Course Description:  This integrated capstone course focuses on application of case studies to the nature, functions and activities of actual businesses, analyzing objectives, policies, and performance, all in relation to the outside environment.  Emphasis is placed on ethical aspects of decision-making.  Case studies will be used to develop analytical skills.  Knowledge and techniques, which have been learned in earlier courses, will be applied in this course. Course Objectives:·         Foster analytical and quantitative thinkingDevelop students' abilities to solve problems and interpret dataPromote a sensitivity to ethical issues and promote moral reasoning in a business setting and ·          Provide students with a basic understanding of how to apply these to strategic business planning, justification, and implementation in real world situations which ·               require the student to develop strategies which maximize a company’s opportunities and minimize the threats and            allow the student to integrate knowledge gain in accounting, finance, management, and marketing applied toward developing a strategic plan             expose the student to a senior management perspective of the organization, its stakeholders, competitors, and markets served. Course Content:Students take the perspective of senior managers in developing long-term corporate strategies, which enhance the overall effectiveness of the organization.  As the capstone business course, students will be applying their accumulated learning amassed in accounting, finance, management, and marketing courses.  Topics include corporate governance, competitive activity within given industry structures, and maximizing corporate effectiveness and efficiency within stated constraints. Course Calendar

Date	Chapter	Case
2/5/2012	Chapter 1: What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important?	Case 18: Robin Hood
2/12/2012	Chapter 2: Leading the Process of Crafting and Executing Strategy	Case 14: Silver Ships: Its Strategy in the Military and Workboat Industry
2/26/2012	Chapter 3: Evaluating a Company’s External Environment	Case 16: Sara Lee in 2010: Has Its Retrenchment Strategy Benefited Shareholders?  Research paper proposal due
3/4/2012	Chapter 4: Evaluating a Company’s Resources and Competitive Position	Case 17: Smuckers in 2010: Expanding the Business Lineup
3/11/2012	Chapter 5: Five Generic Competitive Strategies--Which One to Employ?	Case 1: Mystic Monk Coffee
3/18/2012	Chapter 6: Supplementing the Chosen Competitive Strategy: Other Important Strategy Choices	Case 24 Norton Lilly: Implementing Transformational Change in the Shipping Industry
3/25/2012	MIDTERM	Case 4: Competition in the Warehouse Club Industry Research paper outline and bibliography due
4/1/2012	Chapter 7: Strategies for Competing in Foreign Markets	Case 21: Neamaste Solar
4/22/2012	Chapter 8: Diversification: Strategies for Managing a Group of Businesses	Case 15: Skype's Spin Off from eBay: Is it Ready for an IPO?
4/29/2012	Chapter 9: Ethical Business Strategies, Social Responsibility, and Environmental Sustainability	Case 27: Rhino Capture in South Africa
5/6/2012	Chapter 10: Building an Organization Capable of Good Strategy Execution	Case 22: Herman Miller
5/13/2012	Chapter 11: Managing Internal Operations: Actions That Promote Good Strategy Execution	Case 26: W.L. Gore and Associates Research paper first draft due
5/20/2012	Chapter 12: Corporate Culture and Leadership: Keys to Good Strategy Execution	Case 28: Countywide Financial and the Subprime Mortgage Debacle
5/30/2012	Review for final	Research paper due
6/3/2012	FINAL	Case 5: Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages

  Hardware/Software/Materials Requirement:  Student must have access to a computer with internet capabilities and a word processing program capable of producing files compatible with MS Word 97. (.doc NOT .docx; .rtf files are acceptable) Course RequirementsAttendance: The class is scheduled to meet weekly, Sundays from 9-11:30 AM.  Students are expected to attend all classes, arriving on time and staying to the end.  Regulations of the NY State Department of Education and the regional accreditation agency require that each session run for the full time for which it is scheduled, regardless of students' personal transportation or social calendar conflicts.  Participation represents 15% of the course grade.  Each absence or lateness cuts into your ability to earn points for participation. Lack of preparation will also affect your participation grade. It is impossible to earn an A in the course if you are absent excessively.  Please see the course website for a complete grading rubric for attendance and participation.   Case Studies:  Every week, we will analyze a case connected to the subject of that session's topic(s). Over the course of the semester, each student will be required to make an oral presentation of the answer to one question from each of twelve cases from the textbook. A written copy of the answer is due the same day, with no exceptions.  Case Cracker guidelines are available at http://www.aardvarkedtech.com/tourocollegecourses. Substantial research paper: Each student will research the history and performance of an assigned company, bringing it up to date as of September 30, 2011.   Plagiarism:  The appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas and thoughts of another author and representation of them as one’s original work is plagiarism, a form of cheating. Plagiarism in written work or cheating on exams will result in automatic expulsion, and a failing grade for the course. Learning Outcomes: At the conclusion of the course, the students will have written answers to questions from 12 case studies and orally presented answers to questions from 12 case studies applying their accumulated learning amassed in accounting, finance, management, and marketing courses. Course Text: Crafting & Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases, 18th Edition

