Corporate Strategic Behavior

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

This course stimulates teamwork and teaching will be quite interactive, using students to foster class environment. There will be a strong practical content, with several case studies.

Learning Outcomes

Overall objectives

Provide a consistent perspective of the main strategy concepts to the students, as well as a set of tools to analyse the external and internal context of the focal firm, characterize the strategies and identify the mechanisms of strategic formulation. 

Specific objectives

Train the students to characterize the strategies effectively followed by firms and to use analytical tools, developing research, analysis and discussion/decision capabilities.

Generic competencies

At the end of the course students should have a fairly solid knowledge of the strategic management process and should have acquired a new mind-set that enables them to think strategically and plan business and corporate strategies.

Specific competencies

Additionally, students should have acquired knowledge of strategic concepts and gained research, analysis and decision capabilities in order to elaborate business plans and participate in a firm strategic planning process.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Introduction

The Strategy concept

Strategic thinking and its evolution

2. Mission and strategy

The corporate vision

Mission and strategy

3. Strategic analysis

3.1. External analysis

The macro environment

Industry structure and attractiveness

Critical Success Factors

3.2. Internal analysis

 Resources and capabilities

 Cost dynamics

 Core competencies

 Portfolio analysis

 SWOT analysis

4. Identification and evaluation of business-level strategies

 Identification of the bases of competitive advantages

 Generic strategies and sources of advantage

 Competitive advantage and the value chain

 Sustaining competitive advantage

 Competition and collaboration

 Game theory

5. Identification and evaluation of corporate-level strategies

 Product-market strategies

 Vertical integration

 Global strategies and the multinational corporation

 Corporate structure and strategy

 Managing the corporate portfolio

5. Strategic control

The strategic plan

The strategy evaluation

The balanced scorecard

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 50.0%
Group assignments: 50.0%

Bibliography

Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R., EXPLORING CORPORATE STRATEGY, FT Prentice Hall

 

López, J., Martín, L., LA DIRECCIÓN ESTRATÉGICA DE LA EMPRESA, Thompson Civitas

 

Grant, R., Jordan, J., FOUNDATIONS OF STRATEGY, John Wiley & Sons Ltd