Case studies in MBA strategic

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1 Copyright econtent Management Pty Ltd. Journal of Management & Organization (2010) 16: Case studies in MBA strategic management curriculum development from Australian universities TIM O SHANNASSY Graduate School of Business, RMIT University, Melbourne VIC, Australia SHARON KEMP * School of Management, Swinburne University, Hawthorn VIC, Australia CHRIS BOOTH Graduate School of Business, RMIT University, Melbourne VIC, Australia ABSTRACT In recent years the Business Council of Australia (BCA) has drawn attention to the importance of the availability of a well-trained supply of employees for the Australian workplace. Specifically the BCA highlighted the benefits of a quality education imparting skills in the areas of collaboration, teamwork and leadership all of which greatly assist the effective practice of creativity, innovation and strategy. This paper makes a useful contribution to teaching practice in several ways. The paper links comments from the BCA to a significant and ongoing debate in the strategy literature on the best approaches to teaching the practice of strategy. The paper then demonstrates, with case studies from the RMIT University MBA and the Central Queensland University MBA programs, different approaches to how this can be done. This is followed by a critical discussion of the literature and case studies. Suggestions are made for future research and teaching practice. Keywords: management education, soft skills, hard skills, strategic management, case studies, student assessment INTRODUCTION In recent years the Business Council of Australia (BCA) has drawn attention to the importance of the availability of a well-trained supply of employees for the Australian workplace. Specifically the BCA highlighted the benefits of a quality education imparting skills in the areas of collaboration, teamwork and leadership all of which greatly assist the effective practice of creativity, innovation and strategy (Lahey 2006a). The BCA has called for Australian Universities to do more to assist the development of these skills in Australian workers. Skills the BCA highlighted as important are the same skills as highlighted by management thought leaders such as Henry Mintzberg, Kenichi Ohmae, Tom Peters, Robert * When we conceived and first prepared this article Sharon Kemp was Associate Professor of Strategy at Central Queensland University. The authors are indebted to Professor Gus Geursen, Pro-vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Informatics at Central Queensland University, who decided that there should be a capstone unit based on strategy that used a case study approach in the Central Queensland University MBA Program. Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION 467

2 Tim O Shannassy, Sharon Kemp and Chris Booth Waterman, and British experts Richard Whittington and Loizos Heracleous which are skills required for strategy making. This convergence of insight caught the attention of faculty at RMIT University (RMIT) and Central Queensland University (CQU) providing part of the motivation for this paper. Recent literature also indicates that these skills are of interest to management educators globally (Rubin and Dierdorff 2009). The teaching of sound strategy-making skills is a complex task as it requires the integration of hard financial and operational skills with soft creative, people-oriented collaborative, teamwork and leadership skills executed at the right time, in the right balance and in the right measure (De Wit & Meyer 2010). This skill set is made even more difficult to teach and impart as its practice varies according to the firm and industry setting (O Shannassy 2005). As a consequence there are three aims for this paper. The first aim is to provide learning from a broad synthesis of insight on the teaching of strategy-making in business schools, including identification of the required hard and soft skills and the usefulness or otherwise of case study analysis in a business school setting. The second aim is to explore two case studies in Australian Universities demonstrating practice in this critical area of business education and making further suggestions for improvement. The third aim is to provide a meaningful discussion of the implications for theory and practice in relation to the teaching of strategic management from the learning from the literature review and the two case studies, including fresh suggestions for improvement of future teaching and research in this area. In this way, the paper participates in an important conversation in the academic, business and consulting community on strategic management curriculum content, teaching practice and assessment in MBA programs. BACKGROUND The current debate on the role of business schools in developing managers indicates that past practices in management education need to be scrutinised and reviewed with a view to improved capabilities in graduating students (Gosling & Mintzberg 2004, 2006; Pfeffer & Fong 2002, 2004; Rubin and Dierdorff 2009). Stemming from this a new questioning of approaches to curriculum design and assessment in business education courses has emerged. For example, a 2003 issue of Academy of Management Learning and Education focused on thought processes and curricular experiences going beyond traditional case study (Bailey 2003). The teaching of business and the design of curriculum including learning and assessment tools is now debated in the education literature (Greiner, Bahmri & Cummings 2003). This paper engages with current debates on curriculum design, assessment practice and post classroom impact of teaching strategic management on work performance of MBA graduates. Before 1980, strategic management emphasis had been on deliberate, planned strategy with prescriptive approaches to strategic planning and positioning as described by Strategic Management Society Fellows such as Andrews (1965), Ansoff (1965) and Porter (1980). However, publications from McKinsey & Company in the late 1970s and early 1980s from Morrison and Lee (1979), Peters and Waterman (1982) and Ohmae (1982) indicated that change was underway. Synthesis of McKinsey & Company contributions indicates that successful business strategies flow from a particular mental approach intuitive and creative rather than rational (Ohmae 1982). Rational logic can be more of a hindrance than an aid to effective strategy formulation (Mintzberg 1994a, 1994b). But there is still a place for logic (Ohmae 1982) the relative level of logic to creativity (Mintzberg 1994a, 1994b; Ohmae 1982; Peters & Waterman 1982) and the timing of this input (Mintzberg 1994a, 1994b). These writers were describing the skills of strategists such as Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines and Bill Gates of Microsoft (Mayo & Nohria 2005) with their deft balance of creativity, vision and discipline. Later Heracleous (1998), then Jacobs and Heracleous (2005), connected these hard-to-teach, often instinctive, skills to the practice of creativity and strategic innovation. 468 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010

