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2026/2027  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
Programme Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Service Management
Course coordinator
  • Si (Coco) Cheng - Department of Strategy and Innovation (SI)
Main academic disciplines
  • Strategy
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 25-06-2026

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To pass the course, the student should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors:
  • Explain major theories of competitive, corporate, and non-market strategy in service contexts
  • Analyze real-world strategic challenges using relevant strategy theories, concepts, and frameworks
  • Apply strategy tools to explain differences in firm performance across organizations
  • Diagnose strategic problems and communicate evidence-based conclusions effectively in written and oral formats, including collaboration with peers
  • Develop and justify strategic recommendations while accounting for the complexity and uncertainty of strategic decision-making
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
Duration: 20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Preparation time: No preparation
Examiner(s): If it is an internal examination, there will be a second internal examiner at the re-exam. If it is an external examination, there will be an external examiner.
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. The workshops involve both group assignments and presentations.
Peer review: Peer evaluation from group members will also be taken into account in the exam evaluation.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Why are some organizations more successful than others? To succeed, managers must develop the resources and capabilities needed to gain and sustain an advantage in competitive environments. How the organizations attempt to build such competitive advantages constitutes the essence of their strategy. In this course, we will cover a set of frameworks and concepts explaining what drives firms’ success. We will explore the concept of strategic management through case analyses, and we will learn how to define the basic directions and goals of an organization according to its environment, its industry and market structure, and its own strengths and weaknesses. The ultimate goal of this introductory course is to improve your decision-making and critical thinking capabilities through the acquisition and internalization of strategy tools and through active discussion and debate with peers.
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 25-06-2026