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> 2. The paper is 125 pages long. If you have more than a handful of
> these to read CAREFULLY, you have spent too much time grading in
> proportion to other contractually given tasks (like research).

I specify the report size as "40+/-4 pages"... And usually I have 7 - 10
groups in a class.

Greetings,

Dr. M. Atilla Oner
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TurkConsult
Innovation and Technology Relay Center
t/f: (0216) 463 73 58 e: oner@boun.edu.tr
http://ieee.boun.edu.tr/technology
http://www.yeditepe.edu.tr/ulusalyenilik/
http://ww.boun.edu.tr/~che/che498/che498.html

Dear Dr. Oner, It does take me about 4 haurs to grade each paper, that is
why they are team papers, so I only have about 8 to grade each class.
Since these are graduating MBAs, and the assignment covers a global,
industry, and competitive analysis, they generally don't have any problems
taking all 125 pages (with exhibits). In fact, my problem is often to
enforce the 125 page limit. They try to get tricky by using lots of
appendicies with no page numbers.


I do make them write an Executive Summary at the begining with the
realization that their boss is less likely to spend four hours ever reading
a report, and they need to learn how to boil down the essence of their
findings. I give them 30 minutes to make an oral presentation to the class
followed by a Q&A period. In the past, I have often assigned 4 industries,
2 competitors per industry, thus insuring that there were be industry
knowledgeable people in the class, and providing me with a comparative
benchmark on the industry analysis.

While I have been teaching Strategy for ten years, and have written on
various issues (Strategic Planning, Strategic change, strategic leadership,
strategic groups, Resource Based View of the Firm, Competitence based
Competition, M&As, etc within the field of strategy, as well as on other
issues - when I use to be an OB person -which I think I know how to really
teach), I struggle all the time with different pedogogical approaches to
reach my students. For example, last semester, in my undergrad policy
class, I formally instituted current events as 10% of their grade. This
was based upon my feeling that my under grads not only didn't pay any
attention to what was happening in the business world, they couldn't
translate what they were being taught to analyze/interpret current events.
In their oral & written presentations they were required to link material
from the text or discussed in class to the current event. Some did a good
job, some did not. Rightly or wrongly, I have not chosen to do this in my
graduate class. But then, my under grads don't have to write a 125 page
report.

Still Learning How to Teach.
Kim

>> 2. The paper is 125 pages long. If you have more than a handful of
>> these to read CAREFULLY, you have spent too much time grading in
>> proportion to other contractually given tasks (like research).
>
>I specify the report size as "40+/-4 pages"... And usually I have 7 - 10
>groups in a class.
>
>Greetings,
>
>Dr. M. Atilla Oner
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>TurkConsult
>Innovation and Technology Relay Center
>t/f: (0216) 463 73 58 e: oner@boun.edu.tr
>http://ieee.boun.edu.tr/technology
>http://www.yeditepe.edu.tr/ulusalyenilik/
>http://ww.boun.edu.tr/~che/che498/che498.html
>
--------------------------------
Kim Boal
College of Business Administration
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409
(806) 742-2150
KimBoal@ttu.edu

I'm not suire requesting a 125 page paper is adding that much value. What I
have found is that writing short papers with directly to the point is more
valuable and sometimes harder to do. I require MBAs and undergraduates to
do two kinds of papers, typically related to a case. I start this by
providing a context in which a case should be viewed, eg. assistant to the
key decision maker in the case; consultant; competitor developing a
competitive analysis, etc.
(1) A 2-page max.memorandum addressed to the key decision maker listing the
key recommendations, action steps and main analysis points plus discarded
options.
(2) A 10-page max. report with cover letter and executive summary that may
include an appendix of charts, graphs, tables, exhibits of unspecified size
as long as each item in the appendix is referred to in the body of the text.

