Courses
General and Strategic Management
Note: The General and Strategic Management Department teaches and conducts research in three areas: entrepreneurship, international business, and strategy.
5051. 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.
5101. Foundations of Strategic Management (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
Conceptual and operational models of strategic planning are examined
in detail. Emphasis is on strategy formulation, implementation,
and control of organizations of all types.
5102. Strategic Decision Support Systems (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 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.
5103. Management of
Technology and Innovation (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes
or permission of instructor.
Emphasis is on concepts and management processes to manage
technological developments and innovations in organizations.
Topics include technology, strategy, management of research,
development and innovation, and development of new products and
businesses. Case studies are used to develop students'
analytical skills. Students undertake a project within an organization
and present written and oral reports.
5104. Management of
Growth, Decline and Turnaround (3
s.h.)
5105. Industry Competitive Analysis (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
This course offers an applied examination of recently developed techniques for
assessing industry competitive forces and devising appropriate
business strategies. Topics include analyzing industry trends,
recognizing types of industries, developing strategic maps
of industry competitors, and learning to utilize industry information
sources, among others. Students are required to conduct
an in-depth analysis of at least one industry.
5107. Management of Mergers and Acquisitions (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
This course focuses on managerial aspects of growth through mergers and acquisitions.
It examines pre-merger analysis, strategies for negotiation and
bidding, and post-merger integration of target firms.
Techniques valuable for acquisition analysis,
including financial valuation techniques and industry analysis, are reviewed.
Case studies develop students' analytical skills.
5131. Social Entrepreneurship (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
This social enterprise class explores management models and skills that attempt to blend economic and social priorities to address and try to balance the triple bottom lines of profit, people, and place. More broadly, this class examines the ways in which entrepreneurship is embedded in – and affects – larger social, cultural, and economic relationships. In particular, these central challenges raised by the possibility of managing for more than just profit are explored.
5132. Sustainable Business Practices (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
The course is designed to provide graduate students with a comprehensive exploration of environmental issues and their effect on business, communities, and consumers. As the public grows more and more demanding of business’s stewardship role over natural resources and environmental protection, the need for companies to effectively manage environmental, safety, and health issues becomes very important. Environmental sustainability is a watchword today. Leading companies view sustainability challenges as new opportunities for growth and development. This course gives students a broad and practical understanding of sustainability concepts, including an increased awareness of how the challenges associated with sustainable development are multifaceted and involve economic, social, and environmental concerns. These concerns are altering business strategies and practices, and, most importantly, are also leading new business opportunities. Case studies and lectures are used to build technical proficiencies. Several subject matter experts are invited as guest lecturers.
5170. Special Topics: General & Strategic Management (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
Special topics courses are developed to cover emerging issues or specialized conte. They do not repeat material presented by regular semester courses.
5180. Special Topics: General & Strategic Management (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
Special topics courses are developed to cover emerging issues or specialized content. They do not repeat material presented by regular semester courses.
5182. Independent Study (1-6
s.h.)
Prerequisite: Matriculation in an M.B.A./M.S. program and approval of department
chair.
This course 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,
it provides students with an ongoing platform to
develop and integrate concepts presented in previous and concurrent
seminars. Prior to taking this course, students are 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
during this course.
5190. Special Topics: General & Strategic Management (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
Special topics courses are developed to cover emerging issues or specialized content. They do not repeat material presented by regular semester courses.
5501. Operation of the Multinational Firm (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
This course covers operating policies and procedures, as well as organization, administrative,
and operational problems of multinational companies. The course is required
for majors in International Business Administration.
5701. Project in Consulting (3
s.h.)
Prerequisite: Matriculation
in the International MBA–Tri-Country program or permission of instructor.
This course 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 student interests with appropriate
projects. Formal presentations are made to executives of participating
companies.
5702. Multinational
Strategic Man (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Matriculation
in the International MBA–Tri-Country program.
Conceptual and operational models of strategic planning are 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 is presented. Topics
include analyzing industry trends, recognizing types of
industries, developing strategic maps of industry competitors,
and learning to utilize industry information sources, among
others. Students are required to conduct an in-depth analysis
of at least one industry.
5801. Contemporary Corporate
Strategy (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Matriculation
in the Executive M.B.A. program.
This course increases the student's grasp of strategic management concepts as they relate to for-profit, not-for-profit, and professional organizations. It enhances the student's ability to analyze an industry and develop relevant enterprise-level strategies. In particular, through several real-world case studies, students learn about cutting-edge developments in eBusiness and eBusiness strategies. Students then apply the concepts to organizations that they work for or are interested in.
5890. Special Topics: General & Strategic Management (3 s.h.)
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the Executive M.B.A. program and completion of 5000 foundation classes or permission of instructor.
Special topics courses are developed to cover emerging issues or specialized content. They do not repeat material presented by regular semester courses.
9001. Seminar: Strategic Form - Environmental Analysis
This course offers a critical evaluation of the paradigms, theories, and research approaches and the current state of knowledge in strategic management. It focuses specifically on the theory and current state of research in the analysis of relevant environments and the subsequent formulation of strategy within corporate entities.
9002. Seminar: Administrative Strategic Decisions
The course discusses the design of systems to implement decisions and examines concepts and theories of organizational design and processes required to transform strategic decisions into action and desired results. The current research literature in the area of organization decision making is emphasized.
9003. Seminar: Management Control
This course is a survey of control theory and research as it relates to organizational behavior. It examines managerial practices and organizational processes that have the potential effect of achieving strategic goals.
Updated 3.29.10