penalize students who show up late in class as a part of their participation grade (even if you are only a few minutes late). As a result, not being punctual can considerably impact your participation and overall grade. (4) Any behaviour that is disrespectful of the rest of the class or disturbing (e.g., talking, using your laptops in inappropriate ways, etc.) will be taken into account in your participation grade even if I do not confront you with your disrespectful or disturbing behaviour during class. (2) Group Project(15%) The instructor will form groups during the term capturing the diversity of the class. All groups in all sections of this course - regardless of who the instructor is - will be formed by the instructor and not by students themselves. This is the policy of all Strategy courses.You will analyze one case in your assigned groups of ideally five students. I will decide the cases at a later date and give you some inspirations to start with. Each team should submit one project report. The project report should be type written, 1.5 line-spaced, using 12-point size font, and should not exceed 20 pages (excluding appendices, references, and endnotes). The cover page should provide the complete name of the team members, student ID number, and course code. The report should contain the following sections: (1) A cover page listing team members; (2) Table of contents; (3) Executive Summary; (4) Company Background/History; (5) External Analysis (including PESTEL but mainlyFive Forces); (6) Internal Analysis (e.g., Customer value proposition, Activity system, Resources/capabilities, and/or Tracking/discussion of company business model and performance over time); (7) Business Strategy and Corporate Strategy (their rationale and outcomes); (8) Important issues and problems faced by the company and reasonable solutions to these issues/problems; (9) List of references; (10) Appendices (tables and charts), if any. Pay more attention to (5)-(7).Though grading will focus primarily on the content, writing form, grammar, punctuation, and professional presentation will also be evaluated. (3) Group Presentation(20%) Identify a company that is comparable to the case company you analyzed for your Group Project (e.g., regarding its industry, market positioning, core competence, resources and capabilities, business model, etc). You should adopt the role of a consulting team that has been asked to provide: (a) strategic judgments regarding the key issues and problems facing the company with supporting evidence and sound logic; (b) an assessment of the root causes of the problems identified; (c) different courses of actions available to the company and assessments of these options; and (d) specific recommendations with justifications, a supporting plan of action and acknowledgement of implementation challenges. Suggested recommendations should follow logically from your analysis as to what best addresses those root causes. Be sure to discuss potential issues in implementing those recommendations.
Page 4 SMU Classification: Restricted Note that you should aim to integrate the various viewpoints and simultaneously make the best possible use of the different analytical skills of the group members. A creative group process builds upon resolving diverse views in arriving at a synthesized whole. One method for achieving this result is to have each group member exhaustively analyze the company individually, then meet as a group and verbally decide on the group's collective judgments. You must ensure that the final document comes across as a cohesive report. In the final slide, outline your learning journey by sharing your difficulties and killed ideas/recommendations (and why). Each group will be given 20 minutes to present, followed by Q&A. Late submissions will be penalized. At the end of the course, you will complete a short survey that asks you to evaluate the contribution of each member. I may adjust the grades based on these responses.A strong set of recommendations is: •Systematic - Uses facts to build a logical case. •Has Focus - Develops a course of action in which there are moves/strategies that work together in a coherent manner over different time periods. The recommendations should be concrete, e.g., “run testimonial advertisements in magazines targeted to medium- to-high-income people”, and not just “engage in advertising.”•Estimates outcomes - Considers the estimated benefits (pros) and costs (cons) of the proposed actions. The following template can be used in brainstorming. Modify as necessary. Proposed Actions -what, when, how, for how long?Reasons to Pursue -apply concepts from sessions Pros -revenue/profit -market growth -etc.Cons -resource constraints -what could go wrong -etc.The following rubric provides a guide for your preparation of the presentation. Criteria Metric Description Weighting Presentation Delivery and enthusiasm Clear, easy to understand, spoke at good pace, engaging 10% Aesthetics (look and feel of slides) Visually aesthetic, clearly articulating points, perfectly formatted, no typos 10% Reflection & response to Q&A -Genuine reflection on the learning journey (debates & resolutions) -Complete, convincing, and clear answers 20% Content Quality of analysis Clear problem definition, deep and insightful analysis of the root cause, strong evidence and augmentation with reasonable assumptions provided for all alternative solutions 30% Strength of recommendation Recommendation is innovative, addresses the key issues and root cause, presented with a 30%
