THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

January 11th –April 28th, 2011

MAS 6303 Seminar on Contemporary Business Issues and Policies

Principals: Mr. Charles Hazzard & Professor Lawrence J. Redlinger

Room SOM 2.117

Professor Information:
Mr. Charles Hazzard
Email: Charlie.hazzard@utdallas.edu
Blog: http://charlie-hazzard.blogspot.com
Phone: 972-977-9391
Office: SM 2.416
Office Hours: Thursday 1:00-5:00 & by appointment

Dr. Lawrence J. Redlinger

Redling@utdallas.edu
Phone 972-883-6188
MP 2.234 (Admin. Bldg.)
Office Hours: by appointment

Time: 10:30pm -11:45am Tuesday - Thursday

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes (The Student ROI):

An applicable practical perspective on global economic competition and business
strategy
Completion of an in-depth business evaluation project targeted to employing skill
sets learned in the MBA program
A mentorship opportunity for those students’ desiring academic or career advice
Case studies on effective management principles with real-world examples of
institutional and individual successes and failures
Exposure to successful executives across industries.

Course Description

This course concentrates on the factors that affect economic growth, contractions and cycles and the
relationships of those factors in specific industries as they impact profitability, security of investment, job
growth and career opportunities. We focus on fundamental areas of the global economy, on national
interests and on companies’ strategies. These strategies should determine long-term objectives, the
adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for successfully attaining objectives
in an evolving complex competitive environment. We concentrate on how strategies at the company level
are translated into goals and with real company examples that illustrate ineffective and effective
management practices. Some of the questions we explore and with class participation seek to answer are:
What are the critical factors in ensuring the long-term profitability and viability of the enterprise?
How do you discover who your competitors are and will be and how do you assess their capacities?
How can a firm establish a sustainable competitive advantage within its chosen areas of business?
What are the principles of effective management?

What we expect of you:

You are expected to have read the assigned reading prior to class and to be prepared to participate in the
topics under discussion. We expect you to apply your cross-discipline management knowledge to a
sector/industry, business or area and share this knowledge. Each of these expectations is discussed below.
Your learning outcomes, your ROI, will include in-depth knowledge of a sector/industry and an applicable
practical perspective on global economic competition and business strategy.

Textbooks and Materials

Required Course Materials:
The instructors will hand out materials relevant to the topics under discussion. We expect you to read them
and to be prepared to discuss them in class.

Recommended Course Materials (others will be discussed in class)

We highly recommend that you READ high quality business publications (e.g., Wall Street Journal).
Dicken, Peter. Global Shift: Transforming the World Economy. 5th ed. London: Guilford, 2007. ISBN 10:
1-59385-437-4, 1-59385-436-6 (paper).
Engardio, Pete (ed.) Chindia: How China and India Are Revolutionizing Global Business. McGraw-Hill,
New York. 2007. ISBN 0-07-147657-1.
Collins, Jim. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. HarperCollins:
New York. 2001. ISBN 0-06-662099-6.
Maxwell, John C. The 360° Leader. Nelson Business. 2005.
Collins, Jim and Jerry Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. HarperBusiness:
New York. 2002. ISBN 0-88730-671-3.
Collins, Jim. How The Mighty Fall: and why some companies never give in. Harper-Collins, 2009.
Bossidy, Larry and Ram Charan. Confronting Reality (Doing What Matters to Get Things Right) New
York: Crown Business division of Random House, Inc., 2004.
Buckingham, Marcus and Curt Coffman. First Break all the Rules. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
Fortune Magazine, September 19, 2005 75th Anniversary Special Edition. ―How the World Really Works.‖
Friedman, Tom. The world is flat: a brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farrar, Straus &
Giroux, 2005.
Fuld, Leonard M. The New Competitor Intelligence: The Complete Resource for Finding, Analyzing, and
Using Information About Your Competitors. New York: John Wiley, 1995.
Grant, Robert M. Contemporary Strategy Analysis. 7th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Business, 2010.
McNeill, J. R. and William H. McNeill. The Human Web: A bird’s-eye View of World History. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2003.
Treacy, Michael. Double Digit Growth (How Great Companies Achieve it – No Matter What). New York:
PORTFOLIO (Penguin Group), 2003.
Pascale, Millemann, and Gioja. Surfing the Edge of Chaos. New York: Crown Business, 2000.
Sampson, Anthony. The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped. New York:
Bantam Books, 1976.
Tichy, Noel and Stratford Sherman, Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will, paperback ed. Collins
Business Essentials, New York. 2005. ISBN 0-06-075383-8.
Kolind, Lars. The Second Cycle: Winning the War against Bureaucracy. Wharton School Publishing,
Upper Saddle River, NJ., 2006. ISBN 0-13-173629-9.
Sirkin, Harold L. , James W. Hemerling and Arindam K. Bhattacharya, GLOBALITY: Competing with
Everyone from Everywhere for Everything. Boston Consulting Group, Business Plus, Hachette Book
Group USA, New York, 2008.
Pollan, Michael, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin Press,
2006.
Lewis, Michael, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010

Evaluation
Your final grade will be determined as follows:
Class Participation 15%
Mid-Term Assignment 25%
Team Industry Analysis and Presentation 30%
Eisenhower Examination (Final) 30%
Class Participation (15%)
Class attendance, preparation, and contributions account for part of your grade (see above). With regard to
class contributions, key questions we will assess are:
Are the points made relevant to the discussion? Do the points go beyond a recitation of the facts?
Are the implications clearly drawn? Are the comments linked to those of others?
Evidence of analysis vs. expression of opinion. Is the participant a good listener?
Does the contribution further understanding of the issues?

