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Syllabus
B A 422W: Strategic Business Planning
BA 422W Strategic Business Planning (3) Study of strategic planning and implementation in multi-industry, multicultural, and multinational settings with emphasis on sustaining competitive advantages. Includes presentations and discussion of contemporary business issues by students and visiting professionals, emphasis on effective business communications.
Prerequisites: BA 321, BA 322, FIN 301, MGMT 301, MKTG 301, SCM 301, and BA 421
Overview
This is the capstone course for the BSB program. As such, the course requires that you integrate what you have learned about various aspects of business to address the multiple issues and challenges that businesses face in this increasingly complex and competitive global environment. This integration of the various knowledge areas to which you have been exposed in the BSB program is provided through the framework of strategic management, which is concerned with the successful adaptation of the enterprise to its external environment. A major vehicle for helping you in this integration will be case studies. Student involvement is central to success in this course. Class case discussions will be a dominant learning tool, as will team interaction to assess specific cases. Strong and timely student preparation, active participation, and effective teamwork are all required to excel in this course!
Course Goals
The course presents the theory and practice of top-level, organization-wide administration, which is also known as strategic management and business policy. The course will provide students with a pragmatic approach that will guide the analysis of industry structure, formulation, and implementation of strategies designed to lead a firm to sustainable competitive advantage. This course introduces students to the complexities of the strategy formulation and implementation process and has four overall goals:
- To better understand the field of strategic management. To do this, we will survey the most widely recognized theoretical approaches for analyzing, developing, and executing strategies.
- To enable students to "think strategically," consider the total enterprise, and to make long-term decisions in a global market environment.
- To help students integrate the functional tools that have been acquired in preceding classes in accounting, finance, marketing, economics, supply chain management, human resources, and other related disciplines.
- To improve oral and written communication skills.
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
- Complete an external and internal analysis of a firm.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of business, corporate, international, and entrepreneurial strategies on a firm’s performance.
- Develop solutions to a firm’s strategic issues in a variety of industries and competitive situations.
- Integrate skills acquired in finance, accounting, marketing, and supply chain management courses to create a successful firm strategy.
- Enhance research skills and be able to interpret the information commonly found in industry trade journals, company reports, and financial statements.
To achieve these objectives, this course will have the following components: lectures, individual projects, group projects, and cooperative group learning.
Methods of Instruction
Methods of Instruction
Web-Based Learning:
This course is designed on web-based technology; therefore, web skills are required. As you know, all course materials are on the web.
Student-Centered Approach:
The course is designed to give you an opportunity to share your experiences and knowledge with others. Therefore, in the learning process, you should continuously communicate with both me and your classmates throughout the semester. Your active participation in the Canvas discussion forums will be very important. Your discussion interaction will be reviewed by me and count as part of your class participation grade. Textbook readings will serve as an important course tool. Some suggestions are:
- Be enthusiastic and maintain a positive attitude toward the course and materials covered.
- Emphasize quality over quantity of materials you will be presenting.
- Be creative and innovative in case analyses and other assignments. Simply rehashing case details will not be counted as a contribution to the course.
- Answer review questions, and utilize the suggested readings on a weekly basis.
Problem-Based Learning:
I strongly encourage your teams to use problem-based learning to enhance the understanding of materials. This means that each member of your team contributes to the progress in the learning process. Students should incorporate chapter materials with their prior knowledge and experience to solve case problems rather than learning passively. While I recognize the importance of reading on your own, I recommend incorporating problem-based learning and active student participation within the Web environment whenever possible.
Course Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
Technical Requirements
| Operating System | Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems. To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
|---|---|
| Browser | Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. |
| Additional Canvas Requirements | For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
| Additional Software | All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. |
| Hardware | Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| Mobile Device (optional) | The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements. |
Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)
During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Additionally, Zoom will be utilized for this course. Zoom is a collaborative tool that allows you to communicate synchronously (real time) with your instructor and classmates. The software package allows screen sharing, document, and whiteboard sharing, among other features.
The deliverables for the course and their weighting are detailed as follows:
|
Components |
% of Total Grade |
Value |
|---|---|---|
|
Quizzes (3 quizzes) |
20% |
310 points |
|
Group Writing Project: Initial submission of each section will not be graded. Final submission will be graded. |
45% |
450 points |
| Discussions (5) | 15% | 200 points |
|
Assignments (5): Two individual and three group assignments |
20% |
200 points |
|
TOTAL |
1160 points |
Quizzes
These quizzes are designed to test your understanding of key concepts and will consist of multiple choice questions. The quizzes are not cumulative. Each quiz is timed, and you must take the assessments in one sitting. Upon submission of your quiz, you will receive your score in the format of number correct out of the total. After reviewing your quiz results and your course materials, if you still have questions, please contact your instructor to discuss.
