Strategy and Planning

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.

Evaluation

Exam 50%

Group assignments 50%

Learning Outcomes

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

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. 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: Strategy concept; Strategic management; Corporate success; Strategic planning and thinking

2. Mission and strategy: Corporate vision; Mission, objectives and values

3. Strategic analysis: External analysis; Internal analysis

4. Identification and evaluation of business-level strategies: 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

6. Strategic control: The strategic plan; The strategy evaluation; The balanced scorecard.

Head Lecturer(s)

Aldora Gabriela Gomes Fernandes

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Synthesis work: 50.0%
Exam: 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