STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (MODULE NBU)

Unit Concept

The unit engages with the question of what strategy means and why it is central to managerial activity, drawing on key perspectives from strategy scholarship and practice. It emphasises understanding organisations as systems and applying strategic frameworks to real business problems.

• Holistic organisational perspective across sectors: small to large, profit and not-for-profit, domestic and international.
• Focus on environments, resources, and sustainable competitive advantage.
• Applied and experiential approach through real cases and realistic strategic assessment.

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

Recommended background includes prior study in the following areas:

• Business Accounting
• Certificate in International Management
• Global Marketing
• International Business & Global Trade
• Economics / Economics for Managers
• Business and Entrepreneurship
• Business Analytics

Delivery Mode

• Delivered online by TECJIN, or face-to-face via partner institutions.
• May also be delivered in residential summer school format in Taiwan/Taipei or Singapore (depending on partners).
• Timetable and scheduling are determined by the instructor / professor.

Pre-reading Case Study

Students must read the following short case study before the first session:

• Case: Motorola: an analogue history facing a digital revolution

Learning Outcomes

• Understand theoretical approaches to strategy and recognise multiple perspectives.
• Explain the strategic management process and demonstrate understanding of its knowledge base.
• Synthesise data and literature to develop and evaluate strategic options.
• Select appropriate strategies and provide theoretical justification.
• Determine key implementation issues.
• Use strategic theory to interpret business success and failure.
• Analyse complex case studies creatively, innovatively, and ethically.
• Appreciate strategic management as both an academic discipline and a practical activity for organisational change.

Required Texts & Reading Resources

Prescribed text:

• Johnson, G., Scholes, K. & Whittington, R. (2005 or latest edition). Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 7th Edition. Prentice Education.

Additional texts:

• Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B. & Lampel, J. (1998). Strategy Safari. FT Prentice Hall.
• DeWit, B. & Meyer, R. (2005). Strategy Synthesis. 2nd edition. Thomson Education.

Indicative articles and authors include:

• Barney (1991); Cornelius, Van de Putte & Romani (2005); Kotter (1995); Mintzberg (1993); Mintzberg & Lampel (1999); Porter (1979); Snowden (2002); Wann-Yih Wu, Chih Hsiung Chou & Ya-Jung Wu (2004); Waterman, Peters & Phillips (1980).

Recommended journals:

• Strategic Management Journal
• The Journal of Management
• The British Journal of Management
• Harvard Business Review
• California Management Review
• Journal of Business Ethics

Assessment

• Essay, Quiz and teamwork/presentation — 50%
• Final Exam — 50%

Student Responsibilities

• Notional workload is approximately 150 hours over a fifteen-week semester (around 10 hours per week) for a 3cp unit.
• Workload varies with credit points (e.g., 6cp is approximately 300 hours over a semester).
• Students who require support due to disability or other circumstances should inform their academic/personal guide early.
• Attendance requirement: minimum 70% (online or face-to-face).