Syllabus a Mba 670

Syllabus for 1002AMBA6709244

Faculty Contact Information

John Martin, PhD [email protected] Karl J. Edelmann MD, MBA, CAQ-G, FAAFP [email protected]

Course Introduction

� AMBA 670, Managing Strategy in the Global Marketplace is a 6-credit course in the MBA Program. � There are 10 weeks in the semester. � The Spring II semester begins April 5, 2010 and ends June 13, 2010 � The last date to withdraw is May 30 2010

Course Description

(Formerly AMBA 607.) Prerequisite: AMBA 660. An investigation of strategy, value creation, and value capture in different business contexts. Currently, companies compete simultaneously in domestic, global, and electronic markets. Focus is on developing frameworks and models for understanding the structural characteristics of industries and how companies can achieve sustainable competitive advantage, taking appropriate action in these different, but concurrent, business contexts. An explicitly integrative approach is adopted, building on knowledge of the different functional areas of management gained through previous study.

Course Goals/Objectives

Upon successful completion of this seminar, the participant should be able to:

1. Assess how firms create value and how they go about building and sustaining competitive advantage in

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4/11/2010http://tychong.umuc.edu/wws/showSyllabus.jsp?sectionTitle=all

different markets. 2. Assess how firms add value through alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and divestitures. 3. Analyze how business is changing as a result of globalization and technological developments and the

implications of these changes for strategy. 4. Apply the tools and techniques of strategic analysis, including frameworks such as industry structure,

Porter’s five forces model, value chain analysis, portfolio analysis, and e-business models to business case

analysis and to one’s own organization. 5. Construct business-level and corporate-level strategies in different competitive environments. 6. Assess the strategy-structure options for expanding and/or globalizing firms. 7. Analyze how firms create, acquire, and manage knowledge and innovations within their extended

multinational networks. 8. Assess how managers lead strategic change and exercise control in the pursuit of organizational

objectives. 9. Analyze corporate-governance issues from the perspectives of shareholders, employees, regulatory

bodies, and other stakeholders. 10. Identify and analyze the fundamental strategic issues facing major global industries.

CORE LEARNING AREA OBJECTIVES

(Check all core learning areas that apply to each course objective)

Course Objectives: COMM TECH INFO QUAN THIN

Assess how firms create value and how they go about building and

sustaining competitive advantage in different markets. X X X

Assess how firms add value through alliances, mergers and acquisitions,

and divestitures. X X X

Analyze how business is changing as a result of globalization and technological developments and the implications of these changes for

strategy.

X X X

Employ the tools and techniques of strategic analysis, including frameworks such as industry structure, Porter’s five forces model, value chain analysis, portfolio analysis, and e-business models to business case

analysis and to one’s own organization.

X X X

Construct business-level and corporate-level strategies in different

competitive environments. X X X X

Assess the strategy-structure options for expanding and/or globalizing

firms. X X X X

Analyze how firms create, acquire, and manage knowledge and

innovations within their extended multinational networks. X X X

Assess how managers lead strategic change and exercise control in the

pursuit of organizational objectives. X X X X X

Analyze corporate-governance issues from the perspectives of

shareholders, employees, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders. X X X

Understand the fundamental strategic issues facing major global

industries. X X X X X

COMM: Effective Communication TECH: Technology Fluency INFO: Information Literacy/Research QUAN: Quantitative Literacy

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Course Materials

Click here to view the required and recommended materials to be purchased and to access ordering information.

Graduate School's Read Me First Document

Additional Readings/Materials

Cases

� Yoffie, D.B. & Wang, Y. (2006). Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006. Harvard Business

School Press. HBS 9-706-447. � McCauley, M., & Khan, S. (2002). Citibank's e-Business strategy for global corporate banking. Harvard

Business School Press. HKU197 � Bartlett, Christopher & Wozne, Meg (2000). GE's two decade transformation: Jack Welch's leadership.

Harvard Business School Press. HBS 9-399-150 � Christensen, C.M., & Voorheis, R. (1995). Managing innovation at Nypro, Inc. (A). Harvard Business

School Press. HBS 9-696-061

In addition to the above texts and materials, several articles are required or recommended. These are listed in the weekly assignments section of this syllabus. The electronic database where the articles can be found is indicated. For those found in ABI Inform you will see an (A), those in Business Source Complete a (B), those in Science Direct an(S). These may be accessed through the UMUC library web page

(http://www.umuc.edu/library/database/). Articles on reserve in the classroom are marked (R).

Grading Information and Criteria

THIN: Critical Thinking

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COURSE SPECIFIC GRADING POLICIES

MBA PROGRAM GRADING PHILOSOPHY

The average grade for UMUC graduate courses is a "B." If you complete each assignment at a level consistent with graduate work, you can expect to earn a "B." This does not mean you have to be an expert on the subject matter, but you are expected to put in as much time as is necessary to demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding. If you have questions about the subject matter, or if you don't understand an assignment, don't hesitate to get in touch with your faculty member. She or he is there to help you understand this material. You

should let your faculty member know how to make your learning experience more rewarding.

If you want to increase your chances of earning an "A," you must pay close attention to the quality of your writing. Superior writing skills certainly can help you to earn a better grade. The degree to which you provide authoritative support in your discussion can also improve your chances of earning an "A." You are expected to refer to the required readings to support your analysis in an assignment. In some cases you will be expected to conduct research and use relevant articles from scholarly journals in UMUC library's electronic databases as additional sources of information. An example of exceeding expectations is when you consistently take the initiative to seek out and reference such work to help make and strengthen your contributions to the class. In addition, you should look for opportunities to incorporate the reading from previous weeks in this seminar as well as reading from

previous seminars into your assignments.

