MGMT08037 2022 Business Strategy 1
The objective will be to provide an introductory, comprehensive, well-structured and cutting-edge treatment of business strategy, covering key questions about contemporary organisations operating in both the private and public sector. The aim will be to enable the learner to derive maximum value from the teaching and learning of organisational business strategy through the development of theoretical concepts and analytical frameworks. This pedagogical path will attempt to stimulate critical appraisal skills as the learner constructs an integrated strategic view of the organisation and the fluctuating operating environment. The module will examine how business strategy assists organisations in the appreciation of assets through the development of effective business strategy and explore the shifting economic fortunes of organisations recovering in a post-pandemic world, the rapid adoption of topics like environmental sustainability, data analytics, technology, new media platforms and the increasing power of emerging economies in the developed world.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module the learner will/should be able to;
Appreciate the significance of the key concepts associated with strategy and strategic intent within the modern organisation
Differentiate between the various frameworks required to gain an understanding of the external environment and non-market aspects of the environment
Demonstrate how analytical models are used to evaluate an organisation's resources, capabilities and core competences
Critically analyse the importance of governance, social responsibility and good corporate citizenship in the modern business organisation
Read referred to online material with a strategic emphasis from academic journals and magazines
Teaching and Learning Strategies
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Teaching and Learning Strategies IT Sligo CELT page
Consider each learning outcome and how it can be achieved through your teaching, influencing the learning of students. The following list may help you think of strategies to support your students’ learning:
Academic Writing Tutorial
Accessible course material
Active Learning
Brainstorming
Buzz Groups
Case studies
Consider diverse learning abilities
Debate
Discussions
Fieldtrips
Flipped classroom
Inclusive teaching
Integrate prior knowledge
Interactive
Laboratory Work
Lectures
Modelling
One-minute essay
Peer-review
Planning
Problem Solving
Reading
Reflect
Research
Short Quizzes
Silent reflection
Simulation
Specified learning activities
Team teaching
Tutorials
Use of Moodle as a repository
Workshops
Module Assessment Strategies
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Types of assessment:
Examination
Case Studies
Essays
Interviews (Oral Examinations)
Laboratory work
Multi-Choice Questions
Open Book Examination
Paper
Portfolio (or Reflective Diaries)
Podcasts
Poster (or Infographic)
Practicals
Programming (Code and Video)
Questionnaire
Video animation
Video (or Presentation)
Guidance on the assessment methods above and how to ensure equity to all students can be found in the article Don’t Panic: The Hitch-hikers Guide to Alternative Assessment.
Valuable guidance to all assessment and feedback can be found on the IT Sligo CELT Moodle Page
Repeat Assessments
Continuous assignment or exam.
Indicative Syllabus
1. Introduction to Business Strategy -
- Business strategy concepts and a theoretical review
- The exploring strategy model
- Strategy statements
- Strategy at work - ‘doing strategy’ and ‘strategy in practice’
- Recommended readings
2. The Macro-Environment and Industry/Sectoral Analysis – Dealing with Uncertainty in a Changed World
- PESTLE framework and scenario planning
- Competitive forces and M.E. Porter’s model and analytical framework
- Industry structure and strategy dynamics
- Strategic groups and ‘Blue Ocean’ thinking
- Recommended readings
3. Resources and Capabilities Analysis -
- Resources and competences
- ‘VRIO’ capabilities as a basis for competitive advantage
- Benchmarking and the value chain
- Recommended readings
4. Stakeholders and Corporate Governance - Strategic Purpose
- Prescriptive purpose through objectives, mission, vision and values
- Stakeholder groups and expectations
- Governance models and how boards of directors affect business strategy
- Corporate social responsibility, ethical behaviour and sustainability
- Critical reflections – case studies and examples
5. History, Heritage, Legacy and Culture/Subcultural links to Business Strategy -
- Definition and importance of organisational culture
- Culture creation and crafting a strategy
- ‘Strategic drift’ and transformational change
- Recommended readings
6. Developing Business-Level Strategy -
- Strategic business units
- Generic competitive approaches
- Cost leadership
- Differentiation
- Focus
- ‘Stuck in the middle’ fallacy
- The Strategy Clock
- Interactive strategies
Coursework & Assessment Breakdown
Coursework Assessment
Title | Type | Form | Percent | Week | Learning Outcomes Assessed | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Organisational Audit, In-Depth Report or Case Study | Project | Assignment | 20 % | Week 7 | 1,2,3 |
2 | Presentation and Research Interview | Coursework Assessment | Assessment | 10 % | OnGoing | 3,4 |
End of Semester / Year Assessment
Title | Type | Form | Percent | Week | Learning Outcomes Assessed | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | End of Semester Exam | Final Exam | Closed Book Exam | 70 % | Week 15 | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Full Time Mode Workload
Type | Location | Description | Hours | Frequency | Avg Workload |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lecture | Lecture Theatre | In Class Learning | 3 | Weekly | 3.00 |
Group Learning | Flat Classroom | Independent Learning | 1 | Weekly | 1.00 |
Required & Recommended Book List
