COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

AT
STONY BROOK

Course: Business Strategy, BUS 441.02

Semester: Fall 2024 Instructor: Robert E. Ettl
Instructor contact information: E-Mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday, 12:30 to 1:30 and by appointment, Harriman
Hall, room 314B
Meeting time: Monday & Wednesday, Harriman Hall, Room 137, 11:00 to 12:20

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course incorporates the functions of the chief executive officer and his/her staff
whose major responsibility is to direct and lead a total enterprise. It addresses the major
concerns of top-level decision makers, their development of policies and the
implementation of corporate, line of business/strategic business unit (LOB/SBU),
functional and operational strategies.

TEXTS:

There is no required text. The instructor will provide all reading assignments.
If you want to access a book I can provide recommendations.

UNDERGRADUATE GOALS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Critical thinking and analysis:

GOAL: Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically and to support decisions
using analytical methods

OBJECTIVE: Think critically using analytical methods to support decision making

More specifically students will need:

1. to understand techniques for developing generic business strategies;

2. to understand techniques for performing a strategic competitive analysis and

building competitive advantages;
 3. to understand techniques for analyzing and implementing business strategies

Knowledge:

GOAL: Students will demonstrate understanding of and apply core business knowledge

OBJECTIVE: Solve discipline specific problems demonstrating mastery of foundational

business knowledge

More specifically the course will help:

1. to assist students in understanding how to relate this knowledge to their

environment as a business manager

2. students understand the executive position with its roles and responsibilities and
understand how these responsibilities fit into the larger picture of a total business
enterprise

3. to integrate what the students have learned from other business courses into an
overall approach to strategic management

Ethics:

GOAL: Students will recognize the ethical and corporate social responsibilities of
organizations

OBJECTIVE: 1. identify ethical and corporate social responsibility issues in

organizations
2. recommend a solution to ethical and corporate social responsibility
issues

More specifically students will learn:

1. to incorporate ethical and legal considerations into the strategy decision making
process and understand the potential penalties for not doing so
TOP HAT

We will be using Top Hat (www.tophat.com) for attendance and test taking using
Apple or Android smartphones and tablets, laptops, or through text message.

You can visit the Top Hat Overview (https://success.tophat.com/s/article/Student-

Top-Hat-Overview-and-Getting-Started-Guide) within the Top Hat Success
Center which outlines how you will register for a Top Hat account, as well as
providing a brief overview to get you up and running on the system.

Note: our Course Join Code is 819478

Top Hat may require a paid subscription, and a full breakdown of all subscription
options available can be found here: www.tophat.com/pricing.

Should you require assistance with Top Hat at any time, due to the fact that they
require specific user information to troubleshoot these issues, please contact
their Support Team directly by way of email ([email protected]), the in app
support button, or by calling 1-888-663-5491 and follow the prompts for student
support.

CLASSROOM PHILOSOPHY:

It is my intent to totally involve the students in the learning process and let them discover
the impact of strategic business practices on domestic and global operations. Student
participation in classroom discussions will be paramount in all my activities. Only by
open and honest dialog and sharing of ideas can we learn to respect and appreciate each
other’s views.

All content discussed in class will be applicable to real life business situations.

The lecture is the core upon which the course material is built. It is my option how to edit
the material to best meet the needs of the students and the course objectives. Sources of
information will include professional experience, trade journals, business consultant
reports, text books and government publications.
STUDENT GRADES:

The grades will be determined in the following manner:

Test # 1……………………………………25 points

Test # 2……………………………………30 points
Test # 3..…………………………………..30 points
Attendance……………………………….....5 points
Assignments…………………………….....10 points

TOTAL……………………………………100 points

GRADE DISTRIBUTION IS AS FOLLOWS:

A…..96-100
A-….92-95
B+…88-91
B…..84-87
B-….80-83
C+…76-79
C…..72-75
C-….68-71
D+…64-67
D…..60-63
F…..Below 60

The instructor is available for extra help throughout the semester. Please take advantage
of this opportunity as early and frequently as necessary.

All tests will be taken on Top Hat in the classroom.

Information about the assignments will be provided in class, on Brightspace and by

email. Please check your SPAM account to be sure you do not miss any assignment
information. All assignments will be turned in on time and will be evaluated on content,
grammar ,sentence structure, following assignment instructions, spelling and punctuation.
All assignments will be typed and submitted in class and any late or incomplete
assignments will not be accepted. In addition, assignments will not be accepted by e-mail
unless there is prior agreement with the instructor.

