Chabot College
Fall, 2008
Course Outline for Business 23
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Catalog Description:
23 - Business Strategy
3 units
Principles and concepts of strategic management, including analysis, formulation, and
implementation of business strategies. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. analyze the competitive environment of a business;
2. assess a firm’s internal and external strengths and weaknesses;
3. identify approaches to creating sustainable competitive advantage, and select the optimal
approach;
4. understand the risks and benefits of business diversification;
5. develop international business strategies;
6. design organizational structures and systems that are consistent with business
strategies;
7. explain the concept of a learning organization in the context of business strategy;
8. articulate key elements of management of innovation;
9. analyze business cases and develop strategic recommendations.
Course Content:
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The purpose of business strategy
Environmental scanning
Organizational analysis
Creating competitive advantage
Business expansion through diversification and globalization
Strategic choice
Strategic control and governance
Organization design
The learning organization
Strategic leadership
Management of technology, innovation, entrepreneurship
Case analysis
Methods of Presentation:
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2.
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Lectures
Discussion
Analysis of cases
Guest speakers
Videos, video cases
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1.
Typical Assignments
a. In a 2-3 page paper, describe and analyze the key strategic decisions made by any
Fortune 50 company over the past 25 years.
Chabot College
Course Outline for Business 23, Page 2
Fall 2008
b. In small groups, try to identify the strategic decisions that led to the development of
Apple’s iPhone. What opportunities did they see when scanning the environment?
What internal strengths and weaknesses stimulated the development of this
product? How did they organize to develop a unique product very quickly?
c. Read the summary of Peter Senge’s work on the learning organization at
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm. Prepare a 2-page paper that connects
the leadership roles in a learning organization to the key elements of strategic
management, and evaluate your strengths and weaknesses in each of these roles.
2.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Midterm examination
b. Final examination
c. Case studies
d. Presentations
e. Group projects
Textbook(s) Typical:
Strategic Management Concepts, 7th edition, Michael Hitt, R. Duane Ireland and Robert
Hoskisson, Thomson-Southwestern, 2007.
Concepts: Strategic Management & Business Policy, 11th edition, Thomas Wheelen and
David Hunger, Prentice Hall, 2008.
Special Student Materials:
None
jn 08/07, revised 10/26/07
Bus 23 course outline.doc