COURSE SYLLABUSSCHOOL OF BUSINESS

BUSI 400/690 INTENSIVE

STRATEGIC PLANNING/BUSINESS POLICY

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This capstone course for all business majors seeks to integrate the concepts, techniques, and knowledge of all areas of business administration. Its focus is strategic management which is studied in theory and then rigorously applied in static cases and then a capstone dynamic static simulation case. This course is designed for final semester seniors/graduates.

RATIONALE

This course directly supports all ten aims of Liberty University's Statement of Purpose. There is a need for a "capstone experience" in the Business Program that requires multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills including overall strategy, marketing, operations, human resource development, finance, accounting, economics, behavioral and ethical elements.

I. PREREQUISITES

Busi 400: Completion of all prior course work within the Undergraduate program.Busi 690: Completion of all prior course work within the Master’s program.

II. REQUIRED RESOURCE PURCHASE

David, F. R. (2011). Strategic management: Concepts and cases (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-0-13-266423-3.

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap...and others don’t. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publisher. ISBN: 978-0-06-662099-2.

III. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS FOR LEARNING

A. Internet access (broadband recommended)

B. Microsoft Word and ExcelNOTE: Microsoft Office is available at a special discount to LU students.

IV. MEASURABLE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Evaluate complex business problems in internal and external organization environments, recommend/implement courses of action and evaluate the impact that such actions and forces will have on organizational success. (E&R) (Program Learning Outcome 2, 3, & 4 Emphasized and Reinforced)

2. Appraise a working knowledge of financial statements and ratio analyses. (E&R) (Program Learning Outcome 2 & 4 Emphasized and Reinforced)

3. Appraise an understanding of the functions of marketing, accounting, finance, human resource management, strategic management and operations management and how these individual activities work together to optimize firm performance. (E&R) (Program Learning Outcome 2, 3, & 4 Emphasized and Reinforced)

4. Synthesize an optimal and ethical strategic plan founded upon Christian principles. (R) (Program Learning Outcome 1, 2, 3, & 4 Reinforced)

5. Generate effective team management skills to produce team goals, strategies and performance measures. (R) (Program Learning Outcome 2, 3, & 4 Reinforced)

V. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS

This course will use a mixture of reading assignments, experiential exercises, and case analysis methods to diagnose, analyze, formulate, implement, and evaluate management strategies. It will provide a venue for students to recommend specific strategies by using innovative and creative approaches to meet the challenge. Specific assignments will include:

A. Textbook readings

B. Experiential Exercises (Individual and Group)

The text provides a Cohesion Case which flows throughout the reading assignments. The cases include a series of experiential exercises which may be assigned to individuals or groups for completion. The exercises apply text material to a real organizational situation.

C. Case Analyses (Individual and Group)

The text provides a series of case studies for analysis and recommendations. The cases will be assigned for individual and group written reports. The cases will be about real-life business problems. Case study and analysis is a very effective method for simulating actual management activity for students as they practice diagnosing strategic

issues, evaluating alternative solutions, and recommending workable action plans.

D. Although the assignments in this course do not require formal APA, all citations and referencing must be adhered to, as outlined in the APA Manual 6th edition. The student should utilize as many resources as possible to substantiate their position as opinions may easily be refuted.

E. Final Reflection Paper

Busi 690 students will also complete a final reflection paper once the intensive is over. Specific requirements and content for this paper will be determined during the week intensive, and will be factored into the final grade. Failure to complete the assignment will result in a reduced grade.

VI. COURSE GRADING AND POLICIES

A. Peer Evaluations

Students will be divided into groups of two to six members that will share some assignments (i.e. group assignments). After each group exercise, each student will be asked to evaluate the contributions of each of their group members. The resulting score will be used to provide a final peer grade for all group assignments. All group grades will be awarded provisionally. The final group grades for each individual will be determined by factoring the project grades by the final Peer Evaluation Average. For example, if a group project receives a grade of 95 and the student's Peer Evaluation Average is 80, the final grade for that student's assignment would be 95 x .80, or 76%. (Note: the Peer Evaluation Average is calculated by taking all of the peer scores for an individual student, and averaging them.)

The final peer averages cannot be determined until after all peer evaluations are completed. Failure to submit a peer evaluation will result in a reduction of your peer grade.

B. Weight

Individual Experiential Exercises (1) 6%Group Experiential Exercises (4) 20%Individual Case Analysis (1) 10%Group Case Analyses (2) 30%*PowerPoint 6%Chapter Quizzes 4%Biblical Parallels 4%Quizzes 10%Exam 10%

Total 100%

*Group Case 1 is worth 10% Group Case 2 is worth 20%

C. Busi 400 Grading Scale

A = 900 – 1000 B = 800 – 899 C = 700 – 799 D = 600 – 699

F = 0 - 599

Busi 690 Grading Scale

A = 940 –1000 A- = 920 – 939 B+ = 900 – 919 B = 860 – 899

B- = 840 – 859 C+ = 820 – 839 C = 780 – 819 C- = 760 – 779

F = 0 – 759

D. Disability Assistance Students with a documented disability may contact the DLP Office of Disability Academic Support (ODAS) at dlpodas@liberty.edu to make arrangements for academic accommodations