UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, JAMAICA

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
General Management Division
MODULE OUTLINE
MAN4001 – STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Credits: 3
Semester 2, 2024-25

Instructor's name Email Address Office hours

Marie Bradford [email protected] Wednesdays 11 – 1 pm
Clement Ellington [email protected] Request via email
Michael Myles [email protected] Thursdays 12 – 2 pm
Yvette Richards [email protected],jm Request via email

1.0 MODULE DESCRIPTION

Strategic Management is the capstone, integrative course for business students. The focus
in this module is on strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation, and building
competitive advantage in a dynamic environment. The course introduces students to a
variety of conceptual frameworks, models and analytical tools that may be used in the
strategic management process.

2.0 MODULE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this module, students should:
2.1 Understand the strategic management process and the nature of competitive advantage.
2.2 Apply strategy concepts to strategy formulation, implementation and decision- making
at the different strategic levels and to strategic management practice.
2.3 Analyze an organization's external environment, including its general, industry, and
competitor components
2.4 Understand an organization's internal environment including tangible and intangible
resources, capabilities, core competencies
2.5 Understand how business level strategies contribute to competitive advantage
2.6 Explore vertical integration, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic alliances as
corporate level strategy
2.7 Explain the concept of diversification in organizations
2.8 Appreciate organizational structures and the relationship between strategy and structure
2.9 Analyze the strategic competitiveness of industries and organizations using the various
tools, techniques, models, and frameworks, and generate alternatives for strategic action.

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3.0 MODULE CONTENT AND CONTEXT

UNIT 1 - THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PROCESS 6 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.1.1 Define strategic competitiveness, strategy, competitive advantage, above average
returns, and the strategic management process
3.1.2 Explain the competitive landscape and how globalization and technological
changes shape it.
3.1.3 Explain how firms can achieve above-average returns using the Industrial
Organization (I/O) model.
3.1.4 Outline how firms can achieve above-average returns using the Resource-based
model.
3.1.5 Demonstrate how the strategic management process may be applied to
organizations
3.1.6 Discuss organizations’ mission and vision and their value to the organization.

Content:
• Strategic management concepts - Mission and vision statements, strategic
competitiveness, strategy, competitive advantage, above average returns, and the
strategic management process
• Mission and vision statements
• The strategic management process
• Strategy as an emergent process
• The Industrial Organization (I/O) model
• Resource-based model

UNIT 2 - THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT 3 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.2.1 Explain the importance of understanding an organization’s external environment.
3.2.2 Differentiate between the general environment and the industry environment.
3.2.3 Discuss the four activities of the external environmental analysis process.
3.2.4 Assess the various forces in the general environment using the PESTEL analysis,
and how they impact businesses.
3.2.5 Analyze an organization's competitiveness in any industry using Porter's Five
Forces model.
3.2.6 Analyze the significance of competitor intelligence to organizations and the
methods for gathering business intelligence.
3.2.7 Evaluate the impact of strategic groups on firms.

Content:
• The organization’s external environment and its components (general
environment, industry environment, and competitor environment)

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 • Forces in the organization’s general environment
• Opportunities and threats in the general environment
• Porter’s Five Forces model
• PESTLE analysis
• SWOT Analysis
• The five forces and competitive advantage
• Strategic groups
• Competitor intelligence

UNIT 3 - THE INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT 6 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.3.1 Explain why firms need to study and understand their internal organization.
3.3.2 Define value and discuss its importance.
3.3.3 Differentiate between tangible and intangible resources
3.3.4 Define capabilities and core competencies and discuss how they are developed
3.3.5 Describe the four criteria used to determine whether resources and capabilities are
core competencies.
3.3.6 Evaluate how the value chain analysis is used to identify resources and
capabilities to make strategic decisions.
3.3.7 Conduct a SWOT analysis of an organization and recommend alternatives
3.3.8 Discuss the concept of outsourcing and its significance in enhancing the value
chain.

Content:
• The organization’s internal environment
• Resources and capabilities
• Tangible and intangible resources
• Core competencies and competitive advantage
• The value-chain and value creation
• SWOT analysis
• Outsourcing

UNIT 4 - BUSINESS LEVEL STRATEGY 6 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.4.1 Define business-level strategy.
3.4.2 Describe the relationship between customers and business-level strategies
3.4.3 Distinguish among cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy, the integrated
cost leadership-differentiation strategy, and focus strategies
3.4.4 Correlate business level strategies to organizations in their achievement of
competitive advantage.
3.4.5 Weigh the risks of using each of the business-level strategies
3.4.6 Interpret the five forces of competition model.

