This document provides details about the Strategic Management course for the MBA program, including: - The course aims to introduce students to strategic management concepts and processes through case studies and discussions. - Assessment includes a team case study and presentation, peer evaluation of participation, and an exam involving a role-play scenario. - Teaching utilizes case studies, lectures, group work and presentations to apply concepts in a practical manner. - Guidelines are provided for assignments, presentations, exams, and other administrative aspects of the course.

1. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Course Booklet
Semester 1
2011/2012
FTMBA/MBAIB Course

2. Contents Page Number
Course Details .................................................................................................... 4
Course Description and Objectives .................................................................... 4
Course Objectives .............................................................................................. 4
Learning Outcomes ............................................................................................ 5
Planned Student Learning Experiences ............................................................. 5
Teaching Approach............................................................................................. 5
Assessment ........................................................................................................ 6
Guidelines for formatting and Submission: Team Case Studies and Teaching
Note .................................................................................................................... 6
Guidelines for formatting and Submission: Team Presentations ........................ 7
In-class role-play examination: Notes and Guidelines........................................ 7
Feedback ............................................................................................................ 7
Guidelines for Formatting and Handing in Assessed Work: ............................... 7
Failure to Attempt or Complete Assessed Coursework or an Examination ........ 8
Exam Arrangements for Disabled Students........................................................ 9
Plagiarism Statement.......................................................................................... 9
Appeals............................................................................................................... 9
Consultation........................................................................................................ 9
Course Monitoring Surveys .............................................................................. 10
Required Text(s) ............................................................................................... 10
Primary Text ..................................................................................................... 10
Secondary Texts............................................................................................... 10
Course Website ................................................................................................ 11
Advised Preparatory Work................................................................................ 11
Course Lecturer ................................................................................................ 11
Study Programme............................................................................................. 12
Lecture Outlines and Readings ........................................................................ 14
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3. Exam Papers .................................................................................................... 14
Appendix 1: Further Reading............................................................................ 14
Further Reading: Texts ..................................................................................... 14
Further Reading: Journals ................................................................................ 14
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4. Course Details
Course Code: BUST11213
Title: Strategic Management
College: Humanities and Social Science
School: The University of Edinburgh Business School
Course Organiser: Dr. Brad MacKay
Contact Hours: 35
Semester: 1
This is a 10-credit course. As per the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF), this means
that it should entail 100 hours of student effort. For example:
Contact hours 10X30 min Lectures 5
10X2 hrs Case Discussions 20
10X1 hrs 10
Preparatory reading 10x2.5 hrs in advance of lecture 25
Assignments 1X15 hrs Presentation Prep 15
1X15 hrs Case Study Prep 15
1X10 hrs Exam Prep 10
Total 100 student effort hours
Course Description and Objectives
This course is concerned with the strategic management process. Rarely is the formulation of
strategy straightforward. Corporate complexity and market uncertainty often result in messy and
sometimes political processes. Consequently, many of the concepts, frameworks and tools that we
use often appear very straightforward in theory, but can be difficult to apply in practice. This is
because at its heart strategy is a social process, which can be difficult to quantify or to analyse
objectively. But, ultimately, it is these social processes that underpin economic performance.
This course is designed to both introduce strategic management to MBA students, and to begin
integrating knowledge from your previous learning and experience to identify and address strategic
concerns of firms. The first four days is structured around eight overlapping and interweaving key
themes. They include strategic leadership, the context of strategic management and society,
competitive analysis, strategy in the multi-business firm, disruptive innovation, transformation and
renewal and strategic resilience. Each theme is based around a case. For each theme there will be a
one hour case discussion, 30-minute lecture on theory, followed by 60 minutes of group discussion
and analysis of the case in syndicate groups, and finally, 45 minutes of a case de-brief and Q&A. The
first four days is designed to encourage students to reflect on their own experiences and to share
them with the rest of the class. The fifth day of the module will comprise of group presentations of a
case that has been developed over the module.
