BSP3701B is a compulsory core module for all business students. This was not pre-allocated, so you can try to bid for it after you have cleared all your BBA core level 1000 & 2000 modules.
I’ve actually heard horror stories of BSP3701B and how it was a CAP killer module and I can really truly relate to them.🥲 This module was truly an introvert’s nightmare and I stressed about having to class part (+ read the 10-20 pages of case study) one day before class (for the entire 13 weeks). This was also the only class that I took that had an overwhelming number of exchange students who were very very proactive in class.
Class Participation (30%)
Class participation is highly valued in BSP3701B, evident from the high weightage associated with participating actively in class.
If you are unaware, BSP3701B is a case-oriented class. This means that you will be assigned one case reading per class, and the sectionals will be dedicated towards case discussions and their associated readings. Every week, we are expected to download the case readings from Harvard Business Reviews Store (HBR), and we will be assigned study questions (typically around 3-6 qns) that we have to go over prior to going to class.
Here were some of the cases that we went through in BSP3701B:
- Apple Inc in 2012
- Walmart
- Eli Lilly and Company: Drug Development Strategy
- Toyota Motor Corporation: Launching Prius
- Hebei Dawu Group
- Bosch India’s Starter Motor and Generator Division
- Mahindra and Mahindra
- Linear Air: Creating the Air Taxi Industry
We were expected to read and prepare the day’s case, and also prepare the answers to the study questions. This involves applying the necessary frameworks established in the readings into the respective cases, wherever appropriate.
Perhaps to give you a brief idea of what happens in a typical BSP3701B Class:
- Attendance taking (duh)
- A short introduction on the framework of the week (~20 mins)
- Jumping right into the case study questions (rest of the time)
I have also extracted what the prof have mentioned during the first day of BSP3701B class:
- Most of our business classes so far has been somewhat of an individual learning experience; aka:
- Your Prof assigns you things to learn
- You repeat these concepts to your prof on your graded assignments/exams
- Your grade depends on how accurately you repeat whatever your professor has relayed to you in class.
- In BSP3701B classes, it will be a collective learning experience
- There won’t be a ‘lecture’ on strategy, instead just a short introduction to the frameworks and concepts. You are responsible for your own readings and case preparation
- Prof will facilitate the discussion
- Prof will challenge and question your statements and analyses (good luck if you are trying to fluff your way out of the case discussions)
- Expect pushback and challenges from the Prof and your classmates, so you have to be responsible for what you say.
- As quoted “If you enter the arena of discussion, you consent to your analyses and statements being questioned and challenged by everyone else in the class”
Like I mentioned, this module was truly an introvert’s nightmare, and raising my hand in class has never felt more intimidating AHAHAA. I guess it was a bit more reassuring that I took this module with my friends, so we can encourage each other to class part but… oh well 🥲
Strategic Critique Paper (30%)
The strategic critique paper is a 6-8 paged double-spaced paper, where we were tasked to critique one strategy framework covered in class. We were expected to:
- Critique one framework
- Analyze its shortcomings and assumptions
- Give a real-life company example to illustrate your theoretical critique
- Give recommendations of how the framework can be improved on.
Here are some of the frameworks that can be worked on:
Classical frameworks of strategic management:
- Porter’s 5 Forces Framework
- Generic Strategy
- Resource-Based View
“Meso-level” Strategic Problems
- Agency Theory
- Transactions-Cost Economics (TCE)
Frameworks for innovation driven markets and entrepreneurial firms
- Products & ecosystems
- Simple rules
While the strategy critique paper submission dateline was in Week 13, we were highly encouraged to submit the paper before Week 7, for a supposedly less stringent marking. While I was truly motivated to do the critique paper in Recess Week, I decided it was more worth it to prepare for my 3 mid-terms and thus only submitted the critique paper in Week 12. The grading for the critique paper was never released. P.S. Seems like Porter’s 5 Forces was a popular framework for most students.
Company Video Presentation (40%)
This was essentially the group project component. The group project involves putting ourselves in the shoes of management consultants to help real-world firms (SME or branch/subsidiary of a large company) analyse their current strategic challenges and propose solutions.
In a 10-12 minutes video, we had to include:
- The strategic challenge using the frameworks covered in class.
- Proposing solutions to the challenge using the frameworks.
If you are curious about what this company video presentation is about, you can easily go to Youtube and search for BSP3701 group project videos. Some of the groups actually uploaded their videos on Youtube as it will be played in class. (yes there wasn’t a live presentation, we were expected to film the video and play the video in class). This means that we were given the creativity and freedom to compose the video, whether its through a skit, drawing, vlog-style etc). We were not required to do up a report for this project.
In Week 10, the prof will arrange for consultation hours, so we could get feedback on our project ideas. While not compulsory, I highly encourage all groups to book a consultation slot. (thank gosh my group did, cuz the idea that we wanted to pursue was completely rejected, and we scrambled in that last 2-3 weeks to work on a new topic lol)
Part of this 40% component involves peer-evaluation as well. As we were given the freedom to form our own teammates, I highly encourage you to take this module with your friends or group up with people that you know + will do their work. As my group did not hit the group size limit, we took in 3 other students. One of them was an exchange student, who was strangely unmotivated + not involved in the entire project at all. Not one word was spoken by her during our zoom group discussions despite our teams effort to include everyone in the discussion, we even went into the extent of cold calling her in the zoom call for 5 consecutive times and was met with complete silence lol. 🥲
Thoughts:
If you are a business student, it is compulsory for you to take this module. (unless you choose to map it on your SEP, then good for you 🥲) If you do end up taking this module, I highly encourage you to take it with your friends so you can do the project together. Also, I thought I wouldn’t do too well for BSP3701B ( I didn’t really class part a lot relative to other students + i only submitted the critique paper in Week 12 = so no lenient grading + the group project was… disastrous), but I ended up with an A- yay😎
voez
11 June 2022
NUS MODULE REVIEWS 