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Global Strategy in Practice (666N1)

15 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

In this module, we examine the various elements of international business strategy, the decisions firms need to make and how they should be best configured, so they can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in the international arena. Within this module, you have the opportunity to develop creative and critical thinking in strategic decision making, as well as technical skills and competences by getting familiarised with current tools and technique employed for strategic decision-making.

The module is supported by a competitive simulation, which allows the you to have a hands-on experience on international business practices and strategic decision-making while internationalising in different markets. In the international business simulation, Phone Ventures, you manage your own multinational smartphone company, similar to Apple, Huawei and Samsung. You compete within teams during each round (equivalent to one year of operations) and must make strategic decisions to improve company performance across their international markets with the aim of becoming top of the ranking list at the end of the final round.

You are assigned a specific role in the simulation (for example General Manager, HR Manager, Production and Distribution Manager, International Marketing Manager), and make decisions in these roles, taking into consideration the changes you need to implement while expanding into different markets around the globe.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability are strongly embedded within the simulation and the module. You have to think about how to reduce your carbon footprint, contribute to the Paris agreement, support local initiatives, fair practices and financial fair play. You also implement National Equality Standards to encourage diversity within your company.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 30 hours of contact time and about 120 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.