3 Case studies in MBA strategic management curriculum development from Australian universities In their McKinsey 7-S Model, Peters and Waterman (1982: 10) highlighted the need for organizations to blend understanding of hard strategy and structure issues with soft shared values, systems, leadership style, staff selection and employee skills issues. Liedtka (1998a, 1998b) later observed that strategic planning aligns the 7-Ss while strategic thinking disrupts and tests the alignment of the 7-Ss. There is an important time and place for both approaches and it is difficult to teach its sound practice is often the result of yearsof experience and learning with some great strategists born with entrepreneurial flair and outstanding instincts in these areas (Mintzberg 1994a, 1994b; Ohmae 1982). This background explains how we have arrived at our more advanced present understanding of the practice of contemporary strategy-making and the tension between planned and emergent strategy (Booth 2005; Christensen 1997; De Wit and Meyer 2010; Heracleous 1998; Mintzberg & Waters 1982; O Shannassy 2003). This tension between planned and emergent strategy requires the blend of left brain logical, analytical, convergent thinking skills with right brain creative, synthetic, divergent thinking skills (Heracleous 1998; O Shannassy 2001). Thought and action can be a careful, cautious linear step-by-step process, thought and action can be intertwined or it can be something in between depending on circumstances (De Wit & Meyer 2010; Eccles (1993) in Hendry, Johnson & Newton 1993). So how can we effectively teach this modern, evolved insight into strategy-making in an MBA strategic management course? Classic prescriptive strategy literature from writers such as Andrews (1965) and Ansoff (1965) underpins understanding of the planning element in strategy-making and the importance of strategic positioning for competitive advantage (Porter 1980). More contemporary insights from the descriptive and integrative strategy schools [e.g. Entrepreneurial School writers such as Westley and Mintzberg (1989); Learning School writers such as Quinn (1980)] facilitate more contemporary insights into strategic management (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel 1998; Mintzberg & Lampel 1999). This literature helps to identify dichotomies in the discipline area to assist curriculum development, the delivery of interesting classes and the achievement of interesting and challenging learning objectives (De Wit & Meyer 2004, 2010). Reading, discussion and debate on these strategic management issues in the classroom and the challenge of appropriately designed assessment tasks can also make a significant difference to the cognitive maps the ideas, operative knowledge and belief systems (Laukkanen 1998) students take back to the workplace for their participation in strategy-making. Consequently, assessment challenges for students in MBA strategic management courses should push students toward developing skills in collaboration and teamwork, the creation of novel strategy solutions, innovative business and industry outcomes, and sustainable practices in business development to achieve BCA preferred outcomes. Thus, there is certainly an important role for a strong understanding of theory linked to practical examples (e.g. strategic thinking and worker involvement at Honda Motor Company; headquarters decision-making on mergers and acquisitions and the growth of News Corporation) to help modern strategy workers understand some of the challenges of competition, technology and markets which can place them in difficult, complex, ambiguous situations (DeSarbo, Di Benedetto, Song & Sinha 2005; De Wit & Meyer 2010). The connection of theory and case study teaching is a popular approach to connecting theory and practice in business schools. Greiner et al. (2003: 403) explain the development of early business education at Harvard Business School and the origin of the Harvard Case Method noting the use of: similar experiential learning approaches being used in other professional schools such as rounds with doctors in medical schools, moot courts in law schools, and internships in schools of public administration. Decades before the internet provided classroom access to stock exchange and company web sites the case study method provided a way of Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION 469

4 Tim O Shannassy, Sharon Kemp and Chris Booth linking and integrating earlier functional learning from courses in finance, marketing, human resources and operations management into a capstone business policy and strategy offering. The case study provided a valuable way to integrate demanding cognitive knowledge into everyday practice. The case study approach to teaching was embraced around the world and thousands of teaching case studies were developed to assist this activity. A case study sets out, in a factual manner, the events and organizational circumstances surrounding a particular managerial situation (Greiner et al. 2003). It puts students at the scene of the action and familiarizes them with all the relevant circumstances. The purpose in using case studies as assessment items is to enhance students skills in analysing situations and developing their managerial judgment about what needs to be done and how to do it. Each managerial situation has unique aspects, requiring its own diagnosis, judgment, and tailor-made actions. Cases can help substitute for work experience by giving students exposure to ranges of firms and industries with different strategic problems. The case study forces students to think like a manager taking a hands on approach to the application of the tools and techniques of strategic analysis and developing an action plan to take the organization forward and improve shareholder and stakeholder value. The use of case studies provides students with exposure to a wide range of industries and organizations, their issues and their problems and opportunities, quite quickly. Students use cases about actual companies to practice strategic analysis and to gain some experience in the tasks of developing and implementing strategy. The student s role in case analysis is to diagnose and assess the situation described in the case then recommend appropriate action steps (Thompson, Strickland & Gamble 2007). On the other hand, Lundberg and Winn (2005) indicate the limits of case approach as case notes can act as recipes with a result that cases simplify the business world experience. Liang and Wang (2004) also flag case limitations in a fastpaced 21 st century. Ross (1998) identified significant issues with Harvard case studies as they demonstrated a rationalistic, top-down, executive-centric, instrumentalist and objectivist view of business strategy (Liang & Wang 2004). This overtly rational approach to strategy-making has been robustly criticised in the literature primarily by Mintzberg (1994a, 1994b). Lundberg, Rainsford, Shay and Young (2001) have also criticised the practice of case study assessment citing an overt bias to student decision-making on the case as opposed to appreciating the student s ability to identify types of issues embedded in the case and business ideas to address problems and opportunities. Addressing such criticisms of case content and case teaching allows classroom innovation for MBA strategic management teachers. Fortunately in more recent years there has been recognition that the dynamic nature of business with evolving customer preferences, robust competition, surprises and unforseen threats in the marketplace plus growing complexity (Hart 1992; Hart & Banbury 1994) presents challenges to traditional approaches in the use of case method and the value of these traditional approaches. Business-oriented films (e.g. Wall Street), magazines (e.g. Fortune) and stock exchange and company web sites now provide useful teaching resources in the classroom, especially for generation Y students, with proliferation of information technology and entertainment-oriented popular culture. Here generation Y students evidence an appreciation of different learning mediums and different classroom activities. METHOD Siggelkow (2007) drew attention to the power of small sample case study research. The case study research approach we use here explores development of MBA strategic management curricula in two Australian Universities. The cases show course development procedures, including curriculum content, assessment characteristics and class implementation (Yin 1994). The case studies developed from ANZAM 2006 in Rockhampton on teaching strategic management courses in MBA Programs at RMIT and CQU. The authors discussed BCA s 470 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010

5 Case studies in MBA strategic management curriculum development from Australian universities expressed need for better teaching and practice of the hard and soft skills of strategic management. Outcomes of the reflection, formal meetings, notetaking, research, discussions and feedback from students are the case studies presented below. RESULTS Case study 1 RMIT University Creating Strategy for the RMIT MBA Program had its inception in the MBA Renewal Committee process in The MBA Program Renewal Committee comprised the Graduate School of Business (GSB) faculty including three Adjunct Professors, AICD Fellows, industry figures and senior faculty from other Melbourne-based business schools. A Courseware brief was developed with topics blending soft and hard skills for an evolved, creative approach to strategic management. Topics covered in the new course included strategic thinking, strategy formation, strategic change, innovation, strategy at the network, corporate, business and functional levels, strategy and structure, organizational context, industry context, international context and organizational purpose. Creating Strategy topics addressed MBA program capabilities the MBA Renewal Committee identified: Leadership and management by building understanding of the different roles leaders and managers can play fostering either or both of top-down and bottom-up communication and teamwork, and in what circumstances these roles may be appropriate; Creativity by developing the soft, generative and hard, rational strategic thinking skills of students; Managing resources by building understanding of the challenges of balancing the different functional requirements (i.e. human resources, finance, marketing etc.) of the organization; Organizational strategy by building understanding of the interaction of strategy process, content and context; Economic and social responsibility by helping students understand the benefits of balancing economic and stakeholder outcomes; Global context giving students insight into a global and a local perspective to strategy development; Change management building understanding of managing evolutionary and revolutionary change and the soft people-oriented skills required. Creating Strategy was designed at RMIT to expose students to a strategic perspective on issues that concern the organization as a whole in a complex and dynamic environment. For example, since World War II strategic management focussed on hard skills required to develop the strategic plan itself, where line managers implemented the planning document. In the 1980s and 1990s this approach was discredited. from the 1990s to this decade, the strategy field emphasized involving soft skills for all staff in the strategy process, allowing strategies to emerge from the grass roots of the firm, giving greater attention to the well being of the firm as a whole, and incorporating thought with action. The emphasis now is strategy creation tempered with reflective rational analysis. In organizations and industries now, strategy practice is more soft, generative and peopleoriented than hard, rational and analytical. This background helped to inform course development and the learning objectives (in Table 1 below). In teaching Creating Strategy it was important to integrate concepts from RMIT MBA courses focused on business operation (i.e. marketing, finance, accounting, human resource management, operations management) to assist novel and competitive solutions to complex business problems and opportunities. The units in the course addressed strategy and the need to balance strategy process, content and context. Over the past 5 years RMIT MBA has added class and online interaction, reflection and strategic thinking in lecture content, class activities, case analysis and assessment. This activity built Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION 471

