BUS490: Senior Seminar

BUS490: Senior Seminar, Fall 2011

BUS490: Senior Seminar

Fall 2011

Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30pm – 1:50pm

McIntyre 212

Prof. Lynnette Claire

McIntyre 108C

253-879-3576

Office Hours:

Tuesdays 9:30am – 11:30amand by appointment

Resources:

Course Pack: Selections from Strategic Management by Jay B. Barney and William S. Hesterly. Prentice Hall, 2006.

Course Pack: Cases, various authors and publishers.

Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds. New Riders Press, 2008. (optional)

(additional reading, updates, grades and more)

Objectives:

Learn how organizations can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

Gain skills, knowledge and experience to help you transition from the college world to the working world.

Achieving these objectives will:

• Integrate and enhance your previous business curriculum.
• Cultivate primary and secondary research skills.
• Enable you to analyze and develop strategies for organizations.
• Develop analytical and problem solving skills.
• Refine oral and written presentation skills.
• Improve team participation and management skills.
• Prepare you for the working world.

Course Overview:

Analyzing an organization’s internal and external environments and making choices that attempt to bring a competitive advantage to the organization is called strategic management. This process uses tools and knowledge that you have gained in your business courses (including this one) to provide a distinct advantage to a firm. To learn tools and theories, we will use part of a textbook by Barney and Hesterly that approaches strategy from a resource-based view of the firm. This will be supplemented with cases and additional readings. A consulting project with an organization in our community will provide you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge and build your confidence in the application of your business skills. This course also provides bridges to life after Puget Sound through professional development activities and readings.

Texts:

Course Pack: Chapters 1 - 5 from Strategic Management by Barney andHesterly

This book approaches strategic management from a strong theoretical base: the resource-based view of the firm. We will use this book to anchor our analysis of cases and client firms. Reading assignments are noted in the Course Outline.

Course Pack: Cases

We will read, think about and discuss seven cases; they will provide examples for us to explore course concepts in more depth. These cases provide examples of the type of research you will need to do for your consulting project and a model for the case study you will write. The dates for cases are noted in the Course Outline.

Articles

Additional readings are located on Moodle. See the Course Outline for assignments.

Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds

This is a recommended, though optional, text that will improve your presentations significantly. If you plan to give many presentations during your lifetime, it will definitely be worth the cost.

Graded Assignments:

Consulting Project (450 points)

Teams and projects will be assigned at the beginning of week two with input from you. All the projects involve helping local organizations with strategic management. The details of each project vary. You will work closely with the business owners/managers on this project. Confidentiality within our classroom community is required. You are expected to contact me as you need assistance.

Twice during the term, you will submit individual reflections on the projects as e-mail attachments. On these same dates (see Course Outline) each group will also submit an update on their progress to me via e-mail (as an attachment). Each group will write a case study of their client organization. The case will be posted on Moodle and all students will read all cases. The case authors are responsible for leading group discussion on the day their case is discussed. The client report must be submitted to me for feedback before refining it for the client presentations. You will submit final individual reflections and peer evaluations.

Projects will be graded holistically and criteria may include (but is not limited to) the quality and quantity of work, the presentation of the work to the client (written and oral), the case study and class discussion, the ability to work together as a team, the ability to work with the client, group updates, and individual reflections on the process. Peer evaluations, input from clients and professor observations may provide evidence that not all group members deserve the same grade for the project. A detailed rubric is posted on Moodle.

The clients determine 10% of your grade. I share my grading standards with the clients. Here they are for you:

AExceeds expectations: Work worth paying for!

BMeets expectations: What was expected from a Puget Sound Senior Seminar project.

CApproaching expectations: There was value added, but not as much as expected.

D/FDid not meet expectations: Possibly not worth the client’s time in meeting with students. Major errors. Inappropriate behavior. Poor to very bad.

Cases (170 points)

Seven cases will be analyzed and discussed during the term. The cases allow you to apply the theoretical concepts and tools you are learning. You need to be prepared for each case discussion. There will be some pre-case discussion work and some post-case discussion work(perhaps even an opportunity to focus for discussion—sometimes called a quiz) that will be included in your grade. Quality of case discussion is included in your Professionalism grade. You will need to demonstrate familiarity with the cases for the final exam.

Professional Development (90 points)

You are expected to attend at least two professional meetings during the term; you may attend one networking event and one content-based event, or two content-based events. You will write a short report on each meeting and be prepared to briefly report on your meeting in class. Please attend an event that interests you! The meetings may be chosen from a list posted on Moodle or you may submit a request for a different meeting by sending me a short e-mail with a link to the event. Extra credit is possible for attending an extra meeting or having a follow-up meeting with someone you met at an event. You must complete one professional development report by October 13, 2011; the other by November 22, 2011. Each report is worth 35 points. By December 1, 2011, you must submit a description of a job that you would like to obtain and a current resume and cover letter suitable for that position (20 points possible). Professional Development documents may be submitted electronically or in paper format. If submitted electronically, please use the naming convention 490yourlastname prof1.doc or “prof2” or “resume” or “cover”.

Final Exam (100 points)

A 15-minute oral exam will be conducted during finals week with me. You will receive three questions related to course concepts and materials, of varying difficulty. After 15-minutes of preparation, you will answer the questions; I will ask clarifying questions to assess your depth of understanding. Guidelines, sample questions and a schedule will be distributed later in the term. You may take your exam any day during finals week

Professionalism (100 points)

Senior Seminar is a course—and a bridge to the professional world. Professionalism is an encompassing term that describes a standard of behavior and action that is admirable in a given profession. The Business Dictionary defines professionalism as “meticulous adherence to undeviating courtesy, honesty, and responsibility in one’s dealings with customers and associates, plus a level of excellence that goes over and above the commercial considerations and legal requirements.”

