The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Faculty of Business
Department of Management and Marketing
2015-2016 Semester 1

COURSE OUTLINE
MM 4311 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Instructor: Vivian Wei Guo, Ph.D.

Office: M1028
Phone: 2766-7340
Email: wei-vivian.guo@polyu.edu.hk
Consultation time: By appointment only

Class time: Section LTL007: 12:30pm 15:20pm, Monday (CD308)

Section LTL010: 15:30pm 18:20pm, Wednesday (EF312)

REQUIRE TEXTBOOK

Dess, G., Lumpkin, G. T., & Eisner, A. (2016). Strategic Management: Text and Cases (8th
Edition). McGraw-Hill. (Aka: DLE)

RECOMMENDED PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPERS

The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Business Week, China Daily, The
Economist, Hong Kong Economic Times

Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, California Management Review,
Academy of Management Perspectives

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Course Description..................................................................................................................... 2
Grading ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Expectations & Policies ............................................................................................................. 4
Class Attendance & Participation .............................................................................................. 5
Individual Report ....................................................................................................................... 6
Group Project ............................................................................................................................. 7
Final Exam ................................................................................................................................ 8
Class Schedule ........................................................................................................................... 9
Polyu Library Resources .......................................................................................................... 10
Recommended Readings .......................................................................................................... 11

1
 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is intended to introduce students to the basics of the how organizations are
managed, with a special focus on the role played by a business firms strategy. Strategic
management is concerned with how a firm sets its direction, chooses its business activities,
and establishes and defends its position in a competitive market. This course will introduce
you to concepts and tools that will help you to develop an understanding of how strategies are
formed and managed, and how competitive advantage might be created and sustained. In
short, this course will help you to see how both internal and external factors can work
together to determine the success/failure of an organization. This subject will also enable
students to develop global outlook, analysis of an organizations internal conditions and
external environments, critical thinking, analytical skills, and ethical awareness.

Format

Class sessions will be mixed in format, to include interactive lectures, discussions of

readings, case analyses, video clips, and in-class exercises. Much of the learning in this
course will occurs in class as you share your experiences, questions, and analyses with each
other.

Course objectives

Upon successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

a. Analyze business situations and problems by applying conceptual frameworks drawn
from different disciplines when determining the sustained competitive advantage of an
organization;
b. Through external analysis, identify and analyze those aspects of the domestic and global
business environment that set the parameters of choice within which business
organizations set objectives and take actions.
c. Identify and analyze the means of value creation when making strategic
recommendations based on rigorous and systematic research of an organizations
strategic positioning;
d. Recognize the importance of leadership in business organizations, especially with
respect to strategy implementation;
e. Conceptualize and act upon the group and individual dynamics that exists in
organizations and their impact on strategy implementation;
f. Identify and resolve ethical issues pertaining to managerial and organizational decision
making and their impact to firm performance;
g. Demonstrate a global outlook and an understanding of cultural diversity when dealing
with strategic management issues of an organization;

2
 GRADING
The course grade will be calculated in the following way:
Learning outcomes
Assessment item Weighting assessed
Individual Assignments 60%
Individual report 20% a, b, f
Final exam 10% b, f
Class attendance 10% a, b, c, d, e, f
Class participation 20% a, b, c, d, e, f

Group Assignments 40%

Group written report 20% a, c, d, e
Group letter to CEO 5% f, g
Group presentation 10% c, d
Group peer evaluation 5% e
Total 100%

FINAL GRADES

A+ >80
A 70-79
B+ 65-69
B 60-64
C+ 55-59
C 50-54
D+ 46-49
D 40-45
F Below 40

3
 EXPECTATIONS & POLICIES
Preparation: It is expected that you do the assigned readings prior to each class. It is
especially valuable and appreciated when you come to class with questions about the
readings.

Punctuality: I expect you to come to all scheduled classes on time. However, I also
understand that things happen that you may be late for a few minutes because of bad traffic or
delayed classes. Therefore, if you are late to class, please come in from the back door and sit
down quietly without interrupting the class. However, if you are late frequently and
consistently or if you are late for more than 30 minutes without acceptable reasons, I reserve
the right to treat you as absent from the class and deduct points from your attendance grade.

Technology: All electronic devices, such as mobile phone, iPod, iPad, PSP, and laptop, may
not be used during class, unless explicitly allowed by the instructor for a specific purpose.

Assignments submission: All assignments must be submitted in class on the due date. Late
work will not be accepted.

Questions & Suggestions: I have an open-door policy, which means you are welcomed to talk
to you anytime when you have questions, suggestions or feedback for me. It is best to do
contact me via email in advance to schedule an appointment to help me better prepare for our
meeting. If you prefer to stay anonymous, please write down your comments and suggestions
and put it in my mailbox (Guo, Wei Vivian) in M831. I will try my best to address your
comments and suggestions!

