MNGT 4800-003. Shareholders’ Report. Management Assignment.

This report should highlight the key aspects of the company’s strategy and your performance outcomes. It should be written in the style of an executive summary; thus, the report should be approximately 10 pages long (but no more than 15 pages in length). The purpose of this assignment is to develop your written communication skills in a business setting. This assignment tests your ability to effectively articulate your company’s strategies, performance, successes and failures. In your shareholder report, you should first include a letter to shareholders that briefly introduces your company, products, top management team. Second, you need to include mission statement and SWOT analysis for your company. Third, discuss the strategies your team used. Next, discuss your performance, focusing on some key performance measures (i.e., profit, cumulative profit, ROA, stock price, etc.). Lastly, discuss lessons learned as top management and future plans for your company. Headings for each section should be concise and clear.
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
MNGT 4800 – 003
Fall 2020
 REQUIRED TEXT 
• Ireland, Hoskisson, & Hitt. Understanding Business Strategy Concepts Plus. 3E. 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0538476812 
• A laptop
• Capstone Business Simulation at www.capsim.com. If you do not register, you will receive a zero on all simulation-related assignments. You will need a CAPSIM ID to register. You must bring a valid credit or debit card to the first lab session register for the simulation. Your lab instructor will go over registration during the first lab period. 
• Capsim Industry ID: TBD
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an opportunity to develop a foundational understanding with regards to: 
• Exploration of the challenges involved in leading business enterprises from a top management perspective. 
• Policy formulation related to managing a total organization 
• Examination of current strategies and the competitive, economic, political, and social conditions that face managers in their industries. 
• Encourage strategic thinking based on an integrated and comprehensive analysis 
COURSE OBJECTIVES
• Provide an opportunity to integrate knowledge and skills acquired from foundational business courses including finance, accounting, marketing, management, HR, and operations.  Please note that this is the College of Business' capstone course!
• Learn how managers make resource deployment decisions for the long-term survival and prosperity of an organization.
• Provide an understanding of the concepts and theories of strategic management. 
• Provide an understanding of why some organizations outperform others.
• Enhance creative and critical thinking in decision processes affecting strategic analysis, strategy development, and implementation.
COURSE DESIGN
The course is comprised of traditional lecture, interactive discussions, and a real-time simulation (lab). To achieve the course objectives, a variety of resources and techniques will be used.  The textbook provides a framework for organizing traditional strategy literature. It is in your best interest to read each assigned chapter prior to class. Come prepared to answer questions and discuss pertinent topics. Case discussions and analyses provide an opportunity to examine and apply what you’ve learned to “real world” situations.  
PREREQUISITES
Completion of FINC 3610, MNGT 3100, and MKT 3310.  Although not explicitly stated in the catalog, it is also imperative that students have adequate time outside of class to meet with their group.  If your schedule does not allow sufficient time to meet with your group, please drop this class and take it in a different semester. 
COURSE POLICIES
• Be prepared for each class. This involves having read the required pages in the textbook and completing all related class and lab assignments.
• Out of respect for your peers’ classroom experience, please silence and put away all cell phones & laptops before class. 
• A canvas class website is provided for this course.  You are responsible for checking the website regularly for updates, announcements, grades, and any missing documents.
• At the beginning of every class, we will cover important class announcements. You are responsible for all materials and important announcements covered in class. 
• Assignments are due as indicated in the syllabus. Late submission is accepted for half of the original credit. 
• All textbook material, lecture, video, and class discussions may be covered on the exams.
• Please note: If attendance becomes a problem, pop quizzes will also periodically be administered. Remember that all materials presented in class including class discussions are fair game for each exam.
ABSENCES:
Non-Emergency Absences• Non-emergency absences include on-site interviews, family-related situations, and school-related travel.o Phone interviews are not a valid excuse to miss the class or lab, please schedule your interviews accordingly. o Weddings, family events, vacations, and job trainings are not excused absences. o NOTE: In order to be excused for on-site interview, you must show documentation that you were unable to schedule the interview at an alternative non-conflicting time. • All non-emergency absences require prior approval from the instructor. Excuses brought after the absence will not be accepted.
