MGT8039 Strategic Leadership

MGT	8039	84315	3, 2008	EXT	Strategic Leadership	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOBUS
Academic org:	FOB004
Student contribution band:	3A
ASCED code:	080307

Staffing
Other requisites
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Reference materials
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Ben Swanepoel
Moderator: Ronel Erwee

OTHER REQUISITES

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to USQConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/business/aboutfob.htm>.

SYNOPSIS

Top-level managers have to steer organisations in ways that will result in sustainable performance that is optimally beneficial to all its stakeholders. The primary responsibility for thinking and acting strategically rests with the top leadership echelons of any organisation, from the smallest to the largest multinational conglomerate corporation as well as all other types of organisations (such as in the public sector). These organisational leaders may include chief executive officers, managing directors, other members of boards of directors and general managers who play a role in top management teams. These leaders usually have responsibilities and accountabilities that cannot be delegated. As such they have to make decisions that affect the direction and success of whole organisations. They therefore have to have superior levels of holistic, conceptual and strategic thinking abilities. Being in a top management position is often very risky and the media is full of examples of 'fallen idols'. Top-level leaders are therefore often in the spotlight and are mostly expected to lead organisations through continuous strategic renewal and transformational change to be or become 'high-performing' and 'world-class' organisations that add value to all the stakeholders in a balanced way. This course is aimed at addressing issues such as these, issues which recognise that strategic leadership is indeed a complex and extremely important form and level of leadership. Other issues that may be covered include corporate governance, top management team dynamics, ethical practices, strategic performance management, knowledge management, organisational culture and strategic change.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item/s that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective is/are shown in parentheses after each objective. On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

analyse and critically discuss the nature, domain and focus of strategic leadership (Assignment, Examination)
analyse, explain and engage in dialogue and debate about top-level leadership role-players, structures and work, in particular also regarding corporate governance (Assignment, Examination)
analyse and engage in dialogue and debate about leadership related dynamics pertaining to developing better boards of directors (Assignment, Examination)
analyse, critically discuss and debate the challenges related to the transformation of business and organisations for sustainability and to create lasting value (Assignment, Examination).

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	Strategic leadership foundations	20.00
2.	Corporate governance	30.00
3.	Leadership dynamics and challenges pertaining to the development of better boards of directors	30.00
4.	The challenge to transform: towards sustainability and lasting value	20.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

The three prescribed books have been arranged to be made available as a 'value pack' to students in order to lower the price/cost thereof. This 'value pack' can be purchased from USQ Bookshop at a price that should be substantially less than when buying these three books separately. Please note that these arrangements only hold for purchases through USQ Bookshop.

George, B 2003, Authentic leadership: rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California.

Nadler, DA, Behan, BA & Nadler, MB 2006, Building better boards: a blueprint for effective governance, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California.

Solomon, J 2007, Corporate governance and accountability, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Bennett, M & Bell, A 2004, Leadership and talent in Asia: how the best employers deliver extraordinary performance, John Wiley & Sons, Singapore.

Brountas, PP 2004, Boardroom excellence: a commonsense perspective on corporate governance, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California.

Carter, CB & Lorsch, JW 2004, Back to the drawing board: designing corporate boards for a complex world, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts.

Charan, R 1998, Boards at work: how corporate boards create competitive advantage, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California.

Charan, R 2005, Boards that deliver: advancing corporate governance from compliance to competitive advantage, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California.

Dunphy, D, Griffiths, A & Benn, S 2007, Chapter 3; The sustaining corporation, Organizational change for corporate sustainability: a guide for leaders and change agents of the future, Routledge, London.
(2nd edn)

Howe, F 2004, The nonprofit leadership team: building the board-executive director partnership, 1st edn, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California.

Kiel, G & Nicholson, G 2003, Boards that work: a guide for new directors, McGraw-Hill, North Ryde, New South Wales.

Mallin, CA 2007, Corporate governance, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Robinson, MK 2001, Nonprofit boards that work: the end of one-size-fits-all governance, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Waine, P 2003, Chapter 1: The chairman and the CEO, The board game: a director's companion for winning in business, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.

Ward, RD 2000, Improving corporate boards: the boardroom insider guidebook, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Assessment	50.00
Directed Study	90.00
Private Study	25.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description		Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date	Notes
ASSIGNMENT		100.00	40.00	29 Dec 2008
2-HOUR EXAMINATION		100.00	60.00	END S3	(see note 1)

NOTES

1.: The examination is scheduled to be held in the end-of-semester examination period. Students will be advised of the official examination date after the timetable has been finalised.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
If you are an international student in Australia, you are advised to attend all classes at your campus. For all other students, there are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without prior approval of the examiner, then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
This is a closed examination. Candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into the examination.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Any deferred or supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Student Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene university regulations. These regulations can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm>. Students should also read the Faculty of Business Policies and Procedures which can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/business/aboutfob.htm>.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

1.	Assignments: (i) Assignments must be uploaded electronically through USQConnect in the drop box by 5.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on the due date. (ii) The examiner will normally only accept assessments that have been typed and submitted on a single file with appropriate document name. (iii) Students must retain a copy of each assignment submitted for assessment. This must be produced within 24 hours if required by the examiner. (iv) The examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances. Students may apply for an assignment extension by personally contacting the examiner before the due date. Such applications should be in writing and include supporting documentary evidence. The authority for granting extensions rests with the examiner.
2.	Course weightings: Course weightings of topics should not be interpreted as applying to the number of marks allocated to questions testing those topics in an examination paper.
3.	Referencing in assignments: Unless otherwise directed by the examiner, all written assignments submitted by students must conform to the HarvardAGPS6 referencing system. Students can access referencing guides at <http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/default.htm>. Any work not prepared in accordance with these guidelines may be subjected to penalty by marks or a requirement for resubmission.

This version produced 17 Dec 2008.