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Course 2020-2021 a.y.

30012 - STRATEGIA COMPETITIVA / BUSINESS STRATEGY

Department of Management and Technology

Classes 33 is reserved to exchange students


For the instruction language of the course see class group/s below

Go to class group/s: 31 - 32

BIEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/07)

Classes: 31 (II sem.) - 32 (II sem.)

Class group/s taught in English

Class-group lessons delivered  on campus

Suggested background knowledge

This is an introductory course, therefore there is no formal prerequisite. Students should be familiar with the fundamentals of management and microeconomics.


Mission & Content Summary
MISSION

Business strategy is concerned with answering two central questions: “How and where should a business compete?” In this course, we consider analytical techniques for diagnosing the competitive position of a business, evaluating business strategies, and identifying what organization form a business should take. These concepts and frameworks help you to structure complex problems in business strategy and provide a solid foundation for strategic decision making.

CONTENT SUMMARY

The course focuses on specific topics related to competitive and corporate strategy:

Core concepts in business strategy:

  • The Notion of competitive advantage.
  • The Institutional and the competitive environment.
  • Generic strategies.
  • Resources and competences.

From competitive advantage to sustainable competitive advantage:

  • Industry Dynamics.
  • Vertical Integration.
  • Diversification.
  • Internationalization.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Recall the main concepts of business strategy.
  • Status of attractiveness of an industry.
  • A firm’s strategy in the context of the competitive forces and the dynamics of its industry.
  • The sources of a firm’s competitive advantage.
  • The sustainability of a firm’s competitive advantage.
  • A firm’s growth option.
  • The outcomes of strategic decisions.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Apply the main concepts of business strategy to real life cases and strategic decisions.
  • Describe the status of attractiveness of an industry.
  • Analyze a firm’s strategy in the context of the competitive forces and the dynamics of its industry.
  • Identify the sources of a firm’s competitive advantage.
  • Assess the sustainability of a firm’s competitive advantage.
  • Identify and evaluate a firm’s growth option.
  • Measure the outcomes of strategic decisions.
  • Develop teamwork skills.
  • Produce in-depth but synthetic strategic analysis of a company.
  • Develop presentation skills.
  • Work under time pressure.

Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Online lectures
  • Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Group assignments
DETAILS

Lessons are organized as follows:

  • For longer sessions half of the lesson is an interactive lecture based on text books as well as examples from the business press and the professor’s work and academic experiences. The other half of the lesson is spent solving a case study in teams (for potential regular sessions one entire session is devoted to theory/lecture and the following session on solving a case study in teams).
  • Throughout the class, students may also be asked to answer questions, to interact with the professor and other students, and conduct in-class exercises. The professor is present to discuss problems with students, but the cases must be solved in teams. Students are expected to be familiar with the topic of the day, and ask questions to the professor in order to prepare for case assignments. Lessons always start on time and the professor remains available to answer any questions for the duration of the lesson.

Attendance: for attending students, attendance is mandatory for the entire class and is kept by the professor.


Assessment methods
  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
  •     x
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
  • x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
  • x    
    ATTENDING STUDENTS

    With the purpose of measuring the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes the student assessment is based on the following components:

    1. Course Final Exam: the comprehensive final exam in this course is a written exam that tests students’ ability to explain the theoretical arguments learned during the course and to use them to answer questions related to a real business case.
    2. Course “Pressure Test”: the pressure test is a timed case assignment to be solved in teams which counts for a fraction of the final grade. The goal of this assessment exercise is to evaluate students’ critical thinking over a firm’s strategic problem.
    3. Class presentation: the teams prepare a 15-minutes presentation on a company of their choice that faces a business strategy challenge. This project presentation, which contributes to the final grade, is intended to test the students’ ability to work in teams, to speak in public, and to address a real life company problem with the tools they acquired in class.
    4. In class case assignments: the goal of these assignments is to foster in class interactions and to apply concepts introduced in the lectures to solve practical business strategy problems.
    NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

    The assessment method for non-attending students is based on a comprehensive final exam in written form. In addition to the open questions and multiple-choice questions related to a real business case, non-attending students are asked questions about the theoretical foundations of Business Strategy (which they can find in the suggested textbook).

    • The goal of this final exam is twofold. First, it aims at evaluating the individual student’s ability to apply the theoretical arguments learned for this course to answer questions related to a real business case. Second, it aims at evaluating the students’ understanding of the key concepts and theories of business strategy and the ability to explain them in a concise and analytical manner.

    Teaching materials
    ATTENDING STUDENTS
    • Case studies and reading materials uploaded on the e-learning platform.
    • R. GRANT, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Wiley, 2019, 10th Edition (selected chapters).
    NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
    • R. GRANT, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Wiley, 2019, 10th Edition (selected chapters).
    Last change 02/12/2020 12:02