6 Tim O Shannassy, Sharon Kemp and Chris Booth student capacity for ambiguity and wicked strategic problems (Mason & Mitroff 1981). In classroom activity and discussion both in face-to-face and online modes the role of the lecturer is critical to success in training students to develop these soft and hard skills. The focus of the classroom conversation is twofold. First, real life experiences of students in their own working life; second, sharing face-to-face and online interaction. The lecturer synthesises emergent learning from the class discussion and interaction, then explores consensus and difference and draws conclusions for the class. Assessment tasks fostered learning and classroom discussion. First, students were placed in syndicates to prepare a 20 min presentation and a 2000 word written report on a case study, chosen to illustrate and provide a real world perspective on a particular topic (e.g. strategic thinking and Honda Motor Company, strategy and structure and Federal Express). The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to put into application their learning from the course and the classroom in a practical situation. Students often have experience in their working life of only one or two industries and the case study activity provides an opportunity for students to explore something quite different from their day-to-day working life. Second, students were required to prepare two 250 word case study discussion reflections which were to be uploaded into the course web site to facilitate online interaction between students and the lecturer. Students were not allowed to submit the same case study for assessment that they had presented in their syndicate. Finally students sat a 3 h test in the examination term divided into two parts. The first part was a theory and practice test. Students were required to choose two essays from five choices. The questions seek students insight into the debate on a particular topic (e.g. strategy formation planning vs. incrementalism), an insight into one or two readings (e.g. strategy formation and James Brian Quinn s work on incrementalism), then the students are invited to apply theory to practice linking discussion on a given topic to a practical situation with which they are familiar; it could be a class case study, an example from the business press or their own working life. Questions can be crafted for the theory and practice test to give more or less emphasis to hard or soft skills. The second part of the test is an individual case study. Students are informed of the case two weeks prior to the test. A series of context questions are provided to students on the day in the test situation to get them to think in creative ways about the challenge of devising a viable strategy which balances shareholder and stakeholder interests. Again, questions can be crafted for the case study test to give more or less emphasis to hard or soft skills and also the key issues impacting shareholder and stakeholder value. Students must respond directly to these context questions in the test. This approach to the testing of students with a prior opportunity to read and prepare the case allows a wider range of subject matter to be examined in the theory and practice and case study test components, plus a more precise insight into the requirements of the specific case study. Many talented students can fold under the pressure of the unseen case study in an exam situation, hence the preference for two weeks notice of the case study for the test. The assessment tasks and teaching schedule are summarized in Table 1 below. The practice of assessment in RMIT GSB strategy courses has proved exceptionally useful in melding Eastern and Western philosophical and cultural concepts through exploring dichotomies. Creating Strategy has been designed to complement learning in the later MBA capstone course Implementing Strategy. Implementing Strategy has a more operational level, performance measurement, productivity maximization, factory floor focus to executing the company strategy in its curriculum. Creating Strategy teaches students in the second year of the MBA how sustainable competitive strategies are developed. The comfort of Eastern yin and yang co-existence concepts is imparted to Western managers especially in discussion of strategic thinking practice (Ohmae 1982). The value of convergent hypotheses testing and analytical approaches are explained to Eastern 472 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010

7 Case studies in MBA strategic management curriculum development from Australian universities managers in discussion of strategic planning and formulating strategy at the business unit and headquarters level. In particular, the RMIT course focuses early on the Honda Motor Company case study with its deep discussion of the balance of Eastern and Western management philosophies, balancing strategic thinking and strategic planning, group and individual work. This dichotomy approach has proved quite insightful to the diverse RMIT GSB student intakes which balance students from Western and Eastern backgrounds with both in large numbers. Disciplines such as strategy will need to further consider diversity in curriculum and assessment tasks as the global economy and strategy practice gives greater emphasis to business strategy in India and China. TABLE 1: RMIT UNIVERSITY MBA CREATING STRATEGY COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES, TEACHING SCHEDULE AND ASSESSMENT SUMMARY Learning objectives summary On completion of Creating Strategy you will have developed a better understanding of the strategy process in organizations and its evolution. In particular you will have an awareness of: the tools and techniques of strategic analysis; business level, corporate level and network level strategy content issues; preparing a business plan and the effective management of resources; the relationship between strategic thinking and strategic planning; scenario planning; the need to align strategy, structure, culture, systems, human resources, employee skills and leadership style; application of the case study technique to solving business problems; the impact of globalization; the value of innovation and how innovation can be encouraged; the practice of strategic thinking - especially the creative, people-oriented aspects of strategy practice; the increasing importance of the social interactive aspects of the strategy process; and, the tension between shareholders and stakeholders with implications for economic and social outcomes; Teaching schedule Week 1 Introduction, Case Study Analysis Week 2 Strategic Thinking Week 3 Strategy Formation Week 4 Strategic Change and Innovation Week 5 Organizational Purpose Week 6 Business Level Strategy Assessment Week 7 Corporate Level Strategy Week 8 Network Level Strategy Week 9 Strategy and Structure Week 10 Industry Context Week 11 International Context Week 12 Organization Context Task 1 In syndicates prepare a 20 min presentation (weighing 10%) and a 2000 word written report (weighing 15%) on a case study chosen to illustrate and provide a real world perspective on a