Georgia State University MBA 8000: Managing in the Global Economy

Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business MBA 8000 Managing in the Global Economy

Course Syllabus Spring Semester 2008

Instructors: Bill Bogner, Christopher Lemley, Ed Palmer, Detmar Straub, Alfred Mettler (course coordinator)

NOTE: It is your responsibility to read, understand and abide by all of the course information and policies listed below. This course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.

Purpose of the course: This cornerstone core course is aimed at providing an introduction to fundamental business concepts from a global managerial perspective. Students will gain fundamental insights into key business activities during different stages of an industry's lifecycle through lectures, case analysis, team exercises, and critical evaluation exercises. The course is based on an integrative framework that especially emphasizes the relationships, connections and dependencies among functional areas in different life-cycle situations. After having taken this course, students should be able to identify, describe and discuss different stages of an industry’s life cycle as well as different key business activities from a global standpoint. Furthermore the students should be able to apply selected management tools to solve problems a firm typically faces in different life cycle stages and for different business activities.

Course Corequisites: MBA 7025, MBA 7035 Georgia State University MBA 8000: Managing in the Global Economy J. Mack Robinson College of Business Spring 2008

A. COURSE MATERIAL

Required Course Package: This course is based on cases and other reading material that can be downloaded from the following website: http://www.study.net. Students will have to register there and pay the required fee (approximately $ 115) in order to be able to access the course material. In addition, the following book will be used as background reading material: Friedman, Thomas: The Lexus and the Olive Tree (May 2000 edition, paperback, approximately $ 12), ISBN 0-385-49934-5.

B. ATTENDANCE / ACADEMIC HONESTY / OTHER NOTES OF IMPORTANCE

Attendance Policy: Each student is expected to attend ALL scheduled class meetings for the entire duration of the class meeting. An attendance sign-up sheet will be circulated each class period. Students who do not sign the sign-up sheet will be considered absent. Students arriving late may be permitted to sign the sheet only at the discretion of the instructor. Any student who is absent from more than the equivalent of three classes will be dropped from the course. Absences include the first week of class regardless of when a student registered for the course. The last day to withdraw and receive a “W“ is March 3rd, 2008. In the case of withdrawal before March 3rd a “W“ is not given automatically. To get a “W“ a student must have done satisfactory work (at the “C“-level or higher). Unsatisfactory work will result in a “WF“. If a student is withdrawn for excessive absences after the midpoint of the grading period, a final grade of WF will be assigned automatically. An absence from class for any reason (job conflict, illness, appearance in court, transportation problems, etc.), even if permitted and/or excused by the instructor, will count as one of the class absences against the three week equivalent cumulative limit specified in the previous paragraph.

Academic Honesty: Behavior consistent with College and University policies on academic honesty and treatment of members of the University community is expected of all. Cheating, plagiarizing, submitting the same material for credit in more than one class, and other deceptive conduct with respect to a student’s work output will be dealt with according to the University Policy on Academic Honesty, as set out in the Graduate Bulletin of the Robinson College of Business and on the GSU and RCB websites. Transgressions will be handled in accordance with College and University procedures. Plagiarism and misrepresentation of work are serious offences, which can lead to expulsion and a grade of “F” for the course. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, taking material from any source

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written by another and presenting it as your own by failing to indicate full and accurate attribution to the correct author/creator. This includes marginally altering material taken from another source and calling it your own creation. Plagiarism includes material taken from internet sources. Proper citation requires quote marks or other distinctive set off for the material, followed directly by a reference to the source. The source details may be in the footnotes/endnotes/reference section, but only listing a reference without proper indication in the text is not proper attribution and can be considered plagiarism. Misrepresentation of work includes, but is not limited to, presenting material that was prepared for another class or outside work as an original work product that was produced for this class. All work turned in for this class is represented by the student(s) to be original material prepared in fulfillment of this course’s requirements. Students in the Robinson College of Business should anticipate and expect that any and all cases of fraud, plagiarism, misrepresentation of work, or any action that violates the University Policy of Academic Honesty or other University policies, will result in disciplinary proceedings being against the student(s) involved. Group members should be mindful that by placing your name on a group project you are representing ALL of the material included.

