PES Institute of Technology, Bangalore South Campus
Department of MBA
Course Outline
Semester – III
Subject Code: 12MBA31
Subject Title: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Faculty Name: Ravi Urs
No of Hours / Week: 4
Practical Component = 1 Hr/Week
Contents
Total no of Lectures: 70
IA Marks: 50 Marks
Exam Hours: 3
Exam Marks: 100
Table -1 : Session Plan
Pedagogic
al Tools
Presentati
ons
Mod
No
Ses
sion
No.
1
1
Meaning and Nature of Strategic Management
PPT
1
2
PPT
1
3
4
Importance and relevance of Strategic
Management
Characteristics of Strategic Management
Characteristics of Strategic Management
(Continued)
Practical Class
Assignment
s/
Additional
Work
Student
Learning
Evaluation
Technique
Cumulati
ve
Coverage
(in %)
2
3
PPT
PPT
5
7
Creating
groups and
asking them
to come up
with a
business
idea
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
The Strategic Management Process
The Strategic Management Process (Continued)
Relationship between a Company’s Strategy and
its Business model
PPT
PPT
PPT
Strategy formulation - Developing Strategic
Vision and Mission for a company
Practical Class
PPT
Setting Objectives – Strategic objectives
Setting Objectives – Financial Objectives
Balanced Score Card
Company Goals and Company Philosophy
Practical Class
PPT
PPT
PPT
PPT
The Hierarchy of Strategic Intent
PPT
9
10
Questions
from
previous
exams
12
14
The groups
have to give
a vision and
mission to
their idea
15
17
19
21
The groups
have to set
financial
and
strategic
goals to
their idea
22
2
3
3
14
15
16
3
17
3
18
3
3
19
20
3
21
Merging the Strategic Vision, Objectives and
Strategy into a Strategic Plan
PPT
Analyzing a company’s external environment –
The strategically relevant components of a
company’s external environment.
Industry Analysis - Porter’s dominant economic
features.
Practical Class
PPT
Competitive Environment - Analysis Porter’s
five force model
Competitive Environment - Analysis Porter’s
five force model (Continued)
Industry driving forces
Industry driving forces (continued)
Practical Class
PPT
Key success factors – concepts and
implementation.
PPT
Questions
from
previous
exams
24
26
28
The groups
have to do
external
environmen
t analysis
for their
idea
29
PPT
31
PPT
PPT
33
35
The groups
have to do
Porter’s five
force model
analysis
Questions
from
previous
36
exams
4
22
4
23
4
24
4
25
5
26
5
27
5
28
5
5
5
29
30
31
Analyzing a company’s resources and
competitive position
Analysis of the company’s present strategies,
SWOT analysis
Value chain analysis
Practical Class
PPT
Benchmarking.
PPT
Generic competitive strategies, Low cost
provider strategy
Differentiation strategy, Best cost provider
strategy,
Focused strategy
Practical Class
Strategic alliances, collaborative partnerships,
Merger and acquisition strategies
Joint Ventures Strategies – Outsourcing
Strategies
38
PPT
40
PPT
42
The group
has to do a
SWOT
analysis of
their idea
Questions
from
previous
exams
43
45
PPT
47
PPT
49
The group
has to
decide a
competitive
strategy for
their idea
PPT
PPT
PPT
50
52
54
5
32
International Business level strategies
Questions
from
previous
exams
Practical Class
6
33
6
34
6
6
35
36
6
6
6
7
37
38
39
40
The groups
have to plan
the alliances
and
partnerships
for their
businesses
Business Planning in different environments
Entrepreneurial Level Business planning
Multi stage wealth creation model for
entrepreneurs
Planning for large and diversified companies
Brief overview of Innovation, integration
Practical Class
PPT
Diversification, Turnaround Strategies
BCG matrix
GE nine cell planning grid
PPT
PPT
PPT
Strategy implementation – Operationalizing
56
57
PPT
59
PPT
PPT
61
63
Groups
have to
present
innovation
in
companies
PPT
64
66
Questions
from
previous
exams
68
70
strategy,
Practical Class
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
8
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
Groups
have to
present GE
nine cell
grid for a
company
Annual objectives
Developing functional strategies
Developing and communicating concise policies
Institutionalizing the strategy, structure
Practical Class
PPT
PPT
PPT
PPT
Leadership and culture
Ethical Process and corporate social
responsibility
PPT
PPT
Strategic review and audit
Strategic control guiding and evaluating
strategies
Practical Class
PPT
PPT
71
73
76
79
Groups
have to
present
strategy
implementat
ion plan for
their ideas
82
Questions
from
previous
exams
85
87
90
Groups
have to plan
to create a
culture for
their ideas
8
8
8
49
50
51
8
52
Establishing strategic controls
Operational control systems
Monitoring performance and evaluating
deviations
Challenges of strategy implementation
PPT
92
95
PPT
Practical Class
97
Questions
from
previous
exams
100
Groups
have to
design a
implementat
ion control
for their
ideas
Evaluation Techniques
Individuals have to create their own companies:
The groups will be asked to create the various plans for the company. They will be asked to analyze the industry to which their
companies belong. This will ensure a practical application of the theoretical aspects. It will give an exposure to different industries.
