© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 1 Why Strategy? Business Management 499 Strategic Management

© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 2 What is Strategy? 1984Profits: $242 Million Theme Park Operations:77 percent of profits Consumer Products: 22 percent of profits Filmed Entertainment: 1 percent of profits Walt Disney Company

© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 3 Walt Disney Company Hired Michael Eisner What is Strategy? 1. Increased admission prices at theme parks $186 m $787 m 2. Focused on movie studios (character development) $2.42 m $845 m 3. Diversified into television (ABC), hotels, retail stores, sport team, cruise line, publishing, consumer products, licensing, etc market cap. $2 billion market cap. $28 billion (Huey, 1995)

© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 4 Strategy is the active management of firm resources in the pursuit of economic rents. What is Strategy? Thus, our study here is concerned with achieving competitive advantage, not merely survival. Advantage implies that few, if any, other firms can or do hold the same position in the market. Therefore, our focus will not be on managing the average firm. Our focus will be on managing a firm to rise above the average.

© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 5 The Call from Industry The ability to handle intangible and/or subjective strategy-type concepts is what sets apart individuals in this business (investment banking). -- Alan Folkman, Marriott School NAC. Why Strategy? The functional disciplines are necessary just to get in the door, recruiters take excellent accounting, finance, and marketing skills as a given. Graduates are expected to be expert in a functional area and able to to appreciate the strategic implications of managerial action

© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 6 What is Strategy? Academic History Management was usually taught by retired executives who imparted the wisdom of experience and the rules of thumb well into the 1960’s Business disciplines evolved principally from either economics (finance) or psychology (OB & marketing) Strategic management is a young discipline (first Ph.D.’s were granted in the late 1980’s) The Business Policy and Strategy Division is now the largest division of the Academy of Management

© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 7 Why Strategy? Differences Between Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Organizational Behavior--and Strategy? Functional Discipline vs. Enterprise Management Answering Questions Right vs. Answering (Asking) the Right Questions An Objective Answer vs. Possibility of Multiple “Right Answers”” Responding Based on Rules vs. Responding Based on Principles & Concepts Managers must be able to deal with ambiguity

© 2004 Mark H. Hansen 8 What will this class do for you? Inform decisions in all areas of your life - Personal, family, church, & civic relationships Prepare you to make the jump from analyst, staff level, sales, etc. to manager Make you a better analyst, accountant, salesperson, etc.