BUS 491: Special Topics in Business Master Syllabus
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Course Website: Canvas
Course Description
Stakeholders of a business include its shareholders, employees, customers, community/society, supply chain, and the planet. Each can have a direct impact on the success of a business and each can be impacted positively or negatively depending on how a business act. Those businesses that define their purpose to be stakeholder value creation may make different choices in pursuit of different goals than do businesses who define their purpose as shareholder value creation. This Interdisciplinary course, open to students across the University, will support student development of an advanced and critical understanding of the key stakeholders in a business. This course brings together concepts from finance, human resource management, marketing strategy, supply chain management, sociology, public, and environmental science to address the complex relationships and mutual dependencies of these six key stakeholders.
Students will gain in-depth understanding of the unified and sometimes diverse values and perspectives that each stakeholder brings to a business through an exploration of expectations that various stakeholders place on businesses to impact financial returns, dividend payout policy, employee compensation, sustainable business practices, positive societal impacts, and restoring the health of the planet will be explored. Through structured learning activities - case studies, guest lectures from tri-sector leaders (business, non-profit, public), mini class projects around each stakeholder with sponsoring organizations, class discussions, written assessments, and oral presentations - students will examine and evaluate how different stakeholders can negotiate collective solutions to problems facing business and society. We will review and evaluate some current tools and metrics to measure stakeholder value creation and explore new metrics to measure impacts and rewards that make business a win-win proposition for all stakeholders.
Methods of Instructions
- Selective reading of book chapters, research articles, HBR case analysis
- The class will involve a number of guest lecturers from industry, non-profit foundations and economists/public policy experts to share their own perspectives on current business norms and societal priorities related to the purpose of business and how to navigate the challenges
- Students will work in groups and work with sponsoring organizations to identify areas to explore and formulate potential solutions
- Assignments will include (1) a personal statement on current issues facing business and which issue the student cares about the most and why, (2) a case analyses and short reports, and (3) group mini-assignments, and (4) a final report on sample Index and class presentations, etc.
Methods of Student Evaluation
Grades are determined by students’ class participation, a personal statement on stakeholders’ equity, several short case analyses, a mini class project done in groups around the stakeholder value creation with sponsoring organizations and a second mini project done in groups around the stakeholder value index for a select company of their choice (from various industrial sectors – energy, high tech, consumer goods, banking and retail). The group projects will include a team charter and peer review at the end of the semester. A final class presentation will be required for the stakeholder value index group project.
Required Materials
Not textbook required but several cases and notes from HBR package as well as reading assigned articles, research papers and your own research will comprise all the materials that will be utilized in this course.
- HBR Case Pack: TBD (soon) – Cases and Simulation
Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. - Links to assigned articles are embedded in the syllabus for the day when such readings are assigned. I will put a PDF in Bb for ease of access, if available
- If interested, you can get a copy of “Capitalists, ARISE!” a seminal book on Stakeholder Capitalism by Peter Georgescu, former Chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam for your personal reference.
Assignments
| Points | |
|---|---|
| Personal Statement — “What and where businesses can do better?” | 10 |
| Participation (e.g. in-class activities, discussions, attendance) | 15 |
| Assignments | |
|
5 |
|
15 |
|
20 |
|
25 |
|
10 |
| Total | 100 |
Grading Scale
| Highest | Lowest | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 100.00 | 93.00 | A |
| 92.99 | 90.00 | A- |
| 89.99 | 87.00 | B+ |
| 86.99 | 83.00 | B |
| 82.99 | 80.00 | B- |
| 79.99 | 77.00 | C+ |
| 76.99 | 70.00 | C |
| 69.99 | 67.00 | D+ |
| 66.99 | 60.00 | D |
| 59.99 | 0.00 | F |
Assignment Description
Personal Statement — “What and where businesses can do better?” (10 points, Due 2/15).
This short 4-page essay is your response to what you believe about purpose of a corporation and your assessment of their contribution to society and to the world. What are the positive things they bring to individuals, society and the world? Why questions are being raised about their impact – financially, economically, socially and environmentally? What issues do you care about? What values or beliefs define your perspective on businesses? What is your role in reshaping businesses?
Do not attempt to answer all of these questions directly. Rather, carefully reflect on what businesses/corporation means to you and write an articulate, thoughtful, high-level response with a clear thesis statement and organizational structure and data/article/reference for your thesis. Your response will be evaluated on: 1) depth and quality of insight; 2) organization (introduction with attention getting device, thesis, and preview of points; effective closing); 3) grammar and syntax (free from error); 4) creativity and originality of thought. Use 12” font and double space. Use heading and sub-heading as appropriate.
