MG4A5      Half Unit
The Analysis of Strategy A

This information is for the 2020/21 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Kristof Madarasz NAB.5.05

Availability

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Management and Strategy. This course is not available as an outside option.

Course content

The objective of the two courses (A and B) is to provide students with a critical appreciation of behavioural economics and game theory relevant for strategic management. These two courses will help students to understand how managers in the real world ought to read situations from an economic and strategic angle. Attention will be given to conceptual underpinnings.



The course focuses on decision making in individual and strategic settings also through the lens of behavioural economics. It is an amalgam of insights from economics, game theory,  and strategic management. Some lectures will discuss key aspects of choice under uncertainty, risk perceptions, choice over time, and the social aspects of value. A powerful tool to study strategic situations is game theory. Lectures will then also be devoted to developing the basic concepts of game theory including Nash and sub-game-perfect Nash equilibrium. These issues will be deepened further in the accompanying seminars.

Teaching

20 hours of lectures and 9 hours of seminars in the MT.

Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with Departmental policy.

Indicative reading

D Besanko, D Dranove & M Shanley, Economics of Strategy, John Wiley, 6th Edition.; A Dixit & B Nalebuff, Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics and Everyday Life, Norton, 1998;; J Roberts, The Modern Firm: Organizational Design for Performance and Growth, OUP 2007; Angner, E, Behavioural Economics, 2nd edition, 2016.

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.

Important information in response to COVID-19

Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.

Key facts

Department: Management

Total students 2019/20: 82

Average class size 2019/20: 20

Controlled access 2019/20: Yes

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Team working
  • Application of numeracy skills
  • Commercial awareness