Strategic Management

Module Title	Strategic Management
Module Code	25-6057-00L
Semester of Delivery	See Module Information Table
Mandatory/Elective/Option	See Module Information Table
Level	6
Credit Points	20

Assessment Mode Weighting	CWEX100


Pre-requisites	General business education to level 5
Co-requisites	None

Class Contact Hours
Average Weekly	1.5

Directed Learning
Average Weekly	5

Module Leader	Roger Oldham
	Sheffield Business School
Module Banding	A
Approval Status	Validated

Rationale

The module exists primarily to help students make sense of the behaviour of the organisations in which they will work.

To achieve this it sets students' past and future studies, what they have experienced of organisations and what they will experience in the context of the purpose of the organisation as a whole.

It, therefore, aids the integration of studies with each other and with the world of work in organisations.

Summary of Aims

To help students understand the nature and significance of strategic management.
To introduce them to theories, insights and methods which help a manager to think strategically.
To give them an opportunity to integrate previous learning into a strategic setting.
To provide students with the opportunity to reflect critically on their direct and indirect (reading etc) experience of the strategic behaviour of organisations.

Anticipated Learning Outcomes

On completion of the module students should be able to:

Identify important, often conflicting theories, concepts and frameworks arising in the literature;
Criticise, compare and evaluate relevant theories and concepts;
Use these theories, concepts, and frameworks to analyse and evaluate practical management situations from their experience and from case studies;
Criticise, compare and evaluate strategies pursued or practised by organisations on the other;
Formulate strategic responses to managerial problems using the theories and concepts taught.

Assessment and Feedback Strategy

Students will be given feedback on their progress in the achievement of their learning outcomes by way of tutor feedback during seminars and feedback on formal coursework.

As at 2001, we are exploring the use of self-administered assessment such as computer based tests to provide formative feedback.

Coursework (weighted at 40% of the total mark) will be used to assess students' analytic ability and their ability to apply their knowledge and techniques, using examples which are current and relevant.

Students' analytical ability and knowledge and comprehension of the whole module will be assessed by an examination weighted at 60% of the total mark.

Module Assessment Criteria

Learning Outcome	Assessment Criterion	Level descriptors
Learning Outcome	Assessment Criterion	fail	PASS	2.2	2.1	First
Outcome 1	Coursework & exam	Introduces little or no theory and demonstrates poor or no understanding of how it works or can be applied.	Introduces a small amount of theory showing a mediocre level of understanding of the theory and its application	Introduces a reasonable range of theory and demonstrates a n acceptable level of understanding of the theory and its application	Introduces and uses a wide range of theory and literature clearly related to the issues, showing an effective understanding of how the theory works internally and how it can be applied	Introduces and uses a very wide range of contrasting literature demonstrating deep understanding of the mechanics and meaning of the theory in relation to other theory and its application
Outcome 2	Coursework & exam	Fails to assess significance of theories and concepts and to appraise their relevance particularly in the real world	Analyses theory and concepts but comes to unclear or not wholly justified conclusions	Analyses theory and concepts but may sometimes fail to assess them critically and may come to justified but superficial conclusions	Analyses theory and concepts critically; applies theory and concepts to real world situations, coming to clear, well justified conclusions about the material	Analyses theory and concepts with original perspectives and insight, showing how the underlying methodologies relate and coming to clear, very well justified conclusions about the material
Outcome 3	Coursework & exam	Fails to state the important factors in the situation and uses inappropriate theory or concepts or applies appropriate theory or concepts inadequately	States the situation but may be partly unclear or misses important points. Applies concepts but may do so only partly effectively and shows mediocre understanding of the realities of the situation or of the significance of the theory	States reasonably clearly the practical situation but may miss significant points; applies concepts reasonably effectively showing some understanding of the realities of the situation and the significance of the theory	States clearly and concisely the practical situation; applies concepts and theories effectively and realistically showing understanding of both theory and practice	States clearly, concisely and comprehensively the practical situation ; applies concepts and theories with insight and imagination showing deep understanding of both theory and practice
Outcome 4	Coursework & exam	Fails to analyse practical situation using theories and concepts and to appraise their relevance particularly in the real world	Analyses practical situation but not in a critical manner applying theory and concepts, coming to unclear, or not very well justified conclusions about the material	Analyses practical situation but not in a consistently critical manner applying theory and concepts, coming to clear, justified conclusions about the material	Analyses practical situation critically applying theory and concepts, coming to clear, well justified conclusions about the material	Analyses practical situation critically with original perspectives and insight, showing how the underlying theoretical methodologies relate and coming to clear, very well justified conclusions about the material
Outcome 5	Coursework & exam	Makes few recommendations to deal with problems or issues and which are not justified in terms of the analysis performed (if any); shows little understanding of the real world	Makes few superficial recommendations to deal with problems or issues which are indifferently justified in terms of the analysis performed but which are not original or informed by understanding of the real world	Makes some recommendations to deal with problems or issues which are reasonably well justified in terms of the analysis performed - or a large number of superficially-justified ones - but which are not original or informed by understanding of the real world	Makes a good number recommendations to deal with problems or issues which are clearly justified in terms of the analysis performed but which may be informed by originality and understanding of the real world	Makes a good number of innovative recommendations to deal with problems or issues which are clearly and well justified in terms of the analysis performed but which are informed by originality and understanding of the real world

