OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
STRATEGY CLASSICS: MANAGEMENT 840
Dr Barbara R Bartkus
SYLLABUS & READING LIST - Fall 2009
This is the reading list for the Fall 2009 term. There may be some minor editing changes
quick links:
Dr Bartkus' home page
ODU home page
ODU Library
Course Description
This course is for new doctoral students in strategic management. The course will introduce you to some classic texts in strategic management so that you become aware of the scope of the field as well as the foundation for many of the debates and issues that are central to strategic management research.
Readings and in-class discussions should help you understand and critique conceptual literature in the field of strategic management. Specifically, I hope the course will achieve the following: a) help you to understand the foundations of strategic management , b) help you identify your own research interests within strategic management, c) prepare you for an academic career in a strategic management, d) prepare you to review and write research papers that lead to publication in refereed journals, and e) develop your capability to make presentations at conferences in strategic management.
Consistent with the objective of the course, evaluation will be based on the following:
Discussions and in-class summaries: 25 %
Final Exam: 25%
Paper: 40 % + Paper Presentation 10 %
Grading: A: 90-100, B: 80-89, C: 70-79, F: 0 -69. Plus/minus grades will apply to the extremes of each grade level.
Discussion and in-class summaries: It is expected that you would attend classes regularly, complete all the assigned readings, and be willing to discuss the material in class. Many classes will begin with a question (short writing assignment) based on the current reading. For example, you may be asked to summarize a key point of the book. You will be permitted to use your notes, but you will not be permitted to quote from the book as part of your written summary.
You should always be prepared to discuss, analyze and critique the ideas and theories contained in the readings. Students are expected to be able to respond thoughtfully to my questions and also bring questions, comments, and observations about the readings to each class.
In the first several weeks of the term, I will lead our class discussions. As we progress through the fall term, you will (each) be expected to take a leadership role in class discussion.
It will be helpful to read the books with an awareness of the issues at the time the book was written (consider the level of competition, globalization and even political issues and regulation at the time). Many factors will have changed, but the theories may still apply.
Paper: The final paper for the class can be a literature review on any topic in Strategic Management that has a foundation in one (or more) of our readings. You may write the paper entirely as a literature review that is based on current knowledge or you may write the paper as a theoretical perspective with a set of propositions. The paper should be a high quality paper worthy of acceptance in a professional conferences and/or a peer-reviewed journal. The paper should be typed double-spaced and about 20-25 pages in length including reference list.
You should limit your paper to articles that you have personally read in their entirety! Do not simply summarize someone else's literature review or repeat phrases found in other articles - be particularly wary of including phrasing or terms that you do not understand.
Presentation: You will present your paper to the class. This will require that you organize your work into a presentation (do not merely read the paper to the class!).
Exam: The exam will be in class in the comprehensive exam format (essay, no books, no notes permitted).
Asking questions outside of class/contacting your professor: Our official class time is Monday afternoon from 1:00-4:00 pm. However, you need not limit our interaction to formal class discussions. Email or see me if you have questions. I have office hours, but you may see me anytime you have a question. If I'm not in my office, please email and we'll set up a time to meet.
Academic integrity / Honor Code: It is essential that all your work is entirely your own effort. You are permitted and encouraged to discuss the readings prior (or after) class. However, you may not copy the work of another individual without full citation information. You may not coauthor your written assignments (with another student, or with any faculty member). The paper and the presentation materials must be entirely (100%!!) your own effort. Please read the CBPA information sheet on plagiarism carefully, ask if you are unsure. Academic careers have been destroyed by careless "borrowing" of another's effort and/or blatant dishonesty.
A note from Dr Judge:
This seminar is not just an intellectual endeavor - it also is a chance for you to develop academically, emotionally and morally. Doctoral work can be stressful, and sometimes students are tempted to cut corners such as using other's work and representing it as their own. This practice is known as "plagiarism" and it represents a moral failure on the part of the person who does this. While I hope and expect that this practice will not be used by you when preparing your term paper and/or answering your in-class summaries and the final examination, sometimes there are "grey" areas that need to be clarified in order to avoid any future programs. Toward that end, please read and be familiar with the facts associated with plagiarism.
Plagiarism, like other forms of academic dishonesty such as cheating, is a serious offense at Old Dominion University and any suspicious work will be forwarded to Dean's office for action. Possible penalties include an "F" for the course, dismissal from the program, and/or a notation "academic dishonesty" on your transcript. Please include the ODU Honor Pledge on all written assignments.
