MGT406 Business Policy and Strategy

MGT406 Business Policy and Strategy
(3.0 credits)
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE DESCRIPTION FROM CATALOG
Applies the functional knowledge acquired in previous coursework to the analysis of strategic – level business problems and decisions. Uses business cases
extensively to highlight the diversity and complexity of organizational environments and systems. Includes the following topics: missions and objectives;
environmental analysis; formulating, implementing and assessing strategies and policies; and international, social and ethic al issues.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This capstone course is a c ore requirement for the BSBA program designed to confront BSBA students with the challenges of guiding a complex
organization through a dynamic , rapidly c hanging environment, become familiar with the strategic planning process by integrating concepts from (a) the
courses taken during their business education and (b) from the short exposure to the business world they will experience during this course through the
final project, develop their disciplinary proficiency in management, reinforce their understanding of ethics and social responsibility as well as their
teamwork, leadership, oral and written communication, critic al thinking, analytic al and problem-solving skills.
PREREQUISITE(S)
Business senior standing; FIN 201, ENG 204, MGT 201, MIS 201 and MKT 201; or by permission.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) BSBA Program Learning outcomes (PLOs)
On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Integrate the skills and knowledge obtained in previous c ourse work
in the areas of accounting, economics, finance, marketing, and
management.
2. Develop a “top-management” orientation and cultivate strategic
thinking.
3. Articulate the complexity and challenges facing modern
organizations in a global world economy.
4. Apply strategic management principles and concepts, including tools
and techniques for strategic analysis, formulation and
implementation of appropriate strategies.
5. Develop the capacity to analyze the importance of the adaptive
capacities of modern organizations, requiring ongoing innovation and
entrepreneurial action.
6. Use advanced communication tools to convey complex ideas related
to the evaluation, selection, and planning of projects.
On successful completion of this program, the graduate will be able to:
1. Integrate the basic principles of economics, accounting, finance,
management, information systems, marketing and operations in the
context of a global economy
2. Apply concepts and theories of ethics and social responsibility to
practical business dilemmas, recognizing the implications of
management decisions for the interests of key internal and external
stakeholders
3. Demonstrate competency in teamwork, presentation, writing and
leadership skills through participation in group projects requiring
industry analysis and using the latest business communication tools
4. Evaluate business situations and critique managerial decisions using
financial statements, statistical tools, and other appropriate methods
to organize, analyze and present data
5. Examine common business scenarios using broad knowledge of a
specific business discipline, applying concepts, theories and models
appropriate to their fields of study.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
1. Wheelen, T. & Hunger, D. (2018). EBOOK: Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy: Toward Global Sustainability. (Global Edition).
Pearson Higher Education.
I verify that I have reviewed and approved this
syllabus for use in MGT406 course.
Dr. Patrick McClelland, Department Head
June 04, 2020
Dean: Dr. Narjess Boubakri | Associate Dean: Dr. Mohsen Saad
Created in Master PDF Editor

SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
A Faculty Name Virginia Bodolica
B Term/ Year Summer / 2020
C Sections CRN Course Days Time Location
30149 MGT 406-01 UMTW 9:45 am – 11:15 am Online

D Instructor
Information
Instructor Office Telephone Email
Dr. Virginia
Bodolica
SBA 1136 06 515 2308 vbodolica@aus.edu
Online Office Hours:
 Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 8:45 am – 9:45 am
E Other
Instructional
Material and
Resources
 Selected case studies that will be announced in class will be used during the
semester for discussion and assessment purposes.
 Most importantly, for each session, business news readings of relevance to the
course will be posted on ilearn and students will have to read them in advance to
be able to participate in class discussions. The readings will also be included in
individual assessment of students’ knowledge.
 For some classes, the instructor will prepare power point presentations. If
applicable, those power point notes will be posted on Blackboard, allowing
students to download them and use in their learning activities.
