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2025/2026  BA-BSTHO1021U  Strategy in a Service Perspective: Tourism and Hospitality

English Title
Strategy in a Service Perspective: Tourism and Hospitality

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Second 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.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 2
Compulsory home assignments
Case study workshops (teamwork, presentations) or two individual written assignments (to be confirmed and specified before the workshop).
The activities must be approved before the ordinary exam.
Examination
Strategy in a Service Perpective: Tourism and hospitality:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Written sit-in exam on CBS' computers
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 4 hours
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Winter
Aids Limited aids, see the list below:
The student is allowed to bring
  • USB key for uploading of notes, books and compendiums in a non-executable format (no applications, application fragments, IT tools etc.)
  • Any calculator
  • In Paper format: Books (including translation dictionaries), compendiums and notes
The student will have access to
  • Canvas
  • Advanced IT application package
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
The number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination may warrant that it most appropriately be held as an oral examination. The programme office will inform the students if the make-up examination/re-take examination instead is held as an oral examination including a second examiner or external examiner.
Description of the exam procedure

No maximum number of pages, students have 4 hours to complete the assignment. 

The use of Generative AI (GenAI) tools or apps is not allowed for this exam.
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. The date of the feedback lecture will be announced after the exam.
Feedback during the teaching period
The course will provide continuous feedback, involving:
1. Questions and short exercises with live answers after lectures
2. Critical feedback on the team project during the workshop
3. Longer exercises and answers at the end of the course
4. 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 38 hours
Preparation for classes and workshops (incl exam) 168 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