Emergency Absences
• Emergency absences include the sudden onset of sickness (i.e. throwing-up), medical emergencies, emergencies among immediate family members, and car accidents. o It is your responsibility to contact the instructor as soon as possible following the absence. You have up to three days following the absence to contact instructor. If you have not contacted instructor in that amount of time, the absence will not be excused.
MISSED EXAMS
• Students who miss a major test will receive a zero, unless one of the following conditions has been met:
A.  The absence was approved in advance by the instructor.  This will only occur in rare situations involving required participation in official University events or extenuating circumstances.  In the event of illness, the excuse must be signed by a physician or nurse (not a receptionist).  B.  The absence was due to a legitimate emergency for which it was not possible to obtain advanced approval. In this situation, the student must contact the instructor as soon as possible and provide evidence both that the emergency was legitimate, and that advanced approval was not possible. 
GRADING SCALE AND GRADED CONTENT
Final grades will be determined on the following basis: A = 90 % or better B = 80 – 89.9% C = 70 – 79.9% D = 60 – 69.9% F = 59.9% or less 
********** No Rounding will take place on final grades! **********
Grade Components: 
Exam 1 20 pointsExam 2 20 pointsExam 3 20 pointsSimulation 20 points Attendance 5 pointsShareholder Report    10 pointsPeer evaluation 5 pointsTotal Points 100 points
Bonus points 3 points
EXPLANATION OF GRADING COMPONENTS
Exams (20 points each exam): 
60% of your grade will be derived from examinations. The exams will be primarily multiple-choice and true/false questions.  You will be tested primarily on material presented in class. If you miss an exam due to valid reasons, you must notify me prior to the scheduled exam time unless emergency circumstances exist. Please be aware that make-up exams may include essay questions.
Group Simulation Performance (up to 20 points)
Simulation group performance will be determined based on the sum of two factors. First, the number of rounds your team has correctly participated in the simulation. The total for this is 4 points, thus each round that your successfully save and upload is worthy 0.5 point. Second, your average score of the balanced scorecard for the 8 rounds in competition.  The total for this is the remaining 16 points. 
For example, if your team only uploaded decisions for 6 rounds and the average score of balanced score card is 0.7. Thus, your team’s score is 0.5*6 +0.7*16=14.2. If your team uploaded decisions correctly for 8rounds, but your average balanced score card score is only 0.8, your simulation grade is calculated as 0.5*8+0.8*16=16.8.  Collusion between teams or consulting from anyone outside the team other than the professor or lab instructor is strictly prohibited. If your team stops making a good faith effort (as determined by your professor or lab instructor) at the simulation decisions for all rounds, you will receive 0 points for the simulation regardless of any other performance consideration.
Shareholders’ Report (up to 10 points)
This report should highlight the key aspects of the company’s strategy and your performance outcomes. It should be written in the style of an executive summary; thus, the report should be approximately 10 pages long (but no more than 15 pages in length). The purpose of this assignment is to develop your written communication skills in a business setting. This assignment tests your ability to effectively articulate your company’s strategies, performance, successes and failures. 
In your shareholder report, you should first include a letter to shareholders that briefly introduces your company, products, top management team. Second, you need to include mission statement and SWOT analysis for your company. Third, discuss the strategies your team used. Next, discuss your performance, focusing on some key performance measures (i.e., profit, cumulative profit, ROA, stock price, etc.). Lastly, discuss lessons learned as top management and future plans for your company. Headings for each section should be concise and clear.
Peer Evaluation (up to 5 points):
Cooperative and contributive group participation is expected of all students. Students will be evaluated by their peers in terms of their meeting attendance, quantity and quality of their contributions at the end of the semester. Final score will be the average score of your peer evaluation. Any student that fails to complete peer evaluations for ALL other group members will receive a score of zero.
Class Attendance (up to 5 points):
Given we are using the remote online instruction and you are able to review pre-recorded lecture at your convenience. However, simulation is another central element of this course. Thus, you are required to attend the lab sessions (simulation) via zoom during our regular class hours on Thursdays. These zoom meetings are to help you and your team to better understand the simulation, review past performance, resolve questions and issues related to simulation or class in general. Attendance for the zoom meetings is required. Roll call will be taken via zoom, if you miss it or fail to respond at the time of roll call, it is considered as absent.