Participation (In-Class Discussions, Simulation Activities, Peer Engagement) (15 points)
The quality of our classroom community and your grade depend on your participation. Please come to every class session prepared to contribute to a vibrant discussion. This means completing readings and assignments on time, actively using materials from readings, attending class regularly with enthusiasm to discuss course materials, and listening attentively in class.
Membership in this community also entails representing the School of Business well during your off-campus work and your consulting project. Unexcused absences will adversely affect your final grade. An absence is excused when due to serious illness, religious observance, participation in University activities at the request of University authorities, or compelling circumstances beyond your control. To claim an excused absence, you must provide a signed letter by a person in a position to make an authoritative determination as to the validity of the cause of the absence within three calendar days of your return from that absence. In cases where you know you will be missing class, please let me know as soon as possible. You are responsible for all announcements, assignments, materials and date changes covered or made in class while you are absent.
Case Assignment (15 points – Due 3/22)
during the early part of the semester you will prepare a short case writeups. Such writeup will be 5 pages long and will address questions be assigned after the case has been discussed in class. (Use Situation>Complication>Recommendation framework)
Major Assignments: Group Project Assignment (60 points)
This semester students will work on live projects from local communities, including GMU college units and initiatives that are either underway or being challenged to explore innovative ways to advance those initiatives and or build new initiative using existing platform and activities.
Your Class Project will be evaluated on: 1) depth and quality of insight; 2) organization (introduction with attention getting device, thesis, and preview of points; effective closing); 3) grammar and syntax (free from error); 4) creativity and originality of thought; 5) thorough integration of the articles AND at least two concepts from our course readings.
- Team Charter (5 points—Due 3/23): Each team should construct a working “contract” that addresses the following criteria: values that the group holds (e.g. contributions of all members are important), the criteria you will use to evaluate one another (e.g., attend meetings regularly and on time, contribute meaningfully to group discussions), how you will handle conflict (e.g. what will you do if a group member doesn’t come to a meeting or doesn’t do an assignment part of work?), and how you define a successful collaboration and project.
- Mini Group Project on Stakeholder Value Creation – Chose one Stakeholder (15 points, due 4/13)
- Group Project on Stakeholder Value Index – Choose a c (25 points, due 5/10)
- Final Presentation on Index Project (10 points, due 5/10)
A more detailed assignment description and guidelines will be discussed and provided in Canvas as needed.
Policy for Late and Missing Assignments
You are responsible for completing individual and group assignments on time (defined as turning in all assignments in person at the beginning of class or via email and/or Canvas by the date and time requested). Assignments submitted late will lose one letter grade for each day they are past due, including Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Due dates are clearly indicated throughout the syllabus. Reports, presentations, and examinations may only be made up if you demonstrate that failure to attend class and/or complete required assignments was due to an excused absence. (See section above on participation and attendance). In-class activities may not be made up for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Electronic Devices
The use of electronic devices is only allowed during class sessions when specifically requested.
Office Hours
Please come visit me during office hours or speak with me at any time about questions, concerns, or interesting ideas!
***TENTATIVE COURSE SYLLABUS/SCHEDULE***
This schedule is subject to change. Pls check Canvas for the latest syllabus.
HBR Case Pack
| Week | Topics/Activities | Due Today in Class |
|---|---|---|
| 1/25 (Wk#1) |
Stakeholder Theory of Business
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Check out the following links: |
| 2/1 (Wk#2) |
Shareholder vs. Stakeholders in current business world
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Assign – Personal statement: what and where businesses can do better? |
| 2/8 (Wk#3) | Economic argument of Capital and Labor (Shareholder vs. employee) (Source of Capital vs. Profit) |
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| 2/15 (Wk#4) | Legal challenges to Stakeholder Equity (Purpose and Meaning) |
Readings Due Today in Class:
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| 2/22 (Wk#5) | Employees as Stakeholder |
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| 3/1 (Wk#6) | Customers as Stakeholders |
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| 3/8 (Wk#7) | Suppliers/Supply Chain as Stakeholders |
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| 3/15 (Wk#8) Spring Recess |
NO CLASS | NO CLASS |
| 3/22 (Wk#9) | Community/Society as a Stakeholder |
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| 3/29 (Wk#10) | Planet Earth/Environment as a stakeholder |
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| 4/5 (Wk#11) |
Stakeholder Value framework vs. Shareholder primacy
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| 4/12 (Wk#12) |
Stakeholder returns vs. Shareholder dividends/control
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| 4/19 (Wk#13) |
Stakeholder Value Index – individual stakeholders value/reward metrics
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| 4/26 (Wk#14) |
Current state of Stakeholder Indices – third party data providers
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| 5/3 (Wk#15) |
Stakeholder Value Index – Composite Framework
New research areas? |
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| 5/10 (Wk#16) | FINAL PRESENTATION |
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