Accessibility statement

Strategy, Management & Society - MAN00024I

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Shane Hamilton
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: I
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

This module will introduce students to the theory and practice of strategic management in a wider organisational and social context. The module will critically engage with strategy content, theory, and process. It will draw on historical, theoretical, applied and critical approaches to strategy, and will include consideration of organisational, ethical, political and economic factors in the strategy process.

The module will contribute towards the development of critically aware graduates who are able to discuss and critique the social implications of strategic management ideas, their development, and how they are used and misused in real-world organisational settings.

Module learning outcomes

Learning outcomes. On completion of this module students will be able to

  • Identify important, often conflicting theories, concepts and frameworks arising in the literature on strategic management.
  • Read diverse texts in strategic management, interpreting them with contextual awareness of the development of the field as an organisational practice and academic discipline.
  • Apply strategic management concepts and theories to real-world scenarios involving organisational and societal challenges and opportunities in different sectors of the economy.
  • Evaluate the social consequences of applying strategic management theory in practice, drawing on historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives.
  • Formulate strategic responses to organisational and social problems by synthesising knowledge in strategic management theory.

Academic/Graduate Skills

Academic – The module will encourage students to develop their independent study skills and their scholarly ability by introducing them to a range of theoretical perspectives which they will be encouraged to compare, contrast and critique. It will also build skills of argumentation and synthesis, as well as application through the use of real-world scenarios.

Graduate - The module will develop strategic and critical thinking skills in students, improving problem solving skills and giving students the ability to analyze and evaluate complex problems from a range of viewpoints. It will also aim to encourage them to become intellectually aware, rounded practitioners with an awareness of the interplay between strategy formulation and other management disciplines as well as between strategy and society.

Module content

Teaching will be delivered in three modes:

  • Lecture videos provide an opportunity for students to absorb core content, and will be delivered online to maximise efficiency of content delivery and support student preparation for workshops and seminars.

  • Workshops and practicals provide an opportunity for students to apply knowledge of core content in interactive sessions. These sessions will develop academic and graduate skills, including oral communication and problem-solving skills, and will focus on enabling students to develop critical understanding of module content in interaction with peers and the module leader. Workshop format will vary throughout the term, but may include case-study based exercises, debates, Q&A sessions, serious play, exhibitions, or assessment feedforward exercises. Practicals will be focused on assessment preparation and planning.

  • Seminars provide an opportunity for students to critically evaluate core content based on independent reading and in-depth discussion with peers and module tutors.

Topics covered may include:

  • The development of the different schools of strategic management theory

  • Ethics and strategy

  • Corporate governance and strategy

  • Innovation, business models, and strategic entrepreneurship

  • Corporate Social Responsibility and strategy

  • Strategic management in relationship to other organisational activities

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay - 1500 words		 N/A 70
Essay/coursework
Strategy, Management & Society		 N/A 30

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay - 1500 words		 N/A 70
Essay/coursework
Strategy, Management & Society		 N/A 30

Module feedback

Module assessment reports to students are written by the module leader for all assessments (open and closed) and placed on the VLE after the Board of Examiners has received the module marks.

The timescale for the return of feedback will accord with SBS policy.

Indicative reading

Ansoff, I. (1991). A critique of Henry Mintzberg's 'the design school: Reconsidering the basic premises of strategic management'. Strategic Management Journal, 12 (6), 171-195.

Banerjee, S. B. (2008). Corporate social responsibility: The good, the bad and the ugly. Critical Sociology, 34 (Jan.), 51-79.

Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17 (1), 99-120.

Davis, G. F., and Kim, S. (2015). Financialization of the economy. Annual Review of Sociology, 41 (1), 203-221.

Freedman, L. (2013). Strategy: A history. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Freeman, R. E., and Evan, W. M. (1990). Corporate governance: A stakeholder interpretation. Journal of Behavioral Economics, 19 (4), 337-359.

Giraudeau, M. (2008). The drafts of strategy: Opening up plans and their uses. Long Range Planning, 41 (3), 291-308.

McWilliams, A., and Siegel, D. S. (2011). Creating and capturing value: Strategic corporate social responsibility, resource-based theory, and sustainable competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 37 (5), 1480-1495.

Mintzberg, H. (1990). The design school: Reconsidering the basic premises of strategy formation. Strategic Management Journal, 11 (3), 171-196.

Schumpeter, J. (1947). The creative response in economic history. Journal of Economic History, 7 (2), 149-159


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.