General Information
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Target Audience
The course should be of interest to future consultants, general managers, investment analysts and entrepreneurs. The course demands a lot of work outside the boundaries of text books and lectures so it is not for everyone.
Course Mission
The objectives of this course are to make you a better decision maker. It will help you:
- Communicate your business case in a clear, memorable and compelling way.
- Develop your understanding of the theory and concepts of strategic management in complex business organizations and provide you with a set of practical analytical tools to enhance your strategic skills.
- Listen to and reflect upon the wisdom of at least a dozen CEOs who will be in person or on ZOOM from 07:30 – 08:30am. You are required to enter your comments in a personal diary within 24 hours of each meeting….and I will be following your entries.
- Build your self-confidence as a decision maker at the most senior managerial level.
Course Scope
This is a course designed to make you a better strategic decision maker and to integrate all the skills you have acquired in your career and at the RSM.
The course works with practical tools and techniques such as momentum analysis, Porter’s 5 forces, VRIO, the GE/McKinsey 9-box and others. These tools and the exercises designed to make them useful will assist you in making real world, real time decisions in complex business environments.
As part of your learning, you will be required to use “Making Your Case”. This is a superb communications tool. But it is also a hugely powerful problem-solving tool.
The course perspective is that of the CEO. In some cases, the view is that of a CEO of large, global businesses such as Four Seasons and CAE or of a more local business such as Loblaws. Still other views will be those of CEOs of start-ups.
We will also have a couple of Private Equity bosses – people who hire dozens of CEOs to talk about the attributes they look for.
Students will be required to develop insights from readings available on-line i.e. Annual Reports and Analysts’ Reports and from their own independent investigations and research. There are no boundaries. Each day’s newspapers may add further dimensions to your work.
If you are prepared for hard work, aggressive thinking and insightful reflection about yourself, this course may well transform your career trajectory.
Evaluation and Grade Breakdown
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution in class (individual) | Ongoing | 20% |
| Case presentations in class including mid-term project (group) | Various | 40% |
| Final exam (individual; take-home) | Exam Week | 40% |
Required Resources
Students will be required to develop insights from readings available on-line i.e. Annual Reports and Analysts’ Reports and from their own independent investigations and research. There are no boundaries. Each day’s newspapers may add further dimensions to your work.
Note
This is a demanding course. As your instructor, I thank you for choosing to take this course. I really look forward to meeting you and working with you. However, should there be any doubt in your mind that you can devote the time and effort needed to succeed please consider offering your current place to another student as there is typically a waiting list.