Undergraduate Course Outline

1
Lecturer Contact information
Tolu Bewaji
Mona School of Business South (room 34)
Office hours by appointment
tolulope.bewaji02@uwimona.edu.jm
Thursdays at 5-8pm
SR 11
Course Details
MGMT 3230
3 credits
Semester-Jan-May 2017
3 contact hours 2 hours of lectures, 1 hour of tutorials, in the same time slot
Pre-requisites-N/A
Course Description & Rationale
This corporate strategy course will serve as a capstone course for students in the area of
Management. As a guiding philosophy, we believe that everything a student learns in
management is relevant to the effective development of strategy in any organization. Therefore,
only students in the final stages of their undergraduate degree will be eligible to take the course.
The course will introduce students to core concepts in strategy, the tools that are used to monitor
strategy in an organization and, the strategy development process in organizations.

Due to the increased competition that all organizations now face as world markets integrate, the
field of Strategy has gained greater recognition as an area of scholarly inquiry in the
management discipline. Managers acknowledge that to effectively deal with the increased
competition in their industry sector and to ensure the long-term viability of their enterprise, they
will have to develop and execute effective corporate strategy in order to gain a competitive
advantage. It is therefore important that all management students be exposed to the concepts and
principles in corporate strategy in order to operate effectively in this increasingly competitive
global marketplace.

The successful graduate of a premier school of business like the Mona School of Business and
Management should be able to contribute to his/her workplace. This course enables students to
engage in strategic planning to the benefit of their organization.
Learning Outcomes (SMART)*
At the end of this course successful students should be able to:

Compare and justify the various levels of strategy in an organization

Understand and utilize the various tools that are used to monitor corporate strategies for
effective results.

Decide on the types of strategies that are workable in an organization.

Evaluate the impact of strategic decisions on the organization.

Mode of Delivery
face-to-face
online

Required Textbook 2
There is a course pak available at the copy room for $2000.

The basic reading material for this course consists of the text: Johnson, G., Scholes, K., &
Weekly Schedule Readings/Topics

Week 1 Introduction: Overview of strategy, strategy vocabulary and

strategy lenses

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R (2005). Exploring

Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 7 th Edition. New York:
Prentice Hall. Chapter 1.

Dixit, A.K., & Nalebuff, B.J. (1993). Thinking Strategically: The

Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life. New
York: W.W. Norton & Company. Introduction- What is
strategic behaviour?

Porter. M.E. (1996). What is Strategy. Harvard Business Review.

Nov-Dec.

Electrolux
Week 2 The theoretical foundations of strategy

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R (2005). Exploring

Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 7 th Edition. New York:
Prentice Hall. Chapter 3.

Ebay
Week 3 The Domains of Corporate Strategy

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R (2005). Exploring

Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 7 th Edition. New York:
Prentice Hall. Chapters 5, 6.

Madonna and Virgin Atlantic

Week 4 Environmental analysis

Porter, M. E. (2008). The Five Competitive Forces That Shape

Strategy. Harvard Business Review, January.

European brewing industry

Week 5 The strategy development and implementation process

Mintzberg, H. (2007). Essentials of Strategic Management:

Toward A General Theory. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chapter 12 and Appendix 1.

Slater, S., & Lovett, D. (1999) Corporate Turnaround: Managing

Companies In Distress. New York: Penguin Books.
Chapter 13.

Neilson, G.L., Martin, K.L., & Powers, E. (2008). The secrets to

3
 successful strategy execution. Harvard Business Review. June 18-
19

Tesco
Week 6 Interactive strategic tools

Naylor, T. H. (1982). An overview of strategic planning models.

In Thomas, H. Naylor (Ed.)
Corporate Strategy. New York: North Holland Publishing
Company. pp 3-17.

Ryanair
Week 7 Application of strategy tools- The Balanced Score Card (BSC)

Rohm, H. (2003). Performance measurement in action. Perform.

2,2.

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R (2005). Exploring

Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. 7 th Edition. New York:
Prentice Hall. Chapter 9.

Grace Kennedys BSC; Using a balanced scorecard PDF

NHS direct
Week 8 Application of strategy tools- Game Theory

Dixit, A.K., & Nalebuff, B.J. (1993). Thinking Strategically: The

Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life. New
York: W.W. Norton & Company. Chapter 2.

Mexican Beer Industry

Week 9 Application of strategy tools- Foresighting and Scenario
Planning

Fahey, L., Randal, M., & Robert. M. (1998). Learning from the
Future, competitive foresight Scenarios. New York: M John Wiley &
Sons, Inc. Introduction

ENACT. (2000). Foresighting: realizing a vision of the future.

