Strategic Management
Table of Contents
- Course Information
- Teaching Team
- Course Description
- Learning Objectives
- Course Structure
- Course Materials
- Schedule
- Assessment
- Library Guide
- Course Policies
Course Information
Section # 1150
| Course Number | BUSSPP 1080 |
| Section | 1150 |
| Course Title | Strategic Management |
| Term | Spring Term 2024-2025 |
| Location | 114 Mervis Hall |
| Meeting Times | Tuesdays, Thursdays 2:00PM - 3:15PM |
Section # 1160
| Course Number | BUSSPP 1080 |
| Section | 1160 |
| Course Title | Strategic Management |
| Term | Spring Term 2024-2025 |
| Location | B75 Mervis Hall |
| Meeting Times | Tuesdays, Thursdays 3:30PM - 4:45PM |
Teaching Team
Primary Instructor
| Name | Dr. Midhu Balasubramanian |
| midhu.balan@pitt.edu | |
| Office location | Mervis Hall 247 |
| Office hours | Tuesdays, Thursdays 11:00am - 1:00pm |
Teaching Assistants
None
Course Description
Strategic Management focuses on equipping organizations with the tools and practices they need to thrive. This involves creating, sustaining, and deepening the organization’s relevance by:
- Understanding and responding to the environment:
- Finding opportunities to capture value within the network of competitors, suppliers, and customers.
- Analyzing the broader environment to anticipate changes that could affect the organization.
- Seizing new opportunities for value creation that emerge from environmental shifts.
- Aligning internal activities:
- Understanding the organization as a system of economic activity.
- Realigning value chain activities to sustain and deepen organizational relevance.
- Shaping the external landscape:
- Cutting across cultural and geopolitical boundaries to reconfigure organizational boundaries.
- Shaping the external environment to enhance the organization’s relevance.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Analyze industry structure to determine its attractiveness for existing companies.
- Understand how broader environmental trends and developments impact business performance.
- Explain the link between specific value chain activities and customer value proposition, and identify sources of competitive advantage.
- Evaluate the role of corporate headquarters and individual business units in creating a competitive advantage for the overall company.
- Develop a well-informed business strategy and execution plan.
Course Structure
This course is divided into three major sections:
-
Analyzing the External Environment: We’ll explore key tools for assessing the external environment, with a focus on Porter’s Five Forces framework for industry analysis. This will help you understand the competitive dynamics and attractiveness of different industries.
-
Evaluating Organizational Resources and Competitive Advantage: We’ll delve into principles and tools for evaluating organizational resources and capabilities. This section covers competitive advantage analysis, its relationship with innovation, and how to create compelling customer value propositions. We’ll also connect these ideas to insights from our industry structure analysis.
-
Competing in Multiple Markets and Strategy Execution: We’ll examine why and how firms compete across multiple product and geographic markets. This includes understanding the role of corporate headquarters, the importance of organizational structure, and the complexities of strategy execution. Finally, we’ll emphasize that strategy is a continuous cycle of analysis, formulation, implementation, and adaptation, rather than a one-time event.
Course Materials
Required Coursepack:
- A coursepack containing required readings and cases is available for purchase through Harvard Business Publishing (HBSP) for about $70.
- The readings include interactive illustrations, videos, and key term lists. These features are excellent resources to prepare for in-class discussions. I strongly recommend taking advantage of them.
- First-time HBSP users, learn how to access your coursepack: https://help.hbsp.harvard.edu/hc/en-us/articles/1500002412222-Accessing-a-Coursepack-Assigned-to-You
- If you have any problems accessing the HBSP coursepack, please let me know.
- Additional materials that may be used to facilitate classroom discussion will be posted on Canvas.
Course Material Purchase Information ToDo
Purchase your coursepack here: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/1242102
CapitalIQ
Capital IQ, a product of S&P Global Market Intelligence, is a powerful research platform that provides comprehensive data and analysis on companies, markets, and industries. It’s a valuable resource for conducting in-depth company analysis, particularly for your course project.
Here’s what you can find on Capital IQ:
- Financial data: Access detailed historical and current financials (income statements, balance sheets, cash flows) for public and private companies.
- Industry benchmarks: Compare company performance to industry averages and identify trends.