Schedule of Readings:
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The books are on 3-hour reserve at the ODU Library.
If two dates are shown, the second date shown is the date the publication was reprinted. |
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Monday
August 31 |
Ansoff, H. Igor 1965/1968. Corporate strategy; an analytic approach to business policy for growth and expansion. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books (published in the U.S. by McGraw-Hill. ) |
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Monday
Sept 7 |
Holiday / Labor Day |
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Monday
Sept 14 |
Barnard, C. 1938; 1968. Functions of the Executive, (30th anniversary edition) Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. |
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Monday
Sept 21 |
Hofer, C. W. & Schendel, D. E. 1978. Strategy Formulation: Analytical Concepts, St Paul: West Publishing. |
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Monday
Sept 28 |
Chandler, A. D. 1962. Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the American Industrial Enterprise. Washington, DC: BeardBooks.
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Monday
October 5 |
Miles, R.E. & Snow, C.C. 1989;2003 Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. |
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Monday
October 12 |
Fall break - no class -
Suggestion: use this week to work on your literature review paper |
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Monday
October 19 |
Porter, M. E. 1980/1998. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors: New York :The Free Press: |
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Monday
October 26 |
Caves, R. 1964. American Industry: Structure, Conduct, Performance. Upper Saddle River: NJ: Prentice Hall |
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Monday
November 2 |
Rumelt, R. 1974. Strategy, Structure, and Economic Performance (Harvard Business School Classics) |
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Monday
November 9 |
Williamson, O. 1975. Markets & Hierarchies: Analysis and antitrust implications. New York: Free Press. |
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Monday
November 16 |
Penrose, Edith, 1959 / 1995 The theory of the growth of the firm., Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
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Monday
November 23 |
Mintzberg, H. 1994 The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning, London: Prentice Hall. |
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Monday November 30 |
Frederickson. James W. 1990. Perspectives on Strategic Management. New York: Harper Business. |
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Monday Dec 7 |
Paper Presentations |
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Monday Dec 14 |
FINAL EXAM |
About Plagiarism
The College of Business and Public Administration
Old Dominion University
What is it?
The Old Dominion University (ODU) Catalogue (2004-2006, p. 14, F) defines plagiarism as follows:
A student will have committed plagiarism if he or she reproduces someone else's work without acknowledging its source; or if a source is cited which the student has not cited or used. Examples of plagiarism include: submitting a research paper obtained from a commercial research service, the Internet, or from another student as if it were original work; making simple changes to borrowed materials while leaving the organization, content, or phraseology intact; or copying material from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks. Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if one or more of the members of the group does none of the group's work and participates in none of the group's activities, but attempts to take credit for the work of the group.
Hints for Avoiding Plagiarism:
More than three words is plagiarism. This is a good yardstick to use when wondering whether or not quotes are appropriate. They are, if you are copying more than three words in sequence.
One source is not "common knowledge." Common knowledge does not require citation. But something is not common knowledge if you have found just one source for the information.
When in doubt, cite! If you have any doubt about whether or not to cite a source, err on the side of making the attribution.
If your co-author sounds surprisingly eloquent, make sure the contribution is his or her own. We often work in groups and co-author papers and projects. You should ask the question of your co-author if you doubt the work is their own. In group work, you are responsible for the project/paper in its entirety.
Look away. When you are writing, do not have open books or papers in front of you as you type. Read your sources, and then put what you have read into your own words.
Writing is hard work. Paraphrasing is relatively easy, writing is hard. Learning to be a good writer is part of what your college education is about. Staring at an empty screen in MS Word does become less daunting over time!
Just because it's on the Internet, doesn't mean it's yours. The Internet is a fantastic resource and search engines are terrific research tools. But what you find on the Internet was written by someone. You must cite Internet web sites, and if you use a quote, use appropriate quotation procedures.
Paraphrasing is more than changing a verb tense or reordering a list. There is a difference between citing a source for a fact and creating a bad quote.
Use a Style Guide. Purchase a style guide and refer to it. Your teacher may suggest one or look for one at Amazon. Popular and timeless guides are by the American Psychological Association, Strunk and White, and Kate Turabian.
The High Cost of Plagiarism
In your professional career, you will find that reputation is everything. Plagiarism can ruin your reputation and cost you your professional career, along with the respect of your peers and family. Plagiarism at Old Dominion University is an act of academic dishonesty that has serious consequences. Note that plagiarism is specifically covered in the ODU Honor Pledge. Refer to the Student Handbook and Student Affairs for details about sanctions and penalties for this behavior.
