Students

MMBA8055 – Business Strategy

2023 – Term 3, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Miles Yang
miles.yang@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to MBA or GradCertBusAdmin or GradDipBusAdmin or GradDipMgt or GradCertMgt or MEngMgt) and 30cp at 8000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

The unit aims to develop a capacity to think strategically about an organisation, its macro environment, industry and competitive position; to build individual and team skills for conducting strategic analysis in a variety of industry situations; and to integrate business discipline knowledge in making strategic decisions. The purpose of the unit is to build individual and team capability to develop, implement, and evaluate business strategies for sustainable growth and profitability.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate an applied knowledge of the perspectives, concepts and tools of business strategy through applying and adapting these to a variety of organisational contexts.
  • ULO2: Individually and in teams apply the concepts and tools of business strategy to undertake the sustainable development and evaluation of strategy in a variety of organisational contexts.
  • ULO3: Individually and in teams recommend and communicate an optimal strategic direction and its implementation in a variety of organisational contexts.
  • ULO4: Analyse and integrate environmental, social, and governance factors, and principles of responsible leadership, in the development and implementation of strategy.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments)  Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assessment 1: Strategy presentation 40% No Week 6 (in class presentation)
Assessment 2: Strategy report 20% No Week 7 (Friday, 23:59pm)
Assessment 3: Strategy perspectives 40% No Week 10 (Friday, 23:59pm)

Assessment 1: Strategy presentation

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 6 (in class presentation)
Weighting: 40%

 

A 20-minute presentation of the initial findings of a strategic analysis, as set out in the Strategy report.

  • Group component = 10%
  • Individual component = 30%

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an applied knowledge of the perspectives, concepts and tools of business strategy through applying and adapting these to a variety of organisational contexts.
  • Individually and in teams apply the concepts and tools of business strategy to undertake the sustainable development and evaluation of strategy in a variety of organisational contexts.
  • Individually and in teams recommend and communicate an optimal strategic direction and its implementation in a variety of organisational contexts.

Assessment 2: Strategy report

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 7 (Friday, 23:59pm)
Weighting: 20%

 

A 1,500 word report evaluating the strategic position of a business to provide an analysis and recommendation for its future strategic direction.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an applied knowledge of the perspectives, concepts and tools of business strategy through applying and adapting these to a variety of organisational contexts.
  • Individually and in teams apply the concepts and tools of business strategy to undertake the sustainable development and evaluation of strategy in a variety of organisational contexts.
  • Individually and in teams recommend and communicate an optimal strategic direction and its implementation in a variety of organisational contexts.
  • Analyse and integrate environmental, social, and governance factors, and principles of responsible leadership, in the development and implementation of strategy.

Assessment 3: Strategy perspectives

Assessment Type 1: Qualitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 10 (Friday, 23:59pm)
Weighting: 40%

 

A 1,800 word analysis of the different lenses of strategy, as described in the text, to explain and critique relevant aspects of the sessions and experiences that made up the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an applied knowledge of the perspectives, concepts and tools of business strategy through applying and adapting these to a variety of organisational contexts.
  • Analyse and integrate environmental, social, and governance factors, and principles of responsible leadership, in the development and implementation of strategy.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required Text

Whittington, R., Regner, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G., and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring strategy. Text and Cases. 12th edition. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN: 978-1-292-28245-9

Unit Web Page

The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/

Technology Used and Required

Students are required to have access to a personal computer and familiarise themselves with iLearn (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/).

iLearn will be used to post lecture slides, assessment details, student grades and as a means of communication between staff and students. 

Students should make themselves familiar with Zoom. 

Delivery Format and Other Details

The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at:  http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/

Recommended readings

Recommended readings are provided via Leganto on the iLearn Unit page

Inherent Requirements

None

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2023.04 of the Handbook