"There are five managerial roles; they are to set objectives, organize, motivate and communicate, measure, and develop people."
-Peter Drucker (1909-2005)

Course Outline/Calendar

The purpose of this web site is to provide information and materials for students enrolled in Wayne Smith's Business 497a course, Class # 13397, for the Spring, 2020 semester. This course meets Fri 8:30am - 11:15am (Fri 1/24 - Fri 5/15, 16 weeks) in BB1103 [ Campus Map ]. This course is taught in the traditional format. This course is offered by the College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). CSU Northridge is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system.

The following summary identifies the key terms used in the course outline.

Note: Materials listed as (CSUN only) are restricted to CSUN students, faculty, and staff only. To access these restricted materials, CSUN stakeholders will need to enter their full CSUN email address and their CSUN password. There is a small chance this type of authentication may not work for some smartphones or tablets; in that case, simply use a laptop or desktop computer.

Question:

A general organizing question to place this particular material in context

Topic(s):

General topic(s) to be discussed

Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson:

Readings from the textbook

Library:

Readings from the library materials (or occasionally, a direct, online resource)

Supplemental:

Miscellaneous Readings

Due:

Assignment or report due at the immediate beginning of class

Review:

Usually a student-led review of an assignment or report

Exercise:

done individually or in teams (announced and collected in-class)

Activity:

done individually or in teams (announced and done either in-class or as homework)

Lecture:

a lecture or presentation done by the instructor

Video Clip(s):

Video Clip(s) shown in class, typically from a movie or TV show

Quiz:

a relatively short test

Exam:

a relatively long test

(contingency)

Slack time embedded during the course to cover unforeseen events

The following is the detail of the course in chronological order. Students must complete the readings and assignments before the due date.

• Topic(s): Enrollment Management, Class Materials, Class Introduction
• Lecture: Miscellaneous Announcements (Spring) [ .ppt ] (Tue. Dec 15, 2020)
• Assumptions I'll Make About You:
  • Library: Sandberg (Tardiness Contagion)
  • Key COBAE Courses [ .pdf ] (Sat. Dec 31, 2016)
  • Library: Stoll (Economics in a Can of Paint)
  • Ethical Decision-making [ .ppt ] (Fri. Oct 29, 2021)
  • Teams and Teamwork [ .pdf ] (Tue. Nov 9, 2021)
  • Sample Quiz - Spreadsheets (CSUN only) [ .pdf ]
  • Examples of Strong Writing: Sentences [ .ppt ], Paragraphs [ .ppt ], Arguments [ .ppt ], and Style [ .ppt ]
  • Examples of Areas for Improvement: Language Use and Grammar [ .ppt ]
    • Detailed Writing Errors (CSUN Only) [ .xls ]
  • Lecture: Professional Influence (Elements of an Argument) [ .ppt ]
  • Lecture: Public Speaking Tips (pp. 12-5 to 12-10) [ .pdf ]
• Lecture: Introductory Background Lecture [ .pptx ] (Thu. Dec 12, 2019)
• Supplemental: Student Success: The Multiple Perspectives of a Business Student [ .ppt ]
• Lecture: Complex Systems (Wikipedia) [ .jpg ]
• Activity: Class "Icebreaker" [ .ppt ]

• Topic(s): Enrollment Management
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 1, Strategy, Business Models, and Competitive Advantage
• Library: Roberts (Cars/Profit Margins)
• Supplemental (CSUN only): Colias (GM Lending) [ .pdf ]
• Library: Stoll (Tesla)
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 2, Strategy Formulation, Execution, and Governance
• Lecture: Walt Disney's 1957 "Strategy Map" [ .pdf ] (Mon. Feb 27, 2017)
• Lecture: Examples of Organizational Values and Strategic Vision/Mission/Objectives/Goals [ AMGEN ]
• Library: Vranica (WW International)
• lecture: "PESTEL" Analysis
  • [ Analysis overview (.html), Examples (.ppt) ]
• Library: Mann (Amtrak)
• Lecture: Porter's Value Chain [ .html ]
• Library: Simon (Red Wing Boots)
• Lecture: Economic Drivers [ .pdf ] (Thu. Dec 12, 2024)
• Library: Greene/Stevens (Amazon)

• Due: Assignment: Strategic Opportunity/Challenge Essay
• Activity: Strategy 'Story' (Current Event)
• Lecture: Strategy and "Intrapreneurship" ("RBV" Analysis) [ .ppt ] (Tue. Mar 27, 2018)
• Library: Rigdon (Kodak, 1991)
• Library: Munir (Kodak, 2012)
• Lecture: Strategy and Entrepreneurship ("VRIO Analysis" ) [ .ppt ] (Wed. Dec 16, 2020)
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 3, Evaluating a Company's External Environment
• Lecture: Drucker's 15 Principles across 5 Dimensions [ .html ]
• Lecture: Balanced Scorecard (Example) [ .html ]
• Lecture: FTSE Russell ESG (CSR) Ratings [ .pdf ]
• Lecture: U.N. Sustainable Development Goals [ .html ]
• Lecture: Team Assignment
• Lecture: 'Strategic Analysis of a Firm' Firm choices [ .pdf ] (Wed. Sep 13, 2023)

