Syllabus

The course is intended to provide the students with a pragmatic approach that will guide the formulation and implementation of corporate, business, and functional strategies. It is designed to integrate prior business courses through study and discussion of actual organizational situations, including ethical, global, and diversity issues. Decision-making is applied using business/corporate-level strategy concepts, firm performance, and global citizenship. The course will introduce students to the tools of strategic management and the use of these tools in the analysis and solution of specific business problems. The use of case analysis will encourage and improve the leadership abilities of the student as well as synthesize his or her acquired knowledge in different disciplines of business. Students will be able to identify how organizations plan, program, and manage their diverse and multidimensional activities. This is a global learning course that counts towards your global learning graduation requirement.

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Exhibit knowledge of the major cultural, economic, social, and legal environments faced by organizations in global markets
2. Identify and assess the impact of opportunities and threats in a company’s global, regional, and local environment, in addition to its industry and set of competitors
3. Identify and assess a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to make knowledgeable decisions and suggest alternative strategies
4. Identify, analyze, and synthesize data and information that supports company decision-making to meet the expectations of all stakeholders
5. Describe the generic and business-specific factors that reflect a company’s overall operational performance, its performance in its business units, and its performance in functional business areas including corporate and social responsibility
6. Develop strategies for the challenges of doing business in a global environment
7. Create a brief strategic business plan to improve the company’s organizational performance. As part of this plan you will (i) identify key business drivers and a strategic direction, and (ii) identify and organize data to create key strategic and operational performance measures.
8. Exhibit knowledge on the major cultural, economic, social, and legal environments faced by organizations in global markets*
9. Demonstrate appropriate responses to global conditions and cultural diversity*
10. Assess the need for, and accurately identify the advantages behind, expansion into international markets
11. Integrate multiple perspectives to formulate and implement competitive and corporate strategies. Please contact the professor directly if you have any questions
12. This course will address all six college curriculum learning objectives, including communications ability, use of information technology, globalization context for business, critical thinking, analytic skills, ethical understanding, and reasoning abilities

This is online course may use the following teaching methods during the semester:

• Case analysis and discussion
• Internet research and discussion of assigned readings
• Assignments and reports
• Online quizzes
• A group project

The primary methods of instruction are readings, lectures, videos, discussion boards, and conceptual analyses using the case method.

Students will have access to lecture notes, discussions, etc. through Canvas. Students will be expected to log in each week. Chapter notes will be posted in Canvas. See Course Calendar for details and dates.

Keeping up with current events that have the potential to influence the business world is critical. Accordingly, you are expected to regularly read business newspapers and magazine such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (especially the business sections), Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, and The Economist. All of these may be available for free through the FIU Library.

The College of Business cares about the quality of your education. For more information please visit the Assurance of Learning site to learn more on the College's commitment to this initiative.

Assurance of Learning (AoL) Exit Exam

Student learning is the central activity of higher education. Definition of learning expectations and assurance that graduates achieve learning expectations are key features of our academic programs within the FIU College of Business. The College, in accordance with standards established by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), has established an Assurance of Learning (AoL) initiative that evaluates how well it accomplishes its educational objectives.

 As part of the Assurance of Learning (AoL), the College has established an exit exam requirement for all students in MAN4720. The purpose of the exit exam is to ensure that the College of Business demonstrates accountability, such as in accreditation, and to assist the College and its faculty to improve programs and courses.

You will be given a mandatory exam which will be administered through Canvas or be required to participate in an oral assessment through the FIU Communications Arts Studio. This exam tests you on knowledge gained throughout your course of study. While you are not expected to study for it, you are expected to put a good faith effort into doing your best. Five percent (5%) of your course grade has been allocated for the exam.

Please review the FIU's Policies webpage. The policies webpage contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU, as well as additional information about acceptable netiquette for online courses.

As a member of the FIU community you are expected to be knowledgeable about the behavioral expectations set forth in the FIU Student Code of Conduct.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" webpage to find out more information on this subject.

• Canvas LMS  [ Privacy Policy ]  [ Accessibility within Canvas ]
• Microsoft Office [ Privacy Policy ] [ Accessibility ]

Please visit our Technical Requirements webpage for additional information.

The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education and participate in activities available to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the Center at 305-348-3532 or visit them at the Graham Center GC 190.

Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for information about accessibility involving the tools used in this course.

For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center.

Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly to demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Academic Misconduct includes:

Cheating – The unauthorized use of books, notes, aids, electronic sources; or assistance from another person with respect to examinations, course assignments, field service reports, class recitations; or the unauthorized possession of examination papers or course materials, whether originally authorized or not.

Plagiarism – The use and appropriation of another’s work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the student’s own. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas, expressions or materials taken from another source, including internet sources, is responsible for plagiarism.

Learn more about the academic integrity policies and procedures as well as student resources that can help you prepare for a successful semester.

Completion of all of the following 8 courses with a grade of “C” or higher in each: BUL 4310 or BUL 4320, CGS 3300 or ISM 3011 or ACG 4401, COM 3110 or COM 3150, FIN 3403, MAN 3025, MAN 4504, MAR 3023 and QMB 3200. Minimum of 90 credit hours earned.

If you are looking for help for yourself or a fellow classmate, Panthers Care encourages you to express any concerns you may come across as it relates to any personal behavior concerns or worries you have, for the classmate’s well-being or yours; you are encouraged to share your concerns with FIU’s Panthers Care website.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers free and confidential help for anxiety, depression, stress, and other concerns that life brings. Learn more about CAPS at caps.fiu.edu. Professional counselors are available for same-day appointments. Don’t wait to call 305-348-2277 to set up a time to talk or visit the online self-help portal.

This is an online course, which means most (if not all) of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same for a traditional course. In fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills which can make these courses more demanding for some students.

While registered for this course, it is best to correspond with me through email using gpoyen@fiu.edu. I will respond to all messages as soon as possible. If necessary, send me an email and I will meet you on campus.

Keep in mind that your discussion forum postings will likely be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

Proctored Exam Policy
This online section of the course does not require on-campus proctored exams.

LATE SUBMISSION POLICY: Assignments WILL NOT be accepted after the due date.

1) EXAMS and/or QUIZZES

• There will be 3 online Exams worth 20% each.

IMPORTANT: MAKE-UP EXAMS. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: Make-up
exams will be granted only if there is an emergency resulting in the student’s
inability to take the exam. Documentation of the emergency must be submitted
as soon as practical. Make-up exams must be taken within one week of the
originally scheduled exam date, must be taken on campus, will be closed
book/closed notes. Though on the same course content, the make-up exam may
include different questions than those on the original exam.
EXAMS CANNOT BE MADE UP!!

2) Research Project (Group)

• Submission Details - This is a team project (I will create your teams) that is to be submitted as a 12-15 slide PPT, not including sources/references slide/s.
• Project Description – Your task for the semester project is to select a small or mid-sized company operating in South Florida or internationally (could be the company you currently work for or a company a family or friend works for) andconduct a thorough strategic audit for the organization; I can assign a company to you upon request. The objective of this exercise is to give you an opportunity to apply relevant concepts as well as strategic analysis tools and techniques you’ve learned in class. Your strategic audit should address the following questions to the highest possible extent:

1- Give a short background of the company and its mission statement, goals, and
objectives. What has the company’s strategy been over the years?

2- Describe the external context of the company. What environmental aspects of the influence industry structure and performance? Conduct a market analysis that integrates the:

• Target market
• Market size and growth
• Competitor analysis (positioning)
• Threats and opportunities
Document Key Findings.

3- Describe the internal context of the company. For instance, what are the company’s valuable resources and capabilities? What are the company’s core competencies? Identify the marketing mix (“The 4 Ps”):

• Products
• Price
• Place
• Promotion

4- How does the company compare with its key competitors? Execute a SWOT
analysis using a SWOT Matrix (SWOT analysis stands for: strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats).

5- Determine the core competencies that distinguish your company from its
competitors. Start by identifying and listing the core competencies of the
company (traditionally, there are four core competencies: quality, service, cost,
and flexibility). What competitive advantage does the company possess? How
sustainable is this advantage and resultant performance? Conduct a value chain
analysis (identifies the relevant firm-specific activities within the generic value
chain). Which activities are most valuable? Which activities could be improved to
provide a competitive advantage?

6- What are the key strategic challenges/issues faced by the company? What are
your strategic recommendations (three to four), given your answers to all the
above questions? What are the time frames for these recommendations? What
are the long-term competitive and performance implications of your
recommendations?

Projects will be graded based on strategic audit analysis completion and quality of the report presentation.Additional details for this project will be available within Canvas in Assignments. Refer to the Weekly Schedule below for project due dates.

• Under the Discussions within your course, use the following forums to find a team: “Create Teams”
• Use the forum name: “Final Team submission” to post your final team project