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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "MGT 498"
COURSE NAME: "Strategic Management"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2025
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Silvia Pulino
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisites: Senior Standing and completion of all other Business core courses
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This capstone course focuses on the roles and skills of the General Manager and on diagnosing and finding realistic solutions to complex strategic and organizational problems. Business situations will be analyzed from the point of view of the General Manager to identify the particular tasks related to his/her unique role, which calls for leadership, integration across the functional areas, organizational development, strategy formulation and implementation. Prerequisites: Completion of all Core Business Courses. In particular, case discussion will require a good understanding of Finance (performance evaluation, forecasting, budgeting), Marketing principles, Organizational structure and Management.
The course builds on previous course work by providing an opportunity to integrate various functional areas and by providing a total business perspective.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Foundation Concepts. Understanding Industry Structure. Creating Competitive Advantage. Dynamic Competition. The Corporate Dimension – Growth by Acquisition, International Strategy, Strategic Alliances, Corporate Governance. Entrepreneurial Strategy. Vision, Mission and Leadership.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students who complete the course successfully should be able to:
1. Analyze the key competitive forces of an industry
2. Assess the overall attractiveness of an industry from the perspective of both the existing participants and potential new entrants
3. Identify key areas that require a strategic response
4. Assess the skills and capabilities of a firm, including the qualities of its leadership
5. Evaluate a company’s strategic health
6. Formulate a sustainable generic strategy
In addition, the course introduces or reinforces many transferable skills, including:
- Oral presentation
- Team work
- Project management
- Business writing
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TEXTBOOK:
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Engagement | The engagement grade will reflect preparation and quality and frequency of participation. Class preparation will require students to read all the assigned material and explore the questions provided in Moodle. Class participation will help students understand the material better and build confidence in public speaking.
| 20% |
| Group Project (paper) | The final paper consists of an in-depth industry report which will include strategic recommendations for each of the key players in the industry. | 25% |
| Group Project (Presentation) | Students will present their work in lieu of a final exam. Presentations will be graded on the basis of style, delivery, research, content and visual aids. While the grade for the presentation is individual, it will inevitably be enhanced by strong team work in the preparation of the report and the presentation visuals. | 10% |
| Individual Paper | The individual paper will consist of the strategic analysis of one company, to highlight the extent to which the company's strategy will enable it to capture new opportunities and mitigate threats. | 10% |
| Reasoning Skills Test and Bloomberg Certification | Students are required to complete the Bloomberg Certification and a Reasoning Skills Test.
| 5% |
| Building Blocks | The building blocks are preparatory to the final paper, and consist of: 1) a financial statement analysis of the key players in the industry, 2) a detailed industry and external environment analysis, and 3) a thorough competitive analysis. The quality of this work is predictive of the ultimate success of the group project. | 30% |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cour
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Students are expected to come to class and to arrive on time.
Absences: students are allowed up to 3 absences during the semester.
Tardiness: students arriving more than 5 minutes late for class will be marked as absence (though they may stay and follow the lesson).
Persistent absence or tardiness usually precludes satisfactory performance in the course, and will result in a lower class participation grade. In any case, students are responsible for all material covered by the syllabus and/or discussed in class, whether or not they are actually present.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Definitive schedule, assignments and deadlines to be found on Moodle.
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Class
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Topic / Learning Objectives
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1
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I - VISION AND MISSION
What is strategy and why is it important?
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2
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Vision and Mission
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3
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Selecting and Managing the Team
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4
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Financial Statement Analysis
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5
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Financial Statement Analysis
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6
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II - EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
External Environment: PESTLE and 5-Force Analysis
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7
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Guest Speaker
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8
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External environment: 5-force analysis
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9
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External Environment: Competitive Analysis and Market Positioning
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10
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Internal Environment: Evaluating a Company’s Resources, Capabilities and Competitiveness
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11
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SWOT Analysis
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12
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III - CRAFTING STRATEGY
The Five Generic Competitive Strategies
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13
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Guest Speaker
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14
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Strengthening a Company’s Competitive Position
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15
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First mover advantage
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16
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Crafting Strategy
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17
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Guest Speaker
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18
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IV - GROWTH STRATEGIES
Blue Ocean Strategy
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19
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International Strategy
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20
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Corporate Strategy: Diversification, M&A, and Vertical Integration
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21
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Guest Speaker
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22
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Guest Speaker
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23
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Corporate Strategy: Portfolio Analysis and BCG Matrix
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24
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V LEADERSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY
Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Sustainability and Strategy
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25
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Leadership
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26
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Thinking About the Future - “Crafting Your Life” Simulation (HBS)
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27
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Building an Organization Capable of Good Strategy Execution: People, Capabilities and Structure
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28
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Final Stretch - Presentation and Paper
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FINAL EXAM
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