Faculty Contact Information:
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Consultation:
E-mail: aharris@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
Note: This syllabus is tentative. Some changes may be made before the class begins. Any changes made before class begins will be effective for the class. This syllabus is presented for planning and information purposes only. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Text used exclusively in this course --
Wheelen, T. L. & Hunger, J.D. (2002). Strategic management and
business Policy (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Texts used in multiple courses --
Weiss, C. H. (1998). Evaluation (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall. Chapters 1, 2, 5, 8, and 13.
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington DC:
Author. | |
Supplementary Readings:
Corporate Information Strategy and Management Text and Cases (6th Edition), by Lynda Applegate, Robert D. Austin, and F. Warren McFarlan, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003
Cases: There are several cases for which you will be responsible. These cases will be in either of the two primary texts.
Other Readings: Other readings may be assigned from time-to-time. You will be responsible for any reading assignments made.
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students’ research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
| Prerequisites: MGMT 511, MGMT 571, PUAD 501, and PUAD 524, or permission of the Program Director.Strategic Planning: analyses of operational systems and policy issues, and developing and implementing solutions to managerial problems. Students in the M.S. program are not eligible for MGMT 640. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: MGMT 640 or MGMT 503. | |
Course Goals:
As a required, advanced, course in the management track of the MPA, this course builds on previous coursework and professional experience to focus on high level strategic and policy decisions. Upon completion of the course, participants should have an understanding of:
- Principles of strategic management,
- Strategy formulation and environmental scanning, and
- The process of policy evaluation.
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Develop an understanding of concepts, research, and theories concerning strategic management.
- Develop and apply a framework of analysis for practical problem solving.
- Develop conceptual skills integrating management issues in public and commercial organizations.
- Develop an appreciation for problems associated with globalization of the economy.
- Develop abilities to analyze, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the performance of people responsible for strategic decisions.
- Improve research capabilities and critical thinking required for strategic policy formulation and evaluation.
- Recognize and apply appropriate ethical standards as part of the strategic management process.
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Grading Information:
90% or higher of points available = A
80-89% of points available = B
70-79% of points available = C
Below 70% of points available = F
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any student that has failed to turn in any case analysis will receive a C for the course, providing that their average is greater than 70% for all of their other work. Please note that if you fail to turn in a case analysis, you may NOT receive an A or B for the class, regardless of what your average is.
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs or in your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, the following items are required:
- Group Project-Strategic Analysis/Suggested Implementation Plan for Existing an Company or Governmental Unit 50 points
- Case Analyses (3 @ 30 points each) 90 points
- Exam Conferences (2 @ 20 points each) 40 points
- Case & Group Presentation Conferences (4 @ 10 points each) 40 points
- Discussion Conference (participation in class case questions and dialogues - 8 @ 15 points per conference) 120 points
- TOTAL 340 points
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Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately 3 hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Discussion Conferences: Each student will be judged on the timeliness and quality, not quantity, of participation in class discussions. I expect students to be interactive in the discussion conferences. Timely posting of the article summary and discussion question response will be considered minimum and will generally get you a C (11.0 points out of 15.0) for the discussion grade for the Conference. Class participation points for discussion conferences will be assigned as follows (all times are the posting date as determined by WebTycho):
- Article summary posted on or before THURSDAY 5.5 points
- Article summary posted AFTER THURSDAY 3.5 points
- Discussion question response posted on or before THURSDAY 5.5 points
- Discussion question response posted AFTER THURSDAY 3.5 points
- Participation in conference discussion (posting of questions to classmates, responses, and other discussion contributions) Up to 4.0 points
You may post your article summary and discussion question response early (as soon as the conference becomes "viewable"). I will generally make conferences available on the Friday before the conference starts for early posting. To get the full amount available for participation in conference discussion (4.0 points), you should have at least 10 quality contributions to the conference in addition to your article summary and discussion question response.
