Outline

Overview

How can managers understand their environment, industry, resources and capabilities to achieve business success? This unit explores different levels of strategy, including corporate and business-level strategy. Strategy is, fundamentally, about making choices and deliberately choosing to be different. Strategic management seeks to understand how these choices and differences can (and sometimes cannot) create sustainable and exceptional value for shareholders, customers, employees and other related stakeholders. Questions addressed include: How can market opportunities be reviewed and understood? How can creativity be harnessed to generate strategic options? How does a firm build and develop resources and capabilities in a global and local competitive environment? When is collaboration preferable to competition? The unit highlights the challenges of strategic decision making as well as implementation. Insights from innovation theory and practice are integrated throughout the unit.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Management Education
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Yeonji Seo, yeonji.seo@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 8 March 2024

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Tutorial quiz	In class quizzes n/a	10%	Week 03	15 min x 2
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group assessment N/a	20%	Week 05	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual assessment n/a	35%	Week 06 Due date: 31 Mar 2024 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final assessment Take-home final assessment	35%	Week 07 Due date: 16 Apr 2024 at 17:00	24 hours
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

In class quizzes: There will be two quizzes of 15 minutes each, one in week 3 and one in week 4. Each quiz will include all the material discussed up to the week before, meaning that the week 3 test will assess your understanding of the content in weeks 1 and 2, and the week 4 test will assess your understanding of the content from weeks 1, 2 and 3. The quizzes could be multiple choice questions and/or short answer questions.
Individual assessment: The individual assessment is your reflection on the business management simulation undertaken in week 4. After the simulation, you will prepare and submit an essay based on your reflection about the simulation experience, your individual results, and your strategic analysis of the simulation using course relevant strategic frameworks. In the report, you should briefly outline the strategic decisions you made during the business management simulation. The most important task is to do a strategic analysis of the firm’s success and failures using relevant strategic frameworks, explaining what and why strategic decisions were correct, and what you could have done differently. You will need to use the theories and frameworks we have discussed in the unit as analytical tools and to support your arguments.
Group assessment: You will be allocated to a group and your task will be to prepare and record a 15 minute presentation on your analysis of the strategy of a company of your choice and then prepare a recommended strategy for the path forward for the company based on your analysis. A list of suggested companies will be provided.
Final assessment: The final assessment will be a take-home assessment in which each student must individually complete and then upload to Canvas. You will be required to analyse a case by utilising and discussing theories, models and frameworks that have been discussed in class.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

This unit of study outline MUST be read in conjunction with The Business School Unit of Study Common Policy and implementation information that applies to every unit of study offered by the Business School (http://sydney.edu.au/business/currentstudents/policy). All assessment rules, such as standards used, penalties etc, are covered.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to strategy, strategic leadership	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 02	Competitive advantage, business models, and design thinking	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 03	Business and corporate level strategies	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 04	Innovation	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 05	Group presentation discussion and unit debrief	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance is mandatory for this unit as we will not provide recordings, in consideration of the confidentiality of our guest lecturers.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Please see Canvas Reading List for the assigned readings for each class.

The following sources are particularly useful for up to date, practically oriented information and analysis of issues relevant to strategy: Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, Sloan Management Review, McKinsey Quarterly, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Australian Financial Review.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Apply relevant concepts and frameworks in order to make sense of the strategic challenges facing executives operating in different contexts.
LO2. Critically apply a system perspective to generate strategic options and inform strategic decisions so that they are integrated effectively across business functions to produce optimal results.
LO3. Apply appropriate analytical tools and techniques to the relevant evidence bases in order to generate practically useful solutions to strategic challenges across various business settings.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Additional information

Business School Policies

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

MMGT6001: Strategy

Semester 1a, 2024 [Block mode] - Castlereagh St, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect