BUSM3125 Strategic Management FAQs
Q: Do I have to come to the lecture in the first week?
A: Yes. That is where we reveal who the organisation is that your assessment will be based upon, what you have to do in the course, how the workshops are structured and other important information, including answering the question: "Should I take this course?"
Q: I'm travelling/coming from overseas/moving to Melbourne etc.. If I miss the first workshop (tutorial) it isn't a big deal, right?
A: Wrong. You will be allocated into your groups in the first workshop. If you are not there you will not be placed in a group, but you will be moved to another workshop time/place and you will be placed in a group there. You will not have an opportunity to rejoin the original workshop you have timetabled into.
[We call tutorials 'workshops' in this course because we expect you to use the time as you would in any other workshop. Come pre-armed with questions, data, information, etc. We use this time to help you shape and work on your assessment pieces. If you aren't prepared for each and every workshop then you seriously harm your chances of doing well in this course].Â
Q: When are the workshops held?
A: They are held every week BEGINNING IN WEEK 1 and they run for two hours each. Your first piece of assessment will be due in about week 6 ~ another reason why you shouldn't miss any workshops.Â
Q: I've heard that the workload for this course is high. Should I be worried?
A: Probably. This course is scheduled to run as a capstone subject in the @RMIT Management degree. We expect students to be able to work hard, collaborate effectively and be self-motivated learners. Our experience shows us that students who think they can coast through the course without doing the readings/activities/tasks generally do poorly. As a third year students you are nearing the end of your degree and are about to enter the world of work. To get good grades you will have to put in the kind of effort that you would be expected to do in 'the real world'.Â
Q. Do you record the lectures?
A. Yes. But you would do well to remember that this course is about the 'practice' of strategy. My slides are not "notes". You have ample reading to do already. The lectures are designed to include a Question and Answer session and discussions. I don't "cover" the all the material in the text book/readings. My advice is to do the reading in advance of the lecture and come prepared to discuss what you know in the context of our partner organisation.Â
Q: I'm a second-year student. Can I still take this course?
A: My professional advice is for you to wait until you are in your final year. This course builds on advanced knowledge of business and management that you develop in the first and second years of your program. We assume you have these competencies before you get in this course. If you haven't developed them, then you will have to develop them AND work hard in this course. It makes it much, much more difficult. In all cases we recommend that you take this course when it is scheduled in your program structure. If you are unsure what your program structure is, you can look it up in MyRMIT or you can contact @RMIT Business Central for assistance.
Q: Do you have a Twitter Account?
A: Yes. You can follow me @jasondownsâ. I tweet regularly and often include tweets that are interesting/useful for your studies in the course. Tweets that relate specifically to this course are tagged #stratman.
Q: I don't understand Twitter. Do you have a FaceBook Page?
A: As a matter of fact, I do. It is my "teaching" page - not my personal page.  You can find it here: Jason's #stratman FaceBook Page. Tweets that carry the #stratman tag also get fed through to this FaceBook Page. Don't worry, I won't friend you on Facebook. You can look at the page and not worry that I'm going to want to become your friend. That'd be too creepy.
Q: I'm interested in strategy for the not-for-profit sector. Will you be addressing this?
A: You are in luck - in semester two the organisation we will be working with is a not-for-profit.
Q: I'm really keen to get started on this course over the break. How can I get ahead of the game?
A: The text book we will be using is the *11 edition* of Strategic Management Theory by Hill, Jones and Schilling. Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be directly related to your first assignment. Start by reading those. There are copies of the textbook in the library and I have placed an order for them for the bookshop. Please read chapter 1 before you come to the first lecture.
Q: I can't get into the workshop that I want. Can you help?
A: No. Demand is high for some workshops. You have to attend the workshop you are timetabled into. If you attend a workshop that you are not timetabled into, you will be asked to leave. Groups are formed and finalised in week 1 (the first workshop). You will not be able to join another workshop after week 1 - even if the timetabling system lets you. You will be allocated to attend another workshop where you will then be allocated into a group. Attending the first workshop gives you the best chances of forming a group with people you like/want to work with.
Q: My friend(s) are in other workshops. Can I form a group with them to do the assignments?
A: No. You need to all attend the same workshop so your workshop leader can help you and your group face-to-face.Â
Q: Do you have any tips for how to do well in this course?
A: Yes. Each semester I ask the graduating classes to provide advice for the students who are coming along behind them. In a nut-shell their advice is:
Form your groups early and set clear expectations on what work needs to be done, by when and to which level of quality.
Meet with your groups as often as you can and check to see that everyone is doing their work. There's nothing worse than finding out just before the assignment is due that someone hasn't done their bit or they have done a terrible job.
Do the assigned readings. They have been selected to help you in your assessment.
Work harder than you think you need to. It's no fun finding out in week eight that the assessment that you thought was awesome only gets you a credit (or worse). Read widely to understand how to apply the theory, not just to learn what the theory is.
Q: All that sounds depressingly heavy. Am I going to enjoy this course?
A: Previous students have told me that they really enjoy the practical nature of this course and that working with a real-life organisation really helps them understand how to take the strategy theory and apply it in real-world situations. If you enjoy working through complex issues that have real-world consequences and that are set in the business sector, then this is the course for you. We aim to make it challenging and (hopefully) stimulating. Overwhelmingly those students who have done well and enjoyed the course have said things like this: "The more you put into this course, the more you get out of it."
