55804 - Business Strategy

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student has the knowledge of concepts, and is familiar with the techniques, related to the strategic management. In particular , the student is able: - to use the appropriate conceptual tools, available to managers, to analyze industries and to operate in the markets; - to apply theories and tools useful to understand how to manage companies across different industries, - to understand and support the strategic decision making both for business strategy and corporate strategy.

Course contents

Module 1: Business Strategy (Prof. Paola Giuri)

• Strategy and its meanings
• Business Definition
• Firm strategy and the role of external factors
• Firm strategy and the role of internal factors
• Value proposition and sources of competitive advantage

Module 2: Corporate Strategy (Prof. Umberto Lago)

• The industry life cycle
• Corporate strategy
• Vertical integration and the scope of the firm
• Diversification strategy and the management of the multibusiness corporation
• Current trends in strategic management

Readings/Bibliography

Module 1 and 2:
Robert M. Grant. Contemporary Strategy Analysis 7th Edition - L'analisi strategica per le decisioni aziendali Il Mulino 2011 or 2016 (IV o V ed. italiana). (excluding the following chapters: 2, 7, 12, 15)

Slides will be deployed during the lectures. They will not be circulated as they just represent a way to facilitate the understanding of the textbook.

Teaching methods

• Lectures on the topics included in the syllabus
• Deployment of business cases in order to apply the concepts and tools of the theoretical lectures
• Guest lectures (organized as seminars) on behalf of practictioners

Assessment methods

There are no differences for Erasmus students.

For the exam in presence: written exam with multiple choices.

For online exams: oral exam on MS Teams.

Teaching tools

We will use the following tools:

• Case studies
  
• Lecture slides
• Mentimeter
• electronic spreadsheets (xls)
• Openboard
  

In case of online lectures:

• Microsoft Teams

Office hours

See the website of Paola Giuri

See the website of Umberto Lago