COMM 401 – Section K

WINTER 2024
Strategy and Competition

Day: Monday 8:45 – 11:30

Room: MB 6.425
Instructor: Michel Greiche
E-mail: [email protected]
Office: MB 14.353
Office Hrs: By Appointment

Course Description
This course introduces the concepts of strategic management and competitive analysis to develop critical
management skills within our graduates. Emphasis is given to integrating concepts and ideas from the major
functional areas such as marketing and finance to give a global perspective on decision-making and directing
modern business enterprises. Lecture topics and case studies are selected to portray the nature of the process and
the dynamics of competition in a variety of contexts. In this context, we also examine the connection between
organizational strategy and the physical environment. Finally, cases and assignments, which require an analysis of
organizational strategies, are selected for class discussions, individual and group assignments.

Course Learning Objectives: Upon completing this course, students will have developed an understanding of the
major models and theories in strategic management and more importantly have learned to apply this learning to real
life business situations. By utilizing the case method, students will be exposed to a variety of industries and issues
and will learn how to evaluate the external environmental conditions and the internal company conditions that
influence company performance. Students will learn how to recognize relevant strategic components found within a
firm and systematically assess the firm’s future potential, identify impending problems, and make appropriate
recommendations that would allow a firm to benefit from its advantages and address possible problems.

Required Texts and Material

 Textbook: Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization, 14th
Edition. Michael Hitt, Duane Ireland, Robert Hoskisson, and Jeffrey Harrison
o Purchase link for the custom eBook: https://www.cengage.ca/c/isbn/9781774744246/
 Case Course Pack: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/1134035
 Class lecture notes: All lecture slides will be posted as PDFs on Moodle.

* It is your responsibility to check the course Moodle regularly in order to be up to date on required materials.

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Grading - The final grade for the course will be determined as follows:

1. Class Contribution and Attendance ............................. 15%

2. Individual Mid-term Case Assignment ........................ 30%
3. Group Project ................................................................. 25%
4. Final Exam ...................................................................... 30%
100%

Note: Students that miss 40% or more of scheduled classes (without a valid reason) can expect to fail the course.

1. Class Contribution and Attendance

Since class discussions are an integral part of this course, attendance at classes is mandatory. Constructive
contribution to the class discussion is a significant part of the grade for the course. Your contribution will be
evaluated by the instructor, based on your preparation for class discussions of cases and readings, presentation
skills, and willingness to commit yourself in the class. Students must actively contribute and make sure the
instructor is aware of the contribution. In addition, course contribution also includes participating equally in the
group project. Group project contribution will be evaluated with the following online system:
https://pes.concordia.ca.

2. Individual Mid-term Case Assignment

There is one major individual written assignment - a case analysis of “On” (in your case pack). It is due before the
beginning of class 7 on (04.03). You are required to submit your case analysis through Moodle as well as
bring a hardcopy to class to hand in on the day that the assignment is due. This is an individual assignment
and must be completed independently. It is not acceptable to submit text, exhibits, and appendices that have
been jointly prepared.
For your mid-term assignments, the instructor will be using the software Urkund / Ouriginal. It uses text-matching
technology as a method to uphold the University’s high academic integrity standards to detect any potential
plagiarism. Urkund / Ouriginal is integrated into Moodle. The software will review your assignment when you
upload it to Moodle and do a text-matching among all student submissions across all COMM 401 sections and with
internet content. To learn more about Urkund’s privacy policy, please review its Privacy Policy.
The written assignment must conform to the following specifications:
 A separate title page that has your name and student ID
 A maximum of 1500 words (approximately six typed pages; indicate the number of words at the end of
your written assignment)
 No more than three pages of exhibits (tables, graphs, diagrams, etc.) that represent your own work, not
reproductions from the case.
 Use double-spaced text paragraphs and single-spaced bullet point lists
 Use 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font (250 words per page).
 Papers received after the due date will have the grade reduced by 10%. After that class, late assignments, if
accepted, will have the grade reduced by 10% for each calendar day late. The date of receipt is the date the
instructor receives the late paper.
 NB: There is no secondary research allowed in doing this assignment. Stick only to material provided
in the case.

