Lecturer
Ms Rosie Gallagher
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
This course investigates the concepts and techniques of strategic analysis and implementation at the business and corporate levels. Specific concepts examined include industry and environment analysis, business strategy analysis, organisation performance analysis, capabilities analysis, gap analysis, business and corporate strategic options, strategic decision making, implementation, corporate strategic analysis, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic alliances.
The course draws upon current strategic management theory to provide a framework for evaluating the strategic positioning of firms for sustainable competitive advantage. Specifically, it explains the strategic management process - how managers develop and implement strategies in organisations - and how that process itself is changing. It focuses on three main issues: (1) how different industry conditions support different types of strategies, (2) how strategic management is shaped and deployed within the organisation, and (3) how organisations develop and maintain capabilities that lead to sustained competitive advantage. As such, the course will endeavour to provide experiential learning activities so students can appreciate how strategic management is practised in organisations.ﾠ
Course requirements
Assumed background
Before attempting this course, students are advised that it is important to complete the appropriate prerequisite course(s) listed in this course profile. The simulation used in this course requires, at minimum, the ability to read financial statements and interpret accounting information. No responsibility will be accepted by the School of Business, the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law or The University of Queensland for poor student performance occurring in courses where the appropriate prerequisite(s) has/have not been completed. STUDENTS SHOULD NOT TAKE THIS COURSE IN THEIR FIRST SEMESTER.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
IBUS7302 or TIMS7301 or TIMS7317. Pre-requisites do not apply to MPsychBus students.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
MEBS7090 or MGTS3301 or 7090 or 7705 or 7803 or 7905
Restrictions
Quota: Minimum of 15 enrolments.
Final course in field of study.
Course contact
Course staff
Course coordinator
Dr Gemma Irving
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff doﾠnot have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you emailﾠbusiness.mytimetable@uq.edu.auﾠfrom your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full name,
- Student ID, and
- the Course Code
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to assist you in developing an understanding of the strategic management process and provide you with an opportunity to develop your skills in developing and implementing strategic decisions.ﾠ
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge about the dynamic nature of business and the role of strategy in generating and sustaining competitive advantage.
LO2.
Investigate and discuss the most important internal and external influences on an organisations strategy.
LO3.
Evaluate business strategies, discussing how particular courses of action may (or may not) provide competitive advantage.
LO4.
Reflect critically on the issues involved in integrating the various functional activities of a firm into a coherent strategy.
LO5.
Show an awareness of the fundamental uncertainties that strategic managers face in charting a firms course over time, articulating consequences and proposing solutions to resolve these challenges.
LO6.
Participate collaboratively and productively as a member of a team.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Case study analysis | 30% Individual |
26/08/2024 1:00 pm |
| Role play/ Simulation |
Simulation of strategic choice
|
40% Group |
2/09/2024 - 4/10/2024
Week 7, 8, 9 and 10 during semester. |
| Role play/ Simulation | Reflection Report | 30% Individual |
4/11/2024 1:00 pm |
Assessment details
Case study analysis
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30% Individual
- Due date
26/08/2024 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L05
Task description
You are asked to submit a case report in which you use theories, tools, and frameworks from preceding weeks to analyse the case. Based on a single case study, you are tasked to develop an environmental analysis.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Submit through Turnitin in the Blackboard Assessment link.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Simulation of strategic choice
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Role play/ Simulation
- Weight
- 40% Group
- Due date
2/09/2024 - 4/10/2024
Week 7, 8, 9 and 10 during semester.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L06
Task description
In weeks 7, 8, 9, and 10, you will come together with your peers to devise strategy for the a corporation. During these activities, you will form teams of approximately 6-8 students (9 maximum) and work together to devise strategy for a specific Business Unit in the corporation. Once you have devised a strategy for your business unit, it will be up to you to apply political skills of networking, astuteness, and persuasiveness, to negotiate strategies for your Business Unit and wider Corporate Group with other Business Units and Groups in the corporation.
