MANAGEMENT POLICY AND STRATEGY

MGT 4090; Section B; Spring 2024

Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm
Markin Hall M1040

INSTRUCTOR: Zahid Rahman

Email: [Link]@[Link]
Office #: M4083; Office Phone: (403)332-4529
Office hours: Tue, Thu (10:30 am – 11:30 am)
TA: Ruijie Fan (fanr@[Link])

COURSE PREREQUISITE: Fourth-year standing (a minimum of 90.0 credit hours) and MGT
3031; OR Admission to the Post-Bachelor Certificate in Advanced Accounting; OR Admission to
the Combined Post-Bachelor Certificates in Accounting.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND OTHER MATERIALS

Required Textbook (eBook from C$51.95):

Rothaermel, F.T. (2023). Strategic Management. 6th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.
[Link]
management-rothaermel-v9781266302565?term=978-1-266-19186-2

Required Simulation (US$53.99):

[Link]
Industry ID: CP120002_1
Recommended LinkedIn Learning Course: Business Development: Strategic Planning
[Link]
Other Materials:
Additional required readings can be accessed on Moodle. PowerPoint slides will be uploaded to
Moodle after each class.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the field of strategic management. Topics
such as environmental analyses (internal and external); competitive advantage; business, corporate
and global strategies; and organizational design will be discussed. This course will expose students to
a set of conceptual frameworks, methodological approaches, and analytical skills for understanding
and managing firms in an ever-changing competitive landscape. Lectures, class participation, and
experiential work will be the primary modes used to facilitate learning. The experiential activities
(e.g., case analysis and Simulation) will illustrate the practical application of chapter concepts to win
over competition.

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 1 Spring Term 2024

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

In addition to introducing the major topics within the field of strategic management, MGT 4090
aspires to incorporate the following learning goals: critical thinking, global awareness,
communication, and teamwork. These learning goals in MGT 4090 are measured by the following
assessments: (a) exams will assess knowledge acquisition and critical thinking; (b) the group project
will assess research skills, knowledge acquisition and application, critical thinking, organizational and
time-management skills, communication, and teamwork; and (c) engagement in classes will assess
professionalism, critical thinking, and communication.

By the end of the semester, you should be able to develop the following course-specific knowledge
and skills:
- Identify and appreciate the diverse challenges that firms and industries face at different levels
of their growth
- Analyze a firm’s position in an industry and offer crucial suggestions for improvement
- Develop and apply effective competitive strategies across industries, markets, and societies
- Discover your voice as a strategic thinker and reflect critically on the role that strategy plays
in the modern business world
- Demonstrate your ability to work in teams to achieve shared objectives

IN-CLASS EXPECTATIONS

Pedagogical approach: The method of instruction will be a blend of lecture method and application
exercises (e.g., class exercises, case analyses, discussion, and Simulation). Students are expected to
prepare for class (i.e., read the assigned readings before class). I will monitor engagement throughout
the term. All in-class materials, relevant textbook chapters, and assigned readings are potentially
testable.
Class attendance and notes: Given that in-class discussions and activities will facilitate learning and
solidify your understanding of the subject matter, I strongly encourage you to attend as many sessions
as possible. If you cannot take part in any session because of an emergency or any other inevitable
reason, please be a good citizen and inform me, if possible, via email before the class. Because the
sessions are experiential in nature, PowerPoint slides will be posted on Moodle after each class.
Electronics, food, and drink: I respectfully ask that you put your electronics away while in class
unless we are conducting an activity that requires their use (or if used solely for taking notes). This
policy is in place for two reasons. First, your retention of the course material will be much easier if
you are not distracted by your technology while in class (and I am confident that the students around
you will be grateful too). Second, it is very difficult to establish a high level of engagement in the
classroom if one competes with technology for audience attention (as you might discover during your
own presentation at the end of the term). Although I would like you to put your electronics away while
in our MGT 4090 classroom, you can bring something to eat or drink if you like. However, I would
ask that you be considerate of your classmates and myself and not bring excessively distracting forms
of nourishment. Foods that crunch loudly, or can be smelt from a great distance, can interfere with
the learning process; so please be considerate as you select your snacks.