Following these suggestions can go a long way in helping you to earn an "A." At the other end of the grade distribution, if you don't take the time to develop an acceptable level of understanding of the subject material, you could earn a "F." If you don't complete your assignments on time or if

you don't work cooperatively with your study team, you could also earn a "F."

With respect to the team assignments, each person on a team will typically receive the same grade for an assignment. The highest possible grade on the team project will be based on what is submitted as the team end-product. However, a team member's grade may be adjusted downward for a specific assignment if the faculty member determines the quality of that person's participation to be substandard. To allow your faculty member to review team member contributions to all team assignments, each team member is expected to post all

contributions in the team's study group conference.

If you have any questions about a grade you received, contact your faculty member. Your faculty member is here

to help you understand the material, your grade, and how you may improve your performance in this seminar.

MBA LATE PENALTY POLICY

Timely completion of all assignments is critical to student success in an accelerated graduate program such as the MBA program. Students should take assignment deadlines seriously and plan in advance to allocate sufficient time to meet deadlines. Instructors may grant limited extensions of time for unexpected business, health or personal emergencies beyond the student?s control. In order to be granted such an extension, the student must make the request in advance of the due date and support the request by a compelling rationale that would be fair to others in the class. Any such extension will be for a specific period, not to exceed one week. For late

Assignment Percentage of

Gradeh

Conference Activities 30

Individual Assignments and

Personal Application Assignments 30

4 Team Project Assignments 40

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submissions that have not been approved by the instructor (and for assignments submitted after an extension due date) the penalty will be a 5 point reduction in the grade (on the hundred point scale) for that assignment for each

day that the assignment is late.

EXTRA CREDIT AND ?REDOING? ASSIGNMENTS

This is a very fast-paced course, and assignments are due every week. The syllabus is designed to build upon each week, and the assignments are chosen carefully to develop skills and build knowledge. It is important that you do a good job on all of the assignments and that you hand them in on time. There is no "extra credit" granted

to individuals in this course, and students will not be able to redo assignment.

Project Descriptions

Conference Activity

Class participation and interaction in the conferences is a central feature of this course?s learning experience. The discussion will be structured within the Main Topics that faculty consider to be the essence of the learning material for that week. You will be given a set of questions to focus on; however, they will allow you lots of latitude

to address strategy issues relevant and important to you.

Students are expected to provide an initial substantive post to all Conference Topics no later than Wednesday and actively participate throughout each week with a minimum of 3 out of the 7 days for each conference week; which 3 is up to you. Your discussion of the conference Main Topics should be grounded in strategic management theory from the text, readings and external research. Please utilize both academic and industry sources, available through our Library databases and open Internet resources. Your class interaction should reflect your understanding of the learning material under consideration and their applications to real-world organizations of your choice. The conferences are your chance to discuss the seminar material with each other

online.

Personal Application

Two times during the semester, students are responsible for posting in the Personal Application (PA) conference section of the classroom a reflection on how the material they learned applies to their organization or the industry in which it operates (see the ?Course Schedule of Assignments? section for detailed questions). The postings should demonstrate an understanding of the industry and the competitive position of the organization within it. This exercise helps integrate the learning experiences each week and confirms the practical applications of what was learned. Make sure you comment on your classmates? PAs ? such application of learned material enhances

your overall learning experience.

Teams: There are team assignments, all in support of the Team Project Paper. For these assignments, please select your team members and post this information in the designated Conference Area and send their names to your instructor by email prior to the start of Week 2. You can be part of the same team as in AMBA 606 if you like. The instructor has the final authority to make teams if he/she so chooses. All team members can expect to receive the team grade, though a team member's grade may be reduced if it is determined through peer

evaluation that this individual did not contribute adequately to an assignment.

You should read the guidelines for case analysis in Course Content. You should prepare each paper using the language, concepts, and tools and techniques learned in this seminar. Remember that this is a capstone

seminar and your writing should reflect that.

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You should prepare and save all your written work, including all conference activities, on your computer before you post them in the WebTycho classroom. You should never type your assignment directly into the WebTycho classroom. If your computer crashes or if you are disconnected from the Internet before you finish posting your work, you will lose everything you have not saved. In addition, shortly after the seminar is over you will no longer have access to any of the materials you posted in the WebTycho classroom. You will want to keep a copy of your

work to include in your electronic portfolio.

Additional Information

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND WEBTYCHO SUPPORT

Understanding and navigating through WebTycho is critical to successfully completing this course. All students are encouraged to complete UMUC's Orientation to Distance Education and WebTycho Tour at

http://www.umuc.edu/distance/de_orien.

UMUC 360 Support is accessible directly in the WebTycho classroom. Technical support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year via self-help, phone, and chat at http://support.umuc.edu or toll-free 888-

360-UMUC (8682), or 301-985-6710.

LIBRARY SUPPORT

Extensive library resources and services are available online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at http://www.umuc.edu/library. Information and Library Services provides research assistance in creating search strategies, selecting relevant databases, and evaluating and citing resources in a variety of formats via its Ask a Librarian service (http://www.umuc.edu/library/help/ask.shtml), which includes 24/7 chat and e-mail. The Search by Subject area of the library's Web site (http://www.umuc.edu/library/subjects.shtml) provides a listing of resource guides for each subject area, with each guide containing relevant databases, Web sites, books, and other resources along with technical and citation assistance. A guide to using UMUC's library databases is

available at http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutorials/research/mod6.shtml.

Academic Policies

Graduate School of Management and Technology's Academic Policies (GSMT)

GRADING GUIDELINES

According to the Graduate School of Management and Technology's grading policy, the following marks are used:

A (90-100) = Excellent B (80-89) = Good C (70-79) = Below standards F (69 or below) = Failure FN = Failure for nonattendance G = Grade pending P = Passing

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S = Satisfactory U = Unsatisfactory I = Incomplete AU = Audit

W = Withdrew

The grade of "B" represents the benchmark for the Graduate School of Management and Technology. It indicates that the student has demonstrated competency in the subject matter of the course, e.g., has fulfilled all course requirements on time, has a clear grasp of the full range of course materials and concepts, and is able to present and apply these materials and concepts in clear, well-reasoned, well-organized, and grammatically correct

responses, whether written or oral.

Only students who fully meet this standard and, in addition, demonstrate exceptional comprehension and

application of the course subject matter earn a grade of "A."

Students who do not meet the benchmark standard of competency fall within the "C" range or lower. They, in effect, have not met graduate level standards. Where this failure is substantial, they can earn an "F." The "FN" grade means a failure in the course because the student has ceased to attend and participate in course

assignments and activities but has not officially withdrawn.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Graduate students are expected to maintain a 3.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) at all times, with no grade of F. An assessment of academic standing is made of each student at the end of every semester. Each student's GPA is computed for all UMUC graduate-level graded coursework to make a determination of academic standing

as described in the policy below.

UMUC policy on academic levels of progress (exclusive of doctoral level)

UMUC Doctoral program policies

WITHDRAWAL Students who officially withdraw from a course receive a mark of W (Withdrawal). The grade of W will appear on the official transcript but will not be used in calculating the grade point average (GPA). Students must follow the withdrawal procedures as outlined in the catalog, schedule of classes, or Web site. Graduate students must officially withdraw at least two weeks (14 calendar days) before the final class. Students who do not officially

withdraw by the deadline receive the grade earned for the course.

WRITING STANDARDS

Effective managers, leaders, and teachers are also effective communicators. Written communication is an important element of the total communication process. The Graduate School of Management and Technology recognizes and expects exemplary writing to be the norm for course work. To this end, all papers, individual and group, must demonstrate graduate level writing and comply with the format requirements of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition. Careful attention should be given to spelling, punctuation, source citations, references, and the presentation of tables and figures. It is expected that all course

work will be presented on time and error free.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM

UMUC policy on academic dishonesty and plagiarism

UMUC offers the VAIL Tutor, a tutorial covering academic integrity and strategies to help students avoid academic

dishonesty and plagiarism.

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The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. Your instructor may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or your instructor submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let your instructor know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of

your paper on Turnitin.com, your instructor may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.

COURSE EVALUATION FORM

UMUC values its students' feedback. You will be asked to complete a mandatory online evaluation toward the end of the semester. The primary purpose of this evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of classroom instruction.

UMUC requires all students to complete this evaluation. Your individual responses are kept confidential.

The evaluation notice will appear on your class screen about 21 days before the end of the semester. You will have approximately one week to complete the evaluation. If, within this 21-day period, you do not open the file and either respond to the questions or click on "no response," you will be "locked out" of the class until you do complete the evaluation. This means that you will not be able to enter the classroom. Once you have completed the evaluation, you will regain access to the classroom. If you have any problem getting back in your classroom, you should immediately contact UMUC 360 support by phone toll-free, 888-360-UMUC (8682), or 301-985-6710

or via chat.

The Graduate School of Management and Technology takes students' evaluations seriously, and in order to provide the best learning experience possible, information provided is used to make continuous improvements to every class. Please take full advantage of this opportunity to provide constructive recommendations and

comments about potential areas of improvement.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with disabilities who want to request and register for services should contact UMUC's technical director for veteran and disabled student services at least four to six weeks in advance of registration each semester.

Please email [email protected] or call 301-985-7930 or 301-985-7466 (TTY).

Course Schedule

Assignment Overview

Session Topic/Objective Readings/Assignments

Week 1 Introduction to Strategy

Objective:

Assess how firms create value and how they go about building and sustaining competitive advantage in different

markets.

Based upon your readings for the week, discuss the following issues: Conference Discussion Topics Assignment (5%) Discussion Topic 1: Industry Perspective: From the Morningstar Database of Industry Sector Performance, Morningstar.com: Industry Returns , we have extracted financial performance information at the industry

level which we will be posting in the Industry Perspective Conference Area. Discuss your views on the following questions. Use and refer to the assigned readings to

support your views.

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Competencies:

Quantitative Literacy

Critical Thinking

1. What kinds of industries tend to be better performers in the medium to long

term? Why? What kinds of industries tend to do poorly in the medium to long

term? Why?

2. Can you make the claim that some industries are inherently more profitable than

others? Provide arguments and examples to justify your response.

Discussion Topic 2: Company Perspective: From the Morningstar Database of Industry Sector Performance, Morningstar.com: Industry Returns , we have extracted financial performance information at the company level for the Automobile Manufacturing Industry, which we will be posting in the Company

Perspective Conference Area. Discuss your views on the following questions. Use and refer to the assigned readings to

support your views.

1. How is it that, even among the best performing industries, only some companies

do well? How can some companies in poorly performing industries still do well?

2. Generally speaking, for companies in the same industry, what factors would

explain differences in company performance over the long term?

