The module is concerned with strategic thinking and management. It offers an integrative perspective, drawing from the various other disciplines learners have covered throughout their programme of study, such as marketing, management, organisational behaviour, finance, economics, accounting, operations management, and information technology/systems, and serves to place strategic thinking within a holistic framework. Through helping learners gain a better understanding of how organisations formulate and implement strategy, the aim of the module is to provide learners with a management decision-making perspective that is cognisant of the wider range of issues and consequences of decision-making at senior management level. Additionally, the module helps learners in developing and honing skills in strategic thinking, skills that can be applied to a range of organisations, be they for-profit or not-for-profit.
Case work plays a central role in the module through developing learner capacity to apply strategy concepts and analytical tools to practice. The bulk of module time is given over to case analyses, with the remainder of the time in the early part of the module taken up with covering material in the following areas:
- The strategic management process. Introduction to concept of strategy. Relationship between performance, profitability and competitive advantage. Roles and responsibilities of strategic managers. Rational/deterministic view of strategy. Emergent view of strategy. Strategic planning in practice. Strategic leadership and decision-making.
- Analyse. External analysis to generate opportunities and threats. Internal analysis to generate strengths and weaknesses.
- Identify. Functional-level strategy. Business-level strategy. Corporate-level strategy. Strategy in the global environment. Strategy and technology.
- Evaluate. Evaluation of strategies in the light of external and internal analyses.
- Recommend. Future directions consistent with analysis, identification and evaluation.
- Implement. Corporate governance, social responsibility and ethics. Organisational architecture (structure, controls and incentives, processes and culture).
Class meetings require full and active participation. The bulk of module time is devoted to application of theory to practice. Class meetings are intensive and interactive in character, with learners actively contributing to the discussion of material through being called upon to explain theory and apply to practice (text and video cases). Given the nature of the module, and to ensure that maximum benefit is gained, learners are expected to read all required material and complete any required preparation prior to coming to class, and to actively contribute to class discussions.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 70 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 30 |