Bonus Points (up to 3 points):
Students who make 2 current business news presentations are eligible for 3 bonus points.
The presentation should focus on current business news (preferably news in the past 6 months). The news can be retrieved from Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, or other business news outlets. The presentation should include adequate information in the format of power point, such as main points of who, when, where, what, how, and why. Students also need to discuss how the business events presented are related to the course. The presentation should be 3-5 minutes. Students should be prepared for questions that the class may have.
This assignment needs to be recorded via Panopto recordings and uploaded into subfolder “Bonus”. The title of your presentation should be your name. Failure to meet these requirements may result in 0.5 deduction for each presentation.
SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Students who need special accommodations should make an appointment to discuss the Accommodations Memo with me during my office hours as soon as possible.  If scheduled office hours conflict with classes, please arrange an alternate appointment time.  If you do not have an Accommodations Memo, but need special accommodations, please contact The Program for Students with Disabilities, 1244 Haley Center, 334.844.5943.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:  
All portions of the Auburn University Honesty Code (Title XII) found in the Tiger Cub (http://www.auburn.edu/tigercub/) will apply to this class.  
STATEMENT REGARDING EMAIL AND CANVAS AS OFFICIAL MEANS OF COMMUNICATION: Email is the university approved form of communication.  It is the student’s responsibility to frequently check his/her email as listed in Canvas.
DIVERSITY:
Diversity at Auburn University encompasses the whole of human experience and includes such human qualities as race, gender, ethnicity, physical ability, nationality, age, religion, sexual orientation, economic status, and veteran status. These and other socially and historically important attributes reflect the complexity of our increasingly diverse student body, local community, and national population.  Auburn University recognizes and values the considerable educational benefits emanating from diversity as we prepare our students for life and leadership in a multicultural world. Students who interact with and learn about people from a variety of backgrounds are more apt to understand, appreciate, and excel in the community they inhabit. In this context, diversity is aligned with Auburn University’s land grant mission of providing its students with a superior education in service to the needs of Alabama, the nation, and the world.  Contact the Office of Diversity at www.auburn.edu/diversity
COMPLIANCE WITH THE AUBURN HONOR CODE IS MANDATORY:
In accordance with those virtues of Honesty and Truthfulness set forth in the Auburn Creed, I, as a student and fellow member of the Auburn family, do hereby pledge that all work is my own, achieved through personal merit and without any unauthorized aid. In the promotion of integrity, and for thebetterment of Auburn, I give honor to this, my oath and obligation.
MNGT 4800-003 Fall 2020 TENTATIVE* SCHEDULE
Tuesday Lecture Thursday Lab
08/18 Course Introduction 08/20 Registration, Team assignment, Training
08/25 Chp. 1 08/27 Simulation introduction
09/01 Chp. 2 09/03 Practice Rd. 1 (all decisions due Wed midnight)
09/08 Chp. 3 09/10 Practice Rd. 2
09/15 Chp. 4 09/17 Practice Rd. 3
09/22 Exam 1 09/24 Competition Rd. 1
09/29 Chp. 5 10/01 Competition Rd. 2
10/06 Chp. 6 10/08 Competition Rd. 3
10/13 Chp. 7 10/15 Competition Rd. 4
10/20 Exam 2 10/22 Competition Rd. 5
10/27 Chp.8 10/29 Competition Rd. 6
11/03 Chp. 9 11/05 Competition Rd. 7
11/10 Chp. 10 11/12 Competition Rd. 8
11/17 Exam 3 11/19 No zoom meeting
11/24 Shareholder reports, Peer eval, & bonus Due
All lab session will be conducted via Zoom meetings during regular class hours on Thursdays 11:00-12:15pm.
All practice rounds and competition rounds are due the following Wednesday at 11:59pm. 
Shareholder reports and peer evaluations are due 11/24/2020 11:59pm.
*Instructors reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus including course schedule.