Note: Your conference participation will be graded using the Conference Rubric

which you can review in Course Content. Team Formation, Team Project Description

Please select your team members at this time and post the name of your team and the

names of the team members in the designated Team Selection Conference Area.

Week 2 Strategy and Value Creation in Traditional

Industries

Objective:

Employ the tools and techniques of strategic analysis, including frameworks such as industry structure, Porter’s five forces model, value chain analysis, portfolio analysis, and e-business models to business case analysis and to one’s own

organization.

Competencies:

Information Literacy/ Research Quantitative Literacy

Critical Thinking

Required Reading

� Grant, R.M. (2008). Contemporary strategy analysis (6th Ed.). Malden, MA:

Blackwell. Chapters 3-5. � Jain, V.K. (2002). Note on industry structure. Retrieved April 29, 2005, from

http://info.umuc.edu/mba/public/AMBA607/IndustryStructure.html � The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy Video

Assignments: Strategy Simulation Game (10%)

The following is a highly educational interactive exercise which visually demonstrates the impact of various strategic decisions that you can make, under different kinds of industry

characteristics. Play the simulation.

Tata Interactive Systems. Economics for Managerial Decision Making. Retrieved April 29, 2005, from

http://info.umuc.edu/mba/public/TIS/economics/economics_simulation.html

Write a two to three page review of your playing the strategy simulation game, the decisions you made and the results of those decisions. Relate your experience to what

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you learned in the assigned readings.

Note: Your assignment will be graded using the Report Rubric which you can

review in Course Content.

Post your write-up in your Assignment Folder.

Team Project Step 1 Assignment (P/F):

On a Team basis please provide the following:

Review the Team Project Description in Course Content. This project involves developing a proposal for a real company to acquire a target company in one of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries. To understand why we want to have our MBA students knowledgeable about the BRIC countries and their importance to twenty first century corporate strategy, you should view the following Webcast. Discuss it in your

Team Study Group Area

Web Tour: The BRICS Dream May 2006 Webcast

Team Industry/Company Selection:

Decide, as a Team, which global industry amongst the following you will focus on for your semester long Team Project. Then, choose a major global company from this industry to

be your hypothetical consulting client for the semester long Team Project.

Post a comment in your Team Study Group Area identifying this industry/company

and some of the reasons for your choice.

EIU Global Automotive Industry World Outlook EIU Global Consumer Goods Industry World Outlook EIU Global Energy Industry World Outlook EIU Global Financial Services Industry World Outlook EIU Global Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry World Outlook EIU Global Healthcare Industry World Outlook

EIU Global Telecoms and Technology Industry World Outlook

Note: If, after you sign in to the UMUC Library you get a page that requests your EIU user ID and password, just ignore that and go the left hand column of that page and click again on your industry of choice. This will lead you to all of the EIU data and articles about that

industry globally.

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Suggested Team Discussion

The Team Project builds upon project work that you have done in prior MBA courses. You need think back to these prior projects and begin an active discussion within your Team Study Group Areas sharing your experiences and how they support your work on the

Team Project in this course. In particular focus on:

Your country selection rationale in your AMBA International Business course.

Your incorporation of country risk in the capital budgeting decision of your AMBA Finance

and Accounting course.

Your identification of key factors to determine market size and growth in your AMBA

Marketing course.

Week 3 Creating Value Through

e-Business Strategy

Objective:

Analyze how business is changing as a result of globalization and technological developments and the implications of these

changes for strategy.

Competencies:

Information Literacy/Research Technology Fluency

Critical Thinking

Required Reading

� Porter, M. (2001, March).Strategy and the internet . Harvard Business

Review, 79 (3). (B) � Grant, R. M (2008) Contemporary Strategy Analysis (6th ed.) Chapter 11 � McCauley, Marissa & Khan, Sharma (2002) . Citibank's e-Business Strategy for

Global Corporate Banking. Harvard Business School Press. HKU197 � The Digital Transformation of Traditional Businesses. Preview By: Andal-Ancion,

Angela; Cartwright, Phillip A.; Yip, George S.. MIT Sloan Management

Review , Summer2003, Vol. 44 Issue 4, p34-41

Assignments:

Conference Assignments (10%) (Note: You need to participate in both)

Conference 1: eBusiness Company Comparisons

This assignment is intended to explore the e-business models, strategies, and

competition in a specific industry.

1. How do companies such as Expedia, Priceline, Google, Yahoo, Amazon and

eBay make money online? (Discuss their business models)

2. How are some of the latest trends in the Internet and computing, such as social networking, etc., likely to change the future business models of these and other

companies?

To support your research on these topics we suggest you view the following material and

webcasts. Also use and refer to the assigned readings to support your views.

Business Models on the Web | Professor Michael Rappa

__/ 12-29-2006 \__ A panel discussion on the future of the Internet

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and Web 3.0

__/ 05-17-2006 \__ Users, Not Money: the Google Business Model

Marissa Mayer

__/ 01-27-2006 \__ Digital 2.0: Powering a Creative Economy

World Economic Forum

Strategy for High Tech Companies-What to Think About | MIT World (Video)

Post your initial response early in the week and then continue to discuss with your

fellow students.

Conference 2: Citibank Case Discussion

Citibank's e-Business Strategy for Global Corporate Banking

Analyze the case study based on the questions given below. This case study assignment is tightly integrated with the readings for this and previous weeks. You will need to acquire a good understanding of key ideas from the readings before starting to analyze

the case study.

Note: We recognize that this case is somewhat out of date. However, we want you to think about the situation that Citibank faced when the Internet was still fairly new for business in general and for banking in particular and how they could develop a strategy

for using this new technology.