Academic dishonesty: Plagiarism cheapens the value of your degree and undermines the
quality of your education. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of
cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. Individual assignments must be your own
work, in your own words. Using outside materials is generally acceptable as long as you
clearly identify the source. False or fabricated information is unacceptable.

Students are encouraged to discuss cases, exchange ideas, collaborate and cooperate with
others in the class where appropriate. New ideas often arise from such interactions. However,
you need to always keep clear what value you have added, separate from the ideas of others.
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. Activities that constitute academic
dishonesty in this course include: (1) copying text passages verbatim or paraphrasing those
passages in your paper without referencing the original source (including from the Internet);
(2) consulting those who have already taken MM4311 about cases or assignments before they
are due; and (3) working with others on individual assignments; working with non-team
members on team assignments.

4
 CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Class attendance (10%)

You will receive a total of 10 out of 10 if you attend all classes. In case of illness or family
emergency, you are expected to notify me in advance if possible and provide appropriate
documentation, e.g. medical documentation, afterwards. One out of 10 points will be
deducted from your attendance grade for each unexcused absence. Most importantly, if you
are absent for 3 or more classes in one semester, you will receive zero grade for attendance.

Class participation (20%)

In an interactive class like this, everyone is expected to contribute to class discussions. You
all play a part in each others learning so coming to class and just listening is not sufficient.
You are expected to be thoroughly prepared at each class meeting (i.e., to have done the
required readings and thought carefully about the discussion questions).

Thus, your individual contributions to discussions will be evaluated on an ongoing basis

using formative assessments. I will give out many in-class activities including both individual
and team-based activities during the semester. Each of them will be graded to make up your
participation points. The grade for in-class activities will have four levels of grade: no
submission, completed, and excellent.

5
 INDIVIDUAL REPORT
Industry analysis report:
This assignment requires you to conduct an industry analysis and prepare a written report
based on your analysis. The completed report should NOT exceed 1000 words excluding
reference list (double-spaced, 12 fonts, 1-inch margin).

Report components:
(1) General industry background;
(2) Competitive environment analysis;
(3) Major competitors in the market
(4) Major forms of competition (i.e., how firms compete);
(5) Reference list

Important things to note:

General description of the industry means a brief introduction and history of the
country and industry (e.g., market size, major competitors, current trends)
Analyze the competitive environment of the industry using Porters five-force model.
It is important to present evidences as well as your analysis of why a force is low,
medium, or high in intensity. Simply listing facts or numbers are not good analysis.
Instead explain what these numbers or facts mean and how they help you to arrive at
your conclusion.
Describe and analyze how firms compete in this industry;
Please use APA style referencing for the reference list

Industry - Animation industry

You can choose to focus on the animation industry in either China, Japan, or United States.

Grading criteria:

Your report will be graded based on the following criteria:

The comprehensiveness and quality of your industry research
The quantity and reliability of the evidences that you presented (It is important that
you look for outside materials about your chosen industry to do the analysis rather
than base all analysis on your personal opinions)
The clarity and quality of your analysis
The quality of your writing

6
 GROUP PROJECT
a. Groups formation
You are free to form your own group of 5 or 6 people. A group should be made up of a
diversified mix of students (e.g., male, female, WIE hours, major, exchange experience,
mainland, Hong Kong, overseas and etc.). A diversified group will help stimulate new ways
of thinking and idea generation. Try to avoid always working with the same people. As you
know, in work place, you will not always be assigned to a group with all of your friends, so it
is critical to learn how to work with new people.

b. Group written report (20%)

After the groups are formed, each group will choose a company from the list provided by the
instructor. The purpose of the group project is to analyze the strategy of a firm
comprehensively and critically. Employing analytical tools that you learned from this course,
you need to conduct a careful evaluation of your firms current industry position, resource
profile, key competitors, and also develop recommendations for its future direction. The
group needs to prepare a written report based on your analysis. The report should NOT
exceed 2000 words excluding the reference list (double-space, 12 fonts, 1-inch margin).
Materials beyond 10 pages will not be graded.

c. Group presentation (10%)

Each group will have 15 minutes to present your major findings and analysis. All members of
the group must participate in the presentation. A 10 minutes open Q&A session will follow
the presentation. The instructor and all students can ask questions. Both presentation and
Q&A will be graded. A panel of five to six judges will be formed with the instructor and one
representative from each group that is not presenting to grade the quality of the group
presentation. Creative presentation is highly encouraged, so feel free to use all skills and
techniques you can to impress the judges. Presentation order will be determined by a lottery
draw.

e. Peer evaluation (5%)

Each student will be reviewed by his/her group members with respect to his/her participation
and contribution to the group project, including the written report, oral presentation, and letter
to CEO.

f. Letter to CEO (5%)

As part of the group report assignment, each group needs to prepare a letter to the CEO of the
company explaining what the company could do differently in the future to be more social
responsible.