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3.4.7 Analyze how above-average returns can be achieved through each business-level
strategy using the five forces of competition model.

Content:
• Business level strategies
• Relating customer needs to business level strategies
• Types of business level strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, integrated cost-
leadership-differentiation. and focus strategies)
• Business level strategies and competitive advantage
• Risks associated with business level strategies
• Five-forces model and cost-leadership, differentiation and focused strategies

UNIT 5 - CORPORATE LEVEL STRATEGY: VERTICAL INTEGRATION 3 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.5.1 Differentiate between forward and backward vertical integration within the
context of vertical integration.
3.5.2 Discuss how vertical integration can create value by reducing the threat of
opportunism.
3.5.3 Show how vertical integration can create value by enabling a firm to exploit its
valuable, rare, and costly-to-imitate resources and capabilities.
3.5.4 Examine how vertical integration can create value by enabling a firm to retain its
flexibility.
3.5.5 Outline conditions under which vertical integration may be rare and costly to
imitate.

Content
• Defining vertical integration
• Forward (downstream) and backward (upstream) integration
• Vertical integration and market power
• Vertical integration and value creation
• Limits to vertical integration: Threat of opportunism; firm capabilities; and firm
flexibility
• Alternatives to vertical integration (outsourcing, long-term contracting, strategic
alliances)

UNIT 6 - CORPORATE LEVEL STRATEGY: DIVERSIFICATION 3 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.6.1 Define corporate-level strategy and discuss its purpose
3.6.2 Explain the primary reasons why firms diversify.
3.6.3 Illustrate how firms can create value by using the related and unrelated
diversification strategies.

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3.6.4 Determine how activity sharing, through economies of scope, creates value in a
diversified firm
3.6.5 Illustrate how transferring of core competencies across businesses create value in
a diversified firm
3.6.6 Examine how firms create financial economies through efficient internal capital
market allocation and restructuring of assets
3.6.7 Critique the incentives and resources that encourage diversification.
3.6.8 Explain motives that can encourage managers to overdiversify a firm.

Content:
• Corporate-level strategy
• Reasons for diversification
• Related and unrelated diversification; related linked and related constrained
diversification
• Value creation through activity sharing and transferring of core competencies
diversification
• Financial economies of scope
• Internal capital market allocation
• Managerial motives for diversification

UNIT 7 - CORPORATE LEVEL STRATEGY: MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS,

AND RESTRUCTURING 3 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
Differentiate between a merger and an acquisition
3.7.1 Explain the growing trend of merger and acquisition strategies in firms competing
in the global economy.
3.7.2 Discuss the reasons why firms use an acquisition strategy to achieve strategic
competitiveness.
3.7.3 Examine the problems that hinder a firm's success when employing an acquisition
strategy.
3.7.4 Determine the attributes of effective acquisitions.
3.7.5 Examine the efficacy of restructuring strategies
3.7.6 Distinguish among the common forms of restructuring strategies.
3.7.7 Compare and contrast the short- and long-term outcomes of the different types of
restructuring strategies.

Content:
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Acquisition and strategic competitiveness
• Characteristics of effective acquisitions
• Problems with the acquisition strategy
• Restructuring as a corporate strategy
• Down-sizing, down-scoping and leveraged buyout
• The impact of restructuring on an organization

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UNIT 8 - CORPORATE LEVEL STRATEGY: STRATEGIC ALLIANCES 3 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.8.1 Define cooperative strategies
3.8.2 Explain why firms use cooperative strategies
3.8.3 Analyze the three types of strategic alliances.
3.8.4 Summarize the business-level cooperative strategies and justify their application.
3.8.5 Evaluate the use of corporate-level cooperative strategies in diversified firms.
3.8.6 Explain cross-border alliances as an international cooperative strategy
3.8.7 Critique the risks of implementing cooperative strategies.
3.8.8 Evaluate the approaches used to manage cooperative strategies.

Content:
• Strategic alliances
• Equity and non-equity alliances
• Joint Ventures
• Business level cooperative strategies (complementary; competition response;
uncertainty-reducing; competition-reducing)
• Corporate-level cooperative strategies (diversifying, synergistic, franchising)
• Cross-border alliances

UNIT 9 - ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CONTROLS 6 Hours

Learning objectives
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
3.9.1 Explain organizational structure and controls
3.9.2 Differentiate between strategic and financial controls.
3.9.3 Analyze the relationship between strategy and structure.
3.9.4 Compare and contrast the three types of organizational structures - Simple,
Functional, and Multidivisional
3.9.5 Illustrate the functional structures used to implement business-level strategies
3.9.6 Apply the three versions of the multidivisional (M-form) structure to implement
different diversification strategies.
3.9.7 Examine organizational controls and their relationship to strategy.
3.9.8 Differentiate between financial and strategic controls
3.9.9 Evaluate their role of financial and strategic controls in aligning organizational
activities with strategic objectives.

