Fluent Essays

The coursework requires you to create a 10 to 15-minutes video in length and a reflective document summarising the competitive strategy lessons you or the group has learnt from undertaking it. You will be marked on the content of your video and reflective document, as well as your ability to present the evidence effectively and in a coherent manner. The coursework is due on 27 October 2021 before 12pm (UK), 3pm (Dubai) and 7pm (Malaysia). You can complete this coursework either as an individual or within a group. Groups are self-selected and will be no larger than four people. You can self-select groups by using the people menu within Canvas. Students entering the course after the 1st of October will automatically complete the coursework as an individual. If you are working in a group, just one group member needs to upload the video assignment and the reflective document onto Microsoft Stream and Canvas platform respectively. The following companies and their associated product lines/ranges will be the focus of your coursework, so please select one. Dubai Shiseido and the Dubai market for cosmetics Huawei P40 Pro in the Dubai market for smartphones Apple’s iPhone 12 and the Dubai smartphone market Lamborghini range and the Dubai market for luxury cars Volkswagen Tiguan and Dubai market for C-segment or family SUV vehicles Al Maya and Dubai market for retail groceries NEXT and the Dubai market for men’s clothing Kashkha and the Dubai market for women’s clothing Du and the Dubai market for mobile phone network providers Please note that you are free to change the company and market focus for the above listed companies. However, please email John Sanders or your campus course leader if you want to choose another company and product line/range outside those listed. The reason for obtaining clearance is to make sure that your company possesses sufficient information to put together a viable piece of coursework. Coursework Requirements Please follow the steps outlined below to make sure your video contains the correct information for examining the challenges and strategic options confronting your selected company and its product line or range.  Place group member names and matriculation numbers on a title slide at the beginning of your video. Just provide very brief background information about the company and a description of its product line or range that is being investigated. Determine the competitive stance for the product line or range you are investigating. Please provide a rationale for your choice of competitive stance(s) based upon evidence gathered from industry sources, quotes, video clips from the company or YouTube etc. Employ PESTEL Analysis to determine country-specific and world-wide trends affecting your company and its product line/range. You won’t be able to mention everything, so identify and prioritise the trends you think are going to be the most important/challenging in the short to medium term (i.e. within the next 1 to 5 years). This analysis will help the group to determine the market conditions confronting the company. Make sure you take into account the affects the trends will have on the company’s competitive stance for the particular product line or range being investigated, i.e. pricing, costs, suppliers etc. There is no need to tell the viewer the purpose of PESTEL Analysis, take it for read he or she knows this already. Prepare two strategic group maps. Ideally, the first map should employ product quality and pricing policy to identify your company’s position within the marketplace. These two axes have been selected, because they mirror what most people perceive (strategy scholars in particular) to be the primary dimensions of how companies compete against their rivals. This map should identify your company’s main competitors as well. This mapping exercise will clarify whether there is a match between the company’s desired competitive stance for its product or range and its actual position in the minds of others like customers. Please state in the video why this is a favourable or unfavourable comparison for the company’s product or range being investigated. For example, if it is an unfavourable match, this would suggest that the company needs to take further actions to either strengthen its position (increase or change its advertising, introduce quality improvements, increase R&D expenditure etc) or maybe drastically change competitive stance. The second map should employ other variables for its axis to determine other differences or similarities between your company and its rivals. Like the first map, you should discuss what the map reveals about your company’s product or ranges compared to the competition. It may provide clues for further actions that need to be undertaken by the company going forward.  