particular topic (e.g. strategic thinking and Honda Motor Company, strategy and structure and Federal Express). The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to put into application their learning from the course and the classroom in a practical situation. Presentations commence in week 2 with one presentation per class until week 12. Task 2 Students prepare two 250 word case study Discussion Reflections (weighing 5% each) to be uploaded into the course web site to facilitate online interaction between students and the lecturer. Students are not allowed to submit the same case study for assessment that they had presented in their syndicate. Submissions allowed until exam date. Task 3 Students sit a three hour test in exam term divided into two parts (weighing 50% total). Part A Theory and Practice Test: Students are required to choose two essays from five choices (weighing 25%). Part B Individual Case Study: Students are informed of the case two weeks prior to the test. A series of context questions are provided to students on the day in the test situation to get them to think in creative ways about the challenge of devising a viable strategy which balances shareholder and stakeholder interests. Students must respond directly to these context questions in the test (weighing 25%). Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION 473

8 Tim O Shannassy, Sharon Kemp and Chris Booth On reflection, the fresh curriculum and the approach to assessment has worked well. The syndicate and individual case study work had the effect of bringing to the fore student s hard and soft skills. Syndicate work is always a challenge when an eclectic mix of students from a variety of work and cultural backgrounds are brought together. Student feedback has been at the top end of RMIT College of Business feedback. The course provides a robust foundation for the capstone course Implementing Strategy which we have seen has a more operational focus. In 2010, the RMIT GSB became a Graduate School of Business and Law and this approach to Creating Strategy teaching continues. Case study 2 CQU University Both strategy courses in the CQU MBA, Strategy Development and Initiatives and Strategic Integration, are double credit point courses and together form the overall capstone of the CQU MBA. In line with accepted practice in business education (Greiner et al. 2003) these courses integrate the concepts learned throughout a student s degree. This integration of concepts and development of a helicopter view helps students demonstrate the ability systematically and critically to identify and analyse problems and opportunities in an organization and to develop recommendations appropriate to the circumstances. The strategy capstone courses at CQU University are also designed to encourage students to identify, formulate and solve organizational problems. CQU faculty have used case-based learning to simulate the environment that will be encountered in business. Students form a team and complete all of the assessment tasks except the final exam as a team. During the courses students actively encounter challenges that they will experience in the real world. These challenges include time pressure, lack of resources, gaps in skill sets, cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams addressing complex problems, differing leadership and team member abilities, and a lack of information about the business problem. Students are required to study Strategy Development and Initiatives as late as possible in their MBA to allow students to complete year 1 courses (i.e. People, Work and Organizations; Economics for Business; Human Resources Management; Accounting Information for Decision Making; Operational Analysis and Effectiveness). Strategy Development and Initiatives is designed to develop the capabilities of students to take a strategic view of the organization, understand strategy-making including the development of strategic alternatives, and discuss issues of strategy implementation and evaluation. Topics covered include strategy and the organizational context, strategic thinking, managing change, financial analysis, business level strategy, corporate level strategy, network level strategy, the industry context, the organizational context, and the international context. Table 2 below provides a summary. Assessment for Strategy Development and Initiatives includes three group assignments, an individual assignment and an individual exam. In the first assessment task for Strategy Development and Initiatives a team charter (weighing 5%) due in week 3 is used to encourage students to share expectations and to encourage groups to develop norms. Two team reviews are used to help students discuss the inner workings of their group with their fellow group members and to help groups develop improvement strategies. Students generate a team meeting report during each meeting. The team meeting reports are used to assist students to manage tasks within the team (i.e. what? who? when?) and to assist in resolving conflict regarding individual and/or team performance. The second assessment task is a group report (weighing 25%) on a company, or a case study, or a business scenario which is related to particular strategic issues. The purpose of this assessment is to help each team better understand the course content being taught each week. These reports and submissions commence in week 4 and continue to week 11. The third assessment task is the preparation of a group case study report (weighing 35%) due in week 10. The fourth assessment task is an individual report on group performance (weighing 5%) due in week 11. In this task students are encouraged to individ- 474 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010

