Syllabus

Title
1456 Advanced Strategic Management
Instructors
Christian Bruck, MSc (WU), MIB, Sebastian Priestersberger, MSc (WU)
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
09/20/23 to 09/28/23
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Wednesday 11/08/23 10:00 AM - 03:30 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 11/15/23 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 11/22/23 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 11/29/23 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 12/06/23 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM Online-Einheit
Wednesday 12/06/23 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM Online-Einheit
Contents

Building on the content of the course Strategic Management and Strategic Leadership 1 (SM&SL 1) the Strategic Management track of the Strategic Managenent and Strategic Leadership 2 (SM&SL 2) course briefly introduces the advanced tools for strategic management as well as organizational leadership. The focus of the course lies on strategy formulation and leadership psychology. Regarding the strategic management part of the course the key areas are business strategy as well as corporate strategy. The course further explores the tools and concepts of diversification, vertical integration, acquisitions, alliances and global strategy. Eventually, the important area of strategy implementation is discussed. Regarding the leadership part the course focuses on leading for change and innovation as well as on strategic leadership in organizations.

Before starting the course students will be expected to have the basic knowledge from all chapters covered in the course SM&SL 1. Students who did not take the SM&SL 1 courses (and who applied directly to SM&SL 2), are asked to familiarise themselves with the content of the SM&SL 1 course prior to the start of the Advanced Strategic Management course.

Learning outcomes

Students who have passed this course successfully are able to:

  • explain the nature and purpose of strategic management 
  • describe the two generic business strategies and understand their differences
  • discuss potential implications of diversification and vertical integration on firm performance
  • explain the main differences between acquisitions and alliances
  • identify drivers that shape global strategies 
  • name and describe forces which influence firms' ability to compete in a global market
  • explain the most important factors of successful strategy implementation
  • understand the psychological process involved in making major changes
  • understand how to develop an appealing vision for the organization
  • understand how top executives can influence organizational processes and performance

Apart from these skills, students further develop their social skill-set through demanding group assignments. By the end of the course, students are able to systematically solve in-depth case studies and provide solutions to strategic problems and assess their impact on firm performance.    

Attendance requirements

Attendance in all online live block-sessions is required! Please inform the instructor about any absence prior to the session.  The last two hour session in the schedule constitutes the final exam.

Online sessions:

08.11. 10.00-15:30  Kickoff

15.11. 10.00-15.00

22.11. 10.00-15.00

29.11. 10.00-15.00

06.12. 13.00-15.00 Exam

 

Teaching/learning method(s)

This course is an online course. As this is a highly interactive class, it is important that you are well prepared and present for all sessions! Our high regard for active participation necessitates visibility in our online classes. Hence, non-usage of video during these sessions will not be recognized as attendance, thereby equating to an absence for the respective session.

The course Advanced Strategic Management (Strategic Management track of the Strategic Managmenent and Strategic Leadership 2 (SM&SL 2)) involves different teaching methods including in-class discussions, case studies, reading assignments, group assignments and oral presentations. The content and structure of the course covers the most important aspects of modern international strategic management and is closely tied to the following two books (see below for details):

- "Strategic Management" by Frank T. Rothaermel

- “Leadership in Organizations” by Gary Yukl and William L. Gardner

The course is designed as an online course that has live-sessions and asynchronous sessions.

Live sessions have mandatory attendance and require active participation. The asynchronous sessions are for self-study purposes and can be used for group work.

Assessment

The following grading criteria apply:

  • Individual in-class participation: 5%
  • Peer review: 5%
  • Case study (individual): 20%
  • Case study (group assignment): 20%
  • Final exam: 50%

 

Prerequisites for participation and waiting lists

For participants of the Cross-Functional Management Program, WU incoming exchange students and BEE-students (free elective).

If you have questions concerning enrollment and waiting lists, please contact the CFM-Coordinator at cfm@wu.ac.at. When organizing the waiting list, CFM students with greater academic progress (“Studienfortschritt”) will be prioritized.

Although not mandatory, attendance of Strategic Management and Strategic Leadership is highly recommended prior to attending Advanced Strategic Management. All students must attend the first session!

Readings

Please log in with your WU account to use all functionalities of read!t. For off-campus access to our licensed electronic resources, remember to activate your VPN connection connection. In case you encounter any technical problems or have questions regarding read!t, please feel free to contact the library at readinglists@wu.ac.at.

Recommended previous knowledge and skills

Although not mandatory, completion of Strategic Management and Strategic Leadership 1 (SM&SL 1) is highly recommended prior to attending the Strategic Management track of International Strategic Management 2.

Availability of lecturer(s)

christian.bruck@wu.ac.at

sebastian.priestersberger@wu.ac.at

If you have any questions concerning course content please feel free to contact me.  

Other

Since this course is held in a blocked format, attendance in all sessions is mandatory. You are only allowed to miss half of a session. Please inform the lecturer prior to the session about any absence.

Unit details
Unit Date Contents
1

Review: Basics of Strategic Management & Strategy Analysis (Rothaermel Chapter 1-5)

Rothaermel Chapter 6: Business Strategy: Differentiation, Cost Leadership and Intergration

Yukl & Gardner Chapter 5: Leading Change and Innovation  

2

Rothaermel Chapter 8: Corporate Strategy: Vertical Integration and Diversification

Rothaermel Chapter 9: Corporate Strategy: Acquisitions, Alliances, and Networks

3

Individual Assignments (Case Presentation)

Rothaermel Chapter 10: Global Strategy: Competing Around the World

4

Group Assignment (Case Discussion)

Rothaermel Chapter 11 + 12 (Strategy Implementation)

Yukl & Gardner Chapter 12: Strategic Leadership in Organizations

Review for the Exam

5 Final Exam
Last edited: 2023-11-05



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