The core of Strategy is how to analyze a situation, identify and choose a position that is more likely to yield advantages, and to create the organizational context to make the chosen strategy work. Therefore, this course aims at making you a better strategist by learning conceptual frameworks and models that will assist you to analyze competitive situations and strategic dilemmas, and by helping you acquire practical experience in such situations. 

To achieve this, we cover the most important tenets of a classic strategy course to move into new and less theorized, yet fundamental, phenomena. By blending perspectives, empirical data, and expose you to real cases, we want you to acquire both the lenses by which you can sense what is interesting in an ill-structured competitive scenario and that much needed hands-on experience to select the tools and the data that will make it possible to navigate action in such a scenario.

The topics we will cover in class are the following: what strategy is, strategic positioning, market-entry, vertical integration, embeddedness, status change, and innovation vs imitation.

After completing the course, students should be able to:

• Learn about dominant theoretical perspectives in management
• Gain a better understanding of what is involved in navigating today’s complex and integrated business environment
• Develop practical analytical and communication skills
• Enhance leadership capabilities

Continuous assessment courses (PI) are high-interactive courses.

For a positive completion of the course an 80% presence is required.

Should there be an important reason for an absence in the course, then a maximum of 20% of the entire course duration can be missed. For cumulative absences of more than 20%, the course must be repeated. A confirmation (eg. a medical certificate) must be provided for the absence.

According to the examination regulations of the WU, important reasons are those which are outside the disposition of the student (illness, accident, death of a close relative). Professional obligations are not considered as an important reason within the meaning of the examination regulations, because they are in the disposition of the students.

• Lectures

• discussions of cases and theories

• videos

• students’ presentations

20% In-class participation – discussions of papers and cases.

20% Paper presentation & panel discussion,

30% Mid-term exam

30% Final exam

5% Handout (bonus points)

Positive completion of “Introduction to Management”

This course is based on the knowledge content of the bachelor program. It has a definitely scientific character and builds on the current state of scientific research.

Institute of Change Management and Management Development
by e-mail: Claudio Biscaro