Corporate Strategy is a one-semester course designed for those interested in acquiring a set of analytical tools and strategic thinking for managing a business. The course examines how firms can obtain and sustain competitive advantage and superior return through the development and implementation of strategies. Specifically, this course will cover how to analyze industry attractiveness, evaluate the competitive environment, identify business and corporate level strategies, assess the extent to which a company has a sustainable competitive advantage, and develop innovative strategies that open up uncontested market space. We will focus on strategies that develop and exploit 2 sources of superior returns: unique value-creating resources, and powerful positions in markets and supply chains.
Prerequisites:
Survey courses in management, micro-economics, and macro-economics
Additional student cost:
None
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Understand the framework and the process of analyzing corporate strategy;
Know the key strategies used by company in practice, and their characteristics and their aplicable conditions;
Analyze typical cases by using the methods and tools learned in this course;
Recognize the differences between the U.S. and China in institutional, cultural, and industrial environment, which will affect companies' strategy formulation.
Method of presentation:
Lecture format, with student discussion
Required work and form of assessment:
Company Visit Report: 15% of course grade
Company site visit is one session in this course. The students are required to write a company visit response of more than 1,000 words, which will account for 15% of the course grade.
Group Research Project (25% final paper + 10% presentation): The main assignment for the course is a group case study. The case study examines how firms approach business opportunities. The topics for the case study will be provided on the first session of the course. The students voluntarily form their groups (3-5 people) and select one of the topics as their assignment. The purpose of the assignments is to give the students a broader view and in-depth understanding of business strategies in practice. The group assignment will be evaluated on 3 dimensions: First, the insight offered by the group-does it go beyond describing what happened to shed light on the fundamental causes. Second, how relevant, useful, and well supported are the lessons and recommendations presented. Third, the overall effectiveness of the project presentation in class.
The group assignment should be finished in the form of a report (WORD file, minimum 3,000 words), and at the same time, prepared as a PPT file to be presented in the final class. The complete report should be about double-spaced with 12 point Times Roman font. You must reference any sources you cite in your paper.
Final Examination: 50% of the course grade. The final examination will be administered during the final week of the term. This in-class close examination requires students to apply their knowledge of corporate strategy to answer questions and analyze specific cases. The final exam is composed of 4 parts, which are multiple-choice, true-false, short-answer, and case analysis. A course review and examination specifics will be given in advance of the exam date. Each student is expected to read all assigned materials and actively ask questions and participate in course discussions.
content:
PART 1: Strategic management input
Session 1: Strategic management and strategic competitiveness
Assignment: Form research groups
Readings: Hitt: p2-32
Session 2: External environment
Assignment: Deadline for research topics
Readings: Hitt: p32-68, Porter: Diamond model
Session 3: Internal organization
Assignment: Prepare the case “Kodak transformation”
Readings: Hitt: p68-96, Prahalad: Core competence
Dong Jing is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Organization at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), a INSEAD Euro-Asia and Comparative Research Centre Fellow, and a Council Member of the Pudong (Shanghai) Economic Association. Professor Dong graduated from Fudan University with a Ph.D. in business administration. She was a visiting scholar at INSEAD, France, from 2004 to 2005. Professor Dong’s research interests include business strategy, innovation management, and business systems. More than 20 academic papers by her have been published in journals like Organization Science and Financial Times. Up to now, she released 6 books and finished more than 20 consulting projects for governments and companies.
Corporate Strategy is a one-semester course designed for those interested in acquiring a set of analytical tools and strategic thinking for managing a business. The course examines how firms can obtain and sustain competitive advantage and superior return through the development and implementation of strategies. Specifically, this course will cover how to analyze industry attractiveness, evaluate the competitive environment, identify business and corporate level strategies, assess the extent to which a company has a sustainable competitive advantage, and develop innovative strategies that open up uncontested market space. We will focus on strategies that develop and exploit 2 sources of superior returns: unique value-creating resources, and powerful positions in markets and supply chains.
Survey courses in management, micro-economics, and macro-economics
None
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Lecture format, with student discussion
Company site visit is one session in this course. The students are required to write a company visit response of more than 1,000 words, which will account for 15% of the course grade.
The group assignment should be finished in the form of a report (WORD file, minimum 3,000 words), and at the same time, prepared as a PPT file to be presented in the final class. The complete report should be about double-spaced with 12 point Times Roman font. You must reference any sources you cite in your paper.
PART 1: Strategic management input
Session 1: Strategic management and strategic competitiveness
Assignment: Form research groups
Readings: Hitt: p2-32
Session 2: External environment
Assignment: Deadline for research topics
Readings: Hitt: p32-68, Porter: Diamond model
Session 3: Internal organization
Assignment: Prepare the case “Kodak transformation”
Readings: Hitt: p68-96, Prahalad: Core competence
PART 2: Strategy formulation
Session 4: Development strategy
Assignment: Case: Tsingtao Beer
Readings: Hitt: p152-180
Dong Jing is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Organization at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), a INSEAD Euro-Asia and Comparative Research Centre Fellow, and a Council Member of the Pudong (Shanghai) Economic Association. Professor Dong graduated from Fudan University with a Ph.D. in business administration. She was a visiting scholar at INSEAD, France, from 2004 to 2005. Professor Dong’s research interests include business strategy, innovation management, and business systems. More than 20 academic papers by her have been published in journals like Organization Science and Financial Times. Up to now, she released 6 books and finished more than 20 consulting projects for governments and companies.
01/11