Faculty
Gert Mortensen

Course Coordinator
Gert Mortensen

Basic knowledge of business, general management and organization theory is required.

Course content and structure:

The course aims to provide students with a framework for understanding the elements of strategic management - i.e. the strategic analysis, the strategy formulation and the strategy implementation – as well as an understanding of the issues related to the strategy development process.

Through a fairly structured approach the course will give students an opportunity to work with the vast variety of concepts and tools related to strategic management. Apart from the set of models specifically developed for strategic analysis and development, the course will also draw on the various subjects taught at other undergraduate business courses. The students will compare theory and practice and apply concepts and tools through illustrations and case studies.

Taking into consideration that the students represent different countries, the course focus on strategy development in companies operating on the international scene.

The course starts with an overview of the curriculum, the elements of strategic management and the strategy development process. Then the framework and tools for defining the strategic position of a company is analysed and discussed including analyses of the company’s internal resources, relative power position, norms and expectations. Then we move on to discuss the company’s strategic choices such as the corporate and competitive strategies and the problems of defining and sustaining these.

Finally the issues related to the implementation of the chosen strategic options are discussed with particular emphasis on change management issues.

Case studies will be used during the course - in the beginning in a fairly focused way, later in the course in a more all-embracing way – to consolidate the learning stages of the course.

Teaching methods:

The course comprises lectures and case discussions. The students meet before class to discuss and prepare their presentation of the assigned aspect of the case.

The student will develop his/her ability to assess various business situations and the related strategic issues as well as his/her ability to communicate these both in groups and in class.

The student will also gain a thorough overview of strategic development processes and the associated concepts and tools to be used as a framework in relation to other areas of management and business topics.

After having attended the course, the student:

- has comprehensive general knowledge about strategy as a discipline or academic field of study and a realm of corporate or organizational practice

- has a thorough knowledge about the elements of strategic management and strategy development

- demonstrates knowledge about and ability to apply relevant strategic analytical frameworks and concepts

- demonstrate knowledge and ability to select and prioritize among the frameworks and concepts applying the most relevant

- is able to critically analyze theoretical and/or practice oriented strategic challenges, in particular the ones relevant to internationally oriented organizations

4 Hour Written Open Book Exam; Assesment is individual.

G. Johnson, K. Scholes & R. Whittington: Exploring Corporate Strategy - text and cases, 8th. edition, Prentice Hall. 2008.

- Selected cases.