GRA 6240 Strategic Management for Business Control
GRA 6240 Strategic Management for Business Control
The course aims to develop the students’ managerial skills and abilities, enabling them to formulate, evaluate and understand different strategies for companies in pursuit of sustainable success in contexts characterized by increasing change and digitalization. The course emphasizes the application of strategic management theory in strategy analysis, formulation and implementation. The course will do so with a focus on different business models and contexts. The course presumes that the students have taken an introductory course in strategic management, and that the students are familiar with fundamental strategic management theories and analytical frameworks.
The student has
- knowledge of relevant strategic management theory applications in contexts characterized by increasing change and digitalization.
- knowledge of relevant strategic management process applications to real world problems facing companies
- knowledge of how strategic management theories and processes inform the formulation, evaluation and choice of strategic courses of action.
The student can
- analyze and manage the resource and activity configuration of companies
- analyze and manage the change drivers, industry structure and stakeholders of companies and well as identifying positioning opportunities
- select and apply appropriate strategy formulation processes for companies
- develop relevant strategic options for companies
- evaluate strategic options
- identify and deal with challenges associated with leading and implementing processes of strategic change.
The student can
- apply knowledge of strategic management to the analysis and management of business cases
- apply knowledge of strategic management to carry out strategy projects
- communicate key strategic challenges, insights, and possible solutions in a concise and clear way
- use knowledge of strategic management to identify alternative courses of action and innovative approaches.
PART 1. Assessing the firm’s resource and activity configuration
Managing strategic resources
Managing activity configurations within value chains, shops, networks
Business model opportunities
PART 2. Assessing influence of external environments
Managing change drivers
Managing industry structure
Stakeholder management
Firm positioning opportunities for sustainable advantage
PART 3. Formulating and evaluating strategies in different strategic settings
Managing strategic planning processes
Techniques for generating strategic alternatives
Managing processes of strategy emergence
Micro strategizing
Strategy development for business units
Strategy development for corporations
Strategy development in international operations
Techniques for evaluating strategic alternatives
Strategic choice and fit
PART 4. Strategic change and implementation
Managing strategic innovation
Leading and organizing for strategic change
Managing implementation processes
Teaching will be based on 12 three-hour sessions. Some sessions will consist of lecturing, class exercises, case study analyses, and class discussions. Students are expected to attend every class and participate fully in the exercises and case discussions. It is therefore imperative that students read the assigned material and case studies before class. Mini-cases and exercises may also be assigned in-class.
A collection of articles, assigned cases, hand outs, and online material.
All the reading material as well as issues covered during the lectures are examinable. Strategy is a field which is closely tied to current events. Students are strongly encouraged to follow business news in the media to enrich their experience and skill development.
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.
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 starts.
At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.
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.
| Assessments |
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Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Class participation Weight: 30 Grouping: Individual Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Class activities Exam code: GRA62401 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 Weight: 40 Grouping: Group (3 - 4) Duration: 48 Hour(s) Comment: Case analysis. Home exam. Exam code: GRA62401 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: Structured test Invigilation Weight: 30 Grouping: Individual Support materials:
Duration: 1 Hour(s) Comment: Multiple choice test Exam code: GRA62401 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
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.