2019 Johnson
ISBN 1292282452 ISBN-13 9781292282459
"We are delighted to offer this twelfth edition of Exploring Strategy. With sales of previous editions now well over one million worldwide, we believe we have a tried and tested product. Yet the strategy field is constantly changing. For this edition, therefore, we have thoroughly refreshed all chapters, with new concepts, new cases and new examples throughout. Here we would like to highlight three principal changes, while recalling some of the classic features of the book"--
2021-06-07 Strategic Management Sage Publications Limited
ISBN 1529758246 ISBN-13 9781529758245
New to SAGE, the 9th edition of this comprehensive core textbook builds on its global perspective and approachable written style, that explores the key concepts within a clear and logical structure. Lynch guides students through 19 chapters, with updated case studies and pedagogy to support the modern business and management student from start to finish. Including: - Learning Outcomes - Case Studies, Strategy Cases & Exhibits - Key Strategic Principles & Definitions - Strategic Project Guide - Critical Reflection & Summary - Questions - Further Reading, Notes & References Continuous contrast between prescriptive and emergent views of strategy highlights the key debates within the discipline, whilst an emphasis on practice throughout the book encourages students to turn theory into practice
2021-01-19 ISE Crafting and Executing Strategy: the Quest for Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases
ISBN 1265028249 ISBN-13 9781265028244
2019 Strategic Management
ISBN 0135203694 ISBN-13 9780135203699
2018-07-24 Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage
ISBN 1292258047 ISBN-13 9781292258041
2017-11-21 Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy: Globalization, Innovation and Sustainability, Global Edition Pearson Higher Education
ISBN 129222729X ISBN-13 9781292227290
For courses in Strategic Management and Business Policy. Utilize a strategic management model to learn and apply key concepts Picking up where the popular previous editions left off, Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy: Globalization, Innovation and Sustainability, 15th Edition further sharpens and modernizes this classic text's approach to teaching strategy with an emphasis on globalization, innovation, and sustainability. Throughout, the authors equip students with the strategic concepts they will need to know as they face the issues that all organizations must build upon to push their businesses forward. In this edition, Alan Hoffman and Chuck Bamford offer a fresh perspective to this extraordinarily well-researched and practically crafted lesson. Also included is a new chapter on global strategy. Pearson MyLabTM Management not included. Students, if MyLab is a recommended/mandatory component of the course, please ask your instructor for the correct ISBN and course ID. MyLab should only be purchased when required by an instructor. Instructors, contact your Pearson rep for more information. MyLab is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment product designed to personalize learning and improve results. With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain tough course concepts.
1998-06-01 Competitive Strategy Free Press
ISBN 0684841487 ISBN-13 9780684841489
Now nearing its sixtieth printing in English and translated into nineteen languages, Michael E. Porter's Competitive Strategy has transformed the theory, practice, and teaching of business strategy throughout the world. Electrifying in its simplicitylike all great breakthroughsPorters analysis of industries captures the complexity of industry competition in five underlying forces. Porter introduces one of the most powerful competitive tools yet developed: his three generic strategieslowest cost, differentiation, and focuswhich bring structure to the task of strategic positioning. He shows how competitive advantage can be defined in terms of relative cost and relative prices, thus linking it directly to profitability, and presents a whole new perspective on how profit is created and divided. In the almost two decades since publication, Porter's framework for predicting competitor behavior has transformed the way in which companies look at their rivals and has given rise to the new discipline of competitor assessment. More than a million managers in both large and small companies, investment analysts, consultants, students, and scholars throughout the world have internalized Porter's ideas and applied them to assess industries, understand competitors, and choose competitive positions. The ideas in the book address the underlying fundamentals of competition in a way that is independent of the specifics of the ways companies go about competing. Competitive Strategy has filled a void in management thinking. It provides an enduring foundation and grounding point on which all subsequent work can be built. By bringing a disciplined structure to the question of how firms achieve superior profitability, Porters rich frameworks and deep insights comprise a sophisticated view of competition unsurpassed in the last quarter-century.
2016-12-22 Exploring Strategy Text and Cases
ISBN 1292145129 ISBN-13 9781292145129
With over one million copies sold worldwide, Exploring Strategy has long been the essential strategy text for managers of today and tomorrow. From entrepreneurial start-ups to multinationals, charities to government agencies, this book raises the big questions about organisations- how they grow, how they innovate and how they change. Texts and Cases also provides a wealth of extra case studies written by experts in the subject to aid and enrich your understanding. Examples are taken from events and organisations as diverse as Glastonbury, Mondelez and Formula 1 racing.
Module Resources
Multiple on-line resources and podcasts will be referenced during semester