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: 
2018 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

The course essentially deals with the strategic issues that corporate headquarters face with respect to achieving sustainable competitive advantage in an increasingly global competition arena.

The domain of corporate and global strategies comprises: (i) defining appropriate boundaries for the corporation; (ii) restructuring the corporation (for example diversification and divestment decisions); (iii) the allocation of decision rights between corporate headquarters, division and SBU headquarters, and subsidiariy units; (iv) managing inter-unit relationships in complex and spatially dispersed 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.

Learning Outcome - Reflection

Develop students’ understanding of the challenges involved in formulating and implementing corporate strategies, especially those that entail extending companies’ activities across national borders.

Course content

The course will focus on:

  • Issues in corporate and global strategies
  • The scope of the corporation
  • Modes of entry, operation and expansion
  • Diversification, restructuring and divestment
  • Organizing the complex corporation
  • Managing the complex corporation
Learning process and requirements to students

The course is a combination of lectures, student presentations and class discussions. Occasionally, small cases will be handed out and used as a starting point for discussions in class. Students will also be asked to present academic articles in groups. 

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. 

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 It's learning 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.
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.

Exam categoryWeightInvigilationDurationGroupingComment exam
Exam category:
Activity
Form of assessment:
Class participation
Exam code:
GRA68331
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
25No -Group/Individual ( 3 - 4)Group size is subject to change depending on size of the class.
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Written submission
Exam code:
GRA68331
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
25No 2 Month(s)Individual Assignment
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Written submission
Exam code:
GRA68331
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal and external examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
50No1 Semester(s)Group (3 - 4)Term paper
Exams:
Exam category:Activity
Form of assessment:Class participation
Weight:25
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Group/Individual (3-4)
Duration: -
Comment:Group size is subject to change depending on size of the class.
Exam code:GRA68331
Grading scale:Point scale
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Written submission
Weight:25
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Individual
Duration: 2 Month(s)
Comment:Assignment
Exam code:GRA68331
Grading scale:Point scale
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Written submission
Weight:50
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Group (3-4)
Duration:1 Semester(s)
Comment:Term paper
Exam code:GRA68331
Grading scale:Point scale
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.