MID-TERM Assignment (25%)

We will provide each of you with a question related to the contemporary business environment. You are to
prepare a succinct response. The response can be no more than 2 written pages. It can have supporting
attachments.

Team Industry Analysis Assignment & Class Presentation (30%)

Industry structure, in most instances, confines strategy and drives competition and, hence, determines
industry profitability. There are a number places (e.g., The Wall Street Journal, the Standard Industrial
Classification <SIC> USDC) where one can find attempted encapsulations of industry sectors. The
instructors will create a problem by industry or industries for you. As a team, your task is to provide senior
management (the instructors) a succinct intelligence memo with appropriate appended analyses and
intelligence. Below is an example problem.

―Every sector has companies that are transforming themselves through shedding and acquiring new lines of
activity. Assume the instructors are the CEOs and you are the analyst for the Meredith Corporation (NYSE:
MDP). Provide your recommendation on our next acquisition target and/or new line of business. What
existing business should we think about exiting? Be specific, be brief, but append references and analyses.‖

Eisenhower Examination (30%)

We will provide you with an assignment that will require a concise but detailed answer (not more than 2
pages <supporting attachments are okay>) to a strategic question that was raised during the course. The
name of this assignment is based on a question General Dwight David Eisenhower would ask applicants to
his general field staff: Succinctly summarize the war in the European theatre to date and what should we
do?

Tentative Course Schedule

Note: Because of the often times pressing schedules of our visiting executives, the class schedule
remains flexible.

Jan. 11th Course Introduction, Getting Acquainted and Setting the Context.

Jan. 13-20th Organizing and Analytical Frameworks:

Population, Organizations, Environment and Technology: the POET Model.
The Five Forces Model
McKinsey Global Forces Model
The Resources and Capabilities Model
The Importance of Institutions and Culture
Great Men, History-Structure, Realized versus Emergent opportunities
The Critical Importance of Competitive Intelligence
Jan. 25-27th Globalization, National Interests and the Evolving Economic
(Dis)order
These two sessions are devoted to discussing globalization and conflicting views of what
globalization means.
The interests of nation states and transnational corporations, geopolitics and
culture as contributing or conflicting forces;
The uneven texture of economic growth
Grey and underground economies.
The Flatter Earth
Supply chains: the development of multimodal transport (Containerization)
The next 100 years—Friedman, Ghemawat, Zakaria

Suggested Readings: Chapters 1-9 in Dicken. Students need to be conversant with

world history as a context for contemporary socio-economic issues. We strongly suggest
reading McNeill & McNeill (see readings). A conversancy with Tom Friedman’s ―flat
world‖ argument is also recommended.

Feb 3rd Guest Lecture:

Guest Lecture: Michael J. Wheeler, former Vice President, A.T. Kearney, Inc. and
founder of Michael Wheeler and Associates, will join us and discuss ―Supply Chain and
the Natural Gas Business.‖

Feb.8th –Feb. 15th Energy: Fundamental Fuels to Power the Global Economy
(Oil and Basic Chemicals)
Ode to Oil: Peak Oil? Expansion and contraction, alternative fuels?
Oxy: Mediocre to ―Nifty-Fifty‖ What it took. The history of Oxy is reflective of
prevailing ideas about structure. Instructive lessons in structural change, environment
and leadership. Oxy’s change in strategy.

Feb.17th- Feb. 24th Transportation: Moving People & Things from Place to Place
Feb. 17th Transport and The World Automobile Industry (see Dicken Chapter 10)
Feb. 19th Focus on Ford.
Feb. 24th Emergent Models of Transportation

March 1rd – 8th The Circulation of Liquidity: MONEY

What is money? What are its forms and functions?
Citigroup: Financial Powerhouse or Financial Disaster. What are the pros and cons
of the globalization of banking?

March 10th Guest Lecture: J. David Darnell (Senior VP and CFO, INTAC International Inc.). Reverse
Mergers and Accountability and Global Business. Mr. Darnell will join us and discuss
Sarbanes/Oxley, international companies, doing business and China, and using reverse
mergers.

---------------------------------------Spring Break ……Mid-Term Assignment Due----------------------------------

March 22-24th- Agricultural and Food Energy: Globalization of Food

Production
 Seeds, chemicals, pesticides, genetics
Calorie streams
Logistics, retailers and consumption patterns
Externalities and spillover industries

Suggested Readings: Chapter 12 in Dicken and Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma.

