MGT 490: Strategic Management 

Course Description

This course examines the role of a company’s executive team in defining its long-term competitive direction. Special emphasis is placed on the strategic management process and tools utilized in formulating and implementing the organization’s mission, goals, strategies, and plans. Students should be of senior status and this course must be taken at Charter Oak State College.

Additional Course Information: In this integrative course, students will demonstrate an understanding of strategic management in both theory and practice. The course will offer an overview of the strategic management process, the theoretical underpinnings of strategic management, the practice of strategy, and the role of leadership and teams in the practice of strategy. The culmination of this course will include the creation of a Strategic Action Map for a global organization using the concepts, theories, and tools presented in the course.

Over the term, each student will complete assignments that correspond to the steps in the strategic management cycle, including the components necessary to complete the final project, which is a Strategic Action Map and a 5-page paper describing the components of the map. A minimum grade of “C” must be earned to meet the requirements of the concentration. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

  • ACC 101: Financial Accounting
  • ACC 102: Managerial Accounting
  • BUS 120: Business Law
  • BUS 250: International Business
  • ECO 103: Macroeconomics OR ECO 104: Microeconomics
  • ENG 101: English Composition 1
  • ENG 102: English Composition 2
  • FIN 210: Financial Management
  • MGT 101: Principles of Management
  • MGT 315: Organizational Behavior
  • MKT 220: Principles of Marketing
  • Recommended ITE 101: Management Information Systems

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Business Administration PLOs

  • B1. Students will apply the concepts, theories, and relationships among the functional areas of an organization, including the ability to explain the nature and construct of an organization; assess the information technology needs of an organization; explain the process of resource allocation within an organization; identify and satisfy the needs of the consumer; and create strategic processes and measurements necessary for a successful organization.

  • B2. Students will be able to explain the global environment of business including the political, social, and intercultural sensitivities that exist in society that are important to the development of meaningful relationships and success in business and in life.

  • B4. Students will be able to demonstrate well-developed and effective critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, organizational leadership, teamwork; oral and written communication skills utilizing tools such as the internet, research databases, and other tools as required.

Human Resources Management PLOs

  • H2. Students will be able to explain the global environment of business including the political, social, and intercultural sensitivities that exist in society that are important to the development of meaningful relationships and success in business and in life. 

  • H4. Students will be able to demonstrate well-developed and effective critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, organizational leadership, teamwork; oral and written communication skills utilizing tools such as the internet, research databases, and other tools as required.

Marketing PLOs

  • M1. Students will be able to apply the concepts, theories, and relationships among the functional areas of an organization, including the ability to explain the nature and construct of an organization.

  • M3. Students will be able to explain the global environment of business including the political, social, and intercultural sensitivities that exist in society that are important to the development of meaningful relationships and success in business and in life. 

  • M5. Students will be able to demonstrate effective critical thinking, decision-making, problem solving, organizational leadership, teamwork; oral and written communication skills utilizing tools such as AI, research databases, and other tools as required.

Organizational Leadership PLOs

  • L1. Students will demonstrate and utilize the concepts, theories, and relationships across the various leadership disciplines and practices including leadership theory, motivation theory, group dynamics, team building, organization theory, strategic management, and change management theory and practices. 

  • L2. Students will be able to explain the global environment of business including the political, social, and intercultural sensitivities that exist in society that are important to the development of meaningful relationships and success in business and in life. 

  • L4. Students will be able to demonstrate well-developed and effective critical thinking, decision making, problem solving, organizational leadership, teamwork; oral and written communication skills utilizing tools such as the internet, research databases, and other tools as required.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

  1. Apply and discuss the concepts and dimensions of strategy.
  2. Apply the formulation and implementation stages of strategic management.
  3. Analyze the practice of global strategic management using case studies, financial assessments, and assignments.
  4. Integrate strategic management core concepts in class discussions and assignments.
  5. Create and develop an integrative strategic action map.

Course Activities and Grading

AssignmentsPoints

Discussions (Weeks 1-8)

200

Assignments (Weeks 2-7)

250

Quiz (Week 1)

40

Final Report (Week 8)

510

Total Points

1000

Required Textbooks

  • There is no text required. This course uses Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are openly licensed, educational resources that can be used for teaching, learning, and research. OER may consist of a variety of resources such as textbooks, videos, and software that are no cost for students.

Additional Resources

  • Harvard Business School case studies and articles will be provided within the course.

