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Strategic management is a purposeful endeavour concerned with long-term direction and performance for a firm or organisation. The course involves students in presenting analysis and proposing solutions to strategy issues in major New Zealand and international businesses. Course content includes strategic analysis, business and corporate strategy, and strategy implementation.
This course forms part of the B.Com majors in Management, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, and International Business. It seeks to draw upon and apply knowledge from the functional areas of management. It is complemented by MGMT321 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development. It also prepares students for the B.Com Honours courses in Strategy and International Business.
The overarching learning goal for the course is the ability to apply strategic management knowledge and techniques to business problems. This includes the ability to:Analyse the internal and external strategic environment of a firm and articulate well supported recommendations for action.Contribute effectively to a live presentation on a strategy topic using appropriate delivery, presentation structure and visual aids.Communicate logical and coherent written strategic analysis and/or solutions to a complex business case.Discuss the merits of different types of corporate portfolio, the value of the corporate centre and issues in corporate acquisitions and alliances.Critically evaluate an organisation’s structure, culture and approach to strategic control.WorkloadAs a 30-point course, this course represents 300 hours of learning, of which the timetabled classes are but one component. Students will also need to complete the weekly course readings and quizzes, participate in their group presentation, and apply their learning in the Case analysis take-home test as well as in the final exam.B.Com Learning Goals1) Graduates can demonstrate advanced knowledge of their selected subject major, informed by the broader context of commerce. The course develops advanced theoretical and applied knowledge in strategic management, and assesses this in the final exam. 2) Graduates are able to use analytical thinking and problem-solving skills to address specific problems.In this course, students analyse cases in case presentations in most classes and revisit these in the final exam. Analytical thinking and problem solving is assessed in the case analysis take-home test.3) Graduates can understand issues from a range of ethical, global and multicultural perspectives.The course covers ethical issues in corporate governance and organisational philosophy, and global issues in international strategy. Multicultural issues can arise in business cases.4) Graduates are able to communicate effectively both orally and in written form.This course assesses and helps develop oral communication through the group presentations, and written communication in the case test and final exam.
(1) ACCT102; and (2) 45 points at 200-level or above in MGMT, MKTG or MSCI
MGMT314
Attendance in lectures is expected. Lectures include student presentations, examples and exercises. They are not recorded, and material they cover can be in the exam.
Paul Knott
David Stiles
Group presentationEach student will be assigned to a group normally consisting of four students. The group will be required to make a presentation in class on a set topic and date. Normally each member of the group will receive equal marks. In the event of perceived inequity of input, group members should submit written details of the work performed. Differential marks may be awarded at the lecturer’s discretion. The presentation is intended to illustrate and develop class topics. The requirements and assessment criteria are set out in a separate document (Presentations Advice), posted on Learn. The presentation must be original and evaluative, must avoid descriptive material on company history or product offerings, and must keep to time. The presentation is to last a maximum of 10 minutes. Presenters must not read from a prepared script. The presentation slides must be posted prior to the class in which the presentation is scheduled. After the presentation, the lecturer will facilitate discussion involving the class and the group.To comply with University rules for referencing of sources, acknowledge sources in a footnote on the relevant slide. The assigned topics often require the use of public domain information about the companies concerned. As well as internet sources, the Subject Guide for Management on the library homepage provides a useful starting point. You may also like to consult the Commerce librarian. Please do not contact the firms directly. If you need help with preparing the presentation or understanding the topic, please ask.Note for students not presenting in a class:It is important to pay attention to the presentations and participate in the discussion. Consider your own interpretation of the issues the company faces or the choices it might make. Write notes so that you have something to use when revising for part 2 of the final exam.Learn quizzes These quizzes are designed to help students prepare for the classes and to encourage class attendance. The quizzes will be based on assigned readings and/or cases. There will be a quiz relating to each class from 10-24 March and 28 April – 29 May. To gain full credit for this item of assessment, you will need to complete all questions for 12 quizzes out of 14 available. This item of assessment is not available for aegrotat consideration.Each quiz will be available for a five day period before and/or after each class, as specified on Learn. There is no option for late submission of a quiz and no option to complete the quiz other than via the facility on Learn. Marks will be available for each quiz after submission closes.Case analysis take-home test (0500 Monday 30 March – 2359 Wednesday 1 April)This take-home test will be based on materials that set out the situation confronting a major business. The test is the equivalent of a 3-hour invigilated exam plus additional time for reading the provided case. The materials will be available on Learn from Monday 30 March at 0500. Submissions must be made via the relevant link on Learn, which closes at 2359 on Wednesday 1 April. Answers must be your own work based on the provided case and the course materials. Answers will go through the Turnitin system, which will check them against each other and against published sources. The test will specify word limits and permissible file formats.Final examinationThis will be a closed book exam lasting 3 hours.Part 1 (50%) will consist of multiple choice questions testing knowledge and understanding of the course content.Part 2 (50%) will consist of questions relating to cases covered in the group presentations. The exam will follow the same format as those from 2012-14. Earlier papers give additional examples of case-style questions. In the last class of the course, guidance will be given as to the case selection.A note on learning from cases:The course makes extensive use of business cases in class, in the case test and in the exam. This reflects the importance of understanding strategy concepts in context, and the value of debating alternative viewpoints. Please note that: • Case discussions may produce good arguments for more than one course of action.• In the business world several feasible courses of action may work out satisfactorily.• In the business world there is no way to find a definitively correct answer.• If you learn what the company did, you cannot conclude that it was necessarily right or best.(adapted from Strategic Management Concepts and Cases, A. Thompson and A. Strickland, McGraw Hill/Irwin 2001).GradingThe course is graded using the standard University scale. Marks are not standardised. Grade cut-offs may be adjusted as part of the moderation process.
Johnson, Gerry et al; Exploring strategy : text & cases ; 10th edition ; (Text and Cases).
Additional materials will be posted on Learn.
MGMT320S1 Course Outline LEARN
Holding of Student WorkFor quality assurance purposes the School is required to hold on record a number of assessment pieces as examples of differing standards of work. If you have any objections to the school holding your assessment for this purpose then email the course coordinator to ensure your assignment is not used for this purpose.Departmental Academic Policies The Department assumes that you have read this document.You should also read the General Course and Examination Regulations Dishonest PracticeThe University of Canterbury considers cheating and plagiarism to be serious acts of dishonesty. All assessed work must be your own individual work unless specifically stated otherwise in the assessment guidelines. Material quoted from any other source must be clearly acknowledged. You must not copy the work of another person (student or published work) in any assessment including examinations, tests and assignments. Any person, who is found to have copied someone else's work, or to have allowed their work to be copied, will receive a fail grade for that piece of assessment and may face disciplinary action which may lead to a fine, community service or exclusion from the university.IMPORTANT: Where there are concerns regarding the authorship of written course work, a student can be required to provide a formal, oral explanation of the content of their work.Coversheets - Group and Individual
Domestic fee $1,475.00
International fee $6,250.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Management, Marketing and Tourism .