MPH_STMA Strategic Management

Faculty of Economics and Administration
Spring 2015
Extent and Intensity
0/2. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Tuck Lloyd Crawford MacRae, M. B.A. (seminar tutor)
Peter - Marcus Virsik (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Petr Smutný, Ph.D.
Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Supplier department: Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Timetable
Thu 14:35–16:15 VT314
Prerequisites
(!NOWANY( MPH_STRP Corporate Strategic Management ) && (! MPH_STRP Corporate 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 offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 28 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/28, only registered: 0/28, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/28
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. There are two class dates that do not fall on the regularly scheduled days. Also, it is mandatory that you come to class prepared to discuss the assigned homework, reading materials and casework.

      Week 1, Strategic management overview:

      1. The global economy and strategy
      2. Corporate planning horizons
      3. Strategic drift
      4. Strategic management as a process
      5. Internal and external forces

      Readings:

       Ottawa Senators Case Study. Be prepared to discuss in class.BR> Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 1 – 12

      Week 2, Strategies in Action:

       1. Porter’s generic strategies
      2. Integration strategies
      3. Intensive strategies
      4. Diversification strategies
      5. Defensive strategies
      6. Combination strategies

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce a summary of actions the Senators have taken to try and save the team. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 13 – 23

      Week 3, Guest speaker: Peter-Marcus Virsik, Managing Director Central Europe East, adidas Group

       Topics:
      1. How corporate strategy is formulated at Adidas.
      2. Realistic strategic, tactical, and operational planning horizons.
      3. Employee involvement in the strategy development process.
      4. Intuition verses analysis.
      5. How strategy is cascaded downward throughout the organisation.

      Week 4, External analysis models and tools

       1. Porter’s five forces
      2. Boston Consulting Group advantage matrix
      3. Competitive environment analysis

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce a BCG advantage matrix and a Competitive environment analysis based on your understanding of the materials. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 23 – 35

      Week 5, External analysis models and tools

       1. Industry attractiveness analysis
      2. Industry lifecycle analysis
      3. SWOT analysis
      4. External factor evaluation matrix

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce an industry attractiveness analysis, industry lifecycle analysis, a SWOT analysis, and an external factor evaluation matrix based on your understanding of the materials. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 36 – 44

      Week 6, Group Presentations: External Environment Analysis.

      Week 7, Guest speaker: Peter-Marcus Virsik, Managing Director Central Europe East, adidas Group

      Topic: A practical example of strategic decisions based on environmental scanning. The creation of the Central Europe East.

      Week 8, Internal analysis and tools

      1. What is internal analysis
      2. Financial analysis
      3. Company capability profiling
      4. Growth vector analysis
      5. Product portfolio matrix

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce a company capability profile, growth vector analysis, and a product portfolio matrix based on your understanding of the materials. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 44 – 64

      Week 9, Internal analysis and tools

       1. Product lifecycle analysis
      2. SWOT analysis
      3. Vulnerability analysis
      4. Internal factor evaluation matrix

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce a product lifecycle analysis, SWOT analysis, vulnerability analysis, and an internal factor evaluation matrix based on your understanding of the materials. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 64 – 76

      Week 10, 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

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce a SWOT matrix, a strategic position and action evaluation analysis. A strategic options and generic strategies analysis, and a product portfolio matrix balancing proposal based on your understanding of the materials. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 76 – 83

      Monday,April 27, Time: 16:20-18:00, Room P104, Guest speakers:

      Peter-Marcus Virsik, Managing Director Central Europe East, adidas Group
      Gabriela Koleková, HR Director Central Europe East, adidas Group

      Topic: Strategy Implementation: Shaping a High Performance Organization to enable successful strategy implementation.

      Week 11, Strategy formulation tools

      1. Internal-External matrix
      2. Directional policy matrix
      3. Grand strategy matrix

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce an internal-external matrix, directional policy matrix, and a grand strategy matrix based on your understanding of the materials. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 83 – 87

      Week 12, Decision tools

       1. Quantitative strategic planning matrix
      2. Stakeholder analysis matrix
      3. Assessment of cultural impact
      4. Cultural fit to strategic change matrix

      Prior to Class:

      Read the Ottawa Senators Case and produce a quantitative strategic planning matrix, stakeholder analysis, an assessment of cultural impact, and a cultural fit to strategic change matrix based on your understanding of the materials. Be prepared to discuss in class.

      Readings:

       Strategic Management, Tools and Applications, Pages: 87 – 102

      Week 13, HELD ON MAY 22, Time: 15:30, Room: 305. Final Group Presentations

       Panel review including guest evaluator Peter-Marcus Virsik, Managing Director Central Europe East, adidas Group
    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 five student deliverables as follows:

    1. The first deliverable is an individual assignment worth 10% of the total grade. This assignment will be used to understanding each student’s motivation for taking the course, their level of English, and their knowledge of the subject. The essay is due in week 3. It is comprised of a two page, approximately 1000 word, essay which covers the following:

    a. Explain in 500 words, the role of strategic management and the key factors which influence successful strategy development.

    b. In 500 words, explain your motivation for taking this course and how you feel you can best contribute to your peer’s success and to the learning objectives outlined in the syllabus.

    2. Deliverable two is 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 is due in week 6 and must be presented in class.

    3. Deliverable three is worth 30% of the final grade and is due in week 13. Based on the corrected results from deliverable two 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 on week 13.

    4. Two peer evaluation deliveries are included in the course. The first evaluation is due prior to class in week 3, the second prior to class in week 13. Each student must submit a completed evaluation form for each member in their group. A standard form will be provided to students prior to week 6. Evaluations will be consolidated by student. Each student will receive the results of their evaluation once they have been consolidated. Week 6 evaluation are used to inform student of their strengths and weaknesses as defined by their group peers. Week 13 evaluations will represent 10% of the student’s final grade.

    5. A final, closed book, written exam worth 30% of the final grade will be administered during the exam period following the end of the semester. 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.
    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 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2015, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/econ/spring2015/MPH_STMA