THERE WILL BE NO ASSIGNMENTS FOR EXTRA CREDIT FOR BUS 441.

ATTENDANCE AND LATENESS:

Students are expected to attend class and be on time. Attendance will be taken at each
class by Top Hat, from the class roster, class assignments, taking a test or on a sign in
sheet. Since this is a 3-credit course you are allowed a maximum of three absences.
Once you have exceeded the three unexcused absences you will lose all 5 attendance
points. Arriving late to class after attendance has been taken constitutes an absence.

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO INSURE YOUR ATTENDANCE IS

RECORDED PROPERLY WITH THE INSTRUCTOR

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally
accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your
own is always wrong. Faculty is required to report any suspected instances of
academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive
information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty
please refer to the academic judiciary website at
http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

The College of Business regards any act of academic dishonesty as a major violation
punishable by severe penalties, including dismissal from the University. University
policy requires that instructors and GAs and TAs report all suspected cases of academic
dishonesty to the appropriate Academic Judiciary Committee, which is empowered to
take strong action against violators. Under no circumstances will the College of Business
permit cheating of any kind. Many activities constitute academic dishonesty. The
following list is not inclusive, only suggestive:

 Cheating on exams or assignments by the use of books, electronic devices,

notes, or other aids when these are not permitted, or by copying from
another student.
 Collusion: two or more students helping one another on an exam or
assignment when it is not permitted.
 Ringers: taking an exam for someone else, or permitting someone else to
take one's exam. Submitting the same paper in more than one course
without permission of the instructors.
  Plagiarizing: copying someone else's writing or paraphrasing it too closely,
even if it constitutes only some of your written assignment.
 Submitting the same paper in more than one course without approval of
the instructors.
 Falsifying documents or records related to credit, grades, status (e.g., adds
and drops, P/NC grading), or other academic matters.
 Altering an exam or paper after it has been graded in order to request a
grade change.
 Stealing, concealing, destroying, or inappropriately modifying classroom
or other instructional material, such as posted exams, library materials,
laboratory supplies, or computer programs.
 Preventing relevant material from being subjected to academic evaluation.

STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SUPPORT CENTER:

If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may

impact your course work, please contact Student Accessibility Support Center
(SASC) in the Stony Brook Union, room 107 or call at (631) 632-6748, or at
[email protected]. They will determine with you what accommodations are
necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

BASIC NEEDS:

Any student concerned about resources related to your basic needs including
food and/or stable housing please contact the student support team for
assistance.

CRITICAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT:

Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and
property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of University
Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to
teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students'
ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are
required to follow their school-specific procedures. Further information about
most academic matters can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin, the
Undergraduate Class Schedule, and the Faculty-Employee Handbook.

CLASS SCHEDULE:

8/26 Introduction and characteristics of well run companies as identified by Peter

Drucker

8/28 Components of strategic management, vision/mission statements and goals

 and objectives

9/2 No class

9/4 Strategic management continued

9/9 Levels of business strategies and the focal points of each

9/11 Implementation, control and evaluation and the external environment

9/16 Industry attractiveness and the social, legal and ethical environment
Three tests of a strategy

9/18 No class

9/23 Industry specific model, economic characteristics and the 5 Forces Model

9/25 Catalyst for change, competitive moves and key success factors (KSF)

9/30 Company specific model, present strategies and relative cost

10/2 Competitive positioning

10/7 Diversification, when to do so and the decision tree

10/9 Test # 1

10/14 No class

10/12 BCG, Nine Cell, Life Cycle and PIMS models

10/16 Five generic strategies

10/21 Broad Differentiation

10/23 Overall low cost

10/28 Test # 2

10/30 Focused differentiation

11/4 Focused low cost

11/6 Best cost provider

11/11 Offensive strategies

11/13 Defensive strategies

11/18 Global strategies

11/20 Organizational structure for strategy development

11/25 Structure continued

11/27 No class

12/2 Test # 3

12/4 Turn around strategies

12/9 Class wrap up

12/10 Reading Day

12/11 - 12/19 Final exams

Test dates are tentative and subject to change depending on the pace of the class as we
cover the material. All test dates will be announced in class. In the event of unforeseen
class cancelations the test # 3 will be given during finals week.