CANADORE@STANFORD

BUS 340 Strategic Planning

Instructor: Radu Cureteanu, Ph.D.
Course Description:
This course introduces basic concepts of strategic planning and management. Strategic
planning is defined as a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that
shape what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it. As a result of various
political, social, economic, and technological changes the external environment of
organizations, both in the public and private sectors, is becoming more complex, dynamic,
and increasingly uncertain. This course will equip students with an understanding of strategy
concept and process, and will provide some practical tools to develop strategies at
functional and organizational levels.
Required Work:
Constructive participation, thoughtful completion of all assigned reading, and active
respectful and considerate speech during the class, homework assignments, and a final
exam.
Required Texts
There is one mandatory book for this course
Strategic Management Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, McNamara 7e McGraw-Hill 2014
There are also a few other useful books as further reading
Essentials of Strategic Management - Hill, Jones 3e Cengage 2012
Strategic Management Concepts and Cases - David 13e Pearson 2011
Reading the textbook:
While my lectures are fairly all-inclusive, time constraints do not allow us to go into all of the
detail necessary for this course. Therefore, reading the textbook is an excellent preparation
and learning tool. There will be times when my lecture material deviates somewhat from the
textbook (e.g., definitions, the way in which subjects are covered, sequencing, etc.).
Class Lectures:
Just as reading the textbook will help you to learn the material directly from the authors,
attending class provides an opportunity for you to gain a different perspective; both from the
instructor and your fellow classmates. In addition, valuable information about homework
assignments, exams, and updates to the syllabus will be announced in class.
Grading:
Final exam (multiple choice) 50%, presentation #1 20%, presentation #2 20%, constructive
participation and discussion in class 10%.
Assignment #1
Present the mission statement of an organization of your choice and review and analyze it.
Note: 1-2 pages, deadline Oct 2, 2014
Presentation #2 - slideshow presentation - individual - 20-30 minutes
Select an organization and evaluate its current strategies. Discuss the effectiveness of the
strategies in terms of predetermined criteria (e.g., administrative feasibility, political
correctness, legal and ethical defensibility, value creation for stakeholders, strategic problem
solving, accomplishing organizational goals). The evaluation will be data-driven (not driven
by your personal opinions or impressions). Students must be able to offer some new
strategies if their evaluation reveals significant problems with current strategies.
Note: 6 students/day, deadlines Oct 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 20, 2014
Final Exam Nov 05, 2014