Introduction / Organisational Purposes and Objectives / Analysing External Relationships ^{2nd Ed.}

Open University Business School MBA B820 Strategy

• Book 1 Introduction
1. Introduction
• 1.1 The Course
• 1.1.1 The course content
• 1.1.2 Aims and objectives of the course
• 1.2 Introduction to Strategy
• 1.2.1 Learning objectives of this book
2. The Importance of Strategy
3. What is Strategy?
• 3.1 A Definition of Strategy
• 3.2 Strategic Issues
• 3.3 Strategic Choices
• Determining the nature, domain and scope of activities
• Evaluating the success of activities
• The acquisition, allocation and commitment of a distinctive set of resources and capabilities
• Creating an effective match with the challenges of the environment
• Managing the network of relationships with and between its stakeholders
• 3.4 Strategy is Distinctive
• 3.4.1 The shift from functional or specialist management
• 3.4.2 The levels of strategy
• 3.5 Strategic Fit
• 3.5.1 Strategic success and effective strategic fit
• 3.5.2 Sustaining effective strategic fit
• 3.5.3 Strategic fit and strategic stretch
4. How Strategy is Made
• 4.1 Strategy by Planning and Design
• 4.2 Strategy as Pattern
5. Strategic Thinking
• 5.1 Strategic Thinking and Strategic Decisions
• 5.1.1 Strategic planning and strategic thinking
• 5.1.2 Information-processing, thinking and strategy
• 5.1.3 Uncertainty in making strategic decisions
• 5.2 Strategic Recipes
• 5.2.1 Strategic recipes and strategic change
• 5.2.2 The need for fresh strategic thinking and innovation
• 5.3 Integration and Complexity
• 5.3.1 The integrative challenge of strategic thinking
• 5.3.2 The complexity of strateguc thinking
6. Summary and Conclusion
• Book 2 Organisational Purposes and Objectives
1. Introduction
• 1.1 Learning Objectives of This Book
2. The Development of Airbus Industrie
• 2.1 Airbus Industrie Mini-Case
• 2.2 Airbus and the Complexity of Managing Purposes and Objectives
• 2.3 Summary
3. Strategy, Purposes and Objectives
• 3.1 ‘Purposes’ and ‘Objectives’ in the Organisation
• 3.2 The Meaning of ‘Purposes’ and ‘Objectives’
• 3.2.1 The role of 'policy'
• 3.3 Purpose as a Public Statement
• 3.4 The Components of Purpose Statements
• 3.5 Purpose and Social Responsibility
• 3.6 Creating a Sense of Purpose
• 3.7 Organisational Purposes and the Language of Strategy
4. Managing the Purposes and Objectives of Stakeholders
• 4.1 Identifying Stakeholders
• 4.1.1 The nature of the stakeholder relationship
• 4.1.2 The stakeholder framework
• 4.2 Managing Stakeholder Objectives — Shareholders and Owners
• 4.2.1 The meaning of profitability
• 4.2.2 Shareholder value and share price
• 4.3 Managing Stakeholder Objectives — Non-Shareholder Ownership and Trust Relationships
• 4.4 Managing Managers’ Objectives
• 4.4.1 The manager's conflict of interest and the problem of 'agency'
• 4.4.2 The manager's interest
• 4.4.3 Aligning ownership and managerial interests
• 4.5 Stakeholders as Collaborators
• 4.5.1 Using contract theory to analyse stakeholder collaboration
• 4.6 Important Dimensions of a Stakeholder Analysis
• 4.6.1 Returns on resources and rewards for stakeholders
• 4.6.2 Competition for scarce resources
• 4.6.3 Sources of stakeholder power
• 4.7 Implications of Adopting a Stakeholder Perspective
5. Summary and Conclusion
• Book 3 Analysing External Relationships
1. Introduction
• 1.1 Learning Objectives of This Book
2. The Far and Near Environments
• 2.1 What Constitutes the Far Environment?
• 2.2 What Constitutes a Near Environment?
3. Industry Structure
• 3.1 Analysing Industry Structure
• 3.2 Applying the Industry Structure Model
• 3.3 The Evolution of Industry Structure
• 3.3.1 Using industry structure analysis in corporate strategy
• 3.4 Does Industry Structure Matter?
4. Strategic Groups and Strategic Space
• 4.1 Strategic Groups
• 4.2 Strategic Space and Industry Dynamics
• 4.2.1 Strategic space
5. Industry Participants
• 5.1 Participants: Intentions
• 5.2 Participants: Decisions
• 5.2.1 Deciding to specialise
• 5.2.2 Deciding to seek lowest-cost production
• 5.2.3 Deciding to focus
• 5.2.4 Decisions and industry structures
• 5.3 Participants: Capabilities
• 5.3.1 Understand the differences between the customer segments served by key competitors
• 5.3.2 Understand the differences in value-generating processes
• 5.3.3 Look for patterns of competitive behaviour
• 5.4 Applying Competitor-Analysis Techniques
• Intentions
• Decisions
• Capabilities
6. Interaction in the Industry
• 6.1 Competition
• 6.2 Co-operation
• 6.3 Conclusion
7. Summary and Conclusion

MBA material, what do you expect?