For both maps, please inform the marker within the video the source of the data used for each axis, if possible, rather than employing your own subjective opinion. Determine the competitive conditions confronting your company’s product or range by performing a Porter’s Five forces for the particular market being investigated. Please make sure you that in the main you are examining the local market context, however, often the factors affecting each force are determined internationally rather than locally, so let the marker know if this is the case. Please for this analysis just present your key findings, don’t discuss everything you discover! Just what you think are the most important factors affecting each force in detail. This also means it is okay to ignore the forces you don’t think are significant and just describe the ones that you do. However, please state briefly in the video why you have ignored any forces. From the above PESTEL Analysis, Strategic Group Mapping and 5 Forces Analysis you should now assess whether the company should grow, retrench, or consolidate the company’s product line or range investigated. Explain the reasoning behind your choices based on the analysis performed. If you select growth, which most of you will do, it can be approached from four different perspectives as described by Ansoff’s Growth Matrix. According to Ansoff’s Growth Matrix, company growth can be achieved by using four tactics. These tactics are market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. Your task is to determine which one of these tactics, or combination, should be employed by the company. Further information about market penetration, market development, product development and diversification can be read on pages 238 to 242 and 256 to 258 of Whittington, R. Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases,(12th ed.), Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited (i.e., the required textbook). According to your findings explain whether the current competitive stance of your company’s product or range should be changed, maintained, or abandoned all together? Please note that it takes many years to establish a company’s reputation and build the necessary resources and competences to compete in a particular way, so a competitive stance should not be abandoned lightly. To complement the video, you should construct a 300-word reflective summary document discussing the competitive strategy lessons you or the group collectively learnt from analysing a company’s product line or product range for a particular market. For example, the content of the reflective summary might explain how the video assignment improved your own or the group’s understanding of the subject area in general and/or the employment of analytical techniques particularly. The individual or group can also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of how the coursework was planned and implemented – what would the individual or group do better in the future. It might also discuss how easy or challenging it was working in a group if this was how the coursework was completed. The reflective document should include your name and ID or in the case of a group the names of all those involved and their IDs. You should paste the shared video link obtained from Microsoft Stream to your reflective document as well. You should also place a list of any references used in the video at the end of the reflective document rather than within the video. Finally, please upload your reflective document to Canvas. Further details about creating and submitting your video and reflective document will be discussed in the course online live learning sessions. Remember your coursework should be uploaded to Canvas and Microsoft Stream on the 27 October 2021 before 12pm (UK), 3pm (Dubai) and 7pm (Malaysia). C11CS Competitive Strategy Course Handbook 2021/22 Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 1 1. Introduction The Competitive Strategy course aims to equip students with the core concepts, frameworks, and techniques of competitive strategy. Students armed with this knowledge and ideas will better understand what managers must do to make an organization achieve superior performance. Competitive strategy is concerned about running an organisation, i.e. how to plan, manage, lead and organise its activities to take advantage of market and industry opportunities. It provides the direction and purpose for an organisation. The course videos and learning materials using various frameworks and concepts will examine and evaluate companies in domestic and international markets, employing a range of technologies, and operating within various regulatory and environmental constraints. During the course students will learn how to analyse company strategies; they will also learn via the tools of strategic analysis, how to evaluate strategic options and how to formulate an effective strategy for implementation. The course’s objectives are to: 1. Understand the theoretical and practical issues involved in employing competitive strategy concepts in organisations. 2. Critically evaluate a number of widely used conceptual frameworks which will be of immediate and real value in future careers. 2. Learning Outcomes On completion of this course you will be able to: Subject mastery 1. Understand the integrative nature of competitive strategy. 2. Adeptly utilise and apply the competitive strategy tools and knowledge in a practical or academic context through the use of global case studies. 3. Systematically and critically examine the effectiveness of the key competitive strategy conceptual frameworks / models of analysis. 4. Identify and evaluate the role of organisational design and organisational culture in shaping strategy and organisational performance. Personal abilities 1. Develop analytical and problem-solving skills appropriate for a variety of subject and non- subject specific contexts. 2. Develop a capacity to explain strategic analysis and justify strategic choices in a coherent manner. 3. Develop independent working skills. 4. Develop communication skills, report writing. Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 2 The Global Teaching Team This course is offered by staff located in Dubai, Edinburgh and Malaysia. Campus Role Name Email Virtual Office Hour (local time*) Edinburgh Global Course Leader John Sanders [email protected] 11.00am Monday GMT Tutor Stephen Bernard [email protected] Course Leader Asraf Raouf [email protected] Malaysia Course Leader Shaharudin Yunus [email protected] 10.00am Tuesday 3. Course Structure This course is divided into 11 weekly learning themes or topics, each of these themes or topics is accompanied by a series of recorded videos and learning materials. These videos and learning materials will be available to all students across the campuses. A live online learning session each week for one-hour duration will occur in Edinburgh to support these resources. These sessions will give you an opportunity to ask questions and undertake some activities and exercises with John Sanders, the Global Course leader. In addition, the Edinburgh students will have an opportunity to attend either a weekly live online or face-to-face tutorial starting in week 4 and finishing in week 10 to explore theories and concepts in more detail. Dubai and Malaysia will deliver their learning sessions in a slightly different manner. For example, in Malaysia, learning sessions and tutorials will be delivered in a three-hour block each week and simultaneously employ both face to face and online lectures. While Dubai will deliver learning in two-hour blocks each week. The respective Dubai and Malaysia course leaders will provide students from these campuses with more information about how their learning sessions will be delivered. Furthermore, a course management system called Canvas will support the delivery of course learning materials and guide your progress. It allows teaching staff to post marks, information, and assignments online. It is used by universities and colleges all over the world. Reading Week: Week 6 is reserved as a reading week free of any timetabled sessions across all SoSS courses. You should use this time to catch up with online learning materials and wider reading. This will also give you time to prepare coursework. mailto:[email protected] Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 3 4. Teaching Schedule Learning sessions. In Edinburgh, there will be 11 live timetabled online learning sessions of one hour each. These will occur on Mondays at 9am (see the detailed schedule in Section 7 of this course handbook). Tutorials: In Edinburgh, accompanying the above online learning sessions will be two timetabled interactive tutorial sessions starting in Week 4. These sessions are voluntary and will be one hour in duration. One of these sessions will be face-to-face, while the other will be an online live session. You are required to sign up to the face-to-face session if you wish to attend it, as spaces will be limited due to social distancing rules. The tutorials will utilise case studies to explore theories and concepts discussed during course learning sessions. 5. Course Assessment Assessment on this course is designed to test your achievement of the learning outcomes listed on page 1. You will be assessed using the following assessment types: • Individual/Group Coursework (50\% of course mark) This coursework involves the creation of a 10 to 15-minutes video in length and a reflective document summarising the competitive strategy lessons the group or you as an individual learnt from undertaking it. You will be marked on the content of your video and the reflective document, as well as your ability to present the evidence effectively and in a coherent manner. The learning outcomes of this piece of work will assess all the personal ability and subject mastery items except number 4 detailed on page 1. The marking rubric or criteria for this coursework can be found on page 8 of this course handbook. It can also be found in the Assignments menu area within the Canvas course. Support to complete this piece of coursework will be provided during the recorded videos, tutorials and in the learning materials within Canvas. • Take-Home-Exam (50\% of course mark) The Take-Home exam will be made up of two sections and each one will contain a different business case study to analysis and discuss. The exam case studies will be drawn from newspaper articles and will be roughly 1 to 3 pages in length. After reading each case study you will need to answer two or three questions using your knowledge of course concepts and frameworks. These questions require you to analyse and discuss a case study using concepts or techniques from the course. Some questions may also require you to comment on a companys past strategic decisions or what action it should take going forward based on your analysis. All course learning outcomes are appropriate for the Take-Home examination. Word limits will be set for each question to ensure that you do not spend too much time and effort on them. The Take-Home examination will be delivered in an online format (dates will be released later in the semester by the School Office). You will have 24 hours to complete the exam. Detailed guidelines Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 4 on the Take-Home examination, what it involves and how to access the exam paper and upload your final answers will be provided by the University later in the course. Will I get feedback on my exam? Individual feedback on your exam performance is not routinely provided. However, if you have failed the exam or performed below your expectation, then you can contact the course leader to book an appointment within 3 weeks of the exam marks being released. During your appointment you will receive verbal feedback. Individual/Group Coursework The coursework requires you to create a 10 to 15-minutes video in length and a reflective document summarising the competitive strategy lessons you or the group has learnt from undertaking it. You will be marked on the content of your video and reflective document, as well as your ability to present the evidence effectively and in a coherent manner. The coursework is due on 27 October 2021 before 12pm (UK), 3pm (Dubai) and 7pm (Malaysia). • You can complete this coursework either as an individual or within a group. • Groups are self-selected and will be no larger than four people. You can self-select groups by using the people menu within Canvas. • Students entering the course after the 1st of October will automatically complete the coursework as an individual. • If you are working in a group, just one group member needs to upload the video assignment and the reflective document onto Microsoft Stream and Canvas platform respectively. The following companies and their associated product lines/ranges will be the focus of your coursework, so please select one. United Kingdom • Google’s Nest Hello doorbell and the UK market for smart doorbells • Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G smartphone and the UK market for premium smartphones • Richer Sounds and the UK market for electronic home appliances • John Lewis and the UK market for electronic home appliances • Volkswagen ID.3 and UK market for C-segment or small family passenger vehicles • Giffgaff and the UK market for mobile phone providers • Virgin Media and UK market for broadband providers • Scottish Power and UK market for gas and electricity energy providers • Ocado and the UK market for online supermarket providers • Morrison’s and the UK market for retail groceries • Renault Zoe and the UK market for B-segment or small passenger vehicles • Jet2Hoildays and the UK market for package holidays • Apple AirPods and UK market for in-ear headphones • Lenovo Tab M8 FHD and the UK market for tablets under £200 • AA and the UK market for automobile breakdowns • Tesla Model 3 in the UK market for D-segment or large family passenger vehicles • Max Factor and the UK market for cosmetics • Café Nero and the UK retail market for takeaway coffee Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 5 • River Island and the UK retail market for women’s clothing • Specsavers and UK market for High Street Opticians • Apple MacBook Pro and the UK market for premium and mid-range laptops Dubai • Shiseido and the Dubai market for cosmetics • Huawei P40 Pro in the Dubai market for smartphones • Apple’s iPhone 12 and the Dubai smartphone market • Lamborghini range and the Dubai market for luxury cars • Volkswagen Tiguan and Dubai market for C-segment or family SUV vehicles • Al Maya and Dubai market for retail groceries • NEXT and the Dubai market for men’s clothing • Kashkha and the Dubai market for women’s clothing • Du and the Dubai market for mobile phone network providers Malaysia • NITA Cosmetics and the Malaysian market for cosmetics • Huawei P40 Pro in the Malaysian market for smartphones • Econsave and the Malaysian market for retail groceries • Proton X50 and the Malaysian market for B segment or small SUV vehicles • H&M and the Malaysian market for women’s clothing • Perodua Ativa and the Malaysian market for B segment or small SUV vehicles • Harvey Norman and the retail market for home appliances in Malaysia • Maxis and the Malaysian market for mobile phone providers • Eclipse and the Malaysian market for women’s clothing Please note that you are free to change the company and market focus for the above listed companies. However, please email John Sanders or your campus course leader if you want to choose another company and product line/range outside those listed. The reason for obtaining clearance is to make sure that your company possesses sufficient information to put together a viable piece of coursework. Coursework Requirements Please follow the steps outlined below to make sure your video contains the correct information for examining the challenges and strategic options confronting your selected company and its product line or range. 1. Place group member names and matriculation numbers on a title slide at the beginning of your video. 2. Just provide very brief background information about the company and a description of its product line or range that is being investigated. Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 6 3. Determine the competitive stance for the product line or range you are investigating. Please provide a rationale for your choice of competitive stance(s) based upon evidence gathered from industry sources, quotes, video clips from the company or YouTube etc. 4. Employ PESTEL Analysis to determine country-specific and world-wide trends affecting your company and its product line/range. You won’t be able to mention everything, so identify and prioritise the trends you think are going to be the most important/challenging in the short to medium term (i.e. within the next 1 to 5 years). This analysis will help the group to determine the market conditions confronting the company. Make sure you take into account the affects the trends will have on the company’s competitive stance for the particular product line or range being investigated, i.e. pricing, costs, suppliers etc. There is no need to tell the viewer the purpose of PESTEL Analysis, take it for read he or she knows this already. 5. Prepare two strategic group maps. Ideally, the first map should employ product quality and pricing policy to identify your company’s position within the marketplace. These two axes have been selected, because they mirror what most people perceive (strategy scholars in particular) to be the primary dimensions of how companies compete against their rivals. This map should identify your company’s main competitors as well. This mapping exercise will clarify whether there is a match between the company’s desired competitive stance for its product or range and its actual position in the minds of others like customers. Please state in the video why this is a favourable or unfavourable comparison for the company’s product or range being investigated. For example, if it is an unfavourable match, this would suggest that the company needs to take further actions to either strengthen its position (increase or change its advertising, introduce quality improvements, increase R&D expenditure etc) or maybe drastically change competitive stance. The second map should employ other variables for its axis to determine other differences or similarities between your company and its rivals. Like the first map, you should discuss what the map reveals about your company’s product or ranges compared to the competition. It may provide clues for further actions that need to be undertaken by the company going forward. For both maps, please inform the marker within the video the source of the data used for each axis, if possible, rather than employing your own subjective opinion. 6. Determine the competitive conditions confronting your company’s product or range by performing a Porter’s Five forces for the particular market being investigated. Please make sure you that in the main you are examining the local market context, however, often the factors affecting each force are determined internationally rather than locally, so let the marker know if this is the case. Please for this analysis just present your key findings, don’t discuss everything you discover! Just what you think are the most important factors affecting each force in detail. This also means it is okay to ignore the forces you don’t think are significant and just describe the ones that you do. However, please state briefly in the video why you have ignored any forces. Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 7 7. From the above PESTEL Analysis, Strategic Group Mapping and 5 Forces Analysis you should now assess whether the company should grow, retrench, or consolidate the company’s product line or range investigated. Explain the reasoning behind your choices based on the analysis performed. If you select growth, which most of you will do, it can be approached from four different perspectives as described by Ansoff’s Growth Matrix. 8. According to Ansoff’s Growth Matrix, company growth can be achieved by using four tactics. These tactics are market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. Your task is to determine which one of these tactics, or combination, should be employed by the company. Further information about market penetration, market development, product development and diversification can be read on pages 238 to 242 and 256 to 258 of Whittington, R. Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, (12th ed.), Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited (i.e., the required textbook). 9. According to your findings explain whether the current competitive stance of your company’s product or range should be changed, maintained, or abandoned all together? Please note that it takes many years to establish a company’s reputation and build the necessary resources and competences to compete in a particular way, so a competitive stance should not be abandoned lightly. 10. To complement the video, you should construct a 300-word reflective summary document discussing the competitive strategy lessons you or the group collectively learnt from analysing a company’s product line or product range for a particular market. For example, the content of the reflective summary might explain how the video assignment improved your own or the group’s understanding of the subject area in general and/or the employment of analytical techniques particularly. The individual or group can also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of how the coursework was planned and implemented – what would the individual or group do better in the future. It might also discuss how easy or challenging it was working in a group if this was how the coursework was completed. 11. The reflective document should include your name and ID or in the case of a group the names of all those involved and their IDs. 12. You should paste the shared video link obtained from Microsoft Stream to your reflective document as well. 13. You should also place a list of any references used in the video at the end of the reflective document rather than within the video. 14. Finally, please upload your reflective document to Canvas. Further details about creating and submitting your video and reflective document will be discussed in the course online live learning sessions. Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 8 Remember your coursework should be uploaded to Canvas and Microsoft Stream on the 27 October 2021 before 12pm (UK), 3pm (Dubai) and 7pm (Malaysia). The Video Coursework Rubric Submission of Coursework. An electronic PDF or Word file of your coursework MUST be submitted to the correct Assignment link via the Assignments menu area in Canvas. Turnitin will be used as the actual date stamp of submission. No hard copy of your work is required even if you are based on campus. Will I get feedback on my coursework? Yes, you will receive general class feedback and individual or group feedback. Class feedback on the assessment, highlighting general strengths and weaknesses, will be provided in a recorded feedback session that will be uploaded to the Category Fail Satisfactory Good Very Good Excellent Introduction No introduction provided. The introduction only vaguely orientates the viewer to what will follow. The introduction is clear and coherent and evokes moderate interest/response from the viewer. The introduction is well- defined and induces a high level of interest from the viewer. The introduction is motivating and hooks the viewer from the beginning. Content about the company Company knowledge is poorly expressed. Information is confusing, incorrect, or flawed. No real analysis of the company and its marketplace. The viewer is unsure what the message is because there is little persuasive information. Information may be incorrect, out of date, or incomplete. No supporting evidence included. Adequate company knowledge is evident. However, information is generally just identifying unsupported ideas, i.e. most of the video is opinion. Weak analysis of the company and its marketplace. Some of the supporting information does not seem to be relevant. Includes few sources of evidence and few facts. Broad knowledge of the market conditions confronting the company’s product/range is evident in much of the video, but not complete. Most information is clear, appropriate, and correct, but maybe some confusion in parts. Reasonable statements but not well supported by evidence. Company knowledge is largely thorough and accurate in most of the video. Most information is logically presented and persuasive. The content includes a clear point of view with a progression of ideas and supporting information. Includes a number of properly cited sources of evidence. Company knowledge is evident throughout the video. All information is clear, appropriate and correct. A variety of supporting information in the video contributes to a rich understanding of the company’s situation. The group’s analysis is presented in a logical manner. Includes many properly cited sources of evidence. Video production and organisation Video is of poor quality and is unedited. There are no transitions added or transitions are used so frequently that they detract from the video. There are no graphics. Video was made but had very little if any editing. Many poor shots remain. Video was very fragmented and choppy with little to no audio reinforcement. Video is edited. Some transitions are used and most help tell the story. Most of video has good pacing and timing. Graphics are used appropriately. However, some poor or unexplained scenes remain. Video is still somewhat choppy in places. Audio and other enhancements were utilized, but not for maximum effect. Video editing was largely effective. It also employed a variety of transitions and this helped tell the story. The video also progresses well, as scenes are nicely paced and timely. In addition, the use of graphics and audio enhancements were effectively utilized. Video is well edited. Video runs smoothly from shot to shot. A variety of transitions are used to assist in communicating the main ideas. Shots and scenes work well together. Graphics explain and reinforce key points in the video. Mechanics The text and audio have 8 or more grammar or spelling errors. The text and audio have 5-7 grammar or spelling errors. The text and audio have 3-5 grammar or spelling errors. The text and audio have 1-2 grammar or spelling errors. The text and audio have no grammar or spelling errors. Conclusion No conclusion Minimal conclusion - the creators make a very limited attempt to tie anything back to the video’s purpose and its main points. Solid conclusion - the creator(s) makes a satisfactory connection between the company and its market, but it needed to be clearer or stronger. Sound conclusion - the creators make clear connections back to some main points contained in the video and its purpose. Excellent conclusion - The creators make a connection back to the key points (i.e. a story, an event, stats, etc.) and the purpose of the video. Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 9 Assignment menu area in Canvas, while individual or group feedback will be available when the marks are released (up to 3 weeks after the assessment is due, as per School policy) via Canvas. Late Submissions. In line with University Policy, any work submitted after the set date and time will automatically have a penalty applied. The penalty is a reduction by 30\% of the mark awarded. Submission will be accepted up to five working days after the submission deadline - your work will be marked, the late penalty applied, and you will receive feedback. Coursework submitted after five working days will be awarded NO grade and you will not be entitled to feedback. Extensions. No extensions for coursework are permitted unless an extension is given to the whole class (in exceptional circumstances). The course leader cannot grant individual extensions. If you foresee having issues submitting by the deadline, please contact your Personal Tutor and apply for Mitigating Circumstances (MC). 6. Reading and Additional Resources The University’s digital library is available giving access to a full range of resources, including e- books, databases, and journals. Resource lists, subject guides, skills development and online tutorials will also be available to support your study. If you have any questions, the School’s specialist Librarian (Marion Kennedy, EBS and Psychology, +44 131 451 3583, [email protected]) will be ready to help with one-to-one advice. Core Textbooks. The core textbooks for this course are detailed below and are available as PDF files within Canvas: • Grant, R.M. (2019). Contemporary Strategy Analysis, (10th ed.), Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc (PDF). • Whittington, R. Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, (12th ed.), Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited (PDF and electronic eBook). Additional books (optional). For further background, those seeking additional reading sources might find the following books useful: • Magretta, J. (2012). Understanding Michael Porter: The essential guide to competition and strategy. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press. • Oberholzer-Gee, Felix. (2021). Better, Simpler Strategy: A Value-Based Guide to Exceptional Performance. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. Additional resources. Harvard Business Review, The Financial Times, The Economist and the news/business pages of any national newspaper. https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/is/find-resources.htm https://isguides.hw.ac.uk/?b=g&d=a https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/is/skills-development.htm mailto:[email protected] Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 10 7. Detailed Course Outline and Schedule Session times are all local time: Dubai is 3 hours ahead and Malaysia 7 hours ahead of UK time up until Sunday 31 October 2021, on this date the UK moves from BST (British Summer Time) to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) and then Dubai will be 4 hours and Malaysia 8 hours ahead of the UK through until 27 March 2022. Week Learning Sessions and related Tutorial/s Edinburgh Dubai Malaysia Recommended Pre-work 1. Course Introduction Recorded Videos Introduction - Course overview, Definition, The Challenges and Alternative Viewpoints Live Online Session 9.00 / 13 Sep 21.00 / 14 Sep 21.00 / 16 Sep 14.00 / 16 Sep Read pages 14 to 23 of Grant, R.M. (2019). Contemporary Strategy Analysis, (10th ed.), Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Read pages 5 to 8 of Whittington, R. Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, (12th ed.), Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Optional reading: Porter, M.E. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review, 74(6), 61-78. 2. Organisational Focus Recorded Videos Mission Statements, Market segments, Competitive Stance (Generic strategies/strategy clock), Alignment Live Online Session 9.00 / 20 Sep 21.00 / 21 Sep 21.00 / 23 Sep 14.00 / 23 Sep Read pages 8 to 11, 83 to 84 and 204 to 214 of Whittington, R. Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (2020). Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, (12th ed.), Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Read pages 98 to 101 of Grant, R.M. (2019). Contemporary Strategy Analysis, (10th ed.), Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Optional reading: Collis, D.J. and Rukstad, M.G. (2008). Can you say what your strategy is? Harvard Business Review, 86(4), 82-90 Competitive Strategy 2021 P a g e | 11 Week Learning Sessions and related Tutorial/s Edinburgh Dubai Malaysia Recommended Pre-work 3. The Macro- Environment and Competition Recorded Videos PEST Analysis, Scenario Planning, Strategic Group Mapping and Blue Ocean Strategy …