MPH_STMA Strategic Management

Faculty of Economics and Administration
Spring 2018
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Tuck Lloyd Crawford MacRae, M. B.A. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
prof. Ing. Ladislav Blažek, CSc.
Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Contact Person: Mgr. Jana Nesvadbová
Supplier department: Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MPH_STMA/01: Mon 9:20–11:00 S309, T. MacRae
Prerequisites
(!NOWANY( MPH_STRP Corporate Strategic Management , MPH_ASTM Strategic Management )) && (! MPH_STRP Corporate Strategic Management ) && (! MPH_ASTM Strategic Management )

A basic understanding of financial ratio analysis is an asset. Students must also be willing to work in a team environment and attend weekly team meetings. The ability to think analytically and understand basic analytical models is a requirement.

Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives

What do the North American Free Trade Agreement, the recent economic crisis, the European Union, and the collapse of the Soviet Union have in common? Regardless of timeframe, they all effected changes to the global economy, an economy where geographical and cultural distances have been significantly diminished through rapidly changing technologies. It is an economy where global competition can attack the profit sanctuaries of any firm, large or small. Executives and personnel from all functional areas of business must fully understand the internal and external factors that affect their organization. They must be able to analyze these factors, formulate a cohesive strategy that will secure the company's competitive position in this rapidly changing marketplace, and implement that strategy with meticulous precision.

This course introduces participants to the strategic management process through lectures, case studies, and group work. It demonstrates the need for analytical thought when dealing with the process and teaches how to formulate a cohesive strategy that is fully congruent with the strategic intent of the firm.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, participants should be able to:
  • Understand the importance of strategic management to the survival of the firm in a rapidly changing global environment.

  • Discuss and apply a variety of models and tools used to analyze the internal and external factors that influence a firm’s ability to engage and succeed in the marketplace.

  • Make sense of conflicting data and understand the importance of exercising judgement in the absence of preferred practices or perfect solutions.

  • Consolidate information and utilize it in the formulation of strategic alternatives.

  • Through evaluation techniques, determine the most appropriate strategy for the firm while understanding the trade-offs and risks.

    • Syllabus

    • READ THIS SYLLABUS CAREFULLY. It is mandatory that you come to class prepared to discuss the assigned homework, reading materials and casework. The course addresses the following topics:

      Strategic management overview:

      1. The global economy and strategy
      2. Culture and its impact on strategic thought

      Strategies in Action:

       1. Corporate planning horizons
      2. Strategic drift
      3. Strategic management as a process
      4. Types of strategies

      External analysis models and tools

       1. Porter’s five forces
      2. Boston Consulting Group advantage matrix
      3. Competitive environment analysis
      4. Industry attractiveness analysis
      5 Industry lifecycle analysis
      6. SWOT analysis
      7. External factor evaluation matrix

      Internal analysis and tools

       1. What is internal analysis
      2. Financial analysis
      3. Company capability profiling
      4. Growth vector analysis
      5. Product portfolio matrix
      6. Product lifecycle analysis
      7. SWOT analysis
      8. Vulnerability analysis
      9. Internal factor evaluation matrix

      Strategy formulation tools

       1. Formulation overview
      2. SWOT matrix
      3. Strategic position and action evaluation tool
      4. Strategic options and generic strategies
      5. Product portfolio matrix
      6. Internal-External matrix
      7. Directional policy matrix
      8. Grand strategy matrix

      Decision tools

       1. Quantitative strategic planning matrix
      2. Stakeholder analysis matrix
      3. Assessment of cultural impact
      4. Cultural fit
    Literature
      required literature
    • Strategic Management: Strategy Formulation, Tuck MacRae
      recommended literature
    • JOHNSON, Gerry, Richard WHITTINGTON and Kevan SCHOLES. Fundamentals of strategy. 2nd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson, 2012, xix, 284. ISBN 9780273757252. info
    • Fred R. David, Forest R. David. Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach, Concepts & Cases. 15th ed., 2015, ISBN-10-133444791
    • Cornelis A. De Kluyver, John A. Pearce. Strategy: A View From The Top. 4th ed., 2012, ISBN-10-132145626
      not specified
    • Norman M. Scarborough, Jeffrey R. Cornwall. Entrepreneurship and Effective Small Business Management. 11th ed., 2015, ISBN-10-133506320
    Teaching methods

    This course introduces participants to the strategic management process through lectures, case studies,and group work. It demonstrates the need for analytical thought when dealing with the process and teaches how to formulate a cohesive strategy that is fully congruent with the strategic intent of the firm. Throughout the course participants are required to act the role of a senior executive and work on an executive team. Teams will be expected to set strategic directions, allocate resources in the face of global market uncertainty, integrate the various parts of the Organization, and fully understand the potential outcomes of their decisions. By the end of the course, participants will have been responsible for the formulation of a complex corporate strategy; they will have reshaped a company, and ensured that the firm will prosper in the rapidly changing global economy.

    Although the course primarily deals with firms operating within the economic or market domain, the tools and processes are also applicable to organizations in the state and civil society domains.

    Assessment methods

    There will be three student grading points as follows:

    1. A group assignment worth 20% of the total grade. At the beginning of the term, students will be supplied with a case study to which they must apply the course materials in order to solve the case. For this assignment, groups must perform an external analysis based on information from the case. This analysis must be presented in class.

    2. Based on the corrected results from deliverable one and utilising the internal analysis and matching tools taught in the course, groups will be required to formulate a comprehensive, viable strategy for the company presented in the case. The results of their analysis are to be presented in class. This assignment is worth 20%.

    3. A final, closed book, written exam worth 60% of the final grade will be administered at the end of the course. The exam will consist of short answer questions pertaining to the application and construction of the analytical tools used in class and in the group project. Any copying, usage of other peoples work or presentations, or carrying out the exam using forbidden aids including textbooks, notes, any communication devices or any other breach of objectivity of the exam is regarded as a failure to meet the obligations of the subject and as a serious breach of study regulations. As a consequence, the teacher grades the student with "F" and the dean is allowed to initiate a disciplinary action, which might lead to the termination of the studies.

    Language of instruction
    English
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    Study Materials
    The course is taught annually.
    General note: Tento předmět je ekvivalentní českému předmětu MPH_STRP a může být za něj uznán. Také je ekvivalentem MPH_ASTM. This course is an equivalent to MPH_STRP and MPH_ASTM.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Nezapisují si studenti, kteří absolvovali MPH_STRP.
    Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2018, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/econ/spring2018/MPH_STMA