Students will know the segmentations, key success factors, value chain and industry leaders and their strategies.
Table – 2
A. References & Additional Readings
Mod No
Sl.No.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
1
6, 7, 8
2
All
3
All
4
All
5
All
6
Particulars
Title: Crafting and Executing Strategy
Author: Arthur A Thomson Jr., A. J. Strickland III,
John E. Gamble
Publication: Tata McGraw Hill
Edition: 18, 20011
Title: Strategic Management
Author: John A Pearce II, Richard B Robinson Jr.
Publication: AITBS
Edition: 9
Title: Strategic Management: Analysis, Implementation,
Control
Author: Nag A
Publication: Vikas
Edition: 1, 2011
Title: Strategic Management : An Integrated Approach
Author: Charles W. L. Hill, Gareth R. Jones
Publication: Cengage Learning
Edition:
Title: Business Policy and Strategic Management
Author: Subba Rao P
Publication: HPH
Edition:
Title: Strategic Management
Author: Kachru U
All
7
All
8
All
9
All
10
All
11
All
12
All
13
Publication: Excel Books
Edition: 2009
Title: Strategic Management Concepts & Cases
Author: Fred R. David
Publication: Pearson Education/PHI
Edition: 13
Title: Strategic Management Building and Sustaining
Competitive Advantage
Author: Robert A. Pitts, David Lei
Publication: Cengage Learning
Edition: 4
Title: Competitive Advantage
Author: Michael E Porter
Publication: Free press, NY
Edition: -----Title: Essentials of Strategic Management
Author: Hunger, J. David
Publication: Pearson
Edition: 5
Title: Strategic Management
Author: Saroj Datta
Publication: Jaico Publishing House
Edition: 2011
Title: Business Environment for Strategic Management
Author: Ashwathappa
Publication: HPH
Edition:
Title: Contemporary Strategic Management
Author: Grant
Publication: Wiley India
Edition: 5, 2012
Table – 6: (IA Pattern)
Test Marks
Class Participation
Assignments
60%
20%
20%


For Internal Evaluation T1 marks and the best out of remaining two will be considered.
1st Test is mandatory.
Question Bank:-

