Strategic Business Leader (SBL)

Exam aims

Using an innovative case study, students will demonstrate the right blend of technical, ethical and professional skills in the evaluation, synthesis and presentations of responses.

Exam learning highlights

Students will be able to:

  • apply excellent leadership and ethical skills to set the ‘tone from the top’ and promote a positive culture within the organisation, adopting a whole organisation perspective in managing performance and value creation. 
  • evaluate the effectiveness of the governance and agency system of an organisation and recognise the responsibility of the board or other agents towards their stakeholders, including the organisation’s social responsibilities and the reporting implications.
  • evaluate the strategic position of the organisation against the external environment and the availability of internal resources, to identify feasible strategic options.
  • analyse the risk profile of the organisation and of any strategic options identified, within a culture of responsible risk management.
  • select and apply appropriate information technologies and data analytics, to analyse factors affecting the organisation’s value chain to identify strategic opportunities and implement strategic options within a framework of robust IT security controls.
  • evaluate management reporting and internal control and audit systems to ensure compliance and the achievement of organisation’s objectives and the safeguarding of organisational assets.
  • apply high level financial techniques from Applied Skills exams in the planning, implementation and evaluation of strategic options and actions.
  • enable success through innovative thinking, applying best in class strategies and disruptive technologies in the management of change; initiating, leading and organising projects, while effectively managing talent and other business resources.
  • apply a range of professional skills in addressing requirements within the Strategic Business Leader exam and in preparation for, or to support, current work experience.

How students will benefit

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Exam support available

To maximise chances of success in the exam, we recommend students arrange tuition with one of our approved learning partners. Find tuition.

Finally, students can use our supported study resources alongside face-to-face or online tuition.