1. Course Description

1.1 Context

Course overview

Traditionally board is supposed to take a governance role in companies. Yet/ change is coming. Boards are increasingly taking a more active role in strategic decisions that once belonged solely to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and his/her top executive team. So/ it is essential to understand how boards could contribute effectively to strategic decision making. This course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of board of directors and how they effectively make strategic decisions in addition to oversight.

This course will cover

1. Boards of established firms vs. startups

2. Boards of Chinese firms and firms headquartered outside of China

3. Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) materials related to boards

Prerequisites

This course welcomes every student who has strong interests in learning boards of directors. At the same time/ before you register the course/ please pay close attention to the following prerequisites.

1. The key for you to succeed in this course is to actively participate in group case analyses and discussions in the classroom.

2.  Students are generally required to have completed at least one management course at master/undergraduate level.

2.2 Course specific objectives

This course contains the frontier academic research, a number of examples, and classic and latest Harvard and Ivey cases, regarding board of directors of both established firms and new ventures.  The goals of this course are to (1) facilitate students to develop a solid and comprehensive understanding of board of directors including their composition, structure, and decision making in board rooms, etc, (2) offer students fine-grained analyses of how the board monitors, partners with, or leads the management to create value for firms, and (3) prepare students with the knowledge of roles of boards of directors in different stages of firms including startups and established firms. Armed with such in-depth understandings of board of directors, students are more capable of shouldering responsibilities in both startups and established organizations increasingly competing in the global market.

2.3 Assessment/Grading Details

Notes

(1)      Individual participation does not include group contributions during in-class case discussions.

(2)       "Cases"  refer to the major cases (e.g., Case  1, Case  2)  listed on  pages 7-8 of this syllabus and do not include examples or mini-cases.

(3) Please refer to page 10 for instructions on how to record your participation and other required details.

(4)      Assignments submitted after the due time will be penalized  10% of the base grade for each 24-hour late.

(5)      Submission time is temporary and may change slightly according to the course progress.

1. Individual Participation (10%)

Please plan to treat this course as an opportunity to practice the professionalism that will serve you well during your career. You owe yourself and your fellow students your presence in the classroom.  Meanwhile,  please  note  that   nonprofessional  behavior  (i.e.  sleeping  in  class, chatting with your neighbors during the class time, showing up late to class, reading materials other than those assigned for this class, leaving class early, failing to turn cell  phones off, passing  notes, eating,  rudeness, sarcasm, discrimination, etc.) that creates a distraction  is likely to inhibit both your own and your peers classroom learning. As such you can expect that the  demonstration  of  unprofessional   behavior  will  negatively  impact  your  grade  in  class participation.

Attendance. Please also note that attendance is a necessary but insufficient condition for participation in a timely manner; this means that simply attending the class is not the same as participating.  Participation will be graded on the basis of the quantity and quality of an individual’s contribution to classroom discussion. In fact, we learn best when we are actively involved in the activity we are attempting to master (consider riding a bicycle,  studying dentistry). According to regulations, you can have one opportunity to ask for a leave due to bu siness reasons; you can have unlimited times to ask for a leave due to emergencies; and six absences  (after the first week) are equal to failure in the course.  Please arrive at the classroom five minutes before the class starts and scan your face.

Individual Participation. Being well prepared for class is a prerequisite for high quality involvement, which in turn better enables you to maximize your learning. Hence, it is virtually important and it is your responsibility that you always have read in advance the materials that will be covered during the class. Your level of preparation for this class will determine your success. Please come to class prepared. I expect each of you will provide your quality opinion at least once during a week.  As such, you will receive the full grade for participation.

Please fill in the excel sheets uploaded to our wechat group right after each lecture.

1.  Attendance sheet

(a) Students requesting leave should email the Professor with their reason for absence and any supporting documents. Detailed instructions can be found in the this sheet.

