30269 - COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES IN CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

The focus of this course is on how managers can enhance and sustain superior business performance by making sound strategic decisions within creative industries. 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 organizational 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. The course also address the topic of operations management. An understanding of operations management is important because it is central to constant changes in customer preferences, networks of supply and demand, and developments in technology. The analysis of these topics are conducted within the context of creative industries.

The course covers analytical and conceptual models that help in the development of strategic thinking. The main goal of the course is, to improve students’ analytical skills and to foster the development of strategic thinking. The topics of logistics and production are also extensively studied. The topics of this course include:

1. What is strategy?
2. Industry Analysis.
3. Strategic Group Analysis.
4. The internal sources of competitive advantage.
5. Differentiation vs. cost strategies.
6. Growth strategies.
7. Diversification: the scope of the firm.
8. Vertical integration.
9. Internationalization.
10. Operations and processes.
11. Operations strategy & design.
12. Supply Chain Management.

• Identify, understand, and describe the institutional and competitive environment within diverse creative industries.
• Explain processes for transforming competitive advantages into sustainable competitive advantages.
• Describe and use foundational concepts in strategy such as industry dynamics, vertical integration, diversification, and internationalization and how they relate to creative industries. 
• Describe and use foundational concepts in operations such as planning and control, supply chain management and corporate social responsibility.

• Evaluate strategic situations faced by different kinds of organizations.
• Apply the frameworks from the class to novel market contexts and organizations.
• Develop critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills.
• Work effectively within a team.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Individual assignments
• Group assignments

• Cases are discussed in class with the purpose of bringing to life the concepts and frameworks learned during the course.
• Individual assignments are used to develop critical thinking and analytical skills through the use of course concepts.
• Group assignments develop critical communication skills required to address strategic decision-making in group and organizational contexts.

Final individual exam, evaluated on the basis of points attributed to each question, weighted for importance. The individual exam(s) is held in class, with closed books. Additional points can be earned from teamwork during class hours.

Final individual exam, evaluated on the basis of points attributed to each question, weighted for importance. The individual exam(s) is held in class, with closed books. A sufficient grade in the individual exam is required in order to pass the course.

• R. GRANT, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Wiley, 2016, 9th edition (Chapters 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13).
• Case studies available on e-learning.
• N. SLACK, A. BRANDON-JONES, R. JOHNSTON, Operations Management, Prentice Hall, 7th edition.

• R. GRANT, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Wiley, 2016, 9th Edition (Chapters, 1-16).
• N. SLACK, A. BRANDON-JONES, R. JOHNSTON, Operations Management, Prentice Hall, 7th edition.