 Blackboard Online Teaching Tool (http://ilearn.aus.edu)
F Teaching and
Learning
Methodologies
Instructional methods will include lectures, class discussions, readings, and
assignments. Various strategic management topics will be covered through different
kinds of teaching approaches such as lectures delivered by the instructor, individual or
group exercises, in-depth discussions in class of the assigned readings, team work on
case analyses and other issues of strategic importance. Lectures will address different
issues on strategy formulation, implementation, evaluation and control from various
sources, such as textbook, UAE-based case studies book, instructor’s power point notes,
scientific articles and business journals. Lectures emphasize selected material
introduced in the textbook and provide additional information to aid understanding of
course concepts. Not all material in the text will be discussed in class, however,
students will be expected to read and understand this content as well as that which is
discussed in class. Students are expected and strongly encouraged to actively participate
in class discussions on business cases, theoretical concepts, and any other issues of
relevance.
G Grading Scale,
Grading
Distribution, and
Due Dates
Grading Scale
95– 100 4.0 A 76 – 79.99 2.3 C+
90 – 94.99 3.7 A- 73 – 75.99 2.0 C
86 – 89.99 3.3 B+ 70 – 72.99 1.7 C83 – 85.99 3.0 B 60 – 69.99 1.0 D
80 – 82.99 2.7 B- Less Than 60 0 F
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 1 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
Grading Distribution
Assessment Weight Date Time/Location Course Learning
Outcomes
(CLOs)
Mid‐term exam 1 20% June 24 9:45–11:15/Online CLO 1 & 4
Mid‐term exam 2 20% July 5 9:45–11:15/Online CLO 3 & 5
Final exam 25% July 22 8:00–10:00/Online CLO 2 & 3
Group report 25% July 20 9:45–11:15/Online CLO 1–6
Oral presentation 5% July 6‐15 9:45–11:15/Online CLO 5 & 6
Class participation 5% Each class 9:45–11:15/Online CLO 1 & 6
Total 100%
Grade postings

Students are expected to keep track of their own accumulation of grades throughout the
semester. The grades on iLearn are for information purposes only.
H Explanation of
Assessments
1). Mid-term exam 1:
The assessment 1 will take place during the usual class time and it will be entire open
book. It will consist of a combination of short and long answer questions drawn
primarily from the class lectures and business news readings posted on ilearn. There
will be no multiple-choice questions. Other in class activities such as discussions of the
regional and international business news and the case studies discussed in class prior
to the assessment 1 will also be included in this assessment. The purpose of this
assessment 1 is to make sure that students acquired the necessary knowledge and
understanding of the basic strategic concepts and principles. Hence, the focus of the
assessment will be primarily on concepts and theories from instructor’s power point
notes for chapters 1, 2, and 3 and assigned readings posted on ilearn. All students with
no exceptions are expected to take the mid-term exam on the day and time scheduled.
2). Mid-term exam 2:
The assessment 2 will take place during the usual class time and it will be entirely open
book. It will consist of a combination of short and long answer questions drawn primarily
from the class lectures and business news readings posted on ilearn. There will be no
multiple-choice questions. All the case studies and the discussions of business news
covered in class after the assessment 1 will be also an integrative part of the
assessment 2. The purpose of this assessment is to verify students’ understanding of
the more advanced strategic management concepts, tools and principles covered in the
period between the two assessments. The assessment 2 is not comprehensive and its
main focus will be on theories and practical applications drawn from instructor’s power
point notes for chapters 4, 5 and 8 and the assigned business news readings posted on
ilearn. All students with no exceptions are expected to take the mid-term exam on the
day and time scheduled.
3). Final exam:
The final exam will take place on the day established by the university and it will be
entirely open book. The final exam focuses on the course material that was discussed
in class after the assessment 2. While the format of the final exam will be similar to the
assessments 1 and 2, some questions taken from the term projects done by students
may also be included in this final exam. Thus, there will be short and long answer
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 2 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
questions drawn primarily from class lectures, instructors’ power points for chapters 6,
7, 9-10 and 11, case studies similar to those analyzed in class, and business news
readings. There will be no multiple-choice questions. All students are expected to take
the final exam on the scheduled day and time.