2.  Individual participation sheet: it refers to the number of times you provide quality opinions in the lecture excluding

(a) simple answers such as yes/no, and

(b) your contributions as a group member during in-class case discussions

Immediately after each lecture, please email or WeChat the TA a photo of the colorful clips you received. Detailed instructions can be found in the this sheet.

II. Group Participation in Case Analyses (30%)

Group members: Five  students  will  form  a  group. To  ensure  students to  experience sufficient  interactions with each  other and to  experience group dynamics, students will  be assigned to two different groups this module.

Two groups: Group 1 will be formed to be responsible for major cases in Week 1-5 and Group 2 will be formed to be responsible for major cases in Week 6-9.

Group 1 and Group 2 information including group members along with the seating chart will be sent to you after add-drop and roughly in Week 5 respectively.

Group leaders: In addition to the group information, the TA will assign each of you as a group leader responsible for one major case. Please refer to the uploaded Excel sheet in the WeChat group after each lecture for details on the case you are responsible for as a group leader.

Every student will have an opportunity to serve as a group leader. Each group leader is responsible for one major case. Group leaders will be assigned to each case before each case discussion. If you have preferences such as the time to serve as a group leader, please inform TA asap.

Group leaders will be responsible for (a) taking a laptop to the classroom; (b) coordinating group discussion; (c) leading the group to discuss the case with other groups; and (d) filling in group case participation uploaded after each case discussion.

Pre-class preparations: Each group member has to read the case and think about case discussion questions INDEPENDENTLY before class.

In-class group case discussion: In class each group member will discuss your thoughts with your group members; and then groups will exchange and/or debate on ideas.

Group case participation fill-in: Each major case’s group leaders are responsible for filling in the online group case participation sheet uploaded by TA after each case analysis. Group case participation refers to the total number of times that all of your group members provide quality opinions to all discussion questions of a major case.

After a case discussion concludes, the group leader is also responsible for taking a photo of all silver clips received and sending it via email or WeChat to the TA. Detailed instructions can be found in the “ # of questions per case” sheet.

Grading criteria: Each group is expected to contribute, on average, at least one quality opinion to each discussion question. For example, if we discuss three major cases from Week 1 to Week 5, and there are 20 questions in total across these cases, your group should provide one quality opinion per question, resulting in 20 quality opinions overall. This will enable your group to receive a full grade, which will be the same for each group member.

III. Final Individual Report (30%)

Preparation Before Writing Your Report. Before starting your report, ensure you have thoroughly reviewed the material covered in Lectures 1 to Lecture 17 (or before final presentations). This step will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of the key concepts discussed throughout the course and provide a solid foundation for your reflection.

Guidelines for Writing Your Report. When writing your report, focus on the insights you have gained from the lecture materials. It is essential to adhere strictly to the content discussed in class and avoid incorporating material from outside the classroom. Use your own words to express your understanding of the concepts, aiming to reflect as much of the course content as possible without the need to cover every single topic. Ensure your report demonstrates an accurate understanding of the concepts and maintains logical connections between points for a coherent and structured reflection.

Approaches to Avoid. Refrain from using a case study to analyze multiple aspects, as this approach often dedicates excessive space to case descriptions, limiting room for meaningful reflection. Additionally, avoid focusing on a single topic and sourcing external materials for your report, as this approach may neglect the lecture content, undermining the purpose of this reflective exercise. Keep your focus firmly on the materials and discussions from class.

Grading criteria: The relevance of your contents, the accuracy of the concepts and theories, the logics, breadth and depth of your analyses, the format, and the diligence shown in the reports.

Submissions: Each individual report is no more than single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, three-page long excluding the cover page with your name, student ID number and individual report title, and reference page. Please provide your references to the facts/data in your reports. Please email each report (Word and PDF format) to TA before 5:30pm April 17.

IV. Final Group Presentations (25%)

To facilitate students’ awareness about, and sensitivity to boards and directors in the business world dynamics, as well as application of what is learned throughout the course, students are required to form groups and prepare a group case presentation roughly in the last two lectures.

