GEB 4890: Strategic Management & Decision Making

Section 904; Spring, 2016

M 6:30 - 9:15pm
CIS 1035
Michael G. Bowen, Ph.D.
Department of Marketing
Office: BSN 3409
Telephone: 813-974-1765
Email: mbowen@usf.edu
Office Hours: M 5:30 - 6:30pm, or by appointment
Course Web address: In Canvas: Go to http://my.usf.edu/ and log in to the University
Web Portal using your USF Net ID!
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Each student is required to purchase a copy of the Capstone Strategic
Management Simulation. This must be purchased on-line directly from the company (at
www.capsim.com ). You need to do this early in the semester, only after you have created
teams and have been given a business name. The cost of the simulation is $53.99. In
addition, I recommend you read Competing for the Future, by Prahalad & Hamel, HBS
Press, 1996 (paperback: ISBN: 0-87584-716-1), available (cheap) at online bookstores, and
is also available online (free) as an e-book at the USF online library. Also, you can
purchase a packet of the course primers at Pro-Copy, located at 5219 E. Fowler Ave,
Tampa, 33617 (in the Publix shopping plaza) and are open 24/7. Packets can also be
ordered at www.pro-copy.com Course Material.
Note:
GEB 4890 is part of the University of South Floridas Foundations of Knowledge and
Learning (FKL) Core Curriculum. It is certified for the core area of Capstone (CPST),
and for the following dimensions: Critical Thinking, Inquiry-based Learning, and Interrelationships among disciplines. Students enrolled in this course will be asked to
participate in the USF General Education, and MCOB, assessment efforts. This might
involve submitting copies of writing assignments for review, responding to surveys,
or participating in other measurements designed to assess the FKL Core Curriculum
learning outcomes."
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Because Strategic Management has been designated a core and exit/capstone
course by the USF General Education Improvement Committee, and the MCOB, it is
intended to help you integrate prior coursework, place it in a top-level executive
management framework, and then provide a summative assessment of what students
have learned and can do as they approach graduation. Accordingly, students completing
Strategic Management will demonstrate:

an understanding of the social and behavioral sciences as they apply to strategic

management, including the historical context and the interrelationships among and
between the various business disciplines, the types of problems each discipline
deals with, their various approaches and tools used to problem solve

critical thinking and analytical abilities, including the capacities to engage in

inductive and deductive thinking and quantitative reasoning, and to construct sound
arguments
information literacy skills including: identifying appropriate questions, problems or
issues; determining appropriate sources of information; locating and evaluating
necessary information, and analyzing, synthesizing, and applying the knowledge
gained
intellectual development that emphasizes active involvement in the learning
process, as well as methods of formulating answers that support retention of critical
ideas and concepts
an understanding of how managerial decisions and actions affect the human and
physical environment

In addition, and in language more specific to this course, at the successful

conclusion of the semester you will be able to:
1 appreciate the importance of, understand, construct and manage the strategic
management process in operating a business
2 understand strategic management as a professional, enterprise-wide, integrative,
interrelated, people-oriented/political, and values/ethics driven set of activities
3 show what you have learned by helping to run a business in a competitive
environment; demonstrating that you can utilize some of the key tools used in
business analyses to assess the industry and business environments, develop
effective strategies and tactics, and successfully manage your organization and
business processes
4 make better decisions as a policy maker, and as a policy analyst, in time-pressured
contexts, and
5 better question and learn from prior coursework (business and non-business) and
on-the-job experience
The vision I have for the class is that we will create a disciplined and creative
learning environment in the classroom and become collaborators; working to make the
most of the short time we will be working together this semester. Along the way, we will
discover/learn many things about professionally operating a business, and (I hope) have
some fun.

Statement on Disabilities

Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the
office of Students with Disabilities Services to arrange appropriate accommodations.
Students are required to give reasonable notice prior to requesting an
accommodation.
COURSE FORMAT & PEDAGOGY
The course is designed and organized to foster active learning about, and by
practicing, Strategic Management. Consistent with this, the initial classes of the semester
are focused on your learning about strategic thinking, managing, planning, and business
ethics & sustainability.

