Course Title: Advanced Business Strategy (Part A)

Part A: Course Overview

Course ID: 028479

Course Title: Advanced Business Strategy (Part A)

Credit Points: 9


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BUSM2038A

City Campus

Research

660H Grad School of Business

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 2 2006

Course Coordinator: Adjunct Professor J A Eady

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 99251511

Course Coordinator Email: john.eady@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 108-11-13


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

This course is available only to Part-time students of the Doctor of Business Administration.


Course Description

This course aims to:
· introduce practical considerations into the formulation of strategies and so build on to the basic concepts of strategic thinking and strategic planning.
· illustrate the complexities of strategic management and the judgement needed in selecting strategic options.
· provide a foundation for the theories underlying strategic management.
· provide an understanding of current issues in strategic management.
· provide competencies in critically analysing advanced concepts and methodologies used in strategic management.
· enhance research skills.



Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Knowledge: Articles will provide a thorough review of current issues in strategic management. Both the written paper due at the end of the session and regular oral presentations during the semester require a knowledge theory.


Creative: The readings and class discussions aim to show students how general principles can be adapted to different scenarios. Creativity in applying theories to practical situations is assessed in both the written and oral modes.


Critical: The readings, debates and discussions will emphasize the need for critical thinking. A critical perspective is expected in both the written paper and oral presentations.


Responsible: The importance of integrity & ethical conduct is stressed in the class. Dichotomies also cover issues in business ethics. Plagiarism, missing deadlines & any unethical conduct is unacceptable.


Employable: This course involves substantial self-directed learning and students are required to be self-motivated, adaptable, with good communication skills. Successful completion of the assessment requires an appreciation of practical factors and complex issues faced commonly by business.


Life-long learners: The course material can only introduce students to key concepts. The importance of refinement & development of the skills through practical experience is stressed. Amongst other objectives, the assessment requires students to think broadly and take in new concepts and the possible effects of competing influences as part of their professional development.


Potential leaders:  Not only does the theory stress the importance of vision, strategic thinking & global awareness but the course focus is on the wisdom gained by being able to see other sides of an argument. Leadership traits such as vision, good communication skills and strategic thinking are rewarded in each assessment task.


By the completion of this course students should be able to:
· address complex strategic dichotomies commonly faced by business organisations.
· demonstrate an understanding of current issues and contentious areas in strategic management.
· develop critical reading skills of advanced theoretical perspectives.
· display effective application of advanced theories to organizational practice.  and
· understand how to undertake meaningful research into strategic management issues.


Overview of Learning Activities

This course is not a traditional lecture-based course. It will be structured largely around debates during which the cases supporting opposing views of important, strategic dichotomies will be discussed critically. Considerable self-directed reading will be necessary to support arguments. The issues will then be discussed in more practical terms, drawing on class experiences to illustrate the relevance of the dichotomy to general business circumstances. Business leaders will also be invited to share tbeir experiences with the class.

As such, the learning process is a combination of self-directed reading and discovery through class discussion and analysis.


Overview of Learning Resources

Introductory articles are listed in order to provide a starting point for additional literature searches.

Students will be responsible for their own research and the development of arguments to support their assigned dichotomy and position. They are also responsible for the identification of relevant references and their general reading about each of the other dichotomies to be debated, so as to enable critical discussion of the arguments put forward.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment is available as a Pass or Fail grade only in this course. It comprises both class (CLN) presentations and an individual written assignment. Assessment is cumulative (you must pass each assessment task to pass this course) and based on the following:

At least two debates demonstrating the critical assessment of both extremes of the dichotomy and evidence of analytical thinking -- and the ability to integrate a diverse set of readings constructively.

A written assignment:
While no length for the paper is prescribed, it is unlikely that you can do justice to the topic in less than 3000 words. Similarly, it would be suggested that the length of paper should not normally exceed 5000 words. The paper will be evaluated for clarity of thought and writing, originality and depth of analysis.