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BA 717: Strategic Management

Credit Hours: 3
Estimated Hours Per Week: 20

Overview

This course involves a critical review of theory and research in the field of strategic management. The scope of the course is comprehensive, including both issues of strategic content and strategic process. Particular emphasis is placed on empirical study of strategic issues.

This course is designed to focus on active learning (application) and critical thinking.  Successful active learning requires a major investment from both the instructor and the student.  Students will be required to study the assigned readings, engage in thinking and writing, and be prepared to contribute to the weekly discussion forum.

Each week the class will examine a sub-field of strategic management.  The approach combines reading the seminal works (or recent summaries or synthesis) on the topic and examining an in-depth three or four empirical works.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Develop a “big picture” perspective of organizational strategy: what strategy is how it is developed, how it is implemented, and the relationship between strategy and firm performance?
  • Build and practice skills in competitive assessment, strategic thinking, and decision-making. These skills will include both quantitative analysis (particularly financial tools and qualitative analysis (research and competitive intelligence gathering and assessment) using a broad and integrative view of the organization
  • Review, integrate, and apply your disciplinary coursework to help understand the effects of managerial decisions on the organization and the system it operates in: shareholders, suppliers, customers, and the community.
  • Understand and master the dramatic shifts in technology, demographics, outsourcing, supply networks, and business practices that are key strategies in the current business environment.
  • Identify applicable seminal research, theory, and/or methods from this course relevant to individual research question(s); and contribute to the field of study by extending previous knowledge.

ENROLLMENT
To enroll in this course, please complete the online application.

Required Texts
BA 717 texts are available from the JIU/MBS bookstore