West Valley College

West Valley College, Business Division

Business 36 – 3 units
Strategic Management - online

Instructor:	Heidi Diamond
Office	“G” in the Business Division
Phone number:	741-2426
E-mail:	heidi_diamond@wvm.edu
Webpage:	http://instruct.westvalley.edu/diamond
Department Website:	http://www.westvalley.edu/business/bus_admin_re/

Materials Required:

Text: Strategic Management, Fred R. David, (Prentice Hall Inc., 12^th ed.)

Course Description:

Strategic Management explores up-to-date state-of-the-art strategic management concepts and techniques for achieving competitive advantage in today’s dynamic business environment. This course includes strategy formation, implementation, and evaluation processes with a special focus on globalization, the natural environment and e-commerce.

Course Outcomes/Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

Analyze a business policy case.
Define the nature of strategic management.
Describe how strategic decisions determine the future direction and competitive position of an enterprise.
Illustrate why doing the right things (effectiveness) is more important than doing things right (efficiency).
Shape strategic decisions both as an individual and as a member of a team.
Develop strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation processes.
Assess how the dynamic of political, economic, and cultural differences across countries directly affect strategic management decisions.
Explain how the Internet has changed the way strategic decisions are made.
Justify why businesses must be encouraged to conduct operations in an environmentally sound manner.

Course Outline:

Week:	Chapters:	Topics:
1	Introduction	Analyzing a Business Policy Case
2	1	Nature of Strategic Management
3	1	Cohesion Case: Walt Disney Company, Inc.
4	2	The Business Vision & Mission
5	3	The External Assessment
6	3	External Assessment Models
7	4	The Internal Assessment
8	4	Internal Assessment Models
9	5	Strategies in Action
10	6	Strategy Analysis and Choice
11	6	Selecting a Strategy
12	7	Implementing Strategies: Management Issues
13	7	Implementing Strategies: Operations Issues
14	8	Implementing Strategies: Marketing, Finance and Accounting Issues
15	8	Implementing Strategies: R&D and MIS Issues
16	9	Strategy Review, Evaluation and Control

Class Requirements:

Students must complete all readings, reports and assignments.
Students will need to keep in touch with the Instructor and other students via e-mail and online discussion groups. (There will be on-going Strategic Management discussions throughout the course.)
There will be four tests.
Please see Course Schedule of Assignments for specific weekly assignments.
There will be several important case analysis assignments. Case studies should be submitted electronically, and they will count towards final grades.

Policy Statements:

West Valley College makes reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should notify the Disability and Educational Support Program (DESP) at 741-2010 regarding special needs.
If you have a complaint, or someone has shared information with you as a student that is unlawful discrimination or sexual harassment, contact the Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at the West Valley College District Office at 741-2060.
The College’s policy on academic dishonesty covers in-class cheating, out-of-class cheating, plagiarism, and furnishing false information. Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of ideas from published or unpublished works as a student’s own work for a grade in a class. (WVC catalog)

Office Hours:

Office hours are offered so that you may have additional time to meet with your Instructor to discuss class projects, papers and Internet assignments.
My office hours are posted on my office door “G”.
To schedule an appointment at a time other than those listed, please contact me at 741-2426 or heidi_diamond@wvm.edu.

Grading	Letter Grade or Credit/No Credit Option
4 tests	80 percent
Cases	10 percent
Discussion Forums	10 percent

Updated: May 26, 2008