Outline

Overview

How can managers understand their environment, industry, resources and capabilities to achieve business success? This unit explores different levels of strategy, including corporate and business-level strategy. Strategy is, fundamentally, about making choices and deliberately choosing to be different. Strategic management seeks to understand how these choices and differences can (and sometimes cannot) create sustainable and exceptional value for shareholders, customers, employees and other related stakeholders. Questions addressed include: How can market opportunities be reviewed and understood? How can creativity be harnessed to generate strategic options? How does a firm build and develop resources and capabilities in a global and local competitive environment? When is collaboration preferable to competition? The unit highlights the challenges of strategic decision making as well as implementation. Insights from innovation theory and practice are integrated throughout the unit.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Management Education
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Yeonji Seo, yeonji.seo@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 14 March 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 1 Submit 500-word learning journal reflecting weekly materials covered.	10%	Week 01 Due date: 04 Mar 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 07 Mar 2025	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 2 Submit 500-word learning journal reflecting weekly materials covered.	10%	Week 02 Due date: 11 Mar 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 14 Mar 2025	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 3 Submit 500-word learning journal reflecting weekly materials covered.	10%	Week 03 Due date: 18 Mar 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 21 Mar 2025	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group presentation 20 minutes presentation & 10 minutes Q&A in class.	35%	Week 05 Due date: 31 Mar 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 31 Mar 2025	30 minutes presentation and Q&A
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Individual feedback on group presentations Provide feedback on student presentations.	5%	Week 05 Due date: 01 Apr 2025 at 17:00 Closing date: 01 Apr 2025	300 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual simulation assessment 2000 words essay based on online simulation game.	30%	Week 06 Due date: 06 Apr 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 20 Apr 2025	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = AI allowed ?

Assessment summary

Weekly learning journal (30%) : For weeks 1-3, you will submit a brief 500-word learning journal reflecting on the material covered during that week. For this task, you should engage with one or two concepts from the week's content that resonated most with you. You should discuss your understanding of these concepts and explore how they relate to your personal or professional experiences, or how they can be applied to current real-world issues.

Group presentation (35%) : You will be assigned to a group, and your task is to deliver a 20-minute in-class presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A session. The presentation should provide an analysis of the strategy of a company of your choice and propose a recommended future strategy based on your analysis. During the Q&A session, your team will respond to questions from other students. All group members are required to actively participate in both the presentation and the Q&A. After the presentation, you will submit an honest peer evaluation of the group work. Based on these evaluations, the unit coordinator reserves the right to adjust individual scores in cases of significant free-riding.

Individual feedback on group presentations (5%) : During the presentations in Week 5, you will provide feedback to each group after listening to their in-class presentations. Your feedback should highlight their strengths, identify areas for improvement, and include (at least) one question you would like to ask them. Additionally, you will be responsible for assessing and grading their presentations.

Individual simulation assessment (30%) : The individual simulation assessment is your reflection on the business management simulation undertaken in Week 4. After the simulation, you will prepare and submit an essay based on your reflection about the simulation experience, your individual results, and your strategic analysis of the simulation using course relevant strategic frameworks. In the report, you should briefly outline the strategic decisions you made during the business management simulation. The most important task is to do a strategic analysis of the firm’s success and failures using relevant strategic frameworks, explaining what strategic decisions worked well, and what you could have done differently. You will need to use the theories and frameworks we have discussed in the unit as analytical tools and to support your arguments.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Except for supervised exams or in-semester tests, you may use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessments unless expressly prohibited by your unit coordinator.

For exams and in-semester tests, the use of AI and automated writing tools is not allowed unless expressly permitted in the assessment instructions.

The icons in the assessment table above indicate whether AI is allowed – whether full AI, or only some AI (the latter is referred to as “AI restricted”). If no icon is shown, AI use is not permitted at all for the task. Refer to Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks for this unit.

Your final submission must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of automated writing tools or generative AI, and any material generated that you include in your final submission must be properly referenced. You may be required to submit generative AI inputs and outputs that you used during your assessment process, or drafts of your original work. Inappropriate use of generative AI is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

The Current Students website provides information on artificial intelligence in assessments. For help on how to correctly acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the  AI in Education Canvas site.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. (a) The penalty will be calculated by first marking the work, and then subtracting 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. Please refer to university's Coursework Policy: https://www.sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2012/267&RendNum=0#:~:text=(4)%20For%20every%20calendar%20day,day%20after%20the%20due%20date.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to strategy, strategic leadership	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 02	Competitive advantage, business models, and design thinking	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 03	Business and corporate level strategies	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 04	Innovation	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 05	Group presentation discussion and unit debrief	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance is mandatory for this unit as we will not provide recordings, in consideration of the confidentiality of our guest lecturers.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Please see Canvas Reading List for the assigned readings for each class.

The following sources are particularly useful for up to date, practically oriented information and analysis of issues relevant to strategy: Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, Sloan Management Review, McKinsey Quarterly, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Australian Financial Review.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Apply relevant concepts and frameworks to understand and address the strategic challenges faced by executives operating in diverse contexts.
LO2. Critically adopt a systems perspective to develop strategic options and inform decisions that integrate effectively across business functions, ensuring optimal outcomes.
LO3. Utilise appropriate analytical tools and techniques to evaluate evidence and develop practical, actionable solutions to strategic challenges across a variety of business settings.
LO4. Demonstrate proficiency in storytelling, presentation skills, and critical self-reflection to effectively communicate and influence decision-making.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Changes made to assessment designs to provide more feedback to students during the course.

Additional information

Business School Policies

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

MMGT6001: Strategy

Semester 1a, 2025 [Block mode] - Castlereagh St, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links