| Learning objectives |
Learning objectives for the joint
exam in Business Strategy and Managing Organizational Identity.
At the exam the student should be able to:
- Relate various theories related to business strategy to each
other, and apply them in order to analyze issues of business
strategy
- Discuss, using theories relevant to business strategy, how and
why business strategy facilitate assimilation and differentiation
among internal and external stakeholders
- Relate various theories related to organizational identity to
each other, and apply them in order to analyze issues of identity
and corporate branding
- Discuss, using theories relevant to organizational identity,
how and why organizational identity changes and involves internal
and external stakeholders
- Discuss how identity provides a foundation for strategy and how
it offers the opportunity for organizations to achieve competitive
advantage
|
| Course prerequisites |
| Organizational Identity can only be
taken together with the course Business Strategy as the two courses
have a common exam. |
| Examination |
|
Business
Strategy in conjunction with Organizational
Identity:
|
| Examination form |
Oral exam based on written product
In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product
must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The
grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and
the individual oral performance. |
| Individual or group exam |
Group exam, max. 5 students in the
group |
|
The oral exam is individual and based on a group
project.
Ordinary exam takes place in October/November. |
| Size of written product |
Max. 15 pages |
|
For a single student max. 10 pages |
| Assignment type |
Project |
| Duration |
Written product to be submitted on specified date and
time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade,
and informing plus explaining the grade |
| Preparation time |
No preparation |
| Grading scale |
7-step scale |
| Examiner(s) |
Internal examiner and second internal
examiner |
| Exam period |
Autumn Term and Autumn Term |
| Make-up exam/re-exam |
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If a student is ill during the oral
exam, he/she will be able to re-use the project at the make-up
exam. If the student was ill during the writing of the project and
did not contribute to the project, the make-up/re-exam project can
be written individually or in groups (provided the other students
are taking the make-up/re-exam). If the student did not pass the
regular exam, the examiner decides, whether a new or revised
project must be handed in to a new deadline specified by the line
secretariat. Reexam takes place in
Jan/Feb
|
|
| Course content and
structure |
|
Aim of the course
In Organizational Identity students engage in the
cross-disciplinary study of organizational identity and its
implications for management practice with a special focus on
corporate branding. The course provides a foundation for
understanding identity as a phenomenon with relevance for both
internal and external stakeholders and invites students to explore
how the conceptual complexity of organizational identity is
translated into managerial practices in different organizations.
In conjunction with the course Business Strategy (BS),
the identity course will engage in practical case work through
analysis as well as creative strategy making. The latter will be
facilitated by learning techniques from art and design studios.
Contents
Identity is important to organizations because it affects their
competitiveness and ability to attract stakeholders. We will
examine how organizations understand and define who they are and
discuss why their identity is a source of belonging and
differentiation for both internal and external stakeholders. The
course will show how identity provides a foundation for strategy
and why managing identities gives organizations a competitive
advantage. The course draws on different perspectives on identity
within organization studies and includes examination of theories
offered by other disciplines, such as marketing and communication.
Organizational identity is related to other concepts, such as
image, organizational culture and corporate branding and is best
conceptualized as dynamic. Students will examine the implications
of organizational identity theories for doing empirical research as
well as for management practice, using case studies and student
observations. In particular, the course will explore the importance
of identity for corporate strategy and branding practices,
encouraging students to debate the opportunities and limitations of
organizational identity management.
Overlap with the course Business Strategy
This course of business strategy overlaps naturally with OI in
three ways:
In aiming to understand how organizational identity is explicated
and used as an internal resource for management to develop certain
policies and organizational architectures that stimulate local
action.
In viewing identity as a strategic asset.
In that several theoretical frameworks (e.g. co-creation) are
used in both courses.
|
| Teaching methods |
| Students will engage in the
cross-disciplinary study of organizational identity and its
implications for management practice based on both case studies and
student observations. The course comprises two intensive workshops,
where they will work in-depth with select cases. |
| Expected literature |
|
The course readings will be about 650 pages, some of which are
rather extensive. The readings include the following books:
Hatch, M.J, and Schultz, M. 2008. Taking Brand Initiative. How
Companies Can Align Strategy, Culture, and Identity Through
Corporate Branding, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass., 288
p.
Kornberger, M, (2010) Brand Society, How Brands Transform
Management and LifestyleCambridge University Press,
London, 328 p
|
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