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Final year examination notes
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Lecture notes of 84 pages for the course Strategic Management at CF (scored a first)
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STRAT MAN Y3 EXAM PREP:Topics:
• week 1 - diversification and managing the multi-business firm
• Week 2 - innovation and entrepreneurship
• Week 4 - mergers and acquisitions
• Week 7 - collaborative strategies what they are and why they exist
Examinable topics:
1. Corporate strategy; diversification and managing the multi-
business firm
2. Innovation 1 - strategic entrepreneurship and innovation
3. Innovation 2 - blue ocean strategy with Mark Goode
4. Mergers and acquisitions
5. Collaborative strategies 2; what they are and why they exist
6. collaborative strategies 2; how to make them work
7. Knowledge management
THESE ARE SEPARATE TOPICS
Each week of content isn’t interrelated
None of the questions will mean you need to contrast what is said in each
week
You will be asked 6 questions out of 7 topics
There isn’t risk of you revising something that’s coming up
◦ Start revision with core readings on the selected topics and move
outwards to ensure you cover all themes with a topics content
◦ Want to understand themes, look at learning outcomes…given week,
learning outcomes, A and B, some learning outcomes and exam
questions…
◦ these questions have been written in a way that tests your thoughts,
not narrow questions, broad questions, tend to pick up on core
themes covered in the lecture
◦ These themes are learning outcome type of things
◦ Questions on the topics are designed so that you can write for an
hour
◦ All questions ask for real world examples, what they’re asking for is
for you to use practical examples of bringing theory to life, every
question related to real question examples
◦ Bring in examples to basically make your theoretical argument more
convincing
◦ Suggestion; gather materials for 4 topics even if you revise 3 in depth
You only need to answer 2/6 questions
⁃ You want to have theory, using readings well, using examples to
bring theory to life
⁃ Be organised
⁃ revising at least 3 topics but gather material for 4
,⁃ can use examples provided, the ones covered in the articles
themselves, he tries to use a lot of examples
⁃ You may use your own examples if you want to
⁃ Word limit - 1000 each question
⁃ Past exam questions are available, if you go back further its different
lecturers so doesn’t apply, different topics etc.
⁃ In text citations but don’t need a bibliography at the end
Marking criteria - he’s covering this in the revision session after easter
One on one meeting with him;
Manage work before and take pressure off
• Examples others won’t have, readings others don’t have
• You want to differentiate
• Give your own answer differential advantage, eg. Readings and
examples
• Temptation to take answer and recreate it in exam
• frame Questions from the learning objectives
• Be aware where the answers are in the slide deck
• One of the slides is headed is with he question
• Where in the slide deck is many themes covered
• Cover off the main themes, look at title of slides deck
• Set question for each of the themes,
• Come up with something you can use if it comes up with that
• Understanding of themes within the topic
• Can you write an answer that hits key words
• Make sure you tailor, tailor to the words int he question
• That’s the way to get it
• Different scores, same notes but someone able to tailor answer
to the question and move it on
• Weaker profile student would recreate study notes
• Level of analysis is really key
• Encourage argument about different factors, can they give both
sides of argument, good solutions with good examples
• Answer that gets 80 - reading of essay is it flows well,
insightful, not just memorised things, actually analytical, ability
to analyse is key, more analytical the better
• Bring in details within answers
• analysis is so key
• Difference between describing
• Produce something good within 2 hours
• Use 2 hours well
• Essay plans
• Write less
• Make more structured points
• Cover main points
• Cover main quotes
,• There are overlapping points
• Don’t need overlapping points
• Just main points
• Analysis is your voice, have essay plan that lets you add to it and
analyse around key words in question
• Smaller essay plans
• Questions are around the themes, send more essay plans in. Brief I can
• Company example for everything
• Slide notes slot in examples
Strat man potential questions/topics;
Week 1
• Different corporate management styles
• Basic issues with diversification strategy and main options that follow
• Conditions where diversification creates value for shareholders, motivations
and competitive advantage, relatedness in diversification
• Main types of multi-business portfolio analysis, (brand versus customer
equity?)
• …managing the product mix
• Risks of adhering to or diverging from portfolio management theory (parenting
advantage?)
• Understand and evaluate different corporate management styles in multi-
business setting, strategic planning vs. Financial control
Week 2
• strategy palette and its approach to strategic management
• strategy renewal
• Strategic entrepreneurship, what it entails, different types and forms
• Ambidextrous organisations
• Complementary resources, internal and external
• Development of technology; knowledge creation to diffusion
Week 4;
• M&A and growth strategies
• Motives for M&A
• Target choice M&A
• Valuation in M&A
• Give and take
• Post-merger syndrome
• Complexities and difficulties in the M&A process
Week 7;
• strategic alliances, what are the motives and levels
• Distinguish between networks, clusters and trade associations
• franchising and Pros and cons of franchising
, Week 1 - Diversification and managing the multi-business firm
Video 1 - Part A; diversification
Learning objectives;
•Recognize the basic issues in diversification strategy and the main
options to follow.
•Identify the conditions under which diversification creates value for
shareholders.
• Strategic choice at a corporate level
• Where to compete topic
• Innovation - internal growth
• Mergers and acquisition - external growth
• Then knowledge management, strategic, how big data as a modern strategy
theme sticks with strategic management
The scope of diversification;
A good definition of diversification…
“Any entry into a new product-market activity that requires or implies an
appreciable increase in the available managerial competencies within the firm.”
Richard Rumelt (1974, Strategy, Structure and Economic Performance text)
• classic definition
• e.g. boohoo buying debenhams, wouldn’t call that diversification, retailer
buying another retailer, not reaching new areas
• Seeing how online retailers are more successful and they’re purchasing offline
companies, not diversification
• Available managerial competencies - need competence to manage new areas
successfully if looking at new area, key aspect in whether you decide to move
forward in diversifications strategy
Basic issues in diversification decisions:
• superior profit derives from 2 sources; (what u want - return on capital > cost
of capital)
• Industry attractiveness and competitive advantage
• If industry is slowing in growth, is industry you’re moving into moving at a
faster pace
• How attractive is industry to be entered
• Eggs in multiple baskets, then that gives you more options
• Industry attractiveness is not just entering a growing industry, entering
another industry gives you flexibility where to prioritise your investment
• Competitive advantage
In sum, diversification decisions involve these same 2 issues;
• how attractive is the industry to be entered?
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