Content:
• Organization structure and control
• The relationship between strategy and structure
• Types of organization structures - Simple Structure, Functional Structure,
Multidivisional Structure
• Relating the multi-divisional structure to diversification strategies

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 • Organizational controls and their relationship to strategy
• Financial and strategic controls
• Balanced Scorecard

Instructional Approaches

Lectures – Face to face and online lectures will be conducted for 1 hour per week covering the
main topics in the course.

Case Studies – Several case studies will be used in tutorials to relate content to real world
experiences.

Discussions – Tutorials will include discussion questions to probe student knowledge on key
topics in the module.

Assessment
Description Weighting (%) Due Date
In-course Test 1 (Units 1 – 3) 15% TBA
In-course Test 2 (Units 4 & 5) 25% TBA
Group Project 20% TBA
(Written-15%; Oral (indiv)-5%)
Final Examination (Units 6 – 9) 40% TBA

Grading system
Grade Grade point Percentage Scale
A+ 4.3 90.00 - 100
A 4.0 80.00-89.99
A- 3.67 75.00-79.99
B+ 3.33 70.00-74.99
B 3.0 65.00-69.99
B- 2.67 60.00-64.99
C+ 2.33 55.00-59.99
C 2.00 50.00-54.99
D+ 1.67 45.00-49.99
D 1.3 40.00-44.99
U 0.00 0.00-39.99

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Recommended text(s)/web links/readings:

Required:
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2014) Strategic Management:
Competitiveness and Globalization, Concepts and Cases, 13th ed., South-Western
Cengage Learning, 2014

Recommended:
Barney, J. & Hesterley, W. (2014) Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage:
Concepts and Cases, 5th ed. Prentice Hall

Hill, C. W. L. & Jones, G. R. (2012) Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, 10th

ed. New York City: Houghton Mifflin

David, F. M. (2011). Strategic Management, 13th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.

Specific Requirements for MAN4001 – Strategic Management

✓ Students must attend at least 80% of classes. A register will be taken for all classes.

✓ All assignments will be submitted to Turnitin to check for plagiarism and generative AI
texts. Similarity index and AI index should not exceed 15%. Papers exceeding 15% will
be reported to the university for due process. Students may use generative AI tools (e.g.,
ChatGPT) to assist in their learning and content creation processes. These tools can be
valuable resources for brainstorming, drafting, and refining ideas. However, the
following guidelines must be adhered to:
o All work submitted must be your own.
o Ensure that the use of AI aligns with ethical standards, avoiding plagiarism, and
respecting intellectual property rights.

✓ There will be no re-sit/ supplemental assessments. Any assessment(s) missed will have to
be completed in the following semester.

NOTE: Students are to consult UTech, Ja. Student Handbook AY2021/22 for details on
Academic regulations pertaining to plagiarism, academic integrity, etc.

College/Faculty/School contact information: Dr. Janice Blackwood, Programme Director

General Management Division
Email: [email protected]

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 Suggested Weekly Schedule

Week Lecture Schedule Tutorial/ Assessment Schedule

1 Unit 1 – The Strategic Management Introductions/ Course Orientation

Jan 20 - 25 Process
2 Unit 2 – The External Environment Unit 1
Jan 27 –
Feb 1
3 Unit 3 – The Internal Organization Unit 2
Feb 3 – 8 Form Groups
4 Unit 4A – Business Level Strategy Unit 3
Feb 10 – Assignment of Group Projects
15
5 Unit 4B – Business Level Strategy Unit 4
Feb 17 - 22

6 Unit 5 – Vertical Integration Test 1 – Units 1 – 3

Feb 24 – 40 MCQs
Mar 1
7 Unit 6 – Diversification Unit 5
Mar 3 – 8 (Ash Wednesday Mar 5)
8 Unit 7 – Mergers & Acquisitions Unit 6
Mar 10 –
15
9 Unit 8 – Cooperative Strategy/ Strategic
Mar 17 - Alliance Unit 7
22
10 Unit 9B – Organizational Structure and Test 2 – Units 4 & 5
Mar 24 – Control 1 case study & 1 essay
29
11 Unit 9B – Organizational Structure and Unit 8
Mar 31 – Control
Apr 5
12 No Lecture Unit 9
Apr 7 – 12
13 Group Project and Presentation
Apr 14 - 16
15-16 Final Exam – Units 6 – 9
Apr 24 – 1 case study & 2 essays
May 7

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