Titular Professors
Professors
The objectives of the course are the following:
- Develop students' ability to think strategically about a given company, its business situation, how it can gain sustainable competitive advantage, and how its strategy can be implemented and executed successfully
- Build students' skills in conducting both strategic analysis in a variety of industries and competitive situations
- Integrate knowledge gained in other courses, and show how the various pieces of the business puzzle fit together
- Highlight the growing importance of entrepreneurial thinking and explain how it fits with the strategic management process
- Enhance students' ability to effectively communicate the results of their analyses and to provide appropriate recommendations based on their finding
On the completion of this course students will be able to:
- Understand the firm strategic environment and trends influencing strategic decisions.
- Develop strategic analysis in the context of general management.
- Analyze the elements of strategic planning.
- Understand the structure and main contents of a Strategic Plan.
Topic 1: Introduction to strategy
Topic 2: Goals, values and performance
Topic 3: Analyzing the industry environment. Case study
Topic 4: Analyzing resources and capabilities
Topic 5: The nature and sources of competitive advantage, sustainable competitive advantage
Topic 6: Cost advantage
Topic 7: Differentiation advantage. Case study
Topic 8: Competitive dynamics
Topic 9: Corporate strategy
Topic 10: Diversification strategy, achieving synergies. Case study
Topic 11: Mergers and acquisitions
Topic 12: Vertical integration
Topic 13: Managing strategic change and strategic leadership
The course is oriented towards individual and group learning. We will use:
- Active case study discussion. The case method is being used in business schools to enhance the learning process in managerial training. The cases have been chosen for its relationship to the core issues on the International business course. The students are expected to prepare deeply and participate actively in class discussions. However, read and prepare is not enough, students are required to contribute with interventions in group and plenary sessions. Finally, as a reminder, the learning process under the case method requires active participation and deep discussion.
- Exchange of ideas and critical thinking development. The objective is to present and discuss collectively the conceptual frameworks and tools that build the core of the course. I will facilitate the process of discussion and will remark the key concepts and lessons. However, each student is responsible for formulating his/her own synthesis building upon the conceptual readings, class attendance, class participation and class discussion. For a proper follow up of the course the students must read and prepare the assigned readings before classes. The content of the course is structured in sequence, being each session a base for the next one. Accordingly, it is very important that students prepare each session and attend classes.
Your final grade consists of three parts:
- Class Participation: 30%
- 2 group projects: 20% each, total 40%
- Final Exam: 30%
Individual and group assignment hand in dates will be discussed and failure to respect them will result in a percentage deduction. This course requires students to hand in a hard copy of working during the session indicated. The assignments will assess course outcomes; analytical abilities, understanding of theory and management functions and their application to practical cases. Appropriate language style (scholarly) and formatting will also be taken into consideration.
Group projects: Students are expected to work on two group projects. For the projects students should select a multinational firm of their choice. Preference should be given to firms for which students feel they can collect sufficient public information within the available time.
Teams of 4 students should be formed. Every team needs to decide the company they analyze by the 3nd week of class.
For the final presentation of your projects, each team will be assigned date/time (to be announced).
In addition to the cases we will be discussing in class, I will provide you with a number of readings from time to time. Additional readings or assignments will be handed out in class. You may also be requested to search for particular readings in the library databases.
Course textbook:
Grant, Robert: Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, Techniques, Applications, Blackwell, 5th Ed. 2016.
Other recommended Textbooks:
Ghemawat, Pankaj: Strategy and Competitive Landscape, Prentice Hall, 2016.