STRUCTURE

Seminar

Textbook- and article-based seminar presentations and discussion Combination of on-site- and distance-traching/learning Competitive strategy case study, analysis, and presentations authored both by individual students and by student teams Semester Project: Each team will develop a comprehensive plan for a new Lithuanian company - from concept through fully specified business plan using BusinessPlanPro4.0 software. Streaming video - One component of the distance learning experience will involve viewing and then electronic disucssing Webcasts delivered by expert practitioners. The electronic discussion will be accomplished using Motet within the Website.

Laboratory

We will further develop our command over Excel and PowerPoint You will also receive hands-on introduction to Excel-based spreadsheet modeling, analysis, decision-making,and forecasting. You can expect assignments and problem sets, which are to be completed individually, in connection with the laboratory work BusinessPlanPro 4.0 will require a major investment of group and individual work in a computer laboratory setting.

PREPARING FOR CLASS

The schedule, readings, and links pages of this Website contain both specific assigned reading and a growing libraray hardcopy and online resources. Full access is provided to all online artilces. Simply select a item, right click, select "Save target as", select a file name if one is not assigned, and click O.K. You will received a complete digital copy of the article that you can save and print. Note: I will assume that you have read and digested the assigned reading before it is dealt with in class. It is critical that you arrive at each class armed with questions on the reading and ready to contribute to the discussion. Ours is not a spectator sport! If you have not worked through the reading prior to its discussion, you will almost certainly be lost. Worse yet, you will be unable to add value to the seminar when you are called on to contribute content and analysis to our discussion!

GRADING
Your final grade will be determined based on averaging both individual and team work.

Periodic Assignments	15%
Essays, problem sets, electronic discussion - designed to build fluency with Excel modeling, decision theory, competitive strategy analysi
Individually Completed and Submitted Examinations	40%
Each student will submit Three case-studies examinations during the term and one case study final examination will be submitted for grading by each student. You examination performance will be judged based on the extent to which you offer rigorous, clear, and insightful content; and the extent to which your arguments, findings, and especially your recommendations are supporty by evidence, modeling, or other empirical or theoretical analysis you offer. Note: The narrative content of your response to each case study examination is stricly limited in length. Supporting tables and charts may be placed in an appendix, and will not count against the page limit stipulated in each assignment.
Seminar Contribution	10%
You are expected to actively and consistently add value to this seminar; not to just sit and listen and take notes. Your performance will be judged by the extent to which you regularly contribute new insigths, ideas, or information; and your ability to bring others to your point of view.
Group Project	35%
Each student will join one of four business development teams for purposes of conceiving and preparing and presenting (using Power Point) a comprehensive business plan for a new Lithuanian company. Each team will be tasked with condicting comprehensive competition strategy and industry structure analysis, which will be presented to the group. That is, each team will become fully conversant with the historical, current and prospective competitive climate - including metrics such as sales, revenue, and profit experience and trends/potential in the proposed company's industry and markets. During the June examination period, each team will present its analysis, findings, and then its business plan to the seminar using Power Point.(The presentation will count for 10% of the final grade) The teams will complete their projects by submitting a written version of the plan for grading. (The written business plan will count for 25% of the final grade.)