Business Economics and Modern Practice

All times and deadlines listed in this syllabus are in Bangkok time. Please have your Chulalongkorn student ID card with you at all times.

Class time: 9am-12pm
Class rooms: Mon & Wed (Mahit Bldg Rm 609); Fri (TBA)
Class size: The class size is strictly limited to a maximum of 30 students (6 teams of 5 students each).
Office room/hours: Econ Bldg Rm 208/1.1 (Mon & Wed 4-5pm) | Email: ajarn [dot] jurgen [at] gmail [dot] com
Midterm: Mon 24 June 2019 (9am-12pm; computer lab 2) | Final: Thu 18 July 2019 (9am-12pm; computer lab 2)
Academic honesty, class attendance, and expected classroom behavior: Please refer to the relevant university policies. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated and results in expulsion from class, a failing grade for the entire course, and reporting to the university authorities. (Sadly, this has happened in the past. It is embarrassing, painful, and costly to both students and faculty.) This includes cheating, ghostwriting, plagiarism, or other forms of dishonesty on any assigned work. If you have enrolled in this class, you explicitly promise and agree not to engage in any form of academic misconduct whatsoever. You also explicitly promise and agree to report other students to your teacher and to the EBA Program Director if you know or suspect that a classmate is violating this agreement. Classroom behavior that permits unimpeded exchange of academically relevant ideas and views is expected. Unless required for class, turn off cell phones or other electronic devices and put them out of sight. Individual class attendance is mandatory, as is team meeting attendance. You cannot come late, you cannot leave early, and for the duration of class you must be 100% alert. I expect students' personal conduct to be courteous, professional, and business-like at all times.

Assessment:
Team-based (Up to 30%)
Up to 10%: Based on the overall Company Performance Score of the Business Strategy Game (BSG) [Game course ID: Chula_2019].
- Up to 10%: Strategic Plan #1 (scoring is based on company performance relative to your plan).
- Up to 10%: Strategic Plan #2 (scoring is based on company performance relative to your plan).
- Minus points: All team members earn minus points when even one team member is late/abset for team meetings with Aj. Jurgen.
Individual-based (Up to 70%)
- Up to 10%: BSG Quiz #1 (on the BSG Player's Guide; open resources within BSG; 75 minutes; no retake opportunity).
- Up to 20%: Midterm exam: BSG Quiz #2 (on your company's financials; open resources within BSG; 150 minutes; no retake opportunity).
- Up to 20%: Final exam: BSG post-simulation comprehensive exam (open resources within BSG; 150 minutes; no retake opportunity).
- Up to 10%: BSG Peer Evaluation #1 (mid-game; strictly anonymous).
- Up to 10%: BSG Peer Evaluation #2 (post-game; strictly anonymous).
- [Copy of the Peer Evaluation Form here].
- Minus points: One percentage point is deducted from your grade each time that (1) you are late/absent from class when class starts, (2) are late/absent from class following a class break, and (3) leave class without permission.
Extra credit (2 assignments, each worth up tp five additional percentage points added to your earned course grade)
- Instructions [here]; Presentation Evaluation form [here]

Grading: 90%+ = A; 85%+ = B+; 80%+ = B; 75%+ = C+; 70%+ = C; 65%+ = D+; 60% = D; <60% = F.
[Grades are not rounded up, or down.] [Grades here; posted after midterm and after final]

Required materials:
The Business Strategy Game ( www.bsg-online.com ) [~USD45 by debit/credit card only. BSG is a high-powered global business simulation.]

Readings and lecture notes: Study materials (pdf and ppt) are copyright-protected and available on password protected websites. As a courtesy to you, you may use them for study in this class, but you may not distribute any of the files to anybody else. You are expected to respect the authors' and publishers' work.

Tentative class schedule and syllabus: Check before each class period to see whether any needed materials have been posted.

User name/password: The syllabus posted here is publicly viewable, of course, but readings, lecture notes, handouts, grades, and other materials are for the private use of class members only. Aj. Jurgen will make a usn/psw available on the first day of class, and in class only (not by email).

Mon 10 June - Class meeting [9am - Mahit 609]

Session 1:

• Models of price elasticity & price flexibility [pdf]

Session 2:

• Financial ratios & analysis [pdf]

• [Bring to class a printout of your company records for the Year 11 or Year 12 practice rounds so that you and your team can follow the computations for your company.]

