Course Overview

Hello and welcome to EarthTab Business School. My name is Camille Lambert and i will be yur preceptor for the course, Strategic Management. Strategic Management is the comprehensive process of formulating, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional decisions that enable an organization to achieve its long-term objectives. This course provides an extensive and rigorous understanding of how organizations create competitive advantage and sustain performance in dynamic and uncertain environments.

It encompasses the analysis of internal capabilities and external conditions, the crafting of strategic intent, alignment of resources, decision-making under uncertainty, and execution frameworks that align vision with operations. Strategic management does not exist in isolation; it integrates insights from economics, marketing, finance, human resources, operations, and leadership into a unified approach to decision-making and planning.

This course explores both the science and the art of strategic thinking and execution. You will acquire tools to dissect industries, understand competition, design business models, allocate strategic resources, and adapt to technological, environmental, and geopolitical shifts. The course combines classical theories with modern-day cases of global disruption, innovation-led growth, and digital transformation.

Key Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Understand the nature, role, and scope of strategic management in various organizational contexts.
  
  

• Conduct thorough strategic analysis using frameworks such as SWOT, PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces, BCG Matrix, and VRIO.
  
  

• Evaluate organizational resources and competencies to determine strategic capabilities and gaps.
  
  

• Formulate corporate, business, and functional-level strategies aligned with organizational vision and mission.
  
  

• Understand strategic positioning, competitive dynamics, and blue ocean strategies.
  
  

• Examine and apply strategy tools for mergers, acquisitions, international expansion, and diversification.
  
  

• Assess ethical, social, and environmental implications of strategic decisions.
  
  

• Understand the dynamics of strategic change, innovation, digital disruption, and agile strategy execution.
  
  

• Lead and manage strategy implementation through organizational design, leadership, culture, and performance management.

Scope of Study

This course spans across a variety of strategic domains:

1. Strategic Thinking vs. Strategic Planning
   Understanding long-term visioning, analytical planning, and the mindset required for navigating volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA environments).
   
   

2. Environmental Scanning and Industry Analysis
   Tools for scanning the external environment and mapping competitive landscapes, customer expectations, economic conditions, and global trends.
   
   

3. Internal Analysis and Competitive Advantage
   Identification of core competencies, dynamic capabilities, value chain activities, and sources of sustainable advantage.
   
   

4. Strategic Formulation
   Evaluating strategic alternatives at different levels, corporate (growth, stability, retrenchment), business (cost leadership, differentiation, focus), and functional strategies.
   
   

5. Strategic Implementation
   Translating strategies into actionable plans. Structuring organizations, aligning policies, allocating resources, and leading strategic change.
   
   

6. Strategy in the Global Context
   Understanding global markets, entry strategies, transnational strategies, and managing multinational corporations in diverse environments.
   
   

7. Innovation and Disruption
   Understanding the role of strategic innovation, blue ocean strategy, digitalization, and business model innovation.
   
   

8. Strategic Risk and Crisis Management
   Evaluating risk exposure, scenario planning, resilience strategies, and continuity planning.
   
   

9. Corporate Governance and Ethics
   How ethics, social responsibility, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards, and stakeholder management influence strategic decisions.
   
   

10. Strategic Control and Evaluation
    Using KPIs, balanced scorecards, benchmarking, and feedback loops to assess strategic performance.

Target Audience

• Business executives and managers
  
  

• Entrepreneurs and startup founders
  
  

• Graduate students in business administration
  
  

• Public administrators and policy makers
  
  

• NGO leaders and nonprofit strategists
  
  

• Consultants and analysts involved in organizational planning

Pedagogical Approach

This course is structured to combine conceptual frameworks, applied tools, real-world case studies, and interactive components such as:

• Industry analysis assignments
  
  

• Strategic simulation games
  
  

• Capstone projects
  
  

• Case debriefs on firms like Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Netflix, Google, Dangote Group, etc.
  
  

• Strategic pitch sessions and scenario analysis workshops

Course Format

• 10 Modules, each richly detailed
  
  

• 5 Quiz Questions per Module
  
  

• Final 50-Question Multiple Choice Exam
  
  

• Downloadable slides, strategy tools, and worksheets
  
  

• Case studies and industry reviews
  
  

• Optional capstone project or strategy portfolio

Final Outcome

By completing this course, you will become a proficient strategic thinker, capable of designing innovative solutions, navigating complex environments, and sustaining competitive advantage across sectors. You will emerge as a visionary leader equipped to make bold, data-driven, and ethically sound strategic decisions in an interconnected global economy.

I look forward to congratulating you upon completion of this course