COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is the capstone course in the College of Business Administration and is required of all seniors. The primary purpose of this class is to integrate the subject matter from business core courses and other disciplines. This class focuses on integrated approaches to organizational challenges in dynamic environments with few clearly defined boundaries. In order to gain a comprehensive view of strategic decision-making, you will be expected to blend your area of expertise with those of other students'. Business is inherently an "integrated" activity. Hence, no major functional area of an organization can be fully understood in isolation. While corporate functions have been broken apart for study, understanding the interactions and interrelationships between these functions is critical to understanding the synergy of strategic management.

The second major purpose of this class is to introduce you to a strategic perspective of business. Organizations are guided by strategic thinking and planning. This class will introduce you to the basic perspectives which guide organizational analysis, and the tools which facilitate these analyses.

Understanding roles in and contributions to organization-wide strategies will be critical for effective performance. Whether large or small, businesses need an integrated perspective in order to analyze competitors and industries. You will develop these skills as well as an appreciation for the roles of all managers in the formulation and implementation of organizational strategies.

The "WHAT," "HOW" and especially the "WHY" questions will provide you with insights about how "STRATEGY" affects everyone in the organization.