• Teams work on financial analysis & decision entries

Tue 11 June - Assignments

Individual:

• [none]

Team:

• BSG Round # 1 [Year 11] decision entries due by 10pm

• Discuss and prepare responses to the many questions in textbook ch. 2, the ch. 2 lecture sides, and the ch. 2 end-of-chapter questions.

Wed 12 June - Class meeting [9am - Mahit 609]

Session 1:

• Ch. 2: Charting a Company’s Long-Term Direction: Vision, Objectives, and Strategy

• Textbook [text]; lecture slides [ppt] [pdf]

Session 2:

• [continued]

• Teams work on end-of-chapter [questions] a/o decision entries

Thu 13 June - Assignments

Individual:

• [none]

Team:

• BSG Round #2 [Year 12] decision entries due by 10pm

• Discuss and prepare responses to the many questions in textbook ch. 3, the ch. 3 lecture slides, and the ch. 3 end-of-chapter questions.

Fri 14 June - Team meetings [9am - Econ Bldg 410]

• Ch. 3: Evaluating a Company’s External Environment

• Textbook [text]; lecture slides [ppt] [pdf]; end-of-chapter [questions]

• Aj. Jurgen meets with the teams: Surprise questions & discussion.

• Remember the penalty rule when any one team member is late/absent.

• Team B: 9:00-9:30; Team C: 9:35-10:05; Team D: 10:10-10:40; Team E: 10:45-11:15; Team F: 11:20-11:50

Sat 15 June - Assignments

Individual:

• For next class, read, outline, and memorize the key facts of Case #1

• Decide for yourself what price Beauregard should charge, and why

Team:

• [none]

Mon 24 June - Midterm exam period [9am - Comp. lab #3, Econ 215]

• Midterm exam

• COME 15 MIN. EARLY to start up computer and log into BSG

• BSG Quiz #2 [heavy on company financials; online; open resources within BSG; time limit: 150 minutes; you may bring your most recent company printouts (from Round #4); no notes on print-outs permitted; bring nonprogrammable hand calculator & pencil][sample questions here]

Tue 25 June - Assignments

Individual:

• [none]

Team:

• BSG Strategic Plan #1 for Years 15, 16, & 17 due by 10pm

• BSG Round # 5 [Year 15] decision entries due by 10pm

• Discuss and prepare responses to the many questions in textbook ch. 4, the ch. 4 lecture sides, and the ch. 4 end-of-chapter questions.

Wed 26 June - Team meetings [9am - Mahit 609]

• Ch. 4: Evaluating a Company's Resources and Ability to Compete

• Textbook [text]; lecture slides [ppt] [pdf]; end-of-chapter [questions]

• Aj. Jurgen meets with the teams: Surprise questions & discussion.

• Remember the penalty rule when any one team member is late/absent.

• Team B: 9:00-9:30; Team C: 9:35-10:05; Team D: 10:10-10:40; Team E: 10:45-11:15; Team F: 11:20-11:50

Thu 27 June - Assignments

Individual:

• [none]

Team:

• BSG Round # 6 [Year 16] decision entries due by 10pm

• Discuss and prepare responses to the many questions in textbook ch. 5, the ch. 5 lecture sides, and the ch. 5 end-of-chapter questions.

Mon 8 July - Class meeting [9am - Mahit 609]

Session 1:

• Case #2 [pdf] [Students will be called on at random]

Session 2:

• Teams work on decision entries

Tue 9 July - Assignments

Individual:

• [none]

Team:

• BSG Round # 9 [Year 19] decision entries due by 10pm

• Ch. 9 presentation *pptx files due by 10pm

Wed 10 July - Class meeting [9am - Mahit 609]

Sessions 1 & 2:

• Ch. 9: Strategy, Ethics, and Social Responsibility; textbook [text]; textbook slides [ ppt] [pdf]; end-of-chapter [questions]

• Teams B, C, D, E, and F each present their chapter 9 case study (15 minutes minimum to 20 minutes maximum each; penalties apply)

• Teams to present are chosen in random order; two speakers to present are chosen at random as well

• Nonpresenting teams grade the performance of the presenting teams

• Team 1: 9:00-9:20; Team 2: 9:25-9:45; Team 3: 9:50-10:10; Team 4: 10:15-10:35; Team 5: 10:40-11:00

Thu 11 July - Assignments

Individual:

• [none]

Team:

• BSG Round # 10 [Year 20] decision entries due by 10pm

• The BSG simulation is now completed

• Teams prepare their ch. 12 case study presentations

Sun 15 July - Assignments

Individual:

• [none]

Team:

• Ch. 9 presentation *pptx files due by 10pm