Questions:
Question 1
Is corporate social responsibility, such as the principles espoused in Veja' vision, inconsistent with increasing owners' wealth? Defend your answer with specific examples (with page numbers) from the Veja business case. [Hints: Is Veja growing profitably? What inference can you draw about owners' wealth? Can self- imposed constraints reduce owners' wealth?]
Question 2
Describe Veja's global strategy. Integrate vision, branding, consumer demand, competition, value chain, supply chain, and distribution channels into your description. Provide specific examples and facts, documented with page numbers from the case.
Business Policy and Strategy
Course Description
Strategic management, formulation, implementation and control are examined using a case study approach. Topics include corporate social responsibility (CSR), agency theory, resource-based-view of the firm, value chain analysis, executive compensation, balanced scoreboard, bankruptcy, strategic analysis and choice, strategy implementation, structuring an effective organization, organizational leadership, and strategic control and continuous improvement. The focus is upon the strategic management and alignment of these areas to achieve the objectives of the business enterprise.
Course Objectives
1. To analyze, think critically, and reason quantitatively in response to complex strategic issues in the increasingly global and technologically sophisticated workplace;
2. To compare and challenge traditional and contemporary perspectives of strategic management;
3. To develop an appreciation of the diversity of perspectives in organizations and develop the fundamental skills to manage it effectively;
4. To develop creative, ethical, and versatile problem solving skills.
Current Text and Instructional Materials
Pearce, John A. & Richard B. Robinson.2009 [or 2011 or 2013].Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control, 11th [or 12th or 13th] edition (McGraw-Hill-Irwin).
or
Pearce, John A. & Richard B. Robinson. 2009. Formulation, Implementation, and Control of Competitive Strategy, 11th edition (McGraw-Hill-Irwin).
Poldner, Kim &OanaBranzei. 2010. Veja: Sneakers with a Conscience, Richard Ivey School of Business (Ivey Publishing business case # 9B10M089).
Topical Outline
1. The nature and value of strategic management.
2. A company's mission.
3. The stakeholder approach to social responsibility.
4. The firm's external environment.
5. Globalization.
6. Internal analysis.
7. Long-term objectives.
8. Low-cost, differentiation, and speed-based strategy.
9. Different stages of industry evolution.
10. The portfolio approach to strategic analysis and choice in multi-business companies.
11. Short-term objectives.
12. Outsourcing.
13. Executive compensation.
14. Traditional organization structures and their strategy-related pros and cons
15. Strategic leadership.
16. Organizational culture.
17. Control, innovation, and entrepreneurship.