  • PowerPoint Lectures:

    • Week 1 - Exploring the Strategy Cycle

    • Week 2 - Conducting a SWOT Analysis

    • Week 3 - Financial Drivers in Strategy

    • Week 4 - Identifying Desired Outcomes

    • Week 5 - Linking Projects and Strategy Implementation

    • Week 6 - Completing a Strategic Action Map (SAM)

    • Week 7 - Designing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Accountability

Course Schedule

Week

PLOs

SLOs

Readings and Exercises

Assignments

1

B1, B4, H4, L1, L4, M1, M5

1,2,4

Topic: Exploring the Strategy Cycle

  • Read and Review:
    • PowerPoint video, Exploring the Strategy Cycle
  • Review Getting Started information
  • Review course syllabus, policies, and materials
  • Review the PowerPoint lecture material
  • Introduce yourself in the discussion forum including your strategy knowledge/experiences and top three desired outcomes from the course
  • Complete the Quiz on the Strategy Cycle

2

B1, B2, B4, H2, H4, L1, L2, L4, M1, M3, M5

1,2,4

Topic: Conducting a SWOT Analysis

  • Read and Review:
    • PowerPoint video, Conducting a SWOT Analysis
    • Cosco Case Study
    • SWOT Analysis I article
    • SWOT Analysis II article
  • Read and annotate the Costco case study
  • Read the two, SWOT articles on internal and external assessments
  • Review the PowerPoint lecture material
  • Complete the SWOT Template on the Costco case
  • Produce a two-page report citing conclusions on the Costco SWOT
  • Participate in guided peer discussions

3

B1, B4, H2, H4, L1, L4, M1, M5

1,3,4

Topic: Conducting Financial Case Analysis

  • Read and Review: 
    • PowerPoint video, Financial Drivers in Strategy
    • Costco case study
  • Review Costco case study with annotations
  • Conduct financial analyses of key revenue, expense, and GPM factors on the Costco case and include outside research
  • Produce a two-page report citing the case analysis and conclusions
  • Participate in guided peer discussions

4

B1, B2, B4, H2, H4, L1, L2, L4, M1, M3, M5

1,2,3,4

Topic: Identifying Desired Strategic Outcomes

  • Read and Review:
    • PowerPoint video, Identifying Desired Strategic Outcomes, including goals vs. outcomes and methodology for analyzing case studies
    • Costco case study
  • Review and analyze Costco case study and expand the annotations
  • Review the PowerPoint lecture material
  • Identify desired strategic outcomes for Costco and prepare a chart by outcome category
  • Produce a two-page report on the desired strategic outcomes and chart for Costco
  • Participate in guided peer discussions

5

B1, B2, B4, H2, H4, L1, L2, L4, M1, M3, M5

1,3,4

Topic: Linking Projects and Strategy Implementation

  • Read and Review:
    • PowerPoint video, Linking Projects and Strategy Implementation
    • Costco case study
  • Review Costco case study and annotations
  • Review the PowerPoint lecture material
  • Produce a project plan and two-page report linked to outcomes for Costco
  • Participate in guided peer discussions

6

B1, B2, B4, H2, H4, L1, L2, L4, M1, M3, M5

2,3,4,5

Topic: Completing a Strategic Action Map

  • Read and Review:
    • PowerPoint video, Completing a Strategic Action Map (SAM)
    • Netflix case study
  • Read and analyze Netflix case study
  • Review the PowerPoint lecture material
  • Produce an abbreviated, strategic action map and two-page report on the Netflix case

7

B1, B2, B4, H2, H4, L1, L2, L4, M1, M3, M5

1,2,3,4,5

Topic: Designing KPIs for Accountability

  • Read and Review:
    • PowerPoint video, Designing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Accountability
    • Select research
  • Review the PowerPoint lecture material
  • Conduct research on team accountability in designing KPIs for attainment of strategic outcomes
  • Complete the KPI template, designing KPIs to attain outcomes for Costco
  • Participate in guided peer discussions

8

B1, B2, B4, H2, H4, L1, L2, L4, M1, M3, M5

1,2,3,4,5

Topic: Putting It All Together

  • There are no assigned readings this week. 
  • Complete the Strategic Action Map template with annotations on all components for Costco
  • Produce a five-page final report including the map and annotations
  • Participate in guided peer discussions
  • Complete Course Evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.