Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

How to outperform their competitors is every company's main challenge. Managers deploy strategies to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. This unit introduces you to the strategic choices organisations can make by providing you with key concepts relating to the strategic analysis of companies and their environments. Students from different majors can draw on their education thus far and use it in understanding how every aspect of an organisation such as HR, Finance, Marketing plays a role in strategy. This understanding is particularly relevant to you when making the transition to the workforce.

Aims

This unit introduces you to cutting-edge concepts, frameworks, and techniques of strategic analysis that allow you to make better strategic decisions. The aim of this unit is to provide you with the analytical tools needed to become critical strategic thinkers and effective problem solvers. You will learn how to develop and implement superior strategies.

Objectives

Course Learning Goals (Undergraduate)
The QUT Business School has established the Assurance of Learning (AOL) Goals to meet contemporary industry needs and standards. Achieving these learning outcomes will assist you to meet the desired graduate outcomes set at QUT - aligned with other internationally renowned business schools. Students will develop the following capabilities relevant to a contemporary global and sustainable business environment:

Have knowledge and skills pertinent to a particular discipline (KS)

1.1 Integrate and apply disciplinary theory and skills to practical situations
1.2 Incorporate the use of technology appropriate to the discipline and context

Be critical thinkers and effective problem solvers (CTA)

2.1 Identify, research and critically analyse information relevant to a business problem or issue, be able to synthesise that information in order to evaluate potential solutions, make recommendations or otherwise effectively address the problem or issue

Be professional communicators in an intercultural context (PC)

3.1 Communicate effectively through written tasks appropriate to varied contexts and audiences
3.2 Communicate effectively through professional oral presentations appropriate to varied contexts and audiences

Be able to work effectively in a Team Environment (TW)

4.1 Demonstrate effective team skills in order to contribute appropriately to the production of a group output

Have a Social and Ethical Understanding (SEU)

5.1 Apply ethical reasoning, standards or codes of practice relevant to the discipline and make decisions that are informed by social and cultural understanding


Unit Objectives
Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge, analytical skills and techniques required for the practice of strategic management.
2. Identify, analyse and evaluate an organisation's strategic position and strategic choices.
3. Diagnose strategy implementation issues and evaluate potential solutions.
4. Demonstrate strategic analysis skills and critical thinking in writing a strategic case analysis.
5. Demonstrate effective team skills through a collaborative case analysis.


The specific course learning goals and unit objectives that apply to this unit are shown in the assessment section of this unit outline.

Content

This unit's content includes:

Strategic analysis: making sense of the external environment and an organisation's capabilities.

Strategy formulation and prioritisation: choosing a competitive position, prioritising strategic issues, and formulating a strategy.

Strategy implementation and execution: evaluating strategic fit/readiness, alignment, and leading change.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Learning strategies in this unit advance critical analysis and planning skills. Intellectual inquiry is encouraged through analysis of case studies and tutorial exercises. The general approach to teaching is to develop strong linkages between theory and practice, particularly through case method teaching. Lectures are a mix of lecture, case analysis and participative exercises. Lectures are used to introduce frameworks to assist in structuring an understanding of the inherent complexity and ambiguity of business strategy. The tutorial program is designed to compliment and build on the lecture content by providing opportunities to practice strategic analysis tools and techniques on real-world cases.

This unit uses the SafeAssign tool in BlackBoard. SafeAssign is a text matching tool that assists students to develop the academic skills required to correctly use and cite reference material as well as to check citations and determine possible instances of plagiarism. You will be expected to submit draft and/or final versions of one or more assignments using SafeAssign. Your Unit Coordinator will provide detailed information on how the software will be used in this unit.

Assessment

The assessment in this unit aims to support your achievement of the learning objectives for both Discipline Knowledge and Other Graduate Capabilities. Assessment has been designed in order to allow you to:

Receive feedback on your learning as you progress toward the development of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes (formative assessment); and

Demonstrate your learning in order to achieve a final grade (summative assessment).

Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester which may include:

Informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation

Formal: in writing, such as checklists (e.g. criteria sheets), written commentary

Direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation

Indirect: to the whole class

Assessment name: Final Examination
Description: The examination will cover selected aspects of the unit - lectures, tutorials and readings. The exam will focus on your knowledge and understanding of Strategic Management through a small number of questions that will be distributed beforehand.
Length/Duration: 2 hours + 10 minutes perusal
Formative or Summative: Summative
Relates to objectives: Unit objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4 and AOL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1)
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Central Exam Period

Assessment name: Case Study
Description: You will analyse a company and its context to identify the most salient strategic issues.
Length/Duration: 1,000 words
Formative or Summative: Formative and Summative
Relates to objectives: Unit objectives: 1, 2 and AOL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1)
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 6

Assessment name: Business Strategy Report
Description: The assignment is to be completed in groups to which you are assigned around week 5/6. The purpose of the assignment is to write a report providing strategic recommendations on a real-world company. (marks include self and peer assessment of group process).
Length/Duration: 2,000 words
Formative or Summative: Formative and Summative
Relates to objectives: Unit objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and AOL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1), TW (4.1)
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group
Due date: Week 12

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Prescribed Text
You can choose one of the following three versions of the Hill and Jones textbook. The first one is the complete version (chapters+cases), the second one has only the chapters but not the cases at the end. The third version is an e-book.

Hill, C. W. L. & Jones, G. R., (2013). Strategic management: An integrated approach, (10th ed.). South-Western Cengage Learning. ISBN: 9781111825843

Or: Hill, C. W. L. & Jones, G. R., (2013). Strategic management Theory: An integrated approach, (10th ed.). South-Western Cengage Learning. ISBN: 9781133485704

This book is also available as an E-book from the publisher. Please make sure you are aware of any print, availability and content restrictions before purchasing.

Additional Resources
Additional references can be found at the unit's Blackboard site.

There are no out of the ordinary costs associated with this unit.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with lectures or tutorials in this unit. You should, however, familiarise yourself with evacuation procedures operating in the buildings in which you attend classes and take the time to
view the Emergency video.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 14-Feb-2013