MGMT09025 2022 Strategy and Practice

General Details

Full Title
Strategy and Practice
Transcript Title
Strategy and Practice
Code
MGMT09025
Attendance
N/A %
Subject Area
MGMT - 0413 Management & Admin
Department
SOCS - Social Sciences
Level
09 - Level 9
Credit
05 - 05 Credits
Duration
Semester
Fee
Start Term
2022 - Full Academic Year 2022-23
End Term
9999 - The End of Time
Author(s)
Breda McTaggart, Sandra Hallinan
Programme Membership
SG_HPROF_M09 202200 Master of Arts in Professional Leadership SG_HPROF_S09 202200 Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Leadership SG_BFINS_M09 202300 Master of Business in Financial Planning and Sustainability SG_BFINS_S09 202300 Postgraduate Certificate in Financial Management and Sustainability SG_BFINS_S09 202400 Postgraduate Certificate in Financial Management and Sustainability SG_BFINS_M09 202400 Master of Business in Financial Planning and Sustainability
Description

Strategy and Practice deals with the challenges leaders face in seeking to achieve their organisation’s mission by aligning and deploying their internal assets, capabilities, and people to best effect in the face of changing, uncertain and ambiguous environmental and competitive conditions. This complex task requires a sophisticated blend of analytical, behavioural and political skills. This module is designed to introduce students to the comprehensive nature of strategy in business and provides an insight into the main tools of analysis available to the strategist.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module the learner will/should be able to;

1.

Describe and evaluate the main theories and frameworks relevant to strategy 

2.

Think strategically about leading and developing a company's business position and integrate ideas, and knowledge from other business disciplines into their competitive reasoning

3.

Critically assess and apply fundamental theories and frameworks in strategy to real life competitive scenarios

4.

Appreciate how ethical principles, core values, socially responsible leadership and management practices and sustainability matter greatly in the conduct of a company’s business.

5.

Work and communicate effectively as an individual and as part of a team to evaluate competitive scenarios and formulate strategies. 

Teaching and Learning Strategies

Live online learning will occur weekly.
Once per term students will be offered the opportunity to attend for classroom-based learning. The onsite teaching and learning plan will be developed in consultation with students. It may vary year by year.

A variety of teaching and learning techniques will be incorporated including case studies, problem-based learning, guest lecturing, flipped classroom, peer learning.

As Masters level students will be required to actively engage in significant self-directed study and must engage in learning that exceeds module objectives.

Module Assessment Strategies

The priority for every live session will be to read and prepare the case and/or the assigned pre-reading material. The learner should have detailed knowledge of the case and an appreciation of the related chapter and reading content. Learner engagement in live class discussion and forum posts is strongly encouraged.

An important element of the assessment is the learner’s ability to apply their learning to key strategy, and associated leadership, themes. Learners will also be encouraged to apply materials and concepts learned in other modules to the class discussion. Evaluation of the learning is multi-dimensional, with a mix of individual and group assessments. There are three components to the assessment:

1) Assessment one requires groups of learners to prepare a write up of an assignment for cases, which will be discussed in class. The groups will submit the write up prior to the relevant class session from Wk 2 to Wk 10 of the semester.

2) Assessment two requires the learner to choose and write a comprehensive literature review about a competitive strategy theory topic, covered in the module, that is related to their development as a leader and about which they would like to know more. The learner is required to draw upon appropriate academic literature, their own experience, and interpretations in relation to the topic, and any insights or views from practitioners that they deem appropriate.

3) Finally, to assess learner knowledge of the course content there will be an individual take-home open book exam. The questions will focus on the concepts and tools discussed in class and covered in the associated texts and readings. 

Repeat Assessments

Repeat assessments requirements will be based on failed components and be recorded at the Progression and Award Boards.

Indicative Syllabus

L01) Describe and evaluate the main theories and frameworks relevant to competitive strategy: The learner will develop a comprehensive understanding of strategic concepts, and how these techniques can be used in strategic formulation and leadership of an organisation e.g. Porter, RBV, CBV, DCV, SAP, SWD, etc. 

L02) Think strategically about leading and developing a company's business position and integrate ideas and knowledge from other business disciplines into their competitive reasoning:  The learner will be able to assess a firm's strategic position in terms of environmental and industry analysis, which for example could include assessing organisation structure, industry structure, network effects, value creation, low-cost leadership, differentiation, focus and internationalisation.

LO3) Critically assess and apply fundamental theories and frameworks in strategy to real life competitive scenarios: The learner will be required to assess strategy development and/or implementation and evaluate how strategic theories are utilised in strategy formulation, choice and implementation. The learner will analyse strategic choice and how this affects the leadership and vision of the organization.

LO4) Appreciate how ethical principles, core values, and socially responsible leadership and management practices matter greatly in the conduct of a company’s business: The learner will be able to evaluate how strategy implementation and change may require a change in organizational systems, processes, structure, and culture. In addition, the learner should be able to evaluate how the strategy should facilitate value creation and sustainable advantage from both the organisation’s and society’s perspective.

L05). Work and communicate effectively as an individual and as part of a team to evaluate competitive scenarios and formulate competitive strategies: Learners will work on their own and groups to evaluate and analyse strategic leadership, development and implementation, and to communicate this effectively.

