Business Level Strategy (“Strategy 1.01”)
Winter and Summer Term: 040020 Master Level
Overview:
This Core Strategy Course addresses the following questions:
- What is a firm strategy?
- Why does a firm need one?
- How does the external environment determine the firm's strategy?
- How does the internal environment affect it?
- Which organizational structures support a strategy?
- How do strategies change over time?
- How do I implement a strategy?
Class objectives:
- Learn about appropriate tools and frameworks to analyze a firm’s business strategy.
- Apply analytical frameworks to real-world case studies.
- Lean how companies can deal with disruptive changes in their external environment and why some companies succeed or fail in doing this.
- Gain the ability to develop business strategies and make recommendations how to improve existing ones.
Pre-requisites: admission to the Master's program; to complete this class successfully, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business (or equivalent) is highly recommended
Format and teaching methods: Lectures, cases (please count on an expenditure of approximately 40€), class discussions
Language: The course is held in English
Assessment:
Your final grade will be determined based on three components:
Class participation (max 30 points)
Group project (max 30 points)
Individual final paper (max 40 points)
You need to achieve a total of at least 50 points in order to pass the class.
Please note that you will start working on the group project during our fourth session so it is essential that you attend this session. You will have 24h to complete the project (including class time).
The topic for the individual final project will be given to you on the day after our last session and you will have 24h to complete it.
Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory. You can miss one out of five sessions without losing points, you will lose all participation marks if you miss two sessions and you will automatically fail the class if you miss more than two sessions.
Please note, for all students who want to attend the course it is absolutely essential that you attend the first session as failure to do so will result in your exclusion from the course. (If you fall ill, please contact the lecturer as soon as possible and provide a medical certificate.)
This is to ensure that students on the waiting list have the opportunity to move up!
Compulsory Literature:
Please note you this class comprises compulsory literature consisting of a number of case studies at a cost of approximately 40 EUR. Information on these will be provided in due course.