Department of Strategic Management and Organization School of Business
University of Alberta
SMO 321: Lecture X01
Introduction to Strategic Management and Organization Design Spring 2015
Instructor: Dr Kent Rondeau, PhD
Office: ECHA 3-269 [School of Public Health]
Office hours: by appointment Telephone: 780-492-8608 (Office) E-mail: [email protected]
Time and Place: Monday / Wednesday 6:00 pm – 8:50 pm Business 4 - 13
Course Objective: Organizations provide a profound influence on the lives of everyone. We are born and die in hospitals, we are educated in schools, we are employed in profit-making or non-profit firms, we are regulated and controlled by government, police, and the courts, we vote for political parties, and we belong to clubs, societies, and fraternal orders. We are members of countless organizations over the span of our lives. Organizations are everywhere and pervasive.
Knowledge about organizations is critical if we are to survive their influence and profit from our association with them.
The objective of this course is to introduce the student to the study of organizations and their strategic management. The appropriate focus for this course will be primarily at, but not restricted to, the macro or societal level of analysis. This differs somewhat from organizational behaviour where the focus is on how individuals and groups act within organizations.
Topics to be covered in this course will include: organizational goals and effectiveness; the environment and technology of organizations; organizational strategy, structure and design;
organizational culture; organizational change, growth and decline;
organizational conflict, power and politics; and organizational decision-making.
Classroom work will include lectures and discussion of required topics, selected case studies, and exercises. Case and exercise work is designed to provide practical examples for many of the concepts and theories that are discussed in class. Students are expected to have read all assigned cases and exercises before coming to class and to participate fully in their discussion and analysis.
Course Materials: The required textbook for this course is:
Daft, R.L., and Armstrong, A. (2015). Organization Theory & Design. Third Canadian Edition, Toronto: Nelson Education.
The textbook is available for purchase at the University of Alberta Bookstore.
Course notes for each session will be placed on U-Learn at the commencement of each week.
Grading: The grading system employed in this course will be:
Case Analysis .………...… 20 %
Organization Culture audit ………..…….. 25 %
Midterm Examination .…………... 20 %
Final Examination .…………... 25 %
Attendance / Participation ……….. 10 % Grading Schema:
The following grading schema will be employed.
Percentage Range Grade
90 - 100 A+
85 - 89.5 A
80 - 84.5 A-
77 - 79.5 B+
74 - 76.5 B
70 - 73.5 B-
67 - 69.5 C+
64 - 66.5 C
60 - 63.5 C-
55 - 59.5 D+
50 - 54.5 D
0 - 49.5 F
Case Analysis:
Each student is expected to analyze and submit one case from the three major cases that are examined in class. The choice of which case to submit is left up to the discretion of the student. Regardless of which case is chosen for submission, the student should have thoroughly read the case that has been assigned for that day and be ready to discuss its contents in an open forum. The format for the written case must follow the framework as provided by the instructor. The written case should generally not exceed 2000 words (about 8 pages excluding cover pages and supporting materials) in length and must be submitted at the beginning of class on the due date. Late cases will not be graded.
Organizational Culture Audit:
Each student will be expected to perform a culture audit on a fictional organization that is depicted in a feature film. For this class, the feature film that will be used to construct the culture audit is entitled “Patterns” (1956), a full-feature Hollywood movie staring Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, and Ed Begley. Using an analytic framework provided by the instructor each student will describe and characterize the corporate culture of the senior management team of the fictional organization (Ramsey Company) as depicted in the movie. The written audit should not exceed 2000 words (approximately 8 pages excluding cover pages and supporting materials) in length. The organization culture audit is due on Monday June 8, 2015.
Participation and Attendance:
To promote student learning and engagement, class participation and attendance will be assessed. Class attendance will be taken on a regular basis. Students who cannot attend all classes should not register for this course. As a way to foster student engagement, before each (weekly) session, the instructor will post two questions on the u-Learn (Blackboard) Discussion Board. This process has been designed to engage the student more fully with the material being examined, with the intent to promote dialogue and shared understanding. Each student is expected to formulate a response to each question and post them. Students may also choose to respond to the postings provided by other students. Responses should be thoughtful and at least 100 words in length.
Responses that reflect opinions not supported by evidence gleaned directly from the readings and from the textbook will not receive credit.
Midterm Examination:
A one-hour midterm examination is scheduled for Monday May 25, 2015.
Final Examination:
A two-hour final examination is scheduled for Friday June 12, 2015.
Resource provided — The instructor will post on-line, for your consideration, a few relevant readings in The Professor’s Library. These readings provide some relevant background information that may be useful for doing your case analysis.
Course Timetable Spring 2015
May 4: Introduction to the Theory of Organizations (I) Readings: Textbook - Chapter 1
Class Exercise: “Exploring Your Organizational Values” (Handout)
May 6: Introduction to the Theory of Organizations (II) Readings: Textbook – Chapter 1
Practice Case: Death of a Computer (Case book)
May 11: Goal Setting, Strategic Performance and Organizational Effectiveness Readings: Textbook – Chapter 2
Class Exercise: “Problems in Organizational Goal Setting” (Handout)
May 13: Strategic Management of Organizations Readings: Textbook – Chapter 2
Class Exercise: “Organizational Performance Indicators” (Handout) May 18: Victoria Day Holiday (no class)
May 20: Organization Environment Readings: Textbook - Chapter 4
Case 1: Maple Leaf Coffee, Inc. (Case book)
May 25: Inter-organizational Relationships Readings: Textbook – Chapter 5 Midterm Examination (1 hour)
May 27: Organizational Culture and Ethics (I) Readings: Textbook – Chapter 9
Culture Audit movie: “Patterns”
June 1: Organization Culture and Ethics (II) Readings: Textbook - Chapter 9 Case 2: Bre-X Bust (Case book)
June 3: Organizational Structure and Design (I) Readings: Textbook – Chapter 3
Class Exercise: “The Paradoxical Twins: Acme and Omega Electronics”
(Handout)
June 8: Organizational Structure and Design (II) Readings: Textbook – Chapter 3
June 10: Organizational Growth and Decline Readings: Textbook – Chapter 8
Case 3: Rondell Data Corporation (Case book) Course Review and Preparation for Final Examination June 12: Final Examination (2 hours)
Notes:
Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar. (GFC 29 SEP 2003)
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at
www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University. (GFC 29 SEP 2003)