Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2012-2013 (archived)

Module BUSI45615: GLOBAL STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (PT/EXECUTIVE)

Department: Business School (Business)

BUSI45615: GLOBAL STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (PT/EXECUTIVE)

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2012/13 Module Cap
Tied to NPK017
Tied to N1KP17
Tied to N1KD17
Tied to N1KB17

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To introduce students to the concepts and practices related to managing in a globally volatile, complex, dynamic environment within which organisations, national and international institutions and individuals interact. The elective is designed to be an advanced strategic management course presenting material that is highly contemporary.

Content

  • Globalisation forces, drivers, challenges to organisational forms and processes.
  • The evolution of new organisational forms and the changing management landscape affecting all sizes of firms from SMEs to TNCs.
  • Internationalisation theories of the firm revisited - challenges for strategic management.
  • Networked, globally linked, adaptable international organisations: beyond strategy, structure, systems - Intra-firm collaboration.
  • Typologies of MNCs - traditional strategies for international firms contested.
  • Tensions in managing integration and responsiveness.
  • Inter-firm collaboration: strategic alliances.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • Understanding latecomer MNEs from emerging markets.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Upon successful completion of the module, the students will:
  • have developed a more critical understanding of the dynamics of globalisation on strategic management;
  • understand the issues involved in managing change and strategic inertia;
  • have explored the challenges of strategically managing innately more complex, diverse and uncertain organisations within a global context;
  • have developed reflexivity to comprehend theoretical underpinning and intellectual standing in the evaluation of the material being analysed;
  • have an awareness of the range of problems involved in the interpretation of complex, ambiguous, conflicting and often incomplete material and the paradoxical nature of managing such contradictions and tensions.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Upon successful completion of the module, the students will:
  • be able to conceptualise about strategy from different perspectives;
  • have improved their critical thinking and analytical skills to question 'taken for granted' assumptions about strategy and management.
Key Skills:
  • Written communication; planning, organising and time management; problem solving and analysis; using initiative; computer literacy.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Learning outcomes will be met through a combination of lectures, groupwork, case studies and discussion, supported by guided reading. The written assignment will test students' understanding of relevant concepts and their ability to apply and interpret what they have learned to the analysis of a particular issue in depth.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Workshops (a combination of lectures, groupwork, case studies and discussion) 28
Preparation and Reading 122
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Written Assignment Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Written Assignment 4,000 words maximum 100%

Formative Assessment:

Students will receive feedback on their contributions to class and group discussions.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University