Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2015-2016 (archived)
Module BUSS2231: BUSINESS STRATEGY
Department: Business School (Business) [Queen's Campus, Stockton]
BUSS2231: BUSINESS STRATEGY
| Type | Tied | Level | 2 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2015/16 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Queen's Campus Stockton |
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| Tied to | N400 |
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Prerequisites
- Business and Finance
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combination of Modules
- None.
Aims
- To provide students with an understanding of how businesses develop and implement strategy.
Content
- Strategic analysis of a business’s current objectives, market position and direction
- Strategic choice available to a business
- How businesses choose between competing strategies
- Implementation and monitoring of strategies and strategic performance
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Be able to identify and analyse the consequences of a business’s current objectives, market position and direction
- Have an awareness of the strategic choices available to a business
- Have knowledge of appropriate methods of implementing strategies, and the ways in which management information can be used to measure and monitor strategic performance
Subject-specific Skills:
- Be able to analyse, for a given situation, the external factors which may impact upon a business’s performance and position
- Be able to evaluate the likely consequences of strategic choices and recommend strategies to meet the objectives of a business
- Be able to develop a business plan to achieve a business’s strategic objectives, recommend an appropriate organisational structure and explain the process of effective change management.
Key Skills:
- be able to show critical thinking and creativity.
- be able to communicate effectively through written materials and visual aids.
- be able to apply strategic evaluation skills
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Learning will be based on knowledge transfer from lectures, seminars and personal study; investigation of cases and real world organisations which will underpin the seminars will encourage students to develop awareness of cultural differences and apply these to the development of their skills in managing themselves and others in such contexts.
- Seminar activities and discussions will provide the awareness of the main business strategies and choices in a comprehensive form.
- The examination tests students' understanding of the main strategic concepts and choices through comprehensive and critical review and reflection on learning.
- The summative assignment tests students' ability to critically review strategic choices and decisions in a business context.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 4 per week | 2 hours | 20 | |
| Seminars | 4 | Weekly | 2 hours | 8 | ■ |
| Critical Review Discussions | 1 | Annual | 2 hours | 2 | |
| Preparation and Reading | 170 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Assignment | Component Weighting: 40% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Individual assignment based on critical review of strategic choices and decisions | 2500 words | 100% | Same |
| Component: Examination | Component Weighting: 60% | ||
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Written examination | 2 hours 30 minutes | 100% | Same |
Formative Assessment:
Online assessment via DUO
■ 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