MGMT344-21S1 (C) Semester One 2021

Strategic Management

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 22 February 2021
End Date: Sunday, 27 June 2021
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 7 March 2021
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 14 May 2021

Description

The course introduces theory and techniques firms use to sustain long-term performance by aligning their activities with the strategic environment. It encourages integration of business disciplines to develop coherent solutions to firms' strategic challenges.

Relationship to Other Courses
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 MGMT345 Strategy Processes and Practices. It also prepares students for the M.Com course Advanced Strategic Management.

Workload
The estimated workload breakdown for MGMT344S1 is:

Lectures 24
Weekly course readings 30
Weekly quizzes 18
Strategy Project – interim submissions 24
Strategy Project – final report 24
Final Exam (including preparation) 30
Total 150 hours

Learning Outcomes

  • 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:

  • Understand and apply the major business strategy frameworks;
  • Appreciate the role and importance of corporate governance;  
  • Analyse the internal and external strategic environment of a firm and articulate well-supported recommendations for action;
  • Discuss the merits of different types of corporate portfolio, the value of the corporate centre and issues in corporate acquisitions and alliance;
  • Appreciate the roles of different actors, processes and actions in strategy development;
  • Critically evaluate an organisation’s approach to strategic control;
  • Discuss the importance of innovation in organisations and the ways that firms can remain innovative;
  • Communicate logical and coherent written strategic analysis and solutions to a complex business case.

    Graduate Attributes
    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

  • Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award
  • Employable, innovative and enterprising
  • Globally aware


    Learning Objectives
  • Students have an in-depth understanding of their majoring subject and are able to critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within the discipline.
  • Students have a broad understanding of the key domains of commerce.
  • Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers which can be used in a range of applications.
  • Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.
  • Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

    For 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.
    • University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

      Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

      Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

      Employable, innovative and enterprising

      Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

      Globally aware

      Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

(1) ACCT102; and (2) A further 45 points at 200-level or above

Restrictions

MGMT320

Timetable Note

Lectures for MGMT344-21S1 are recorded using the ECHO360 lecture recording system. However, lecture attendance is highly recommended as it provides a more engaging and interactive experience. Project groups may take the opportunity to meet and discuss submissions after the relevant classes.

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Paul Knott

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Weekly Learn Quizzes 14% Weekly Learn Quizzes (8 March - 24 May)
Strategy Project 04 Jun 2021 36% Strategy Project (group project)
Final Examination 50% Final Examination


Weekly Learn quizzes
The quizzes are designed to support regular attention to the lectures and readings. Each quiz will open on the Saturday before class and close at the end of the following Friday. 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. This item of assessment is not available for Special Consideration, but total marks will be based on the best seven quizzes from the eight available.

Strategy Project
This project involves students applying theory from the course to analyse and recommend on an assigned business, usually a publicly listed firm. Students undertake the project in groups of up to four. Marks are based on the following items:

Interim submissions 12%
Final report due 5pm Fri 4 June 24%
Declaration of individual contributions Required before marks can be assigned to individuals.

Groups should aim to work on their interim submissions alongside the classes that cover the relevant topics. Dates and topics for the submissions are:

3pm Mon 22 March Macro strategic environment analysis
3pm Mon 29 March Industry competition analysis
3pm Mon 3 May Evaluation of current strategies
3pm Mon 10 May Evaluation of business potential

The requirements and assessment criteria are set out in a separate document posted on Learn.

Final examination
This will be a closed book exam lasting two hours. The exam format will be similar to those in 2018-19 (2020’s was held online due to Covid restrictions). Part 1 (40%) will consist of multiple choice questions.

Part 2 (60%) will consist of short answer questions involving interpretation of a provided example. An exam score of 45% or better is required to pass the course.

Grading
The course is graded using the standard University scale. Marks are not standardised. Grade cut-offs may be adjusted as part of the moderation process.

Textbooks / Resources

Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, 12th Edition, Richard Whittington, Patrick Regnér, Duncan Angwin, Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes. Pearson 2019.

Additional materials will be posted on learn.

Notes

Class Representative
A class representative may be asked to volunteer in the first few weeks of class. Any problems with the course can be raised with the class rep. Their email can be found at UCSA. The class representative will take up any issues raised by class members with the lecturer concerned as they occur.

Departmental Academic Policies
A summary of Departmental academic policies on course grading, special considerations, etc. is available under: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/business/departments/. The Department assumes that you have read this document.

You should also read the following:
• UC Business School Student Handbook on the UC Business School Students Learn page https://learn.canterbury.ac.nz/course/view.php?id=7744
General Course and Examination Regulations http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/regulations/general/general_regs_enrolment_courses.shtml

Dishonest Practice
The 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.

Citations and referencing

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $831.00

International fee $3,875.00

* 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 .

All MGMT344 Occurrences

  • MGMT344-21S1 (C) Semester One 2021