Your current profession is that of a student. And you are quickly moving forward into a new profession. The Professionalism grade will be merited by how closely you adhere to the definition above. Some specific behaviors that contribute to professionalism include being thoroughly prepared for class and meetings, actively listening, providing feedback, engaging in discussion in a manner that moves the conversation forward or expands it, inviting others into the conversation, and communicating appropriately. Professionalism is not only behavior but includes an attitude of respectfulness and honesty.

I will assess your professionalism through careful observation and, if needed, through written assessments of your preparation. You will receive a mid-term professionalism grade and suggestions for improving yourself in this area.

Electronic Devices and Cell Phone Policy

You are encouraged to take notes in whatever form is most useful to you. However, due to the distraction potential of electronic devices (laptops, iPads, notepads, smartphones, etc.) to both you and to your classmates, if you use an electronic device in class, you will be expected to demonstrate that you are using it for legitimate class purposes on a regular basis. If you are using it to surf the web, check your e-mail, etc., you will be asked to leave the classroom and to not use your electronics in class in the future.

Please turn your phone off before entering the classroom. If there is a legitimate need for you to be available via phone, please talk to me before class starts. Texting in class is unacceptable. If you cannot resist the temptation of the phone, you will need to check your phone in with me at the beginning of each class session.

Grading:

There are 910 points possible in this course. The distribution of points is as follows:

Consulting Project450 points

Cases 170 points

Professional Development90 points

Final Exam100 points

Preparation, Participation and Engagement100 points

910 points

Grades will be assigned based on points earned. The standard 90% (A), 80% (B), 70% (C), 60% (D) and less (F) divisions will be used. Plus and minus grades will be earned by those in the top and bottom two percentiles. Prof. Claire’s mindset: A exceeds expectations, B meets expectations, C approaches expectations, D/F do not meet expectations.

Integrity, honesty and respect are expected in this class. Please refer to the section on academic honesty in the Logger Academic Handbook ( for details.

Classroom Emergency Response Guidance

Please review university emergency preparedness and response procedures posted at There is a link on the university home page. Familiarize yourself with hall exit doors and the designated gathering area for your class. If building evacuation becomes necessary (e.g. earthquake), meet your instructor at the designated gathering area so she can account for your presence. Then wait for further instructions. Do not return to the building or classroom until advised by a university emergency response representative. If confronted by an act of violence, be prepared to make quick decisions to protect your safety. Flee the area by running away from the source of danger if you can safely do so. If this is not possible, shelter in place by securing classroom or lab doors and windows, closing blinds, and turning off room lights. Stay low, away from doors and windows, and as close to the interior hallway walls as possible. Wait for further instructions.

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BUS490: Senior Seminar, Fall 2011

*Reading assignments should be completed before class on the date listed.

SM = Strategic Management course packet case = case packet M = Moodle

**Unless noted, assignment are due by the start of class. P = paper copy E = electronic copy Items in Garamond italicsrelate to the Timeline for the strategic consulting project.

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BUS490: Senior Seminar, Fall 2011

Course Outline:

This schedule is subject to change.

• What do you value most in group members?
• What strengths and weaknesses do you bring to a team effort?
• Pay particular attention to “Building Team Performance” in the reading.
• What is a strategy? Why is it important?
• What is competitive advantage?
• How do you figure out what a firm does/does not do well? How do you learn about its environment?
• How can you best prepare for case discussion?
• Complete case preparation.

• How do you speak with others? How do you communicate in written form? How can you improve?
• How do you think individual team members should be evaluated?
• What makes a team effective? What will make your team effective?

• What team norms would you like to have?
• Why do you think the “Principles of Conduct” in Masterful Consulting are or are not important? What do you think is important?

• Why is the general environment important for strategy creation?
• How does a Porter’s five forces analysis help us make strategy?

• Where do environmental issues fit in the external environment? Are they part of the external environment?
• Complete case preparation.

• What do you need to know to create strategic recommendations for your client? Where are you going to find it?
• What do you know and what do you still need to know for your consulting project?
• How will firsthand data enrich your consulting project?

• What are the fundamental components of cases we’ve read?
• What are the best/worst presen-tations you’ve attended? Why?

• Think about how the questions of the VRIO framework (Table 3.1) may be applied to resources in your client firm.
• Review your knowledge of SWOT analysis.
• Complete the goals grid for (or with) your client.

• Complete case preparation.

• What is a cost leadership strategy?
• What are the sources of cost leadership?
• Complete case preparation.

• What is differentiation?
• What are the sources of differentiation?
• How could your client organization differentiate its product/service?
• How does the long tail affect the range of viable strategies?

• Complete case preparation.

• What does the client need to know?
• What do you need to demonstrate mastery of for Dr. C.?
• How can you best communicate in written form?
• What else do you need to discuss?

• How can firms effectively execute strategy?
• Why is it difficult to execute strategy?

• How can UPS execute its strategy? (No case prep—possibly a quiz in class)

• How might you use the balanced scorecard with your client firm?
• How else might your client assess progress?

• Complete case preparation

• How can simple rules substitute for strategy?

• What other models for strategy creation have you learned about?

• What does it mean to put leadership back into strategy?
• What do you think the CEO’s role should be in strategy creation and implementation?
• What challenges might you face in your first supervisory role?
• What type of leader do you like to follow?
• What type of leader do you aspire to be?

• Be prepared to share your project with your classmates.

*Reading assignments should be completed before class on the date listed.