IB 375 - Strategic Management

This course focuses on the application of Strategic Management tools for rational decision-making in firm settings, specifically addressing Strategy at the Business and Corporate levels. To be effective, business leaders and strategists must understand the factors responsible for a firm's past performance and be able to identify those changes (occurring inside or outside the firm) that are most likely to improve or deteriorate future firm performance. This course addresses this reality by examining the fundamental conditions that enable a firm to conceive, formulate, and sustain a superior strategic position in a competitive environment, and how to create new markets by pre-emptying competition. During the course, students will touch upon a variety of strategy-related themes, including 1) the various external and environmental factors that impact firm activities; 2) firms’ internal sources of competitive advantage at a Business Strategy level; 3) Strategic approaches at the Corporate Level; 4) Strategy execution: business planning, business modeling, and value proposition; 5) Strategy and innovation; and 5) Emerging themes in the strategic world (e.g., agile management and strategic entrepreneurship, strategy for platforms, sustainability and circular businesses). Students will learn main strategic analysis tools, including models and frameworks to help them diagnose organizational issues and make recommendations to sustain or improve corporate performance. The objective of the course is to equip students with real-world skills that can be applied in organizational settings and provide them with an appreciation for the complexity of strategic decision-making in large firms or startups. On a more general level, the course aims to improve students’ critical thinking skills and ability to tackle challenging organizational problems in various settings.