Complete MBA Level Synthesis Paper

MADM760-AP2 Spring 2017 Your Name

Complete MBA Level Synthesis Paper 1

TITLE OF SYNTHESIS PAPER

Louisiana State University

MADM760

Your Name

Date

ABSTRACT

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MAIN HEADING

Secondary Heading

MAIN HEADING

REFERENCES

Smith, R.D., Mayer, G.D., & Thompson, J.J. 2002. The benefits of online simulations in capstone business courses. Academy of Strategy Journal, 29(5): 125-142.

Johnson, R.D. & Franks, T.D. 2002. Qualifying graduate business students: Practice versus Theory. Journal of Educational Excellence, 7(3): 15-31.

Marantvski, G.H.F, Fillinghamton, K.R., Tananchinglee, W.R, & Smithersly, O.P. 2002. Strategic education practices courses in higher education, in Educating Millennials, 3rd Ed, New York, NY: Cengage Publishing.

INSTRUCTIONS

(Remove these instructions before submitting your Synthesis Paper)

Synthesis Paper: 200 points (due Thursday April 27th by 11pm)

A 1,250-word Final Synthesis Paper representing 20% of your grade (200 points) is due Thursday, April 27th by 11pm. Late submissions will NOT be accepted - please don't ask - submit early to avoid missing the deadline due to potential last minute technology or personal emergency issues. The submission requirement will entail one electronic file uploaded to Moodle (saved as a Word file using your last name in ALL CAPS-Term Paper as the file name that you upload).

Writing Guidelines

Your Synthesis Paper should include an abstract. For the paper, there is a minimum word limit of 1,250 words and a maximum word limit of 2,500 words (excluding your title page, diagrams, tables, and references). This limit will require vigorous and concise writing. Use strong and effective words that provide meaning. Determine first your message, and articulate that message. Avoid at all costs the tendency to simply provide information. And always remember that graduate-level coursework requires graduate-level effort.

Citations must be prepared in accordance with the standards set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition, or a similar style manual. Please ensure that you incorporate margins of 1 inch on all four sides of pages; 12 point Times New Roman font; single-spaced body text; and page numbers centered at the bottom of each page, including the title page.

Note: The intent of the 2,500-word limit is to force you to be meaningfully thoughtful and powerfully concise. Students who wish to write more are welcome to do so and submit the longer document separately to be considered for extra credit. In this course you are rewarded for focused effort and thoughtful engagement. If you aggressively engage the Synthesis Paper assignment and subject matter that results in a LONGER manuscript (some students have written over 50 pages), then learning has occurred and I will award extra credit (please don't ask how much). But please understand, the assignment is a meaningfully thoughtful and powerfully concise 1,250-word paper (maximum of 2,500 words). The submission of a longer manuscript (longer than 2,500 words) is no substitute for the assigned 1,250-word paper. Yes, we all understand that compressing all the material and all your thoughts into 1,250 words is DIFFICULT. It is intended to be. In summary, the paper should be 1,250-2500 words in length; 1,250 words is acceptable (1,249 words is absolutely unacceptable).

Topic: The Nature of Strategic Management and Firm Performance

Although the subject matter of this course is narrow relative to the broader field of business, we will take a deep dive into this narrow topic of strategic management. By the end of the semester, we will have examined issues involving (1) strategic planning; (2) the role of the CEO; and (3) firm performance. In addition, we will explore how the role of organizational functional areas (such as finance and marketing, among many others) interact and contribute to the organization; and how the firm interacts with larger social, legal, and business environments. You will have read and discussed various theories relating to strategic management and firm performance. You will have completed assignments requiring research and personal reflection on strategic management and related topics. You will have had many conversations with your team mates regarding the content of this course, and the assigned case study. This Synthesis Paper is your opportunity to demonstrate your command of the course’s subject matter.

As graduate students you are expected to demonstrate a high level of critical thinking – an ability to transcend knowledge and truly understand – an ability to connect the dots and make sense of otherwise seemingly disparate information. Most importantly, you are expected to have an opinion, an evidence-based and logical defensible position. This Synthesis Paper is an opportunity for you to express your position on the Nature of Strategic Management. The Socratic Skill Builders assignments throughout the semester have been designed to provide ideas and material for your Synthesis Paper.

Your Synthesis Paper might encompass the entirety of the course, attempting to synthesis the essence of strategic management, CEO influence, and firm performance. Your paper might attempt to synthesize the different paradigms of strategic management presented in the course. Your paper may speak to your personal experience with strategic planning or CEOs, or your ambitions and emotions related to becoming a CEO. Or you may attempt to focus on one of the following questions. What is strategic management and how does it relate to firm performance or sustainability? Or how does it relate to employee or individual happiness? What are the most important issues, advantages, and challenges facing those aspiring to be a CEO? The specific topic is yours to choose.

This Synthesis Paper represents YOUR view of strategic management. While you should use the concepts and language developed in this course to demonstrate your command of the subject, this is not an exercise in regurgitation. I want to know your thoughts.