4). Group report:
The purpose of the report is to allow students to apply all the concepts and principles of
strategic management covered in class to the strategic analysis and audit of a given
organization. Thus, this project is designed to develop students’ skills and abilities in
assessing, analyzing and evaluating critically the current strategic orientation of a given
company, performing a strategic audit of the firm using the tools and techniques
learned in class, and proposing implementable solutions and strategies for allowing the
company to acquire or maintain a sustainable competitive position in the near future.
Due to the unprecedented times that we are living right now, the report will be based
entirely on the secondary sources of data, such as reports, industry analyses,
published data, newspaper articles, etc.. If you can gather data through interviews and
direct discussions with managers from organizations, that is an advantage, but by no
means a requirement of the report. The nature of this group project is structured around
the following activities:
 First, you will have to organize yourselves in teams of 3 to maximum 4 students. It is
entirely up to you to select your teammates; if you want to change the composition of
your team, you can do so informing all the team members about your decision. It is
your full responsibility to choose the team you want to be part of and you will have to
manage the team according to your own rules. This is one of the most responsible
tasks you will have to complete, since the quality of your final report will depend
largely on the quality of your team cooperation and teamwork. Therefore, make sure
that you choose those students you already know or with whom you have a good
experience in working on other projects performed for previous courses. If you cannot
find a team by the end of the second week, you will have to inform the instructor and
she will add you to the team that has the lowest number of members.
 Second, each team of students will have to choose a company on which they are
going to perform their project and write a report. This company has to be a mediumsized company (ideally, having more than 300 and less than 500 employees)
although a larger sized company may also be acceptable. The company has to be
based in a GCC country, or eventually in a nation from the MENA region. The
company can activate in any industry (e.g., agriculture, tourism, energy, banking,
healthcare, etc.) or in multiple industries at the same time and be present (or
operating) not only in one market but also in other markets and regions.
 Third, each team will have to collect all the necessary information on the company of
their choice. The following information should be gathered for this project: company’s
industry & size, firm structure, board of directors’ characteristics, mission, vision,
goals, objectives, culture, products or services the company is currently providing, the
strategic partners the company is using, the relationships it maintains with other
companies, the strategies and policies the company is currently employing at
corporate, business and functional levels to compete in its industry, etc. This
information should be collected through secondary sources of data, using the
information that is publicly available on the internet and in other online resources and
libraries. If you have access to the company itself and can arrange virtual interviews
or email exchanges with the employees and/or corporate managers who are involved
in the strategic planning process, this is a great advantage. Data collection for the
project might also be accomplished by reading company documents, strategic
orientation reports and financial statements, by consulting the company’s official
website, etc.
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 3 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
 Fourth, each team will have to act as a consultant in strategic management for a
given organization and will have to write a final and professional report. The main
objective of this report is to describe, analyze and assess the current policies and
strategies of the chosen company using the analytical tools presented in class and to
propose some strategic recommendations which you think will improve the
competitive position of this company in the future, justify your recommendations and
describe the implementation plan. It is important to note that students will be required
to employ all the strategic tools and concepts they learnt throughout the semester to
the strategic analysis of the company of their choice. Generally, the final written
project on the company you have selected for your analysis should include the
following parts:
– Introduction: brief description of the content of the report and its objectives;
– General presentation of the company and its background: brief history,
development, growth of the organization over time, its activities and
businesses it is currently involved in;
– Cite the organization’s mission statement, vision, goals and objectives and
perform a brief analysis of them;
– Describe the board of directors/advisory board (or other governance
structures of the firm), its members (insiders/outsiders) and analyze the
board characteristics;
– Perform an ethical analysis of the company, including ethical challenges and
the way the company deals with its stakeholders;
– Provide an adequate analysis of the company’s external environment using
all the required tools (PESTEL, Porter’s 5+1 forces model, strategic groups,
CP matrix, etc.);
– Provide an adequate analysis of the organization’s internal environment,
including its culture, structure, types of resources and the different functional
level strategies that are currently used by company;
– Perform a detailed SWOT analysis of the company:
 Identification of the organization external opportunities and threats
 External factors analysis summary (EFAS)
 Identification of the internal strengths and weaknesses, including the
financial analysis of the company
 Internal factors analysis summary (IFAS)
 Generate strategic factors analysis summary (SFAS)
– Detailed analysis of the business and corporate level strategies that the
company of your choice has been pursuing up until now (using the needed
concepts and strategic tools including BCG Matrix, GE Business Screen,
etc.);
– Provide a list of strategic alternatives using the TOWS matrix and describe
the recommended strategy for the future (objectives and strategies to follow
given the company’s present positioning);
– Discuss the implementation plan for the recommended strategy, including the
programs, budgets and timetables and comment on the evaluation and
control factors that company managers should use in the future to assess the
success or failure in the implementation of the recommended strategy;
– At the end, provide a comprehensive list of all bibliographical references that
helped you to write your report (citations should appear throughout the text).
