This course covers the formulation and implementation of strategies by corporations and businesses. The forces and factors that influence the choice of strategies, and their success or failure are examined. Topics include external analysis of opportunities and threats, internal analysis of capabilities and competencies, choice of strategy at functional, business, corporate and global levels, alignment of structures and controls with strategies and evaluation of strategies. The course draws upon case studies to highlight key concepts in strategic decision-making.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Analyse an organisation’s internal and external environments by applying appropriate theories, models, and/or frameworks;
2. Formulate appropriate strategies to gain a competitive advantage at both business and corporate levels;
3. Evaluate competing strategies;
4. Communicate strategies or strategic alternatives both in writing and verbally to facilitate organisational decision-making and problem-solving

Research-Led Teaching

The lectures content will be based on the rigorous scholarly research in the field of strategic management and contemporary practitioner research and issues emerging in popular business media. Students will be expected to demonstrate detailed understanding and application of contemporary best-practice strategic management frameworks based on scholarly research and also employ their own research into analysing quantitative or qualitative data pertaining to the strategy of a firm.

Field Trips

Not relevant

Additional Course Costs

There is a requirement that all students are able to access and use the Required Textbook Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill. A copy of this text has been requested to be placed in ANU Library Reserve and short-loan collection

Examination Material or equipment

More details will be provided during the lectures, and on the course wattle site.

Required Resources

All students are able to access and use the Required Textbook - Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill. A copy of this text has been requested to be placed in ANU Library Reserve and short-loan collection

Recommended Resources

Not applicable.

Staff Feedback

• Students will receive written feedback on their literature review and research report assessment items. We may occasionally also provide verbal feedback to the whole class, to groups, or to individual students.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Week 1: Strategy - Introduction What is strategy and why its it important The role of strategy in defining the organisation's future direction	Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 1
2	Week 2: The strategy development process Setting vision, mission and purpose Understanding the role of the firm Strategic measurement - more than just financial success	Tutorial: Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 2
3	Week 3: The strategy development process Determinant or planned approaches based on analyses Emergent or sensing based approaches based on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurialism or intra-preneurialism	Tutorial: Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 3
4	Week 4: Strategic analyses and insight - creating a strategically agile organisation Identifying Opportunities and Threats and managing risk Matching organisational capabilities and external insights (the VRIO approach) Strategic positioning Building strategic agility and resilience	Tutorial Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 4 Case study - details to be published in Wattle one week prior
5	Week 5: The Strategic Toolkit Sources of competitive advantage Exploiting competitive advantage Generic strategy options (organic strategy; M&A, strategic alliance and collaboration)	Tutorial Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapters 5 & 6 Case study - details to be published in Wattle one week prior
6	Week 6: The Borderless Strategic Organisation Drivers and risks of competing across borders The digital transformation and impacts on strategy Recognising and competing successfully in 'Blue Oceans'	Tutorial Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 7 Assignment 1 due
7	Week 7: Strategy & Structure Understanding the relationships between strategy and structure Structuring the organisation for strategic effectiveness The different layers of strategic responsibility and focus	Tutorial Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 8 Case study - details to be published in Wattle one week prior
8	Week 8: Strategy & Shared Value The notion of social license to operate Who 'owns' the organisation? Stakeholder views of the organisation's strategy Ethics, social responsibility and sustainability	Tutorial Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 9 Case study - details to be published in Wattle one week prior
9	Week 9: Strategic execution/implementation Understanding the 7S framework Aligning people/capabilities, resources, systems and structures Measuring and monitoring strategic success	Tutorial Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapters 10-11 Case study - details to be published in Wattle one week prior
10	Week 10: Strategic Culture and Leadership Defining leadership and how it differs from management Contemporary models of leadership The impact of culture or strategy Creating and sustaining an effective strategy culture	Tutorial Reading: Thompson, Peter, Gamble & Strickland, 2020, Crafting and Executing Strategy, 22nd edition, McGraw Hill, Chapter 12 Case study - details to be published in Wattle one week prior
11	Week 11: Contemporary issues in strategy The evolving nature of strategy and strategic management The agenda for strategic management in 2020 and beyond The agile strategic professional	Tutorial Readings: TBA - links to be provided in Wattle one week prior
12	Week 12: Review

Tutorial Registration

Tutorial registration is via the Wattle site for this course.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Class participation	10 %	*	*	1,2,3,4
Case Analysis 1	20 %	26/03/2020	23/04/2020	1,2,3,4
Case Analysis 2	30 %	07/05/2020	21/06/2020	1,2,3,4
Final exam	40 %	06/06/2020	02/07/2020	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Participation is expected in all classes and assessments.

Examination(s)

The final exam assessment will be an open book one and may consist of a combination of multiple choice and short essay type questions (some of which may be based on a short case study). The exam duration will be 2 hours including reading time. No previous exams will be available but an introduction to the exam will be provided no later than the Week 11 class. The exam will be comprehensive and will cover all topics covered in the course. Questions will require that you to both identify and more particularly demonstrate that you are seeking to apply course materials/models/concepts/frameworks.

Specific details of the exam date will be available closer to the commencement of the examination period at https://exams.anu.edu.au/timetable/  

Assessment Task 1

Class participation

This course is discussion-oriented, which means that each student must be prepared to contribute to class and tutorial discussions by either directly participating in the discussion or bringing interesting issues to the attention of the class, tutorial group, tutor, and lecturer. You can expect to be cold-called at any stage to help in the discussions. The extent to which you contribute to the discussion of cases and articles in tutorials will influence your participation mark. Your contributions will be marked each week against relevant Course Learning Outcomes as Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory. You will have 11 classes (Weeks 2-12 inclusive) to earn the marks, with the best 10 of 11 counting towards the 10% (i.e. 1% each). A running total of your participation score will be available via the Wattle Gradebook with weekly updates.

