COMM 401 – Section AD

SUMMER I 2021
Strategy and Competition

Day: Tue-Thu 14:45 – 17:00

Classroom: Remote -ZOOM Sessions
Join URL: https://concordia-ca.zoom.us/j/86206779114
| or use the Meeting ID: 862 0677 9114
Instructor: Yasaman Gorji Tel.: 514-848-2424 ext: 2914
E-mail: yasaman.gorji@concordia.ca Office: MB.13.107
Office Hours: After class on ZOOM | or 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: Competitiveness and Globalization, 13th Edition. Hitt,
Ireland, & Hoskisson (ISBN: 9781337916752)
o Concordia Book Stop: https://www.bkstr.com/concordiastore/home
• Case Course Pack: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/827783
• 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.

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

1. Class Contribution ........................................................ 15%

2. Individual Mid-term Case Assignment ....................... 35%
3. Group Project ................................................................ 30%
4. Final Exam ..................................................................... 20%
100%
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1. Class Contribution 15%
Since class discussions are an integral part of this course, engagement is mandatory. Constructive contribution to
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.
1. Weekly attendance and participation survey (8 Marks). Transition to online system has brought new
methods of measurement to our class. In the online transition, participation refers to any
discussion/interaction/answering polls/exchange of ideas, written or oral, during the course. It includes
exchanges during virtual meetings (e.g., Zoom sessions), which may include verbal response to questions,
verbal or written input to discussions (e.g., comments made via Zoom’s chat function), responses to polls or
surveys, and participation in small group discussions (e.g., via Zoom breakout rooms). Participation also
refers to interactions/exchanges carried out on the course websites (e.g., Moodle).
To make sure students are prepared for each class, have studied the material, and participated to class
discussion, after each session you will receive a link to answer few questions about the main concepts
discussed in the class. The weekly attendance and preparation survey will be done using Google from.
The link will be accessible for until the next session begins and will expire after that period. Failing to
answer the survey within the deadline will have an impact on your total participation. This is not a quiz
just simple questions to encourage students to catchup with class material on a regular basis.
2. Leading one case discussion (7 Marks). As a separate component of in-class contribution, students will
perform the task of leading one case discussion. Students will perform this task in groups and each group
will be responsible for presenting and leading the discussion of one case. All group members are expected to
be experts on the assigned case and will be frequently asked to share their opinions during the session
dedicated to this case. Each leading group needs to provide a PPT Slide for the case. Presentation can be live
or recorded.

In addition, course contribution includes participating equally in the group project. Group project contribution
will be evaluated with the following on-line system: https://pes.concordia.ca.

2. Individual Mid-term Case Assignment

There is one major individual written assignment - a case analysis of “Huawei Consumer Business: Technology
Leadership Challenges” (in your case pack). It is due before the beginning of class 7 on (June/01/2021). You are
required to submit your case analysis through Moodle. 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. 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 3 pages of exhibits (tables, graphs, diagrams, etc.)

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 • Use double-spaced text paragraphs and single-space 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.

3. Group Project

The class will be divided into 8 groups (group size will depend on class enrolment – average size of 6). Groups
must be formed no later than class 3 (May/18/2021). Your group project consists of two major activities:
You can use the Google Sheet link provided on Moodle to form your group.
Try to have teammates with different majors. Your group project consists of two major activities:

1) Group case presentation (25% of your final grade): The group project involves a case evaluation
presentation in PowerPoint format. Each group will be randomly assigned one case by the instructor and
will have to produce a 20-minute class presentation followed by a 10-minute question period. Groups will
present one of the following cases:

• Beyond Meat: “How the Beyond Meat burger is taking over the beef industry
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqVBInU0A8s)
• Square: “How Square makes money” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Is_gfHTWM0)
• Airbnb: “Can Airbnb survive?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yverNV9Tzi4)
• Dialogue Telemedicine Company: "How Dialogue is helping Canadians stay healthy at
home”(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvHjZ9vkfmg&t=27s&ab_channel=MaRSDiscoveryDistrict)

From these videos, groups should 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 from a variety of 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 can 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 20-minute presentation time (Note: no written report is required).
Groups should upload their slides on Moodle at least 24 hours before their presentation.

25% of your final project depends on the quality of the assignment.

Your work should conduct a strategic analysis and address the following points:
(i) Introduce the company, it’s timeline, Main problem and minor issues addressed in the case
(ii) External environment analysis
a. An assessment of the general environment - PESTLEDG
b. Industry analysis (Relevant Strategic Models, trends etc.)
c. Competitor analysis (strategic grouping, positioning, perceptual map, KSF)
(iii) Internal environment analysis

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 a. Resources, capabilities, core competencies, VRIO
b. Value Chain
(iv) Evaluation of the current Business and corporate (if applicable) strategies
(v) SWOT Analysis
(vi) Evaluation of strategic options and alternatives available to the firm
(vii) Your recommendation for the firm’s future strategy (3-5-year plan) -Decision Matrix
(viii) An implementation plan
(ix) Appendix:
a. The sources of your research – Bibliography
b. Key research articles, sources used to complete your research
The deliverables of the group project include:
• Upload your final presentation (ppt or pdf) 24 hours in advance on Dropbox folder provided on
Moodle
• Email your ppt to the judging group. Their email should be available on the team building excel
sheet below:
• Oral presentation
o Present a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation
• Answer questions from the class who will represent the top management team, board of directors
and shareholders, for 10 minutes

2) Group case judging (5% of your final 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 presentations of their classmates. The judging groups will submit a short report that that evaluates the
presentation of their peer group. The report entails filling out an excel rubric that is available on Moodle
(S11), and it is due the following session.

