BUSI41N15: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (EXECUTIVE)

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• To examine how companies attempt different business and corporate strategies to achieve or maintain a competitive advantage.
• To give students an in-depth understanding at an advanced level of strategy formulation and implementation under conditions of changing industry competition, firm resources, and technology.
• To provide an in-depth understanding and critical evaluation of specialist techniques to aid analysis of the competitive and contextual environment.

• Business and corporate strategy formulation and implementation: the process of developing strategy; making strategic choices; analysing the competitive and contextual environment; implementing strategy.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of this module, students should:
• Have a critical appreciation of the main strengths and weaknesses of various strategic actions such as diversification, internationalization, technological first-mover, and joint-venturing;
• Have an advanced understanding of many of the routinely-encountered difficulties in strategy implementation and have methods at hand to address those difficulties;

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of this module, students should:
• Be able to think strategically and critically about a firm, as well as functionally;
• Be able to define a firm's main capabilities, competencies and competitive advantages;
• Be able to critically analyse the non-market environment of business on firms, such as the strategic constraints and opportunities presented by social and political developments.
• Be able to conduct an in-depth industry analysis and gain advanced understanding of its strengths and limitations;
• Be able to develop and defend a cohesive organizational strategy;
• Be able to undertake critical appraisal of relevant strategic management literature and tools, and apply critical judgement and discrimination;
• Be aware of, and familiar with, methods employed in formulating and implementing corporate strategies;
• Be aware of, and familiar with, tools and techniques to analyse the competitive and contextual environment.

Key Skills:

• Negotiating and persuading.
• Sourcing appropriate data and evaluating evidence.
• Interpreting and using numerical and financial information.
• Reflecting and synthesising from experience.
• Developing critical thinking.
• Synthesising diverse perspectives.
• Developing coherent and persuasive arguments.

• The module is delivered in blocks, timetabled internally, hence the number/frequency/duration of individual blocks may vary but the overall total contact time will be 40 hours.
• Blocks typically involve a mixture of lecture input, groupwork, case studies and discussion/feedback, and are supported by guided reading.
• The summative assessment of the module is designed to test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge and critical understanding, and skills of application and interpretation within the business context.

Classroom-based exercises involving individual and group analyses and presentations on specific business situations/problems relevant to the learning outcomes of the module. Oral and written feedback will be given on a group and individual basis as appropriate.

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