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Educator, Marketer, Guru, Entrepreneur
MBA Strategic Management
Instructor: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Office (LBC 414D) Phone: 822-7495
Office Hours: T/Th, 4:00-6:00; and by appointment
Objective:
This course provides students an opportunity to draw upon previous
experiences and education to apply various business concepts and
analytical tools to complex problems and issues in organizational
settings. Students address strategic organizational problems and
optimization of the total enterprise. All these things are
accomplished through a series of lectures, discussions, and
individual and group projects.
Furthermore, because of the value placed on good communications skills,
there will be a heavy emphasis on quality writing and presenting of material.
Texts:
Required: Strategic Management. Fred R. David (Prentice Hall)
Internet Materials:
Because so much information about corporations and the environments they
operate in is now on the World Wide Web, it is expected students will also
be proficient in using the Web as a research tool. To aid students in this
process, it is suggested students use:
Grading:
Personal Mission Statement:
A mission statement is a declaration of an organization's purpose. A clear
mission statement is said to act as an "invisible hand" that guides employees
of an organization. Mission statements should be:
- realistic;
- specific;
- reflective of the current environment;
- based on distinctive core competencies;
- motivating.
For this assignment, you are required to develop a personal mission statement.
The mission statement can be up to one page in length. Because the mission statement
is obviously a personal document, grading will be based on the thoughtfulness, the
seriousness with which you treated the assignment, and the absence of serious
writing flaws (such as run-on sentences and misspellings/typos).
Follow this link for a sample
mission statement. Follow this link to read
Dr. Hansen's mission statement.
Group Case Assignment:
This is a team project. The class will be assigned a case from the text and each team
will be expected to prepare both a report and a presentation.
Case analyses should be no longer than five (5) double-spaced type-written pages. Do not use a cover sheet.
The case exam will be evaluated on the following criteria: quality of analysis,
adequacy of recommendations, writing clarity, and organization.
Follow this link for an outline for Writing a
Strategic Management Case.
Company Annual Report:
Industry Analysis:
This team project focuses on a particular industry. The industry is based on the
company chosen in the Company Annual Report project. This project requires teams
to submit both a written report as well as make an informal (10 minute) verbal
presentation. This project should involve using one of the several available
resources for conducting an industry analysis, as discussed in the
Guide to Researching Companies.
The paper and the presentation should highlight the key participants in the industry
(beyond the companies chosen for this class), past industry performance, future
industry potential, critical environmental factors affecting performance, key opportunities
and threats, and other issues
of strategic importance. The paper should be concise and is limited to 10 pages in length.
Presentations shall be informal, but should still be informative and lively.
Company Case Analysis:
Student teams will submit written comprehensive company analyses and make formal
class presentations (lasting no more than 20 minutes) on the company chosen in the
Company Annual Report assignment. This
project requires a complete strategic analysis of the company and should draw upon
the entire set of readings and discussions of the course.
Secondary information beyond the company report and industry analysis should be
gathered. The focus of the analysis should be on the issues currently facing the
firm and recommendations intended to address them. There is no page limit on the
written analysis, but teams should try and limit papers to 10 pages.
Furthermore, presentations are encouraged to be informative, lively, and complete
with "bells and whistles."
Projects will be graded according to the following criteria: thoroughness of
secondary research, appropriate use of analytical tools and techniques, quality of
analysis, comprehensiveness of recommendations, writing clarity and form,
presentation clarity and quality, and organization of both written and verbal
reports.
Midterm Case Exam:
A case will be assigned as the midterm examination. Case analyses should be no longer
than five (5) double-spaced type-written pages. Do not use a cover sheet.
The case exam will be evaluated on the following criteria: quality of analysis,
adequacy of recommendations, writing clarity, and organization.
Follow this link for an outline for Writing a
Strategic Management Case.
Final Case Exam:
A case will be assigned as the final examination. Case analyses should be no longer
than five (5) double-spaced type-written pages. Do not use a cover sheet.
The case exam will be evaluated on the following criteria: quality of analysis,
adequacy of recommendations, writing clarity, and organization.
Follow this link for an outline for Writing a
Strategic Management Case.
Attendance:
It is expected. You will not lose points for being absent from a class,
however, no projects, quizzes, etc. can be made-up. Nothing can be made up
unless arranged with the instructor prior to class.
Etc.:
I am always willing to see my students and will go out of my way to
schedule meetings. Please make sure that if you make an appointment, that you
keep it. Also, please do not call me at home later than 11 p.m. -- and never
during Letterman! (But, you can email me at anytime.)
Times and dates are subject to change. Please refer to the Strategic Management Calendar.
All work completed in this class is expected to be your
own and original for this class.
Go back to Dr. Randall Hansen's Courses Page.
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