Heineken

Course Description:
This course aims to further develop the student’s strategic knowledge. The course emphasizes the multiple factors impacting both the processes of business strategic decisions and their results. We will discuss principles that can be generalized across many contexts (firms and industries) and also what we may learn from the anecdotal or idiosyncratic business cases. Thiscourse will give primacy to the discussion of ideas and concepts. However, we will also learn strategic principles and concepts inductively, that is, using examples. Our discussions aim at creating second-order rationalities out of our conversations by sharing understandings, ideas, and work and life experiences. Considering that many strategic decisions are complex and ambiguous, there may beseveral answers to a given question. Nonetheless, in general there will be a set of ideas that are better than others. We will emphasize participation and critical thinking.
The ARSSB has designated BA4390-WIN as a writing intensive course. As such writing activities are expected to contribute to expand, and improve, the student’s writing skills. This is a significantly more intense coursethan other courses regarding writing activities, namely, such activities constitute a central component of the course activities and writing assignments will amount to 50% of the final grade.

Course Goals:
The objective of the course is to provide students with a deep understanding of business strategy. In addition, the course emphasizes development of student resourcefulness. Particularimportance is given to cultivate the student ability to seek, and process, information on her/his own. A central component of this course is the set of discussions to be developed, in a pro-active and collaborative manner, during our seminar types classroom sessions.

Learning Objectives:
1) The student will significantly strengthen her/his perspectives of business strategy.
2) The studentwill significantly develop her/his business strategy writing skills.
3) The student will contribute to, and learn from, her/his own reflective exercises about business strategy by sharing, on an iterative basis, her/his own ideas and experiences with those of her/his colleagues.

Grading Policy.

The course will be evaluated taking into account the following components:Percentage
Mid-term and final examinations 25%
Four short essays 25%
Strategic management project’ modules 20% (the writing part will amount to half)
Research paper 15% (the writing part will amount to half)
Research paper presentation 5%(the writing part will amount to half)
Class attendance and participation in classroom discussions 10%(the writing part will amount to half)Please note that you must satisfactorily pass class attendance and participation in classroom discussions to pass this course. In this regard, a total of six unexcused absences will amount to failing this course.


The standard University grading system will be used. Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

90% to 100% A
80% to 89.9% B
70% to 79.9% C
59.9% to69.9% D
Below 59.9% not passing

Classroom Behavior
The A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business encourages classroom discussion and academic debate as an essential intellectual activity. It is essential that students learn to express and defend their beliefs, but it is also essential that they learn to listen and respond respectfully to others whose beliefs they may not share. ARSSB will alwaystolerate diverse, unorthodox, and unpopular points of view, but it will not tolerate condescending or insulting remarks. When students verbally abuse or ridicule and intimidate others whose views they do not agree with, they subvert the free exchange of ideas that should characterize a university classroom. If their actions are deemed by the professor to be disruptive, they will be subject to...