Case Analysis Questions: (a separate Conference Area will be created for each question)

1. How does Citibank differentiate its e-business product offering from that of its competitors? How could Citibank create its own competitive advantages in the

market place?

2. Citibank's strategic intent is to convert its traditional money management

business into an e-business framework. How does Citibank transform its traditional assets into digital assets? What issues, if any, do you envision that

Citibank must overcome in order for the implementation to be successful?

Post your initial response early in the week and then continue to discuss with your

fellow students.

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which you can review in Course Content.


Global Strategy

Objective:

Assess the strategy-structure options for expanding and/or

globalizing firms.

Understand the fundamental strategic issues facing major global

industries.

Competencies:

Information Literacy/Research

Critical Thinking

Required Reading

� Grant, R.M. (2008). Contemporary strategy analysis(6th ed.). Blackwell. Chapter

14. � Wilson, Dominic and Purushothaman, Roopa, (2003). Dreaming With BRICs:

The Path to 2050. Goldman Sachs Global Economics Paper No: 99. Goldman

Sachs | BRICs - Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050

Assignments:

Team Project Assignment Steps 2and 3: (10%)

The Team Project of this seminar involves your writing a proposal for an international acquisition by a major company into one of the BRIC countries. This Week 4 Assignment is designed to provide the country comparative analysis that will support your decision as

to which country to do the acquisition in.

Step 2: BRIC Country Assessment Analysis

BRIC refers to Brazil, Russia, India and China. The term BRIC was created by the Chief Economist of Goldman Sachs Investment Bank in 2001 and is now widely used in business and academia to refer to the four countries that are likely to have a profound impact on the global economy and business environment in the twenty first century. As part of the globalization theme of this Strategy Seminar we want you to become familiar with these countries and their potential role in corporate global business strategy. For a

more recent (2008) commentary on the BRIC countries view the following:

Video Interview With Jim O'Neil February 2008

Examine each of the BRIC countries to determine their projected economic growth, country business environment, risk and readiness for e-business. Note: The hyperlinks below take you to older EIU database results. To get the most recent EIU data, click on

“archive”, and select the most recent date.

UBRIC COUNTRIES

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Click on the countries and look up 1. Five Year Economic Forecast, 2. Country Risk Rating and 3. Business Environment Rating. Then go to Doing ebusiness in... and find

their e-Business Readiness rating.

Read the rationale behind these ratings and dig deeper by reading other EIU news stories about the political, economic, financial, business and regulatory environments in each

country.

Also, take note of the Personal Disposable Income (PDI) available in each country as an indicator of market size. (you will find the PDI in the 5 Year Economic Forecast) PDI is defined as the income households receive from firms, plus transfer payments received from the government, minus direct taxes paid to the government. It is the income that

households have available for spending or saving.

Post the resultant ratings for each country in a summary table comparing the country ratings for risk, business environment (opportunity) and e-business readiness. Include a

brief summary of the main country conditions that contribute to the ratings.

Also create a table comparing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Personal Disposable Income (PDI), Exports (in U.S. $), and Imports (in U.S. $) for both 2010 and

2014 and calculate the amount of growth for each item.

BRAZIL

Brazil Five Year Economic Forecast to

2012

Doing ebusiness in Brazil

Business Environment in Brazil

Country Risk in Brazil

PDI=$544.4B

CHINA

China Five Year Economic Forecast to

2012

Doing ebusiness in China

Business Environment in China

Country Risk in China

PDI=$3,085 Billion

RUSSIA

Russia Five Year Economic Forecast to

2012

Doing ebusiness in Russia

Business Environment in Russia

Country Risk in Russia

PDI=$1,624 Billion

INDIA

India Five Year Economic Forecast to

2012

Doing ebusiness in India

Business Environment in India

Country Risk in India

PDI=$1,779 Billion

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Discuss the following business strategy questions.

� How would you tradeoff the degree of country risk versus the business

environment ratings, taking into consideration the market size as expressed by

the PDI in 2014? � How would you tradeoff the degree of country risk versus the business

environment ratings, taking into consideration the market growth as expressed by

the PDI in 2014 versus 2010? � As a result of answering the above two questions, how would you prioritize the

BRIC countries in terms of developing a global business strategy?

Step 3: Global and BRIC Industry Analysis

Select the industry that your team wants to research for the Final Team Project and research it from the global industry forecasts below and comment on the strategy

implications of what you have read.

Then, for each of the BRIC countries that you have examined in the Country Assessment Analysis above, use the EIU country information to discuss how your selected industry from Week 2 is doing in each country. Start by clicking on the Industry World Outlook, but also read some of the other articles to better understand the industry. Note: When you click on these, you may get a message requesting a special ID and password. Ignore this

request and just click on the industry again in the left hand column.

EIU Global Automotive Industry World Outlook EIU Global Consumer Goods Industry World Outlook EIU Global Energy Industry World Outlook EIU Global Financial Services Industry World Outlook EIU Global Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry World Outlook EIU Global Healthcare Industry World Outlook

EIU Global Telecoms and Technology Industry World Outlook

Answer the following business strategy questions for the industry you have selected.

� What is the comparative market size of the industry in each of the BRIC countries

by 2014. (Hint: Use something like the number of passenger car registrations to size the automobile industry, other metrics for other industries) and how might that impact your decision on prioritizing the countries in your global business

strategy? � What is the comparative growth, both in absolute terms and in percentage terms

from 2010 to 2014 for the industry you have selected in each of the BRIC countries and how might that impact your decision on prioritizing the countries in

your global business strategy? � Who are some of the key company players (both multinational and local) in your

selected industry in each of the BRIC countries and how competitive is the industry in each country, and how might that impact your decision on prioritizing

the countries in your global business strategy?

