Foundations of Strategy
1st Canadian Edition
ST
INSTRUCTOR’S
UV
IA
MANUAL
_A
Robert Grant
PP
Judith Jordan
Phil Walsh
RO
Comprehensive Instructor’s Manual for
VE
Instructors and Students
D?
© Robert Grant, Judith Jordan & Phil Walsh. All rights reserved. Reproduction or
distribution without permission is prohibited.
©MedConnoisseur
, Instructor Manual for
Foundations of
ST
Strategy, 1st
UV
Canadian Edition, 1e
Robert Grant, Judith
IA
Jordan, Phil Walsh
_A
(All Chapters)
PP
RO
VE
D?
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
, Chapter 1
THE CONCEPT OF STRATEGY
INTRODUCTION
The major goal of this first class in strategy is to convey an appreciation of what strategy is,
by introducing students to a range of different perspectives and to some of the key debates
ST
in this field of study.
The principal themes that we emphasise are:
• The contribution of strategy to the success of individuals and organizations;
• The origins and lineage of strategy – the ways in which ideas about ‘strategy’ have
UV
developed over time;
• Key questions and debates in strategy which include:
• What is strategy?
• How do we describe a firm’s strategy?
• How do we identify a firm’s strategy?
• How is strategy made? Design versus emergence
IA
• What roles does strategy perform?
• Strategy: in whose interest? Shareholders versus stakeholders
• Strategy: whose interests should be prioritized?
• Profit and purpose;
_A
• The debate over corporate social responsibility;
• Strategic management of not-for-profit organizations.
LECTURE/INSTRUCTOR-LED ACTIVITY
PP
There are a number of different ways of introducing strategy but the main aim is to get
students engaged and reflecting critically on the material from the start. We outline two
approaches that seem to work well. Which one is adopted depends to a large extent on the
nature and size of the student group as well as the instructor’s individual preference. The
first approach is to start the session by asking students to write down what they understand
RO
by the term ‘strategy’ i.e., how they interpret the term in everyday speech. They are then
asked to work in pairs or small groups comparing their different statements. The instructor
invites selected groups to share their thoughts with the whole class and builds up a list of
key terms associated with ‘strategy’. Students tend to define strategy in terms of plans,
routes to achieving goals, competitive tactics, and so on. Distilling points of similarity and
difference between different students’ commonsense understandings leads nicely into a
VE
discussion of the history of strategy and the way different perspectives on strategy have
emerged over time. It also highlights the fact that there is no universally agreed definition of
strategy and that the perspective or definition that you adopt shapes the questions you ask
and the role you think strategy plays within business organizations. This acts as a logical
bridge to the next step of the session that looks more systematically at different definitions of
D?
strategy and the role that strategy plays within organizations.
An alternative starting point which tends to work well with large groups of undergraduates in
a lecture setting is to start with a discussion of what students had hoped to achieve by
completing their studies; when they first began attending university what did they hope to
specialize in? This is followed by a discussion of any changes in their area of interest or
specialization. Perhaps a student had entered school with goal of becoming an accountant.
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Unauthorized copying, distribution, or transmission of this page is prohibited
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
, 1-6 Instructor’s Manual for Foundations of Strategy, Canadian Edition
Then, after a few courses in accounting, the student changed their goal to become a finance
major. The instructor can then lead a discussion of strategy versus tactics. Initially, the
“strategy”, the long term goal, was to get a degree in Accounting. The tactics were to take a
number of accounting courses each year leading to an Accounting degree. When the
student changed their mind to become a finance major, the strategy was similar with regards
to obtaining a degree but in a different area of specialization. The tactics changed as a
different set of courses were required to achieve the objective. If a former student they knew
dropped out of school, that student abandoned their initial strategy in its entirety to pursue
other options.
ST
This leads to a discussion of the role that strategy plays in success and some of the key
characteristics of strategy.
Having, hopefully, captured the student’s attention, the session proceeds by posing some
fundamental questions, in particular:
UV
1. How does strategy contribute to the success of individuals and organizations?
2. What is strategy?
3. How do we describe a firm’s strategy?
4. How do we identify a firm’s strategy?
5. What roles does strategy perform?
6. Strategy: whose interests should be prioritized?
IA
7. The debate over corporate social responsibility;
8. Strategic management of not-for-profit organizations.
It is worthwhile spending a little time on questions 3 and 4 particularly if, at a later stage in
_A
the course, students are asked to undertake assignment work that requires them to gather
information of selected companies. Many students find the notion of ‘strategy’ hard to get to
grips with initially, so the more concrete examples that can be given at the start, the better.
Concluding the first session by connecting ‘strategy’ to topical debate about shareholder
capitalism and corporate social responsibility alerts students to the currency and importance
of the subject matter to which they will be introduced in subsequent sessions. It also creates
PP
the opportunity for the instructor to provide a road map for subsequent classes and to
explain how themes introduced in this first session are subsequently picked up and
developed in more detail. At the end of the class the instructor might ask students to reflect
on their own goals and strategies for success, particularly given the rather turbulent
economic conditions most economies have faced in recent years.
RO
TUTORIAL/STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY
Teaching Notes
VE
At the start of the course it is good for students to get to know each other by working in small
groups. The instructor can either assign individuals to groups or allow them to self-select.
Students discuss the questions within their work groups and then engage in a general class
discussion, with groups taking it in turns to lead the initial discussion.
The following are a selection of group activities and questions that can be discussed using
D?
