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BUSI59430: Strategy (DL)

It is possible that changes to modules or programmes might need to be made during the academic year, in response to the impact of Covid-19 and/or any further changes in public health advice.

Type Open
Level 4
Credits 30
Availability Not available in 2024/2025
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Management and Marketing

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To develop advanced understanding in the content and process of strategy within organisations, with particular reference to strategic analysis and the influences upon strategy formulation.
  • To gain a critical knowledge of a range of strategic analysis techniques/methods and to build competence in their application to strategic issues and contexts.

Content

  • Introduction to strategic management
  • Analysing the external environment
  • Analysing the capabilities of the organisation
  • Approaches to sustainable competitive advantage
  • Methods and directions of corporate strategy development
  • Creating value in multi-business organisations
  • Analysing culture and stakeholders
  • Evaluating strategies
  • A systems view of strategic decision
  • Introduction to statistics
  • Structuring the problem: soft systems methodology
  • Generating alternatives
  • What might happen: forecasting
  • Game theory
  • Deciding: risk/decision trees
  • Deciding trade-offs

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • By the end of the module students should have a critical knowledge and understanding of:
  • the role and purpose of strategic analysis within the broader context of the strategic management process.
  • numerically-based methods available to assist decision-making.
  • markets and customers: the development and operation of markets for resources, goods and services; customer expectations, service and orientation.
  • the concepts, processes and institutions in the production and marketing of goods and/or services; the management of resources and operations.
  • the development of appropriate business policies and strategies within a changing context to meet stakeholder interests.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • By the end of the module students should have a critical knowledge and understanding of a range of strategic analysis techniques/methods and be able to apply them to strategic issues and contexts.

Key Skills:

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Through a combination of learning material, self assessed exercises and a formative assignment on key topical issues, together with guided reading.
  • On the DL MA Programme each module is delivered in discrete Units which are equivalent to a lecture session. A DL Unit normally consists of specially written material, directed reading, reflection through self-assessed assignments and guidance for further reading.
  • Each student is allocated a Tutor for each Module. The Tutor is tasked with providing feedback on formative work and is available for individual consultation as necessary. Tutoring is normally provided at a distance and may be conducted by email, telephone, post or fax.
  • The DL Programme offers annual residential seminars. In addition to offering core curriculum, the seminars provide the opportunity for DL Students to interface with members of Faculty, meet Tutors and to interact with other members of the student cohort.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Units16192 
Tutorials10 
Residential seminars 
Preparation & Reading98 
Total300 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExamComponent Weighting: 75%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Exam3 hours100 
Component: AssignmentComponent Weighting: 25%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Assignment1500 words100 

Formative Assessment

Written assignment of 1500 words

More information

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