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3. Group Project

The class will be divided into nine groups (group size will depend on class enrolment but will be a maximum of 5).
Groups must be formed no later than class 3 (29.01). Your group project consists of two major activities:

1) Group case presentation (80% of the group project grade): The group project involves a case
evaluation presentation in PowerPoint format. Each group will be randomly assigned one case by the
instructor and produce a 25-minute class presentation followed by a 10-minute question period. Groups will
present one of the following video-based live cases back-to-back:

o Canada Goose: “How I Transformed Canada Goose Into A Billion-Dollar Brand”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw7iJKJlsWg)
o Qualcomm: “How Qualcomm Plans To Keep Growing, With Or Without Apple”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aD36UakFk4)
o American Express: “Why Wealthy Americans Love AmEx”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbLmCRuoW1w)

Groups should use the case video as an introductory story of the case, identify a main strategic issue of the
focal case firm, and develop a strategy to solve that issue, based on their strategic analyses. This is a
research-based case analysis project. Groups need to collect and analyze relevant strategic information
about the firm’s external and internal environments from various sources (e.g., firm websites, firm financial
statements, library databases, newspapers and magazines, financial analysts’ reports, industry association
reports, etc.).

Groups should use relevant materials from the course textbook and design and format the presentation in
any manner deemed appropriate. While content is critical, the presentation itself will be part of the project
grade. It is expected to deliver your presentation in a professional manner. There is no limit on the number
of slides, but I will restrict you to the 25-minute presentation time (Note: no written report is required
but you are required to bring a hardcopy of your presentation to class on the day of your
presentation).

2) Group case judging (20% of the group project grade): In addition to the presentation for the assigned
case, each group will also be assigned one of the other group cases for the purpose of judging/questioning/
evaluating the presentation of their classmates. The judging groups will submit a short report (2-3 pages)
that assesses the presentation of their peer group. This judging report is due the following week. The
judging groups are expected to actively participate in the Q&A session. Each group will judge one case.

4. Final Exam

The final exam will be a three-hour case-based, in-person, and closed-book test. The exam will test your knowledge
and understanding of course materials and cover all topics and readings discussed during the term. The final exam
is worth 30% of your course grade and will be held sometime in the final exams period. I will provide you with
more information on the exam later during the semester.

Note: Students must take the final exam to pass the course.

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Other Important Course Policies

Please note: if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, you should contact Quebec Public Health (1-877-644-
4545) and follow their instructions. You are also required to consult the Procedure for suspected or confirmed
COVID-19 cases and complete the Self-isolation form under the My CU Account section the Student Hub.
Students who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not come to campus.

Prerequisites: 45 business credits including COMM 225; COMM 226 or 301; COMM 315 and 320
previously or concurrently, as per the most recent Undergraduate Calendar
Note: Students who have credits for MANA 460 or COMM 310 may not take this course for credit.

Plagiarism: The most common offense under the Academic Code of Conduct is plagiarism, which the Code
defines as “the presentation of the work of another person as one’s own or without proper acknowledgement.” This
includes material copied word for word from books, journals, Internet sites, professor’s course notes, etc. It refers
to material that is paraphrased but closely resembles the original source. It also includes for example the work of a
fellow student, an answer on a quiz, data for a lab report, a paper or assignment completed by another student. It
might be a paper purchased from any source. Plagiarism does not refer to words alone –it can refer to copying
images, graphs, tables and ideas. “Presentation” is not limited to written work. It includes oral presentations,
computer assignments and artistic works. Finally, if you translate the work of another person into any other
language and do not cite the source, this is also plagiarism.

In Simple Words: Do not copy, paraphrase or translate anything from anywhere without saying where you obtained
it. (Source: The Academic Integrity Website: concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity)

Academic Integrity: The Academic Code of Conduct at Concordia University states that “the integrity of
University academic life and of the degrees, diplomas and certificates the University confers is dependent upon the
honesty and soundness of the instructor-student learning relationship and, in particular, that of the evaluation
process. As such, all students are expected to be honest in all of their academic endeavours and relationships with
the University” (Undergraduate Calendar, section 17.10).

All students enrolled at Concordia are expected to familiarize themselves with the content of this Code. You are
strongly encouraged to visit the following web address: concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity, which provides
useful information about proper academic conduct.

