Course 2021-2022 a.y.

30012 - STRATEGIA COMPETITIVA / BUSINESS STRATEGY

Department of Management and Technology

Classes 33 and 34 are reserved to exchange students

For the instruction language of the course see class group/s below
Go to class group/s: 33 - 34
CLMG (6 credits - I/II sem. - OP  |  12 credits SECS-P/07)
Course Director:
MARCO TORTORIELLO

Classes: 33 (I sem.) - 34 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 33: MARCO TORTORIELLO, Class 34: MARGHERITA CORINA

Class group/s taught in English

Suggested background knowledge

Although there are no formal prerequisites for this course, it is an integrative course that builds on prior knowledge in functional areas of economics, marketing, finance, and operations management. Students that have taken courses in these four domains benefit more from the course and are able to better cope with the content and assignments. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students take the business strategy course after having taken prior courses in these four domains.

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

The focus of this course is on how managers can enhance and sustain superior business performance by making sound strategic decisions. The course covers analytical and conceptual models that help in the development of business strategy. The main goal of the course is, in fact, to improve students’ analytical skills and to foster the development of strategic thinking.

CONTENT SUMMARY

This course is designed to expose students to fundamental and advanced topics in business strategy and enable them to analyze business situations from the point of view of the practicing general manager. General managers engage in identifying opportunities and threats in the competitive environment, developing and allocating critical resources, and interacting with competitors. They also identify opportunities for forming strategic alliances and plan how to create and capture value from alliances, especially when collaborating with competitors. The course also reveal how managers should negotiate alliance agreements and govern the firm’s alliance portfolio. Course content summary:

  • What is strategy?
  • Industry analysis.
  • Competitive dynamics and co-opetition.
  • Cost leadership.
  • Differentiation advantage.
  • Creating value from resources and capabilities.
  • Sustainability of competitive advantage.
  • Motivation for alliance formation.
  • Selecting the right partners.
  • Creating and capturing value from alliances.
  • Collaborating with competitors.
  • Negotiating and governing alliances.
  • Managing alliance portfolios.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Understand and be able to deal with basic strategy concepts.
  • Understand the framework of value creation/value capture.
  • Understand the main threats to the sustainability of competitive advantage.
  • Understand how to form and manage strategic alliances.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Apply basic strategy tools and frameworks to analyze complex business situations.
  • Formulate a strategy for a business that will help address the challenges posed by the competitive environment of the firm.
  • Formulate a strategy for a business that will aid the firm with its strategic decision-making and efforts to create and maintain competitive advantage overtime.
  • Formulate a cooperative strategy for developing and managing the firm's strategic alliances.

Teaching methods

  • Online lectures
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Individual assignments
  • Group assignments
  • Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

DETAILS

  • Case studies: a real-world case is assigned to each session as a basis for class discussion.
  • Individual assignments: students' contribution to class discussion is assessed on an individual basis. Occasional quizzes are submitted individually.
  • Group assignments: case analyses and some in-class assignments are conducted in groups.
  • Interactive class activities: the case discussion is interactive.

Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Individual assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
x    
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
x    

ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

The final grade consists of these elements:

-  Class attendance is mandatory. Students are allowed to miss only one session.
- 20% of the grade is based on class participation.
- 80% of the grade based on five group case analyses.
-     There is no exam.

 

Because this year the class is delivered online in two sections, there is no possibility to take the course as a non-attending student.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

  • R. GRANT, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 9th edition.
  • Additional readings and case studies available on the Bboard platform.
Last change 22/12/2021 11:58