GRA 6835 The Practicing Strategist

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

GRA 6835 The Practicing Strategist


Responsible for the course
Øystein Fjeldstad, John Chandler Johnson

Department
Department of Strategy and Logistics

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction

  • This course is intended to be the final course for MSc majors in Strategy. The aim of the course is to be integrative and to build on the knowledge gained in the other five courses. The first two courses in semester one are focused on the main theories of strategy. The second three courses delivered in semester two are focused on key application areas of strategy theory. The central focus of this course offered in the fourth semester of the programme is on developing and applying the skills which are needed to operate as a strategist, in order to equip students with a practical understanding of strategy work. In order to develop a relevant skill set, students will undertake a project based on a organisational client or a consultancy company or a complex case study.

Learning outcome
  1. To integrate the previous 5 required courses in the MSc in Strategy programme.
  2. To learn how to work in teams working on strategy projects and problems
  3. To gain insight into the practice of consulting
  4. To gain experience in real projects, either with a client or a consulting firm or a large complex case study
  5. To reflect on how to be a strategist, including the skills and behaviours involved, before entering full-time work after graduation

    Prerequisites
    This course is the last course offered as part of the Master of Science in Strategy Programme. Students are required to have completed the other 5 courses in the Programme before taking this one.

    Compulsory reading

    Articles:
    Articles from major journals such as ASQ, AMJ, AMR, AME, ASQ, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Strategy and Management, Long Range Planning, Sloan Management Review and Harvard Business Review that are considered to be at the ‘cutting edge’ of the field. See the Course Outline for more detail.

    Other:
    During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course


    Recommended reading
    Books:
    Kubr, Milan, ed. 2002. Management consulting : a guide to the profession. 4th ed. International Labour Office

    Course outline
    The course will typically include, but is not limited to, the following themes:

    1. Introduction
    2. Strategising in the context of the professional service firm
    3. Doing a project - problem definition, industry, company and issue analysis, client relations, process execution, final presentation and report
    4. Skills in conducting a project - team work, analysis, managing processes and time, building narratives, networking

    The course will be taught by a combination of lectures, team presentations, discussions, presentations from professionals, etc.

      Computer-based tools
      It's learning, spreadsheet analysis, software for industry analysis etc

      Learning process and workload
      A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.

      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 the course homepage/It's learning or text book.



      Examination
      1. Active oral class participation and hand-ins (30% of the final grade). See the course outline for more detail regarding what mixture of activities is required, e.g. presentations, term papers, short notes, etc.
      2. A final report and presentation (70% of the final grade). This grade is group-based. The size of groups will be determined by the course leader each time the course runs. It will vary depending on the number of students and the number of projects.

      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. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades on the course site in It’s learning.

      Examination code(s)
      GRA 68351 continuous assessment accounts for 100% of the final grade in GRA 6835

      Examination support materials
      N/A.Exam aids at written examinations are explained under exam information in our web-based Student handbook. Please note use of calculator and dictionary. http://www.bi.edu/studenthandbook/examaids

      Re-sit examination
      It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught.
      The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code.
      Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes.
      Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
      All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

      Additional information
      Honour code
      Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honour code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honour code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.

      Any violation of the honour code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honour code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honour code, please ask.

      Semesters

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