Conclusion

Based upon your research and analysis in Part A and Part B, select the BRIC country that your team will be looking to make an acquisition in. Provide reasons for your decision based upon your research and on the various assigned readings so far this semester or

from prior semesters (properly cite these)

Note: Your assignment will be graded using the Project Rubric which you can

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Post your Assignment in your Team Study Group Area

Week 5 Business-level Strategy: Establishing and Sustaining Competitive

Advantage

Objective:


globalizing firms.

Competencies:

Information Literacy/Research

Critical Thinking

Required Reading

� Grant, R.M. (2008). Contemporary strategy analysis(6th ed.). Malden, MA:

Blackwell. Chapters 7-9, 12, 13. � Yoffie, D.B. & Wang, Y. (2006) . Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2006.

Harvard Business School Press. HBS 9-706-447.

Multimedia

� David B. Yoffie. Judo Strategy (See "Supplemental Course Materials" under

Supplemental Materials in Course Content.) Note: You will have to enter the User

Name: ambamedia and Password: harvardmm05.

Assignments:

Conference Assignment - (5%)

Cola Wars Case Analysis

Contribute your analysis of the Cola Wars case, by responding to the following questions:

(Note: These questions will be posted separately in the Conference Area.

1. Why historically, has the soft drink industry been so profitable?

2. Compare the economics of the concentrate business to that of the bottling

business. Why is the profitability so different?

3. How has the competition between Coke and Pepsi affected the industry profits?

4. Can Coke and Pepsi sustain their profits in the wake of flattening demand and

the growing popularity of non-CSD’s?

To support your comments, refer to and cite the assigned readings so far in the semester.



Personal Application Assignment 1 and Conference Topic Discussion- (10%)

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Please post, in the PA discussion topic (as early in the week as possible) Read and comment upon the PA posts of your fellow students. Also, post your PA in your

Assignment Folder.

1. Your thoughts about the fundamental strategic issues facing the industry in which your organization exists. Compare the performance of your company against the industry within which it operates, for 1 year and 5 years, using the

Morningstar database.

2. An analysis of your company’s industry from the point of view of Porter’s Five Forces, the Industry Life Cycle, and any other strategy frameworks that provide insight to your understanding of the industry and the competitive position of

your company within it.

3. An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your company from the point of view of the Resource Based View of the Firm model and any other strategy

frameworks that provide insight into your company’s strategic competitiveness.

Note: If you work in government or in a non-profit organization, you may pick a

company that your organization contracts with for this exercise.



Week 6 Corporate Strategy and

Leading Strategic Chang

Objective:

Assess how managers lead strategic change and exercise control in the pursuit of organizational

objectives.

Competencies:

Technology Fluency Information Literacy/Research Critical Thinking

Leadership

Required Reading


Blackwell. Chapters 10, 13, 15, 16. � Dranikoff, L., Koller, T., & Schneider, A. (2002, May). Divestiture: Strategy's

missing link. Harvard Business Review, 80 (5). (B) � Bartlett, Christopher & Wozne, Meg (2000) . GE's Two Decade

Transformation: Jack Welch's Leadership. Harvard Business School Press. HBS

9-399-150 � Heifetz, R.A., & Laurie, D.L. (2001, December). The work of leadership. Harvard

Business Review, 79 (12). (B)

Multimedia

Strategy is Destiny- Robert Burgelman. (See "Supplemental Course Materials" under

Course Content.) Video

Leading Strategic Change

� Managing the multi-business corporation � Portfolio analysis and management � Organizational culture and change � Turnaround strategy � Creative destruction


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GE's Two Decade Transformation Case Analysis

Analyze the case study based on the questions given below. As in earlier weeks, this case study assignment is also tightly integrated with the readings for this and previous weeks. You will need to acquire a good understanding of key ideas from the readings

before starting to analyze the case study.

Case Analysis Questions:

� How difficult a challenge did Welch face in 1981. How effectively did he take

charge? � What was Welch’s objective in the series of initiative he launched in the late

1980?s and early 1990’s.? What was he trying to achieve in the round of changes he put in motion in that period? Is there a logic or rational supporting the

change process? � How does such a large, complex diversified conglomerate defy the critics and

continue to grow so profitably? Have Welch's various initiatives added value? If

so, how? � What is your evaluation of Welch's approach to leading change? How important

was he to GE's success? What are the implications for his replacement?

Post your initial comments as early in the week as possible.

Here is a web-cast of Jack Welch talking about some key business lessons from his

career at GE.

MIT World ? : A Conversation with Jack Welch



Peer Evaluation Form

Please complete the Week 6 Peer Evaluation form available under Course Content

section of the WebTycho classroom and submit it to your Assignment Folder.

Week 7 Strategy and Org. Design and Managing Innovation Strategy and Corporate

Governance

Objective:

Analyze how firms create, acquire, and manage knowledge and innovations within their extended

multinational networks.

Analyze corporate-governance issues from the perspectives of shareholders, employees, regulatory bodies, and

Required Reading

� Business Roundtable. (2005). Principles of corporate governance. , from

http://www.businessroundtable.org/sites/default/files/CorporateGovPrinciples.pdf � Nadler, D.A. (2004, May). Building better boards. Harvard Business Review, 82

(5). (B) � Post, J.E., Preston, L.E., & Sachs, S. (2002). Managing the extended enterprise:

The new stakeholder view. California Management Review , 45 (1). (B) � Smith, H.J. (2003, Summer). The shareholders vs. stakeholders debate. Sloan

Management Review , 44 . (B)

Multimedia

� What Really Matters - Nitin Nohria. (See "Supplemental Course Materials" under

Course Content.) Note: User Name: ambamedia and Password:

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other stakeholders.

Competencies:

Information Literacy/Resarch

Critical Thinking

harvardmm05.

Strategy and Corporate Governance

� Agency theory and the agency problem � Corporate Governance: Principles and mechanisms � Shareholder vs. stakeholder perspectives � Ethics and strategy

Assignments:

Conference Activity Ethics (Not graded, but you are highly encouraged to participate in

this discussion of business ethics)

Go to the Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies and find at least

one article which deals with ethical issues that have strategic significance to companies.

We know that you have been introduced to ethical issues in your prior MBA courses. The emphasis here is on strategic decisions that companies make and their ethical implications. You should briefly summarize and submit it to the Ethics in Business

Discussion Area that will be posted by the instructor.

EJBO - Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies

Note: In your initial posting, try not to duplicate the points raised by other students. You should, however, also comment on what other students are saying (a minimum of three other students, more is even better). Try to relate your comments to concepts and theories from the readings and you are also encouraged to provide hyperlinks to further

information sources to support your thinking.

Team Project Assignment: Step 4 (10%)

Read Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) articles for the Global Industry you selected in Week 2 and the BRIC country you selected in Week 4. Identify and discuss some of the strategic trends and issues facing these key players and drill down to researching some company specific examples in your selected BRIC country. Also research the local companies in this industry as well as the global players. Relate these trends and issues to

some of the strategic concepts you are studying.

Global and Local Automotive Industry Key Players

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Global and Local Consumer Goods Industry Key Players Global and Local Energy Industry Key Players Global and Local Financial Services Industry Key Players Global and Local Food and Beverage Industry Key Players Global and Local Healthcare Industry Key Players Global and Local Telecoms and Technology Industry Key Players

Global and Local Travel and Transport Industry Key Players

Identify a short list of potential target companies (at least two) for acquisition in the BRIC country you have selected for the project and provide a rationale for considering each

one.



Post your Team Assignment in the Team Study Group Area.

Week 8 Creating Value Through Global and e-Business Strategy Global Strategy

e-Business Strategy

Objective:

Analyze how business is changing as a result of globalization and technological developments and the implications of these

changes for strategy.


globalizing firms.

Competencies:

Technology Fluency Information Literacy/Research Quantitative Literacy

Critical Thinking

Required Reading


Blackwell. Chapter 6,11

� Christensen, C.M., & Voorheis, R. (1995). Managing innovation at Nypro, Inc.

(A). Harvard Business School Press. HBS 9-696-061 � Birkinshaw, J., & Hood, N. (2001, March). Unleash innovation in foreign

subsidiaries. Harvard Business Review, 79 (3). (B) � FACTBOX - Largest M&A deals of 2008 | Reuters � Mergers and acquisitions release 2009 � Online Tutorial #10: How Do You Analyze an M&A Deal?

Assignments


Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. (A)

Analyze the case study based on the questions given below. As in earlier weeks, this case study assignment is also tightly integrated with the readings for this and previous weeks. You will need to acquire a good understanding of key ideas from the readings

before starting to analyze the case study.

Case Analysis Questions: (Will be posted separately in the Conference Area

1. How does the internal market for innovation at Nypro function?

2. How does Lankton manage the process?

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3. How would you go about making the NovaPlast decision?



The Final Team Project Step 5

Team Assignment Strategic Company Acquisition Analysis - (10%)

This assignment is intended to help you, by looking at a past acquisition, explore different aspects of a specific acquisition move, including such things as why one of the selected companies became an acquisition target of the acquiring company, the deal itself (whether or not the acquisition was successful), outcomes of the acquisition move, corporate-governance issues that might be relevant, etc.. The assignment is also intended to help you to begin thinking about the strategic reasons for acquisitions to be

considered in your final team project for Week 10

For an acquisition from FACTBOX - Largest M&A deals of 2008 | Reuters choose one and research it by reading company press releases, annual reports, etc., and news

stories about the acquisition.

The Assignment

Prepare a paper on the acquisition you identified. The paper will cover the following

issues.

a. Provide information on the acquisition deal (or the proposed deal). Include such things as: Brief information on each company (size, product range, markets, etc.); what kind of an acquisition it was/is (friendly or hostile; vertical or horizontal). The strategic rationale for the acquisition from the point of view of both the acquiring and acquired company. What happened after the

acquisition? Was it considered successful?

c. Corporate governance issues involved in the deal. Please discuss this question from the perspective of each company, whether or not the acquisition was successful. Discuss such things as: shareholders, board of director’s,

management’s, and regulator’s views on the acquisition.

Sources of Information

The depth of analysis you can perform for this assignment will depend upon the availability of information and time constraints. A great deal of information is available

about these companies through various sources included in our online library system.

Here’s a list of some of the databases you may find particularly helpful for this

assignment; you are already familiar with some of these and other sources of information.

� Company Web sites; annual reports � EDGAR (SEC filings) � Hoovers Online (company basic facts; news) � Yahoo: Finance � Hoovers � EIU databases � Factiva (news items from Dow Jones and Reuters)

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� The Wall Street Journal

Past Acquisition Paper Guidelines

1. The Acquisition Paper should be approximately 5-10 pages long. Page length does not include the title page and appendices. Place the paper in your

Assignment Folder.

