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GSBA-552: Decision-Making and Problem-Solving: An Integrated Perspective

Term Three 2016

Coordinator &

Primary

Instructor:

Project Faculty:

Kyle Mayer

Bob Kiddoo (Sec# 15850)

Office: Hoffman 502 (KM); Accounting 114 (BK)

Office Hours: By Appointment, often available MW 12:30 – 1:30 (KM);

By Appointment, Tu/Th 12:30 – 1:30 (BK)

Phone: (213) 821-1141 (KM)

(213) 740-5024 (BK)

Email: kmayer@marshall.usc.edu (best way to reach me)

kiddoo@marshall.usc.edu (also, best way to reach me)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is highly integrative, interactive, and challenging. GSBA 552 is an immersion and integrative

experience with exposure to actual unstructured business situations, imperfect data, decision-makers and their

organizations and a variety of analytical tools and critical thinking methods that span multiple disciplines.

Marshall MBAs are provided with a unique experience and, ultimately, professional development and

insights, into working collaboratively to address and solve inter-related and unstructured challenges faced by

actual organizations.

The objectives of this course are to help you better formulate, analyze, and communicate your ideas about

unstructured business problems, some of which involve multiple functional areas of business (marketing,

operations, finance, etc.). The kinds of competencies you will develop in this course include:

Problem formulation: Looking at a business problem from different, especially non-obvious,

perspectives; distinguishing symptoms from causes; reformulating problems to shed light on

potential solutions.

Elimination of faulty reasoning: Identifying and mitigating various cognitive biases that can

emerge as a problem is being formulated and analyzed, such as the use of inappropriate

analogies, confirmation bias, self-serving bias, conflation of correlation and causation, etc.

Logical reasoning: Constructing arguments using logical reasoning, quantitative and

qualitative evidence, etc.

The operational environment is constantly changing, technology and data can be significant game changers,

once stalwart barriers to entry are falling, differentiation and exclusivity are fleeting, exit costs are often

prohibitive, the speed of change is accelerating, and social responsibility and accountability are increasingly

important. Leading or consulting to an organization requires working with problems and data that are often

unstructured, incomplete and note entirely accurate. Indeed, the nature of most business challenges and

problems are initially unstructured, demanding definition, scoping and structure. As a result, uncertainty is

more prevalent and more challenging. Good decisions are noted, but mistakes are often amplified and

critically assessed by investors, regulators, the media and employees.

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The leaders of organizations, members of their boards of directors and consultants to management must make

decisions under uncertainty and with imperfect and unstructured data based on multiple inputs, direct and

indirect indicators, application of analytical methods and referential and experiential perspectives, and

collaboration. Organizations and individual executives and consultants who are adept at working under

uncertainty and anticipatory of changes often lead their organizations to improved, if not superior, competitive

positions and enhanced shareholder and societal value. Those that do not, such as Blockbuster, Borders,

Circuit City MySpace, and many others, run the risk of becoming footnotes in business cases.

We will pay particular attention to decision-making in context and thus will spend a lot of time on different

organizational environments and how they influence decision-making. This class will build upon the material

you will concurrently be learning in GSBA533 (Organizational Behavior); while OB focuses on individual

decision-making biases and processes and explores how that may play out in teams, we will build upon that

and look more at problem-solving and decision-making in organizations. Context matters a great deal by

influencing the incentive people face and how they view different problems based on organizational goals,

processes and culture.

COURSE MATERIALS

There is no book for this course but there will be a series of cases and articles in the course reader. Additional

readings will be posted to Blackboard.

MARSHALL GRADUATE PROGRAMS LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In this course you will learn, via frameworks, class discussion and working with your client company, how to

diagnose and address important organizational problems. There are many goals of this course, but one of the

major ones is to help you understand organizational decision-making and it influences, and is influenced by,

strategy, organizational structure and culture.

This course builds on what learn in a variety of your other core course, particularly data driven decision-

making, organizational behavior and strategy. We will use lectures, frameworks and cases just as you have in

many other core classes, but we will complement those teaching methods with direct exposure to a client firm

with whom you will work to address an important issue facing the organization. Getting out the classroom and

working with managers in organizations about their challenges is a strong complement to in-class learning.

This course is designed to give you experience with companies and help you in the following ways that I call

the ABCs of this course.

A: A chance to apply the knowledge you have learned in other courses, including the foundations the part of

this course.

B: A chance to build new capabilities as you learn to work with firms, how to investigate their concerns, do

research and draw from your toolbox to craft recommendations to address the fundamental issues driving the

project on which you have been working.

