DRE 3002 Strategy II: Fundamental issues in Strategic Management

DRE 3002 Strategy II: Fundamental issues in Strategic Management

Course code: 
DRE 3002
Department: 
Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Øystein D. Fjeldstad
Amir Sasson
Course name in Norwegian: 
Strategy II: Fundamental Issues in Strategic Management
Product category: 
PhD
Portfolio: 
PhD Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation courses
Semester: 
2017 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
PhD
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

This course is mandatory for students majoring in strategy, and a prerequisite for all students planning to take Strategy 3 – Research Frontiers in Strategic Management. (DRE 3003)

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

Upon successful completion of this course, the students should have

  • acquired in-depth knowledge and understanding of foundational references within a number of central topics in strategic management
  • acquired a good understanding of the early ideas and research approaches underlying these topics
  • understood the roots off as well as current research in these central topics
  • gained a better understanding of where to search for the foundations of their own research
Learning outcomes - Skills

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Learning Outcome - Reflection

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Course content

The course is taught primarily as research seminars, where students and faculty interact in a combination of presentations and discussions of key contributions by outstanding scholars in the field. Each session focuses on one key issue, and includes 5-7 key contributions selected by the faculty member responsible for that session. 3-5 articles are required, the other 2-4 articles are recommended. For students wanting to continue doing research within a specific topic, the recommended articles are a good starting point.

The course covers main streams of research in strategic management and organizational structure and processes. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Transaction cost theory and its application in strategic management research
  • Agency theory as a platform for governance and organization design research
  • The activity based perspective, its origins, development and future directions
  • The resource based perspective and its derivatives in strategic management research
  • The network perspective in strategic management and its sociological underpinnings
  • Industrial Organization, its economic foundations and contemporary status

The primary lecturers will be Øystein Fjeldstad and Amir Sasson with selective contributions by BI faculty members, with different academic specialties.

Required articles are listed in a detailed syllabus, and are mostly available from the library. Book chapters and articles not available from the library will be provided on It's Learning or in a a reader. Recommended readings can be acquired from the library or online sources. Students will be informed about who the other participants are, and recommended to collaborate on collecting and distributing copies of the articles. Detailed reading list will be available from the course coordinator.

Learning process and requirements to students

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Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

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Qualifications

Enrollment in a PhD Programme is a general requirement for participation in PhD courses at BI Norwegian Business School.
External candidates are kindly asked to attach confirmation of enrollment in a PhD programme when signing up for a course. Other candidates may be allowed to sit in on courses by approval of the courseleader. Sitting in on a course does not permit registration for the course, handing in exams or gaining credits for the course. Course certificates or confirmation letters will not be issued for sitting in on courses.

Required prerequisite knowledge

The course is the second in the sequence of three core courses in strategic management. The first, which covers classic books that are still frequently cited in the field, is strongly recommended as a prerequisite, but not required. However, as some of the “modules” will build on knowledge of classics in the field, students who have not taken Strategy I – Foundations of Strategic Management – are advised to contact the course coordinator as early as possible prior to signing up for the course. This course is a prerequisite for Strategy 3 – Research Frontiers in Strategic Management.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Month(s)
Comment: 
Academic term paper, 25-30 pages long,on one selected topic from the main streams of research covered in the course. The paper should be original work, and be written specifically for this course.
Exam code: 
DRE30022
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Class participation
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Comment: 
Assessment of class participation in terms of presentations and contribution to the discussions in sessions where the student is not the primary presenter.
Exam code: 
DRE30022
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam organisation: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.