This advanced-level course integrates knowledge from Business Management and Information Systems (1.2), Management Accounting (2.2), and Financial Management (2.4), enabling students to apply strategic tools and models in complex business scenarios within Ghanaian and international contexts. Designed for aspiring chartered accountants, it emphasizes developing skills in strategic analysis, choice, and implementation; utilizing management information for performance measurement; upholding good governance and ethical frameworks; and evaluating multifaceted data, including financial and stakeholder analyses, to formulate recommendations. Students will engage with real-world case studies, incorporating pre-seen and unseen information, to exercise professional skepticism, ethical judgment, and effective communication, while considering the impacts of technology, sustainability, and globalization. This prepares participants for leadership roles in strategic planning, corporate advisory, governance, and decision-making in dynamic organizational environments.

The course syllabus is structured around key areas, with examination weightings guiding the emphasis on each topic. Below is an itemized breakdown per syllabus weighting:

• Strategic Analysis (20%): Evaluate and advise on an organization’s current strategic position, including internal and external environments; analyze strategic objectives, stakeholder influences, ethical considerations, and corporate social responsibility; assess approaches to strategy (e.g., rational, emergent); conduct external analyses using tools like PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces, and SWOT; evaluate strategic capabilities, digital technology opportunities/challenges, risks, and impacts of innovations like AI and big data.
• Strategic Choice (15%): Apply strategic models to advise on choices, including preparation and justification of business plans; analyze implementation approaches (e.g., McKinsey 7-S, Mintzberg’s configurations); evaluate business plans for alignment with performance, marketing, risk, IT, and HR strategies; incorporate quantitative/qualitative metrics, information systems’ role in competitive advantage, and e-commerce/cyber security implications.
• Strategy into Action/Strategy Implementation (25%): Recommend methods for implementing and monitoring strategy; evaluate international strategies (e.g., globalization drivers, EPRG model, market entry modes); assess corporate and competitive strategies using matrices (e.g., Ansoff, BCG, Porter’s generics, Bowman’s clock); advise on development methods (e.g., mergers, alliances); demonstrate professional skepticism in monitoring, address ethical implications, and use data for performance tracking.
• Financial Objectives and Strategies (20%): Evaluate financial strategy formulation, considering objectives, stakeholder conflicts, ethics, and constraints; apply techniques like investment appraisal, shareholder value analysis, leasing decisions, working capital management, international finance, transfer pricing, and risk hedging with derivatives; assess financing options, forecast requirements, and prepare/evaluate financial plans under uncertainty.
• Corporate Governance (20%): Assess governance policies in specified scenarios, referencing national (e.g., Companies Act 2019, SIGA Act) and international codes (e.g., OECD Principles, Ghana Corporate Governance Code); contrast private and public sector governance; explain roles of directors, investors, auditors, and accountants; recommend improvements for social responsibility, sustainability, environmental matters, and ethical reforms using IFAC’s Code of Ethics.