- Qualitative information: Explore company profiles, news articles, and research reports to understand strategy, leadership, and competitive positioning.
- Valuation tools: Utilize various valuation models and metrics to assess company value and financial health.
- M&A data: Research past mergers and acquisitions, including deal terms and valuations.
CapitalIQ New User Registration ToDo
Please make sure to sign up for an account. It is free for Pitt students. You can find the details here: https://pitt.libanswers.com/faq/52206
NotebookLM
NotebookLM is an AI-powered research assistant from Google that can help you with your company research project. It allows you to organize your sources, summarize key information, and even brainstorm ideas – all in one place.
- Access: You will need a Google account to access the service. The service can be accessed here: https://notebooklm.google.com/
- Help & Tutorials: Check out the official Google Help Center for detailed documentation and FAQs: https://support.google.com/notebooklm/answer/15724458
NotebookLM Google Account RequirementToDo
You’ll be using NotebookLM for a semester-long group project. If you prefer not to share your personal email address with your group members, we encourage you to create an email alias.
Schedule
Check Course Information for the meeting times of your section.
Please see the Schedule for topic and task details for each session.
Assessment
Graded Deliverables
| Deliverable | Grade Points % |
|---|---|
| Company Analysis Project Group | 50% |
| Pre-class Reading Quiz | 20% |
| Case Test | 20% |
| Exit Ticket Submissions | 5% |
| Attendance | 5% |
Company Analysis Project Group
See the project page for details.
| Dry Run Project | 100 | 01/23 |
| Industry Analysis | 100 | 02/13 |
| Business Strategy Analysis | 100 | 03/20 |
| Corporate Strategy Analysis | 100 | 04/08 |
| Strategic Initiative | 100 | 04/22 |
Pre-class Reading Quiz:
Each of the readings in the coursepack contains foundational concepts, examples, interactive illustrations, and applications of strategic management frameworks. A firm understanding of these frameworks is vital for in-class discussions and the team project. The quiz is aimed at encouraging students to actively engage with the reading material and achieve stronger grasp of the concepts.
There are 8 quizzes, one for each reading. Please make sure to complete the quiz via Canvas before the deadline.
Quiz details
This is an open-book test with a higher-than-usual number of questions. The questions will require you not only to recall learned terms but also to apply your knowledge to new contexts. There is no time limit, but plan ahead and start early to ensure you have sufficient time to complete the test.
Case Test:
Please see the case test page for details.
| Test | Date |
|---|---|
| Case Test 1 | 2/13 |
| Case Test 2 | 3/20 |
| Case Test 3 | 4/08 |
Test Preparation Tip
Active participation in company analysis project and in-class learning activities is a critical preparation for this test.
Grading Scheme:
| Letter Grade | Range |
|---|---|
| A | 100% to 94% |
| A- | < 94% to 90% |
| B+ | < 90% to 87% |
| B | < 87% to 84% |
| B- | < 84% to 80% |
| C+ | < 80% to 77% |
| C | < 77% to 74% |
| C- | < 74% to 70% |
| D+ | < 70% to 67% |
| D | < 67% to 64% |
| D- | < 64% to 61% |
| F | < 61% to 0% |
Library Guide
The University of Pittsburgh Library System offers a variety of resources to support student research projects. Explore these helpful research guides curated by Pitt Business librarians:
Course Policies
Attendance Students are expected to attend all sessions. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform me in advance where possible.
Late Submissions Please email ahead of time if you require more time to complete your assignments. I reserve the right to not grade unexcused late submissions. An automatic 5% grade point deduction per day from the submission date will be effected for repeated or unreasonably long delays.
Academic Integrity
Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.
To learn more about Academic Integrity, visit the Academic Integrity Guide for an overview of the topic. For hands- on practice, complete the Academic Integrity Modules.
Disability Services
If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890, drsrecep@pitt.edu, (412) 228-5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
Email Communication
Each student is issued a University e-mail address (username@pitt.edu) upon admittance. This e-mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students. Students are expected to read e-mail sent to this account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications. The University provides an e-mail forwarding service that allows students to read their e-mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their e-mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If e-mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e-mail address.
