GRA 8156 Strategy
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APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/2013
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GRA 8156 Strategy Responsible for the course Lars Huemer Department Department of Strategy and Logistics Term According to study plan ECTS Credits 5 Language of instruction English Introduction Why are some firms more successful than others? This is the central question in strategy. In order to address this question, we need to understand both the firm and its environment. An in-depth understanding of how resources and activities explain the competitiveness of firms is the aim of internal strategy analysis. The purpose of external analysis is to analyze how external factors influence the strategies of firms. The information obtained from external and internal analyses are synthesized in a SWOT framework, which may be a fruitful tool when making strategic decisions. The international dimension is an increasingly important aspect of firms’ internal functioning as well as being a core part of their environment. International Strategy concerns the implications of an ever more global world for strategy. Strategy Process finally concerns the interplay between strategic and organizational change (and stability), the scope and magnitude of such change, and how these processes are implemented under certain circumstances. Learning outcome Acquired knowledge: By the end of this module the students should be able to: Perform both internal and external strategy analyses and utilize the data in making strategic decisions Have a basic understanding of value configuration analysis Acquired skills: Be able to perform resource and activity analyses Be able to consider multiple perspectives on strategy process Reflection: Understand the use, role and limits of the SWOT framework in the strategy process. Be able to reflect on the challenges following on globalization and the necessity of both bottom-up and top down implementation approaches. Prerequisites Bachelor degree or equivalent, and at least 4 years of work experience, managerial experience and good to excellent written and oral knowledge of the English language. All deliverables will be in English. Compulsory reading Books: de Wit and Meyer. 2010. . Strategy - process, content, context - an international perspective. 4th ed. Thomson. Selected chapters Articles: Barney J. 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1). 99-120 Ghemawat, P. 2007. Managing Differences: The Central Challenge of Global Strategy. Harvard Business Review, March. 59-68 Porter M. 1996. What is strategy?. Harvard Business Review, 74(6). 61-78 Porter M. 2008. The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1). 78-93 Stabell, C. and Fjeldstad, Ø. D. 1998. 1998. Configuring value for competitive advantage: on chains, shops and networks. Strategic Management Journal, 19(5).. 413-437 Recommended reading Course outline The strategy module builds on the following themes: - Introduction to Strategic Management - Internal and External Strategy Analysis - International Strategy - Strategy Process
Specific case assignments will be given in class. |