• Due: Strategy 'Story' (Current Event) [ .pdf ] (Sun. Sep 18, 2022)
• Improving your Writing Score [ .ppt ] (Thu. Dec 12, 2019)
• Lecture: Description of 'Strategic Analysis of a Firm' deliverables: analysis (written and presentation) [ .html ]
• Library: Terlep (P&G Diapers)
• Supplemental: (print and bring to class): "The Founder" Analysis [ .pdf ] (Tue. Sep 27, 2022)
• (contingency)

• Supplemental (CSUN Only): Movie "The Founder" [ (stream), (download) ]
• Activity: Movie "The Founder"
• Due: First, second, and third 'Strategic Analysis of a Firm' Firm choices
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 4, Evaluating a Company's Resources, Capabilities, and Competitiveness
• Library: Stoll (Restaurant Delivery)
• Library: Cameron (Amazon)

• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 5, The Five Generic Competitive Strategies
• Library: Sindreu (Ryanair)
• Library: Parasie (Emirates Air)
• Library: Kapner (Sears)
• Library: Gage (Crowdfunding Campaigns)

• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 6, Strengenthing a Company's Competitive Position: Strategic Moves, Timing, and Scope of Operations
• Library: Haddon (Dean Foods)
• Library: Haddon (Domino's Delivery)
• Activity: Personal Reflection #1
• Lecture: Guest, Charissa Jefferson, Business and Data Librarian Faculty, CSUN Oviatt Library, BUS 497a LibGuide, Business/Industry Databases
• (contingency)

• Exam: Mid-term
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 7, Strategies for Competing in International Markets
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Case #2, Costco Wholesale in 2017: Mission, Business Model, and Strategy (read)
• Library: Greene/Kubota (Apple)
• Library: Purnell (India)
• Library: Wernau (China)
• (contingency)

• (no class, Spring Recess)

• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 8, Corporate Strategy: Diversification and the Multi-business Company
• Library: Shah (Beyoncé/Coachella)
• Library: Gryta/Mann (General Electric)
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 9, Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Sustainability, and Strategy
• Supplemental (CSUN only): Corporate Social Responsibility [ .pdf ]
• Library: Stoll (Long-term Thinking)
• Library: Ip (Antitrust History)
• Library: Schlesinger, J. et al. (Antitrust Law)
• Library: Grimaldi, J., et al. (Tech Firms Antitrust: Pro and Con)

• Due: Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Case #2, Costco Wholesale in 2017: Mission, Business Model, and Strategy (answer questions)
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Ch. 10, Superior Strategic Execution—Another Path to Competitive Advantage
• Library: Hufford (3M)
• Library: Ziobro (Mattel)
• (contingency)

• Due: Assignment: Strategic Analysis of the Firm (Written)
• Gamble/Peteraf/Thompson: Appendix, Key Financial Ratios and Other Important Measures of Financial Performance
• Lecture: Presenter Team's Responsibilities
• Lecture: Audience Teams' Responsibilities
• Lecture: Discussion ("Challenge") Question Template (1 per team per presentation) [ .pdf ]
• Activity: Leadership (discuss only)
• (contingency)

• Due: Strategic Analysis of a Firm (Presentation) - Team 1
• Due: Strategic Analysis of a Firm (Presentation) - Team 2

• Due: Strategic Analysis of a Firm (Presentation) - Team 3
• Due: Strategic Analysis of a Firm (Presentation) - Team 4

• Due: Strategic Analysis of a Firm (Presentation) - Team 5
• Due: Strategic Analysis of a Firm (Presentation) - Team 6

• Activity: Formal Team Evaluation
• Activity: Personal Reflection #2
• (Spring: student evaluations of faculty) (please complete by Fri. May 8 at 11:59pm) [ .html ]
• (Spring: First Destinations survey data) (please complete by the end of the semester) (Nazarian CEPD email on April 10th)
• Supplemental: Leadership Overview [ .pdf ] (Fri. Nov 4, 2022)
• Supplemental (CSUN only): Brief Articles ("The Captain Class") on Leadership - read any six (6) of the thirty-five (35) articles [ .pdf ]
• (contingency)

• Note: Special Time - (8:00am - 10:00am)
• Note: This day and time needs to be verified by each student individually in SOLAR after the beginning of the semester (especially to make sure there are no conflicts).
• Exam: Final Exam