The University of Lahore

Lahore Business School

Strategic Management
Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Semester: Fall 2018

Instructor Name: Maria Rasheed Email: maria.rasheed@lbs.uol.edu.pk

Course Code: MMGT 3016 Course Cr. Hours: 03

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Course Outline – Strategic Management
MBA – Updated on 04th Sep, 2018
I. Course Description:

Strategic Business Management course is based on a set of management decisions and actions that determines the
long-run performance of a corporation. It includes environmental scanning (both external & internal), strategy
formulation (strategic or long-range planning), strategy implementation, and evaluation and control. The study of
strategic management emphasizes the monitoring and evaluation of external opportunities and threats in light of
corporation’s strengths and weaknesses.

II. Course Objectives (COs)

The objective of the course is to ensure that students to develop a strategic mindset with an
understanding of strategy formulation, strategy implementation and evaluation & control of a business
unit. The course has the following objectives:

1. Develop an understanding of strategic management concepts, research, and theories.

2. Develop framework of analysis to enable students to identify central issues and problems in complex
a. situations to suggest alternative courses of action; recommendations for future actions.
3. Develop conceptual skills to articulate a new strategy for a business situation.
4. Bridge gap between theory and practice g. Understanding of current and future environments in which
firms must function.
5. Develop decision making skills f. Understanding role of strategic management in small businesses, new
ventures and not-for- profit organizations.

Students will learn about the Strategic Management Model as an umbrella model throughout the course.
Then they will learn about the Corporate Governance in terms of the roles, responsibilities, and
interactions of the top management with the board of governors. They will also get the flavor of Social
Responsibility and Managerial Ethics in terms of their effects on strategic decision making. After learning
about the Environmental Scanning, students, they will know about the Strategy Formulation, Strategy
Implementation and then finally Evaluation and Control linked with the overall strategy through a
feedback and input mechanism.

III. Learning Outcomes (LOs):

At the end of the course, the students shall have ability to:

1. Learn about the basics of strategic management as we know it today

2. Analyse the functions of strategic management in today’s organization
3. Acknowledge the problems related to the managers in strategic management
4. Explain the strategic management process and its importance to organizational effectiveness
5. Identify various challenges facing by the top management
6. Explain the strategic role of objectives and goals
7. Describe and discuss factors influencing the strategy formulation and implementation
8. Outline the ethical and social factors relating to strategic management.
9. Describe and conduct SWOT analysis and industry analysis
10. Describe and/or discuss various techniques for external and internal environmental scanning.
11. Recognize the influence of the competitors in strategic management.
12. Communicate effectively through both oral and written presentations
13. Conduct research and analyse information by using both internal and external strategic information
14. Work effectively as a team member through group projects, case studies and problem analysis
15. Emphasize the modern-day importance of SM and the long-term effects of its function
16. Exposed to the view of SM from the perception of both top management and middle management.
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Course Outline – Human Resource Management
MBE – Updated on 29th January, 2018
 17. Importance of maintaining and sustaining long term competitive positioning for a firm during strategy
formulation.
18. Expose to practical situations and problem solving regarding areas of scanning, formulation and
implementation of a strategy
19. Understand the critical areas of threats and weakness and ways to resolve it.
20. Justify how synergy can be obtained through strategic management

IV. Soft Skills and Personal Effectiveness:

At the end of this course, students shall have ability to demonstrate:

1. Excellent presentation, communication and interpersonal skills

2. Strong Influencing skills
3. Decision making skills
4. Ability to motivate others
5. Good listening skills
6. Willing to build rapport
7. Effective at managing client and stakeholder relationships

NOTE: A soft skills training workshop shall be conducted during the semester and it is mandatory for students to participate.