9 Case studies in MBA strategic management curriculum development from Australian universities ually reflect on the development of their group and themselves over the course of the semester. The fifth and final piece of assessment that students complete is an individual final exam (weighing 30%) in the examination term. The focus of the exam is a case study. The case study is supplied to the students 10 days before the scheduled exam. Specific exam questions on the case study are revealed in the exam. The questions encourage students to consider a wide range of alternative solutions and/or resolutions to a complex problem. Students are required to balance creativity with an ability to develop actionable recommendations. Table 2 below summarizes the assessment for Strategy Development and Initiatives. In Strategic Integration the course is structured with three initial lectures for scaffolding. We term them key lectures. They are in week 1 review of concepts, week 2 case method and week 3 financial analysis. The key lectures are recorded on DVD and are provided to students in a resources folder. The philosophy that informs this approach is that students are ready to learn at different times and their readiness may not necessarily coincide with when a lecture is scheduled. Provision of the lecture material on DVD means that students can listen to lecture material when they want and they can repeat the lecture as many times as necessary until they are comfortable with the learning material and then can move on to more complex material. CQU faculty follow the key lectures with a second set of six lectures, which are termed tools lectures. These lectures supplement the tools taught in a preliminary strategic management course and cover a selection of the following tools of strategic analysis in each lecture: Henry Mintzberg s Five Ps, Michael Porter s Five Forces, BCG Matrix, General Electric Matrix, Balanced Scorecard, Critical Success Factors (CSF s), Economic Value Added (EVA), Gap Analysis, TOWS Matrix, Generic Competitive Strategies, Grand Strategies, Scenario Planning, McKinsey 7-Ss, and Value Chain Analysis. Week 10 is a review of issues in group cases, week 11 issues in strategy and week 12 is exam case study introduction and an examination briefing. A summary of the teaching schedule is provided in Table 2 below. In Strategic Integration again the first assessment task is a team charter (weighing 5%, length three pages or less) due in week 3, to encourage students to share expectations, to encourage groups to develop norms and to assist achievement of course learning outcomes. The second assessment task is a group report and presentation (weighing 20%, 2500 words in length). Students are allocated a company to analyse. Students are invited to prepare a report and a presentation in relation to key stakeholders, company objectives, financial position and performance, strategy choices, the external environment, firm resources and firm competencies. The report is due in week 7 and the presentations from week 8 to 11. The third assessment task is a case report (weighing 30%, 3000 words length) using the case analysis method taught in week 2. The aim of case analysis is for students to become actively engaged in diagnosing the business issues and managerial problems posed in the case, to propose workable solutions, and to explain and defend their assessments in a peer environment. Students develop soft skills in the areas of critical thinking and problem solving. The students are required to write case study reports that analyse the facts in the case study, conduct further research, and make considered recommendations. Each group prepares a PowerPoint presentation with a speaker s script in the notes section of their PowerPoint slides for their case study. Students are assessed by their workshop leader on their oral presentation as a group as well as the content and style of their PowerPoint presentation. Presentation skills are another important soft workplace skill. The fourth assessment task is a report on group performance (weighing 5%, maximum 500 words) which is due in the study vacation period. Students are asked to reflect on the performance of the group and their own performance within the group. This assessment task contributes to the development of student s soft skills in terms of learning to work in teams, learning to be an effective team member and developing team leadership skills. Students also learn how to manage Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION 475

10 Tim O Shannassy, Sharon Kemp and Chris Booth TABLE 2: CQU UNIVERSITY MBA PROGRAM STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND INITIATIVES, AND STRATEGY INTEGRATION COURSE OUTCOMES, TEACHING SCHEDULE AND ASSESSMENT SUMMARY Strategy Development and Initiatives Strategic Integration Expected course outcomes include: 1. Evaluate and discuss the theoretical concepts and principles of strategic management, including analysis, formulation and implementation. 2. Critically apply the tools and techniques of strategic analysis. 3. Critically analyse strategy programs at different organization levels. 4. Build on the knowledge gained in other courses. 5. Critically evaluate strategic management case studies and provide recommendations. Strategy Development and Initiatives Teaching Schedule Week 1 Strategy and the Organizational Context Week 2 Strategic Thinking Week 3 Managing Change Week 4 Financial Analysis Week 5 Business Level Strategy Week 6 Corporate Level Strategy Week 7 Network Level Strategy Week 8 Industry Context Week 9 Organization Context Week 10 International Context Week 11 Review Week 12 Introduction to the Exam Case Study Strategy Development and Initiatives Assessment Expected course outcomes include: 1. Conduct in-depth research into strategic management issues and concepts learned throughout the MBA 2. To effectively make use of the tools of strategic analysis in a case study. Strategic Integration Teaching Schedule Week 1 Review of Concepts Week 2 Case Method Week 3 Financial Analysis Week 4 Tools 1 Week 5 Tools 2 Week 6 Tools 3 Week 7 Tools 4 Week 8 Tools 5 Week 9 Tools 6 Week 10 Review of Group Cases Week 11 Issues in Strategy Week 12 Introduction to the Exam Case Strategic Integration Assessment Task 1 Team Charter (weighing 5%) due in week 3 is used to encourage students to share expectations and to encourage groups to develop norms. Task 2 Task 2 is a Group Report (weighing 25%) on a company, or a case study, or a business scenario which is related to particular strategic issues. The purpose of this assessment is to help each team better understand the course content being taught each week. These reports and submissions commence in week 4 and continue to week 11. Task 3 The third assessment task is the preparation of a Group Case Study Report (weighing 35%) due in Week 10. Task 4 Task 4 is an Individual Report on Group Performance (weighing 5%) due in week 11. In this task students are encouraged to individually reflect on the development of their group and themselves over the course of the semester. Task 1 Task 1 is preparation of a Team Charter (weighing 5%, length three pages or less) due in Week 3, to encourage students to share expectations, to encourage groups to develop norms and to assist achievement of course learning outcomes. Task 2 In Task 2 students are allocated a company to analyse and are asked to prepare a Group Report and Presentation (weighing 20%, 2500 words in length). Students are required to study the key stakeholders, company objectives, financial position and performance, strategies, the external environment, firm resources and firm competencies. The report is due in week 7 and the presentations from week 8 to 11. Task 3 Task 3 is a case report (weighing 30%, 3000 words length) using the case analysis method taught in week 2. The aim of case analysis is for students to become actively engaged in diagnosing the business issues and managerial problems posed in the case, to propose workable solutions, and to explain and defend their assessments in a peer environment. Each group prepares a report and a PowerPoint presentation with (Continued) 476 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010