To write your final report for this project you need to apply the theoretical concepts of the
course to each of the strategic management areas presented above. If you make a given
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 4 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
recommendation or statement, you have to justify your opinion using a professional
vocabulary like we do in class throughout the semester. Do not forget that in your project
your team will be acting as consultants who are hired by the company to provide explicit
strategic analysis and recommendations for this company’s managers. Therefore, make
sure that your project looks professional and follows the standard presentation norms of
an official written document.
This research project should be conducted and written by a group of minimum 3 and
maximum 4 students enrolled in the same section of the class. The written project has no
page limit, although the typical length of this project is about 25 typewritten pages, 1.5 line
spacing, 12-Font, Times New Roman, including the cover page and the bibliographical
references, but excluding the appendices (if applicable). The writing and presentation
styles should be clear, accurate and consistent throughout the text.
Although as a starting point the instructor expects to assign all team members the
same grade on the written report, the evidence suggests that students do not always
make equal contribution to the project. Therefore, adjustments will be made so that
grades will be assigned individually to each team member based on individual
contribution to the project. For this, peer evaluation sheets and other grading
procedures deemed necessary will be employed. Each student will be required to
indicate clearly which parts of the project were completed individually by him/her.
The grading of the project will be based on such criteria as clearness of the report’s
objectives and content, quality of the information presented in the report, extent to
which theoretical concepts are used appropriately to describe and analyze the policies
and strategies of the chosen company, depth of critical analysis of the current strategic
positioning of the company, pertinence of the proposed recommendations for
improving and maintaining the organization’s competitive advantage, extent to which
the implementation plan proposed is realistic, bibliographical richness and quality of
the additional sources used, structure and coherence of the project, and the general
quality of the written project (points will be subtracted for spelling, typing, grammatical
and other mistakes), etc. Note: the writing communication rubric that appears in
Appendix 1 of this syllabus will also be used to assess the quality of the writing.
To help students organize their project work on time and make sure that they have a
group and selected a company for the project, the following schedule with deadlines is
proposed:
 Selection of team members: on the last day of Week 2 one representative of the
team will inform the instructor about the team composition (the names and the student
IDs for all the students who are members of the team);
 Selection of the company: on the last day of Week 3 one representative of the team
will inform the instructor about the name of the company the team has selected for the
final report and, once again, the names and the student IDs for all the students who
are members of the team. The instructor will have to validate the choice of the
company you have made, making sure that each team works on a different company.
Deadline for the written report: all written reports, without exceptions, should be submitted
on the established date (as indicated in the syllabus), at the beginning of the class.
Projects must be submitted to the Safe Assignment link on ilearn. Projects sent by email
will not be accepted. Failure to submit the final report on time could result in an F grade for
this assignment. If the project is submitted within the two days following the deadline, there
will be a 20% penalty applied per each day of delay. If the project is submitted on the third
day (or later) after the deadline, an F grade will be assigned to the project. A penalty of 10%
will be applied if the project is submitted on the day of the deadline but not at the preestablished time (one hour or more after the beginning of class on the day of deadline).
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 5 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
5). Oral presentation:
There will be at least one oral assessment during the semester. It will be focused on either
the term project or another assignment that will be communicated in class at a later stage.