Extraordinary Circumstances: In the event of extraordinary circumstances and pursuant to the Academic
Regulations, the University may modify the delivery, content, structure, forum, location and/or evaluation scheme.
In the event of such extraordinary circumstances, students will be informed of the changes.

List of Student Services

1. Access Centre for Students with Disabilities: concordia.ca/students/accessibility
2. Student Success Centre: concordia.ca/students/success
3. Counselling and Psychological Services: concordia.ca/students/counselling-life-skills
4. Concordia Library Citation and Style Guides: https://library.concordia.ca/help/citing
5. Health Services: concordia.ca/students/health
6. Financial Aid and Awards: concordia.ca/offices/faao
7. Academic Integrity: concordia.ca/students/academic-integrity
8. Dean of Students Office: concordia.ca/offices/dean-students
9. International Students Office: concordia.ca/students/international

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10. Student Hub: concordia.ca/students
11. Sexual Assault Resource Centre: concordia.ca/students/sexual-assault
12. As a Concordia student, you are a member of the Concordia Student Union and have many resources
available to you including:
a. HOJO (Off Campus Housing and Job Bank): csu.qc.ca/services/housing-and-job-bank-hojo/
b. CSU Advocacy Centre: csu.qc.ca/services/advocacy-centre/
13. Aboriginal Student Resource Centre: concordia.ca/students/aboriginal

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 COMM401 Winter 2024
Strategy and Competition
Class Schedule – Section K

Class Class Activity

15.01 Introduction to the course
Review Course Outline
22.01 Chapter 2 – External Environment
Introduction to case analysis
Case: Sandlands Vineyards
29.01 Chapter 3 – Internal Analysis
Case: City Furniture & Mattress
05.02 Chapter 4 – Business Level Strategy/Competition
Case: Brooklyn Brewery
12.02 Chapter 6 – Corporate Level Strategy
Case: Gucci
19.02 Chapter 7 – Acquisition/Restructuring Strategy
Case: Facebook (WhatsApp acquisition)
04.03 Chapter 8 - International Strategy
Case: Netflix
Mid-term Assignment Due
11.03 Chapter 9 – Cooperative Strategy: Alliances
Case: Eli Lilly
18.03 Review Strategic Concepts
Case: Lego (A) The Crisis
25.03 Group Presentations
Case: Canada Goose
08.04 Group Presentations
Case: Qualcomm
015.04 Group Presentations
Case: American Express
Note: the above schedule can change at the instructor’s discretion, prior notice will be given.

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Assessment of Learning Objectives
The learning objectives are assessed through a mid-term assignment, a group project, and a final examination.

Learning
Learning Activity Mid-term Assignment Group Project Final Exam
Objective

Acquire knowledge of Appropriate use of terms

strategic language and and their application
concepts
Use strategic tools and Use case studies of actual Use case studies of actual Use case study of an
frameworks to analyze companies to analyze and companies to analyze and actual company to test
internal and external business write a professional present a professional application of analysis in
environments business report business presentation a 2-hour time period
Acquire knowledge of Use case studies of actual Use case studies of actual Use case study of an
business and corporate level companies to analyze and companies to analyze and actual company to test
strategies and understand write a professional present a professional application of analysis in
their practical application business report business presentation a 2-hour time period
Learn how to identify and Use case studies of actual Use case studies of actual Use case study of an
define strategic problems of companies to analyze and companies to analyze and actual company to test
business cases write a professional present a professional application of analysis in
business report business presentation a 2-hour time period
Be able to identify and Use case studies of actual Use case study of an
Real-time question and
evaluate strategic options in companies to analyze and actual company to test
answer period to assess
order to propose and write a professional application of analysis in
strength of conclusions
recommend logical solutions business report a 2-hour time period
Gain exposure to a variety of Use case studies of actual
Use case studies of actual Use case study of an
industries and develop an companies to analyze and
companies to analyze and actual company to test
understanding of the different write a professional
present a professional application of analysis in
competitive dynamics across business report
business presentation a 2-hour time period
industries
Develop presentation skills
and learn how to present an Oral presentation with
analysis in a logical and real-time question and
professional manner answer period