Quiz 1 is worth 150 points, which you have 70 minutes to complete. Quiz 2 is worth 100 points, which you have 45 minutes to complete. Quiz 3 is worth 60 points, which you have 30 minutes to complete. You are permitted and encouraged to use your notes as you complete the quizzes.
Group Writing Project
The business environment is extremely complicated and significantly impacted by many economic, political, and societal variables. The purpose of this project is to create a simulated learning experience whereby students have the opportunity to study many of these variables within the context of a firm and its industry environment. Hence, the students will be assigned a well-known, publicly traded firm; evaluate its internal and external environment; and analyze its overall competitive environment through strategic analysis.
Your instructor will assign you to a group and assign the group a well-known, publicly traded company to base your group writing assignment upon. Each group member needs to select a font color that they will use throughout the group assignment in order to identify individual contributions to the group writing assignment. Indicate which font color will be used by each team member in your group writing assignments.
Failure to participate in any of the initial submissions will result in a reduction of your individual grade on the final submission. Solely researching or solely editing does not count as contributing to the writing of the paper.
The instructor will be submitting all projects to TurnItIn.
PROJECT DETAILS
Specifically, the following components must be part of the paper:
- Introduction of the paper
- Overview of industry and firm
- External analysis of industry
- Internal analysis of firm
- Strategic competitive analysis
- Recommendations
- Conclusion
- References
Total paper length: 18–23 pages, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, excluding title pages and references.
Project breakdown: Please refer to your lessons for due dates. All assignments will be uploaded to the Canvas Assignment by 11:59 p.m. on the date due.
- Reference List (min. of 20): 35 points
- Final Project Submission: 415 points
Discussions
Discussion Forums will be conducted in a post-first format. This means that you will not be able to view anyone's posts until you have posted your own original response. All initial entries should be posted no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) Thursday of the discussion week. You must reply to at least two colleagues by no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) Sunday in a manner that extends the discussion. Return to your initial post to engage in dialog with any of your colleagues' replies.
Reminder: After posting your reply, you will not have the ability to edit or delete your post. It is recommended that you compose your discussion message in a word processing program first and then copy/paste the text into the Discussion Forum.
Please be sure to view the Discussion Forum Rubric by clicking on the icon above and select "Show Rubric."Assignments
You will perform a series of 5 supplemental learning activities (worth 40 points each). Some assignments are group, and some are individual. For an overview, consult the Course Schedule. Details on each assignment can be found in the Modules area.
| Numerical value | Letter grade |
|---|---|
| 93 and above | A |
| 90–92.99 | A- |
| 87–89.99 | B+ |
| 83–86.99 | B |
| 80–82.99 | B- |
| 77–79.99 | C+ |
| 70–76.99 | C |
| 60–69.99 | D |
| below 60 | F |
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Course Schedule
Note: All due dates reflect North American eastern time (ET).
The schedule below outlines the topics we will be covering in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments. Note that assignments are due based on Eastern Time (ET). This ensures that all students have the same deadlines regardless of where they live. All lesson assignments must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the last day of the time frame indicated below for the lesson.
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Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please go to the Graduation Information on the My Penn State Online Student Portal.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Academic Integrity
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity , an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.
Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity ). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and
personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and
property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all
can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment
of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and
others, as well as a civil community.
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to inform the student of the allegation. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If that committee recommends an administrative sanction (Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, Expulsion), the claim will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page .
PLAGIARISM:
What is Plagiarism?
A student will have committed plagiarism if he or she reproduces someone else’s work without acknowledging its source; or if a source is cited which the student has not cited or used. Examples of plagiarism include: submitting a research paper obtained from a commercial research service, the Internet, or from another student as if it were original work; making simple changes to borrowed materials while leaving the organization, content, or phraseology intact; or copying material from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks, submitting another persons' work as one's own, using Internet sources without citation, fabricating field data or citations, "ghosting" (taking or having another student take an exam), stealing examinations, tampering with the academic work of another student, facilitating other students' acts of academic dishonesty, etc. Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if one or more of the members of the group does none of the group’s work and participates in none of the group’s activities, but attempts to take credit for the work of the group.
Hints for Avoiding Plagiarism:
- More than three words is plagiarism. This is a good yardstick to use when wondering whether or not quotes are appropriate. They are, if you are copying more than three words in sequence.
