FTMBA2025 Strategy

Participation Prerequisites

None

Course Content

This course explores the fundamental question of why certain firms outperform others and how they sustain their profitability over time, offering an in-depth analysis of the sources of competitive success. Whether you aim to pursue roles in management, consulting, finance, venture capital, policymaking, or investment banking, the knowledge and skills cultivated here are essential for strategic analysis and formulation. The primary objective is to refine your capacity for strategic thinking, fostering a systematic, logical, and critical approach to addressing key strategic questions.

We will adopt a "big picture" perspective, focusing on significant strategic decisions firms face, such as market entry, product positioning, and scale and scope, rather than day-to-day operational matters. The course content is structured as follows:

1. Tools for the Strategy Analysis

-       Value Creation & Capture

-       Industry Analysis

-       Firm Analysis

2. Key Questions of Business Strategy

-       Competitive Positioning

-       Dynamic and Proactive Business Models

3. Key Questions of Corporate Strategy

-       Size & Scope of the Firm

-       Growth Modes

Intended Learning Outcomes and Competencies

1)    Analyze how firms generate value by creating benefits that exceed costs and develop strategies to capture and retain a portion of this value. 

2)    Conduct industry analysis to assess the attractiveness of industries and their long-term profit potential.

3)    Conduct firm analysis to assess the extent to which the firm’s resources and capabilities give the firm the ability to outperform the industry average. 

4)    Evaluate major competitive positions within an industry and assess their potential for creating sustainable competitive advantage for the firm.

5)    Critically examine conventional competitive positions and learn to craft more dynamic and proactive business models.

6)    Analyze the optimal size and scope of the firm and make informed decisions regarding vertical integration as well as related and unrelated diversification strategies.

7)    Assess the advantages and disadvantages of different modes of achieving growth in different strategic contexts. 

Instruction Type

In-person

Form of Examination

The grade is made up of two components:

-       Strategic Firm Analyses (two parts) on Business and Corporate Strategy (team-based) (50%)

-       Final Exam (individual) (50%)

Literature

Day 1:

Articles:

“What is Strategy?” Porter, Harvard Business Review, Nov/Dec 1996.

“The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy” by Porter, Harvard Business Review, 2008.

Harvard Business School (HBS) Cases:

Aldi: The Dark Horse Discounter

Tesla in 2023: “Electrified” Competition

Day 2:

Articles:

“Competing on Resources" by Collis & Montgomery, Harvard Business Review, 2008.

“Pipelines, Platforms, and the New Rules of Strategy”, by Van Alstyn, et al., Harvard Business Review, 2016.

“Red Ocean Traps” by Kim & Mauborgne, Harvard Business Review, 2015.

HBS Cases:

Tesla in 2023: “Electrified” Competition (continued)

A Video-Case on Market Creation 

Day 3:

Articles:

“Creating Corporate Advantage” by Collis & Montgomery, Harvard Business Review, 1998.

“When to Ally and When to Acquire” by Dyer et al., Harvard Business Review, 2004.

HBS Cases:

Reawakening the Magic: Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company

Acquisition Negotiation Simulation