Postgraduate Course: Corporate Strategy (MSc) (CMSE11097)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | The questions we ask in strategy [whether in an assessment or in real life] may appear simple, but the answers can be very complex. ¿What business are we in?¿ is a classic strategy question that examiners ask of students, consultants ask of companies, and boards of directors should ask themselves all the time.
There may not be a right answer, and if there is we may not necessarily have that answer. By the end of this course students should be developing insights into the strategy of organisations which will impress not only us as teachers but people running organisations.
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| Course description |
Corporate Strategy is an integrating module; it is concerned with the totality of what a trading business or other organisation is trying to achieve. In other words it assesses a wide variety of environmental and organisational aspects which, when considered overall, help us to understand why some organisations thrive and similar organisations may struggle. These aspects will be relevant whether the organisations are trying to sell clothes world-wide or provide health care in a geographically defined community. The aim of the Corporate Strategy course is to help students examine the corporate strategic possibilities of an enterprise and also to encourage them to integrate what they have learnt from other courses and elective choices.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Lecture Hours 18,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 12,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 24,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
89 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Preparatory Reading
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The group presentation assessment is worth 20% of the overall grade. It will be developed through the course of the taught week, and a non-mark bearing practice session will run on the Friday of the teaching week. A submission of a recorded group presentation will then be required. The presentation will focus on offering corporate strategy recommendations to the CEO of a company of the group¿s choosing. More instructions will be provided on the first day of teaching delivery ¿ no prework is required for this element before the start of the class. The final group grade will be evaluated on (a) clarity of case description (b) accurate application of external and internal environmental analysis techniques (c) relevant development of strategic options (d) proposal of well-argued recommendations (e) good flow, structure and coherence of presentation material.
Worth 80% of the overall grade, the individual exam will be conducted in an open-book format. Students will be issued with the exam questions on Friday the 19th of February, 2016, at which time they will have the opportunity to ask questions about the format but not the content of the assessment. Clear parameters for the examination will be described in the taught session, but at a high level, the exam questions will ask students to demonstrate their knowledge of corporate strategy theory, and its application to a range of short case situations. Specific assessment demands will be expressed in the exam documents.
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| Feedback |
Formative feedback will be provided for group assignments in a closing group exercise in the taught sessions. This is in addition to tutor support for developmental group working during the week. As the second part of assessment is individual exam, only summative feedback will be provided for this element. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- understand the terminology and established theoretical perspectives of corporate strategy literature
- describe specific practical issues, challenges and opportunities associated with corporate strategy work
- evaluate the appropriateness of strategic options for firms in relation to corporate strategy
- develop and pitch corporate strategy recommendations in a credible and justified manner
- critique corporate strategy practice in case organisations with theoretical informed arguments and action-oriented alternatives
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Reading List
Grant, R. (2015, 9th Edition). Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Text and Cases. Oxford: Blackwell
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
A. Research and Enquiry
This course will support students in learning skills in researching, analysing, critiquing and making recommendations in relation to corporate strategy theory and practice.
B. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
In-class activities and assessment tasks will encourage students to critically reflect on corporate strategy practice, form their own views in debates on contemporary issues, and explore case situations that are of personal interest to them.
C. Communication
The programme will provide ample opportunities for students to shape their verbal, written and presentational communication skills in relation to the core topic in a range of settings (paired, group and class working). They are also challenged in exam writing skills.
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| Keywords | MGMT-CS |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Chris Carr
Tel: (0131 6)50 6307
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Peter Newcombe
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: |
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