11 Case studies in MBA strategic management curriculum development from Australian universities TABLE 2: CQU UNIVERSITY MBA PROGRAM STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND INITIATIVES, AND STRATEGY INTEGRATION COURSE OUTCOMES, TEACHING SCHEDULE AND ASSESSMENT SUMMARY (Continued ) Strategy Development and Initiatives Assessment Task 5 Task 5 is an Individual Final Exam (weighing 30%). The focus of the exam is a case study. The case study is supplied to the students ten days before the scheduled exam. Specific exam questions on the case study are revealed in the exam. The questions encourage students to consider a wide range of alternative solutions and/or resolutions to a complex problem. Students are required to balance creativity with an ability to develop actionable recommendations. and work with team members that hold different viewpoints and values to their own. The fifth assessment task is an examination (weighing 40%, 3 h duration with 15 min reading time) during the examination term. The examination includes assessment of the tools and techniques of strategic analysis and a case study. A summary of assessment is provided in Table 2. The case studies are an important part of the CQU learning experience for students. The case studies are complex and information about the business problem may be incomplete. Students only have time to conduct limited research so they need to be resourceful when investigating the case. To derive a set of actionable recommendations for the case study company, students have to be creative, lateral thinkers. Students are also assessed on their presentation skills. It is expected delivery will be enthusiastic, confident, interesting and appropriate to the audience with suitable use of technology and involvement of all group members. As noted above CQU regards presentation skills as an important soft skill for students to develop. The desired outcome of the CQU strategy capstone courses is for students to be empowered to learn rather than produce students with only toolboxes of answers that they try to fit to facts and situations they encounter. The aim of the strategy capstone courses is to produce graduates Strategic Integration Assessment a speaker s script in the notes section of their Power- Point slides for their case study. Task 4 Task 4 is a report on group performance (weighing 5%, maximum 500 words) which is due in the study vacation period. Students are asked to reflect on the performance of the group and their own performance within the group. Task 5 The fifth assessment task is an examination (weighing 40%, three hours duration with 15 minutes reading time). The examination includes assessment of the tools and techniques of strategic analysis and a case study. with critical thinking skills, team-oriented skills, interpersonal skills, leadership, creative abilities, and entrepreneurial skills all desirable outcomes when considered in the light of recent BCA remarks (Lahey 2006a). FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION We have seen that the BCA has highlighted that Australian Universities could do more to develop the soft skills of graduates, developing more creative, innovative and strategic managers (Lahey 2006b). In the practice of effective strategic management there is a need for the soft instinctive, intuitive, creative, divergent, people-oriented skills and also hard, analytical, convergent financial and/or operational skills as the business requires (De Wit & Meyer, 2010). We have seen the classic literature in this area from Peters and Waterman (1982), Ohmae (1982) and Mintzberg (1994a, 1994b) argues that the sound practice of strategy is mainly favouring the soft, intuitive, creative approach but also requires some understanding of the hard analytical tasks. Great strategy leadership is rare and often highly instinctive in its practice (Ohmae 1982). Research by O Shannassy (2005) in Australian corporations demonstrates that practicing managers spend the major portion of their time performing very much as described by Peters and Waterman Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION 477

12 Tim O Shannassy, Sharon Kemp and Chris Booth (1982), Ohmae (1982) and Mintzberg (1994a) and that the soft skills in fact interact with and assist sound practice of the hard skills. The case studies reported here evidence how to weave this insight into teaching and assessment practice. Design of strategy courses offered by RMIT and CQU address the recognized need for team skills by incorporating assessment tasks that must be completed by students as a member of a team and also assessment tasks that must be completed as an individual. Both courses encourage teamwork by firstly preparing students for this activity with lectures and appropriate readings including insight on research findings about team dynamics, team roles, how to be an effective team member, and how to be a team leader. This provides a foundation for the undertaking of assessment tasks and the important role of feedback from the class leader in this process. Both RMIT and CQU cases indicate that a wide range of soft skills developmental learning opportunities can be incorporated into courses. Case 1 also indicates that this still needs to be balanced with the development of hard skills as the two sets of skills work together. Sound knowledge of finance and operations can enhance the use of instinct and creativity and vice versa. Allowing this balance of soft skills and hard skills can create a powerful skill base for executives and managers in their career. Students not only need technical or discipline-related skills but also an ability to be able to use the knowledge that they have gained from their education in a practical way. This ability to use MBA learning in practice depends to a large extent on their disposition to the learning experience, their interpersonal skills and their ability to work effectively as a member of a team in a business environment giving the best of themselves and helping draw out the best in others. Both RMIT and CQU strategy courses emphasise the case study method of instruction and assessment of learning. The key issue here is how this is done and the learning outcomes