Case & Group Presentation Conferences: Each student will be judged on the timeliness and quality of participation in case and group presentation conferences. I expect students to be interactive in the case and group presentation conferences. Timely posting of the case analysis or group presentation will be considered minimum. Discussion grade for the case and group project conferences will be based on timely posting and your participation in the conference discussion and will be assigned as follows:
- Case response posted on or before THURSDAY 7.0 points
- Case response posted AFTER THURSDAY 4.5 points
- Participation in conference discussion (posting of questions to classmates, responses, and other discussion contributions) Up to 3.0 points
You may post your case analysis or group presentation early (as soon as the conference becomes "viewable"). I will generally make conferences available on the Friday before the conference starts for early posting. To get the full amount available for participation in conference discussion (3.0 points), you should have at least 10 quality contributions to the conference in addition to your case analysis or group presentation.
Exam Conferences: Each student will be judged on the timeliness and quality of participation in exam conferences. I expect students to be very interactive in the exam conferences. Timely posting of the exam question responses will be considered minimum. Discussion grade for the exam conferences will be based on timely posting of your exam question responses and your participation in the conference discussion and will be assigned as follows:
- Exam Question responses posted on or before MONDAY 5.0 points each
- Exam Question responses posted AFTER MONDAY 3.5 points each
- Participation in Exam Conference discussion (posting of questions to classmates, responses, and other discussion contributions) Up to 10.0 points
You may post your exam question responses early. I will generally make conferences available on the Friday before the Exam Conference starts for early posting. To get the full amount available for participation in conference discussion (10.0 points), you should have at least 16 quality contributions to the conference in addition to your exam question responses.
ASSIGNMENTS
Group Project: Each group will be expected to prepare and present a professional analysis of an organization, making sure to include at least three-fourths (3/4) of the concepts presented in the texts and class discussion. The paper should range from 20-25 double-spaced pages. The group presentation should consist of PowerPoint slides with notes for an oral presentation that would last 20-30 minutes. Your group should also be expected to answer any questions posed by the other students. Each member of the group may have the opportunity to grade the other members on their level of participation/effort on the project.
Case Analyses: For each case, you are expected to present the major points of the case, using the terms and concepts presented in the class. You will be assigned to a case by the instructor. Several people may have the same case for discussion. The case analysis should consist of a 4-6 page report. You will post your final case analysis on the conference, answer any questions posed by the instructor and other students, and submit your paper for grading. These case analyses should reflect the concepts of the class (SWOT, Porter’s 5 forces, Generic Strategies, etc.) and class "discussions." In your analysis, tell why this case is important to the study of IS/IT or strategic management.
Article Reviews: Each student will be expected to review and contribute one article for each of the eight discussion conferences (Conferences # 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11). These articles must contribute additional knowledge in support of the topics for the conference. A 1-2 page summary of the article is to be prepared, posted to the Conference, and submitted for grading. Each student is expected to post a single-spaced copy of his/her final article review to the conference during the first three days of the conference. This will increase our understanding of the field and provide resources to build your knowledge and understanding of the subject area. Part of the grading criteria for article reviews is the article’s relevance to the class and the topics discussed in class.
Exams: The exams will consist of some combination of short answer questions, a comprehensive question, and/or a take home case. All questions will be based on the discussions, readings and objectives for this course.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Complete graduate level projects or programming assignments, write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism.
Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your results in a professional manner. In a face-to-face course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In a DE class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The examination questions used for this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam. | |
Course Schedule:
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Academic Policies:
Please refer to the UMUC–Europe Graduate Catalog or from your local Education Center, for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Albert L. Harris, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Information Technology and Operations Management in the John A. Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. He also teaches distance education courses in Information Systems for the University of Maryland University College-Europe. Dr. Harris received his Ph.D. in Management Information Systems (MIS) from Georgia State University, his Master's degree in Systems Management from George Washington University, and his B.S. in Quantitative Business Analysis from Indiana University. He had over 15 years of information systems consulting experience before joining the academic ranks. He and his wife have traveled extensively. He is currently Editor of the Journal of Information Systems Education (JISE). He served as Treasurer of EDSIG, the Education Special Interest Group of AITP, from 1998 to 2001, Secretary of the SE Chapter of DSI (1999-2000), MIS Track Chair for the SE Chapter of DSI twice, and a Board of Directors member of EDSIG. He teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate IS courses. He has presented papers at numerous international, national, and regional meetings of professional organizations. He has published articles in the Journal of Information Systems Education, Information & Management, International Journal of Management, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Journal of Management Consulting, The Review of Accounting Information Systems, International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, and in over 25 international, national and regional proceedings. | |