If the oral assignment will be focused on the term project, the following conditions will
apply. In order to share with other students the results of their research and thus enhance
class learning, each team will be responsible to orally present their final project. All
presentations must use some type of technological support systems in order to stimulate
students’ interest and their understanding of the topic presented. The presentation will be
held during the last classes of this semester. All the team members have to be present
during the presentation and each team member has to take part in it by presenting orally a
part of the project to the class. Failure to be present during the presentation day or failure
to take part in the presentation will result in an F grade for the presentation. Although the
project represents the result of a collective effort deployed throughout the semester, each
member of the team will receive a separate grade for project presentation based on
his/her individual performance in this assignment.
If the oral presentation will be related to another assignment, all presentation-related
details will be provided and explained in class. In either case, the assessment of the
oral presentation will be based on such criteria as the ability to present the major points
of the project, clarity and originality of the presentation, application of theoretical
concepts discussed throughout the semester, quality of the power point or other
visuals used, team’s time management, eye contact with the class, voice speed and
clarity, demonstration of your oral communication skills (not reading skills), the team
spirit and cooperation during the presentation, richness of arguments used to provide
answers to the questions raised by the instructor and students in class, etc. My advice
– be innovative and surprise me!!! Note: the oral communication rubric in Appendix 2 of
this syllabus will also be used to assess the quality of the oral presentation.
6). Class participation:
The purpose of class participation is to ensure deeper learning through knowledge
exchange and dialogue among participants. Lectures delivered in class assume that
students have read the assigned material. Thus, meaningful involvement in the class is
expected and evaluated on a daily basis. It is a matter of evidence that in order to be
able to contribute to class discussions and provide your constructive comments on
different strategic management topics, you will have to attend class regularly. However,
bear in mind that your participation grade will be attributed to your participation in
discussions, your attitude in class, and your constructive approach to building a positive
learning environment in class.
In other words, it is not sufficient to only attend the class and in order to earn points for
participation you will have to really take active part in class discussions, case analyses,
and business news discussions which should be accompanied by your positive and
constructive attitude in class. If you have perfect attendance, but have never participated
in class discussions and never contributed to building a constructive learning environment
in class, your participation grade will be very close to zero. Remember, it is not your
attendance but rather your participation that is being assessed. If you have missed 15% of
classes or more for any reason (and the instructor decided against initiating your formal
withdrawal from the course), your participation grade will be zero.
What distinguishes an A/B from a C/D grade is the quality of your participation. Simply
restating facts of a case, repeating what others have said, answering a question different
from the one you were asked, or expressing an opinion without supporting it with facts
and analysis, are examples of low quality participation. Demonstrating that you have
analyzed facts or data based on analytical tools learned in class rather than simply
expressed a personal opinion, brought to light important issues that are relevant to the
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 6 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
case, formulated questions or made case observations which enhanced the class’s
understanding of the issues covered in the case, synthesized key aspects of a case
discussion which go beyond a mere recitation of the readings or case facts, made
comments drawing upon ideas from other course readings and topics, and evaluated
strategic management issues which are supported by evidence in the readings or by case
facts are examples of high quality participation. Hence, both the quality and the
frequency of your involvement in class discussions will be assessed throughout the
semester.
Class participation will be assessed based upon the following scale:
0% – 20% = Minimal to non-existent preparation for class, disturbing behavior, very
disruptive participation
20% – 40% = Good attitude and behavior, but never participated in class discussions
40% – 60% = Constructive attitude, respectful behavior, occasional participation
demonstrating some preparation for the class
60% – 80% = Constructive behavior, more frequent and active participation but comments
remain superficial without tackling issues in depth
80% – 100% = Always prepared for class, comments consistently demonstrate deep
analysis and comprehension of covered material
I Student
Academic
Integrity Code
Students are advised that violations of the Student Academic Integrity Code will be
treated seriously, with increasingly severe penalties considered for repeat offenders.
Penalties range from the resubmission of work in question to the dismissal from the
university and may become part of the student’s file maintained indefinitely by the Office
of the Registrar.