Course Objectives
The aim of this course is to allow students to examine strategic management processes. The major
themes covered in the course include processes of strategic leadership, innovation and renewal. The
course is also designed to encourage debate, discussion and reflection. The module is designed to
dove-tail into the core Corporate Strategy module in Semester 2a, where business-level and
corporate level strategy are covered in more depth. The module also links with the Semester 2a
option in Scenario Planning and Strategy, the Economics of Strategy module, and the Semester 2b
Global Strategy option, which covers such topics not covered in this course such as global versus
regional strategy, alliances and acquisitions, and strategies for emerging markets.
The overall objectives are therefore:
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5. to integrate the functional courses which form the rest of the MBA programme;
to introduce strategic management concepts and cases;
to understand the concepts and contexts of strategic management process;
to reflect on strategic management concepts in the context of your own experiences
and to share this learning with the class;
to be aware of competing arguments behind a number of strategic approaches.
To be able to analyse and synthesise strategic management issues.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding:
• The complexity of strategic management in firms;
• A knowledge of key concepts associated with strategic management process;
• Different perspectives for managing strategically;
• The current issues being faced by strategic managers.
Cognitive Skills:
• The ability to manage and synthesise relevant information about firms in a clear, sound and
explicit way;
• Broad, integrative thinking;
• The ability to use management concepts to produce persuasive conclusions about real firms
• Ability to apply theories and models to new environments and contexts
Ability to evaluate and critique business theories and models
Subject Specific Skills:
• Ability to analyse complex business situations
• Skills of argument development and persuasion
• Group working and presentation skills
The ability to communicate analyses and conclusions clearly and persuasively
By the end of the course students will have learned
• Useful approaches of strategic analysis, and their limitations
• Knowledge of strategy alternatives for firms in different contexts
Different perspectives for managing strategically
Planned Student Learning Experiences
• Learning from each other in the group situations in the preparation of case studies
• Learning the process of argumentation towards a senior-management type decision
• A strategy workshop facilitated by a guest lecturer;
In interactive plenary sessions, to learn from each other and from the teacher’s input
Teaching Approach
With the main difficulties in strategic management being faced in applying rather than knowing the
concepts, learning will be through ‘learning by doing’, with the concepts and ideas presented in class,
and read about in the textbooks and reading, applied to cases of real firms. Specifically, all teaching
will be based around application of concepts to nine cases, each representing a theme. Following a
one hour case discussion, and thirty minute lecture on a given theme, students will break into
syndicate groups to apply concepts/frameworks/models to the case. Groups will then be asked
randomly to present their analysis in the case de-brief. Syndicate groups will monitor the participation
of their members by allocating marks from a given total to their peers. On the fifth and final day,
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6. student groups will present their own case study for assessment, which will have been developed
over the duration of the term. In addition, a five page written version of the case study will also be
submitted for assessment before the presentations begin. An open book, essay style exam will take
place during the regular exam schedule. For the exam, students will be required to apply their
learning to a case study disseminated during the week. The teaching approach thus emphasizes
integration of theory and case-based learning, debate, discussion, practical application of concepts,
reflection and experience.
Assessment
Form of Assessment:
Assessment is linked directly to the aims and objectives of the module, and is based on the
application of the concepts and frameworks to real cases. The assessment for this course comprises
the following components, with the marks allocations in parentheses:
A. Teams’ written case study and analytical note (X1) of their case (10%)
B. Teams’ case study presentation (X1) of their case study and analytical note (10%)
C. Participation (peer assessed within syndicate groups) (10%)
D. Written examination – “role play” (70%)
Dates of Assessment:
A: Written Case Study and Analytical Note: Wednesday 23rd November 2011 at 4pm.
