- An undergraduate course
in
Business and Management.
Applying strategic thinking
- On this page
Businesses need clear strategies in order to survive and succeed. As a manager, you need to be able to think strategically and contribute to strategic decisions – whatever the size of your organisation. This course will provide you with tools, frameworks and ideas to help you play a more effective role in contributing to strategic thinking. It will be of benefit to anyone involved in developing an organisation’s strategic objectives and goals: senior and middle managers; high potential junior managers; entrepreneurs; and directors of small and medium-sized enterprises.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | GB010 |
| Credits | This is a non-credit bearing course. |
Register for the course
What you will study
This course explains why a strategic approach is necessary for organisations and will enable you to play a more effective role in contributing to strategic thinking within your organisation. The course is designed so that you can work at your own pace with a variety of activities that examine strategic thinking, strategic analysis, strategic options and strategic decision making.
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Undertake a strategic analysis of your own organisation
- Identify and evaluate strategic options available to your own organisation
- Contribute to strategic decision making
- Assess the factors affecting implementation of strategic decisions within your own organisation.
The strong link between course learning and your work practice creates relevant, enduring and transferable outcomes. The course requires no more than 30 hours to study. The online content includes activities that provide you with an opportunity to test your knowledge or apply your learning and ideas. It also contains a case study to which you can apply the tools and frameworks studied to analyse the strategy of the featured company. Register online today and start tomorrow – no need to wait!
The course features the distinctive strengths of The Open University from its years of expertise in work-based learning:
- The convenience of accessing its clearly presented and sequenced materials, activities and support whenever suits you and wherever you have access to the dedicated website – if you prefer, you can print key materials to work on them offline.
- The support of an expert learning adviser who can clarify study materials, answer questions and help you relate the course to your specific needs.
- A work-based activity helping you to connect the course to your individual and organisational context and needs. At the end of the course you send this to the learning adviser, who provides personal feedback.
- Certification of completion from the OU for those who complete the course. You can use this to demonstrate your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity to your employer and/or professional body. (N.B. The course does not carry academic credit points.)
Entry
Although there are no formal academic requirements to study any of our CPD courses, you are expected to have some familiarity with the subject.
For each course you can register and begin at any time during the life of the course. You can study at your own pace and submit your work-based activity at any date before the final submission date for the course. Information about the submission date is available when you register for the course.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The study materials are delivered online. Learners who use screen readers or who cannot use a mouse will not be able to access some materials or some activities without assistance. If you are a new learner with the OU, make sure that you have our publication Meeting Your Needs.
Study materials
What's included
Once you register, you will receive access to the online course where you will find the content, exercises, case study, information about the work based activity and links to your learning adviser. There are no printed materials with this course, although there are some articles that you can download to print and read offline if you prefer.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course which includes online activities. You can only access these using a web browser with Flash and Java.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2006 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.5 or later.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Learner support
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond to you direct within 24 hours. Other support is available via the GB010 forum, library, StudentHome website and computing helpdesk.
Work-based activity
For the work-based activity for this course you are invited to develop a presentation outlining a strategic issue from your workplace, analyse it using some of the frameworks and ideas from the course and devise a possible solution. You will be encouraged to involve key stakeholders and professional peers when developing the subject and content of your presentations.
Professional recognition
Successful completion of the course enables us to recognise your achievement of the course learning by issuing an OU certificate. You can use the certificate to document your commitment to Continuing Professional Development in your personal portfolio, or to provide evidence to employers or professional body.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | GB010 |
| Credits | This is a non-credit bearing course. |
Undergraduate
Study explained
- Time
- – find out how much time is required to complete OU study. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Costs
- - find out how much you can expect to pay.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Your questions
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