Academic violations include but are not limited to:

 Plagiarism
 Inappropriate Collaboration
 Impersonation
 Dishonesty in Examinations and Submitted Work
 Work Completed for One Course and Submitted to Another
 Deliberate Falsification of Data
 Interference with Other Students’ Work
 Copyright Violations
 Complicity in Academic Dishonesty
For details, refer to the Student Academic Integrity Code outlined in the AUS
Catalog.
J Student
Responsibilities/
Behavioral
Expectations
Students are responsible and accountable for their behavior, academic or otherwise, at
the American University of Sharjah. The University expects that students, as mature
members of the academic community, will adhere to the highest standards of personal
and academic integrity. See the Student Code of Conduct for more details.
1. Attendance and participation in class is essential to the process of education at the
American University of Sharjah. Students benefit from the lectures and discussions
with their teachers and fellow students. For this reason, students are expected to
attend the class regularly. Lateness or absence hinders progress for the individual
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 7 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
and the class and affects the student’s grade. University guidelines for lateness and
attendance are as follows:
a. Three occasions of lateness count as one absence. Lateness is defined by the
individual instructor. In this course, lateness means when a student comes to
class between 1 and 14 minutes after the beginning of the class. When a student
comes to class 15 minutes after the beginning of the class or later, student will
be marked as absent.
b. According to AUS Undergraduate Catalog: in the event a student misses 15
percent of the total number of scheduled sessions (7 absences for UTR
schedule, 5 for MW) in a class for any reason, the instructor may initiate
withdrawal of the student from the course if a written warning or formal
notification was issued when the number of absences reached 10 percent (5
absences for UTR schedule, 3 for MW). Students are expected to manage
course attendance to ensure that absences due to personal reasons or
participation in extracurricular events do not exceed the 15 percent limit.
Students who are absent as the result of participation in a university sanctioned
extracurricular event approved by the Office of the Provost must notify
instructors at least two weeks in advance of the event-related absence.
2. If a midterm exam or final exam is missed due to illness, a doctor’s certification of a
serious illness is to be verified by the AUS Health Center before submitting it to the
instructor who is to be contacted as soon as possible. Situations involving a
documented medical emergency will be handled individually and at the instructor’s
discretion.
3. All students are required to buy and bring to the classroom the class textbook and
to take notes during lectures.
4. Lecture notes and/or slides and other material posted on your course website
(iLearn) are a required part of this course.
5. Mobile Phones are to be turned off before entering the classroom. Students found
using mobiles may be asked to leave the class. Days missed due to such
dismissals will be counted as absent.
6. Self-directed learning (outside class-time): It is strongly advised that students read
the chapter prior to attending the weekly lecture, and also bring a copy of the powerpoint slides for the relevant chapter to write additional notes. The more a student
participates by sharing general and/or regional examples, opinions and experiences
the more the class will be enjoyable and beneficial to all. Therefore, students are
advised to have read the assigned textbook chapters prior to the corresponding
lecture and to subsequently review the lecture notes. Remember: Every hour of
lecture should be complemented by an average of three hours of study time.
K Student –
Instructor
Interaction /
Feedback
Students are encouraged to contact the instructor during office hours or via email. The
instructor is willing and able to provide additional tutorials to a student who is struggling
with the class material. In order to gather feedback for future course improvements,
suggestions, comments and concerns regarding any aspect of this course will gladly be
accepted, at any time during the semester. In addition, a formal course evaluation will
be administered at the end of the semester.
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 8 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
Appendix 1: Writing Communication Rubric for SBA
Trait Does Not Meet
Expectations Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations
Purpose
The purpose and focus of
the writing are not clear to
the reader
The writer has made good
decisions about focus,
organization, style, and content
so as to achieve the purpose of
the writing.
The writer’s decision about
focus, organization, style, and
content fully elucidate the
purpose and keep the purpose
at the center of the piece
Structure
Does not develop ideas
cogently, uneven and
ineffective overall
organization, unfocused
introduction or conclusion
Develops unified and coherent
ideas within paragraphs with
generally adequate transitions;
clear overall organization
relating most ideas together,
good introduction and
conclusion.
