Business Strategy and Policy

NEU Hanoi, Vietnam

FALL 2015

Instructor: Dr. Deane Pham, MBA, Ph.D.

Email:
drphamusa@gmail.com
Cell:
407 421 2938 (USA)
0126 440 2279 (Vietnam)

Office: TBA
Office hours: by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on the strategy and policy of the firm that must be employed in developing and maintaining
competitive position and competitive advantage. It provides students/participant with an analytical tool kit for
understanding strategic issues that key decision makers or their advisor must face.
Text:

Crafting and Executing Strategy - The Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts & Cases 19 th
Edition by Arthur A. Thompson Jr., Margaret A, Peteraf, A. J. Strickland III, and John E. Gamble.

Copyright @2014 by McGraw Hill.

Videos and Websites
What is Strategy by Michael Porter
Blue Ocean Strategy vs. Five Forces
What is Good Corporate Strategy by Richard Rumelt
The Secret Origins of Corporate Strategy by Walter Kiechel
Rethinking Capitalism by Michael Porter
Michael Porter in Vietnam (1, 2, 3)
Websites: investorpedia.com, thinkers50.com, EDGARONLINE, Yahoo Finance
Others
Other materials will be available via Dropbox.com. You are required to use dropbox.com for this
class, please make sure to send your request to access dropbox.com to drphamusa@gmail.com and
put your email address on the subject line so your access permission can be set up..

............................
Business Strategy and Policy - 1

COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1:

What is Business Strategy? Reading chapter 1

Charting a Companys Direction - Reading chapter 2
Perspectives on HBS Case Methods Youtube video

Session 2:

What Product/Service should I offer?

Which Business Model and Value Proposition?

Session 3:

Analyzing Competence and Competition: Five Forces and Value Chain

Models - Reading Chapter 3 and 4

Session 4:

Competitive Strategy - Porters Generic Strategy - Reading Chapter 5

Case - Apple class discussion Reading Iphone Pricing

Session 5:

Review for exam 1

How to Analyze a Case / How to write up a case
Executive Summary and Presentation - Reading CA2
Class discussion - Costco

Session 6:

Whats Corporate Strategy Scale and Scope - Reading Chapter 6 and 8

Session 7:

Exam 1 on chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as well as other materials covered

Global Strategy - Reading Chapter 7

Session 8:
`
Session 9:

Ethics and Sustainability - Reading Chapter 9

Session 10

Corporate Culture and Leaderships Reading Chapter 12

Local Business Research

Session 11

Team Report Dissuasion Local Business

Session 12

Team Presentation

Session 13:

Team Presentation

Session 14:

Team Presentation

Session15:

Exam 2 and Wrap up

Individual Case Report due

Executing the Strategy Reading Chapter 10 and 11

Team Case Report due

Cases will be used for this class include:

CLASSS DISCUSSION
Mystic Monk Coffee
Costco
Coach
Apple

INDIVIDUAL CASE ANALYSIS

Starbucks

TEAM CASE ANALYSIS

Sift Cupcake and Desert Bar

TEAM PRESENTATION:
Herman Miller
Under Armor
Bayonne Packaging, Inc.

* This schedule is only tentative. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the schedule as deemed necessary. Any such changes shall be
communicated to the class. It is your responsibility to find out the changes that have been made to the syllabus.
Additional videos and recommended materials will be used to enhance your learning experience. All course works are expected to be performed independently
unless otherwise instructed.

GRADING POLICY
Your grade will be based on following components and point allocations:
Your class conducts are subjected to NEU rules and regulations.
2 EXAMS (150 points each)*
1 Individual case write-up
1 Team case write-up
1 Team case presentation
1 Team local business case report
Homework & Participation
Grand Total Points

Points**
300
60
60
60
60
60
----600

*Final exam is optional and comprehensive can be used to replace 1 exam.

Point grade AND letter grade will be used for this course.
**Note: In America, letter grades are normally assigned based on the following scale with the professors discretion of course
A=>90%, B=>80%, C=>70%, D=>60%, F<60%. Bell curve distribution is also often used for letter grades determination..