2710 Syllabus 8.23.09.v4

1

LPO 2710-01 Fall 09 Challenges of Leadership: Fundamentals of Org Effectiveness Instructor Office Class Time Room Office Hours: E-mail:

Corbette Doyle O11B Payne Hall Tu/Thur 1:10-2:25 Walk-ins OK, by appt., before our class, or Mon from 3-4 [email protected]

Course Overview Vision without execution is hallucination.

Thomas Edision

Effective leaders in our rapidly changing, global economy excel at: interpreting incoming information, making decisions that allow them to adapt to rapid change, and motivating their constituents to follow their lead. The quality of the decisions they make is directly proportional to the quality of the input and analysis they receive from all corners of the organization. Whether you want to be a leader or an effective contributor, you need skills that will enhance the decision-making process. This requires mastering the ability to identify relevant decision criteria, interpret trends in the underlying data, and communicate that analysis to executives in a manner that can be readily digested. This is as true in a profession like law or medicine as it is for an entrepreneur or a corporate executive. Because these skills are not easily mastered by memorizing formulas or applying textbook solutions, this course will use a Problem-based Learning (“PBL”) approach that relies upon selfpaced groups, learning-by-doing, and teacher facilitation rather than lecture. The course content is structured around increasingly complex, real-world problems designed to replicate issues you might confront after graduation. Additional details about PBL are on the course resource link, http://delicious.com/Professordoyle under the PBL tag.

Course Objectives Overarching Goals: This course will enable students to: 1. Evaluate key opportunities, concerns or trends based on a firm’s financial statements. 2. Assess the effectiveness of an organization’s strategy 3. Enhance decision-making by identifying and effectively formatting the relevant information. Ancillary Skill Goals: Master the skills needed to: 1. Communicate decision-making criteria to executives in 15 minutes or less. 2. Identify and locate data relevant to a decision.

2

Assessments* I. Graded Group Problems (1-3,5,7,9 not graded) 4. Group Project & Presentation 6. Group Project 8. Group Project 10. Group Project & Presentation

Due Dates

Weight

Oct 6 Oct 20 Nov 10 Dec 3

10% 10% 10% 15%

Weighted by Peer Evaluations of Individual Effort * ALL problems

II. Homework & Attendance 15% III. Case-study Tests 1. Mid-term: Oct 6 20% 2. Final: Dec 10 20% * NOTE: Students who average less than 90% effort from their peers (scale: 70-110%) after the second problem will be evicted from the group and will work alone for the rest of the semester (unless there are other evicted students willing to form a new group with them) Prob. # Class Dates Topic Deliverables 1 8/27 Growth Ideas 2 9/1 – 9/8 Strategic Analysis Homework: solo SWOT due start of 9/3 class. Final 3

9/10 – 9/22

4

9/22 – 10/6 10/8 10/8- 10/15

MID-TERM

5

Staying on Track

group SWOT due end of 9/8 class .Homework: solo Pro-forma due start of 9/17 class. Final group Pro-forma due start of 9/22 class Written & Oral Group presentations due 10/6 Receive Take-home part of mid-term 10/6 Turn In Take-home Part, Take In-class Part Homework: solo revised Budget due start of 10/15 class

6

10/15 –10/20

How Are We Doing?

Group Project due 10/20 (OK to hand in 10/21)

7

10/22 10/27 – 10/29

Fall break Macro Hurdles

Homework: solo strategic response due start of 10/29 class

8

11/3 – 11/10

Making Decisions

Group Project due 11/10

9

11/10 – 11/12

Beat the Competition

Homework: solo strategic response due start of 11/12 class

10

11/16 – 12/1 11/24-11/26 12/3

Cashing Out Thanksgiving Group presentation

Turn in written version of group project

12/10

FINAL

Turn In Take-home Part, Take In-class Part

Getting to the Starting line Show Me the $$ Group Presentations

Grading Scale A+ A A60

98 – 100 95 – 97.9 91 – 94.9

B B-

Late work & Honor Code

B+ 88 – 90.9 85 – 87.9 C 81 – 84.9 C-

C+ 77 – 80.9 74 – 76.9 D 70 – 73.9 D-

D+ 67 – 69.9 64 – 66.9 60 – 63 .9 F <

3 All assignments are due at the start of class on the due date. The consequences for late work are: 1 day late drops the grade 10 points; 2 days late—20 points, 3 days—30 points, and, after that—a zero. All academic work at Vanderbilt is done under the guidelines set forth in the University Honor Code. Plagiarized tests or homework will receive a zero.

Special Needs If you have a learning or physical disability, please see me during the first week of class to discuss accommodations.

Required Texts & Tools 1. Axson, David A.J. (2007). Best practices in planning and performance management: from data to decisions. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN: 0-470-00857-1 2. Harvard Business essentials: finance for managers. (2002). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. ISBN : 1578518768 3. Tracy, John A. (2009). How to read a financial report: for managers, entrepreneurs, lender , lawyers and investors. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. ISBN: 978-0-470-40530-7 4. Turning Technologies Clicker: Purchase “ResponseWare activation card” for web enabled laptop, cell phone, iphone, etc OR purchase “ResponseCard XR Keypad”. Available at bookstore or buy online & save $. Vandy code = Js8y http://store.turningtechnologies.com/ 5. XL Software for spreadsheet analysis 6. Reynolds, Garr. (2008). Presentation Zen: simple ideas on presentation design and delivery. Berkely, Ca: New Riders. ISBN: 0321525655 At least one copy needed by Each Group but recommended for all

Resources In addition to the assigned readings, the nature of PBL requires each group to do its own research and to track down the resources needed to both enhance understanding of the content and to find solutions to the problems. To get you started, I have posted Readings & Resources for all problems on the course website, www.hod2710.weebly.com or on http://delicious.com/Professordoyle

The D Paper

Rubric for Projects The C Paper The B Paper

The A Paper

Score

4

The D project fails to Knowledge of describe the financial relevant principles analytics accurately. (25%) Understanding of how those analytics apply to problem (30%)

Clarity of Analysis (20%)

The A project The C project shows an The B project clearly confuses different understanding of describes the relevant analytics or adds the analytics that financial principles. irrelevant material. goes beyond the assigned readings.

The C project fails The D project The B project clearly to identify the The A project goes reflects little if articulates the relevant analytics well beyond the any research analytics and uses &/or articulate how analysis needed to that relates to them appropriately to they apply to the present a solution the problem solve the problem. problem

The D project The C project is gives no The B project is well vague & leaves its evidence of organized, and audience with understanding answers all of its many unanswered the relevant audience’s questions. questions. material.

The A project has the qualities of the B project and presents valuable insight to unasked questions

The C project The B project is The format of the The D project uses a confusing easy to follow, A project expands Presentation is sloppy, format & may highlights the the knowledge format (20%) irrelevant, have multiple relevant info, and is communicated to and confusing mechanical error-free . the audience. errors. The A project is The D project The B project so clear & The C project is confusing answers the key Overall Impact articulate, it could leaves the reader and fails to with key questions questions and of Project be a CEO level educate the would suffice for a about the analysis. (5%) executive audience. manager/supervisor summary