C: A chance to craft a narrative that will help you as you prepare for interviews for (initially) internships and

(next year) full-time positions after graduation. The experience and insights you will gain working with highly

regarded and innovative firms will be something you can draw on in interviews and informal discussions with

potential future employers.

In terms of Marshall’s learning objectives, this course is primarily focused on developing an ability to

integrate decisions and solutions across disciplines in complex decision-making environments. The company

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project as well as the in-class frameworks and discussions will provide a strong foundation to develop the

critical thinking and problem analysis skills that are an important part of an MBA education.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Course grades will be determined by students’ relative performance on the following course components:

Course Participation (Foundations sessions MW--Mayer) 20%

Course Participation (Project sessions TuTh—Project Faculty) 5%

Individual Assignment 1 (Mayer) 10%

Individual Assignment 2 (Mayer) 7.5%

Group Assignment (Mayer) 5%

Final Company Report (Project Faculty) 20%

Final Company Presentation (Project Faculty—with client input) 17.5%

Initial Company Presentation (Project Faculty) 5%

Individual Post Mortem & Peer Evaluation (Project Faculty)* 10%

* Peer Evaluation influences all group grades.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

Case courses work well, and are enjoyable effective learning experiences, if everyone is an active productive participant.

Your overall class participation will be closely monitored. In grading in-class participation, we will look at both the

quantity and quality of your class contributions/interventions. In-class participation is obviously a function of

preparation, skills, attitude, and a willingness to actively commit yourself in front of me, and your colleagues. A

classroom is a cost-free environment for experimenting and learning to "play the game." Make use of it. We recognize

that some students are far more comfortable than others with in-class participation. However, it is important you make an

effort every class to contribute in some meaningful way. Please feel free to come and discuss with us ways to enhance

your participation.

With regard to quality, the dimensions that we look for include:

Relevance -- does the comment bear on the subject at hand? Comments that do not link up with what the discussion

is focusing on can actually detract from the learning experience.

Causal Linkage -- are the logical antecedents or consequences of a particular argument traced out? Comments that

push the implications of a fact or idea as far as possible are generally superior.

Responsiveness -- does the comment react in an important way to what someone else has said? Analysis -- is the

reasoning employed consistent and logical?

Evidence -- have data from the case, from personal experience, from general knowledge been employed to support

the assertions made?

Importance -- does the contribution further our understanding of the issues at hand? Is a connection made with other

cases we have analyzed?

Clarity -- is the comment succinct and understandable? Does it stick to the subject or does it wander?

Students will be called on, at random, to participate in various aspects of class discussions. While “cold-calling” is not

popular with everyone, it is reflective of actual business situations. When you attend a meeting, the expectation is that

you are prepared and ready to contribute. These cold calls are an important part of your participation grade.

Factual misstatements, comments that demonstrate a lack of adequate preparation, or comments that come late in a

discussion that distract the class and indicate that the student has not been actively listening will be noted as “negative”

course participation.

While both the quality and quantity of your in-class contributions are important, the quality of your contributions will

carry the most weight. Consistent comments that add little value will not significantly improve your participation grade.

Classroom Conduct: Another way to impact your participation grade is through your conduct in the classroom. We

expect professional behavior and respect for both your classmates and the professor. Activities that disrupt our class

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discussions will lower your participation grade. Disruptive activities include, but are not limited to: arriving late,

leaving early, side conversations in class, leaving and re-entering the classroom during case discussions or lectures. If

you need to arrive late or leave early, please let me (or your project faculty member if it a project session) know in

advance.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include

the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be

submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own

academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students

are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook,

(www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student Conduct

Code (see University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended sanctions are located in

Appendix A.

Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further

review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at:

http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/. Failure to adhere to the academic conduct standards set forth by

these guidelines and our programs will not be tolerated by the USC Marshall community and can lead to

dismissal.

No audio or video recording is permitted.

STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC CONDUCT AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Academic Conduct Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a

serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of

plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standardshttps://scampus.usc.edu/1100-

behavior-violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are

equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct,

http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct/.

Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to

report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity http://equity.usc.edu/ or to the Department of Public

Safety http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/online-forms/contact-us. This is important

for the safety whole USC community. Another member of the university community – such as a friend,

classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of

another person. The Center for Women and Men http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7

confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage sarc@usc.edu describes reporting options

and other resources.