B: Assessed Case Presentations: Printed presentations handed in Thursday 24th November 2011
by 8:30am
C: Peer-assessed participation: Monday 28th November 2011 at 10am
D: Role-play examination: tba
Guidelines for formatting and Submission: Team Case Studies and
Teaching Note
Each team case study is based on your own choice of organization. The development of your case
study should follow the general format of the case studies distributed and used for discussion in
class. The case study should include:
1. Introduction (who is the main protagonist, what is the organization, what is the key
issue/challenge) 1-2 pages;
2. Background to the Company and Industry (history, turning points, products/services,
key quotes, trends, competitors, industry structure, change etc) 4-6 pages;
3. Focal Decision (what is the central decision? what is the background context? what is
the urgency? what are the possible consequences? etc.) 3-5 pages;
4. Exhibits (financial information, marketing information, industry information, any other
relevant information)
A case study is a story (complete with main characters, suspense, a plot, timeline etc.), but one which
also organizes information in such a way as to lead the reader to the central decision/issue. This
decision/issue should be a generalizable business problem faced by organizations. Number of pages
per section is indicative only.
The case study analytical note should include (3-4 pages maximum):
1. Case Synopsis
2. Case Objectives
3. Suggested Analysis
4. Case Analysis Outcomes/Possible Recommendations
5. References for Further Reading
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7. Guidelines for formatting and Submission: Team Presentations
The team case presentation will be based on the case study and teaching note that the team
develops over the course of the module. Each presentation should be directed to a senior director of
the firm. The presentation will last no more than 20 minutes, with a maximum of 15 minutes for
presentation and 5 minutes for questions. Case studies normally consist of four major sections:
The presentations will be given credit for:
1. Coherence of argument
2. Reflection of case data
3. Use of international business concepts
4. Response to questioning
5. Overall persuasiveness
All programme participants are expected to be present for all presentations!
In-class role-play examination: Notes and Guidelines
The role: You have been asked by the Chairman of a Board to advise the CEO of a firm about its
strategic situation. You have been supplied with some details of the company (a written case study)
on Friday November 25, 2011. The Chairman meets you and in a taxi presents you with his key
strategic problems (the exam questions). The questions will be those that a CEO at the case
company might ask a consultant specialist who has completed a Strategic Management course as
part of an MBA degree. They may well be quite predictable from the material supplied, but might not.
This explains why there is not a choice of questions. He wants to meet you in two hours, and in the
interim, you can prepare your answers (your exam scripts).
Examination answers will be marked on the basis of the following criteria:
i. Presentation of an effective answer
ii. Effective employment of concepts from the course
iii. Effective use of data from the case
iv. Integration of concepts with case data
The exam will be two hours in length and it will be essay style, which will be broken down into several
parts. This will be an open book examination, and the questions will be based on a case study
supplied to you on Thursday December 1, 2011. More data beyond that provided in the case study
will not be required.
Feedback
Individual essay/assignment feedback will be provided on a feedback form in the appropriate format.
Assignment marks and feedback will be made available by (Course coordinator to provide a date –
should be within one month of submission or before students sit their degree examination)
Feedback Format
Week 1-4 Formative Feedback
Dec 15, 2011 Formal Feedback – Presentation
Dec 15, 2011 Formal Feedback – Case Study
Guidelines for Formatting and Handing in Assessed Work:
All completed assignments should be stapled and clearly labelled with the student’s examination
number. Names should NOT be written on the assignments themselves, so that they can be marked
anonymously. Students are asked to attach an assignment submission sheet as front cover. The
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8. student’s name should be written on this sheet along with the examination number. A template for this
can be found at www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/mybiz.
When the assignments are received the assignment submission sheet will be removed before the
assignments are sent to the relevant lecturer(s) for marking. Students must also submit each
assignment electronically by TURNITIN which can be located on WebCT. For the group assignment,
once the groups have been composed, a group member will be assigned as responsible for this.
Please see instructions via the student portal. This is to enable checks to be carried out for plagiarism
on a random basis, or if suspicions are raised.