Develops ideas cogently,
organizes them logically with
paragraphs and connects them
with effective transitions. Clear
and specific introduction and
conclusion.
Language
Uses words that are unclear,
sentence structures
inadequate for clarity, errors
are seriously distracting
Word forms are correct,
sentence structure is effective.
Presence of a few errors is not
distracting.
Develops concise standard
English sentences, balances a
variety of sentence structures
effectively.
Appendix 2: Oral Communication Rubric for SBA
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 9 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
Trait Does Not Meet Expectations Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations
Organization
No opening statement or
irrelevant statement. Listener
can follow presentation only
with effort. Some arguments
are not clear. No sequence of
information.
Has opening statement relevant
to topic, and gives outline of
speech. Presentation is clear,
logical, and organized. Listener
can follow line of reasoning.
Has a clear opening
statement that catches
audience’s interest. Stays
focused throughout.
Delivery
Often hard to understand what
is being said. Voice is too soft,
or too loud. Pace is often too
quick or too slow. Use of filler
words (such as umm, uh, like).
Inappropriate movements
(such as: fidgeting, rocking
back and forth). No eye contact
with members of the audience.
Can easily understand —
appropriate pace and volume.
No use of filler words (such as
umm, uh, like). No inappropriate
movements (such as: fidgeting,
rocking back and forth). Eye
contact with members of the
audience. Use of gestures/body
language (when needed).
Excellent delivery. Uses
grammatically correct and
appropriate language.
Modulates voice, projects
enthusiasm, interest, and
confidence.
Use of
media
Relies heavily on slides and/or
notes. Slides contain too much
text. Slides contain spelling
and/or grammar errors.
Looks at slides (from time to
time) to keep on track with
presentation. Slides/notes are
used as a guide (no reading).
Appropriate number of slides.
Slides contained no spelling
and/or grammar errors.
Slides are used effortlessly
to enhance speech.
Speech could be effectively
delivered without them.
Synthesis /
Quality of
analysis
Missing or poor. No analysis of
content. No synthesis of points
that brought the speaker to the
conclusion.
Synthesizes presentation’s main
points, and draws conclusions
based upon the analysis of
these points.
Goes beyond “average” in
delivering a content that is
very well documented and
persuasive. Appropriate
synthesis of main points.
Bottom line is clearly
identified.
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 10 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Summer 2020 (UMTW)
Note: Tests and other graded assignments due dates are set. No addendum, make-up exams, or extra assignments to
improve grades will be given.
# WEEK CHAPTER TOPICS
1 Jun 9, 10 01: Introduction to the course & Basic Concepts of
Strategic Management
Strategic management process;
mission; vision; levels of strategy;
triggering events; modes of
decision making
2 Jun 14, 15, 16, 17
02: Corporate Governance
03: Ethics and Social Responsibility in Strategic
Management
Governance tripod; agency theory;
board of directors; governance
systems in the world; ethics
approaches; stakeholders’ analysis
3 Jun 21, 22, 23, 24 04: Environmental Scanning and Industry Analysis
Blue ocean vs red ocean strategy;
dynamics of competition; macro
and micro external analysis;
environmental analysis tools; EFAS
4 Jun 28, 29, 3, Jul 1
05-08: Internal Scanning: Organizational Analysis
06: Strategy Formulation: Situation Analysis and
Business Strategy
Internal assessment tools;
resource-based view; IFAS;
business level strategies
(competitive & collaborative);
tactics; TOWS matrix; SFAS
5 Jul 5, 6*, 7, 8 07: Strategy Formulation: Corporate Strategy
Corporate level strategies; growth,
stability, retrenchment strategies;
portfolio / parenting strategies /
tools; multipoint competition
*Deadline to withdraw from courses
without grade penalty 3:00 p.m.
