GRA 6833 Corporate & Global Strategies

GRA 6833 Corporate & Global Strategies

Course code: 
GRA 6833
Department: 
Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Gabriel R. Garcia Benito
Course name in Norwegian: 
Corporate & Global Strategies
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Business - Strategy
Semester: 
2024 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

The course covers key strategic issues that corporate headquarters deal with in trying to achieve a sustainable business in today’s fast-changing and increasingly global competitive arena.

The domain of corporate and global strategies comprises essentially: (i) defining appropriate boundaries for the corporation; (ii) restructuring the corporation (for example expansion, diversification, relocation, and divestment decisions); (iii) making suitable delegation decisions (i.e. allocating decision rights between corporate headquarters and subsidiary units); and (iv) managing relationships in complex (multiunit) and spatially dispersed (multilocal) corporations.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

Provide students with knowledge about core parts of the research-based literature on corporate and global strategies.

Learning outcomes - Skills

Develop students’ competence in analyzing and assessing the scope of corporations.

General Competence

Develop students’ understanding of the challenges involved in formulating and implementing corporate strategies, especially those that entail extending companies’ activities across national borders, and which have implications for sustainability issues at both local and global levels.

Course content

The course will focus on:

  • Issues in corporate and global strategies
  • The purpose and scope of corporations
  • Modes of entry, operation, and expansion
  • Diversification, restructuring, and divestment
  • Organizing complex multinational companies
  • Managing complex multinational companies
Teaching and learning activities

The course is a combination of lectures, student presentations, and discussions. Active student participation is generally expected, such as engaging in discussions. Students will also be asked to make presentations (in groups) of cases and articles.

Active student participation is generally expected. Students should read all required literature before sessions and come well-prepared to class. The amount of readings for each session is typically 3 to 4 academic articles. 

Required course literature is a collection of articles. Most articles are available through BI library databases. Students are responsible for downloading articles that are accessible through the BI library and the It's learning. Other readings will be made available to students on a successive basis.

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

This course has two mandatory coursework requirements (presentations). The coursework requirements must be approved to be able to sit for the exams.

The exam for this course has been changed starting academic year 2023/2024. The course now has two exam codes instead of one. It is not possible to retake the old version of the exam. Please note new exam codes in the Exam section of the course description. 

It is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.

Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Mandatory courseworkCourseworks givenCourseworks requiredComment coursework
Mandatory 2 2The course has 2 work requirements: Class presentations of (i) a case, and (ii) a research article. Presentations are made by groups. Both presentations are done in class.
Mandatory coursework:
Mandatory coursework:Mandatory
Courseworks given: 2
Courseworks required: 2
Comment coursework:The course has 2 work requirements: Class presentations of (i) a case, and (ii) a research article. Presentations are made by groups. Both presentations are done in class.
Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
3 Month(s)
Comment: 
Assignment
Exam code: 
GRA 68332
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 4)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Term paper
Exam code: 
GRA 68333
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
36 Hour(s)
Group work / Assignments
45 Hour(s)
Group work on presentations
Submission(s)
15 Hour(s)
Individual assignment
Student's own work with learning resources
64 Hour(s)
Sum workload: 
160

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.