Chapter 1 Power Point slides as a basis:
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Unauthorized copying, distribution, or transmission of this page is prohibited
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
1st Canadian Edition
ST
INSTRUCTOR’S
UV
IA
MANUAL
_A
Robert Grant
PP
Judith Jordan
Phil Walsh
RO
Comprehensive Instructor’s Manual for
VE
Instructors and Students
D?
© Robert Grant, Judith Jordan & Phil Walsh. All rights reserved. Reproduction or
distribution without permission is prohibited.
©MedConnoisseur
, Instructor Manual for
Foundations of
ST
Strategy, 1st
UV
Canadian Edition, 1e
Robert Grant, Judith
IA
Jordan, Phil Walsh
_A
(All Chapters)
PP
RO
VE
D?
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
, Chapter 1
THE CONCEPT OF STRATEGY
INTRODUCTION
The major goal of this first class in strategy is to convey an appreciation of what strategy is,
by introducing students to a range of different perspectives and to some of the key debates
ST
in this field of study.
The principal themes that we emphasise are:
• The contribution of strategy to the success of individuals and organizations;
• The origins and lineage of strategy – the ways in which ideas about ‘strategy’ have
UV
developed over time;
• Key questions and debates in strategy which include:
• What is strategy?
• How do we describe a firm’s strategy?
• How do we identify a firm’s strategy?
• How is strategy made? Design versus emergence
IA
• What roles does strategy perform?
• Strategy: in whose interest? Shareholders versus stakeholders
• Strategy: whose interests should be prioritized?
• Profit and purpose;
_A
• The debate over corporate social responsibility;
• Strategic management of not-for-profit organizations.
LECTURE/INSTRUCTOR-LED ACTIVITY
PP
There are a number of different ways of introducing strategy but the main aim is to get
students engaged and reflecting critically on the material from the start. We outline two
approaches that seem to work well. Which one is adopted depends to a large extent on the
nature and size of the student group as well as the instructor’s individual preference. The
first approach is to start the session by asking students to write down what they understand
RO
by the term ‘strategy’ i.e., how they interpret the term in everyday speech. They are then
asked to work in pairs or small groups comparing their different statements. The instructor
invites selected groups to share their thoughts with the whole class and builds up a list of
key terms associated with ‘strategy’. Students tend to define strategy in terms of plans,
routes to achieving goals, competitive tactics, and so on. Distilling points of similarity and
difference between different students’ commonsense understandings leads nicely into a
VE
discussion of the history of strategy and the way different perspectives on strategy have
emerged over time. It also highlights the fact that there is no universally agreed definition of
strategy and that the perspective or definition that you adopt shapes the questions you ask
and the role you think strategy plays within business organizations. This acts as a logical
bridge to the next step of the session that looks more systematically at different definitions of
D?
strategy and the role that strategy plays within organizations.
An alternative starting point which tends to work well with large groups of undergraduates in
a lecture setting is to start with a discussion of what students had hoped to achieve by
completing their studies; when they first began attending university what did they hope to
specialize in? This is followed by a discussion of any changes in their area of interest or
specialization. Perhaps a student had entered school with goal of becoming an accountant.
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Unauthorized copying, distribution, or transmission of this page is prohibited
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
, 1-6 Instructor’s Manual for Foundations of Strategy, Canadian Edition
Then, after a few courses in accounting, the student changed their goal to become a finance
major. The instructor can then lead a discussion of strategy versus tactics. Initially, the
“strategy”, the long term goal, was to get a degree in Accounting. The tactics were to take a
number of accounting courses each year leading to an Accounting degree. When the
student changed their mind to become a finance major, the strategy was similar with regards
to obtaining a degree but in a different area of specialization. The tactics changed as a
different set of courses were required to achieve the objective. If a former student they knew
dropped out of school, that student abandoned their initial strategy in its entirety to pursue
other options.
ST
This leads to a discussion of the role that strategy plays in success and some of the key
characteristics of strategy.
Having, hopefully, captured the student’s attention, the session proceeds by posing some
fundamental questions, in particular:
UV
1. How does strategy contribute to the success of individuals and organizations?
2. What is strategy?
3. How do we describe a firm’s strategy?
4. How do we identify a firm’s strategy?
5. What roles does strategy perform?
6. Strategy: whose interests should be prioritized?
IA
7. The debate over corporate social responsibility;
8. Strategic management of not-for-profit organizations.
It is worthwhile spending a little time on questions 3 and 4 particularly if, at a later stage in
_A
the course, students are asked to undertake assignment work that requires them to gather
information of selected companies. Many students find the notion of ‘strategy’ hard to get to
grips with initially, so the more concrete examples that can be given at the start, the better.
Concluding the first session by connecting ‘strategy’ to topical debate about shareholder
capitalism and corporate social responsibility alerts students to the currency and importance
of the subject matter to which they will be introduced in subsequent sessions. It also creates
PP
the opportunity for the instructor to provide a road map for subsequent classes and to
explain how themes introduced in this first session are subsequently picked up and
developed in more detail. At the end of the class the instructor might ask students to reflect
on their own goals and strategies for success, particularly given the rather turbulent
economic conditions most economies have faced in recent years.
RO
TUTORIAL/STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY
Teaching Notes
VE
At the start of the course it is good for students to get to know each other by working in small
groups. The instructor can either assign individuals to groups or allow them to self-select.
Students discuss the questions within their work groups and then engage in a general class
discussion, with groups taking it in turns to lead the initial discussion.
The following are a selection of group activities and questions that can be discussed using
D?
Chapter 1 Power Point slides as a basis:
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Unauthorized copying, distribution, or transmission of this page is prohibited
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