Foresightin: A tool for sustainable development. Kingston, Jamaica:
ENACT

Xelibri
Week 10 Application of strategy tools- System Dynamics

Forrester, J.W. (2003). Economics Theory for the New

Millennium. Plenary Address at the International System
Dynamics Conference. New York: July 21.

Barney, G.O., & Pedercini, M. (2003). Model for National

Planning. Millennium Institute.

4
 Gomez, D., & Dyner, I.(2003). Innovation and economic
Development: Toward a system dynamics perspective. Institute of
systems and decision sciences, Universidad Nacional de
Colombia.

Amazon
Week 11 Strategic change and work activity room management

Slater, S., & Lovett, D. (1999). Corporate Turnaround: Managing

Companies In Distress. New York: Penguin Books. Chapter7

VSM
Week 12 Understanding and Solving Complex Business Problems

Salvation Army
Week 13 Presentation of Assignment

Course review and wrap-up

Office of Special Student Services

The University of the West Indies at Mona provides special accommodations for students with
special needs. Services are provided as needs are identified and include assistance for the hearing
impaired and those with physical disabilities. If you have a disability for which you believe you
require services, please contact your respective program coordinator.

Examination
A student who does not take an examination in a course for which he or she is registered is deemed
to have failed the examination unless permission to be absent was granted. A student who on the
grounds of illness or in other special circumstances referred to in examination Regulation 25, fails to
take an examination in a course for which he or she is registered may be given special consideration
by the board of examiner to take the examination at the next available opportunity, without penalty,
(Faculty of Social Science Student handbook 2013-2014).

5
Academic Integrity
Cheating
Cheating is any attempt to benefit oneself or another by deceit or fraud.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Plagiarism is the unauthorized and
unacknowledged use of another persons intellectual efforts, ideas and
creations under ones own name howsoever recorded, including whether
formally published or in manuscript or in typescript or other printed or
electronically presented form. Plagiarism includes taking passages, ideas or
structures from another work or author without attribution of such source(s),
using the conventions for attributions or citing used in this University. Since any
piece of work submitted by a student must be that students own work, all
forms of cheating, including plagiarism, are forbidden (Faculty of Social
Sciences, Graduate Handbook, Appendix a Regulations for Graduate Diploma
& Degrees pg. 156- 169 University of the West indies).

Code of Conduct
1. During the conduct of any class, there shall be no activity which disturbs the
assembly and affects the order of the proceedings. Instructors have the right
to require any student to leave the classroom if she/he is involved in
disorderly conduct, or alternatively instructors have the right to leave the
classroom themselves.
2. Cell phones, pagers and alarms of any type shall be turned off during
classes. If there is an emergency for which a student or instructor may need
to use the phone, this shall be indicated at/or just prior to the start of the
class in a manner indicated by the instructor,
(Code of Conduct: Faculty of social sciences undergraduate handbook (pg.175)
University of the West Indies 2013-2014).

Students Responsibility
Obtain a copy of the student handbook and familiarize yourself with code of student conduct
Obtain a copy of the course outline from your instructor.
Read the textbook and other assigned readings prior to the start of class.
Attend all classes.
Participate as fully as possible in class discussions.
Be punctual for class.

Observe due dates for assignments

Respect the rights of others.

Adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity

Respect university property and the property of others

Practice good health and safety habits

6
 Comply with the standards, rules, and regulations of the University

Instructors Responsibility
Be fair and impartial to all students.
Hold office hours for students to discuss issues and questions relating
to the course
Ensure that the course is delivered at the highest level of academic
standard.
Ensure that sufficient and relevant material is made available for
students.
To be punctual at all times (except in extenuating circumstances).
Maintain ongoing consultation with the students to ensure that the course
is meeting the needs of the students at all times.

Group Work
Students will be assigned to groups when necessary for the purpose of collaborative learning
and engagement
Faculty member will ensure full participation of each group member and that each group
member makes an equitable contribution to the work of the group. Each group member will be
held accountable for a specific area of each assigned group project.
Each group member will independently evaluate his/her contribution of a group project by filling
out the project evaluation form provided by the course faculty.
When necessary, each group member will give an oral presentation of assigned component of
group project
Fill out the student accountability form provided by the course faculty.

Adapted from the Instructional Development Unit template & FSS Grad Course Checklist