The Means of Strategy
| Module title | The Means of Strategy |
|---|---|
| Module code | SECM019 |
| Academic year | 2021/2 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 7 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 24 |
|---|
Module description
This module explores the means of strategy, ‘resources’ in the broad sense of the term. Strategy becomes real with the expenditure of finite resources be they money, time, political capital etc. Resources can both constrain and facilitate the strategic process. Resources and strategy are also mutually dependent variables, with the relationship between them changing over time. You will explore the ways in which the availability of resources shapes, and is shaped by, strategic options and actions. Particular attention will be paid to the challenges of strategic leadership and decision-making in the context of finite resources, how large organisations and governments address the reality of resource limitation and how they manage change. Finally, the module will expand your understanding of the 'tools of the trade' employed by business and other leaders to achieve their strategic goals.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to build on the previous two MStrat modules as you delve further into the issues that define applied strategy. Moving beyond policy and strategic theory, you will gain insight into the real world challenges of never having enough resource, in the right time, at the right place to do everything you want to achieve. Strategy is, at its pure simplest, making choices and you will explore the ‘means’ assessing both limitations upon strategy and enablers or force multipliers of strategic effect.
You will explore the resources of public policy such as political capital, the role of public budgets, finance, regulatory frameworks and issues of oversight. You will analyse and assess the dual nature of some resources, both limiting and enabling the means of strategy (media in all its forms for example). You will assess the increasing importance of technology and innovation as strategic resources. You will learn good practice in terms of the management of resources through supply chains and the relationship between public and private sector. You will undertake deep dives on key case studies relating to the economics of strategy and the challenges of acquisition. You will enhance your skill set with an increasing awareness of the importance of Portfolio, Programme, and Project Management.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. compare, contrast, and synthesise knowledge of how actors resource and plan strategy in real world situations;
- 2. apply knowledge of examples in the practice of strategy in order to develop your own intellectual tools for effective case study analysis;
- 3. create an assessment of a shifting power dynamic to explore options with reference to the means of strategy
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. diagnose and illustrate how strategic decision-making is conditioned by resource considerations in the broader context of historical and contemporary strategic thinking;
- 5. analyse a range of complexities associated with strategic decision-making at the governmental level and in relation to the private sector
- 6. critically assess and analyse the experience of real world practice through exploration of case studies;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. work effectively with peers and independently to achieve goals;
- 8. prepare and communicate materials to a wide range of strategic actors in a wide variety of fields;
- 9. formulate your own arguments and communicate them logically and coherently in speech, writing, and through other means of dissemination
Syllabus plan
This module will be delivered through a number of lectures and seminars delivered by SSI/UoE staff and external guest speakers. Lectures and seminars will be delivered by practitioners as well as University of Exeter academics, depending on expertise and learning outcomes. Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The role of Political ‘capital’
- The means of public policy: budgets, finance, regulatory frameworks, oversight
- Technology, data and innovation
- The Media, Social Media and information warfare
- Public / private sector including the role of consultants
- Portfolio, Programme, and Project Management
- Assessing strategic success – generating KPIs
- Resilience and supply chains
- Acquisition case studies
Skills: (e.g. P3M skills)
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 44 | Lectures / Seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 36 | Preparation for residential lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | 12 | Preparation for online seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 48 | Preparation for formative assessment |
| Guided Independent Study | 160 | Preparation for summative assessment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay Plan | 750 words | 1-9 | Oral and written feedback |
| Applied Essay Plan | 750 words | 1-9 | Oral and Written feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 60 | 4000 words | 1-9 | Written |
| Applied Assessment | 40 | 2000 words | 1-9 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 4000 words | 1-9 | September deadline for submission |
| Applied Assessment | 2000 words | 1-9 | September deadline for submission |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Banerji, Shumeet, Paul Leinwand and Cesare R. Mainardi, 'Cut Costs, Grow Stronger: A Strategic Approach to What to Cut and What to Keep' (Harvard Business School, July 2009).
- Bungay, Stephen, The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results (London: Nicholas Brealey, 2011).
- Clarke, Mike, Ramscar, Helen A Question of Security: The British Defence Review in an Age of Austerity (RUSI Defence and Security Studies, 2011)
- Clarke, Mike, Tipping Point: Britain, Brexit and Security in the 2020s (IB Tauris, 2019)
- Creveld, Martin van, Supplying War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980)
- Dorman Andrew; Uttley Matt; Wilkinson Benedict, A Benefit, Not a Burden : The Military, Security and Economic Value of Britain’s Defence Industry, (London, KCL, 2015)
- Flynn N, Public Sector Management, (Oxford University Press, 2012)
- Kapstein, Ethan, The Political Economy of National Security (McGraw-Hill Education, 1991)
- Louth John and Taylor Trevor, Beyond the Whole Force: The Concept of the Defence Extended Enterprise and its Implications for the Ministry of Defence (RUSI, 2015)
- Mintzberg, Henry The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning (London: Pearson Education, 2000).
- Rumelt, Richard, Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: the Difference and Why it Matters (London: Profile Books, 2011).
- Smith, Ron Military Economics: The Interaction of Power and Money (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011)
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Chatham House: www.chathamhouse.org/
Foreign and Commonwealth Office: www.fco.gov.uk/
IISS: www.iiss.org
Ministry of Defence, UK: www.mod.uk
RUSI: www.rusi.org
Stabilisation Unit: www.stabilisationunit.gov.uk/
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module co-requisites | SECM017 The Ends of Strategy; SECM018 The Ways of Strategy, SECM020, SECM021 |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 15/12/2020 |
| Last revision date | 29/07/2021 |