6 Jul 12, 13, 14, 15
09-10: Strategy Implementation: Organizing for Action;
Staffing and Directing
11: Evaluation and Control
Strategy implementation; advanced
corporate structures; programs,
budgets, procedures; types of
control; balanced scorecard;
responsibility centers; guidelines for
proper control
7 July 19, 20 Remaining course material, preparation for group report
submission and final exam
Coverage of remaining material
related to strategy implementation,
evaluation and control; work on
group report; Q&As for final exam
Notes:
a. Last day of classes: July 20, 2020
b. Final Examination Week: July 21 – 22, 2020
c. Makeup Examination Day: July 23, 2020
d. Final Exam: As per AUS schedule
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 11 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
DETAILED COURSE STRUCTURE
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS POLICY
WEEK 1 Basic Concepts of Strategic Management
 Introduction to the course
 Syllabus presentation
 Formation of final project groups
 Strategic management as field of study
 Basic model of strategic management
 Initiation of strategy: triggering events
 Strategic decision making
 Textbook (Chapter 1)
WEEK 2 Corporate Governance
 Roles and responsibilities of the board of directors
 Nomination and election of the board members
 The role of top management in corporations
 Trends in corporate governance
 Textbook (Chapter 2)
WEEK 2 Ethics and Social Responsibility in Strategic Management
 Social responsibility and business ethics
 Corporate stakeholders
 Ethical decision making in today’s corporations
 Some reasons for unethical behavior
 Textbook (Chapter 3)
WEEK 3 Mid-Term Exam 1
 Mid-term exam 1 will take place during the usual class meeting
 Books and notes are not allowed during the mid-term exam
 Textbook (Chapters 1, 2, 3)
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 12 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
PART II: SCANNING THE ENVIRONEMENT
WEEK 3 Environmental Scanning and Industry Analysis
 SWOT analysis: opportunities and threats
 Environmental scanning and the value of information
 Industry analysis and concept of strategic groups
 Porter’s five forces model
 Competitive Profile Matrix and External Factors Analysis Summary
 Textbook (Chapter 4)
WEEK 4 Internal Scanning: Organizational Analysis; Functional Strategy and
Strategic Choice
 SWOT analysis: strengths and weaknesses
 Porter’s value chain approach: industry and corporate value chain
 Resource-based approach to organizational analysis
 Organizational structure and culture
 Functional areas of business and strategic management: marketing, financial, R&D, operations,
logistics, purchasing, IT, and HRM strategies
 Strategic choice: selecting the best strategy and the process of strategic choice
 Textbook (Chapters 5 and 8)
WEEK 5 Mid-Term Exam 2
 Mid-term exam 2 will take place during the usual class meeting
 Books and notes are not allowed during the mid-term exam
 Textbook (Chapters 4, 5, 8)
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 13 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
PART III: STRATEGY FORMULATION
WEEK 5 Strategy Formulation: Situation Analysis and Business Strategy
 Business-level strategies
 Generating a Strategic Factors Analysis Summary (SFAS) Matrix
 Porter’s generic competitive strategies
 Cooperative strategies
 Textbook (Chapter 6)
WEEK 6 Strategy Formulation: Corporate Strategy
 Corporate strategy: growth, stability and retrenchment strategies
 International entry options
 Portfolio management approaches: BCG Matrix, GE Business Screen
 Corporate parenting strategy
 Textbook (Chapter 7)
PART IV: STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTROL
WEEK 6 Strategy Implementation: Organizing for Action; Staffing and Directing
 Implementing strategies in the business and functional levels
 Organization structure, culture and managerial leadership as implementation variables
 Selection and management development
 Management by objectives and total quality management
 Textbook (Chapters 9-10)
WEEK 6 Evaluation and Control
 Evaluation in control in strategic management
 Measuring performance: appropriate measures
 Strategic information systems
 Problems in measuring performance and guidelines for proper control
 Textbook (Chapter 11)
Created in Master PDF Editor

Course Syllabus UG | Page 14 of 14 | Template: Aug. 2017
SBA COURSE SYLLABUS
PART V: BUSINESS APPLICATION: ORAL PRESENTATIONS
WEEK 7 Oral Presentations
 Oral presentations are due
 Remaining material (if any)
 Conclusion of the course
FINALS Final Exam
 Timing: as scheduled for your section
 Books or other course material not allowed during the exam
a.  Textbook (Chapters 6, 7, 9-10, 11)
Created in Master PDF Editor