MN7031SR

Global Strategy and Innovation

2025/26

2. Module Description

Small, medium and large business operate in very different ways however they share a common business and industry environment and often will both compete and collaborate. All sizes and types of business must understand their business and industry environment as they position themselves for success.

This module focuses on the strategic skills and knowledge needed by executives, managers, intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs and aims to:

• development understand and skills in strategy development and in execution

• provide the knowledge and skills to scan, analyse and interpret their business environment

• develop skills in understanding trends in the business environment and to construct scenarios that can be used to test strategy

• develop the ability to manage resources and capabilities and to critically evaluate their importance as sources of sustainable competitive advantage but also as potential sources of disadvantage when disruptive innovation occurs

• take strategic decisions based on a deep understanding of their business and the market or markets they serve

• foster and exploit innovation through the development of new products and services

• critical awareness of the importance of environmental and social responsibility, ethical decision making and the need for effective corporate governance.

A key element of the module is participation in the business simulation in which students will compete against each other in teams within in a simulated global market place. This will provide the opportunity to role play executive positions in a global business, take strategic decisions and gain rapid feedback on their validity.

3. Module Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate business start-ups

2. Critically evaluate the external environment of a business and identify signals that require action.

3. Critically evaluate the strategy and performance of a business and make strategic recommendations for change

4. Communicate strategic analysis and recommendations clearly and confidently.

4. Module Syllabus/Content

5. Core text

De Wit, R & Meyer, R, (2017) Strategy, An International Perspective, Andover, Hampshire: Cengage Learning, 6th ed.

6.  Recommended texts

Barnett, P., (2019) Sages of Strategic Management: Inside the Minds of the Great Business Thinkers and Strategists, Wiley

Christensen, C. M. (2006). The innovator's dilemma: the revolutionary book that will changed the way you do business. New York, HarperCollins Publishers.

Grant, R. M. (2012). Contemporary strategy analysis: text and cases. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley.

Mintzberg H, Ahlstrand B and Lampel J (2008), Strategy Safari, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall.

Ringland, G. (2006) Scenario planning: managing for the future. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley

Journals

California Management Review

London Business School Review

Long Range Planning

Harvard Business Review

MIT Technology Review

Sloan Management Review

Strategic Management Journal

Useful Sources/Links

www.bain.com – Bain Management Consultants

www.theccc.org.uk/ - Committee on Climate Change

www.fhi.ox.ac.uk – Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University

www.mckinsey.com – Mckinsey Management Consultants

6.0 Submission Dates

For each assignment you will be given a deadline date and details of how to submit that piece of work. If you miss your submission opportunity without mitigating circumstances, your resit submission grade will be capped.

Handing in/submitting Work

Submitting work is absolutely vital if you wish to continue on your course. If you know you will have valid reasons for not handing work in on time, you must apply for mitigating circumstances. Below is a quick summary of what to do if you are not able to hand work in. Do approach your Module Leader for advice as soon as possible. All work must be handed in by the assessment date set out in this module handbook.

If you are unable to do this, you need to apply for Mitigating circumstances.

This is for situations where you will not be able to hand in work on time. If mitigating circumstances is accepted, you will still get the full mark. If mitigating circumstances are refused, you will have to submit your coursework at the re-sit date and the mark will be capped. This means that your maximum mark will be 50%. Mitigating circumstances are for when you have compelling reasons why you cannot hand work in. This could be illness, or particular family circumstances, but would not include ‘pressure of work’. You can download a form. from the University website; you should complete this and hand this in to your module leader with any relevant evidence.

A school will setup a discussion panel to consider this application. If the Panel accepts your reasons, you will be able to submit the work, and the mark is not capped - you will receive the full mark awarded for the work. If this is the case, you will be required to submit at the next opportunity- which is usually the summer reassessment date.

For further information, please see the university website: Mitigating Circumstances

Coursework Submitted

Please keep a copy of ALL coursework submitted. You should look at the feedback provided by examiners when marking is completed or after the module results have been published. This is essential if you wish to benefit from the feedback provided by tutors. However please bear in mind that module leaders will not be available while on leave, and this is likely to be the case during periods out of term time.

How do I get feedback on my work and when do I get my marks?

Feedback is usually provided within two weeks following deadline of submission of assessment (see above dates for assignments and feedback).  Students submit their assignment online via Canvas. The feedback will also be provided online.

How is my work assessed, marked and moderated?

The assessment of your work is a key part of your learning experience, as this is the point at which you put into practice what you have learnt.

The assessment of all your work has two key aspects to it.  On the one hand, it is about assessing the standard that your work has reached, but it is also about giving you feedback to help you improve in your future work.

Where your work also contributes to your final marks and grades it is subject to a rigorous process of evaluation which is outlined below.

How is my work marked?

The marking process makes sure that our marking of your work is fair and transparent. There is a first marker who has responsibility for giving you formal feedback and making an initial assessment of the standard of your work by giving it a provisional mark.  After this there are two further layers of checking and assurance. It is worth noting that this process means that you are unable to appeal your final marks and/or grades on the grounds of academic judgement.

How is my work moderated?

Internally

After all the work for your module has been marked it then goes through a process of moderation. This means that someone entirely separate from the first marker will look through a range of students’ work (a sample) from your module. This person is often referred to as the second marker. They will check the marking and the feedback to make sure that they agree with the first marker’s assessments.  If they do not, they will raise their points of difference with the first marker and try to reach agreement.  At this stage marks and feedback may be adjusted if necessary.  If they cannot agree, a third marker will be brought into the discussion.  No marks will be signed off until it has been agreed that the work for your module has been marked to an appropriate standard.  Where possible work will be marked anonymously, with no student names being available to any of the markers. While not every piece of work is second marked the size of the sample means that you can be confident that any issues have been identified and resolved.

Externally (by an external examiner from outside the University)

After internal moderation has taken place, a sample of assessed work from your module will also be seen by an external examiner.  This process only occurs for work submitted after Level 4, the first year of an undergraduate degree. An external examiner is a subject specialist recruited from outside the University who is able to take a completely independent view of the work from your module and to confirm that marks at London Met are consistent with those at other universities.  The external examiner will look at marking and feedback for your module and reach their own judgement about its quality.  If the external examiner has concerns about the general standard of marking or feedback, they are required to report this back to the University and to the Chair of the Subject Standards Board that formally processes the marks.  On the rare occasions this happens the marks will not be released until all parties are agreed that the assessment outcomes are appropriate and if necessary it may mean that the work is entirely remarked.

It is worth noting that in some subject areas there may be additional processes of marking and moderation due to the nature of the subject and the requirements of professional regulations.

Each year the external examiner is required to write a formal report on the work they have seen and also to verify that the University’s proper assessment processes and procedures have been followed. These reports are circulated widely within the University, including, if necessary, to the Vice-Chancellor.  They are the subject of discussion by the course teaching teams and are also available for you to see and discuss at Course Committee meetings.

The University operates marking and moderation process that are both rigorous and transparent to quality assure that:

· Your work is assessed on a fair basis

· You are provided with supportive and appropriate feedback

· Academic standards in relation to your work and final awards are maintained.

Finally, if you would like more detailed information about assessment procedures please consult the academic regulations available on the student zone section of the university website.

Assessment Description

Assessment 1 (20%)

Case Study - The Virgin Group

The Virgin Group is one of the UK’s largest private companies. The group included, in 2006, 63 businesses as diverse as airlines, health clubs, music stores and trains. The group included Virgin Galactic, which promised to take paying passengers into sub-orbital space. The personal image and personality of the founder, Richard Branson, were highly bound up with those of the company. Branson’s taste for publicity has led him to stunts as diverse as appearing as a cockney street trader in the US comedy Friends, to attempting a non-stop balloon flight around the world. This has certainly contributed to the definition and recognisability of the brand. Research has shown that the Virgin name was associated with words such as ‘fun’, ‘innovative’, ‘daring’ and ‘successful’.

Virgin announced the establishment of a ‘quadruple play’ media company providing television, broadband, fixed-line and mobile communications through the merger of Branson’s UK mobile interests with the UK’s two cable companies. This Virgin company would have 9 million direct customers, 1.5 million more than BSkyB, and so have the financial capacity to compete with BSkyB for premium content such as sports and movies. Virgin tried to expand this business further by making an offer for ITV.

Your mark however depends on your team analysis of the Virgin’s position and the strategy for the future.

Group size: 3 to 4 members

Weighting: 20%,

Submission of ppt slides: 10 to 15 with assignment submission form. on 23 April 2025 via Canvas. Presentation will be advice by the respective lecturer.

Presentation day: Starting on 23 April September 2024, each group presentation must be video recorded.

Submission of video recording on Canvas: 3 days after the group presentation in class.

Assessment 2 (80%)

Case study - WearWorld plc

In Autumn 2022, Joe Smith, Chief Engineer of WearWorld, led a cameraman around the product development labs of WearWorld’s R&D facility just outside Oxford. Like all labs of the company, they were off limits to protect from intellectual property theft. WearWorld has been working on a new product, The Zonna. A device with headphones and a face visor.

Zonna - The Product

The Zonna is a hybrid headset, utilising Bluetooth technology, and an air-purifying visor. A post covid-19 development of a product category. WearWorld has been known to break down product boundaries through innovation with several success stories in the past. Part of their success was attributed to previous air purification efforts. Joe Smith has been at the forefront of innovation, having invented office equipment, GPS devices, etc. Zonna is a test for Joe. The market for such, wearable, devices is uncertain and appears to be directly affected by the vagaries of the market including the economy and the impact of the recent pandemic, which is lingering on still.

WearWorld has been burned in the past when they tried to enter the market for vehicle air purification. They had installed 250 engineers in their facility in Oxford and invested £300 million on the development of an air purifying system (pollen, brake and airborne dust etc.) for car manufacturers to offer as an optional accessory to car buyers. The product failed miserably largely due to the high manufacturing cost and the heavy burden on car battery power requirements.

Zonna - The design

The WearWorld engineers deployed ingenuity and all their experience in developing the smaller appliance needed for air purification. Internal canals running from each headphone transport a continuous stream of purified air to the nose and mouth within a mouthpiece that does not touch the face. Through many prototypes, engineers finally arrived at a contact-free visor design that covered the nose and mouth. The more air is required, the more power is drained from the gadget’s battery. To achieve a high level of air purification, the engineers developed tiny motors inside the headphone cavity that sucked in outside air, purify it and send it down to the visor. The air filters are capable of removing ultrafine dust particles and pollutants down to 0.1 microns. The visor, connected to headphones, was another breakthrough achieved after substantive testing and R&D investment. The battery was designed to provide effective power for up to 3 hours (music, external noise cancelling and air purification) under normal use (say when commuting). During sports pursuits, with the increased exertion, the battery could only last for about 1 hour. The rechargeable battery is replaceable and WearWorld is thinking to offer replacements on a subscription basis. Joe was working on an improved battery but this would probably take 18 months or so.

Having invested £25 million in product development, they need to launch urgently…

Finally, the product’s manufacturing cost would depend heavily on the production levels. The engineers have costed Zonna as follows:

Zonna – Your Brief

WearWorld plc invited you - as a Business Strategy Consultant - to prepare a Business Plan specific to the Product.

The Board will meet and review your proposal after 25^th September 2024.

The CEO of WearWorld plc wants to know the following, specifically (See Marking Scheme below):

· The specific customer segment(s) for the products (quantified in terms of numbers and profiles)

· The clear value proposition (how different is the product) for each segment

· The competitors (direct and indirect)

· Marketing Strategy – e.g. Porter's generic strategy (Product, Pricing, Promotion & Distribution Channels)

· Promotional Strategy

· Product-specific financial forecast for 3 years (Sales Units, Revenue streams, Costs production and marketing)

· Spin-off products or services (like battery subscriptions, extended warranties etc.)

Group size: Individual Work

Weighting: 80%

Word count: 2,500 +/-10%

Submission Date: 4 June 2025 at 1159 hours