AØKA08100U Advanced Strategic Management

Volume 2021/2022
Content

The idea of the course is to provide students with an understanding of how managers make decision and how strategy evolves in different types of companies and contexts as for instance in firms located in a dynamic and complex environment facing genuine uncertainty.

 

A further idea is to make students aware of not only the economic but also the political, social, and psychological aspect of managing a corporation and how these aspects affect the development of strategies in both private and public organizations. Overall the course apply to student who see themselves in job positions as a management consultant, a secretary for the board of directors, and as future managers who works with strategic management in private or public organizations.

 

We start with exploring different perspectives on strategy, management and organization, including the different elements of an organization and its context (environment).

 

Hereafter we move into a detailed discussion on five different types of corporations: The entrepreneurial firm; the large production/service company; the expert firm, the innovative organization; and the divisional corporation. For each of these archetypes we go in depth on how the corporation is structured, how it is managed, how we work with and develop strategies within it, and what specific problems and opportunities each archetypes contains. Finally, for each archetype we investigate the business model (business logic) it builds upon. This part of the course concludes with an overview of how the organizational archetypes evolve over time from one archetype to another as organizations grows and matures.

 

In the third part of the course, we look at a number of forces which determine and influence the development of strategies in corporations. Here we look at how companies can handle the uncertainty associated with the development of new technologies, the emergence of new values ​​/ norms and globalization and the management of strategic alliances, etc. In addition, we also look at how intended and emergent strategies develop over time and how we can organize and manage strategic change processes.

Learning Outcome

After completing the course the student is expected to be able to:

 

Knowledge:

  • Discuss and reflect on strategy, organisation and management and how they are influenced by different organizational contexts
  • Account for different organisational archetypes and how they function
  • Identify  and discuss the different forces including technology, globalization, collaboration and values that affect organizations
  • Account for the different ways of organize strategy development processes

 

Skills:

  • Identify the archetype or archetypes of an organization
  • Analyze the managerial challenges of an organization
  • Assess the strategic challenges of an organization
  • Analyse the circumstances under which business strategies are developed and implemented.
  • Assess what could be the strategic future development direction for an organization given its present context.
  • Identify, evaluate and discuss strategic, organizational and managerial issues within organizations by applying diagnosing tools, terms and models.

 

Competences:

  • Develop and carry through a specific implementation plan for how to work with and organize strategic management and other managerial topics in different organizational contexts
  • Organize and implement strategy development processes and decision-making in different types of organizations and environment.

H. Mintzberg, J. Lampel, J.B.Quinn & S. Ghoshal: “The Strategy Process – Concepts, Contexts, Cases” Fifth Edition, Pearson Education 2014. ISBN 978-0-273-71628-0

It is an advantages if students have already attended a basic course in Strategic Management. However this is not a requirement.
The teaching is a combination of dialog lectures, group work, discussions and student presentations. It is expected that student have read the texts and cases before each class and that they are willing to present texts and cases to the class.

Restrictions due to pandemic crisis:
The teaching in this course may be changed to be taught either fully or partly online due to a pandemic crisis like COVID-19. In case of changes and further information, please read the study messages in KUnet or the announcements in the course room on Absalon (for enrolled students).
Schedule:
3 hours lectures a week from week 6 to 19.

The overall schema for the Master can be seen at KUnet:
MSc in Economics => "courses and teaching" => "Planning and overview" => "Your timetable"
KA i Økonomi => "Kurser og undervisning" => "Planlægning og overblik" => "Dit skema"

Timetable and venue:
To see the time and location of lectures please press the link under "Timetabel"/​"Se skema" at the right side of this page (F means Spring).

You can find the similar information in English at
https:/​/​skema.ku.dk/​ku2122/​uk/​module.htm
-Select Department: “2200-Økonomisk Institut” (and wait for respond)
-Select Module:: “2200-F22; [Name of course]”
-Select Report Type: “List – Weekdays”
-Select Period: “Forår/Spring – Week 5-30”
Press: “ View Timetable”

Please be aware:
- The schedule of the lectures and the exercise classes can be changed without the participants´ acceptance. If this happens you can see the new schedule in your personal timetable at KUnet, in the app myUCPH and through the links in the right side and the link above.
- It is the students´s own responsibility continuously throughout the study to stay informed about their study, their teaching, their schedule, their exams etc. through the curriculum of the study programme, the study pages at KUnet, student messages, the course description, the Digital Exam portal, Absalon, the personal schema at KUnet and myUCPH app etc.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 42
  • Preparation
  • 138,7
  • Guidance
  • 1
  • Exam
  • 24,3
  • Total
  • 206,0
Oral
Individual
Collective

 

Students will receive collective oral feedback on cases presented in groups during the class and they will also receive individual oral feedback on their presented ideas for the exam project in the end of the course.

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 20 min under invigilation
Written assignment, 4 weeks
The exam is an individual oral exam defending a project paper of 3-4 pages.

Please be aware:
• The students are allowed to communicate with each other about the project but must work on, write and upload the project individually.
• The plagiarism rules must be complied.
• The final mark for the course is a holistic evaluation of both the project and the oral exam.
• The project paper and the oral defence must be in English.
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Exam registration requirements

In order to participate in the exam students must present a case for the rest of the class. The presentation of cases typically take place as a group presentation.

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Aid

All aids are allowed for the project paper.

The project and some slides of the case is allowed as aid at the oral examination.

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Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
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Exam period

The regular exam:

The project paper must be uploaded to Digital Exam no later than:

16 May, 2022 at 10 AM

 

Defence in week 21 (May 2022). The exam is without preparation time.

Not all days will be used and the student cannot choose a specific day.

 

Exam information:

Exact date, time and place of the oral exam will be available in Digital Exam after the project paper has been handed in.

The Department can change the exam to another day and time than announced.

 

More information about examination, rules, aids etc. is available at Master students (UK) and Master students (DK).

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Re-exam

The reexam:

The non-passed project paper must be uploaded with corrections to Digital Exam no later than:

4 August, 2022 at 10 AM

 

Defence in week 35/36 (August 2022). The exam is without preparation time.

 

Information:

Exact date, time and place of the oral exam will be available in Digital Exam after the project has been handed in.

The Department can change the exam to another day and time than announced.

 

More information about examination, rules, aids etc. is available at Master students (UK) and Master students (DK).

Criteria for exam assesment

Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the course.

 

In order to obtain the top grade “12”, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.

 

In order to obtain the passing grade “02”, the student must in a satisfactory way be able to demonstrate a minimal acceptable level of  the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.