Strategic Management and Organization

Overview

The PhD in Strategic Management and Organization at University of Alberta covers the following topics:

• Entrepreneurship and innovation aims to explore the dynamic socio-economic systems that encourage and support the creation of new businesses, social enterprises and entire industries as well as innovation and strategic renewal within existing organizations. Attention is also paid to the enterprising individuals heading such entrepreneurial initiatives.
• Family business strives to understand the significance, diversity and complexity of family firms; the unique and fascinating challenges facing both family businesses and business families; and, the governance practices that can help improve the effectiveness and longevity of these intertwined social structures.
• Human resources management is focused on the employment relationship and exposes students to a variety of theory, research, and management strategies. A number of substantive literatures are covered (e.g., recruitment and selection, socialization, training and employee development, performance management, employee relations, compensation and rewards).
• Industrial relations exposes students to classical IR theories and themes such as industrial relations systems theory, historical development and theories of the labor movement, strategic choice approach, and the roles of the main industrial relations actors (unions, management, and government). 
• Organizational behavior examines the theories and research pertanining to individual and team behavior in a variety of organizational contexts, as well as the management implications of this research. Typical topics covered include work attitudes, motivation, leadership and culture. Focal behavioral outcomes typically include performance, citizenship, absenteeism and turnover.
• Organizational theory examines the design and structure of organizations; the complementary processes of differentiation (the division of labor and the grouping of functions) and integration (the distribution of authority); the relationship between organizations and their social, political, institutional, and economic environments; and the nature and role of politics, power, and conflict that may result from inherent tensions in coordinating a range of disparate functions and interests.
• Strategic management has as its focus an analysis of the organization in its environment, examining the processes by which organizations position themselves and seek to marshal resources and capabilities to support and implement strategies. It is concerned with how organizations match, or fail to match, organizational capabilities and strengths with external opportunities and constraints.