V. Course Material:
Recommended Textbook:

Strategic Management and Business Policy, by Thomas L. Wheelen, J. David Hunger and Krish
Rangarajan, 13th Edition Published by PEARSON

Supplementary Text
Strategic Management Concepts and cases by Fred R. David
Strategic Management Concepts and cases by Thompson/Strickland
Management by Courland L. Bovee, John V. Thill, Marian Burk Wood, George P. Dovel

Additional Resources:
Instructor will facilitate students by providing all training material mentioned in week-wise broader
content break-up. In addition, you can refer to following:

 Dada Pota Show by FM 106.6 – A program on Business and Economy - LCCI

 Bi Monthly Personnel Manager Today – copy provided by your course instructor
 Comprehensive Labor Laws of Pakistan
 Do it Yourself Personnel Manual (Part 1 & 2) – (photo copy available)
 World Times Magazine by (Jahangir Book Depot)
 Management Outlook by PIM – copy provided by your course instructor
 Harvard Business Review
 Pakistan Management Review by PIM (available at library)
 Academy of International Business Home page at: http://www.aibworld.net
 Strategic Management Journal Impact Factor: 5.482
 www.smeda.org.pk
 www.google.com

Note: In addition to above, instructor will facilitate students by providing hand-outs and other reading material (for details – refer
lesson plan)

VI. Training Methods:

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Course Outline – Human Resource Management
MBE – Updated on 29th January, 2018
 In addition to lectures on slides, the instructor will also use following training methods during 16 weeks
semester, 32 sessions

 Almost six case studies on our local scenario

 If required, role plays for class understanding
 Numerous in class exercises, assignments and activities
 Articles for class brain storming
 Numerous educational short videos
 Two to three long educational movies purely from developmental perspectives
 Multiple group discussions

VII. Evaluation Criteria:

Quizzes (minimum 4) 10
Assignments (minimum 4) 10
Case Studies Presentation + Class Participation 05
Project 10
Mid Term Exam 25
Final Exam 40

Total 100%
NOTE I: ALL EXAMS WILL BE IN CLASS, CLOSE BOOK. NO MAKE UP EXAMS, NO MAKE UP QUIZZES/ASSIGNMENTS. ONCE ANY
GRADED ACTIVIY IS MISSED IT’S GONE FOREVER.

NOTE II: STUDENTS PERFORMING EXCEPTIONALLY WELL/GOING EXTRA MILES TO CONTRIBUTE IN THE LEARNING
COMMUNITIES WOULD ALSO GET AN EXTRA CREDIT IN EVALUATION.

VIII. Grading Criteria:

The student’s course score is associated with letter grades as per following grid:

Class Score Grade

85% or above A
<= 80% < 85% A-
<= 75% < 80% B+
<= 70% < 75% B
<= 65% < 70% C+
<= 60% < 65% C
<= 55% < 60% D+
<= 50% < 55% D
Less than 50% F

IX. Week-wise Content Break-up:

Week Contents
An Over view of the basics of General Management + Orientation to the subject: What is
management, organization, structure, planning, organizing, leading and controlling, what is
1 Manager? Levels of Managers, Skills at different levels of Managers.
What is strategy, Strategic Management?
Basic Concepts of strategic Management (SM): What is Strategic Management?
Phases and benefits of Strategic Management
2 Basic models of SM
Strategic decision making

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Course Outline – Human Resource Management
MBE – Updated on 29th January, 2018
 What is Environmental Scanning?
3 Industry analysis, Forecasting, Synthesis of external factors.

Internal Scanning: What is organizational analysis?

4 Value chain analysis
Scanning functional resources
Strategic Formulation: Situational Analysis: SWOT analysis
5 Review of mission and objectives. Business Strategies
Impact of internet on Business Strategy
Strategy Formulation:
Business strategy
6 Porter’s competitive strategy

Strategy Formulation:
7 Cooperative strategies
Strategic alliance

8 Revision

MID TERM EXAM

Strategy Formulation:
10 What is corporate strategy?
Directional strategy, Portfolio analysis, Corporate parenting
What is functional strategy? Strategies to avoid

Strategy Implementation: Develop programs, budgets and procedures to implement strategy,

Understand the importance of synergy during implementation
11 List the stages of corporate development and structure
Centralization Vs. de centralization issues

Strategy Implementation:
12 Achieving synergy
Stages of corporate development
Organizational life cycles
13 Strategy Implementation:
Advanced types of organizational structure:
Matrix Structure
Network structure
Re-engineering
Six Sigma
Job Design
Strategy Implementation:
Understand the link between strategy and staffing decisions
14 Effective downsizing program, Formulate action plans
Understand the basic control process
Benchmarking process, Appropriate control system

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Course Outline – Human Resource Management
MBE – Updated on 29th January, 2018
 Strategy evaluation and control:
15 Balanced Score card approach
ERP-Enterprise resource planning, problems in performance

16 Submission and presentation along with class presentations of final project

Revision Session before End term Exam
END TERM EXAM
*Two related surprise quizzes will be given at any time as a class preparation audit.
** Last lecture before mid and end term exams will be a revision session.

