Courses

General and Strategic Management

Note:The General and Strategic Management Department teaches and conducts research in three areas: entrepreneurship, international business, and strategy.

0500. Business Strategy in a Global Environment   (4.5 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Business foundation classes.

This course is designed to present international strategic management concepts and the field of global industry competitive analysis. This seminar combines multiple attributes and analytical frameworks of strategic management to assess an industry and the relevant competitor strategies.

 

0505. Foundations of Strategic Management   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Completion of 500 foundation classes or permission of instructor.

Conceptual and operational models of strategic planning examined in detail. Emphasis is on strategy formulation, implementation, and control of organizations of all types.

0511. Strategic Decision Support Systems   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Completion of 500 foundation classes or permission of instructor.

Students are exposed to state-of-the-art, PC based decision techniques and approaches for addressing strategic (or unstructured) issues confronting an organization. Skills are developed in structuring complex, strategic decision problems and in the selection and application of appropriate techniques for reaching realistic decisions. Complex, judgmental problems are considered for a variety of organization types, business and non-business. All students perform a team project in strategic analysis using an advanced expert system. No prior computer knowledge is required.

0515. Management of Technology and Innovation   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Completion of 500 foundation classes or permission of instructor.

The emphasis on concepts and management processes to manage technological developments and innovations in organizations. Topics include technology, strategy, management of research, development and innovation, development of new products and businesses. Case studies will be used to develop students' analytical skills. Students will do a project within an organization and present written and oral reports.

0520. Project in Planning   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: GSM 505.

Students participate in a team-planning project within a cooperating business or governmental agency under supervision of a faculty member. Projects concerned with planning system design or planning studies. Students do field work within the cooperating organization and present written and oral reports to appropriate organization management.

0521. Project in Consulting   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Limited to students matriculated in the International MBA-Tri Continent program or permission of instructor.

Develops problem solving and consulting skills as students work in 3-4 person teams on strategic problems for small, medium-sized and large international corporations in the Philadelphia area. An attempt is made to match up student interests with appropriate projects. Formal presentations are made to executives of participating companies. Note: Enrollment is limited to students in the IMBA program.

0525. Operation of the Multinational Firm   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Completion of 500 foundation classes or permission of instructor.

Operating policies and procedures; organization, administrative, and operational problems of multinational companies. Required for majors in International Business Administration.

0527. Management Processes in Global Corporations   (2 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Completion of 500 foundation classes or permission of instructor.

Students learn the principles of effective international management in a complex global environment of interacting sociocultural, economic, and political forces. Develops an understanding of the place of a global company in the international business environment and the problems it confronts when operations cross national boundaries. Topics include: global economic developments and trends, cross-cultural business communication, global strategic planning, integrating and organizing international operations, choice of market entry strategy, managing strategic alliances and joint ventures, ethical issues in international business, managing expatriates and multi-cultural teams. Note: Enrollment is limited to students in the IMBA program.

0528. Multinational Strategic Man   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Limited to students matriculated in the International MBA-Tri Continent program.

Conceptual and operational models of strategic planning examined in detail. Emphasis is on strategy formulation, implementation, and control of organizations of all types. An applied examination of recently developed techniques for assessing industry competitive forces and devising appropriate business strategies. Topics include: analysis of industry trends, recognizing types of industries, developing strategic maps of industry competitors, and learning to utilize industry information sources, among others. Students will be required to conduct an in-depth analysis of at least one industry.

0530. New Venture/Consulting Practicum   (6 s.h.)

Prerequisite: To be taken in final semester.

The New Venture/Consulting Practicum is a 6-hour credit, two semester course, designed to provide students with a living capstone experience, in which they apply all they have learned during the MBA by providing first-hand experience in strategic consulting and project management. The Practicum weaves together theory - in the form of case-based modules - and practice - in the form of a consulting engagement supported by practical workshops. Class time will be divided roughly equally between case-based discussions, theory and concept-oriented seminars; template-based, skill-oriented workshops; and integration-oriented meetings with student/mentor boards of advisors. Student teams will meet with their project managers and their clients as noted in detail below. Among other topics, the Practicum exposes students to entrepreneurship and strategic management, especially implementation and control.

Note: Implementation pending approval

0532. Management of Growth, Decline and Turnaround   (3 s.h.)

0535. Industry Competitive Analysis   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Completion of 500 foundation classes or permission of instructor.

An applied examination of recently developed techniques for assessing industry competitive forces and devising appropriate business strategies. Topics include: analysis of industry trends, recognizing types of industries, developing strategic maps of industry competitors, and learning to utilize industry information sources, among others. Students will be required to conduct an in-depth analysis of at least one industry.

0545. Management of Mergers and Acquisitions   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Completion of 500 foundation classes or permission of instructor.

Examines managerial aspects of growth through mergers and acquisitions. Examines pre-merger analysis, strategies for negotiation and bidding, as well as post-merger integration of target firms. Utilizes several techniques valuable for acquisition analysis, including financial valuation techniques and industry analysis. Case studies develop students' analytical skills.

0594. Special Topics- General & Strategic Management   (3 s.h.)

0598. Independent Study   (1-6 s.h.)

Prerequisite: approval of department chairperson.

is only available to MBA/MS students. It provides an opportunity for students to explore the creation of an idea for a new eBusiness, as well the planning and research involved in moving from the idea stage to the startup stage. This course involves preparation of a business plan on the new eBusiness idea. In addition, this course provides students with an on-going platform to develop and integrate concepts presented in previous and concurrent seminars. Prior to taking this course, students will be exposed to an entrepreneurship module in the Fall semester. This module is designed to provide students with an opportunity to present preliminary ideas for a new eBusiness endeavor to be expanded on during this course.

0599. Independent Study   (1-6 s.h.)

Prerequisite: approval of department chairperson.

Special study in a particular aspect of management under the direct supervision of an appropriate graduate faculty member.

0804. Contemporary Corporate Strategy   (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: Limited to students matriculated in the Executive M.B.A. program.

0896. Directed Study in Management   (variable s.h.)

Prerequisite: permission of the department chairperson.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.

0897. Directed Study in Management   (variable s.h.)

Prerequisite: permission of the department chairperson.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.

0898. Directed Study in Management   (variable s.h.)

Prerequisite: permission of the department chairperson.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.

0899. Directed Study in Management   (variable s.h.)

Prerequisite: permission of the department chairperson.

Supervised individual reading and research projects.