The key element in assessing both examination and assignments will be the extent to which students used appropriate theory and concepts to build and evaluate arguments.

The assessment will also specifically take into account:

Knowledge and understanding of relevant theory, literature and concepts
Application of the theory and concepts using appropriate examples to illustrate and support what is written
Analysis and evaluation
Evidence of breadth of reading, acknowledging sources
Ability to structure and present work clearly

Teaching and Learning Strategy and Methods

Students at university find Strategic Management a notoriously difficult subject. One reaction to this is to reduce expectations of their performance. We have resisted this and over time have developed incrementally an approach which delivers high performance. This is a highly structured sequence of lectures which outline the subject and a series of varied seminars which enable students to work on the other learning outcomes. We plan to continue this developmental approach whilst developing alternatives, eg electronic self- assessment, text-book related websites, fewer, more structuring lectures, fewer seminars but designed to encourage synthesis.

Detailed seminar methods include video and written case studies, group presentations, group problem-solving, and class discussion, sometimes polemical. These are all used to promote skills in application, synthesis and evaluation.

Indicative Content

Strategic Analysis.

This is concerned with understanding the strategic position of the organisation, that is considering the organisation in its environment and asking what changes are going on in that environment, and how they will affect the organisation and its activities. What is the resource strength of the organisation in the context of these changes? What is it that people and groups associated with the organisation - managers, shareholders or owners, unions and so on - aspire to, and how do these affect the present position and what could happen in the future?

Strategic Choice

The variety of strategic options available to organisations will be considered.

Three aspects that must be addressed when developing strategies will be considered:

The way in which the firm is positioning itself i.e. what is its competitive advantage
The directions in which the firm could develop.
The possible methods of development i.e. internally, by joint development or by acquisition.

We will then consider methods of assessing the suitability of strategic options. There are three broad areas of assessment: strategic logic, cultural fit and research evidence. Each area will be discussed in detail. This will conclude our review of Strategic Choice.

Strategy Implementation

This is concerned with the translation of strategy into action. We consider how resources have to be reallocated between departments, functions and projects given a change in strategy. Organisational restructuring of companies following a change in strategy is also considered. Changes in organisational culture that may accompany changes in organisational strategy are also explored.

Alternative Perspectives on Strategy

This will review how strategic management occurs in practice. We will also consider differing viewpoints of strategy, looking at aspects such as how internal organisational politics or external environmental factors influence strategy formulation.

Indicative Reading List

Exploring Corporate Strategy: Texts and Cases, Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes - 5th edition, Prentice Hall 1999.

The Strategy Process, Henry Mintzberg and James Brian Quinn, Prentice Hall, 2nd edition 1991. Strategy - Process, Content, Context (2nd edition), Bob de Wit and Ron Meyer, West. Exploring Techniques of Analysis and Evaluation in Strategic Management, Ambrosini, V. with Johnson, G. and Scholes K. , Prentice Hall Europe, 1998. Exploring Strategic Change, Balogun, J and Hope Hailey, V. with Johnson, G. and Scholes K. , Prentice Hall Europe, 1999. Corporate Strategy, Richard Lynch, Pitman, 2nd edition, 2000. Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics, Ralph Stacey, Pitman., 2nd edn 1997. What is Strategy and does it Matter? (2nd edition), Richard Whittington, Thompson. Managing Change in Organizations, Colin Carnall, Prentice Hall, 2nd edition, 1995. Competitive Strategy, Michael Porter, Macmillan, 1982. Competitive Advantage, Michael Porter, Macmillan, 1985.

Organisational Culture, Andrew Brown, Pitman, 2nd edition,1998.

Images of Organisation, Gareth Morgan, Sage.

The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning, Henry Mintzberg, Prentice Hall.

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