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.