Strategy
This module provides a foundational understanding of how businesses operate from financial, organizational, and strategic standpoints. However, rather than providing you with only a list of terminologies or a toolbox of frameworks, the goal of this course is to help participants gain an intuition around how to think like a business – especially when coming from a social science background and practice.
Strategic planning is the process to formulate, implement and evaluate strategies to support cross functional decision of the company. Everything is changing with unexpected speed. Competition, Innovation, polices, environment, technology and human resource are some major concerns of the company. Companies follow the traditional ad-hoc, forecasting methods to compete in the market will not work for long term. Strategic planning is now become mandatory process to clearly define company objectives, goals, internal resources, external factors and to evaluate overall cycle for eliminating bottlenecks.
Participants will leave with a basic understanding of how businesses think and operate, and how that in turn can impact how they think and operate as a social scientist or ethnographer.
- Concept of Corporate Strategy
- Strategic Management Process
- Mission and Objectives
- Strategic Business Unit and
- Functional Level Strategies
- Environmental Analysis
- Environmental Scanning Techniques
- Internal Analysis
- Competitive Analysis
- Strategic Alternatives & Choice of Strategy
- Strategic alliances and Joint Ventures
- Diversification strategies
- Turnaround strategies & Corporate restructuring
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Functional Strategies -1
- Finance Marketing, Human Resource, Management Information Systems and Logistics
- Planning and Resource Allocation
- Organization structure and culture
- Managing change
- Power, Politics and Leadership
- Strategy Implementation
On successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate a critical awareness and understanding of Strategy at the master's level that provides a basis for developing and/or applying new ideas, often within a research context.
- apply knowledge, critical understanding, and problem-solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study (Strategy)
- assimilate knowledge and formulate opinions with incomplete or limited information, but that include a reflection on social and ethical responsibilities.
- communicate their assumptions, and knowledge regarding Strategy and the rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
- use the acquired skills to allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed and autonomous.
- integrate knowledge from other courses of the master program and practical business and formulate critical judgments with incomplete data.
The course is offered as self-study in e-learning. The learning material is provided in the form of lectures, literature, and lecture notes. Independent learning is required. In the case of paper submissions, further research is expected in compliance with the given scientific standard. LIVE course sessions are offered to support the students with questions regarding the content. Students are supported in their scientific work by corresponding online seminars.
All lectures and learning materials are made available in the online campus GHU Campus. All lectures are recorded and are available for download 24/7. The lecture notes, as well as additional material provided by the lecturer, can also be accessed in the GHU Campus.
Documents for exam preparation consisting of lectures and lecture notes. Additional material provided by the lecturer serves as independent files and can be used to work on the exams. The examination comprises theory questions, reflection, and case study and is intended to confirm all learning objectives.
The assessment consists of a 5000-word Strategy homework and assesses all learning outcomes. As a master-level assignment, the homework requires a command of a complex and specialized area of knowledge and skills. This implies that, in addition to demonstrating a sound grasp of the ideas and concepts relevant to the topic of thehomework, students will show that they can evaluate aspects such as conventions of approaches, their internal consistency, relevance, and applicability, as well as strengths and weaknesses.
To reach an assessment, students will consider competing approaches and draw on critiques put forward in scholarly literature. The position adopted in the assignment and any claims made must be based on a careful, coherent, and logical arguments, need to be appropriately supported with evidence from relevant scholarly sources, and should be presented in a coherent piece of writing. Sources must be referenced appropriately in-text and in a quote/reference list as set out in the GHU Referencing Guidelines.