Arthur A. Jr. Thompson, THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA , Margaret Peteraf, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE , John E Gamble, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA , A. J. Strickland III, THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA , Hardcover,  944 pages, ©2012, ISBN-13 9780078112720,  MHID 0078112729

             Supplementary Text (available from Touro Library online):Successful Strategy Execution: How to Keep Your Business Goals on TargetSyrett, Michel (Author)Pages: 176Publisher: Profile Books Limited/The EconomistReleased: 2007Language: en LC Call Number: HD30.28 -- .S97 2007ebISBN: 9781861978943 9781847650337Dewey Decimal Number: 658.401 Course Website:www.aardvarkedtech.com/tourocourses   Grading Guidelines:   Rubrics for each element of the course can be found at http://www.aardvarkedtech.com/tourocollegecourses. The instructor's evaluation of the student's mastery of the learning outcomes is the ultimate basis for the grade. Point values for various elements of the course12 Oral presentations of case study answers (90 pts each) 12 Written answers to case study question (10 pts each) Substantial Research paper (150 points)Midterm Exam written answer to one case study question 100 pointsFinal Exam written answer to two case study questions 200 points
Class Discussion 140 points (10 pts per week)A at least 90% of possible points
B at least 80% of possible points
C at least 70% of possible points  Explanation of each element of the course Answers to case study questions - Each week, students are expected to answer one of the questions associated with the case under discussion that week.  There are two components:Oral answer to the case study question (90 points) If a team is making a presentation, each member of the team is expected to speak.  The team should be prepared to defend its solution in response to questions asked by the instructor and classmates.Written answer to case study question (10) Each student or team is expected to submit an answer to the assigned question. The name of all students submitting the answer must be on the paper. 

%	Element
25%	Thorough description of case problem
20%	Application of principles from textbook and readings to case
25%	Appropriate solution of case problem
10%	Presentation skills
10%	Coordination with partners
10%	Written answer

 Substantial research paper (150 points)  Each student will research the history and performance of one of the companies analyzed in the cases, bringing it up to date as of September 30, 2011.  The paper should include the following:Introduction Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in the areas of:            financial performance            marketing             labor relations            ethicsConclusion/ forecast of company's future prospects Each paper must be word processed and include a bibliography and references to electronic AND printed materials. All statements of fact should be supported by citations of references according to the style of either the Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA).

Bibliography

(A more extensive bibliography is available at the course website.)

Hamel, Cary and C.K. Prahalad, Competing for the Future Boston MA: Harvard Business School Press 1991

Money / Mark F. Dobeck and Euel Elliott. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2007.

Saving energy, growing jobs: how environmental protection promotes economic growth, profitability, innovation, and competition / by David B. Goldstein. Berkeley, CA : Bay Tree Pub., c2007.

Targeted : homeland security and the business of immigration / Deepa Fernandes ; foreword by Howard Zinn. New York : Seven Stories Press, c2007.

Prophet of innovation : Joseph Schumpeter and creative destruction / Thomas K. McCraw. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007.

Gold : the once and future money / Nathan Lewis. Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley, c2007.

Chindia : how China and India are revolutionizing global business / edited with commentary by Pete Engardio. New York : McGraw-Hill, c2007.

Doing business in China : how to profit in the world's fastest growing market / Ted Plafker. New York : Warner Adult, c2007.

The new golden age : the coming revolution against political corruption and economic chaos / Ravi Batra. New York : Palgrave, 2007.

Ignition : what you can do to fight global warming and spark a movement / edited by Jonathan Isham, Jr., Sissel Waage. Washington, DC : Island Press, c2007.

Blog rules : a business guide to managing policy, public relations, and legal issues / Nancy Flynn. New York : AMACOM, American Management Association, c2006.

Cutting our trade deficit : can the U.S. muster its diverse trade promotion operations to make an impact? : hearing before the Committee on Small Business, House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, second session, Washington, DC, April 26, 2006. Washington : U.S. G.P.O. : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 2006.