GRA 2411 Strategic Management

GRA 2411 Strategic Management

Course code: 
GRA 2411
Department: 
Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Erik Aadland
Course name in Norwegian: 
Strategic Management
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc - Core course
Semester: 
2019 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

Strategy is concerned with how actors achieve their objectives. The field of strategic management has substantially affected corporate behavior. Concepts such as competitive advantage, capabilities, resources, value chain, tacit knowledge, and positioning are not just used frequently in organizations but are critical components in top management in decision making.

Understanding competition and competitiveness as well as where it comes from and what it leads to is pivotal for the strategic management of organizations. Management thought is continuously evolving encompassing ideas such as sustainable competitive positions, economies of scale and scope, core competences, dynamic capabilities, and networks. In recent years, management thought has focused on relentless pursuit of speed and agility. John Chambers, Cisco’s CEO, even proposes that the race will be won not by those who are big but by those who are fast. Furthermore, the growing economic interdependence among countries, exemplified by the global financial crisis, and technological innovation challenges our understanding of positioning and competitive advantage.

This course is concerned with the overall strategic management of organizations. It takes a top management—as opposed to functional management—perspective. We will particularly examine the frameworks and concepts mangers use when they make decisions about the scope, direction and competitive position of their organizations, and when they make sense of environmental and organizational complexities. The course attempts to answer two rather simple questions; where should an organization go and how should it get there. While the questions are rather simple, the answers - as we will learn - are not as straightforward.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

After undertaking this course you will:

  • Be able to employ tools to analyze situations and think strategically
  • Be able to identify, evaluate, and select strategies for improving the competitiveness of firms
  • Be able to demonstrate an awareness of the key challenges facing managers in the implementation and execution of strategy
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • Analytical skills: identify and analyze strategic issues
  • Application skills: identify and apply relevant theoretical frameworks to develop strategic options
  • Evaluation skills: evaluate and select strategic options
Learning Outcome - Reflection
  • Insight into the opportunities and challenges associated with analyzing, developing and implementing strategy
Course content
  • Introduction to the field of strategy
  • Strategic frameworks and theory
  • Strategic analysis (external and internal)
  • Competitive and cooperative strategies
  • International and corporate strategy
  • Strategy implementation
Learning process and requirements to students

Lectures, discussions and guest lecturers.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on itslearning or text book.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course start.

At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.

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

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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 spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Required prerequisite knowledge

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Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Class participation
Weight: 
30
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Individual in-class contributions to class discussions
Exam code: 
GRA 24114
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: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
70
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • Bilingual dictionary
Duration: 
3 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Written examination under supervision.
Exam code: 
GRA 24114
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.