Often students realize that it is much harder to compress the essencew on
minimal space than to elaborate over dozens of pages. I believe that for
future managers this is an important skill.
At 08:24 AM 3/5/99 +0200, you wrote:
>> 2. The paper is 125 pages long. If you have more than a handful of
>> these to read CAREFULLY, you have spent too much time grading in
>> proportion to other contractually given tasks (like research).
>
>I specify the report size as "40+/-4 pages"... And usually I have 7 - 10
>groups in a class.
>
>Greetings,
>
>Dr. M. Atilla Oner
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>TurkConsult
>Innovation and Technology Relay Center
>t/f: (0216) 463 73 58 e: oner@boun.edu.tr
>http://ieee.boun.edu.tr/technology
>http://www.yeditepe.edu.tr/ulusalyenilik/
>http://ww.boun.edu.tr/~che/che498/che498.html
>
Prof. Arieh A. Ullmann Tel. +1.607.777.6858
School of Management FAX +1.607.777.4422
Binghamton University e-mail: aullmann@binghamton.edu
Vestal Parkway East
Binghamton, NY 13902-6015
U.S.A.

Dear Arieh, At the graduate level, I don't use cases. Thus,students have
to learn to do original research/competitive intelligences. Some of the
length of their papers is diescriptive and some analystical. Remember they
pick the company. Everything else flows from that decision. They start
with a blank slate regarding knowledge of the industry, competitors,
company, global environment.

Since, the capstone policy course, came to replace doing a senior or
master's thesis, typically, students at many schools never have to do any
original research or writing. I am trying, in my own way, to prepare my
students to succeed in an unstructured and ambiguous environment. In
recent years, it seems a great many of my students are going to work with
consulting firms (EY hired 13 alone this past year. We just had a
employer/student wine and cheese get together, and one of my old students
was their hiring for EY. She made offers to four of my students). Much of
what these students do resembles part, or all, of the major paper they
write for me. Thus, as long as I get positive feedback from former
students, and don't get hammered in course evals (the chicken part of me
again), I will probably stick with requiring this comprehensive team paper.

But, as I alluded to in earlier posts, I think we are all trying to do our
best and figure out how we can teach our students in such a way they they
are on the road to developing the capacity to be world class managers. I
am sure your are, otherwise you would not have bother to respond to my post.

Best wishes, Kim Boal


>I'm not suire requesting a 125 page paper is adding that much value. What I
>have found is that writing short papers with directly to the point is more
>valuable and sometimes harder to do. I require MBAs and undergraduates to
>do two kinds of papers, typically related to a case. I start this by
>providing a context in which a case should be viewed, eg. assistant to the
>key decision maker in the case; consultant; competitor developing a
>competitive analysis, etc.
>(1) A 2-page max.memorandum addressed to the key decision maker listing the
>key recommendations, action steps and main analysis points plus discarded
>options.
>(2) A 10-page max. report with cover letter and executive summary that may
>include an appendix of charts, graphs, tables, exhibits of unspecified size
>as long as each item in the appendix is referred to in the body of the text.
>
>Often students realize that it is much harder to compress the essencew on
>minimal space than to elaborate over dozens of pages. I believe that for
>future managers this is an important skill.
>At 08:24 AM 3/5/99 +0200, you wrote:
>>> 2. The paper is 125 pages long. If you have more than a handful of
>>> these to read CAREFULLY, you have spent too much time grading in
>>> proportion to other contractually given tasks (like research).
>>
>>I specify the report size as "40+/-4 pages"... And usually I have 7 - 10
>>groups in a class.
>>
>>Greetings,
>>
>>Dr. M. Atilla Oner
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>TurkConsult
>>Innovation and Technology Relay Center
>>t/f: (0216) 463 73 58 e: oner@boun.edu.tr
>>http://ieee.boun.edu.tr/technology
>>http://www.yeditepe.edu.tr/ulusalyenilik/
>>http://ww.boun.edu.tr/~che/che498/che498.html
>>
>Prof. Arieh A. Ullmann Tel. +1.607.777.6858
>School of Management FAX +1.607.777.4422
>Binghamton University e-mail: aullmann@binghamton.edu
>Vestal Parkway East
>Binghamton, NY 13902-6015
>U.S.A.
>
--------------------------------
Kim Boal
College of Business Administration
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409
(806) 742-2150
KimBoal@ttu.edu