Strategic Management
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Overview
Why do some organizations consistently outperform others? This is the motivating question of strategic management. The field explores the fundamentals of organizational intent, corporate and business-level strategy, competitive advantage and performance.
Topics that have been important areas of investigation include diversification strategy, vertical integration, corporate governance, acquisitions and joint ventures, competitive strategy and competitive positioning, technology strategy, strategic groups, inter-firm rivalry, firm capabilities and resources, strategic decision-making processes, new venture creation and entrepreneurship, and strategy implementation mechanisms such as organizational structure and incentive systems. The field is integrative across the various business disciplines such as marketing, organizational behavior, accounting, economics and finance.
The program of study leading to a Ph.D. with a specialization in Strategic Management is designed to train students to be outstanding research scholars/teachers who possess considerable depth of understanding of all areas of the field of strategic management, and a breadth of understanding of business-related disciplines.
Within the requirement that they seek excellence, our students have the flexibility to develop and pursue their own specialized interests. Our past graduates have received job offers from the University of Michigan, New York University, University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University, and Arizona State University.
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field, our doctoral students may enter the program with degrees in various areas such as business, economics, organizational behavior, sociology, political science, and law. Many have had extensive work experience in organizations and in consulting firms.
Course Work
The course-work in the Ph.D. program assists students to develop the essential skills for knowledge generation and dissemination:
- mastery of the relevant existing literatures describing prior strategic management research.
- breadth of knowledge about business-related disciplines.
- the ability to integrate knowledge to develop conceptual frameworks that further the development of the field.
- methodological and analytical skills, and
- the pragmatic ability to use these conceptual, analytical and methodological skills in combination to conduct researches and teach in Strategic Management.
The first two years of the program enable students to establish a strong conceptual understanding of the strategic management field. Small seminars explore current and classic perspectives on strategic management in each of the first four semesters. During this period, students will be developing analytical, research, and quantitative skills through courses in research methods and quantitative analysis and through in-depth discussions and critiques of assigned papers and texts.
Each student is required to designate a minor area of study. The minor area courses come from a wide selection of courses within the Department, the College and the University. Examples of minors for students in Strategic Management include International Business, Marketing, Organizational Theory, Finance and Industrial Organization Economics.
In addition to the required and elective courses (selected in conjunction with the faculty advisor), research seminars form an integral part of the doctoral program. At these seminars, held approximately twice a month, students are exposed to recent developments in Strategic Management research. Speakers include distinguished researchers from around the world, academics from different departments of the University of Illinois, and students in the program.
The program of study in the first two years should enable the student to select a dissertation topic, which will be the focus of the third and fourth years. Students are also provided the opportunity to conduct research in a variety of settings other than the dissertation: in course-related projects, in collaborative research with faculty; and in assistantships.
Faculty
The distinguished faculty in Strategic Management pursue vigorous research programs and have achieved national and international recognition. Their diverse interests and interdisciplinary expertise provide the opportunity for students to achieve breadth and depth of knowledge in the strategic management field and strong methodological skills. The faculty members are committed to provide students with an environment that will be both demanding and supportive. Their objective is to provide a rigorous, interesting and enjoyable introduction to the conceptual framework, research methods and pragmatic applications of Strategic Management, leading to opportunities to do meaningful independent research during and after the program.
For a complete list of Strategic Management faculty members please visit our faculty directory.
Current Students
For a complete list of current candidates in Strategic Management please visit our PhD student directory.
Recent Dissertation Topics
- "Diversity Reduction as Organizational Metamorphosis" Rachel Davis
- "Patterns of Intra-industry Competition: A Dynamic Analysis of Theoretical Foundations of Strategic Groups", William C. Bogner
- "Corporate Turnarounds as Strategic Reorientations: A Field Study of Turnaround Attempts from Firm-Based Decline", Vincent Barker
- "Corporate Governance and Strategic Action Within the Context of Antitakeover Corporate Charter Amendments", Chamu Sundaramurthy
- "Director Networks and Director Selection: Keys to the Strategic Role of the Board of Directors", Donald O'Neal
- "Shareholder Value and Strategic Action: A Study of Turnaround Firms", J. Rajendran Pandian
- "Evidence of the Entrepreneur: Founder Effects of the Firm's Corporate and Product Level at and after the Initial Public Offering", Teresa Nelson
- "Identifying, Understanding and Managing Core Competencies", Gregory Winter
- "Determinants of Value in Innovation: A Property Rights Approach", Kannan Ramanathan
- "Institutional Ownership and Activism: Linkages with Firm Monitoring Potential", Stephen Bowden
