Welcome to Managing Strategically

This paper is all about strategic thinking. We will blend theory and practical examples to develop skills in strategic analysis and decision-making. We will use business cases and theory and learn how to evaluate and improve the competitive position of organisations. Students will be given the opportunity to better understand professional practice, and further develop their critical thinking and analytical skills. This format blends academic theory with practical organisational examples, requiring significant individual participation within class and during group work.

The paper is concerned with developing long-term strategic thinking, rather than a short-term operational view. To do this, we consider the unique resources and capabilities of a firm, core competencies, and the wider market. Our focus is on for-profit businesses as well as non-profit entities and individuals. The main objective here is to better understand how organisations can achieve distinctive and long-term competitive advantage. This paper provides tools applicable to future endeavours. It will position you to participate at a higher level of analysis and decision-making in entities of all kinds and sizes.

More specifically, we will cover:

• The organisation’s position in the external environment – including the macro-environment and industry or sector environment.
• Porter’s Competitive Five Forces Framework to analyse industries or sectors: rivalry, the threat of entrants, substitute threats, customer’s power and supplier power.
• Analysis of strategic and competitor positions in terms of strategic groups, market segments and the strategy canvas.
• The dynamic nature of organisational strategy.
• The sources of competitive advantage.
• The development of core competencies that provide the foundation for long-term competitiveness and success.

• Organisational resources and capabilities and how these relate to the strategies of organisations.
• Resources and capabilities analysis, by means of VRIO analysis, value chain analysis, activity systems mapping, benchmarking and SWOT analysis.
• Business model components: value creation, configuration and capture.

All assessment is compulsory.

It is expected you have read the Corporate & Executive Education Policies.

PLEASE NOTE: The University has zero-tolerance for Plagiarism.

All assessment must be submitted as a Word document, unless otherwise stated.

Booking of rooms for group meetings.

Waikato Management School Helpdesk: wms_helpdesk@waikato.ac.nz, 0800 WAIKATO, extn 4599

ITS: https://landesk.waikato.ac.nz0800 WAIKATO, extn 4008

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