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Unit Information Form (UIF)

(The UIF provides the definitive record of the designated Unit)

SECTION A

General Unit Information

Unit Name Strategy and Creativity

Unit Code FTU005-3
Level 6
Credit Value 15
Location(s) of
OO: FTU Vietnam
Delivery
Period(s) of delivery Sem 1
Pre-requisites or
None
Restrictions
Strategy requires the ability to analyse complex situations and to
propose integrated solutions that enable an organisation to compete
effectively.
This unit offers you the opportunity to critically evaluate strategy tools
and frameworks in order to select and apply them to use your
understanding of the appropriate tools and frameworks and to
develop your abilities in strategic thinking in order to design a
strategic solution for a real organisation – a skill you will require as
Aims and Relevance
you tackle the varied practice based projects this year.
You will work with others to employ creative techniques to develop a
range of possible strategic alternatives to a business issue and to
select and justify the most appropriate. This process should be both
challenging and stimulating.
The unit starts with an intensive and critical review of academic
theory, preparing you for your assignment which you will need to
research, critically evaluate and report later in the semester
This unit is delivered to focus on six core themes. The themes are
aimed at developing your critical understanding of the tools,
frameworks and concepts of strategy and creativity and through
practical application bringing the two disciplines together to enable
superior analysis and solution design.
Syllabus Content
• Strategy – the basic concepts and methods and the need for
creativity
• Analysing industries and identifying industry trends
• Creating value through resources and capabilities
• Creating scenarios
• Developing strategies
• Finding new ways to compete

Learning outcomes

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On completion of this unit you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding

 Demonstrate knowledge of a range of tools and frameworks of strategy and creativity
appropriate for the evaluation of complex situations in organisations

2. Demonstrate the following skills and abilities

 Analysis an organisation and its context. Generate coherent strategic options and
choice.

PSRB outcomes
CIM approval is being sought for the courses in which this unit is core

Summary learning hours

Scheduled Guided Independent Autonomous Placement Total

Hours
24 74 28 24
0 150
Percentage 16% 49% 19% 16% 0 100%

Approach to learning

Learning in this unit will be though a combination of lecture, workshops guided and
independent learning. Successful completion of this unit demands attendance and
engagement which requires you to take responsibility for your learning.
The weekly sessions will enable you to understand the material through a combination of
lecture input and collaborative, interactive sessions during which you will explore and apply
the concepts. Through guided learning you will be advised which areas to study and be
presented with some activities that will guide you through the concepts and their application.
You must also undertake independent learning involving pre reading for sessions and
deeper reading in order to gain a more detailed understanding

Learner development

This Unit particularly focuses on the development of your abilities in the following areas:

Learner Development
This Unit focuses on the development of your abilities in the following areas:
Businesses are operating in an increasingly dynamic environment and this often
requires managers to be able to think in a more flexible and creative way in order
to understand issues that are likely to be complex and unstructured. In addition
the need to differentiate requires the skilful design of strategy. This unit aims to
extend your ability in active enquiry in order to develop your understanding of the
Enquiry
tools and frameworks of both strategy end creativity the combined use of which is
designed to enable you to make judgements about current and future scenarios
and from this to develop realistic strategic options.

This unit aims to develop your ability to analyse complex situations, evaluate the
Contextual success of company’s strategies and to make recommendations about the
understanding strategic options. In order to do this successfully you need to be able to apply

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both strategic thinking in order to assess the future impact of external

developments. The ability to assess future scenarios and from these create
realistic but creative strategic options is a skill that managers will need to develop
as markets and industries become ever more dynamic

The creative process is fundamentally a collaborative one from which idea

generation and analysis can be both interpretative and rigorous. This is an
approach that is fundamentally changing the ‘strategy conversation’. In this unit
Collaboration you will work with colleagues in order to analyse evaluate and create. This
process will be an essential part of the structured learning sessions and also as
part of the assignment preparation.

Enterprise in this context is taken to mean developing the ability to critically

analyse complex and often unstructured issues and through this analysis develop
Enterprise the ability to evaluate current strategies and generate and evaluate potential
future strategies appropriate for the needs of the firm

Assessment summary

No Assessment Learning Weight % Submission Length

Method Code1 outcome(s) week (of exam)
1 WR-I 1,2 40 7
2 WR-I 1,2 60 13

Assessment details

This unit has two assessments. Both assignments are individual.

