BE431-5-SP-CO:
Business Strategy
2016/17
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
15
-
Requisites for this module
BE400 or IA711
BE410
(none)
(none)
(none)
BSC N200 Business Management,
BSC N201 Business Management (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N202 Business Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N204 Business Management (Including Placement Year),
BA NR19 Business Management and Modern Languages,
BA N1R9 Business Management with a Modern Language,
BA T7N2 Latin American Studies with Business Management,
BSC NN25 Management and Marketing,
BSC NN2M Management and Marketing (Including Placement Year),
BSC NNF5 Management and Marketing (Including Year Abroad),
BA N19R Business Management and Language Studies
Over the last few decades, the business world has become increasingly global, complex, and fast changing. While some organisations are consistently successful over a long period of time, many fail and are forgotten forever. Since capital, labour and management are increasingly mobile, in theory it should become easier to imitate the strategies of winning companies and dissipate their profits. In practice, however, only a few firms become long-term leaders. Why?
While there appears to be clear link between successful industry performance and superior strategy there is little agreement on what a strategy really is or how a successful strategy can be developed in a business or an organization.
This module introduces students to the concepts and tools of business strategy making. It encourages a critical appreciation of how firms make sense of their business environment and how they position themselves in their market. It also critically examines the process for making strategic choices and how firms turn strategy into action.
MODULE LEARNING AIMS
1. To provide an overview of the different approaches to strategy, introduce you to the different tools used in business strategy analysis, and to discuss issues related to the management of business strategy.
2. To enable you to connect business strategy and strategic management issues to business situations
3. To train you in strategic thinking as well as in analysing and making sense of the complexities of the business world around you.
4. To enable you critically to analyse and work with different aspects of business strategy and strategic management, especially in view of your own future managerial practice relating to strategy, either in terms of your own strategic decision-making or in terms of dealing with strategic decisions made in the upper echelons of organizations.
MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Recognise and understand what strategy is
2. Understand the different tools that strategists use to create a strategy
3. Understand the issues that strategist might face when using these tools
4. Link a specific case to general theoretical issues and approaches.
5. Make sense of a business situation, analyse it using relevant models and develop a strategy.
No information available.
No information available.
SKILLS FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE (TRANSFERABLE SKILLS)
1. Develop your commercial awareness through the study of current strategic issues facing businesses
2. Enhance your understanding of communication in organisations, e.g. through the study of top management teams
3. Develop your understanding of the wider context of business, e.g. through relating business strategy to globalisation or business ethics
4. Enhance your presentation and communication skills by making active contributions in class case-study work.
5. Develop your analytical and critical reasoning skills through the module’s coursework.
The module consists of ten weekly lectures and five fortnightly seminars. The lectures introduce you to key strategic management concepts and theories. The seminars are aimed at demonstrating the application of the concepts to contemporary business practice. Lecture slides will be posted on Moodle. During the lectures, seminar tasks will be set. These can be based on case-study exercises and/or relevant readings. The seminar material will be broadly related to material covered in the lectures, but it will usually also introduce you to something new.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
ASSIGNMENT ONE |
|
|
| Exam |
Main exam: 120 minutes during Summer (Main Period)
|
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
Christina Volkman and Savvas Voutyras
ebsugcol@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Donald Hislop
Loughborough University
Reader
Available via Moodle
Of 72 hours, 28 (38.9%) hours available to students:
4 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
40 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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