X. Consultation Protocol:
All relevant inquiries will be encouraged and it is highly advisable to ask them during lecture or
consultation time. However, if any query is missed during those times, please ask via email and/or SMS.
Consultation hours are as follows:
Monday to Thursday 09:00 AM to 11:00 AM

XI. Final Project:

The purpose of the project is to give you an opportunity to apply what has been learned in the course (through
course lectures, readings, and discussions) to problems in an organization of yours’s choice. Class members will
work in group of four people. Your group should identify a public, private, or non-profit organization to study. You
can choose an organization where your group members have interests
Your group is to gather information from people in an organization through direct contact. You may supplement
this information with data from the media, the organization's literature, and other secondary sources. You should
identify a relatively recent problem to analyze (i.e., this should not be an historical account of a problem and the
company's solution). You should focus your analysis by applying the concepts from the course. While it is
acceptable to incorporate several concepts from the course, please aim for depth rather than breadth regarding
the use of course concepts. Your goal is to diagnose the mechanisms that are causing the problem or issue of
concern in the organization. Initially, you may notice many symptoms (for instance, weakness and threats etc.), but
your task is to get to the underlying reason for these symptoms. And beware, sometimes the initial symptoms we
think we see are not what they appear to be.

There are three broad goals for this project:

1. One goal of this project is obviously to take the initiative to make a positive contribution to an
organization.
2. Another major goal is to provide an opportunity for you to learn more about strategic management
first hand and to use your critical thinking and reflection skills to link your experience with this
organization to your learning in relation to strategic management.
3. The final goal is to provide a forum for you to hone your skills as a group member and leader and to
reflect on the learning gained from this group experience. Each group will make a presentation to the
class and write a paper that describes what you did for the organization, what you learned about
strategic level long term decision making and management, and what you learned about working on a
group.

To meet these broad goals, your group should answer the following questions in the project detailed
below.
1. What are the issues or problems facing the organization?
2. What course concepts can be applied to understand why this problem is occurring?
3. What recommendations can you offer to help improve organizational functioning?

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Course Outline – Human Resource Management
MBE – Updated on 29th January, 2018
XII. Plagiarism Policy:
Academic offenses like cheating, plagiarism (in any form, type or kind) weaken the distinctive ethical
character of the university and for the very reason, LBS takes them very seriously and holds punishable
under the university disciplinary system. All such cases are referred to Exam Cell for initial investigation.
Exam Cell, if deems appropriate, forwards the case LBS Disciplinary Action Committee for inquiry as per
university policy.
In case a student is found involved in cheating/plagiarism (of any form, type or kind), the offender may be:

 Expelled/Rusticated from the Business School and/or from joining any institution of Higher Education in
Pakistan.
 Relegated to a lower class.
 Given a failure grade in the subject.
 Fined an amount as deemed appropriate.
 Carry out social responsibility activity.
 Any other penalty as recommended by Disciplinary Action Committee.

XIII. Case studies and Research Papers:

Week Contents Case Study/Article Source

3 Issues in strategy formulation K-MART AND SEARS: STILL Wheelen & Hunger,
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE? Strategic Management and
Business Policy-Toward
Global Sustainability
5 Corporate stakeholders and strategy TESCO- Creating a Bernard Marr & Co.-
Corporate Steering Wheel Intelligent Business
Performance
11 Firm Corporate strategy HEWLETT-PACKARD BUYS Wheelen & Hunger,
EDS Strategic Management
and Business Policy
Toward Global Sustainability
13 Strategy Map RQIA - Building a Strategy Bernard Marr & Co.-
Map for Health and Intelligent Business
Social Care Regulation Performance

Important Note: This course outline works under general policy guidelines and rules & regulations of the university.

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Course Outline – Human Resource Management
MBE – Updated on 29th January, 2018