More details on this assessment, including the marking rubric, will be available on Blackboard.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Submit through the Blackboard Assessment link.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
Late submission
The assignment is worth 40% of the total marks for the course. We will take the best three of the four weeks of this assessment to comprise your final score. If a student is absent from any week, they will have the opportunity to make up the rest of their marks in the other three weeks. This approach also enables students to secure feedback on their performance and use this to improve results as the simulation continues.
Reflection Report
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Role play/ Simulation
- Weight
- 30% Individual
- Due date
4/11/2024 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L04
Task description
In this individual assignment, you will reflect on your personal experience of the Business Simulation to better understand what you did well, what you could improve, and what you would do differently next time.
To enable this reflection, your assignment will do the following:
- Describe two instances from the Business Simulation in weeks 7, 8, 9 and 10, of challenges your Business Unit or Group faced in negotiating strategic recommendations with other Business Units and Groups in the corporation.
- Leverage theory on strategic management and organisational politics to justify where you believe your Business Unit or Group was successful in pursuing implementation of your strategic recommendations.
- Leverage theory on strategic management and organisational politics to justify where you believe your Business Unit or Group was unsuccessful or could have performed better in pursuing implementation of your strategic recommendations.
- Leverage theory on organisational politics to explain how you would engage differently in networking, social astuteness, and persuasion, were you to pursue negotiation around implementation of your strategic recommendations for a second time. Even if your negotiations were successful, it should be that you can identify political strategies which would have furthered your Business Unit’s strategic ambitions.
- Engage in effective communication of key messages around strategy and political theory.
Please note that a successful negotiation may not mean that your Business Unit or Group had its initial strategic recommendation accepted in whole. Other Business Units or Groups can improve a strategic recommendation. It is not a winner-take-all situation. A successful outcome for your Business Unit or Group should be one in which you recognise a justifiable strategy has been adopted for assisting the corporation and its subsidiaries in pursuit of their overall vision.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Submit through Turnitin in the Blackboard Assessment link.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Learn (Blackboard)
All courses are supported by the UQ Learning Management System, Blackboard Learn, which provides an interactive environment for the students and teachers. This is accessible via PC or Mac or Mobile (Apps) environment.
To log on to Blackboard, go to https://learn.uq.edu.au.
- As Blackboard is a web‐based application, you will need a recently‐released browser for your computer. For the latest Release Notes for Bb Student, see http://en-gb.help.blackboard.com/Bb_Student/z_Release_Notes_Bb_Student.
- For help with Learn.UQ (Blackboard), see https://web.library.uq.edu.au/library-services/it/learnuq-blackboard-help/learnuq-blackboard-contacts or contact AskUs https://web.library.uq.edu.au/contact-us or telephone 334 64312.
Sustainable Development Goal
This course integrates the following Sustainable Development Goals through lectures and assessment.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Seminar |
What is strategy? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 2 |
Seminar |
External Environment Analysis: PESTEL Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
Week 3 |
Seminar |
External Environment Analysis: Porter's Five Force Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
Week 4 |
Seminar |
Internal Environment Analysis: VRIN Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L05 |
Week 5 |
Seminar |
Case Study Assessment Support This week will be a non-teaching week, to allow you time to finish your first assignment |
Week 6 |
Seminar |
The Politics of Strategy Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 7 |
Seminar |
Business-Level Strategy Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 8 |
Seminar |
Corporate-Level Strategy Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 9 |
Seminar |
Strategic Alliances Mid-semester break |
Mid Sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break Use this week to finalise your first assignment |
Week 10 |
Seminar |
Corporate Governance Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 11 |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Non-Teaching Week King's Birthday Public Holiday - Monday 7 Oct 2024 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Week 12 |
Seminar |
The Future of Strategy Learning outcomes: L01, L04, L05 |
Week 13 |
Seminar |
Reflection Assessment Support Use this week to work on your reflection for your final assignment. Tutor consults will have been made available to enable you to seek feedback on drafts of your work. |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.