3 Marks Questions:
Module 1
1. What is a strategy?
2. What are the sources available to know the strategy of a company?
3. What are the four most frequently used strategic approaches?
4. What is the relationship between a company’s strategy and it’s business model?
5. What are the three questions to be asked to choose the right strategy?
Module 2
1. What is crafting a strategy?
2. What is executing a strategy?
3. What is a strategic vision?
4. What is the difference between a strategic vision and mission?
5. What is a company value?
6. Why should everybody commit to the strategy of a company?
7. How can we breakdown resistance to a new strategic vision?
8. What is a strategic inflexion point?
9. What is the purpose of setting strategic objectives?
10. What are the characteristics of an objective and how are they used to achieve the objectives?
11. What are the two important performance yardsticks for setting objectives and why?
12. What are leading and lagging indicators?
13. Explain the need for objectives at all organizations level?
14. Why is it necessary to involve people from all levels in an organization to craft a strategy?
15. What is a corporate strategy?
16. What is a business strategy?
17. What is a functional area strategy?
18. What is a operating strategy?
19. What is implementing and executing a strategy?
Module 3
1. What is a macro environment?
2. How can strategy be affected by an industry’s dominant economic features?
3. What are the five factors of the Porter’s model?
4. Why is rivalry among competing sellers the most important of the five-force s in Porter’s model?
5. What are the classifications of rivalry among industry competitors?
6. What are the factors that affect the industry because of potential entry of new competitors?
7. How to evaluate the potential threat of a new entrant?
8. Explain how seller-supplier partnerships can create competitive pressure?
9. How can buyer bargaining power create competitive pressures?
10. How can seller-buyer partnerships create competitive pressures?
11. What is a driving force?
12. How is globalization a driving force?
13. How can reduction in uncertainty and business risk be a driving force?
Module 4
1. What is a success factor?
2. What is SWOT analysis?
3. What is a competence?
4. What is a core competence?
5. What is a distinctive competence?
6. What are the four tests to measure the competitive power of a company strength?
7. What is a company weakness?
8. What is benchmarking?
Module 5
1. What are the five generic competitive strategies?
2. What is a competitive strategy?
3. What is a low-cost provider strategy?
4. What are the options available for translating a low-cost advantage into profit performance?
5. What are the two major avenues for activating cost advantage?
6. What is a differentiation strategy?
7. What are the advantages of differentiation?
8. What is a perceived value? What is its importance?
9. What is a best-cost provider strategy?
10. What is the risk in a best-cost provider strategy?
11. What is a focused or a market niche strategy?
12. Explain the risks of a focused strategy?
13. What is a strategic alliance?
14. Why is it dangerous to rely heavily on alliances?
15. What are the pitfalls of outsourcing?
Module 6
1. What are Grand Strategies?
2. What are the two forms of retrenchment in Turnaround long-term objective?
3. What is a turnaround situation in Turnaround long-term objective?
4. What is situation severity in Turnaround long-term objective?
5. What is retrenchment phase in Turnaround long-term objective?
6. What is recovery phase in Turnaround long-term objective?
7. What strategies that can be followed in a stagnant or declining industry?
8. What are the most common strategic mistakes done in a stagnant or declining industry?
9. What are the characteristics of a fragmented industry?
10. What are the characteristics of a company which is a industry leader?
11. What are the limitations of a GE nine cell planning grid?
Module 7
1. What is Operationalizing a strategy?
2. What are the four important things to be done in Operationalizing a strategy?
3. What are Functional Strategies?
4. What are the differences between Business strategies and functional tactics?
5. What are the three basic levers through which the managers can implement strategy?
6. What is a virtual organization?
7. What is a Web-based organization?
8. Why is leadership important?
9. What are the three activities that help organizational leadership to embrace change?
Module 8
1. What is Strategic control?
2. What are the four basic types of strategic controls?
3. What are the two basic types of implementation control?
4. What are the four common steps to be taken by operational control systems in all post-action controls?