Prof Bowen GEB 4890: page 2 of 7

The second part of the course builds from what you learned in the first and focuses
on the practice of strategically managing a business firm, using the analytical tools used in
that process, through a team-based business simulation. To do this, the class will form
teams which will compete in the Capstone Strategic Management Simulation. This
competitive (within the class, and among student teams throughout the U.S.) simulation
has been used at many major universities for this course (Undergraduate, MBA, and Exec
MBA levels), and as an executive training tool at many Fortune 500 companies. It will be
run over the remainder of the semester. You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with
the simulation, individually and with your team, as early and often as you can this term,
including completing all of the assigned and required individual tutorials online
by Monday, February 15, 2016. We will also spend some class time becoming familiar
with the simulation.
GROUP FORMATION
Groups/teams will form and organize, on their own, during class on 1/25/2016. I
will assign students to teams only if and as necessary. As teams come together for the
simulation, you should seriously consider assembling a team based on a representative
mix of majors, compatible class schedules, relevant work experience, and ability to meet
and work together. At the end of the simulation, you will be asked to complete Capstones
on-line peer evaluations on the performance of the members of your team. Again, since
this is an experiential/learn-by-doing class, I fully expect that everyone will pull their own
weight in these important learning experiences.
College of Business Statement on Core Courses
Students who enter USF under the 2001-2002, or later, catalog are required to earn a
grade of C- or better in every core class and an overall GPA of 2.0 for all core classes.
Please Note
Academic dishonesty of any type, including plagiarism on the individual and/or group
projects assigned in this course, will result in, at a minimum, an F for the
assignment and may, depending upon seriousness, result in an F for the course.
Please see the Universitys Undergraduate Catalogue for a definition of what is
considered academic dishonesty.

GRADING

Your course grade will be based on your performance and contributions to your
groups work and success on the Capstone simulation; your final group tools analyses of
your Capstone business; classroom attendance; and other individual work, contributions,
and completion of college and other assessment feedback surveys. The relative
weightings for these items are as follows:
30% Group performance on the CAPSTONE Strategic Management Simulation:
includes team
simulation results and final written group Capstone Debriefing assignment
30% Quality of required group Capstone business analyses, including the thought
and effort evident
in the rough drafts you will be asked to complete, and the final graded
analysis documents)
Prof Bowen GEB 4890: page 3 of 7

20% Individual Work/Participation: on time completion of Capstone preparation

requirements, also
including your Capstone on-line peer evaluation, the final individual Capstone
Debriefing
assignment, contributions to the class, and the on-time completion of all exit
course surveys and
college and university originated student feedback instruments
20% Attendance (based on a straight percentage of classes attended)
Attendance is an important component of your grade this semester. If you have to
miss class for any legitimate reason (e.g., an illness, family problem, job interview) please
let me know by email (including your section and attendance numbers with the
correspondence), as far in advance as possible. It is your responsibility to sign the
attendance sheet each class session and failure to do so results in an absence
being recorded for that particular class session.

Final course grades will be assigned based on the following percentages of points
earned throughout the semester. The +/- grading system will not be used.
Percentages Earned with Corresponding Letter Grade
90-100%
A
80-89%
B
70-79%
C
60-69%
D
Below 60%
F
Religious Preference Absence Policy
Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the
observation of a major religious observance must provide advance notice of the
date(s) to the instructor, in writing,
by the second week of classes

CALENDAR
1. Mon
1/11 Course Introduction, discussion of syllabus, course website;
Introduction to the
Capstone Business Simulation
Mon

1/18 MLK Day Holiday

Note
All students are required to register at www.capsim.com before the next class
2. Mon
1/25
www.capsim.com

Capstone team formation and Simulation information session:

