Corporate-Level and Functional-Level Strategy
This program explores how organizations design and manage strategies that guide their overall direction and operational performance. Participants learn how corporate-level strategy defines the industries and markets a firm competes in, allocates resources among business units, and creates value through diversification, integration, mergers, acquisitions, alliances, and restructuring. They analyze how horizontal and vertical integration, outsourcing, and portfolio management shape competitiveness and long-term growth. The program also examines functional-level strategy as the engine that drives operational excellence through efficiency, quality, innovation, and responsiveness. Participants explore how functions such as R&D, supply chain, human resources, and information systems contribute to strategic alignment and sustained advantage. By applying tools like the BCG and GE-McKinsey matrices, participants develop the ability to evaluate corporate portfolios, optimize operations, and recommend integrated strategies that enhance both strategic position and organizational performance.
Learning Objectives:
- Define corporate-level and functional-level strategies and their respective purposes.
- Explain how integration, diversification, alliances, and outsourcing contribute to strategic value creation.
- Use analytical tools such as portfolio matrices, value chain concepts, and operational frameworks to assess organizational scenarios.
- Distinguish how corporate-level choices interact with functional activities to influence competitiveness and efficiency.
- Assess corporate structures, integration methods, and operational practices to determine their strategic fit and sustainability.
| When: |
Sunday, January 25th, 2025. 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST |
| Where: |
Your home or office |
| Speaker: |
William Kline, Ph.D., CFA, CSCA |
| CPE Credits: |
2 Business Management and Organization CPE |
| CLE Credits: |
2 Substantive CLE |
| Program Level: |
Basic |
| Prerequisites: |
None |
| Advanced Preparation: |
None |
| Delivery Method: |
Group Internet-Based |
The Presenters:
William Kline, Ph.D., CFA, CSCA, is an Assistant Professor of Management at Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg. He received his Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. He has received four awards for teaching excellence including the Beta Gamma Sigma Professor of the Year Award (PSU – Harrisburg), the Dean’s Award for Faculty Excellence and Stanley Fuchs Award (Fordham University), and the Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Doctoral Candidate (Temple University).
Dr. Kline’s primary research interests include strategic decision-making and executive compensation. He has been published in 9 peer-reviewed journals including the Academy of Management Perspectives, the Journal of International Management, and the Journal of Strategy & Management.
Prior to entering academia, Mr. Kline was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he completed valuations for mergers and acquisitions, business planning, as well as tax and financial reporting. Mr. Kline also spent time consulting at CBIZ Valuation Group, Inc. and Curtis Financial Group, a regional investment bank.
About CPE/CLE:
The ALA issues CLE credits as an accredited provider of CLE in Pennsylvania (PA CLE Provider # 5963). For additional information, please visit http://www.pacle.org/. It is the responsibility of each attorney to determine whether their state accepts CLE credits from a Pennsylvania-accredited provider. Acceptance of these credits varies by jurisdiction, and state-specific requirements may apply. Attorneys are encouraged to review their state’s CLE rules and regulations, including reciprocity policies, credit approval processes, and any submission requirements for out-of-state programs. The Accountant-Lawyer Alliance cannot guarantee CLE credit approval outside of Pennsylvania. For further guidance, please contact your state’s CLE regulatory body.
The Accountant-Lawyer Alliance, LLC is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Web site:www.nasba.org.