2. The paper is intended to be completed based only on secondary sources of information since you will not have time to do primary research. However, if you decide to do some primary research, include the list of people interviewed along with their complete particulars (name, job title, organization, address,

phone number, email address, etc.) in an appendix.



Your Team International Past Acquisition Paper should be posted in your

Team Study Group Area.


Mergers and Acquisitions

Objective:

Assess how firms add value through alliances, mergers and acquisitions,

and divestitures.

Competencies:

Technology Fluency Information Literacy/Research Quantitative Literacy

Critical Thinking

.

Required Reading

� Dyer, J., Kale, P., & Singh, H. (2001, Summer). How to make strategic alliances

work. Sloan Management Review, 42 (4). (B) � Dyer, J., Kale, P., & Singh, H. (2004, July-August). When to ally & when to

acquire. Harvard Business Review, 82 (7). (B) � Grant, R.M. (2008). Contemporary strategy analysis (6th ed.). Malden, MA:

Blackwell. Chapter 13, 15, 17.

Personal Application Assignment 2 and Conference Topic Discussion - (10%)

Discuss, in this week’s Personal Application (PA) area (as early in the week as possible)

1. Your company’s activities on the Internet and any ideas you may have for

additional strategic opportunities they might explore in this new medium. Also,

post your PA in your Assignment Folder.

2. Your organization’s international business, if any (where, what, how, etc.).

Based upon this week’s other assignments, can you think of areas of additional

global opportunity for your company?

3. Your company’s strategy for competitive advantage (i.e. cost leader,

differentiation, etc.) and your opinion about how they might change or improve

this strategy.

4. Your company’s actual or potential vertical or horizontal integration strategy

and any specific acquisitions, divestitures or strategic alliances they have been

engaged in.

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5. Your company’s policies regarding ethical behavior and ideas you have for

improvement in such policies, and your company’s policies and actions in

compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Law.

6. A final overview of how what you have learned in this course applies to the

organization you work for.

Post your PA in the Conference Area and in your Assignment Folder. Read and

comment upon your fellow student’s PA’s. Remember, both the quantity and the quality

(substance) of your postings determine your conference grades.

Required Reading

� Dyer, J., Kale, P., & Singh, H. (2001, Summer). How to make strategic alliances

work. Sloan Management Review, 42 (4). (B) � Dyer, J., Kale, P., & Singh, H. (2004, July-August). When to ally & when to

acquire. Harvard Business Review, 82 (7). (B) � Grant, R.M. (2008). Contemporary strategy analysis(6th ed.). Malden, MA:

Blackwell. Chapter 13, 15, 17.

Personal Application Assignment 2 and Conference Topic Discussion - (10%)

Discuss, in this week’s Personal Application (PA) area (as early in the week as possible)

1. Your company’s activities on the Internet and any ideas you may have for

additional strategic opportunities they might explore in this new medium.

2. Your organization’s international business, if any (where, what, how, etc.). Based upon this week’s other assignments, can you think of areas of additional

global opportunity for your company?

3. Your company’s strategy for competitive advantage (i.e. cost leader, differentiation, etc.) and your opinion about how they might change or improve

this strategy.

4. Your company’s actual or potential vertical or horizontal integration strategy and any specific acquisitions, divestitures or strategic alliances they have been

engaged in.

5. Your company’s policies regarding ethical behavior and ideas you have for improvement in such policies, and your company’s policies and actions in

compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Law.

6. A final overview of how what you have learned in this course applies to the

organization you work for.


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Post your PA in the Conference Area and in your Assignment Folder. Read and

comment upon your fellow student’s PA’s. Remember, both the quantity and the

quality (substance) of your postings determine your conference grades.

Weeks

10

Peer

Evaluation

Synthesis and Future

Directions

Objective:

Assess how firms add value through alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and divestitures. Understand the fundamental strategic issues facing major global

industries

Competencies:

Effective Communication Information Literacy/Research

Critical Thinking

Required Reading

� Grant, R.M. (2008). Contemporary strategy analysis (6th ed.). Malden, MA:

Blackwell. Chapter 17. � Garten, J.E. (2002, Fall). The CEO's new agenda. Sloan Management Review,

44 (1). (B) � Gulati, R., Freeman, K.W., Nolen, G., Tyson, J., Lewis, K.D., & Greifeld, R.

(2004, July-August). How CEOs manage growth agendas. Harvard Business

Review, 82 (7). (B) � Funk, K. (2003, Winter). Sustainability and performance. Sloan Management

Review , 44 . (B)

Multimedia

� D'Souza, D. (2002). Technological capitalism and its discontents . Retrieved

April 29, 2005, from

http://marconi.umuc.edu/ramgen/GSMT/mba/GlobalForum/dsouza.rm.

Final Team Project Step 6 (10%)

Integrate the work from the prior 4 Steps of the Final Project into one overall paper. The outline for this is included in the Final Project Description under Course Content. Remember, you a proposing a new acquisition that has not so far been undertaken by your client company. Also included in this document are links to summary descriptions of key strategic frameworks and concepts that you should consider using in developing the

critical reasoning of your international acquisition recommendation.

The final project paper should be posted in your study group conference by the end of

this week.

Your Concluding Thoughts Conference

Discuss any suggestions you have for improvement of the AMBA 607 Strategy course

and any final thoughts about the subject of business strategy.

Final Peer Evaluation

Please complete the Peer Evaluation form available under Course Content section of the

WebTycho classroom and submit it to your Assignment Folder.

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Syllabus a Mba 670

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