Prof Bowen GEB 4890: page 4 of 7

website, required tutorials and assignments

Introduction to Strategic Management. Required reading: Business
Week on Strategic
Planning; Heffernan: Lessons from a great thinker; Inc. Magazines
Six Habits of True
Strategic Thinkers; Fortune Magazine: Ignoring your investors
3. Mon
2/1
Discuss the practice of Strategic Management (process,
corporate vs. business vs.
operational levels, growth needs, etc.) Suggested reading: the
Strategic Management
Process Primer, Strategy vs. Tactics Primer, Its the Business
Model Stupid, and
DeGeus (Planning as Learning)
Mission, Corporate and Business level strategy workshop. Required
preparation:

Mission Statement; Corporate-level, Business-level and

Operating-level Primers, the
Balanced Scorecard primer and the Porter Five-Forces Analysis
primer
4. Mon
2/8
Preparation workshop for Capstone practice round #1:
in-class assignments
Please Note
All Required Capstone lessons, rehearsal rounds and tutorials
should be completed before class on 2/15/2016
5. Mon

2/15

Capstone practice round #1; debriefing

6. Mon
2/22 Capstone Practice round #2 and debriefing; Prepare rough draft
of Porter 5-Forces
Industry Analysis
7. Mon
2/29
beginning of class
with the SWOT

Rough draft of Porter 5-Forces Industry Analysis due at the

Strategic Management tools workshop. Read and become familiar

Analysis Instructions primer, the SWOT Analysis: Key Financial

and Other Managerial
Effectiveness Data Variables for Capstone, and the SWOT
Analysis Template
8. Mon
3/7
Rough draft of the SWOT Analysis for practice round #3
due at the beginning of class;
Capstone practice round #3
Prof Bowen GEB 4890: page 5 of 7

3/14-18

Spring Break

9. Mon
3/21 Capstone Round #1; Preparation of company documents:
Develop Mission Statement,
Organization Structure (with job details) and Strategic Management
Process outline
10. Mon
3/28 Capstone assignments (Mission Statement, Organization
Structure (with job details);
Strategic Management Process outline) for Round #2 due at
the beginning of class;
Capstone Round #2
11. Mon

4/4

Capstone Rounds #3 and #4

12. Mon

4/11

Capstone Rounds #5 and #6

13. Mon

4/18

Capstone Round #7

statement,
Process outline;
conditions facing

Capstone workshop: Revise final/graded group documents: Mission

Organization Structure (with job details) and Strategic Management
update Porter 5-Forces Industry Analysis, and, SWOT Analysis of the
your company for Round #8

Please Note:
You are required to complete the Muma College of Business exit survey. You will be
emailed the survey link around this point in the semester. Completing the Muma
College of Business survey is a graduation requirement for all business
students. Collecting this information is critical to your success.
Failure to participate in a timely fashion may result in delaying the receipt of your
diploma
until the survey is completed.
14. Mon
4/25 Last class: Round #8 (final graded) group documents due at
the beginning of class;
Capstone Round #8
pm today at

Capstone Peer evaluations can be completed on-line after 11:00

www.capsim.com (go to the Homework link) and are due before

Friday, 4/29/2016,
11:00pm. The USF MCOB Senior Exit Survey (link sent to you by
the MCOB in an email)
should be completed by its posted deadline
Prof Bowen GEB 4890: page 6 of 7

Capstone
Department office
Course wrap-up

Final written group Capstone debriefing reports done in class;

Individual Debriefing assignment (hard copy due at Marketing
(BSN 3231), before 5:00pm, Friday, 4/29/2016; Hail to the Victors!

Please also note:

The sale of course notes, and/or other recordings of any course materials,
discussions, etc., to future students of this course, is expressly not allowed.

Lastly, please note:

In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal
operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through
methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email
messaging and/or an alternate schedule. Its the responsibility of the student to
monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the
main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for
important general information.

Prof Bowen GEB 4890: page 7 of 7