GRA 8168 Strategy Analysis

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/2013

GRA 8168 Strategy Analysis

Responsible for the course
Lars Huemer

Department
Department of Strategy and Logistics

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
3

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
The subject of strategy is evolving rapidly, due to globalization and increasingly rapid changes in the environment in virtually all industries. This course is designed to address strategy analysis and its role in dealing with such changes.

Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge:
The intent of the Strategy Analysis module is to give students an understanding of how to conduct both external and internal strategy analyses.
To understand the construction of external and internal tools/frameworks
To understand the links between these tools and their role in the overall strategy process.

Acquired skills:
To be able to use insights from strategy analysis (e.g. trough the SWOT framework) in generating, evaluating and choosing strategic alternatives.
To understand the different challenges and modes of value creation characterizing manufacturing firms and different kinds of service firms.

Reflection:
The role of strategy for firm performance
Approaches to Capability Development
To understand the dynamic and recursive nature of strategy analysis and process.

    Prerequisites
    Granted admission to the EMBA programme.

    Compulsory reading
    Books:
    Grant, R.M. & Jordan, J. 2012. Foundations of Strategy. Chichester: Wiley

    Recommended reading

    Course outline
    The history of strategic management
    External analysis
    Internal analysis
    Combining external and internal analysis
    SWOT and the strategy process

    Computer-based tools
    It's Learning

    Learning process and workload
    1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours.

    Attendance to all sessions in the course is compulsory. If you have to miss part(s) of the course you must ask in advance for leave of absence. More than 20% absence in a course will require retaking the entire course. It's the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ It's learning or other course materials


    Coursework requirements
    The course will be organised around selected topics per the course outline and use in-depth discussion of business cases and the professional experience of participants to ground relevant theories and frameworks which must be explicitly used in the write-ups. The workload will involve intensive group and individual work that is aimed at integrating strategy theory and practice.

    Examination
    The course evaluation will be based on:
    1. One complex case analysis to be written and presented in triads or pairs 1/3
    2. One complex case analysis report to be written and presented in groups 1/3
    3. Individual oral class contribution 1/3

    This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam elements) and one final exam code. Each exam element will be graded using points on a scale (e.g. 0-100). The elements will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the course.

    Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation


    Examination code(s)
    GRA 81681 - Continuous assessment; accounts for xxx % to pass the course GRA 8168, 3 ECTS credits

    The course is a part of a full Executive Master of Business Administration Program and all evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the degree.


    Examination support materials



    Re-sit examination
    Re-takes are only possible at the next time a course will be held. When course evaluation consists of class participation or continuous assessment, the whole course must be re-evaluated when a student wants to retake a exam. Retake examinations entail an extra examination fee.

    Additional information