Argosy University
COURSE SYLLABUS
B6023
Strategic & Operational Planning
SUMMER I 2008
Faculty Information
Faculty Name: Elias A. Demetriades, PhD
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information: , 312-301-1025 (cell)
Office Hours: By appointment
Short Faculty Bio:
v I have spent most of my career in various managerial and consulting engagements in the US, Europe and Africa. I have taught undergraduate and graduate course for fifteen (15) years.
v I currently teach undergraduate math and economics courses, as well as economics, management and finance at the graduate level while consulting in finance (quantitative modeling, alternative investments, risk management).
v I hold a BS in Business Administration (concentration in Marketing), an MBA from IMD in Switzerland and a PhD in Management Science (concentration in Finance).
Course description: Students learn how to develop the skills and concepts needed to ensure the ongoing contribution of a firm's operations to its competitive position. Typically this requires the firm to achieve, at a minimum cost, quality and economic parity, responsiveness and adaptability to customer needs and desires, rapid time to market, process technology, and sufficient and responsive capacity. Topics encompass all elements of coherent operation systems, process analysis, cross-functional and cross firm integration, product development, and technology and operations strategy.
Course Pre-requisites: None
Required Textbook:
Reid, D. & Sanders, N. (2007). Operations management: An integrated approach. (3/e) John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISBN: 0-471-79448-1
Recommended Textbooks and Resources:
Week 1:
· Platts, K., & Tan, K. H. (2004). Strategy Visualisation: Knowing, Understanding, and Formulating. Management Decision Vol. 42, Issue. 5/6; p. 667, London.
· Smart, A. (2006). Operations, Strategy, and Technology: Pursuing the Competitive Edge. International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol.26,Issue.1/2;pg.222,2pgs, Bradford.
· De Toni, A., & Tonchia, S. (Dec 2005). Definitions and Linkages Between Operational and Strategic Flexibilities. Omega Vol.33,Issue.6;pg.525, Oxford.
· Hui, L. T. (2004). Business Timeliness: The Intersections of Strategy and Operations Management. International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol. 24, Issue. 5/6; p. 605, Bradford.
· Golovin, J. (Winter 1973). Operations Management: Analysis for Decisions. Sloan Management Review Vol. 14, Iss. 2; p. 101.
Week 2:
· Petrini, C. (Feb 1996). The Web of Inclusion: A New Architecture for Building Great Organizations. Training & Development, Vol.50,Issue2;pg.73, Alexandria.
· Katz, J. H. (Jan 1996). Models of Management: Work, Authority, and Organization in a Comparative Perspective. Industrial & Labor Relations Review, Vol. 49,Issue.2;pg.367, Ithaca.
· Eisler, R. (Feb 1995). From Domination to Partnership: The Hidden Subtext for Organization Change. Training & Development, Vol.49,Issue.2;pg.32, Alexandria.
· Wu, C. W., & Chen, C. L. (May/Jun 2006). An Integrated Structural Model Toward Successful Continuous Improvement Activity. Technovation Vol.26,Issue.5,6;pg.697, Amsterdam.
Week 3:
· Hogan, L. M. (Aug 2005). TEAMing for Strategic Learning and Performance Improvement. Performance Improvement, Vol. 44, Issue 7; pg. 8, Silver Spring.
· Colby, S. J., & Rubin, A. (2005). The strategic value of a shared understanding of costs. Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 33, Issue. 2; p. 27, Chicago.
· Leavy, B. (2004). Outsourcing strategies: opportunities and risks. Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 32, Issue. 6; pg. 20, Chicago.
Week 4:
· Gupta, M., & Kohli, A. (May/Jun 2006). Enterprise Resource Planning Systems and Its Implications for Operations Function. Technovation Vol.26,Issue.5,6;pg.687, Amsterdam.
· Swafford, P. M., Ghosh, S., & Murthy, N. N. (2006). A Framework for Assessing Value Chain Agility. International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol.26,Issue.1/2;pg.118,23pgs, Bradford.
· Acur, N., & Bititci, U. (2004). A Balanced Approach to Strategy Process. International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol. 24, Issue. 3/4; p. 388, Bradford.
· Swafford, P. M., Ghosh, S., & Murthy, N. N. (2006). A Framework for Assessing Value Chain Agility. International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol.26,Issue.1/2;pg.118,23pgs, Bradford.
