Introducing Students to Business Policy and Strategy: Two Exercises to Increase Participation and Interest

This article describes two exercises that can be used to introduce the undergraduate student to the organization-wide perspective of the capstone Business Policy and Strategy course. Each of these exercises creates an environment for broad participation by the students in the class while conveying important lessons about analyzing cases and understanding the synergy that can be created by integrating the functional dimensions of an organization. In addition to providing an effective vehicle for communicating the content of the course, these exercises sensitize students to issues of process, which is a crucial element in strategic planning.