Michael E. Dobbs, Ph.D.
Professor of Management
Empowering Strategic Leaders
Helping students and organizational leaders develop and achieve professional and personal goals through the use of pioneering strategic analysis templates, applied social science research, and a commitment to individualized success.
What Students Are Saying
Degrees Earned
Ph.D.
Organization Theory & Strategy
M.B.A.
Management & Marketing
B.A.
Communication/Public Address
Academic Positions Held
Professor
2009-Present
Associate Professor
2003-2009
Adjunct Lecturer
2008-2009
Assistant Professor
1999-2003
Professional Experience
Management Consultant
Wholesale Sales Representative
Store Manager Trainee
Freelance Sports Writer
Computer Hardware Technician
BUS 4360 Strategic Management
BUS 4360 is the capstone course for undergraduate business majors at EIU.
Multiple teaching methodologies are employed in this course. There is lecture, but there is also numerous in-class exercises, small group discussions, and online activities. By the end of the course, students are better prepared to analyze, choose, implement, evaluate, and revise strategies and tactics for a business unit. The course is organized around the following three core topic areas:
Strategic Analysis: Students understand the importance of strategic analysis and demonstrate an ability to perform the following types of analysis:
- Environmental (Economic, Sociocultural, Political, Technological, Physical)
- Industry (Competitors, Suppliers, Buyers, Substitutes, Complementors)
- Internal (Functional Areas, Core Competence, Value Chain, Activity Scope)
Strategic Options: Students understand and identify the attributes, advantages, and disadvantages of the following strategic options:
- Generic Strategies (Low Cost Leadership, Differentiation, Focus)
- Integration Strategies (Vertical, Horizontal)
- Diversification Strategies (Related, Unrelated)
- Cooperative Strategies (Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, etc.)
- International Strategies (Trade, Joint Venture, Acquisition, Greenfield)
- Retrenchment Strategies (Downsizing, Divestiture, Leveraged Buyout)
Strategic Choice, Implementation, and Evaluation: Students understand decision making, implementation, and evaluation processes of Strategic Management and be are able to accomplish the following:
- Overcome Decision Making Challenges
- Develop a Weighted MOWST Matrix
- Generate Multiple Alternatives
- Process Ethical Aspects of Decisions
- Design Implementation Frameworks
MGT 4860 Managing Organizational Conflict, Power & Politics
MGT 4860 Managing Organizational Conflict, Power & Politics is a course for senior-level Management majors and MBA students.
This is NOT a course about Republicans and Democrats! It is a course that helps students begin to understand and navigate the informal relationships that dominate organizations. We dispel the following myth: “If I work hard and keep my head down, I’ll be rewarded with promotions and raises.” NO YOU WON”T!!!
We rely heavily on the perspective of Jeff Pfeffer, but add in other perspectives as well. In order to get ahead in organizations, you’re going to have to “play the game,” whether you want to or not. In the course, you will learn about ethical means of accomplishing this; but you will also learn about unethical means so you will be better able to defend yourself.
In addition to lecture, discussion, and in-class exercises, the course utilizes Oscar-nominated films as case studies of conflict-handling styles, political behavior, and power plays: Moneyball, Jobs, The Devil Wears Prada, Margin Call, and Working Girl.
Students are asked to analyze their own professional and personal lives to assess the impact of conflict, power, and politics. They are also encouraged to apply newly-learned practices to successfully navigate whatever environments they encounter.
Courses I Teach
Adding to Our Understanding of Organizations
Collaborating with students and practitioners, I have developed a set of strategic analysis templates that anyone can use to conduct a rigorous strategic analysis of any organization — be it a Fortune 500 behemoth, a mom-and-pop shop, a government agency, or a non-profit.
Using organizational ecology as a foundational framework, I have also examined sports leagues and franchises.
Developing in-class exercises and making them available to other instructors is also an area in which I am interested.
Below are selected academic journal publications from my portfolio.
Committed to Students
In 2024, the faculty of the EIU School of Business adopted the following Values Statement. I was honored that they accepted my draft with no revisions as it also aligns with my personal values and communicates what I believe about business education at EIU. Click on each statement to see what it means.
It's not just business, it's personal.
We value relationships – between faculty and students, students and each other, students and staff, and many more. We have small class sizes, numerous student organizations, and many avenues to facilitate personal interactions and create an environment in which personal relationships thrive. Students are taught by faculty members – not by graduate assistants – and our faculty members care about students and their success.
It’s not just a credential, it’s a transformation.
Getting a business degree from the EIU School of Business is not just about getting a piece of paper to frame on the wall. We empower students to not only learn business principles and skills but develop as human beings and leaders. Yes, students graduate with a very valuable AACSB-accredited business degree, but during the process most are transformed from teenagers to young adults ready to find their place in the world and make their mark.
It’s not just for a chosen few, it’s for all kinds of people.
We welcome all kinds of people. Students don’t have to be wealthy, well-connected, or a genius; but they can be. Many of our students are first generation college students with little prior exposure to a professional business environment, and we not only welcome them, we value their perspectives and contributions. We are committed to making a quality business education accessible to all kinds of people, not just the so-called elite.
It’s not just about the money, it’s about having a positive impact on the world.
We acknowledge the skills and principles of business we teach our students are powerful tools. Like any tools, they can impact the world for good or ill. While some in the business world misuse their tools for selfish ends, we believe that doesn’t have to be the case. We endeavor to model for our students how the tools of business can impact the world in positive ways and empower our students to wield these tools for good to make their world a better place.