March 29-31st Human Capital, Population as a global event

April 5th Guest Lecture: Mr. Phil Jones (Partner Locke, Lord, Bissell and Liddell) will join us and discuss
―Labor Law and Practice.‖

April 12th – 14th Leading and Being Agile

April 14th 360 degree leaders.

April 19th –April 28th Team Presentations

EISENHOWER DUE MAY 3rd at the latest

Principals:
Mr. Charles F. Hazzard is the retired Executive Vice President, Administration for Occidental Chemical
Corporation (OxyChem). He was responsible for human resources, public and government relations and
key productivity improvement initiatives for Occidental Petroleum’s chemical operations. He joined
OxyChem as Senior Vice President, Administration in 1983 after leaving Olin Corporation to help
OxyChem improve its profitability. Mr. Hazzard worked for Olin for ten years as Vice President of Human
Resources and Administrative Services. He has also held a number of managerial positions with Olin,
Citicorp, and Ford in compensation, benefits and employee relations.

Mr. Hazzard led OxyChem’s $100 million growth program where the emphasis was on cost efficiency,
developing a more agile organization, improved supply chain competition and enhanced customer
alliances. This initiative was supported by a three-year project to install a world-class information
technology system. Results indicated that OxyChem ranked sixth out of 46 chemical companies worldwide
in two key productivity indicators: PROFIT and SALES per employee.

Mr. Hazzard has spearheaded a number of initiatives that helped establish OxyChem as a corporate leader
in the community. Over the last 20 years, as many as 150 OxyChem employees a year have volunteered
their time to work with at-risk students in six ―adopted‖ schools within the Dallas metropolitan area. Mr.
Hazzard was honored in 2001 with the prestigious Dallas/ Fort Worth YWCA Mentors and Allies Award
which is granted each year to a DFW executive that has shown exceptional commitment to supporting a
balanced workplace, eliminating glass ceilings, and creating better opportunities for women.

Mr. Hazzard holds a B.A. degree from the University Of Notre Dame and an MBA from the Wharton
School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. His thesis at Wharton, ―The Behavior and
Personality Characteristics of Successful Managers,‖ was installed in the University of Pennsylvania library
and served as a foundation for his 33 year business career. After co-creating, with Dr. Redlinger, the UTD
MBA class on contemporary business issues, Mr. Hazzard was honored to be appointed Adjunct Professor,
Clinical Professor, and an Executive in Residence. He is, as well, a member of the Board of Zale Lipshy
University Hospital at The UT Southwestern Medical Center. In addition to guest lecturing at various
universities, he has also served on the Environmental Engineering Sciences Advisory Committee of the
University of Florida.
Dr. Lawrence J. Redlinger is Professor and Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and
Analysis at The University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to joining UTD, he was on the faculty at the University
of Michigan and Northwestern University.

As Executive Director, he is responsible for institutional analyses including the academic, administrative
and financial components of the University. His office identifies trends and circumstances affecting higher
education, coordinates and implements comprehensive institutional planning and research to support the
University’s strategic plan, integrates operational and strategic planning, and recommends resource
allocation based on institutional objectives. Dr. Redlinger reports to the President.

Dr. Redlinger received his doctorate from Northwestern University in 1969. His research interests are in
the areas of demographic change, complex systems, organizational intelligence, strategic management and
organizational change and development.

Dr. Redlinger has published numerous books, monographs, chapters and journal articles on a variety of
topics including urban development, demographic and economic change, secrecy, spies and spying, how
market forces operate in illicit markets, and higher education policy. He consults with private, not-for-
profit, and public organizations on a wide range of issues including, strategy, demographic change,
organizational intelligence/competitive intelligence, organizational design and organizational change.

Course Policies
Make-up exams: None

Class Attendance: Regular class attendance is necessary for successful completion of this course.

Classroom Citizenship
Preparation and contributions to class discussions are necessary for successful completion of this course.
With regard to class contributions, key measures for assessment will be based on the following criteria:
Are the points made relevant to the discussion? Do the points go beyond a recitation of the facts? Are the
implications clearly drawn? Are the comments linked to those of others? Is there evidence of analysis vs.
expression of opinion? Is the participant a good listener? Does the contribution further understanding of the
issues?

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the
orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student
organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to
Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of
Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she
is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.
Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that
degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s
own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism,
collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to
disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for
details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism
and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning
security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official
student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and
staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the
security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be
used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These
dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be
followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other
words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will
not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of
academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter
with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter
called ―the respondent‖). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written
response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the
grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean
of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals
Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process
will be distributed to all involved parties.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where
staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to
complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the
incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to
those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office
hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to
eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom
prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral
presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments
may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special
services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation.
Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student
has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact
the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days :The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required
activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.The student is
encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably
in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the
assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a
maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or
assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment
within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a
reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor
may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief
executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student
and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.
Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities: Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and
activities are subject to state law and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related
activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address given
below. Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
(www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor(s).