Fairleigh Dickinson University
Samuel J. Silberman College of Business Administration
Strategic Management and Organizational Design - MGMT 5515
Asst. Prof. Gordon G. Sollars
Teaneck – Saturdays 8:30-4:30
9 Sep – 7 October
Course Description
Reviews organization strategy and organization design to provide a business-wide perspective on decision making and a framework for integrating the specialized knowledge that follows in the curriculum.
Prerequisites
All other Tier I courses prior to this course or concurrent with it.
Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should:
 | The ability to identify and evaluate corporate strategies, using frameworks for competitive and organization analysis |
| The ability to identify an organization’s capacity to support its strategy, using prescriptive models for matching sets of organization designs with particular strategies |
| An understanding of important differences between the organization contexts, such as: service vs. manufacturing firms; profit vs. not-for-profit corporations; domestic vs. multinational corporations |
| An understanding of how to design organization control systems to shape individual and collective behavior in the pursuit of strategic objectives |
| An understanding of how leadership styles and cultures affect strategy and design choices |
| An understanding of the strategic importance of innovation and entrepreneurship, as means to maintain a firm’s vitality and distinctive competence over time. |
Course Topics
|
The strategic decision-making process |
Environmental analysis |
| Internal organization analysis |
Distinctive competencies |
| Functional Strategy | Corporate Strategy |
| Global Strategy | Organization structure |
|
Organization control systems |
The role of power & politics in strategy implementation |
| Implementing strategic change |
Text:
Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, 4th edition, by
Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson
Publisher: South-Western College Publishing
Student Responsibilities:
This is an intensive five-week course. It is crucial that you read all the assigned material before each class, including the first class, and that you are fully prepared to contribute to in-class case analyses and discussions. Much of the learning that will take place will be the result of interactions with your colleagues as each of you adds your own insight, perspective and experience to the discussions. This process will not work if you do not work.
In addition, you will each individually prepare a written case, and participate in a team analysis of a case. Each team will present an analysis of their case during the final class of the term. There will be several short quizzes to test your understanding of the material in the text and lectures.
Grading:
| Class contribution* 20% |
| Individual written case analysis 35% |
| Team case analysis and presentation 35% |
| Quiz/short projects 10% |
*Your contribution to each case analysis or discussion. Contribution is the value that you add to a discussion at the time that you speak.
Course Schedule
9 Sep – Strategic Management, and the External and Internal Environments
| Getting Started |
| The "Alaskan Gold Mine" |
| Lecture |
| Quiz |
| Class discussion of Case 2 (Adidas) |
| Team formations and team case selections |
| Required reading: Chapters 1,2, and 3; Case 2 (Adidas) |
| Recommended Reading: "Preparing an Effective Case Analysis" (pp. C-1 through C-18) |
16 Sep – Business Strategy, Competitive Dynamics, and Corporate Strategy
| Lecture |
| Quiz |
| Class discussion of Case 8 (Raisio) |
| Teams work on cases |
| Required reading: Chapters 4, 5, and 6; Case 8 |
23 Sep – Corporate and International Strategy
| Lecture |
| Quiz |
| Class discussion of Case 39 (Disney) |
| Teams work on cases |
| Required reading: Chapter 7,8,9,10; Case 39 |
30 Sep – Strategy Implementation
| Lecture |
| Quiz |
| Class discussion of Case 17 (Ericsson) |
| Teams work on cases |
| Required reading: Chapter 11,12,13; Case 18 |
7 Oct – Team Presentations
| Each team presents an analysis of their case. Your presentations must be designed so that each team member has a role. |
| Individual written case analyses are due |