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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2015/2016

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Business School : Common Courses (Management School)

Postgraduate Course: Global Strategic Management: Issues and Perspectives (MSc 20cts) (CMSE11143)

Course Outline
SchoolBusiness School CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe course addresses broadly issues in Global Strategy and Management; elucidating the implications of current International Business theories for Strategy, providing detailed coverage of a number of highly international company case studies.
Course description The course considers the question of when companies need more aggressive international strategies; the issue of global vs. regional vs. national strategies; and at how these issues differ for a range of sectors. Students explore literature and readings on global / regional / semi-global strategy; on international configurations currently pursued by companies. They examine the main international modes of entry: green-field site, international joint ventures and strategic alliances and international mergers and acquisitions. The option is research-based, drawing on the lecturer's worldwide research and also several sector studies of the strategies of top world wide players in several sectors. In addition to exploring cases, the course will make use of globally orientated databases such as Thomson One Banker (subject to budgets) and applying such approaches in group projects, each focusing on particular sectors. Current option courses in international business would also be complementary, but the main aim is to home in on the strategic implications for large companies.

Syllabus:
Business Strategy & International Market Entry.
Globalisation & Concentration. Global vs. Regional Strategies
National Comparative Advantage, Emerging Market Champions.
Cross Border M&As. (International Cultural Differences).
Cross-border strategic alliances.

Student Learning Experience:
The course involves a two-hour session every week. The first half of each session will introduce key concepts and issues pertaining to the week's topic. The second half will primarily involve case study analysis which will provide an opportunity to examine how issues and concepts play out in real-world organisations. There will be a week between the topic covered and the case study analysis on that topic, giving students time to absorb the material on each topic. The course is designed to be highly interactive.
As part of their assessments, students work in teams on the analysis of a case study. They also complete an individual essay on a topical international strategic management issue.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 196 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) A group presentation and report which consists of an analysis of a case study: 30% of the overall course mark.

A group project which consists of a global sector study: 30% of the overall course mark

An individual analysis of the international strategic implications of this same global sector study for one key company in the sector, including specific international strategy recommendations: 40% of the overall course mark.

For participants on the 20 credit programme, the individual analysis assignment extends to two companies, one of which needs to be from an advanced country and the other of which needs to be from an emerging market.
Feedback All students will be given at least one formative feedback or feedforward event for every course they undertake, provided during the semester in which the course is taken and in time to be useful in the completion of summative work on the course. Such feedback may be at course or programme level, but must include input of relevance to each course in the latter case.
Feedback deadlines
Feedback on formative assessed work will be provided within 15 working days of submission, or in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course, whichever is sooner. Summative marks will be returned on a published timetable, which has been made clear to students at the start of the academic year.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. 1.Understand and critically discuss important and advanced issues in current international strategic management research including:
  2. 2.Critically appraise the diversity of contexts which multinationals span and their conflicting implications for firms' behaviour.
  3. 3.Understand and critically discuss how today's multinationals create competitive advantage through the pursuit of 'transnational' strategies, and regional strategies; how they implement those strategies by adopting innovative organizational forms; the issues they face in managing the change process.
  4. 4.Critically evaluate the challenges posed by players from emerging markets for Western multinationals, through an identification of distinctive features of their strategies, and by analysing Western firms¿ responses internationally and in emerging markets.
  5. 5.Apply skills for analysing and solving complex empirical problems, primarily through the case study approach.
Reading List
Global Strategic Management, Philippe Lasserre, 3rd Edition
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Key Skills:
-In-depth knowledge on complex strategic and organisational problems that multinational firms face in today's global markets.
-Ability to critically appraise the multiple facets of issues dealt with in the course.
-Ability to research and apply concepts and arguments in the field of global strategy and management to analyse empirical problems.
-Problem-solving and decision-making skills.
-Written communication skills.
-Team-working skills.
Special Arrangements Only available to non-Business School MSc students, and by prior agreement with the Course Organiser.
KeywordsIBEM-GSM20
Contacts
Course organiserProf Chris Carr
Tel: (0131 6)50 6307
Email: Chris.Carr@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Peter Newcombe
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: Peter.Newcombe@ed.ac.uk
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