You will be provided with more information in the Week 1 class on how participation will be graded. But in general, this course values quality more than quantity, so students who provide insightful ways to further tutorial discussion will be rewarded. If you cannot attend a session due to extenuating circumstances (e.g. medical), please inform the Tutor by email (ideally before class but as soon as possible after) so that the Tutor can consult with the Course Convener about alternative assessment arrangements.

Assessment Task 2

Case Analysis 1

Case study analysis is a major activity in this course as a means of demonstrating the ability to both conceptualise (demonstrate detailed understanding of the relevant models, concepts and frameworks we will be studying), application (ability to compare and contrast the models, concepts and frameworks to facts and evidence) and insight (ability to derive relevant interpretations from the analysis of data/factual evidence using relevant models).

More details on the assessment will be provided in Wattle by the end of week 3, but it essentially involves comparing and contrasting the detail of relevant strategic management models, concepts and frameworks that are studied in this course to the details and facts about a practical strategic best practice scenario or strategic challenge set out in a case study and then drawing strategic conclusions from that process.

These case studies used as both learning activities in Tutorials and for the assessments may be drawn from the Required Text book and also may be found in a range of published materials available in the business management or practitioner literature. The detail or links to the information describing the specific case study will be published in Wattle by the end of Week 3.

In order to help students prepare for this assessment a range of case studies will be used in Tutorials to enable discussion and practice of the use of models, concepts and frameworks applied to the cases from which strategic insights and recommendations or options can be derived.

The maximum length for this analysis and report is 1500 words. You will get feedback on this.

The analysis/report must be submitted on Wattle via Turnitin.

The case study analysis addresses the following Program Learning Outcomes in the Bachelor of Business Administration:

Program Learning outcome 1. Demonstrate theoretical and technical business knowledge, skills and research techniques relevant to the major(s) studied.

Program Learning outcome 2. Apply theoretical and technical business knowledge, skills and research techniques relevant to the major(s) studied.

Program Learning outcome 3. Exercise critical thinking and reasoning in the analysis of business problems within the purview of the major(s) studied.

Feedback on this assessment will be returned by Seminar 7.

Assessment Task 3

Case Analysis 2

Case study analysis is a major activity in this course as a means of demonstrating the ability to both conceptualise (demonstrate detailed understanding of the relevant models, concepts and frameworks we will be studying), application (ability to compare and contrast the models, concepts and frameworks to facts and evidence) and insight (ability to derive relevant interpretations from the analysis of data/factual evidence using relevant models).

More details on the assessment will be provided in Wattle by the end of Week 3, but it essentially involves comparing and contrasting the detail of relevant strategic management models, concepts and frameworks that are studied in this course to the details and facts about a practical strategic best practice scenario or strategic challenge set out in a case study and then drawing strategic conclusions from that process. More marks are associated with this second case analysis because (1) more concepts, models and frameworks will have been covered and (2) feedback on the first case analysis assessment should enable each student to reflect and adjust their performance.

Once again, a range of further case studies will used as both learning activities in Tutorials and for these assessments, and again these may be drawn from the Required Text book and also may be found in a range of published materials available in the business management or practitioner literature. The detail or links to the information describing the specific case study will be published in Wattle by the end of week 6.

As previously discussed, in order to help students prepare for this assessment a range of case studies will be used in Tutorials to enable discussion and practice of the use of models, concepts and frameworks applied to the cases from which strategic insights and recommendations or options can be derived and feedback from the first assessable case analysis will also enable reflection and adjustment to individual performance.

The maximum length for this second analysis and report is 2000 words. You will get feedback on this.

The analysis/report must be submitted on Wattle via Turnitin.

The case study analysis addresses the following Program Learning Outcomes in the Bachelor of Business Administration:

Program Learning outcome 1. Demonstrate theoretical and technical business knowledge, skills and research techniques relevant to the major(s) studied.

Program Learning outcome 2. Apply theoretical and technical business knowledge, skills and research techniques relevant to the major(s) studied.

Program Learning outcome 3. Exercise critical thinking and reasoning in the analysis of business problems within the purview of the major(s) studied.

Feedback on this assessment will be returned by Seminar 10.

Assessment Task 4

Final exam

The final exam assessment will be an open book one and may consist of a combination of multiple choice and short essay type questions (some of which may be based on a short case study). The exam duration will be 2 hours including reading time. No previous exams will be available but an introduction to the exam will be provided no later than the Week 11 class. The exam will be comprehensive and will cover all topics covered in the course. Questions will require that you to demonstrate that you understand the detail of models, concepts and frameworks that have been studied and that your are seeking to apply course materials/models/concepts/frameworks to the specific scenarios set out in the exam questions.

Refer to the ANU Examinations website for further information.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. Please submit your literature review and research report assessments through Turnitin on the course Wattle site.

Hardcopy Submission

This course will not require submissions of hard copies. Online submission via Turnitin will suffice.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

All requests for extensions to assessment in RSM courses must be submitted to the RSM School Office with a completed application form and supporting documentation. The RSM Extension Application Form and further information on this process can be found at https://www.rsm.anu.edu.au/education/education-programs/notices-for-students/extension-application-procedure/

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

All assignments will be marked and where appropriate feedback will be provided either:

in class, or in person by appointment with the course lecturer, via email, or via the course Wattle site.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

You are allowed to resubmit your assignments before the specific deadlines. Any submission done after the deadline will be considered as a late submission and not be marked.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students