TERM:  

Fall 2007-2008

COURSE #:  SEEK 440-A

SECTION:  

71, 72

COURSE NAME:  Values and Crisis Decision Making

INSTRUCTOR:  David Austen-Smith

CASEPACK - YES or NO?:  Yes

FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Session 1: Introduction (Friday, May 4, 6pm)

To develop successful crisis management strategies, managers need to be able to evaluate the crisis potential of their business. A key component of successfully predicting whether a business decision may have adverse consequences is to understand the motivations of stakeholders and their capacity for action. I will also give a brief overview of the class content and will discuss organizational and logistic issues.

Case:                CR-1 Buffalo Savings Bank (A)

Assignment

Assume the role of managers in Buffalo Savings Bank (A).  Analyze BSB’s situation, adopt a policy with respect to calling the loans, and develop a strategy for achieving your objective.  It is convenient to think of policies as being represented as a point along the following spectrum:

No Call..............Call but compromise.............Call, period

An example of a compromise might be to offer borrowers an opportunity to refinance below the market rate.

Be prepared to give a short presentation of your findings. You do not need to prepare any written materials or Power Point presentations.

IS ATTENDANCE AT FIRST CLASS MANDATORY – YES OR NO?:  Yes

1.  TEXT - REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED?:  Course Packet (see above for details)

AUTHOR:

PUBLISHER:

TITLE:

ED./DATE:

2.  TEXT - REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED?:

AUTHOR:

PUBLISHER:

TITLE:

ED./DATE:

TERM:

Fall 2007-08

COURSE #:

441

SECTION:

71

COURSE NAME:

Strategic Management in Non-Market Environments

INSTRUCTOR: Sven Feldmann

CASEPACK - YES or NO?: YES

FIRST ASSIGNMENT: The reading for this session illustrates the types of issues to be considered in the course and presents approaches for organizing your analysis of the non-market environment.  Future sessions will examine these components in more detail with an increasing emphasis on the development of analytic concepts and the formulation of non-market strategies. These concepts will be discussed in the context of the Consumer Financial case.

Reading:                BIE 1–17, 31–37, 44–52, 66–88

Case:                      Consumer Financial [in course packet]

Assignment:

It is December 10, 2002. You are the engagement team of the consulting company Non-Market Strategy, Inc., the leader in non-market strategy consulting.  Your client is Consumer Financial Services, the nation's largest independent mortgage lender.  You need to familiarize yourself thoroughly with the document provided by the client.  During class you will have your first meeting as team.  Your senior partner is expecting a report on how to address Consumer Financial’s challenges as she needs to meet with client later that day.  Your task it to develop a 5–10 minute presentation that your partner can then present to the client.  I will select one group randomly to present their analysis.  The rest of the class will assume the role of senior partner.

IS ATTENDANCE AT FIRST CLASS MANDATORY – YES OR NO?: Yes

1.  TEXT - REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED?: Required

AUTHOR: David Baron

PUBLISHER: Prentice Hall

TITLE: Business and Its Environment

ED./DATE: 5^th Ed., 2005

2.  TEXT - REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED?:

AUTHOR:

PUBLISHER:

TITLE:

ED./DATE:

TERM: 

FALL 2007-08

COURSE #: SEEK 460

SECTION: 

71

COURSE NAME:  VALUES BASED LEADERSHIP

INSTRUCTOR:  DAVID AUSTEN-SMITH

CASEPACK - YES or NO?: YES

FIRST ASSIGNMENT:  This class concerns values-based leadership, the ability to consider and integrate a variety of value propositions and perspectives. For the first class, please read the following short essays from the case packet and consider the discussion questions.

Readings.

• Friedman: The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits
• Arrow: Social Responsibility and Economic Efficiency
• Friedman/Mackey debate

Discussion Questions

1.      What social goals can market competition promote? 

2.      Do you agree with Friedman that corporate managers have a moral imperative to maximize stockholder value?

3.      What are the principle economic reasons that might undermine Friedman’s position? Do you find these reasons compelling?

IS ATTENDANCE AT FIRST CLASS MANDATORY – YES OR NO?:  YES

1.  TEXT - REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED?: NO TEXT BEYOND CASEPACK

AUTHOR:

PUBLISHER:

TITLE:

ED./DATE:

2.  TEXT - REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED?:

AUTHOR:

PUBLISHER:

TITLE:

ED./DATE: