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THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

ST. AUGUSTINE, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, WEST INDIES
COURSE OUTLINE

1. GENERAL INFORMATION SUMMARY

Course Title Business Strategy and Policy
Course Code MGMT 3031
Course Proposer
Course Provider Dep’t of Management Studies, FSS, UWI, St. Augustine Campus
Course Type Core
Level 3
Semester Offered 1, 2
No. of Credits 3 Credits
Prerequisite Courses MGMT 2023, MGMT 2008 and EITHER MKTG 2001 (MGMT 2003) OR MGMT 2006

Teaching Methods  Lectures

(list only):  Practical
 Oral Presentation
 Online activities … (lecture slides and reading materials, discussion, videos, online
research)
 Other… (Face-to-face activities, e.g. demonstrations, case studies, role play)

Estimated Study Hours Hours/week:

• Lectures – 3 hours
• ONE class offered in SEMESTER 1: TUESDAY 1-4 pm in LRC A, B, and C
• TWO different classes offering in SEMESTER 2 (Students to attend ONE only):
o WEDNESDAY 1-4 pm in ENG LECTURE THEATRE 1
o WEDNESDAY 5-8 pm in FSS 102E
• Independent Study and Assignments – 3 Hours
Total no. of Four (4)
assessments
Instructor information Name of instructor: DR. MARCIA NATHAI-BALKISSOON
Office address: ROOM 208, Department of Management Studies,
Faculty of Social Sciences, UWI, St. Augustine
Office telephone: 662-2002 ext. 83301
Email address: mnbacad@gmail.com
Office hours (normally): Wednesdays at Eng Lecture Theatre 1, 12:30 – 1p.m.
Wednesdays at FSS 102E, 4.30 – 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays ONLINE from 8.00 – 9.00 a.m.
Communication policy:
Students should post questions on the Student-Lecturer forum inside myElearning so that
my posted answers will be accessible to everyone in the class. For 1:1 meetings, students
may meet with me in person before or after class, as well as during office hours on zoom.
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2. COURSE OVERVIEW
General Management Studies Programme Aims and Objectives
The Department through its programme offerings aims to:
1. provide students with a selection of courses to enable them to develop rigorous analytical and technical
competence in the various spheres of management and accounting and to foster creative thinking on their part.
2. provide varied and challenging teaching and learning experiences to enable the student to work effectively both
independently and in groups.
3. employ a range of assessment methods and techniques to enable students to demonstrate the depth of their
understanding and their capacity for independent, creative thought.
4. provide students with the opportunity to gain experience and to develop confidence in handling organizational
issues of a managerial nature.
5. to equip students to pursue careers in commerce, industry, the public sector and social spheres in managerial,
specialist and consulting capacities.
6. to provide students with a foundation to enable them to pursue life-long learning thereby enabling them to
become more effective managers/leaders in their subsequent career.

Upon completion of the prescribed course of study, students should:

1. have developed an overall critical appreciation of the nature of management and accounting and the role and
responsibilities of a manager in today’s complex business environment.
2. have gained a thorough grounding in the technical intricacies of the subjects studied so as to provide a basis for
further academic study at even the most demanding business schools and for professional development in his/her
chosen field of management or accounting.
3. have developed the analytical capabilities to deal creatively with complex, unstructured situations typical of those
likely to be encountered by managers and accountants in the workplace.
4. have developed the necessary confidence and skill to articulate their opinion on managerial and/or accounting
issues confronting business.
5. have acquired a set of transferable skills that will enhance their effectiveness in their future career (such the ability
to work under pressure, to investigate and report on an issue and to deal with group dynamics).
6. be able to work independently and as a member of a group in carrying out managerial/technical business and
accounting assignments.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to introduce you to critical business skills of competitive strategy formulation as well as to
provide a foundation for the management of strategic activities. Primary focus will be put on the development of
participants’ practical skills gained through introduction to theory, involvement in analysis, discussion and cases.

Closely related to the concept of strategy is the concept of a company's business model. A company's business model
is management's storyline for how and why the company's product offerings and competitive approaches will
generate a revenue stream and have an associated cost structure that produces attractive earnings and return on
investment—in effect, a company's business model sets forth the economic logic for making money in a particular
business, given the company's current strategy.

In-course assessment of student learning will account for 40% of the course marks, while the remaining 60% of the
course score will be derived from a final examination.

COURSE RATIONALE
Crafting and executing strategy are core management functions. Whether a company wins or loses in the today’s
fast-paced global business environment is directly attributable to the quality of that company's strategy and the
competence with which it is executed. A company's strategy is the game plan that management is using to establish
its market position, conduct its operations, attract and satisfy its customers, compete successfully, and thus achieve
its organizational objectives. Like most things in an ever-changing world, a company's strategy typically evolves over
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time, emerging from a blend of (1) proactive and purposeful actions on the part of company managers and (2) as-
needed reactions to unanticipated developments and emerging market conditions.

The central thrust of this course is to have students pursuing training in Management Studies understand that a
company's strategy depends heavily on it working to build and strengthen its long-term competitive position so it
gains a competitive advantage over rivals and achieves above-average profitability. This capstone course is designed
to introduce you to critical business skills of competitive strategy formulation as well as to provide a foundation for
the management of strategic activities.

LETTER TO THE STUDENT

Dear Student,
Welcome to MGMT 3031, Business Strategy & Policy. Every company starts up with the expectation that it will fill
some customer need (i.e. add value) and be financially successful (i.e. make a profit). That is what we understand to
be the premise of a good business. But what happens when everyone sees a business doing well? Somebody decides
they want a piece of the pie and a competitor enters the fray and tries to take away part of the market. Whether a
business exists to provide services or products to its customers, it must aim to keep its existing customers happy and
loyal, attract new customers (i.e. grow markets), and grow its profits.
How can this happen? Make sure the company’s internal resources are capable of doing the job efficiently and
effectively. Understand the company’s external environment so we can control what is in our power and we have
contingency plans that help us to mitigate the effects of changes that are beyond our control. Respond to change
drivers within both the internal and external environment. Recognise the scope of a business and how this might or
might not be advantageous to the company. Evaluate collaboration potential of a company. Decide on the best
competitive approach or combination of approaches that the company may use for its product or service range.
(There are many more, but I hope you get the idea.)
This course will expose you to a range of concepts and tools that will help you to understand and evaluate the
elements listed above. Based on your insights, you will learn how to recognise alternatives by which a company can
chart a course toward greater success. You will also be able to recognise how systems and behaviours inherent to a
company can aid or hinder the realisation of a good business strategy, and be able to chart your own strategy
implementation plan or action plan.
If you can:
(1) critically assess a company’s existing business strategy,
(2) craft one that capitalises on existing strengths and opportunities while addressing existing weaknesses and
threats, and
(3) develop a strategy execution plan that is suited to the company’s unique capabilities and culture, then you can
lead the company to achieving its ultimate aim: sustainable competitive advantage.
As you might realise, we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I feel sure that it will be well worth the effort. By the end
of this course you will have been grounded in strategy concepts that I believe will impact on your personal life as well
as your career. No matter what you do or where you go to work after graduation, your efforts are going to help shape
our country, region, and world for better or for worse. I am looking forward to teaching you this semester, because I
believe that what you learn during our journey together can contribute to the positive difference that you will make.
Yours sincerely,
MARCIA NATHAI-BALKISSOON
Lecturer, Department of Management Studies, The UWI, St. Augustine.
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FOCUS OF THE COURSE

This course provides an in-depth review of business strategy and policy-making at the executive levels in an
organization. Some of the issues we will focus on are management responsibility, environmental analysis, competitive
analysis, choice of industries in which to compete, basic competitive strategies and organizational design. The
underlying theme is one of stewardship and ways in which the executives of the corporation can increase shareholder
value. The overall focus of the course is to outfit students with an appreciation of some of the complexities of operating
in the business context, and how to utilise some of the most popular tools and techniques that they may use to assist
a company in achieving sustainable competitive advantage.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course students should be able to:
1. Perform a gap analysis of a company’s systems and practices in order to identify shortcomings as well as
improvement opportunities
2. Select and apply suitable tools and techniques to assess a company’s internal and external environments and
competitive situation
3. Identify strategic alternatives by which a company would be able to enhance its sustainable competitive
advantage
4. Craft a business strategy that will enhance competitive advantage by taking into consideration the company’s
human, financial and supply chain resource capabilities and needs, generic competitive strategy, as well as
opportunities for diversification and international market growth
5. Develop an action plan or implementation plan through which the crafted business strategy will be executed.