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 2 Spring Term 2024

 ASSIGNMENTS, WEIGHTS, AND DUE DATES

Assignments Weights Due Date

Individual (60%)
Express Yourself 2% Jan 19 (by 10:00 pm)
Engagement 8% Jan 9 – Apr 4
Mid-term Exam 25% Feb 14, 15, or 16
Final Exam 25% Apr 11, 12, or 13
Group (40%)
Capstone registration - Jan 23 (by 10:00 pm)
Capstone Strategic Plan 10% Feb 9 (by 10:00 pm)
Capstone Tournament Performance 15% Feb 9 – Mar 22
Presentation on Capstone Strategy and Results 15% Mar 26 – Apr 4

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS

Express Yourself (worth 2%)

Your first individual assignment will be to fill out a short questionnaire. The questionnaire will include
subjective and objective elements that should effectively express your strengths, weaknesses,
aspirations, and interests. There are no right and wrong answers to these questions, and it is highly
likely that individuals will respond differently. I will use the information provided through the
questionnaire to assign you to your formal MGT 4090 team. Therefore, proper attention and honest
responses will help you to be a part of a team that you’ll enjoy and learn from for the rest of the term.
I will upload the link to the questionnaire to Moodle. Your score will simply be entered as “2 =
submitted by the requested deadline” or “0 = not submitted by the requested due date.” This
assignment is due by 10:00 pm on Jan 19. No points will be assigned for any submission after the
deadline.

Engagement (worth 8%)

Once you start your career in any organization, you will most likely attend many meetings in which
you will be expected to engage actively. To help you become more comfortable contributing to group
discussions and activities, 8% of your final grade will be based on your engagement in our MGT 4090
class. I will assess your engagement as follows:

• I will count your participation in each class for 22 days, starting from Jan 9 to Dec 4, 2024
(excluding the days for simulation de-brief, exam preparation, and mid-term exam).
• You will receive 1 point for each day you contribute positively to the in-class discussion and/or
activity by doing any of the following respectfully: a) asking or answering a question; b)
building on a classmate’s comment; or, c) volunteering for an activity (unfortunately, you
cannot score a point if you are not in attendance or do not contribute in any of the preceding
ways).

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 3 Spring Term 2024

 • At the end of the term, I will then divide your total number of points earned by the number
of assessment days (i.e., 16), converting that proportion into a score out of 8 (for example, if
you engage positively on 13 of the 16 assessment days, you will receive a score of 6.5).

Exams (worth 50%)

There are two closed-book, multiple-choice exams each weighing 25% of your final grade. The first
exam, based on Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6, is scheduled from Wed Feb 14 to Fri Feb 16 (chose a day
suitable for you). The final exam, based on Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10, can be written on either Thu Apr
11, Fri Apr 12 or Sat Apr 13. The Testing Centre will administer both exams; you can write these
anytime between 9 am and 9 pm on any of the designated days. In each exam, you’ll need to answer
40 multiple-choice questions in sixty minutes.

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Group Formation for Capstone 2.0

Over the past few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of teams and groups within
organizations. As such, learning how to work effectively in groups is an increasingly important skill.
For this reason, one of your major assignments in this course will be a multi-phased group project.
Based on a simulation tournament (i.e., Capstone 2.0), this project has three components: a strategic
plan submission, tournament performance, and an oral presentation.
By Jan 22, you will be assigned to your formal group. I will form the groups based on the information
collected via the “Express Yourself” questionnaire. This process is reflective of that used in the
business world, wherein it would be highly unusual for the members of a workgroup to be either
randomly selected or completely self-selected (especially early in your career). Based upon research on
group composition and performance, each group will be deliberately comprised of individuals with
different backgrounds and experiences. This approach reflects the increased workforce diversity
within many of today’s organizations.