7 Marks Questions:
Module 1
1. Strategy is partly proactive and partly reactive. Justify.
2. Why is good entrepreneurship needed to craft a good strategy?
3. Why should a strategy be ethical?
4. Explain the best ways to choose the right strategy?
Module 2
1. What are the advantages of crafting a strategy?
2. What are the phases in crafting and executing a strategy?
3. What are the advantages of a strategic vision?
4. What are the external factors to be considered for creating a strategic vision?
5. What are the internal factors to be considered for creating a strategic vision?
6. What are the common shortcomings in company vision statements?
7. How are the vision and values of a company linked?
8. What are the affects of a clear vision statement?
9. Explain the Balanced Scorecard Approach to setting strategic objectives?
10. Why is it necessary to set both short-term and long-term objectives?
11. What are the differences in creating a strategy in a small firm and a multi-product, multi-geographical company?
12. How is crafting a strategy done in a multi-product, multi-geography company?
13. Explain the importance of initiating corrective and adjustment steps in strategy crafting and implementation.
Module 3
1. What are the questions to be asked to know a company’s industry and competitive environment?
2. What features define the industry’s dominant economic features?
3. Explain how supplier bargaining power can create competitive pressures.
4. In what circumstances can a buyer gain bargaining power?
5. How to use an industry’s key success factors in crafting a strategy?
Module 4
1. Explain the difference between a competence, core competence and a distinctive competence.
2. Explain how to test the competitive power of a company’s strength.
3. How to identify a company’s market opportunity?
4. How can we identify a company’s future profitability?
5. Explain the concept of a company value chain.
6. How can data be developed to measure a company’s cost competitiveness?
7. How can we translate advantages of value chain activities into a competitive advantage?
8. How can cost of key resource inputs be controlled?
Module 5
1. What are the factors that are important to get success in achieving low-cost leadership?
2. Explain when does a low-cost provider strategy works best.
3. What are the pitfalls of a low-cost provider strategy?
4. What are the various differentiation themes available?
5. What are the points in the value chain where we can create the differentiating attributes?
6. When does differentiation strategies work best?
7. Explain the pitfalls of a differentiation strategy.
8. Explain focused low-cost strategy.
9. Explain focused differentiation strategy.
10. Why do alliances break?
11. What are the advantages of outsourcing?
Module 6
1. What are the seven areas in which long term objectives have to be established?
2. What are the seven most important qualities to be present in long-term objectives?
3. Explain Innovation as a long term objective for grand strategy.
4. Explain Horizontal and Vertical integration as long term objectives for grand strategy.
5. Explain Concentric and Conglomerate diversification as long term objectives for grand strategy.
6. Explain retrenchment and recovery phases in Turnaround long-term objective?
7. What are the characteristics of a turbulent, high-velocity market?
8. What are the strategies available for coping with rapid changes in markets?
9. What are the characters of an maturing industry?
10. What strategic moves can be adopted for maturing industries?
11. What can be the strategic pitfalls in an maturing industry?
12. What are the characteristics of a stagnant or declining industry?
13. What are the Strategic options available for a fragmented industry?
14. What are the Strategic approaches available for runner-up companies?
15. How to plot the information on a GE nine cell planning grid?
16. What are the strategic implications of a GE nine cell planning grid?
Module 7
1. What are annual or short term objectives?
2. What are the benefits of short-term objectives and action plans?
3. What are the advantages of Developing and communicating concise policies?
4. What are the advantages of Creating policies that empower?
5. What are the advantages of Formal, written policies?
6. Mention the different types of structures that suit diffrent strategies.
7. What are the steps pursued by companies that have successfully reengineered their operations around strategically critical
business processes?
8. What are the issues to be addressed by the organizational leadership to overcome resistance to change?
Module 8
1. What are the questions that help in monitoring the success of a strategy?
2. What is the significance of Strategic Surveillance as a type of strategic control?
3. What are the four perspectives suggested by Balanced scorecard approach to develop matrics and analyze it?

10 Marks Questions :
Module 1
1. How can we identify the strategy of a company?
2. How can you explain that a company’s strategy emerges incrementally and then evolves over time?
3. Why is it important for a strategy to be ethically correct?
4. What is Strategic Management Process?
Module 2
1. Why is it important to craft and execute a strategy?
2. Write a note on developing strategic vision.
3. Explain the characteristics of an effectively worded vision statement.
4. Explain the importance of communicating the strategic vision.
5. What are the commonly used financial and strategic objectives?
6. What is a strategic intent? What are its uses?
7. A top-down rather than a bottom-up objective setting is effective. Explain.
8. Explain strategy making pyramid.
9. What is a strategic plan? How is it created?
10. How is a strategy implemented?
Module 3
1. How to profile an industry’s dominant economic features?
2. What are the weapons available for companies for battling rivals and attracting buyers?
3. What are the factors that influence the tempo of rivalry among industry competitors?
4. What are the common barriers that a new competitor faces in the industry?
5. Explain the importance of competitive pressures from the sellers of substitute products.
6. What are the factors that determine if any supplier in an industry is in a position to theexert bargaining power?
7. Explain the process to determine whether the collective strength of the five factors can promote profitability?
8. Explain the most common driving forces in an industry.
9. Explain the indicators of how well a company’s strategy is working?
Module 4
1. How can we identify a company’s competitive strength?
2. How can we know what the SWOT analysis of a company means?
3. How can we know the implications SWOT analysis has on a company’s strategic actions?
4. Why does the value chain system among a group of companies in a industry differ?
5. What is the value chain system for an entire industry?
6. Explain the concept of benchmarking the cost of key value chain activities?
Module 5
1. Explain the major cost drivers in a company’s cost of value chain.
2. Explain how the company can use revamping of the value chain to achieve cost advantage.
3. How can a company achieve a differentiation based competitive advantage?
4. When s a focused strategy attractive?
5. How are strategic alliances helpful?
6. What are the objectives that drive mergers and acquisitions?
7. What are the outsourcing advantages?
Module 6
1. Explain Turnaround as a long-term objective in a grand strategy?
2. What are the Challenges when competing in emerging industries?
3. What are the Strategic avenues available for competing in an emerging market?
4. What is the best payoff strategies between altering offensive and defensive strategies and fast-obsolescing strategy?
5. What are the changes we can see in an industry as it enters the mature stage?
6. What are the strategies available for sustaining rapid company growth?
7. Explain in detail the strategies that can be followed by a company which is a industry leader?
8. Explain in detail the GE nine cell planning grid?
Module 7
1. What are the qualities of effective short-term objectives?
2. What are the useful guidelines and approaches to arrive at a suitable organizational structure?
Module 8
1. Write a note on Premise control.
2. Write a note on Implementation control.
What are the challenges in implementing a strategy?