Assignment 1:
You may form working groups to analyse a company and its operating environment making
use of creativity and strategy tools to . Time will be spent in the first two weeks of the unit to
identify the company and to understand the demands of the assignment. You will work to
understand the strategic issues facing the company and to assess how these might affect
the company in the near future. You will produce an individual report that makes use of this
analysis to identify the strategic issues facing the company. Please note that the assignment
submission is individual.
Assignment 2:
You may form working groups but the Assignment submission is individual. You should use
the analysis from Assignment 1 in order to produce a report that identifies the strategic
options that are available to the company and recommends and justifies one of these
options as the choice of strategic direction. In producing this report you should make use of
appropriate Creativity and Strategy tools.

Threshold expectations

In order to pass Assessment 1 you will need to:

 Deliver a report in which produce a detailed analysis that identifies the strategic
issues facing a company supported by ideas and techniques drawn from academic
theory and analysis

1 See the UIF Guide for permissible codes

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In order to pass Assessment 2 you will need to:

 Select and justify an appropriate solution from a range of alternatives using ideas and
techniques drawn from strategy and creativity

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SECTION B

Recommended Reading

Core
Grant, R.M. & Jordan, J. (2015) Foundations of Strategy 2nd. Ed. Wiley
Proctor, T, (2013); (Electronic resource) Creative problem solving for managers, developing
skills for decision making.4th Ed,. Routledge; London

Guided reading – the following is expected reading for this unit. Details of what to read and
when will be provide in the BREO site.
Rumelt, R. (2013) Good Strategy Bad Strategy. The Difference and Why it Matters.
Palgrave
Magretta, J.(2012) Understanding Michael Porter. Essential Guide to Competition and
Strategy.Harvard Business School Press
Independent study - to receive high grades you will need to demonstrate your wider reading.
The following resources provide useful background reading for the material in this unit.
Harvard Business Review
Strategic Management Journal

Question Y/N/NA Additional anticipatory

adjustments/actions if necessary
Learning materials will be made available in
advance of sessions for students to adapt as Y
appropriate?
The approach to teaching and learning is Y
sufficiently flexible to enable all students to
succeed?
The approach to group work takes account of Y
the needs of students with disabilities and from
diverse backgrounds?
The approach to practical work takes account Y
of the needs of students with disabilities?
Students with a protected characteristic2 have Y
an equal opportunity to achieve the learning
outcomes?
The assessment tasks provide all students with Y
an equal opportunity to succeed?
Any other aspects of the unit that might pose Y
potential challenges from an equality or
diversity perspective have been considered?

2Age, Gender reassignment, Marriage and civil partnership, Pregnancy and maternity, Race, Religion and belief,
Sex, Sexual orientation
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SECTION C

Administrative Information – Faculty completion

Faculty UBBS

Portfolio UG Business Studies

School/Department Management and Business Systems

Unit Co-ordinator Eliot Lloyd

Version Number 1/18

Approved by FTQSC

Date of approval (dd/mm/yyyy) April 2018

Shared Units – Indicate below all courses which include this Unit in their diet
Name Date
Form completed by Eliot Lloyd 20/3/18
Signature of Chair of
Faculty TQSC

Unit Updates – ensure that the revised UIF is given a new version number each time a change is
made
FTQSC Minute
Date Nature of Update
Ref:
20/3/18 New UIF

Administrative Information – Academic Registry completion

JACS / HECoS code (KIS)

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UIF annex: Summary learning hours

Revision Assessment
Code Activity Hours Total
period Activity
UoB-based activities
SL Lecture
SR Directed reading and research
SA Assessment preparation
IR Unguided reading from defined reading lists
SAS Scheduled Assessments
Total
Guided learning
WBL Employer based learning activities

Total
Independent learning
Total

Key:

SR Scheduled Reading and Research

SA Scheduled Assessment Preparation (normally designed as IA – Independent Assessment)
WBL Worked based Learning
SAS Scheduled Assessment

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