Support Systems A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with

your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check

with the American Language Institute http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali, which sponsors courses and workshops

specifically for international graduate students. The Office of Disability Services and Programs

http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html provides certification for students

with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations. If an officially declared emergency makes

travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information http://emergency.usc.edu/will provide safety and

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other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard,

teleconferencing, and other technology.

DAILY CLASS OUTLINE – FOUNDATIONS (MW – MAYER)

Session Topics Case Additional

Readings

Module 1: Problem Solving: Getting to the Root of the Issue

#1 October 17

Introduction to problem solving.

Formulating ill structured problems and looking beyond the surface issue.

Freemark Abbey None

#2 October 19

Critical thinking lecture and interactive discussion. Refer back

to Freemark Abbey and other examples.

None Critical Thinking handbook

(from Olin)

#3 October 24

Looking beyond the immediate problem as businesses seek growth.

How should decisions in an organization be made?

Why does the decision-making process matter?

FIRST INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT DUE

Un Amor (Olin case)

October 26 NO CLASS—Cancelled for MBA Career Trek

#4 October 31

Interactive lecture and discussion on how biases influence

decision-making in an organizational context. Builds off material from OB and Stats.

Will also discuss how different types of data can address

different kinds of questions.

Pitfalls of Data Driven

Decision-Making – MacGarvie & McElheran

#5 November 2

GUEST SPEAKER: Consultant as Problem Solver: Alex

Mannella, PwC

GROUP ASSIGNMENT DUE

None None

Module 2: Decision-Making in Organizations

#6 November 7

Decision-making in multi-divisional organizations.

Headquarters – subsidiary relationships can often be challenging

as the two parts of the organization have different perspectives. We must look carefully at the underlying effects of different

decisions—strategically and organizationally.

BRL Hardy

#7 November 9

Organizational barriers to adaptation and change.

Decision-making in a matrix organization and how organizational culture and heritage influences decisions and

ability to change.

Philips vs. Matsushita

#8 November 14

Decisions that involve change can be particularly challenging to

agree upon. Changing how an organization views product and

market opportunities can be very challenging. Forays into new markets can be particular difficult but can also

afford opportunities to see ways of doing business.

SECOND INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT DUE

Silvio Napoli

#9 November 16

GUEST SPEAKER: Presenting Recommendations to Clients

and Managing the Client Relationship

Candice Lu, Founding Partner at OnPrem Solution Partners

(Formerly of Cognizant, SVC, and CBS)

None

#10 November 21

Firms can use incentives and a variety of other tools to create very different kinds of organizations.

Firms create internal systems that work together to provide

structure, coherence and direction for an organization.

Lincoln Electric

November 23 NO CLASS—HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Module 3: Organizations in Action: Deciding and Doing

#11 November 28

Barriers to implementation of strategic decisions can be imposing. The next step after a solving problem is

implementing a solution. What are the main barriers to change

in organizations?

Apple

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Five Frictions.

#12 November 30

GUEST SPEAKER: Organizational Decision Making: Why

Good Companies do Perplexing Things John Stewart, Principal at OnPrem Solution Partners (Formerly

of NBCUniversal and Fox)

#13 December 5

Failures to adapt. Looking at several firms that failed to adapt and examining what to learn from their mistakes.

Articles to be posted to Blackboard

#14 December 7

Finish failure to adapt cases. Final lecture--putting it all

together.

December 13 or 14 FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

Course Readings:

Freemark Abbey (HBSP # 9-181-027)

Critical Thinking at Olin (or at USC?) (from Olin)

Un Amor (A) (Olin 2010-0630-001A) (from Olin)

Un Amor (B) (Olin 2010-0630-001B) (from Olin)

Un Amor (C) (Olin 2010-0630-001C) (from Olin)

Pitfalls of Data-Driven Decision-Making (forthcoming in HBR—I have an early copy from the author)

BRL Hardy: Globalizing an Australian Wine Company (HBSP # 9-300-018)

Philips Matsushita: The Competitive Battle Continues (HBSP # 9-910-410)

Silvio Napoli at Schindler India (A) (HBSP # 9-303-086)

Apple (HBSP # 9-702-469)

Lincoln Electric (HBSP # 9-707-445)

Assignments:

(1) One page write-up of recommendations for Un Amor (10/24)

(2) Two page write-up applying the problem solving framework to group project (11/2) (GROUP)

(3) One page write-up on Silvio Napoli (11/14)

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PROJECT SECTIONS APPENDICES

PwC Project Description

Media and Entertainment companies are struggling with how to enhance competitive position and

improve performance in an environment where fluid customer behavior, changing operating models,

and disruptive marketing and distribution methodologies have permanently altered the competitive

landscape across the industry’s value chain. The diversity of customers, increasing costs related to

content acquisition and development, and variety of marketing and delivery mechanisms has created

an industry requirement for: 1) improved understanding and collection of broad scale base data; and

2) the ability to derive relevant and reliable information from that data to drive management insight

and decision making.