The University has a standardised penalty for late submission of coursework. The School will apply a
uniform penalty of a reduction of 5 marks for each 24 hours beyond the coursework deadline
(Saturday, Sunday and University Public Holiday not included) unless late submission has been
requested in advance of the submission date and approved in writing by the course organiser. For
example:
- an essay with a mark of 65% which is less than 24 hours late will be given a final mark of 60%
- an essay with a mark of 65% which is between 24-48 hours late will be given a final mark of 55%
- an essay with a mark of 65% which is 48-72 hours late will be given a final mark of 50% and so on...
The penalty will not be applied if good reasons can be given, such as documented illness.
COURSEWORK DEADLINES ARE ABSOLUTE AND MUST BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO
OTHERWISE THE STANDARDISED PENALTY WILL BE APPLIED WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
Extensions to coursework deadlines will normally only be granted in cases of illness or other
extenuating circumstances. An extension can only be granted by the course organiser; requests for
an extension to the deadline must be agreed with the course organiser prior to the coursework
deadline. If this proves impossible, students must attach a letter of explanation to the coursework,
signed and dated. If you are given an extension, you must ensure that the Postgraduate Office (Room
GF.15, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS) has written proof of this, e.g. in the form of an
email from the course organiser.
Failure to Attempt or Complete Assessed Coursework or an Examination
Where a student fails to attempt or fails to complete assessed coursework or an examination, the
course organiser will seek to establish from the student whether the failure is legitimate (i.e.
supported by appropriate documentary evidence) or not. A failure to attempt assessed coursework or
an examination without good reason will result in a zero mark being awarded for that element of
assessment. In the case of a legitimate failure to attempt or complete assessed coursework, the
course organiser may decide to offer an extended submission deadline (without marks deduction for
late submission). Where a student is able to produce evidence of legitimate reasons for failure to
attempt or complete an examination, and where it has not been possible to offer an extended
submission deadline for a legitimate failure to attempt or complete assessed coursework, the course
organiser will refer the case to the Special Circumstances Committee.
Groupwork Issues
Where group work is involved, should there be any problems with the group dynamic, these should
be raised by two concurring members of the team with the course organiser before the Reading
Week.
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9. Exam Arrangements for Disabled Students
If required, specific reasonable adjustments will be made to enable disabled students to sit
examinations, including any written, practice or oral examination, continuously assessed coursework
or dissertation which counts towards the final assessment. For more information about the support
disabled students can receive and the approval process for making reasonable adjustments visit
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/disability-office/students/support-we-offer. Arrangements
for degree examinations must be approved in advance by the Registry (650 2214), and the Disability
Office (650 6828) for dyslexic students, and reported to the examiners. The Registry requires
notification of specific examination arrangements for dyslexic students well in advance of examination
weeks and specific deadlines apply (see http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/registry/other-
info/dyslexia). For all other disabled students the Registry must see and accept a medical certificate
or similar documentation relating to the student or be satisfied that an acceptable certificate will be
produced. Such students should discuss their requirements with their Programme Director and/or the
Disability Office at the earliest opportunity.
Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism and cheating are offences against the University discipline. The full text of the University’s
regulation on plagiarism and cheating can be found on the University’s website at
http://www.docs.sasg.ed.ac.uk/AcademicServices/Discipline/StudentGuidanceUGPGT.pdf
Appeals
The process for students appealing against the assessment of grades is described in the Code of
Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes.
Consultation
Students are encouraged to raise any concerns of a subject specific nature with the relevant course
organiser. All but the simplest issues take time to resolve, and so please raise the issues as soon as
you are aware of them.
In the event that your course organiser cannot assist you, please contact your Programme Director.
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10. Course Monitoring Surveys
Because the PGT programmes are constantly being streamlined to remain progressive and
contemporary, it is essential that you provide feedback on the courses you undertake so that the
academic and administrative staff can be aware of your needs and the needs of your peers; the only
way we can do this is if you let us know our strengths and what can be improved to make your
learning experience with us as relevant and fulfilling as possible.
