Competitive Strategy

Catalog description

This course focuses on how firms can create and sustain advantages in highly competitive business environments. We will learn analytical frameworks and techniques for evaluating business situations and developing strategies to improve organizational performance. Students will adopt the perspective of a general manager (e.g., of a business unit, a plant, a region, a division, a product line, or an entire company) focused on long-term profitability. We will answer questions typically addressed by senior corporate executives. You will be prepared to anticipate the most likely concerns of senior executives who will be your clients or who will supervise your work. To achieve this overarching objective, this course will include lectures, case discussions, and group presentations. While lectures aim to elaborate on key theoretical models and frameworks, case discussions will provide hands-on experiences on how business decisions are made in real life. We will discuss a wide range of companies and industries, with an emphasis on the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.