With this in mind, the following questions have been posed by your client:

- How are individual media and entertainment companies currently using ‘big data’ to identify

issues and / or opportunities in their current value chain? To what extent do they use data and

analytics to support decision-making? This includes support for:

o Content identification and acquisition

o Production and development

o Marketing analytics, planning and execution

o Audience / customer engagement, experience and relationship management

o Content sales and revenue management

o Financing, sourcing and procurement

- Are there specific data and analytics services and / or ‘big data’ technologies that are currently

considered market leaders and provide better outcomes than competing services or

technologies? If so, identify the leaders and describe why you believe their outcomes are

superior.

- Are there new technologies on the horizon that might disrupt current analytical business

models? How best might an organization access the possible impact?

- What might the future of data and analytics look like at specific media and entertainment

companies? How might specific companies build (or outsource) data and analytics

capabilities?

- If a media and entertainment had no existing ‘big data’ capabilities, what is the minimum

investment an organization would have to make to support a big data initiative and what

returns might the organization expect? Items for consideration include:

o Technology

o Personnel / expertise

o External services and support

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PwC DAILY CLASS OUTLINE – (TuTh 11:00 - Kiddoo)

Session

(Date)

Topics

Preparation / Reading External Meetings

#1

10/18

Project introduction / Client

discovery

http://www.pwc.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonarnold

#2

10/20

Project planning, resource

requirements, project

management, project control

https://e5.onthehub.com/WebStore/OfferingDet

ails.aspx?o=39565a63-1c62-e511-9410-

b8ca3a5db7a1&ws=c74665be-b56f-e011-971f-

0030487d8897&vsro=8

http://thinklikecenter.com/consultant/keys-to-

successful-projects

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-

things/10-best-practices-for-successful-project-

management/

https://www.wrike.com/blog/project-

management-best-practices-infographic/

20 minute meetings

with 3 teams

(Thursday - 1)

#3

10/25

Introduction to Entertainment &

Media Blackboard

PWC – “A World of Differences”

PWC – “You’re a Media Company. Now

What?”

Web

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/industry/entertainm

ent-media.html

https://www.linkedin.com/in/supplee

http://go.sap.com/solution/industry/media.html

http://go.sap.com/solution/industry/sports-

entertainment.html

20 minute meetings

with 3 teams

(Tuesday - 1)

10/27 No Class – MBA Career Treks

#4

11/1

Data & Analytics Blackboard

PWC – “Fan Favorites”

PWC – “Video Consumption Report

(Videoquake 3.0)”

PWC – “Dynamic Analytics for Enhanced

Business Decision Making”

Web

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/advisory-

services.html

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/advisory-

services/data-possibilities.html

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmannella

30 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Tuesday – 2)

#5

11/3

Deliverable outline, development

and supporting documentation

Deliverable outline (Blackboard)

30 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Thursday – 2)

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Session

(Date)

Topics

Preparation / Reading

External Meetings

#6

11/8

20 minute mid-term touch base

with client - 3 teams

Status Report template (Blackboard) 30 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Tuesday – 3)

#7

11/10

20 minute mid-term touch base

with client – 3 teams

Status Report template (Blackboard) 30 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Thursday – 3)

#8

11/15

No formal class, see team

meetings

60 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Tuesday – 4)

#9

11/17

No formal class, see team

meetings

60 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Thursday – 4)

#10

11/22

No formal class, see team

meetings

Team meetings as

necessary

11/24 NO CLASS—HAPPY

THANKSGIVING

#11

11/29

Practice Presentations to Faculty

(one group at a time) (3)

30 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Tuesday – 5)

#12

12/1

Practice Presentations to Faculty

(one group at a time) (3)

30 minute team

meetings with 3 teams

(Thursday – 5)

#13

12/6

Follow-up presentations, as

necessary

30 minute team

meetings as necessary

12/13

11 am –

3 pm

Client Presentations 25 minute client

presentations

(12 minute formal

presentation &

13 minute QA session)

NOTE: 20-minute bi-weekly conference calls with client for each team. Specific dates and times TBD.