Week 5:
· Frery, F. (Fall 2006). The Fundamental Dimensions of Strategy. MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol.48,Issue.1;pg.71, Cambridge.
· Chambers, C. (July 2006). US Embraces Vertical Integration. Euromoney, pg.1, London.
· Trim, P. J., & Lee, Y. (2006). Vertically Integrated Organisational Marketing Systems: A Partnership Approach for Retailing Organisations. The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol.21,Issue.3;pg.151, Santa Barbara.
Week 6:
· Hadlock, C. J., Ryngaert, M., & Thomas, S. (Oct 2001). Corporate Structure and Equity Offerings: Are There Benefits to Diversification? The Journal of Business, Vol.74,Issue.4;pg.613, Chicago.
· Matsusaka, J. G. (Jul 2001). Corporate Diversification, Value Maximization, and Organizational Capabilities. The Journal of Business, Vol.74,Issue.3;pg.409, Chicago.
· Fan, J. P. H., & Lang, L. H. P. (Oct 2000). The Measurement of Relatedness: An Application to Corporate Diversification. The Journal of Business, Vol.73,Issue.4;pg.629, Chicago.
Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office; Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.
Course length: 7.5 Weeks
Contact Hours: 45 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Program Outcomes:
1. Communication
1.1. Oral/Written – Present business information orally and in writing using appropriate technology that is concise, clear, organized, supported, and persuasive in a professional manner appropriate to the business context
2. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
2.1. Critical Thinking – Incorporate and synthesize information, theory, and practice in order to implement appropriate business actions
2.2. Problem Solving/Decision Making – Given a business situation, diagnose the underlying causes of the situation, evaluate possible solutions, and determine and defend appropriate course of action
2.3. Information Literacy – Access information from a variety of sources, evaluate the credibility of the sources, and apply that information to solve business problems
3. Team
3.1. Leadership – Describe the requirements of team members and leaders to work effectively and creatively in achieving team goals
3.2. Collaboration – Collect, categorize, and consider the views of all stakeholders
4. Ethics
4.1. Ethics – Identify the ethical principles related to personal and corporate behavior in specific business situations and explains the potential consequences
5. Diversity
5.1. Diversity – Identify the impact of both cultural and economic factors on the modern enterprise and explain the potential consequences
6. Analysis/Application
6.1. Applied Technology – Select and defend business technology solutions to typical business problems
6.2. Integration – Describe the interrelationship of the functional business areas of statistics, accounting, finance, marketing, operations, and strategy within the context of specific organizational goals
Course Objectives:
1. Demonstrate practical strategic operations by diagnosing, implementing and evaluating strategic operations to gain competitive advantages in an organizational setting through collaborative and productive team work. (Program Outcomes: 2.1; 2.2; 2.3; 3.1; 3.2)
2. Analyze an organization’s processes to effectively and efficiently produce goods and services to meet the goals of an organization. (Program Outcomes: 6.1; 6.2)
3. Construct an integrative plan designed to address an operational issue for an organization.(Program Outcomes: 6.2)
4. Apply the concepts and methods related to designing and managing operational functions (Program Outcomes: 6.1).
Assignment Table
Topics / Readings / Assignments1 /
· Operations Strategy
-- Emergent versus Intended· Developing a Competitive Strategy
· Industry and the Environment
· Introduce SFL Guidelines & Process – Scenario and Storyboards
/ Reid and Sanders Textbook - Chapters 1, 2, 5, & 6 / Assignment 1: Analyzing Operational Processes
Individually use the Argosy University online library or the Internet to find information on two publicly traded companies in the healthcare industry.
Create a PowerPoint presentation, five to six slides long, comparing and contrasting the selected companies with respect to their operational processes in the following areas:
· Production
· Marketing
· Forecasting
· Supply and demand
In your presentation, also include an analysis of the processes followed in the two companies, identifying their key merits and demerits.
Submit the presentation, complete with speaker’s notes and references, to the facilitator and your peers for review.
Assignment 2: Creating an Organization Profile
The instructor will divide you into teams comprising at least three members. Working as a team, use the Chat tool to pick a publicly traded organization in the healthcare industry. By the end of this course project, your team will need to complete a business plan, identifying steps to turn around the selected organization by improving its competitive position in the market.