3) Each group will judge one case and will submit one report per group (not one report per member).

4. Final Exam

The final 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 20% of your course grade and will be held sometime in the final
exams period. I will provide you with more information on the structure of the exam later during the semester. The
course will use the Concordia OnLine Exam (COLE) platform without proctoring. For detailed information about
the COLE, see https://www.concordia.ca/online/exams/online-exams.html. Students are strongly recommended to
look through this website’s information and watch some instructional videos before taking the exam. For your final
exam answer, the class may use the plagiarism detection software, Urkund / Ouriginal. (Note: Students must take
the final exam to pass the course.)

o Common exam for all sections (20% course grade)

o 2-hour exam during the final exam period
o Open-book & non-proctored exam, using the COLE system
o The exam consists of several essay questions
o Limit of the maximum words for each question
o The exam answers will be reviewed through the Urkund.

More details about the final exam will be discussed later during the semester

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Lecture Capture / Video conferencing / External software

Please note that there will be no in-class lectures in this course. All of the lectures in this course will either be
recorded in advance by the instructor using lecture capture software such as Yuja and posted on the class Moodle
page, or will take place in real time using video conferencing software such as ZOOM. These video conferences
may be recorded by the instructor and may be posted on the class Moodle page. All recordings / video conferences
are only available as study tools for the students registered in this specific course section.

It is important to note that the instructor makes these recordings/ video conferences available to the students
strictly for the purposes of course delivery and development, and that all recordings / video conferences made by
the instructor are copyrighted material. Students may not share any recordings / video conferences of these
classes with other persons. Students are hereby notified that any sharing of recordings / video conferences may be
in violation of Law and of the applicable University policies and may subject students to penalties.

Note that some or all of the lectures and/or other activities in this course may be given using video conferencing.
While video conferences will focus on the instructor, they also display / record the images and speech of the
participant students. If a student wishes to ensure that their image (photo / picture) is not recorded, the student
must make sure either 1) that they speak to the instructor as soon as possible. or 2) that they have turned off their
own video conference camera.

Students are advised that external software and/or websites may be used in a course and students may be asked to
submit or consent to the submission of personal information (for example, name and email) to register for an
online service. Students are responsible for reading and deciding whether or not to agree to any applicable terms of
use. Use of this software and service is voluntary. Students who do not consent to the use the software or service
should identify themselves to the course instructor as soon as possible, and in all cases before the DNE deadline,
to discuss alternate modes of participation.

Other Important Course Policies

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).

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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: http://www.concordia.ca/academicintegrity , which provides
useful information about proper academic conduct.

Intellectual Property: Content belonging to instructors shared in online courses, including, but not limited to,
online lectures, course notes, and video recordings of classes remain the intellectual property of the faculty member.
It may not be distributed, published or broadcast, in whole or in part, without the express permission of the faculty
member. Students are also forbidden to use their own means of recording any elements of an online class or lecture
without express permission of the instructor. Any unauthorized sharing of course content may constitute a breach of
the Academic Code of Conduct and/or the Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

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
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 Summer I 2021
Strategy and Competition
Class Schedule – Section AD
Discussion
Class Class Activity Due Date
Leader
1 Introduction to the course
May 11 Review Course Outline
2 Chapter 2 – External Environment
May 13 Case: Tesla in 2015 Group 1

3 Chapter 3 – Internal Analysis Group

May 18 Case: Best Buy Group 2
Formation
4 Chapter 4 – Business Level Strategy/Competition
Case: Da Jiang Innovations (DJI): The Rise of the Drones Group 3
May 20
5 Chapter 6 – Corporate Level Strategy
Case: Apple’s Future: Apple Watch, Apple TV… Group 4
May 25
6 Chapter 7 – Acquisition Strategy
May 27 Case: Cara Operations: Purchase of St-Hubert and Value Group 5
Creation
7 Midterm Assignment
Mid-term Case: Huawei Consumer Business: Technology Leadership Midterm
June 1 Challenges
8 Chapter 8 - International Strategy
Case: Amazon Goes Global 2020 Group 6
June 3
9 Chapter 9 – Cooperative Strategy
Case: Scotia Bank partnership- Fintech-Blockchain Group 7
June 8
10 Strategic Concepts: Blue Ocean Strategy
June 10 Case: Transsion Mobile: Deep Blue Ocean in Africa Group 8

Group Presentations
Case: Beyond Meat: “How the Beyond Meat burger is taking over the beef industry
11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqVBInU0A8s)
Presenters: Groups 1&2 | Judges: Groups 5 &6
June 15
Group Presentations
Case: Square: “How Square makes money”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Is_gfHTWM0)
Presenters: Groups 3 & 4 | Judges: Groups 7 & 8
Group Presentations
Case: Airbnb: “Can Airbnb survive?”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yverNV9Tzi4)
Presenters: Groups 5&6 | Judges: Groups 1&2
12
Group Presentations
June 17 Case: Dialogue Telemedicine Company: "How Dialogue is helping Canadians stay healthy at
home”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvHjZ9vkfmg&t=27s&ab_channel=MaRSDiscoveryDistrict)
Presenters: Groups 7&8 | Judges: Groups 3&4
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

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