- One source is not “common knowledge.” Common knowledge does not require citation. But something is not common knowledge if you have found just one source for the information.
- When in doubt, cite! If you have any doubt about whether or not to cite a source, err on the side of making the attribution.
- If your co-author sounds surprisingly eloquent, make sure the contribution is his or her own. We often work in groups and co-author papers and projects. You should ask the question of your co-author if you doubt the work is their own. In group work, you are responsible for the project/paper in its entirety.
- Look away. When you are writing, do not have open books or papers in front of you as you type. Read your sources, and then put what you have read into your own words.
- Writing is hard work. Paraphrasing is relatively easy, writing is hard. Learning to be a good writer is part of what your college education is about. Staring at an empty screen in MS Word does become less daunting over time!
- Just because it’s on the Internet, doesn’t mean it’s yours. The Internet is a fantastic resource and search engines are terrific research tools. But what you find on the Internet was written by someone. You must cite Internet web sites, and if you use a quote, use appropriate quotation procedures.
- Paraphrasing is more than changing a verb tense or reordering a list. There is a difference between citing a source for a fact and creating a bad quote.
The High Cost of Plagiarism: In your professional career, you will find that reputation is everything. Plagiarism can ruin your reputation and cost you your professional career, along with the respect of your peers and family. Plagiarism at Penn State is an act of academic dishonesty that has serious consequences.
Examples of sourcing, citing, and plagiarism. Students must take care to give appropriate credit to sources used in the writing the project because failure to give proper credit constitutes plagiarism. Examples of proper and improper citation procedures are listed below.
Projects should also include citations within the paper to identify sources of specific information. As a general rule, if a sentence includes a fact or idea that would not be known by people in general, the source (book or magazine) where the fact was found should be cited following the sentence.
Original Source
“When conducting international business, companies must choose among different organizational forms. In making their choices, they should consider their own objectives and resources as well as the environments in which they operate” (Daniels & Radebaugh, 1992: 10).
Plagiarism Penalty: Grade of 0 for the assignment and F for the course as well as other possible University disciplinary actions.
- When conducting international business, companies must choose among different organizational forms. In making their choices, they should consider their own objectives and resources as well as the environments in which they operate. Using information from a source with no citation
- When managing international business, companies need to select among distinct organizational forms. In making these selections, companies should appraise their own goals and assets as well as the conditions in which they function. Using information from a source with no citation even if in the student’s own words
Copying Penalty: Up to a two-letter grade deduction for the assignment
- When conducting international business, companies must choose among different organizational forms. In making their choices, they should consider their own objectives and resources as well as the environments in which they operate (Daniels & Radebaugh, 1992). Exact or nearly exact words without quotes
Not plagiarism
- “When conducting international business, companies must choose among different organizational forms. In making their choices, they should consider their own objectives and resources as well as the environments in which they operate” (Daniels & Radebaugh, 1992: 10). Quoted with a citation
- When companies operate internationally, they must select from various organizational forms. Each company’s choice should depend on two factors: (1) a company’s objectives and resources and (2) the environment in which it operates (Daniels & Radebaugh, 1992). In student’s own words with a citation
QUOTING -When you decide to use the EXACT words of an author in your writing, you will need to consider whether you want to use only a few words (short quote) or a longer chunk of text (long quote). There are different rules for using quotes according to the length of the quote.
Short direct quotes: Short quotes are from one word to about 30 words. Follow these conventions:
- use double quotation marks “...”
- include the quote in the text by using reporting words
Long direct quotes: Long quotes are more than 30 words OR three typed lines. Follow these conventions:
- leave a space above and below the long quote
- indent to the right
- single space
- do NOT use quotation marks
Example
Students often misunderstand the role of quotations in writing and overdo the strategy:
[S]tudents include four quotations where one would do. This can give the impression that you don't have enough to say and are using quotations to take up space [a common strategy for some students]. Also, the excessive use of quotes ... may be taken to indicate that you don't understand the position well enough to explain it in your own words. (Dartmouth:online)
Excessive Quoting – Penalty: Up to a 4-letter grade deduction for the assignment.
- Don't DUMP information into your paragraph. Blend the words of the author with your own words.
- Don't use TOO MANY direct quotes in your writing (e.g. 2-3 long quotes and 4-5 short quotes is enough in a 2000 word essay). I prefer students to paraphrase.
Policies
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has resources for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources (SDR) website provides contacts for disability services at every Penn State campus. For further information, please visit the SDR website.
In order to apply for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability resources office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability resources office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Additional Course Policies
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or dependents with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.