Coursework & Assessment Breakdown

Coursework & Continuous Assessment
55 %
End of Semester / Year Formal Exam
45 %

Coursework Assessment

Title Type Form Percent Week Learning Outcomes Assessed
1 Group Case/Reading Preparation Assignments Coursework Assessment Assessment 20 % OnGoing 1,2,3,4,5
2 Individual Written Assignment Coursework Assessment Assignment 35 % Week 11 1,2,3,4
             

End of Semester / Year Assessment

Title Type Form Percent Week Learning Outcomes Assessed
1 Take Home Final Exam Final Exam Open Book Exam 45 % End of Semester 1,2,3,4
             
             

Online Learning Mode Workload


Type Location Description Hours Frequency Avg Workload
Lecture Distance Learning Suite Live Lecture 1 Weekly 1.00
Online Lecture Online Pre-recorded Lecture 1 Weekly 1.00
Group Learning Lecture Theatre Workshop 4 Once Per Semester 0.27
Independent Learning Not Specified Self-Directed Learning 4.25 Weekly 4.25
Total Online Learning Average Weekly Learner Contact Time 2.00 Hours

Required & Recommended Book List

Required Reading
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.

Required Reading
2021-11-22 Contemporary Strategy Analysis John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 9781119815235 ISBN-13 1119815231

The updated new edition of the market-leading strategic analysis textbook, addressing the emerging challenges that businesses face in an increasingly complex and dynamic environment In Contemporary Strategy Analysis, expert strategist and lecturer Robert M. Grant equips management students and working professionals with the concepts, frameworks, and techniques needed to make better strategic decisions. Designed to be accessible to readers from different backgrounds and with varying levels of experience, this classic textbook combines a rigorous approach to business strategy with real-world examples of current practice and highly relevant case studies personally written by the author. Contemporary Strategy Analysis focuses on the essential tasks of strategy, showing readers how to use the tools of strategy analysis to identify, analyze, and exploit the sources of superior business performance to secure competitive advantage. The eleventh edition examines the role of strategy in a world reshaped by the Covid-19 pandemic and discusses a wide range of trending topics such as the corporate social responsibility movement and environmental, social, and governance innovation presented alongside fully integrated business models and up-to-date examples of business model innovation. Perfect for undergraduate and MBA students of business, Contemporary Strategy Analysis has also proven influential with consultants, executives, and others engaged in the strategic direction of a modern enterprise.

Required Reading
2021-04-20 The 4 Disciplines of Execution
ISBN 1398506664 ISBN-13 9781398506664

The Wall Street Journal bestseller with more than 500,000 copies sold, The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Revised and Updated will radically change your business. This fully revised edition teaches leaders how to create lasting organisational change. Do you remember the last major initiative you watched die in your organisation? Did it go down with a loud crash? Or was it slowly and quietly suffocated by other competing priorities? By the time it finally disappeared, it's quite likely noone even noticed. Almost every company struggles with making change happen. The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Revised and Updated is meant to help you reach the goals you've always dreamed of with a simple, repeatable, and proven formula. In this updated edition of the business bestseller that 'every leader should read' (Clayton Christensen, Professor at Harvard Business School and author of The Innovator's Dilemma), you'll learn the 4 Disciplines of Execution and how to make them work for your organisation. This proven set of practices have been tested and refined by hundreds of organisations and thousands of teams over many years. When a company or an individual adheres to these principles, they achieve superb results, regardless of the goal. These 4 Disciplines of Execution represent a new way to work and think that is essential to creating lasting organisational change and thriving in today's competitive climate. It's the one book that no leader can afford to miss.

Required Reading
2015-07-28 Cambridge Handbook of Strategy as Practice Cambridge University Press
ISBN 1107421497 ISBN-13 9781107421493
Required Reading
2013 Playing to Win Harvard Business Press
ISBN 9781422187395 ISBN-13 142218739X

Explains how companies must pinpoint business strategies to a few critically important choices, identifying common blunders while outlining simple exercises and questions that can guide day-to-day and long-term decisions.

Required Reading
2017-01-06 Economics of Strategy 6E International Student Version Premium Custom Edition
ISBN 1119378761 ISBN-13 9781119378761
Required Reading
2012-03-29 Strategy and Strategists Oxford University Press
ISBN 9780199219711 ISBN-13 0199219710

Importantly, this stimulating text:

Required Reading
2011-02-28 Strategy without Design: The Silent Efficacy of Indirect Action Cambridge University Press
ISBN 0521189853 ISBN-13 9780521189859
Required Reading
2017-09-07 Good Strategy/Bad Strategy
ISBN 1781256179 ISBN-13 9781781256176

When Richard Rumelt's Good Strategy/Bad Strategy was published in 2011, it immediately struck a chord, calling out as bad strategy the mish-mash of pop culture, motivational slogans and business buzz speak so often and misleadingly masquerading as the real thing.Since then, his original and pragmatic ideas have won fans around the world and continue to help readers to recognise and avoid the elements of bad strategy and adopt good, action-oriented strategies that honestly acknowledge the challenges being faced and offer straightforward approaches to overcoming them. Strategy should not be equated with ambition, leadership, vision or planning; rather, it is coherent action backed by an argument.For Rumelt, the heart of good strategy is insight into the hidden power in any situation, and into an appropriate response - whether launching a new product, fighting a war or putting a man on the moon. Drawing on examples of the good and the bad from across all sectors and all ages, he shows how this insight can be cultivated with a wide variety of tools that lead to better thinking and better strategy, strategy that cuts through the hype and gets results.

Required Reading
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.

Module Resources

Non ISBN Literary Resources

 

Journal Resources

Journal articles will be recommended to students for background reading associated with each topic 

URL Resources
Other Resources

IT Sligo Journal Databases

Additional Information