What you will study
This module aims for you to develop a deep understanding of effective strategic management in business and public services. The different examples presented across the units as well as activities that we have designed, will enhance your learning through application to real-world situations. In addition, two course-long case studies in video form featuring IKEA and the European Training Foundation will help you consolidate your understanding of how strategy works in practice.
Unit 1: Introduction to strategy
This provides an overview of concepts such as strategy, vision, mission, stakeholder management and non-market strategy. Additionally, you'll be introduced to the concept of purpose and the different types of business and public organisations that exist so that you can understand their aims and ways of measuring their performance (financial and non-financial). The unit also includes a session explaining the pressures on managers to integrate additional social and environmental issues into their organisational strategies.
Unit 2: Strategic analysis
This will teach you how to conduct external and internal strategic analyses, both in businesses and the public sectors. You'll explore concepts such as five forces, strategic groups, value chains as well as organisational capabilities. Building on Unit 1, you'll also learn how to analyse financial and non-financial indicators of organisational performance.
Unit 3: Strategic decision-making
This introduces you to how different organisations develop strategic options and choose between them, both at headquarters and unit level. You'll also learn the role that managers play in making these decisions. The unit places a special emphasis on the internationalisation of firms, which constitutes a key decision in the current business world. Consistent with prior units, it also explores the peculiarities of decision-making in the context of public services.
Unit 4: Strategy in action
This focuses on the implementation of strategic choices, devoting special attention to organisational structure and culture and the barriers that may unfold during this phase. You'll also learn about the importance and practice of change management. The unit addresses innovation in its broadest sense, including technological innovation, process innovation and management innovation, and its links to organisational strategies. There will also be a discussion about cutting-edge organisational structures and practices such as holacracy and the Rendanheyi model.
The module comprises 19 study weeks, and you will be required to study for 14-15 hours per week for six months.
Vocational relevance
The module is designed for professionals from a wide range of contexts and backgrounds who need to actively engage with the challenges of contemporary management, develop their management skills and knowledge of management frameworks, theories and tools and use these appropriately in order to make a real difference in their own practice.
Residential school
Satisfactory participation in the compulsory residential school is required. It is an opportunity to get a holistic view of the module, interact with other managers and tutors, and work in small groups. There will also be a session to engage you in developing soft skills. The residential school is offered face-to-face and online. In the intensive face-to-face and online school you should expect to spend 6 to 8 hours a day on tasks and activities, while if you opt for the less intensive 14-day online version you should expect to spend about 90 minutes a day on tasks and activities.
Please note that the schools usually take place in study weeks 15-18. That means if you start this module in November, the school is likely to be in February to early March. If you start in May, the school will be August to early September. (Dates are subject to change).
Entry
This is a compulsory module in our MBA and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration programmes. It can only be studied after successfully completing the first two modules Managing in a changing world (B870) and Creating and sustaining value (B872).
This is also an optional module in our MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Systems Thinking in Practice programmes. To study either of these, you should normally hold a UK bachelors degree, or equivalent.
Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum overall score of 6 and minimum score of 5.5 in each of the four components: reading, writing, speaking and listening under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see the IELTS website for details.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
Your learning will take place within a tutor-facilitated group of approximately 20 students. Your tutor is responsible for providing individual tuition, professional advice and support, mentoring, assessment and regular feedback on your performance throughout the module. You will learn by working with your group and individually online in structured activities supported by a wide range of resources, including a specially designed Reader and a world-class online library. Activities generally require online participation over two to six-week periods and contribute to your reflective practice and your assessment.
Contact us if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details can be found in the facts box.
Tutor-marked assignments are scheduled at regular intervals (approximately every six weeks) throughout the module and are based on your work during the relevant block. Extensive guidance is given on all assignments submitted.