Strategy Management Notes
Subject Overview
Strategy Management is the capstone core paper that ties every functional area together — how organizations set direction and win. You'll cover strategic intent (vision, mission, business definition), environmental scanning and analysis tools (SWOT, PEST, Porter's Five Forces), corporate and business-level strategy (BCG Matrix, GE Nine Cell Matrix), and close with strategy implementation and evaluation/
Subject at a glance
4
Units
25
Topics
6
Credits
4
Infographics
Unit-wise Syllabus
4 units — open any unit for detailed topic-wise notes, diagrams and important exam questions
- Nature
- scope
- need and process of strategic management
- strategic intent — vision
- mission
- business definition
- business model
- goals and objectives
- 1Vision and mission
- 2Environmental scanning
External and internal
- 3Strategy formulation
Corporate, business, functional
- 4Strategy implementation
- 5Evaluation and control
Study guide
This unit covers the nature, scope, need and process of strategic management, and strategic intent: vision, mission, business definition, business model, goals and objectives. Write the vision and mission of a company you know.
- External and internal environment analysis
- PEST framework
- SWOT
- ETOP and QUEST techniques
- Porter's Five Forces Model
- methods for organisational appraisal
Rivalry among existing firms
Threat of new entrants
Bargaining power of buyers
Bargaining power of suppliers
Threat of substitutes
Study guide
You study environmental scanning and appraisal: external and internal analysis, PEST, SWOT, ETOP and QUEST, Porter's Five Forces and organisational appraisal methods. Apply Porter's Five Forces to an industry such as airlines or telecom.
- Corporate level strategy — stability
- expansion
- retrenchment and combination strategies
- business level strategy and Porter's generic strategies
- strategic choice
- BCG Matrix
- GE Nine Cell Matrix
Stars
High growth, high share: invest
Question marks
High growth, low share: invest or drop
Cash cows
Low growth, high share: milk
Dogs
Low growth, low share: divest
Study guide
You study corporate-level strategy (stability, expansion, retrenchment, combination), business-level strategy with Porter's generic strategies, strategic choice and the BCG and GE Nine Cell matrices. Place a company's products on the BCG matrix.
- Interrelationship between formulation and implementation
- behavioural implementation
- resource allocation
- strategic evaluation and control techniques
- 1Set performance standards
- 2Measure actual performance
- 3Compare with standards
- 4Take corrective action
Study guide
You study how strategy is implemented, behavioural and resource issues, and strategic evaluation and control. Understand why many good strategies fail in execution.
Why Strategy Management Matters
Strategy is the capstone of a BBA and the core of MBA studies and consulting interviews. It teaches you to see a business as a whole.
How to Prepare for Strategy Management
- Analyse one Indian company using SWOT, Porter's Five Forces and the BCG matrix.
- Learn Porter's three generic strategies with examples.
- Practise writing a concise strategic recommendation.
Strategy Management: Frequently Asked Questions
What are Porter's generic strategies?
Cost leadership, differentiation and focus.
What is the BCG matrix?
It classifies a firm's businesses into stars, cash cows, question marks and dogs based on market growth and market share to guide investment decisions.