At the conclusion of every semester you will be asked to complete anonymous online course
monitoring surveys. You will be notified when the surveys relevant to your programme become live.
The results of these surveys will then be collated and distributed to the course lecturer(s) who will in
turn provide feedback on the course.
All information provided by students and course lecturer(s) will be taken into consideration by
decision makers within the Business School – and may alter the way that future courses are
administered. We are providing you with an outlet to voice your opinions and it is very important for
the current state and the future of the Business School and its students that you do so.
Required Text(s)
Primary Text
Leavy, B. and McKiernan, P. 2009. Strategic Leadership: Governance & Renewal. Palgrave
Secondary Texts
Ackermann, F. and Eden, C. 2011. Making Strategy. Sage
Grant, R. 2010. Contemporary Strategy Analysis. Wiley
Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B. and Lampel, J. (2008). The Strategy Safari. NY: Free Press.
Additional references will be provided in class as appropriate. You should also be able to relate the
concepts introduced on this course and others you have learned from elsewhere, to the strategies
and environments of companies and industries now. Business press useful for this includes the
Financial Times, business pages of other quality newspapers including the Independent, Herald,
Scotsman and Times and business journals such as Management Today and Business Week.
Course participants are encouraged to find those which are of interest to them. Academic journals
such as the Journal of Management Studies, Academy of Management Review and Journal, the
Strategic Management Journal and the Journal of International Business Studies provide cutting edge
research of strategic management issues within organisations and should be consulted along with the
core texts.
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11. Course Website
Lecture materials will be made available online via WebCT, which is accessible from the “quick links”
area on MyBiz http://www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/mybiz/home
On the course website you will be able to find a copy of this booklet, course handouts,
announcements and other facilities. It is important that you regularly check the WebCT system in
order to keep up to date with the course. You should be automatically registered for all your courses;
if you are not please consult Stuart Mallen, Programme Secretary (email office+mba@business-
school.ed.ac.uk) to ensure that your records are in order. A user guide and full details of how to logon
and use the system are available on the website. N.B. It is vitally important that you check your
WebCT mailbox regularly OR set it up so that it forwards messages automatically to your regular e-
mail account.
Advised Preparatory Work
It is highly recommended that you read before beginning the course:
A) the course text, so that you can devote your time to applying the concepts when the course is
underway
B) the nine cases, so that class and syndicate group discussions will be more profitable.
Syndicate groups will be randomly selected to present their case diagnoses in each case
de-brief discussion, based on the concepts and models posed in the lecture.
Course Lecturer
Dr. R. Bradley MacKay
Tel:0131 651 5246
Office: Room 2.13, Business School, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS
Email: Brad.Mackay@ed.ac.uk
A strategist, Brad MacKay has consulted widely on strategic planning in both the public and private
sectors. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Head of the Strategy and International
Business Group at the University of Edinburgh Business School. His main areas of consultancy and
research interest are in the areas of strategic management processes and scenario planning.
Working with managers of companies in areas as diverse as automotive, consulting, cultural
industries, financial services, general manufacturing and oil and gas, he researches how
organizations can develop strategy and decision processes in complex, turbulent and uncertain
industry environments. His research has been published in a number of leading scholarly journals
and books. He is also the co-founder of the Strategic Foresight Special Interest Group (SIG) of the
British Academy of Management, where he served as its Chairperson between 2003 and 2007, and
the Strategic Foresight Caucus at the Academy of Management in the United States.
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12. Study Programme
Date Time Lecture Description
Thursday 8:30-9:00 Day 1 Introduction to the module
November Morning
03, 2011
9.00 - Case Discussion: Google Inc.
9:45AM
9.45- Lecture 1: Strategic Purpose, Mission, Vision, Values
10.30AM Reading: L&M: 1-67
10:30- Coffee
10:45AM
10:45- Syndicate Groups: Application of theory to case
11:45AM
11:45- Case De-brief
12:30PM
12:30- Lunch
13:30PM
Afternoon
13:30- Case Discussion: Apple Inc.