TEACHING STRATEGIES
Your learning in this course will come about as a result of a range of activities, discussions and assessments
performed face-to-face (in the classroom) and online, as well as in your own group interactions and individual
research. You will be encouraged to understand how theory translates into practice in corporate situations, using a
combination of methods, which may include but are not limited to: Lectures, PowerPoint presentations, Video clips,
Exercises/Assignments, Class/On-line Discussions and Cases. Your success in this course will depend on your
consistent collaboration and interaction with your group and with the wider class and on your participation in class
and in online and other activities. These approaches are intended to help you to build your confidence, your public
speaking and ICT skills, your understanding of yourself, and also your development of course-specific academic
competencies.

You will be assigned exercises/assignments to complete outside the classroom, which may form the basis for class
discussion. In addition, the project assigned as a part of the in-course assessment for the course will help students to
learn as a result of their lived experiences. Every week, the class will be THREE HOURS long, and will comprise of a
mix of modes such as traditional lectures, interactive activities and discussions, case analyses, presentations, and
recounting of subject-relevant experiences. You are expected to ensure that you are in a position to actively and
meaningfully participate in class discussions by completing your readings and case studies before class. It is in your
best interest to attend every class this semester, and bring along your text, as the approaches and activities used are
often different from the teaching style used in the text. This should support students’ ability to learn the material.

The chapters from the text will be used to develop key themes but may not always be covered in extensive detail.
You should note, however, that evaluation will assume that students have undertaken assigned readings in full. In
addition, students should attempt to complete the end-of-chapter questions and the past papers that will be
uploaded to myElearning.
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3. COURSE ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS
The course will be based on content that will be new to most students, and students will be required to recall
concepts as well as demonstrate competence in applying the course content. For this reason, the course will be
structured in a way that allows for both hands-on practice and delivery of the underlying theory.
The assessments will be structured as follows:
1. In-course assessments, including online activities (10%)
Following coverage of concepts in class, the assignment of individual practice worksheets, in-course exams
and/or online activities will be used to evaluate students’ grasp of the theory and application of tools and
techniques to typical work situations and data provided by the lecturer.
2. In-course Group Project and Presentation (30%)
This project must be based on a local company and approval must be received from the lecturer by week 3 of
the semester. The project must evaluate its existing business strategy and make recommendations to improve
the company’s sustainable competitive advantage. Your project report and project presentation must cover
each of the following:
• Brief intro to company and focus of project
• Horizontal scope, Vertical scope, diversification status
• Internal environment analysis and External environment analysis (Perform SWOT analysis and at least one
other internal environment AND external environment analysis)
• Generic competitive position
• Does/ can the company compete internationally? Are there any collaborations, e.g. partnerships?
• Recommendations for strategic improvement and an execution plan
• Rationale/ discussion related to analyses, judgments, recommendations, and plans, Rationale for selection
of all tools, illustration of matrices/ charts for all analyses done, photos of products/ elements discussed.
• Conclusion
• References
The project score would be arrived at by evaluating the written report (15%) and a project presentation (15%).
A rubric will be provided to outline the requirements of this group project.
NOTE: Penalties apply for those who do not sufficiently contribute to the research and/or written report
and/or project presentation. The lecturer may orally assess the contribution of any student whose
contribution is being questioned in order to determine penalties, if any.
3. Final Examination (60%)
• Application questions and/or short case analyses, covering all areas taught in semester
• Questions may vary in format.

Coursework guidelines and rubrics are shared with students to assist in their understanding of how their work will
be assessed.
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Course LOs Covered Required to Weight Details

Assessment Artifact
LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 pass course? (out of 100%) (e.g. type - written, oral, practical; duration)
In-course assessments, No 10 Case study(ies), online activities e.g. online discussion,
including Online wiki, multiple choice questions
Activities
Practical Application No 30 Students work in small teams either to evaluate
Group Project, including product quality or to evaluate aspects of a quality
peer rating management system and then to recommend actions
to bring about quality improvements
Final Exam No 60 Written, closed-book exam of 2 hours.
N.B. Table reflects the main focus of each assessment activity, but some additional scope may be included in assessment
Key:
Assessment provides full coverage of the LO
Assessment provides partial coverage of the LO
Assessment does not address the LO
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EVALUATION OF THE COURSE AND THE LECTURER

Students’ ongoing suggestions and critique will be essential in order to drive the continual improvement of course
content and delivery. I will be seeking this sort of informal feedback during every class, and students should feel free
to share any feedback and criticisms to the lecturer via email or just with a note slipped under the office door.

I want to hear from students about how well they are learning, and will continually use their positive and negative
feedback to adapt my approach to teaching and assessment to deliver more value to students. The formal lecturer
evaluations conducted at the end of the semester will also be instrumental in evaluating the effectiveness of the
course and of my own teaching, and will be used to improve my teaching strategies, assessment modes, and course
content for future course offerings.

