Unit Outline

Strategic management today is a complex process requiring advanced skills. International expansion, network advantage, and resource optimisation pervade every aspect of this critical management skill. Successful managers need up-to-date guidance in the creation and implementation of effective strategy. This unit is specifically designed to meet these requirements. The design, content, concepts and supportive readings all reflect current issues in strategic management. The unit focuses on the practice and concepts of strategic management through the introduction of appropriate theoretical models and frameworks. The central issue of the unit is the achievement of competitive advantage: internal and external drivers of competitive advantage, the link between strategy formulation and implementation, and the role of leadership, corporate governance and strategic entrepreneurship in this process.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Critically evaluate the practical application of foundational and contemporary strategic management theories, principles and processes.
2.	Analyse organisational strategies in a business.
3.	Communicate complex concepts and justify decision-making, in professional collaborative and written formats.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

None

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Assessment Task 1: Critical Literature Review	Week 6	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Assessment Task 2: Environmental Scanning Presentation	Week 10	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Assessment Task 3: SWOT Analysis and Strategy Development Plan	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Assessment Task 1: Critical Literature Review

Task Description:

You are required to select any TWO (2) articles available in the Assessment Task 1 folder on MyLO and critically analyse their content. Your critique must comprise THREE (3) sections as follows: (i) a summary of the key strategic management theories presented in the articles; (ii) an evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the key management theories presented in the articles; (iii) a summary of how the key strategic management theories can be used in combination for the purposes of conducting an analysis of an organisation’s external and internal environments.

Task Length:

2000 words (maximum)

Due Date:

Week 6

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse the strategic management theories presented in the academic journal articles.	LO1
2	Evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of strategic management theory.	LO2
3	Construct a means of conducting a strategic analysis of an organisation's internal and external environment.	LO2
4	Communicate complex strategic management concepts in written format.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Assessment Task 2: Environmental Scanning Presentation

Task Description:

You will form into teams of 3 to 5 people for the purposes of creating a recorded oral presentation to be uploaded to MyLO.

The presentation must comprise THREE (3) sections as follows: (i) your team will present an overview of its theoretical approach to the scanning of an organisation’s internal and external environment – this will be developed from your team’s combined understanding of the strategic management theories covered in Assessment Task 1; (ii) your team will select ONE (1) of the cases noted in the Assessment Task 2 folder on MyLO and present the secondary data collected as per the team’s theoretical approach noted in (i); (iii) the team will present strategic inferences from the secondary data collected and present them in terms of the SWOT Analysis Framework.

Task Length:

15 minutes (minimum) to 20 minutes (maximum).

Due Date:

Week 10

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse foundational and contemporary strategic management theories and processes.	LO1
2	Analyse an organisation's internal and external environment using secondary data.	LO2
3	Synthesise secondary data using the SWOT Analysis Framework.	LO2
4	Communicate complex analyses in a collaborative format.	LO3
5	Demonstrate individual contribution to the team's analysis and presentation.	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Assessment Task 3: SWOT Analysis and Strategy Development Plan

Task Description:

After reviewing the feedback from Assessment Task 2, you are required to (i) present an individual SWOT analysis for your team’s chosen case in Assessment Task 2, (ii) formulate a series of plausible strategies that account for all the elements of your individual SWOT Analysis, and (iii) discuss the relevant resource deployments (i.e., investments/divestments) needed to achieve your stated set of plausible strategies

Task Length:

2500 words (maximum)

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Generate a SWOT Analysis of the secondary data collected for the case organisation in Assessment Task 2.	LO1
2	Create a set of plausible strategies that account for all the elements of the SWOT Analysis.	LO2
3	Justify plausible resource deployments that would support the effective and efficient achievement of all the strategies presented.	LO2
4	Communicate complex analyses in a written format.	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Hanson, D., Backhouse, K., Leaney, D., Hitt, MA, Ireland, RD & Hoskisson, RE 2021, Strategic management: competitiveness and globalisation 7 edition, Cengage Learning, Melbourne.