for students; both cases indicate that there is a need to go beyond the simple preparation of case study solutions derived from use of analytical tools to include issues of strategy process. This happens at two levels. First case study selection by the class leader that includes issues of strategy process, not just strategy content and there is a real difference here. Famous case studies such as Honda Motor Company, Caterpillar and Ducati require significant decisions on strategy process and content matters so that the organization can adapt to its strategy context. Students are required to learn to work in teams to conduct a number of different case study analyses; this requires students to look at a range of strategy issues in a number of different contexts. Teamwork enables students to become actively engaged in diagnosing business issues and managerial problems posed in the individual case studies, to propose workable solutions, and to explain and defend their assessments. The case studies explored in teams provide students with meaningful practice at being a manager, as many of the challenges and issues that arise in teams at University also arise in teams in the workplace. The great difference is that, in the workplace, performance management processes including remuneration practice and clear hierarchies of authority assist the resolution of many of these team challenges. At University, resolution of these challenges is based on the interpersonal skills of students and the occasional assistance of the class leader. A real challenge for the class leader here is to remain objective in refereeing team grievances and empowering students to resolve these issues effectively and allow them to deliver a quality assessment task submission. When the class leader gets this approach right the students can benefit greatly from the experience. Often talking students through their team issues and helping to craft a plan of work for the team, including team discussion in relation to say the case study prior to preparation of written material, can be beneficial. This type of early team discussion provides a foundation by establishing expectations and assisting early problem solving. The early discussion also provides the basis for later reflection by all, especially the students doing the work. 478 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010

13 Case studies in MBA strategic management curriculum development from Australian universities There are some useful points to make on the practice of reflection in strategy courses. Reflection is an important aspect of teaching practice in MBA Programs at both Universities. During each course run by both RMIT and CQU, students are encouraged through assessment tasks to reflect on their interaction and contribution to their team. Students are encouraged to practice the skills that employers want and that will make them more employable and valuable graduates. Team case reports and presentations require students to put forward ideas to the group as well as to be accepting of other group members views and opinions. The role of reflective activities is important in the development of students as reflective practitioners who take an incremental approach to strategy by learning from the internal and external environment and the subtle changes that occur around them (Sinclair 2007). At CQU the group reflective activity provides learning opportunities for students to regularly check if the selected route or strategy is still appropriate to reach particular goals. Future research can track this evolution of educational practice in the MBA classroom. As University faculty continue to create innovative ways to engage students with learning and then demonstrating these strategic management skills in assessment tasks, investigation of the soundness of this teaching practice and the longitudinal implications for work performance of MBA alumni provides a useful area of study. In particular it will be useful to get robust empirical evidence on which of the teaching innovations discussed here has the most favourable influence on future strategy practice by MBA alumni. It will also be interesting to know if teaching intervention has the same impact on the skills of strategists in relation to strategy process matters, strategy content matters and also understanding of the strategy context. CONCLUSION This paper makes a useful contribution to teaching practice in several ways. First it identifies a call by the BCA for greater and better emphasis to be placed on the development of creative, innovative, strategy skills in Australian managers by Australian Universities (Lahey 2006a). Second it links the comments of Lahey (2006b) to a significant and ongoing debate in the strategy literature on the best approaches to the practice of strategy. Third it demonstrates with case studies from RMIT and CQU MBA courses two different approaches to how this can be done. Fourth it provides a robust and critical discussion of the findings of the literature survey and the case studies. Suggestions are made for future research and teaching practice. References Andrews KR (1965) The concept of corporate strategy, Dow Jones-Irwin, Homewood, IL. Ansoff HI (1965) Corporate strategy, McGraw-Hill, New York. Bailey JR (2003) Organizational techniques for educational reform, Academy of Management Learning and Education 2(3): 296. Booth C (2005) Contemporary strategic business planning: a view of strategy formation processes in organizations, in Muetzelfeldt, M. (Ed) APROS 11 Book of Proceedings: Papers from 11th International Colloquium of Asia-Pacific Researchers in Organization Studies, Melbourne, 4-7 December 2005, pp Christensen C (1997) Making strategy: Learning by doing, Harvard Business Review 75(6): DeSarbo WS, Di Benedetto, CA Song M and Sinha, I (2005) Revisiting the Miles and Snow strategic framework: Uncovering interrelationships between strategic types, capabilities, environmental uncertainty, and firm performance, Strategic Management Journal 26: De Wit B and Meyer R (2004) Strategy: process, content, context 3 rd edn. Thomson, London. De Wit B and Meyer R (2010) Strategy: process, content, context 4 th edn. Cengage Learning, London. Eccles RG (1993) Implementing strategy: Two revisionist perspectives, in Hendry J, Johnson G and Newton J (Eds) Strategic Thinking: Leadership and the Management of Change, pp , Wiley, Chichester. Gosling J and Mintzberg H (2004) The education of practicing managers, MIT Sloan Management Review 45(4): Gosling J and Mintzberg H (2006) Management education as if both mattered, Management Learning 37(4): Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2010 JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION 479