Pitt Concern Connection
The University of Pittsburgh strives to build and maintain a positive and healthy working, learning, and living environment. Reporting concerns and asking questions can minimize the potential negative impact of inappropriate conduct on the University and our employees, faculty, and students. Reporting can help improve our culture and operations by identifying issues that require attention.
The Pitt Concern Connection is a dedicated reporting system where University members can elevate irregular or troublesome workplace, campus, and other issues so that they can be reviewed, addressed, and resolved. Report an issue or ask a question online, by telephone, or via text message.
The Pitt Concern Connection is not an emergency service. Immediate, life-threatening safety concerns should be reported to 911 or by contacting your local University police or security department.
Religious Observances
The observance of religious holidays (activities observed by a religious group of which a student is a member) and cultural practices are an important reflection of diversity. As your instructor, I am committed to providing equivalent educational opportunities to students of all belief systems. At the beginning of the semester, you should review the course requirements to identify foreseeable conflicts with assignments, exams, or other required attendance. If at all possible, please contact me (your course coordinator/s) within the first two weeks of the first class meeting to allow time for us to discuss and make fair and reasonable adjustments to the schedule and/or tasks.
Sexual Misconduct, Required Reporting, and Title IX
If you are experiencing sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and stalking, please report it to me and I will connect you to University resources to support you.
University faculty and staff members are required to report all instances of sexual misconduct, including harassment and sexual violence to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX. When a report is made, individuals can expect to be contacted by the Title IX Office with information about support resources and options related to safety, accommodations, process, and policy. I encourage you to use the services and resources that may be most helpful to you.
As your professor, I am required to report any incidents of sexual misconduct that are directly reported to me. You can also report directly to Office of Civil Rights and Title IX: 412-648-7860 (M-F; 8:30am-5:00pm) or via the Pitt Concern Connection at: Make A Report
An important exception to the reporting requirement exists for academic work. Disclosures about sexual misconduct that are shared as a relevant part of an academic project, classroom discussion, or course assignment, are not required to be disclosed to the University’s Title IX office.
If you wish to make a confidential report, Pitt encourages you to reach out to these resources:
The University Counseling Center: 412-648-7930 (8:30 A.M. TO 5 P.M. M-F) and 412-648-7856 (AFTER BUSINESS HOURS) Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (community resource): 1-866-363-7273 (24/7) If you have an immediate safety concern, please contact the University of Pittsburgh Police, 412-624-2121
Any form of sexual harassment or violence will not be excused or tolerated at the University of Pittsburgh.
For additional information, please visit the full syllabus statement on the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage.
Statement on Classroom Recording
To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.
Statement on Scholarly Discourse
In this course we will be discussing very complex issues of which all of us have strong feelings and, in most cases, unfounded attitudes. It is essential that we approach this endeavor with our minds open to evidence that may conflict with our presuppositions. Moreover, it is vital that we treat each other’s opinions and comments with courtesy even when they diverge and conflict with our own. We must avoid personal attacks and the use of ad hominem arguments to invalidate each other’s positions. Instead, we must develop a culture of civil argumentation, wherein all positions have the right to be defended and argued against in intellectually reasoned ways. It is this standard that everyone must accept in order to stay in this class; a standard that applies to all inquiry in the university, but whose observance is especially important in a course whose subject matter is so emotionally charged. From a California State University course: Race, Racism and Critical Thinking.
Your Well-being Matters College/Graduate school can be an exciting and challenging time for students. Taking time to maintain your well-being and seek appropriate support can help you achieve your goals and lead a fulfilling life. It can be helpful to remember that we all benefit from assistance and guidance at times, and there are many resources available to support your well-being while you are at Pitt. You are encouraged to visit Thrive@Pitt to learn more about well-being and the many campus resources available to help you thrive.
If you or anyone you know experiences overwhelming academic stress, persistent difficult feelings and/or challenging life events, you are strongly encouraged to seek support. In addition to reaching out to friends and loved ones, consider connecting with a faculty member you trust for assistance connecting to helpful resources.
The University Counseling Center is also here for you. You can call 412-648-7930 at any time to connect with a clinician. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, please call the University Counseling Center at any time at 412-648-7930. You can also contact Resolve Crisis Network at 888-796-8226. If the situation is life threatening, call Pitt Police at 412-624-2121 or dial 911.