Capstone 2.0
Capstone 2.0 offers a dynamic context for students to experience the challenges of decision making
toward a strategic goal. Your class will be organized into an industry, typically having eleven firms.
Each of these firms will be managed by similarly sized teams of four to five students, depending on
class enrolments. Each week, your firm will execute a strategy by implementing decisions regarding
R&D, marketing, production, and finance to complete one round. Full participation in each round
before the deadline is mandatory for the teams to compete effectively. If a team misses a deadline or
does not participate, all its members will be assigned zero on the tournament performance component.
Each registering student must individually practice the training tutorial and complete the Quiz prior
to the start of the Practice Rounds (i.e., Jan 26) or forfeit 10% of his or her final individual grade for
the team project (4% of the total grade). Once teams have been formed, each team will complete two
practice rounds that reflect the actual competition. At the end of the practice rounds, the Simulation
will be reset, and the actual tournament will begin. There will be six (6) official rounds in the
tournament stage. As the Simulation progresses, the game will become more involved as more decision
activities are added (e.g., HRM & TQM choices). The course schedule details the timing of the practice
and tournament rounds. The registration is due on Jan 23 by 10 pm. The registration instructions
are available on Moodle.

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 4 Spring Term 2024

During the Simulation, I will assume several roles: introduce you to the basics of the Simulation,
monitor your progress through the milestones in the Simulation and syllabus, evaluate and offer
feedback on your Capstone 2.0 strategic plans and performance, and facilitate fair play in the game.
However, I will not offer any technical assistance, which you can avail by calling CAPSIM (the creator
of the Simulation) toll-free at 1-877-477-8787 or sending an email to support@[Link].

Strategic Plan (worth 10%)

Each team will submit a Strategic Plan (on Moodle) on the day of the start of the tournament (due
on Feb 9 by 10 pm). Such a plan should be between 4-6 pages long (a single-spaced PDF with a 12-
point times new roman and a one-inch margin). The plan should convincingly present arguments
related to key strategic questions: (1) What are your company’s performance objectives? (2) What is
the overarching strategy for achieving them? and (3) How do you intend to implement your
strategies through six rounds of play? Your Strategic Plan should be coherent, convincing, and easily
understandable by a non-expert in the field. Hambrick and Fredrickson (2001), which can be found
in the additional readings folder on Moodle, should offer a useful framework for this exercise.
Charts and tables that help support your argument will be positively evaluated. Please indicate the
name(s) of the team-member(s) who prepared the relevant section of the plan. The criteria of evaluation
is available on Moodle.

Capstone Tournament Performance (worth 15%)

I will use the cumulative Balance Scorecard to evaluate each team’s performance in the tournament.
This report resembles popular internal and external measures for firm performance. The mean
cumulative final points on Balance Scorecard will form the benchmarks for an industry's average
grade (usually an B+ letter grade). The range of final grades will be based on how much better (or
worse), in the instructor’s wisdom, the other teams have done relative to the benchmark.

Presentation on Capstone Strategy and Results (worth 15%)

Following the last round of the tournament, each team will deliver a 15-minute oral presentation,
including a five-minute Q&A session, to the class explaining their chosen strategies, rationales for
selecting them, actual results, and an explanation for successes and/or failures. Such presentations are
usually made by the board of directors in any public limited company’s annual general meeting.
This task is an opportunity for teams to practice a formal, professional presentation of business
results. For the presentation days, just like in regular businesses, there will be a need to share a lot of
information in a limited time. As we need to ensure time for everyone to present, each presentation
will be strictly timed. Please consider the audience your shareholders and design and deliver your
presentation, so they are convinced to remain shareholders. Again, the criteria of evaluation can be found
on Moodle.
Any member absent from the team presentation will automatically receive a zero as his or her final
point in this component, irrespective of the team's performance. The slides for presentations are
due, via email (with a copy to the TA), by 7:00 pm on the night before the day of presentation.