Page 5 SMU Classification: Restricted well-developed strategy (consider the organizational/business model changes required), that is implementable (consider the financial viability and investment return) Total 100% (4) Take-home Assignment(10%) Read the Dropbox case in the coursepack. Answer the following questions and upload one PDF document. •Problem: What were the key challenges Dropbox faced in expanding to global markets? How are they similar/different from those of traditional firms? •Analysis: Why did Dropbox undertake foreign direct investment, despite its ability to acquire users via digital channels? •Recommendation: What are the major competitive threats to Dropbox? How can Dropbox strengthen its competitive advantage and maintain its growth? Aim to write 250 words for each of the questions (same as in the exam). Quality answers draw connections to readings, lectures, in-class discussion, or anything that was covered in class. I will provide the link on eLearn where you can submit your answers. The following rubric provides a guide for your assignment. Criteria Metric Description Weighting Problem Issues Recognizes multiple problems in the case. Indicates which issue is most important than others and explains why. 33% Analysis Knowledge and insights Provides thorough and sometimes insightful analysis of facts presented in the case, using multiple methods or frameworks to synthesize conclusions about the root causes for the problem. 33% Recommendation Alternatives and actions Provides thorough consideration of multiple strategic alternatives, analyzes pros and cons for each, and identifies key trade-offs that lead to a recommended course of action. Pays attention to potential challenges in implementation. 34% Total 100% (5) Final Exam (35%)The 2-hour final exam will cover the entire contents of this course. It may take a case analysis and/or a combination of short-answer and long-answer essay questions. Students who have done their readings ahead of class throughout the course should not have to study much about the final exam. I will offer preparation tips and a review session to help you with the exam. No make-up exams will be administered. If you miss the final exam, no grade will be given. UNIVERSITY POLICIES Academic IntegrityAll acts of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, facilitation of acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of exam questions, or tampering with the academic work of other students) are serious offences.
Page 6 SMU Classification: Restricted All work (whether oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the student’s own work. Penalties for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to expulsion, depending on the nature of the offense. When in doubt, students should consult the instructors of the course. Details on the SMU Code of Academic Integrity may be accessed at https://oasis.smu.edu.sg/Pages/DOS-WKLSWC/UCSC.aspx. Copyright NoticePlease note that all course materials are meant for personal use only, namely, for the purposes of teaching, studying and research. You are strictly not permitted to make copies of or print additional copies or distribute such copies of the course materials or any parts thereof, for commercial gain or exchange. For the full copyright notice, please visit: https://smu.sg/Copyright-notice or OASIS -> CAMPUS LIFE & EXCHANGE -> CONDUCT & DISCIPLINE -> UNIVERSITY COUNCIL OF STUDENT DISCIPLINEAccessibility SMU strives to make learning experiences accessible for all. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers due to disability, please let me know immediately. You are also welcome to contact the university's disability services team if you have questions or concerns about academic provisions: DSS@smu.edu.sg. Please be aware that the accessible tables in our seminar room should remain available for students who require them. Digital Readiness for Teaching and Learning (DRTL) As part of emergency preparedness, instructors may conduct lessons online via the Zoom platform during the term, to prepare students for online learning. During an actual emergency, students will be notified to access the Zoom platform for their online lessons. The class schedule will mirror the current face-to-face class timetable unless otherwise stated. SCHEDULE Note that the schedule below gives you a general overview of the course structure. Check the course eLearn page before the term starts for an updated syllabus along with specific cases and additional readings for each week. Makeup sessions in lieu of public holidays will be announced. I reserve the right to make changes at any time to improve students’ learning experience. I will communicate any such changes either verbally in class, through eLearn and/or through the students’ official SMU email account.TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE TERM 2 2023/24 (Subject to change)Weeks Topics Readings (tentative) 1 Introduction to the course What is strategy and strategic leadership Read: Rothaermel Ch 1, 2 2 External analysis: A firm’s industry environment and analysisRead: Rothaermel Ch 3 Case reading: YouTuber 3 Internal analysis: A firm’s competencies, resources, capabilities Read: Rothaermel Ch 4 Case reading: Alphabet 4 Business strategy: Differentiating from other firms Read: Rothaermel Ch 6 Case reading: Amazon 5 Firm performance and business model Guest speaker Read: Rothaermel Ch 12 6 Corporate strategy: Vertical integration and diversification Read: Rothaermel Ch 8 Case reading: Lego
Page 7 SMU Classification: Restricted 7 Corporate strategy: Strategic alliances and M&As Read: Rothaermel Ch 9 Case reading: Walt Disney & Pixar 8 Recess week (no class) DUE: Submit Group Project on eLearn (Friday 5pm) 9 Stakeholders and sustainability Read: Rothaermel Ch 5 Case reading: Li-ion battery 10 Global strategy: Why firms internationalize Read: Rothaermel Ch 10 Case reading: Intel 11 Digital strategy Guest speaker DUE: Submit Group Presentation on eLearn (Friday 5pm) 12 Group presentation 13 Group presentation (final class) Review session 14 Reading week (no class) DUE: Submit Take-home Assignment on eLearn (Friday 5pm) 15 Final Exam