3. COURSE DELIVERY

Course Calendar
The course will be taught using 10 week to introduce the course and focus on content delivery, and the remaining 2
weeks used to make project presentations and conduct recap/ revision activities. Typically the course structure will be
as shown in the following table.

NOTE: Changes may be made in case of emergencies, Carnival and holidays.

Week TOPICS Read ASSIGNMENTS FOR THIS WEEK

MODULE 1: Introduction and Overview

Wk1 Course Overview Ch 1 Get familiar with the myElearning site for course
Introduction of Lecturer and Welcome Read materials uploaded on myElearning
Student Backgrounds and Expectations Prepare for Week 2 class:
Lecturer Expectations Read Chapter in advance of next class
Establishment of Groups Prepare all Illustration Capsules from next chapter
What Is Strategy and Its Importance
Structure of the Course

Wk2 Leading the Process of Crafting and Ch 2 Prepare for Week 3 class:
Executing Strategy Read Chapter in advance of next class
Introduction to the Case Approach Prepare all Illustration Capsules from next chapter
Discussion of Case Analysis (in-class • Prepare group project outline (brief guidelines will
activity) be provided by Lecturer)
• Prepare project task listing and assign
responsibilities to each group member

MODULE 2: Core Concepts and Analytical Tools

Wk3 Evaluating a Company’s External Ch 3 Prepare for Week 4 class:

Environment Read Chapters 10-12 in advance of next class
Write up of first ½ of your project report should be
done by now

Wk4 Online Class (Carnival Week): Prepare for Week 5 class:

Building an Organization Capable of Ch 10 Read Chapter in advance of next class
Good Strategy Execution Prepare Illustration Capsules from next chapter
Review financial ratios documents on myElearning
Managing Internal Operations Ch 11
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Read Chapter 4 and first half of Chapter 5 in advance of

Corporate Culture and Leadership Ch 12 next class

Wk5 Evaluating a Company’s Resources, Ch 4, 5 Prepare for Week 6 class:

Capabilities and Competitiveness Finish reading Chapter 5 and read Chapter 6 in advance
of next class
Prepare Illustration Capsules from the chapters
Almost all your project field work should be done

Wk6 The Five Generic Competitive Ch 5

Strategies: Which to Employ?
Ch 6
Also Starting:
Strengthening a Company’s
Competitive Position: Strategic Moves,
Timing, Vertical and Horizontal Scope
of Operations
MODULE 3: Crafting a Competitive Strategy

Wk 7 Strengthening a Company’s Ch 6 Prepare for Week 8 class:

Competitive Position: Strategic Moves, Read Chapter 8 in advance of next class
Timing, Vertical and Horizontal Scope Prepare all Illustration Capsules from next chapter
of Operations Read Chapter 9 in advance of next class
Prepare Illustration Capsules from next chapter
and

Strategies for Competing in Ch 7

International Markets

Wk8 Corporate Strategy: Diversification & Ch 8 Prepare for Week 9 class:

the Multibusiness Company Revision for multiple choice exam.
Work on past papers
Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ch 9 Final touches to group project report and group
Environmental Sustainability, and presentation
Strategy Prepare peer rating (using rubric)

MODULE 4: Executing the Strategy

Wk9 MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM THIS WEEK Prepare for Week 10:
(10%) Work on past papers
Final touches to group project report and group
Revision presentation
Prepare peer rating (using rubric)
Wk SUBMISSION OF Prepare for Week 12 class:
10 -11 ALL GROUP PROJECT REPORTS (15%) Revise everything!
AND GROUP PRESENTATIONS (15%) Work on past papers.

Make project presentations

Wk12 Revision session Final preparation for in-course exam

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5. RESOURCES
Required Text:
Students are required to use the following text. Limited copies of this text are available at the UWI Bookstore or
through online purchase. Students are urged to obtain the text as soon as possible, whether in hard copy or electronic
format. Students should purchase the 18th edition of the text (contains cases), but if the 18th edition is unavailable,
then students may purchase a more recent edition.

Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, and Strickland. (2012) Crafting & Executing Strategy: The Quest for Competitive
Advantage: Concepts and Cases. 18th edition (or more recent).

The bound text as well as electronic copy of the text may be available through the UWI bookstore, amazon.com, or the
McGraw-Hill website. Used copies may be available from past students, and are also available on amazon.com

Recommended Sources:
Internet Research, Journals, Newspapers & Magazines

6. POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

HOW TO STUDY FOR THIS COURSE

Understanding your learning style:
If you have not already done a learning styles inventory test such as the VARK questionnaire, you are encouraged to
figure out how you learn best. I would be happy to refer you to an online test to help you gauge your learning
preferences and styles. This is important so that you make the most of the learning opportunities available to you
during the rest of your time here at The UWI. I try to incorporate several approaches to teaching to appeal to different
student learning preferences, but the onus is also on you to find ways to make the material relatable so that you can
internalise it and learn meaningfully. Getting to know other students who share your learning style can also be useful
to you as they may be able to help you to grasp concepts in ways that speak to you best. Getting to know students
with different learning styles would also be advisable, since these students could have a whole different insight about
a concept, and so together you all could collaborate to understand a topic more holistically.

Behaviour and Attendance:

Students are required to turn off all telephones and other mobile devices while class is in progress, unless otherwise
advised. Students are expected to be on time for the start of class and are discouraged from wandering in and out of
class during class time. These guidelines are provided to encourage the practice of proper courtesy and to prevent the
lecturer and students from being unduly disrupted.
University Regulations require students to attend a minimum of 75% of all classes in order to be allowed to write the
final exam. Students are strongly advised to attend ALL classes, since the discussions and illustrations that take place in
the classroom will bring about a better grasp of the material than merely reading the text materials or reviewing slides.

Preparing for class:

Students are required to read the course material before a topic is to be covered in class. In many cases, material is
shared with students on myElearning in advance of the delivery of the lesson in class. Students must also review these
media files. This will provide basic familiarity with the material so students are able to ask questions and contribute
meaningfully to in-class discussions. Where group projects are assigned, students are required to meaningfully
contribute to the finished product. Groups will be required to list the contributions of each member, and to rate the
participation of each member. This individual contribution will impact on the peer rating that students earn.

Deadlines and Late Submissions:

All deadlines are final. Late submissions will not be accepted, and they will not be marked. Late submissions will be
scored 0 marks.

Preparing for exams:

There is always a session scheduled for revision shortly before the final exam, but students are expected to be
preparing for the exam in every class. Students are expected to be physically and mentally present in all classes, to
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actively participate in activities and discussions, to do all readings assigned, and to aim for excellence in the course. It
is in students’ interest to prepare full responses to all worksheets assigned, and to assess answers against those shared
in the class.

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:

Plagiarized material will not be graded and students will receive a failing grade for:
1. Quoting verbatim or almost verbatim from any source (such as copyrighted material, notes, letters, business
entries, online download /computer materials) without acknowledgment;
2. Submitting someone else's work, in whatever form without acknowledgment;
3. Knowingly representing as one's own work any idea of another.

Academic Dishonesty also includes a failure on your part to keep your current and past assignments out of the hands of
other students who may misrepresent their origins. It is also suggested and recommended that you keep a record and/or
rough drafts of written or other work until you have received your final grade. Unless assignments are explicitly identified
as group assignments, students are required to complete work individually. Copying from one another, as well as
plagiarising from other sources will result in 0 marks for the assignment being earned by all students involved, as well
as reports being lodged with the department and other administrative offices within The UWI.

In line with the UWI’s strict expectations regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty, students are required to have
all papers evaluated online through the Turn It In software. Papers should therefore be submitted together with the
corresponding Turn It In report.

University Policies and Grading:

The UWI Grading Policy has changed, effective August 1, 2014. Full details are available online at
http://www.uwi.edu/gradingpolicy/index.html and students are encouraged to develop an understanding of how
these changes will affect them. Changes to the grade bands have been effected as a result of the new grading policy.
Please read more about this at http://www.uwi.edu/gradingpolicy/docs/regulations.pdf

Degree awards depend on your GPA. The following guidelines govern the class of first degree you will be awarded:
First Class Degree: Weighted GPA 3.60 and above
Upper Second Class Degree: Weighted GPA 3.00 – 3.59
Lower Second Class Degree: Weighted GPA 2.50 – 2.99
Pass Degree: Weighted GPA 2.00 – 2.49

Your grade in this course will contribute quality points toward your GPA, as follows:
Grade Marks/ % Quality Points
A+ 90-100 4.30
A 80-89 4.00
A- 75-79 3.70
B+ 70-74 3.30
B 65-69 3.00
B- 60-64 2.70
C+ 55-59 2.30
C 50-54 2.00
F1 45-49 1.70
F2 40-44 1.30
F3 0-39 0.00