BE857-7-AU-CO:
Strategy
2019/20
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 03 October 2019
Saturday 14 December 2019
10
11 October 2019
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MBA N20012 The Essex MBA,
MBA N200MO Business Administration,
MBA N20E24 The Essex MBA,
MBA N20E36 The Essex MBA,
MBA N20EJS The Essex MBA
This module is designed to encourage students to reflect on a variety of issues relating to business strategy, such as: the nature of business strategy; the approaches to strategy development; the implications of strategic choices; stakeholder interests and the wider context of strategy. In particular, the module encourages students to evaluate many of the aspects of strategy and strategic thinking that are not usually reflected upon. This module provides students with an insight into the nature of business strategy and its implications, which go beyond what might be expected in the standard text book. Consequently, the module offers an insight into a range of current business issues, management dilemmas, ethical considerations, and general governance issues relating to the strategic direction of organizations. Overall, the module provides an introduction to strategy and a critical examination of its application in practice.
The main aim of the module is to enable students to have an understanding of the nature of business strategy and to evaluate its meaning and implications in practice
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Recognise and understand the many varied principles, practices and perspectives involved in business strategy making;
2. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding in relation to issues underlying mainstream interpretations of strategic processes;
3. Understand the importance of ideological positions and ethical principles in relation to strategic aspirations and to demonstrate an understanding of the complicated governance issues involved in strategic decision making
4. Critically evaluate the different tools and techniques used in strategy making
Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)
As part of this module you will be able to gain the following transferable skills:
1. Enhance your written communication skills through a written assignment
2. Improve your oral communication through a formal presentation as part of group work and further informal in-class discussions
3. Develop your research and critical thinking skills by researching a current business case and applying strategy models to make recommendations to a company. This will also greatly develop your commercial awareness
4. Enhance your teamwork and collaboration experience through extensive group work
The following learning and teaching methods will be used to inform the pedagogic structure of the module:
Lectures
Seminar-style discussions
Discussion of case studies;
Discussion of journal articles;
Class exercises (also as group work)
Personal Guidance
Signposting to other support.
The lectures will be developed around the key concepts as mentioned in the indicative lecture outline and will use a range of live examples and cases from business practice to demonstrate the application of theoretical concepts.
The seminar-style discussions will focus extensively on business case studies, current events and newspaper reports and journal articles. Cases will be used to isolate and analyse key strategic concepts and to examine their application in practice. The seminar-style discussions will provide students with the opportunity to examine strategic decision-making of selected examples, and to apply relevant concepts to their own work situations and different cases and contexts.
Class exercises will consist of individual and group work based on self-assessment questions and on group exercises to provide students with the opportunity to develop critical and practical problem-solving skills.
Personal guidance will be provided to assist students in developing specific knowledge and skills relative to their academic work and to their work experience and organizational needs. The module lecturers offer regular office hours for one-to-one discussions where necessary.
This module does not appear to have any essential texts. To see non-essential items, please refer to the module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Essay |
|
75% |
| Practical |
Group Presentation |
|
25% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Nicolas Forsans, email: n.forsans@essex.ac.uk.
Nicolas Forsans, Noelia-Sarah Reynolds
n.forsans@essex.ac.uk
svouty@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
Dr Rita Kottasz
Kingston University
Senior Lecturer in International Business
Dr Bidit Dey
Brunel University London
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
Of 30 hours, 30 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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