Peer Evaluation
As another means of assessing the teamwork learning goal, your individual grades for the group
assignments will be adjusted according to the average weighting that you receive from all your team

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 5 Spring Term 2024

members. At the end of the term, you should assign a score out of 18 to all team members (including
yourself). This score should reflect the extent to which each member contributed to the group
projects. A sample peer evaluation template is available on Moodle.
Please submit your peer evaluation as an email attachment (with a copy to the TA) by 10:00 pm on Apr
4. If I don’t receive one from you, I will assume that you would like to assign everyone on your team
a score of 18. I will then calculate the average score assigned to you by yourself and your team
members. This will be applied, within reason, to your team’s grade for the oral presentation using a
“split the difference approach:”
Adjusted score team peer eval team
for each team = grade + average x grade
assignment 2

Please note that this is an illustrative example only; final scores are subject to my discretion.
Hopefully, you will benefit tremendously from working as part of a diverse team for the group
projects. Should you experience any difficulties along the way, I hope you will contact me as soon as
possible so we can work together to resolve any issues before they become too problematic.

GRADING AND DISCIPLINARY POLICIES

Late Assignments: Please note that late assignments will not be accepted except under extenuating
circumstances. Arrangements should be made with me in advance. I typically deduct 10% for
assignments submitted within 48 hours after the due date and 20% for those submitted within one
week after the due date. I will not accept assignments beyond one week of the due date unless official
documentation is provided to support the claim of extenuating circumstances.
Converting to Final Letter Grades: Your final grade will be determined by your performance on
class participation, assignments, and exams. Here is an approximate conversion chart:

Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor Failure

A+ 90 - 100 B+ 77 - 79 C+ 67 - 69 D+ 55 - 59 F 0 - 49
A 85 - 89 B 74 - 76 C 64 - 66 D 50 - 54
A- 80 - 84 B- 70 - 73 C- 60 - 63

Prerequisites and co-requisites: Students cannot register in a course for which they do not have
pre- and co-requisites, as the system does not allow it. It is each student’s responsibility to check all
prerequisite and/or co-requisite requirements for courses they plan to register in, by reading
information found in the Timetable notes and in the online Course Catalogue.
Policy for rescheduling exams. The mid-term cannot be rescheduled. If you cannot attend the
mid-term, its weight will be transferred to the final, and you’ll need to write a comprehensive final
exam. If you miss the final exam, please contact academic advising for any rescheduling.
Conduct during examinations: Instructors can articulate regulations for late entry to and early exit
from an examination room; and can also prescribe or restrict materials that can be used during the
exam. Students are not allowed to bring in material aids including such items as: mobile phones,
computers, or other digital devices, into the examination site without prior approval. Please refer to
examination policies now found in the “Assessment of Student Learning Policy and Procedures –

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 6 Spring Term 2024

Undergraduate Students” policy and located on the University’s “Institutional Policies and
Procedures” website.
Use of plagiarism detection services: Instructors can employ the use of university-approved
plagiarism detection services to determine the originality of student work and can require students to
submit work in electronic form, in order to check for plagiarism.
Student conduct expectations: Please refer to policies pertaining to academic and non-academic
misconduct found in the “Student Discipline Policy – Academic Offenses Undergraduate Students”
policy, and the “Student Discipline Policy - Non-Academic Offenses...” policy. These policies are
located on the University’s “Institutional Policies and Procedures” website, and relate to academic
and behavior-related actions. It is each student’s responsibility to become familiar with these
policies; specifically, policies related to plagiarism, duplicating others’ work and cheating. It is every
group member’s responsibility to ensure that all submitted group work is original work, and to
report to instructors when they believe plagiarized work has been submitted.
Student accountability and integrity: As a student in Dhillon School of Business courses, you are
expected to act honestly, ethically and with integrity. You are expected to interact with others
respectfully and accept responsibility for your actions. The following requests do not reflect
academic integrity or personal accountability and as such will be declined by Dhillon instructors,
regardless of your personal circumstances.
- Telling the instructor that you "need" a certain grade
- Asking for extra assignments for the purpose of raising a grade.
- Asking that the grade be raised because it is very close to the next higher grade.
- Asking that the grade be raised because you did very well on one part of the course or
grading scheme.
- Asking to be allowed to turn in an assignment late because of last minute printer or
computer problems.
- Asking to be graded or treated differently than other students.
- Asking for any other unfair advantage.

