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2025/2026  BA-BSEMO2522U  Strategy in a Service Perpective

English Title
Strategy in a Service Perpective

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Fourth Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Service and Markets
Course coordinator
  • Si (Coco) Cheng - Department of Strategy and Innovation (SI)
Main academic disciplines
  • Strategy
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 26-06-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
At the end of this course, students should:
  • Understand the particular strategic challenges associated with service firms.
  • Understand the key issues of strategic management: value creation, value appropriation, superior positioning, and (sustained) competitive advantage.
  • Be able to explain and discuss the strategic management theories and models introduced in the course.
  • Be able to explain and discuss the links between the different theories and models introduced in the course.
  • Be able to identify and apply relevant strategic management theories and models to analyze practical situations and issues related to firms’ strategy.
  • Understand the implications of digitalization for strategy formulation and implementation.
  • Understand how various functional areas fit together and influence the performance of the firm, which provides an important way in which this course serves an integrative purpose relative to the other courses in this program.
Course prerequisites
Students not enrolled in BSc in Business Administration & Service Management must document A level in English equal to TOEFL 575 and A level in mathematics equal to Danish level B.
Examination
Strategy in a Service Perspective:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Active participation

The completion of this course is based on active student participation in class. The course will be considered as passed if the students participation - based on an overall assessment - in the class activities fulfill the learning objectives of the course. The individual student’s participation is assessed by the teacher.
The student must participate in A combination of assignment and presentation, Peer review
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Grading scale Pass / Fail
Examiner(s) Assessed solely by the teacher
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Oral exam
Description of activities
A combination of assignment and presentation: The exam will involve case-based group works in several exercise workshops spreading throughout the course.
Peer review: Peer evaluation from group members will also be taken into account in the exam evaluation.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The course provides an introduction to the core ideas of strategic management, value creation and appropriation, performance and (sustainable) competitive advantage. The content of the course is built around a standard textbook (see curriculum below) and a number of research articles and cases. The starting point and the running theme of the course is value creation and appropriation. Other topics include the analysis of the firm environment, internal resources, strategic factor markets, the relationship between value appropriation by different stakeholders and the observed firm performance, the main processes within the firm, etc. Throughout the course, the theoretical models are applied to service firms and the particular challenges raised by services.
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
Research-like activities
  • Development of research questions
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
Description of the teaching methods
Teaching is based on lectures with active in-class participation, group presentations, and case discussions.
Feedback during the teaching period
The course will provide continuous feedback, involving:
1. Questions and short exercises with live answers after lectures
2. Longer exercises and answers at the end of the course
3. Face-to-face meetings, which can be scheduled on an individual basis during the office hours (to be announced at the beginning of the course)
Student workload
Classes 22 hours
Preparation for classes and presentations (incl exam) 184 hours
Expected literature

Textbook:

  • Grant, R. 2018: Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Text and Cases, 10th edition, Wiley.

 

Research articles and cases:

  • Bertrand, M., Bombardini, M., Fisman, R., Hackinen, B., & Trebbi, F. (2018), Hall of Mirrorrs. NBER.
  • Cameron, L. D., & Rahman, H. (2022). Expanding the locus of resistance: Understanding the co-constitution of control and resistance in the gig economy. Organization Science, 33(1), 38-58.
  • Chatterjee, S. (2013). Simple rules for designing business models. California Management Review, 55(2), 97-124.
  • Dyer, J. H., Kale, P., & Singh, H. (2004), When to ally and when to acquire. Harvard Business Review.
  • Gao, C., & McDonald, R. (2022). Shaping nascent industries: Innovation strategy and regulatory uncertainty in personal genomics. Administrative Science Quarterly, 67(4), 915-967.
  • Garud, R., Kumaraswamy, A., Roberts, A., & Xu, L. (2022). Liminal movement by digital platform‐based sharing economy ventures: The case of Uber Technologies. Strategic Management Journal, 43(3), 447-475.
  • Holburn, G. L., & Vanden Bergh, R. G. (2008). Making friends in hostile environments: Political strategy in regulated industries. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 521-540.
  • Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2011). Blue ocean strategy. Harvard Business Review.
  • Markides (1997), To diversify or not to diversify. Harvard Business Review.
  • Rivkin J. W. (2000). Imitation of complex strategies. Management Science, 46(6): 824–844.
  • Rumelt, R. (2011), The perils of bad strategy. McKinsey Quarterly.

 

Cases:

  • Mostly in the textbook and Harvard Business Publishing

 

Changes may occur. The professor will upload the final reading list (except cases) on CBS Canvas before the course starts.

Last updated on 26-06-2025