Students

BBA 350 – Strategic Management

2019 – S2 Evening

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor and Lecturer
Edward Wray-Bliss
Contact via Email
Please view consultation hours via iLearn - https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit enables students to understand and analyze the highly influential discourse of strategic management. Starting with the premise that the ideas and practices of strategic management are far too significant to be reduced to a set of simplified tools or techniques, this unit draws upon a wide range of academic work across the fields of management, organization studies, and strategy to examine the topic. Using this research, strategic management is considered in terms of the social, political, ethical and global effects that it engenders and encourages in today’s organised world. Students will have the opportunity to synthesize these areas of knowledge through analyzing the strategic lessons to be drawn from major organizational and societal events, including those of high-level corporate fraud and environmental crisis.

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:

  • Critically assess the nature and origins of strategic management.
  • Identify and analyse strategic issues in a management context.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the major conceptualisations of strategic management.
  • Demonstrate awareness of contemporary ethical issues and challenges of strategic management.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Essay One 20% No Week 5
Essay Two 40% No Week 10
Final Examination 40% No University Examination Period

Essay One

Due: Week 5
Weighting: 20%

Essay One Assessment Summary Task Description The essay will require you to discuss the history of Strategic Management.  Type of Collaboration Individual Submission Please Submit Via Turnitin Link on iLearn Format Please refer to the iLearn Unit page Length 1,000 Words Inherent Task Requirements None Late Submission

Late tasks must also be submitted through Turnitin. No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% made from the total available marks for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission incurs a 20% deduction).

Late submissions will be accepted up to 96 hours after the due date and time. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. Note: applications for Special Consideration Policy must be made within 5 (five) business days of the due date and time. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically assess the nature and origins of strategic management.

Essay Two

Due: Week 10
Weighting: 40%

Essay Two Assessment Summary Task Description This essay will require you to critically discuss the theory, practice and ethical implications of strategic management. Type of Collaboration Individual Submission Please Submit Via Turnitin Link on iLearn. Format Please refer to the iLearn Unit page  Length 2,000 Words  Inherent Task Requirements None Late Submission

Late tasks must also be submitted through Turnitin. No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% made from the total available marks for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission incurs a 20% deduction).

Late submissions will be accepted up to 96 hours after the due date and time. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. Note: applications for Special Consideration Policy must be made within 5 (five) business days of the due date and time. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse strategic issues in a management context.
  • Demonstrate awareness of contemporary ethical issues and challenges of strategic management.

Final Examination

Due: University Examination Period
Weighting: 40%

Final Examination Assessment Summary Task Description A final examination is included as an assessment task for this unit to provide assurance that the product belongs to the student and the student has attained the knowledge and skills tested in the exam. Type of Collaboration Individual Submission You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. Format Please refer to the iLearn Unit page  Length 2 Hours  Inherent Task Requirements None Late Submission

Please see  Assessment Policy Schedule 4.

The only exception to not sitting an examination at the designated time in the University Examination Timetable is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances you may wish to consider applying for special consideration.This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. Note: applications for Special Consideration Policy must be made within 5 (five) business days of the due date and time.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate awareness of the major conceptualisations of strategic management.
  • Demonstrate awareness of contemporary ethical issues and challenges of strategic management.

Delivery and Resources

Required text
  • The required reading for this unit consists of a collection of academic articles on strategy and management that will be uploaded for you on the unit ilearn site. You will need to download and read the designated article before your tutorials each week and to bring the article and your notes on it to the tutorial. Your understanding of each of these articles is examined in the final exam and assessed in the two essays. 
  • In addition, there will be a number of further articles uploaded on ilearn under each week's topic area.  You will need to read a selection of these and use them in your assignments.
Unit web page The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/
Technology Used and Required Students will need to be familiar with a web browser to access the unit web page.
Delivery Format and Other Details
  • Number and length of classes: 1 x 2 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour tutorial, i.e. 3 hours face to face per week unless indicated otherwise in the lecture schedule. Classes may vary due to public holiday(s)
  • Tutorials will commence in Week 2
  • The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/
Recommended readings  

 

Unit Schedule

Week

Topic

Tutorial (All articles are on ilearn and need to be downloaded, read and brought to your tutorial.  Tutorial content follows a week behind the lecture)

1

Introduction: Ambiguous Strategy

No tutorial

2

Contexts 1:

Military Histories of Strategy

Mintzberg, H. (1987) ‘The Strategy Concept I: Five Ps For

Strategy’ California Management Review 30 (1): 11-24.

3

Contexts 2:

Neoliberalism and Strategy

Knights and Morgan, G. (1990) ‘The concept of strategy in sociology’ Sociology 24(3): 475-483.

4

Understanding Strategy 1:

Technical strategy

Bockman, J. (2016) 'Neoliberalism' Contexts (12(3): 14-15..

5

Understanding Strategy 2:

Ethical Strategy

Carter, C., Clegg, S. and Kornberger, M. (2008) A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Studying Strategy.  London, Sage.  Chapters 2 and 3.

First Assignment due

6

Understanding Strategy 3:

Cultural Strategy

Stansbury, J. and Barry, B. (2007) ‘Ethics Programs and the

Paradox of Control’ Business Ethics Quarterly 17(2): 239-261.

7

Understanding Strategy 4:

Global Strategy

Hopfl, H., Smith S. and Spencer, S. (1992) ‘Values and Valuations: The Conflicts between Culture Change and Job Cuts’ Personnel Review 21(1): 24-38.

8

Understanding Strategy 5:

Financial Strategy

Klein, N. (2000) No Logo. London, Flamingo. Ch. 9

9

Strategy Cases:

Enron, Part One

van der Zwan, N. (2014) ‘Making Sense of Financialization’ Socio-Economic Review 12 (99-129)

10

Strategy Cases:

Enron, Part Two

McLean, B. and Elkind, P. (2003) The Smartest Guys in the Room, Portfolio/ Penguin, New York. (Chapter 15, ‘Everybody loves Enron’

Second Assignment Due

11

Strategy Cases:

The Environment, Part One

Grant, R. and Visconti, M. (2006) 'The Strategic Background to Corporate Accounting Scandals' Long Range Planning 39: 361-383

 

12

Strategy Cases:

The Environment, Part Two

Jacques, P. et al. (2008) 'The Organisation of Denial: Conservative Think Tanks and Environmental Scepticism' Environmental Politics 17(3): 349-38

13

Revision

Revision quiz in the final tutorial

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/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

Student Support

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

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

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.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Critically assess the nature and origins of strategic management.
  • Identify and analyse strategic issues in a management context.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the major conceptualisations of strategic management.
  • Demonstrate awareness of contemporary ethical issues and challenges of strategic management.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay One
  • Essay Two
  • Final Examination

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Demonstrate awareness of contemporary ethical issues and challenges of strategic management.

Assessment task

  • Essay Two

Changes from Previous Offering

Two of the essential readings have been changed from the previous offering.

Global Contexts and Sustainability

This unit examines Strategic Management from a critical academic perspective.  As such, we will be questioning the theories and practices of strategic management as much as learning them.  A major aspect of this questioning will be an examination of the global, ethical and environmental impacts of dominant corporate strategies.

Research and Practice

This unit requires students to engage with contemporary and classic research texts on strategy, drawn from the leading management and strategy journals and texts. As such, the unit fosters student's abilities to read and understand published academic research on the subject area. 

Changes since First Published

Date Description
17/07/2019 update staff contact details
16/07/2019 Fixed contacts table