Tim Rowley Case -

Instructor: Tim Rowley

E-Mail: rowley@rotman.utoronto.ca

Phone: 416-978-6859

Fax: 416-978-4629

Office Hours: 95 St. George Street, Room 7038, Tuesday 10:30-12:30

Course Scope and Mission

This course will introduce you to the basic concepts, frameworks and methodologies useful to managers in crafting and executing business strategy. The course focuses on the fundamental conditions that enable a firm to conceive, develop, and sustain a superior strategic position. We will introduce and apply analytical tools that will help you identify and systematically assess (1) the various environmental forces acting upon a firm, (2) a firm's internal source of competitive advantage, (3) the likely behavior of a firm's rivals (and the ways in which a firm can influence its rivals' behavior), and (4) the long-run sustainability of a firm's competitive advantage. We will also briefly discuss corporate strategy.

The ultimate goal of this course is to improve your decision-making and critical thinking capabilities through the acquisition and internalization of strategy tools and through active discussion and debate with peers. The emphasis of the course, and particularly of class discussion, is on rigorous thinking and learning rather than finding the "right" answer.

We should also note that RSM 392 is designed to function like an MBA course and to prepare the students (a) for potential MBA courses in the future and (b) for the intensity of the professional experience. Note that the course builds heavily on the MBA Strategy courses offered by leading MBA programs. Consistent with this approach, we emphasize class participation, class discussion, and professionalism to a substantial degree.

Course Prerequisites

Course Prerequisites: RSM219H1, RSM222H1

Course Exclusions: MGT 492H1

Required Readings

Course Package (reading and cases) required

Evaluation and Grades

Grades are a measure of the performance of a student in individual courses. Each student shall be judged on the basis of how well he or she has command of the course materials.

Work Due Date

Class Participation/Attendance 20% Ongoing

Case Question Hand-in 15% February 5th

Mid Term Exam 25% February 12th

Final Exam 40% During Faculty of Arts & Science Final

Examination period

Class Participation 20%

Verbal and presentation skills are essential in general management. In this class, I hope that we provide each other with a "riskless" environment in which we can test our ideas, enhance our presentation skills and improve our decision-making effectiveness. A willingness to participate and to test new ideas is not only important, buy also it is the central ingredient of this course.

It is important to appreciate that every student is a co-producer of the class discussion, and thus it is important that every class member listen carefully to one another and attempt to build on or constructively critique prior comments. Try to resist the temptation to jump to topics that are not specifically open for discussion.

It is crucial that you prepare fully by reading and reflecting on the material assigned for each class. Much of the learning experience of this course depends upon your ability to integrate the reading material with our class discussions and exercises in a "real time" setting. There is no substitute to participation.

In grading class participation, we will use several criteria, including:

Analysis: Do the comments include analysis, or do they simply restate the facts?

Responsiveness: Do the comments relate to, and build upon, the previous discussion?

Creativity: Do the comments bring a new perspective to the issues? (test new ideas)

Clarity: Are the comments succinct and understandable?

Quantity: How frequently does the student