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.

Strategic Management and Decision Making is delivered as a flipped learning experience. You will complete a series of interactive online modules. Then you will apply strategic tools to business cases, and discuss your decisions with classmates and the facilitator in person or over zoom (or an equivalent platform). Workshops orient around discussing the application of strategic concepts to a business case. The paper finishes with a one-on-one case interview which involves applying the concepts learned throughout the course.

This paper will be offered in a FLEXI format where students can participate online via Zoom synchronously or on-campus in Hamilton. We expect students to participate in all sessions synchronously and some assessments may be scheduled at specific times. You are expected to participate fully in group work and assessments for you to be able to meet the requirements and expectations of this paper. All supportive online resources and class recordings will be available via Moodle.

All assessment must be completed.
PLEASE NOTE: The University of Waikato has zero-tolerance for plagiarism.
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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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