Group information: Please email TA your group information including group members (e.g., five students) and the group leader before or on 5:30pm March 24. If TA does not receive your preference, TA will assign students into different groups.

Group leaders: Group leaders take the responsibilities for calling for group meetings, assigning tasks to each group member, coordinating the progress of each group member, and leading the group to complete the project successfully etc. Assigned tasks to each team member could include identifying the case, collecting the materials, presenting the project, compiling and submitting  the  PPTs of presentations, etc.  These assigned tasks also need collective efforts to some extent.

Group members: Group members are responsible for contributing to the quality of the project, and completing the assigned tasks timely and effectively, etc. to ensure the success of the whole team.

Topics: The principle is “first come, first served.” Please fill in the online “final presentation groups and topics” excel sheet as soon as you could.

Contents: Your group presentation should include the following parts:

(1) A brief introduction of a board chair/lead director/corporate board/independent director, etc;

and the affiliated company.

a) The board chair/lead director/corporate board, etc in your final group project should not be thoroughly discussed in lectures and case analyses.

(2) Analyses of several key aspects of the board chair/lead director/corporate board, etc. For example,

a.    Do you think this is an effective board in monitoring the behaviours of the CEO? Why?

b.    Do you think the board chair/lead director is qualified? Why?

c.    What are the criteria to be a board member?

d.    How does the board partner with the CEO to make wise strategic decisions?

e.    What are the problems associated with the composition of the board?

The above topics are examples. Your final presentations are not limited to these topics. You can cover any topics we discuss in the class.

(3) Conclusion

Submissions: Please email TA the draft of PowerPoint slides before 5:30pm April 10 and copy the email to the Professor. Please email the finalized version of your PPT slides to the TA before 5:30pm April 24.

Presentation: The presentations will take place during the final two lectures. The sequence of the presentation will be based on the alphabetic order of the surname of each group leader. At least half of your group members must do the presentation. The presentation will last 15-20 minutes excluding 3-5 minutes Q&A session.

Grading criteria include the number of concepts and theories included in the analyses,

accurate understandings of concepts and theories, the application of concepts and theories to analyze the case, the depth and quality of your analyses, critical thinking, quality of PPTs, presentation quality, professional dress, efforts in the final project, the quality of your answers  to the questions, and completion of the presentation within time limit. Marks will be deducted if the time limit is exceeded. Each group member receives the same grade.

V. Effective Group leaders (5%)

If you are a group leader of in-class case analyses, you will automatically receive 5% given your good efforts and contributions as a group leader.

VI. Bonus (5%)

In the past years I observed outstanding individual participation and group case participation. To reward these outstanding students and groups, I set up this bonus. If your individual participation is far more than once a week, you will receive a bonus with the maximum 2.5%. If your group case participation is far beyond 1.5 quality opinions per question, your group members will receive a bonus with the maximum 2.5%.

2.4 Academic Honesty and Plagiarism

It is important for a student’s effort and credit to be recognized through class assessment. Credits earned for a student work due to efforts done by others are clearly unfair. Deliberate dishonesty is considered academic misconducts, which include plagiarism; cheating on assignments  or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking,  acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting  false  or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; or altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying of data, research procedures, or data analysis.

All assessments are subject to academic misconduct check.  Misconduct check may include reproducing the assessment, providing a copy to another member of faculty, and/or communicate a copy of  this assignment to theDiscipline  Committee.  A  suspected plagiarized document/assignment submitted to a plagiarism checking service may be kept in its database for future reference purpose.

Where violation is suspected,  penalties  will  be  implemented.  The  penalties  for  academic misconduct may include: deduction of honour points, a mark of zero on the assessment, a fail grade for the whole course.

AI tools requirements：Using AI tools to complete assignments or assessments without the  approval of the course instructor will be regarded as an act of academic dishonesty. Depending on the severity of the situation, penalties will be implemented in accordance with the provisions.