Nominate one member in your team to take on the role of “team leader,” who will be the final decision maker for all project-related activities of the team. In the subsequent weeks, each team member will have an opportunity to be the team leader.
To begin, complete the Team Project Plan, which:
· Defines the method of working as a group
· Determines the scope of the project
· Defines the issues the team will solve
· Defines team deliverables and the norms for teamwork
· Defines leadership needs within the group
· Defines methods to resolve differences within the group
· Defines operating procedures for the team
· Defines methods to deal with non-performers
· Identifies skills within the team to address relevant problems
Review and sign the Virtual Team Agreement document referenced below. Also, examine the Group Assignment Responsibility and Learning Team Charter documents. Based on the findings from your Team Project Plan, complete these documents to track and record teamwork. You will use these documents throughout the project.
Also create a profile of your selected organization and submit it to the facilitator as a report, five to seven pages long. The profile should include information about the organization’s history, product/service offering, financial performance over the last 5 years, current operational structure, and current problems. Be sure to provide an appropriate title for the report.
Refer to the OrganizationProfileReportOutline.doc in the for an outline of the report.
Project Materials
The following information resources will help you to work on the healthcare industry scenario tasks during the course:
· Industry primary and secondary research references
· Publications of trade associations
· Internal published industry communications
· Interviews with industry executives
· Online sources
The table below defines each team member’s tasks:
Student Names / Task
Team Member A / 1. Gather information about the history of your selected healthcare organization.
2. Gather information about the current operational structure of your selected healthcare organization.
3. Submit the information to the team leader.
Team Member B / 1. Gather information about the product/service offering of your selected healthcare organization.
2. Gather information about the current problems of your selected healthcare organization.
3. Submit the information to the team leader.
Team Member C
(Team Leader) / 1. Gather information about the financial performance of your selected healthcare organization over the last 5 years.
2. Discuss and collate the information collected by other team members into the Organization Profile report.
3. Submit the report, with a suitable title, to the instructor
2 /
· Organizational Structure
· Management
/ Reid and Sanders Textbook - Chapters 9 & 10 / Analyzing Organizational Structure –Organizational structure refers to the way individual employees in an organization are grouped and the manner in which these groups relate to each other. It comprises the hierarchy, or the reporting structure, of the organization.
From a management standpoint, organizational structure can make or break the communication and coordination between employees in an organization. Functional and divisional structures are two common types of organizational structures.
Functional structures are common in organizations that produce a single type of product. In such organizations, employees are grouped on the basis of the functions that they perform. For example, in the healthcare business, billing is a very important aspect. There is a department dedicated to this area. One group may handle billing clients and another might handle insurance companies. Because of the complicated nature of these functions, it is more efficient to have specific divisions/departments dedicated to these functions instead of one person trying to do multiple functions.
On the other hand, divisional structures are common in organizations that have various product lines. In such organizations, employees are grouped on the basis of product lines that they work for. Thus, each group in a divisional organization structure includes members belonging to different functions, such as human resources, accounts, sales and marketing, and so on. In this type of structure, each line would have its own team from each of these areas, so that everything that they do would revolve around that particular product.
Assignment 1: Evaluating Organizational Structure
Individually use the Argosy University library or the Internet to conduct research on companies—within or outside the healthcare industry—that have exemplary organizational structures, in terms of their efficiency and performance.
Create a PowerPoint presentation, of four to five slides, describing an ideal organizational structure based on your analysis of the information you read about organizational structure. Be sure to explain the features that you think make the organizational structure ideal. In your presentation, include a list of features that are common across productive organizational structures, with appropriate justifications and references in the speaker’s notes. Additionally, explain the problems that you might have in implementing this structure.
Submit the presentation to the facilitator.
Assignment 2: Enhancing Organizational Structure
In this module, your team will identify whether the structure of your selected organization is conducive
to effective operational planning and suggest solutions to make it work or work better. Further, the team will create a plan for implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of the solutions identified. Your team will present its findings as a mini business plan, four to five pages long, which can be integrated into the outline of your business plan for the course project.
Select a new team leader for this module and begin research and brainstorming to identify problems related to the structure of your selected organization. Here are some questions that could help you diagnose problems related to the structure of your selected organization:
1. Is there a relationship between an aspect of the structure and a problem in the business?
2. Is there a breakdown in any component of the structure?