1997 Swinburne Higher Education Handbook

BM602 Strategic Management
12.5 credit points Duration: 3 hours per week Prerequisite:
BH604 Management, Ovganisation and Peopk Instruction:
lectures, seminars, case studies Assessment: indidtral
assignment (40%), group case studies PO%), m m (30%)
objectives
To introduce the student to the theoretical and practical
aspects of strategic management.
Content
This subject will help the student embrace the role of
strategic management in contemporary competitive business
environments, examine the relevant decision processes and
apply some of them to case studies and other assignments.
. The student acquires a practical understanding of the how
the strategic planning process works, how corporate
objectives are developed and how these are translated into
strategic plans.
Emphasis is shared between:
theoretical considerations, including the emerging
business management paradigm of competence-based
competition
experiential exercises aimed at enhancing the students
capacity to relate to various strategic management issues
discussion of practical issues as demonstrated in case
studies, and
assignments that create an opportunity for the students
to conduct a pfofessional evaluation of the strategic
planning process and of the competitive positionof
business and industries.
Text
David, F.R. StrategicManagement. 5th edn, Prentice-Hall,
1995
References
Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. 'Coporate Imagination and
Expeditionary Marketing' Harvard Business Rm'w, July/August
1991, Vol69 No. 4, p. 81-92
Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. 'Strategy as Streach and Leverage'
Harvard Business Reviw, MarchlAprill993, Vol71 No. 2, p. 75-
84
Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. Competing for the Future, Boston,
Mass, Harvanrd Business School Press, 1994
Koch, A. 'International Competitiveness and the Competencebased
Theory of Competition', Third International workshop on
the Competence-based Competition. Ghent, November 1995
Porter, M. Competitive Advantage Free Press, 1985
Porter, M. Competitive Advantage of Nations MacMillan Press,
1990
B. Sanchez, R., Heene, A., and Thomas, H. Towards the Theory and
Practice of Competence-based Compehtion London, Elsevier, 1996
BM603 Business Policy
2 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: Business Policy
is taken in the final semester of the Graduate Diploma in
Business Administration Assessment: group, individual
A subject in the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration
0 biectives
This subject is studied in the context of a dynamic global
environment of social and technological change. All basic
business skills must be integrated for strategic planning and
the other GDBA subjects will thus be utilised.
Specific objectives of this subject are:
to introduce the strategic planning process and the range
of techniques used in business planning;
to develop skills in using a variety of frameworks for
making strategic decisions;
to emphasise the importance of the current
development phase of the industry in which an
enterprise operates as a basis for appropriate strategy
development;
to develop skills in organising for effective business
planning and for the implementation of the business
planning process.
Content
Topics to be covered include:
the nature of corporate objectives, hierarchy and
conflict of objectives, personal dimensions of objectives,
management by objectives;
analytical frameworks for business planning and their
bearing on the content of business plans and the process
of planning;
defining the business, the central strategic issue of 'What
business are we in!';
the search for opportunity including scenario analysis;
industries and their evolution: competitive advantage;
planning for entry into new industries and new markets;
the business plan.
Recommended reading
Details will be provided at the first session
BM606 Marketing Research Methods
2 hours per week Hawthorn Prerequisite: BQSOO Research
Methodology, BMSOl Marketing Management 1 or equivalent
subjects Assessment: To be advised.
A subject in the Graduate Diploma in Market Modelling
Objectives and Content
This subject introduces the theory and practice of research
in a marketing environment. Students will be instructed in
using appropriate research methods and techniques to
provide information for marketing decision-making. The
importance of research to strategic and tactical problems
will be emphasised.
Topics to be covered are: the importance of research to
marketing; the research brief and proposal; defining the
marketing research problem; specifying research objectives;
determining the research design; information sources;
qualitative research; quantitative data collection methods;
measurement and scaling procedures; sample designs; field
work and data collection; data analysis; report preparation
and result presentation.
Recommended reading
Details will be provided at the first lecture.