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 FINAL EXAM
This will be an in-class, closed-book exam to test your overall understanding of the concepts
and analytical techniques taught in the course. The exam will be a mix of multiple choice
questions and essay questions.

You will be given 60 minutes to finish the exam.

No class content or related materials will be allowed in the test. Dictionaries and calculators
are NOT permitted as well.

Since it is hand written essay exam, it is very important that you write clearly. Your grade
will be negatively affected if I cannot read your hand writing.

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 CLASS SCHEDULE

Week Teaching/learning activities Readings Assignments Due

1 Introduction to the course Chapter 1 Team sign up

2 The external environment Chapter 2

3 The internal organization Chapter 3

4 Business level strategy Chapter 5

5 Competition and co-petition Chapter 8

6 National Day Holiday

Individual report
7 Corporate strategy Chapter 6
due

8 International strategy Chapter 7

9 Corporate governance Chapter 9

Corporate culture, leadership, &

10 Chapter 11
CSR

11 Group presentations (Group 1-4)

Group written
12 Group presentations (Group 5-9)
report due
Final exam (in class) & concluding
13
remarks

9
 POLYU LIBRARY RESOURCES
Several databases available at PolyU library will be very helpful for doing research on topics
related to this course.

Tutorial video
Click on the link below to access several tutorial videos teaching you how to access and use
these databases: http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk/researchhelp/tutorials/business

Database Summary

ABI/Inform (http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk/databases/abiinform)
ABI/INFORM (1971+) via ProQuest is an index to articles selected from more than 1,000
publications on business management and administration. Subject coverage includes
advertising, accounting, computers, economics, finance, marketing, human resources and
operations, taxation together with related technical topics such as engineering and
information systems.

Passport GMID (http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk/databases/globalmid)

Passport GMID (Global Market Information Database) provides information on detailed
market size, country marketing parameters, marketing forecast data, consumer lifestyles,
business sources as well as marketing profiles and analysis.

Business Source Complete (http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk/databases/businesssc)

It is the world's definitive scholarly business database, providing the ultimate collection of
bibliographic and full text content. Sources include over 3600 business focused peer
reviewed journals, trade publications/business magazines, books, case studies, company
profiles, SWOT analysis etc.

ISI Emerging Markets (http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk/databases/isi)

ISI Emerging Markets delivers hard-to-get information on more than many emerging markets
through its award-winning online Emerging Markets Information Service. It aggregates and
produces unique content including full-text news articles, financial statements, company
information, industry analysis, equity quotes, macroeconomic statistics, and market-specific
information, which are derived directly from more than 9000 local and global publications.

World Development Indicators (http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk/databases/wdi)

The World Development Indicators (WDI) provides a comprehensive selection of economic,
social and environmental indicators, drawing on data from the World Bank and more than 30
partner agencies. The database covers more than 900 indicators for 210 economies with data
back to 1960.

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) (http://www.eiu.com/default.aspx)

The Economist Intelligence Unit provides information to help business leaders prepare for
opportunity. Therefore, they also provide comprehensive information on countries around the
world (EIU for Hong Kong: http://country.eiu.com/Hong+Kong; EIU for China:
http://country.eiu.com/China)

10
 RECOMMENDED READINGS
Topic Article
What is strategy Porter, M. 1996. What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, 74
(6): 61-78.

Understanding external Porter, M. 1979. How competitive forces shape strategy.

environment Harvard Business Review, 57(2): 137-145.

Porter, M. 2001. Strategy and the Internet. Harvard Business

Review, 79(3): 62-78.

Analyzing resources Prahalad, C. K., & Hamel, G. 1990. The core competence of the
and capabilities corporation. Harvard Business Review, 68(3): 79-91.

Business level Rao, A., Bergen, M., & Davis, S. 2000. How to fight a price war.
strategies Harvard Business Review, 78: 107-120.

Aaker, D. 2004. Leverage the corporate brand. California

Management Review, 46: 6-18.

Corporate level Porter, M. 1987. From competitive advantage to corporate

strategies strategy. Harvard Business Review, 65(3): 43-59.

Networks, partnerships, Cross, R. & Thomas, R., M. 2011. A smarter way to network.
and alliances Harvard Business Review.

Global strategies Ghemawat, P., & Hout, T. 2008. Tomorrows global giants: Not
the usual suspects. Harvard Business Review, 66(11): 80-88.

Vestring, T., Route, T., & Reinert, U. 2005. Hedge your off-
shoring bets. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(3): 27-29.

Corporate governance Gavetti, G. 2011. The new psychology of strategic leadership.

Harvard Business Review, 89: 118-125.

Corporate social Porter, M., & Kramer, M. R. 2006. Strategy and society: The
responsibility link between competitive advantage and corporate social
responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 66(11): 80-88.

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