ØAO016 Strategy and Business Development

Contents and structure

The course will introduce students to elementary strategic perspectives and strategic analyses. Students of the course will gain knowledge about strategic methods and develop an understanding for strategic thinking. Further, the course will introduce students to the basics in business development.

Students will work in groups and solve two compulsory assignments and one term paper. Through these assignments the students will practice how to apply the knowledge, skills and general competencies described below.

Learning Outcome

Students having completed and passed the course will have gained the knowledge, skills and general competencies described below:

Knowledge

• Insight into various strategic issues and questions.
• Insight into various requirements for strategic decision making, and how these are influenced by internal and external factors, including issues like sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and ethics.
• Knowledge regarding various strategic approaches based on external and internal analyses.
• An understanding for how business development relates to other subject areas like for example financial management, logistics, organizational theory, and marketing.
• An understanding for how strategy and business development relates and are influenced by internal and external factors.
• Knowledge into how to identify possibilities for business development, and how to facilitate and exploits such possibilities.

Skills:

• Be able to formulate a vision and a business idea for a company.
• Be able to carry out a strategic analysis of a company (internal and external) and be able to discuss how insights from such an analysis influence the choice and implementation of a strategy.
• Be able to identify and analyze strategic elements important for an organization’s long-term ability for value creation.
• Identify a company’s business idea and business model, important internal and external challenges for the company, factors that are important for the company’s value creation, and the company’s value configuration.
• Identify and discuss issues and questions regarding strategic choices and operationalization of strategy related to topics such as sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and ethics.

General competencies:

• Understand the importance of strategy for the continued operation of a company.
• Ability to critically reflect on the topics covered in the course.
• Ability to present and analyze the subject matter of the course, both in writing and verbally.

Entry requirements

None

Recommended previous knowledge

Knowledge of basic marketing (e.g., BØA116) and basic organizational theory (e.g., BØA112). Some knowledge in social economics and business economics is an advantage.

Teaching methods

Lectures, group work, and practical assignments.

Compulsory learning activities

To be allowed to submit the term paper, the following two assignments must be approved:

1. One written group assignment.
2. One written or oral group assignment to be presented to the class.

Compulsory learning activities are valid for the 3 following terms.

Assessment

Group term paper (100 % of final grade)

Grade scale A-F, where F is failed.

Examination support material

All

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