The Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Academic Year 2016/17

Term 3A

MGMT 102 STRATEGY

Instructor Name : Dr. Victor Goh Yuan Sheng
Title : Adjunct Faculty of Strategy & Organisation
Tel : 6412 0740
Email : victorgoh@smu.edu.sg ; victorgoh@playwarestudios.com
Office : LKCSB Level 5 Adjunct Office

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 action

PRE-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
Please note that minor changes in the grading policy may be made, if necessary.
Class Participation (individual) (Throughout the term) 10%
Readiness Assessment Tests (Weeks 5, 11) 20%
Individual Case Write-up (Week 9) 20%
Group Project Presentation and Report (Weeks12 -13) 25%
Final Exam (individual) (Week 15) 25%
Total 100%

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All 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.

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All work (whether oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the students own work. Penalties
for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to expulsion, depending on the
nature of the offence.

When in doubt, students should consult the course instructor. Details on the SMU Code of Academic Integrity may
be accessed at http://www.smuscd.org/resources.html.

ACCESSIBILITY
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: included@smu.edu.sg.

Please be aware that the accessible tables in our seminar room should remain available for students who require
them.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS

Individual vs. Team Activities: Both individual and team activities will determine your grade in this course.
Whereas Class Participation, Assignments, and Final Exam are individually graded, Case Presentation and Group
Project are team activities. All members in a team are accountable for team assignments and activities. At the end of
the term, each member may evaluate the overall contributions of other members in his/her team (relative to 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 a majority of your team members evaluate your contribution
unfavourably.

Class Participation (10%)

This is primarily a case course, which means that most class sessions will involve the discussion of specific case
situations. These cases will describe real organizations. Through analysis and discussion in class, you will learn to
better understand the nature of firm strategy and the processes of formulating and implementing it. Lectures and
assigned readings will provide the theoretical framework with which to read and evaluate the cases. You may be
called (at random) at any time during class to contribute to or critique the on-going discussion. Therefore, you will be
expected to come to class well prepared to discuss and ask questions about all assigned chapters and all cases. We
will not spend any significant amount of class time repeating what was contained in the cases. You should be prepared
to discuss all assigned readings.

Come to class well prepared. Read the case several times and think about how the concepts from the chapter or
discussed in class can be applied. Make notes that you can refer to during class. I encourage you to meet with
your team or friends before class to discuss the case.

Contribute ideas and analysis to the class discussion. Given the complexities of the real world, there is no single
right answer. What is more important is how you use strategic concepts and tools to analyze a situation.

Listen carefully to your classmates and suggest supporting or alternative views.

Your class participation grade is determined based on quality of contribution and quantity of contribution. Not
participating in class discussions will affect your final grade significantly, even if you attend all class sessions. Therefore,
not speaking up during class will be a deliberate choice that you make, being fully aware of its effect on your final
grade. Understandably there are circumstances that may cause you to miss a class; unfortunately, nothing can replace
in-class participation. Submitting your ideas to the critique of your classmates and the challenge of defending them in
an open forum cannot be duplicated. Therefore, it is extremely important that you attend all class sessions. Each
absence, for whatever reason, will reduce your class participation grade.

Readiness Assessment Tests (RATs) (20%)

RATs are short, closed-book quizzes consisting of about 25 multiple-choice questions on a topic to be covered in
class. Assigned readings from the textbook will be provided to students before the topic is covered. Quizzes will be
administered at the beginning of class and a total of two quizzes will be given throughout the term. The quizzes will be
taken individually. No make-up quizzes will be administered. If you miss the quizzes, no grade will be given.

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Individual Case Write-up (20%)
You will be responsible for submitting an individual case write-up on an assigned case. You will be required to answer
the case discussion questions that will allow you to give direction to the companys strategy and help you build a
comprehensive strategic plan for the company. Your case write-up is due at the beginning of the class in week 9.

Term Project (25%)

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 the entire Strategy course and not the instructors individual policy.

During the first week, students are required to form a team of 4 or 5 members. Each team is required to perform an
in-depth, longitudinal analysis of a company and the industry in which it operates. Each team is required to submit one
written report and make one presentation for the term project.

Written report: Each team should submit one term report. The term 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) Industry Analysis (including Environmental/Industry
analysis/Future trends, Competitor analysis, etc.); (6) Company Analysis (Resources, Core competences, Value chain,
and Tracking/discussion of company performance over time, Important issues and problems faced by the company
and reasonable solutions to these issues/problems); (7) List of references; (8) Exhibits (Tables and charts).

Presentation: Each team is required to present their analysis to the class. Each presentation should not exceed 20
minutes. Immediately after finishing its presentation, each team will host a Q&A session of 5-10 minutes. Teams
should prepare for their presentations as though they will be addressing their respective companys Board of
Directors and dress appropriately for the occasion. Also, note that interesting presentations offer a judicious mix of
anecdotes and analysis. Therefore, do not try to cram every single detail from your written report into your
presentation.
- Dress code: smart casual
- Submit your presentation slides by email 24 hours before class starts.

Final Exam (25%)

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, multiple choice, and essay questions. No make-up exams will be administered. If you miss the final
exam, no grade will be given.

RECOMMENDED TEXT AND READINGS

Required material
Strategic Management (ISBN: 9781259255496), Frank T. Rothaermel, Georgia Institute of Technology
(www.mheducation.asia/html/9780078112737.html)
Casebook to be purchased separately

Additional readings will be assigned. Students are expected to keep abreast of current developments in the Asia-
Pacific region by reading leading business dailies/weeklies like the Asian Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic
Review, Financial Times, The Economist, Business Times and Business Week.

Supplementary material: Apart from the required textbook and course packet, the following two popular books
on strategic management are available in the library for supplementary reading:

Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, written by Michael E. Porter (Free
Press, 1998).

Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, also written by Michael E. Porter (Free
Press, 1998).

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WEEKLY LESSON PLANS
Week
Topic Readings
No.
1a Introduction to the course, case analysis, project. Chapters 1
Introductory case to strategy
Approaches to studying
What is strategy? Strategic management process
The Business Vision and Mission Chapter 2
1b MiniCase 2: Teach For America: Inspiring Future
Leaders
External analysis and industry structure Chapter 3
1c MiniCase 6: Apple: Whats Next?
Case discussion Case 1
Internal analysis, resources, and core competence Chapters 4
MiniCase 8: Nikes Core Competency: The Risky
2a
Case discussion Business of Fairy Tales
Case 1
Business-Level Strategy: Creating and Sustaining
Chapter 6
Competitive Advantages
2b
MiniCase 12: LEGOs Turnaround: Brick by Brick
Case discussion Case 2
Corporate-Level Strategy: Integration and
Chapters 8
Diversification Strategies
2c MiniCase 11: Is Porsche Killing the Golden
Case discussion Goose?
Case 2
Corporate-Level Strategy: M&A, Cooperative Chapter 9
Strategies RAT #1
3a
MiniCase 26: Struggling Samsung Electronics
Case discussion Case 3
3b International Strategy: Creating Value in Global Chapter 10
Markets
Case discussion MiniCase 22: Does GMs Future Lie in China?
Case 3
Submission of Individual Case Write-up
3c Implementing Strategies: Management and Operation Chapter 11
Issues
Case discussion MiniCase 25: Sony vs. Apple: Whatever
Happened to Sony?
Case 4
4a Strategic Leadership: Business Ethics/Social Chapters 12
Responsibility/Environmental Sustainability RAT #2
Case discussion MiniCase 28: UBS: A Pattern of Ethics Scandals
Case 4
4b Project Presentation
4c Projection Presentation and Review of course and summary
5 Final Exam