14:15PM
14:15- Lecture 2: Competitive Analysis
15:00PM Reading: L&M:125-149
15:00- Coffee
15:15PM
15:15- Syndicate Groups: Application of theory to case
16:15PM
16:15- Case De-Brief
17:00PM
Date Time Lecture Description
Thursday 9:00- Day 2 Case Discussion: Global Climate change and BP
November 9:45AM Morning
10, 2011
9:45- Lecture 3: Strategic Context: Business and Society
10:30AM Reading: L&M: 69-124
10:30- Coffee
10:45AM
10:45- Syndicate Groups: Application of theory to case
11.45AM
11:45- Case De-brief
12:30
12.30- Lunch
13.30 PM
13.30- Afternoon Case Discussion: The Walt Disney Company: the
14.15PM Entertainment King
14.15- Lecture 4: Strategy in Multi-business firms
15.00 PM Reading: L&M: 167-202
15:00- Coffee
15:15PM
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13. 15:15- Syndicate Groups: Application of theory to case
16:15PM
16:15- Case De-Brief
17:00PM
17:00- Evening Guest Lecture: tba
18:00PM
Date Time Lecture Description
Thursday 9.00 – Day 3 Case Discussion: Tata Nano – the people’s car
November 9:45AM Morning
17, 2011
9:45- Lecture 5: Disruptive Strategy
10.30AM Reading: 149-166, 203-241
10:30- Coffee
10:45AM
10:45- Syndicate Groups: Application of theory to case
11:45AM Case Application: Cirque du Soleil
11:45- Case De-brief
12:30PM
12:30- Lunch
13:30PM
Afternoon
13:30- Case Discussion: Globalization at Komatsu
14:15PM
14:15- Lecture 6: Strategic change and transformation
15:00PM Reading: L&M: 243-285
15:00- Coffee
15:15PM
15:15- Syndicate Groups: Application of theory to case
16:15PM Case Application: Anne Mulcahy: Leading Xerox
through the perfect storm
16:15- Case De-Brief
17:00PM
Date Time Lecture Description
Thursday 9.00- - Day 4 Presentations
November 9:30AM Morning
24, 2011
9:00- Group 1
9:20AM
9:20- Group 2
9:40AM
9:40- Group 3
10:00AM
10:00- Group 4
10:20AM
10:20- Group 5
10:40AM
10:40- Coffee
11:00AM
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14. 11:00- Group 6
11:20AM
11:20- Group 7
11:40AM
11:40- Group 8
12:00PM
12:00- Group 9
12:20PM
12:20- Group 10
12:40PM
12:40- Exam overview
13:00PM
13:00- Lunch
14:00PM
Friday 14:00- Afternoon Live Case Study
November 17:00 Participation Assessment
25, 2011
17:00PM - Social
Lecture Outlines and Readings
As above
Exam Papers
Where applicable all available exam papers can be found on the University of Edinburgh website at:
http://www.exampapers.lib.ed.ac.uk/
Appendix 1: Further Reading
Further Reading: Texts
De Wit, R. and Meyer, R. (2010) Strategy (4th ed), London: Thomson.
De Wit, R. and Meyer, R. (2010) Strategy Synthesis (3rd ed), London: Thomson.
Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2008) Exploring Corporate Strategy (8th ed), Prentice Hall.
Lynch, R. (2009). Strategic Management. (5th ed). Prentice Hall.
Mintzberg, H. Lampel, J. Quinn, J. Ghoshal, S. (2003). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Cases, and
Texts. Prentice Hall
Further Reading: Journals
Academy of Management Journal
Academy of Management Review
Strategic Management Journal
Long Range Planning
Harvard Business Review
Sloan Management Review
California Management Review
Journal of Management Studies
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