Program Overview

Business Strategy Module

The Business Strategy module, coded as BU40019, is a 30-credit course that aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand how organisations develop and implement business strategies to achieve their long-term goals and objectives.

Module Overview

This module is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the reasons why organisations exist, the need for strategic planning, and how organisations monitor and adapt their strategies to remain competitive in the market. The module is offered by the School of Business, with a focus on the discipline of Economics.

What You Will Learn

In this module, students will:

• Assess strategic decision-making in modern business organisations from an economic perspective
• Examine the theories, techniques, and tools used by managers to formulate, implement, and evaluate strategies
• Understand the importance of developing a historical perspective on the theoretical underpinnings of strategic theory

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

• Discuss economic concepts and principles relevant to the assessment of business strategy
• Apply principles and reasoning relevant to business strategy to various case studies
• Understand the influence of market environments and institutions on business strategy
• Apply core economic theory and models of imperfect competition to applied topics
• Review and synthesise published work on economic issues
• Provide insights and contribute to the design and evaluation of strategy from an economic perspective

Assignments and Assessment

The module assessment consists of:

• A 2,500-word essay (30%)
• A presentation (30%)
• A final exam (40%)

Teaching Methods and Timetable

The module will be delivered through a combination of weekly lectures and tutorials. A reading list will be provided in advance to allow students to prepare for classes. The teaching schedule includes topics such as:

• The historical development of business strategy and economic development of business forms
• Introduction to underlying assumptions and theoretical models and theories of the firm
• Environment, firm, and the nature of competitive advantage
• Competencies, capabilities, and resource-based theories of the firm
• Culture and corporate goals and Generic Strategies
• Differentiation and diversification, Mergers and acquisition
• Global expansion: Strategy, structure, and the boundaries of the firm
• Joint ventures and networks: Systems and Organisational Design
• Evaluating Strategy and Change Management

Courses

This module is available on various undergraduate courses, including:

• Economics and Politics MA (Hons)
• Economics with French MA (Hons)
• Business Economics with Marketing BSc (Hons)
• International Business with Marketing MA (Hons)
• And several others across different disciplines such as Economics, Politics and International Relations, Accounting and Finance, Psychology, History, and Geography/Environmental Science.