REACHING OUT TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Please contact me via email for academic assistance or to discuss related concerns. I’ll try my best to
respond to any email within 48 hours of receipt and accommodate any in-person or online meetings
within a week of receiving such request.

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 7 Spring Term 2024

 COURSE SCHEDULE

Week Topics Assignments

W1: Jan 4 Course Overview

W2: Jan 9, 11 Ch. 1: What is Strategy? Jan 11: Introduction to Capstone 2.0

Ch. 3: External Analysis: Industry

Additional Reading: Porter (2008)
W3: Jan 16, 18 Structure, Competitive Forces, and
Jan 19: Express Yourself by 10:00 pm
Strategic Groups
Jan 23: Capstone 2.0 registration due (by 10 pm)
Ch. 4: Internal Analysis: Resources, Jan 25: MiniCase 4: Dr. Dre’s Core Competency
W4: Jan 23, 25
Capabilities, and Core Competencies
Jan 26: Capstone 2.0 Practice Round 1(due by 10 pm)
Additional Reading: Davenport (2006)
W5: Jan 30, Ch. 5: Shared Value and Competitive
Feb 1: MiniCase 5: The Rise and Fall of Toms Shoes
Feb 1 Advantage
Feb 2: Capstone 2.0 Practice Round 2 (due by 10 pm)
Ch. 6: Business Strategy: Feb 8: MiniCase 6: Warby Parker’s Blue Ocean Strategy
W6, W7: Feb 6,
Differentiation, Cost Leadership, and Feb 9: Capstone Strategic Plan (due by 10 pm)
8
Blue Oceans Feb 9: Capstone 2.0 Tournament Round 1(due by 10 pm)

No lecture; prepare for exam

W7: Feb 13, 15 Feb 14, 15, 16: Mid-term Exam (Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6) at Exam Center (9 am to 9 pm)
Feb 16: Capstone 2.0 Tournament Round 2 (due by 10 pm)

W8: Spring Break

Ch. 7: Business Strategy: Innovation, Additional Reading: Hansen & Birkinshaw (2007)
W9: Feb 27, 29
Entrepreneurship, and Platforms Mar 1: Capstone 2.0 Tournament Round 3 (due by 10 pm)

Ch. 8: Corporate Strategy: Vertical Mar 7: MiniCase 8: GE: Corporate Strategy Gone Bad
W10: Mar 5, 7
Integration and Diversification Mar 8: Capstone 2.0 Tournament Round 4 (due by 10 pm)

W12: Mar 12, Ch. 9: Corporate Strategy: Strategic Mar 14: MiniCase 9: LVMH Acquires Tiffany
14 Alliances, Mergers, and Acquisitions Mar 15: Capstone 2.0 Tournament Round 5 (due by 10 pm)

W13: Mar 19, Ch 10: Global Strategy: Competing Additional Reading: Gupta & Govindarajan (2001)
21 Around the World Mar 22: Capstone 2.0 Tournament Round 6 (due by 10 pm)
W14, 15:
Mar 26, 28; Presentations Peer evaluation is due via email on Apr 4 by 10:00 pm
Apr 2, 4
Apr 11, 12, 13 Final Exam (Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10) at the Exam Center (9 am to 9 pm)
Please note: The schedule is subject to change. It is students’ responsibility to verify the assignments.

MGT 4090, A – Syllabus 8 Spring Term 2024