University Policy on Disabilities: GSU provides accessibility and reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities are responsible for contacting the Office of Disability Services to assess their needs. Students must identify themselves and their needs to the professor no later than the first day of class.

Other Notes of Importance: The instructors will use the students’ GSU e-mail addresses (as shown in GoSOLAR) as the primary means of communication. Students should therefore check their GSU e-mail accounts at least on a daily basis. Beepers, cell phones and similar devices should be turned off (not down) or put in vibration mode at the begin of the class. E-communication devices should not be used during class. A refreshing beverage can be brought to the class, however, the eating of food during class time is not allowed. All students are to conduct themselves consistent with University policies concerning behavior in the classroom and toward others in the University community. Students should consult their student handbook, “On Campus”, for details on these policies. There will be a ten minute break during most classes. It will occur at about the mid-point, but may vary based on the flow of the material.

C. IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION AND POLICIES

Grade Weights: Final Exam 35% Mid Term Exam 25%

Contribution to class 30% Instructor-Specific Component 10%

Mid Term Exam and Final Exam: A mid term exam and a final exam will be given in this class. Both exams are instructor-specific. The dates of these two exams are listed in the course outline. The exams will require written answers to questions about the material and will ask you to use your skills to analyze a situation. The exams will be the only activity in class on exam day. If you cannot take the exam at the scheduled date, you are responsible for informing the instructor and arranging a make-up exam prior to the scheduled exam date. No make-up exams will be given to accommodate holiday, vacation, or other social plans. An examination score of 0 will be given if the instructor does not permit or excuse an absence from the mid term or final exam. Absence from any examination, even when permitted or excused, will count as one of the class absences against the limit specified in the previous section on "Attendance Policy."

Contribution to class: Your class contribution grade for this course will be assessed in terms of the quality and quantity of your participation in the discussion of the assigned cases and readings, including but not limited to: 1. your depth of analysis; 2. the realism of your comments or analysis; 3. the clarity of your presentation; 4. the integration of your comments into the ongoing discussion (i.e., willingness to listen to classmates); 5. your ability to respond to questions and to defend your arguments; and 6. the contribution of your comments to the class’s learning.

Essentially, you will be graded on the thoroughness, sophistication, persuasiveness, and logic of your classroom comments. It is important to note that a failure to meaningfully and regularly participate in class can result in a final grade a full letter lower than that received on other graded items. Therefore attendance is important – please arrange your schedule so that you will be able to arrive on time, attend each class, and stay for the entire class period.

Instructor-specific component: These points are allocated at the discretion of the instructor and will vary by class section and semester. This component may be a group project, presentation and/or paper, one or more quizzes, a take-home assignment, etc. Also, these points can be added to the grade-weights for the final exam, the mid term exam, or participation. Your instructor will explain this component of your grade in detail during the first week of class.

Grading Policy: The Final Grade will be based on the typical 90, 80, 70, 60 etc. scale and assigned as follows:

Grade A, A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D F Total Points 93.0 - 90.0- 87.0- 83.0- 80.0- 77.0- 73.0- 70.0- 60.0 - 69.9 Below 60.0 100 92.9 89.9 86.9 82.9 79.9 76.9 72.9 Value Outstanding Mastered material Tagged Unsatisfactory Unacceptable Excellence the bases Organizational Promoted Raise No Raise Reviewed Fired

equivalent

Each student earns his or her individual grade independently. The course does not have a grading curve. If you have any question, at any time, about your academic standing in the course, please make an appointment and your instructor will be happy to discuss your performance with you. To preserve your privacy, please do not attempt to discuss your performance directly before or after class, except by appointment.

