BUS 495 – STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Prerequisite: MKT 301, FIN 301 & BUS 371

Credit: 3(3,0,0)

Instructor: Dr. Yahaya Al-Serhan

E-Mail: ynserhan@psu.edu.sa

Office Hours: UMT 10:00 – 12:00 AM; or by appointment

Lecture Hours: UMT 1:10 – 3.00 PM .

Course Description

This course introduces the students to the concepts and tools of strategic management and exposes them to the actual practice of such concepts and tools through analysis of cases, and interactive exercises. The major topics of emphasis in this course include key terms in strategic management, business vision and mission, environmental analyses, strategy development, strategy implemention, and strategy evaluation.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to

• Understand the purpose, processes and tools of strategic management;
• Analyze both the internal and external environments of the firm and develop the

appropriate strategies;

• Combine and build on the knowledge acquired in earlier functionally-oriented courses;
• Appreciate the challenges that management faces in today’s ever changing, diverse, and global environment
• Evaluate and apply the various tools learned in class to instances of management practices

Textbook Required

Dess, G. G., Lumpkin, G.T., and Eisner, A. B. (2008) Strategic Management – Creating Competitive Advantage, 4^th Edition; McGraw-Hill International Edition.

Evaluation/Grading Scheme

Grades will be determined based on the following distribution:

Attendance & class participation 10%

Case Analysis 10%

Major Exam 1 20%

Major Exam 2 20%

Final Exam 40%

NOTES ON EVALUATION

a. Attendance and class participation (10%)

Full attendance merits 5%; full attendance is defined as “not being absent for more than four class meetings”. For each additional absence, 0.5% mark will be deducted; an absence is defined as “not being in the classroom during the scheduled class meeting without a formal excuse letter.”

Full participation merits 5%; full participation is defined as “positively contributing to dynamic class activities.” Students should show that they are prepared for class activities, participate through providing feedbacks in class discussion, and avoid (habitually) turning up late for class and disrupting class discussions. In particular, avoid using cell phone in class.

b. Case analysis (10%)

Students will form groups and do a presentation of a business case. No written paper is required but marks will be based on contents of the presentation slides (7 marks) and presentation skills (3 marks).

c. Final written examination (40%)

This is the final written examination at the end of semester. The final exam is comprehensive, i.e. it covers the whole content of instruction for the smester.

Indicative Course Contents

Week	Contents	Chapter
1	Introduction to the Course Strategic Management – Creating Competitive Advantages	1
2	Analyzing the External Environment Case Presentation 1 Case Presentation 2	2
3	Assessing the Internal Environment Recognizing a Firm’s Intellectual Assets Case Presentation 3 Case Presentation 4	3 4
4	Major Exam I Business-Level Strategy	5
5	Corporate-Level Strategy Case Presentation 5 Case Presentation 6	6
6	International Strategy Entrepreneurial Strategy Case Presentation 7 Case Presentation 8	7 8
7	Major Exam II Strategic Leadership Managing Innovatin Case Presentation 11 Case Presentation 12	11 12
8	Final Exam