D. GENERAL COURSE STRUCTURE AND OBJECTIVES

Course Structure The course is based on a 2-dimensional matrix that combines the following four stages in the industry life cycle, and five key business activities:

Stages in the industry life cycle: A) Start-up and initial growth B) Fighting for pole positions C) Competing in mature markets D) Renewal in declining industries

Key business activities: 1) Identifying markets, industries and competitive advantages 2) Finding and retaining customers 3) Organizing and using cash and capital 4) Integrating systems into organizations 5) Developing relationships among managers and employees

Course Objectives 1. Identify, describe, and discuss firms in different stages of the life cycle (initial stage, pole stage, mature stage, renewal/dying stage). 2. Apply tools to solve problems relating to firms in different stages of the life cycle. 3. Identify, describe, and discuss the nature of markets, industries, and competition, how firms find and retain customers, how firms organize and use cash and capital, how firms integrate systems into organizations, and how firms develop and optimize relationships among managers and employees. 4. Apply tools to solve problems in the areas mentioned in 3 above.

E. COURSE OUTLINE (Spring 2008)

This course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary.

Daily assignments, which should be completed before that topic is covered in class, are listed in the third column.

Class General topics Preparation Material # (accessible via www.study.net)

- Syllabus - Syllabus Class 1 - Creating value in organizations - Fastest growing, most admired etc. 1a) Can You Create More Value? companies 1b) Meg Whitman at eBay Inc.

- Economic forces behind value creation 2a) How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy Class 2 - Industry-level forces behind value creation 2b) Case: Apple Computer 2006 - Competitive forces and strategy

Class 3 - Resource-based view of the firm and 3a) The Core Competence of the Corporation competitive advantage 3b) Case: Southwest Airlines 1993 - Resources, capabilities and competences of the firm - Firm-level value chain

- Infrastructure 4a) The Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chains Class 4 - Information systems 4b) Enterprise Resource Planning - ERP implementation 4c) Case: Tektronix, Inc.: Global ERP Implementation

- Customer and market trends 5a) Blue Ocean Strategy Class 5 - Competition in an emerging industry 5b) Virgin Mobile USA - Satisfying consumer value requests

- IPO’s as part of entrepreneurial finance 6a) A Note on the Initial Public Offering Process Class 6 - IPO process 6b) Case: W.R. Hambrecht + Co: OpenIPO - Pricing of IPO’s

Class 7 Mid Term Exam 7) Mid term case (will be available later)

Class General topics Preparation Material # (accessible via www.study.net)

- Discussion of Mid Term Exam Class 8 - The Lexus and the Olive Tree Will be announced in class - Actual topics

- Business failures and their causes 9a) The Trouble I’ve Seen Class 9 - Bankruptcy procedures 9b) Case: Jeepers!Inc. in 2000 - Bankruptcy and financial conditions

- Leadership and governance in mature systems 10a) The Board’s Missing Link Class 10 - Contrast US and German systems 10b) Reading: Banking on Germany? - Roles of CEO and board of directors

- Ethical conflicts in Global Management 11a) Strategy and Society Class 11 - Stakeholder responsibility 11b) Case: Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts - Corporate social responsibility

- Risk drivers and risk assessments 12a) How Risky is Your Company? Class 12 - Managing business risk 12b) Case: Environmental Risk Management at - Enterprise risk management Chevron Corporation

- Mature phase of the product life cycle 13a) The Discipline of Innovation Class 13 - Innovations in mature industries 13b) Creativity is Not Enough - Competition in mature industries 13c) Case: Innovation and Renovation - The Nespresso Story

- Role of a leader 14a) Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? Class 14 - Leaders vs. managers 14b) What Leaders Really Do - Effective organizational change 14c) Case: Four Seasons Goes to Paris

Class 15 - Review and synthesis - The Lexus and the Olive Tree Will be announced in class - Actual topics

See final exam Final Exam Downtown / Alpharetta / Brookhaven schedule (exact times/locations to be announced)

Course Matrix and Topics/Cases:

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