Corporate Strategy laboratory
6
Corporate strategy is of fundamental importance in order to create and make a business grow in an increasingly competitive and turbulent market. The course strongly bases itself on making you understand the various processes and methods that can be followed and which have been used successfully over the years. During the course, examples will be used in order to get a better understanding of the concepts mentioned.
The course aims to make students understand the importance of strategy as a vital element for business success. In the last decade, the market has become more complex and turbulent. For this reason, the course aims to illustrate the methodologies and processes to follow, in order to elaborate effective strategies and create competitive advantages.
No prerequisite is required.
In the first lesson we will introduce some fundamental concepts on strategy up to the point of understanding the main aspects needed to formulate them. All business aspects that are impacted by strategy will be illustrated as well as the description of the difference between “strategic thinking” and “strategic planning”. The difference between the innovative and operating processes will be dealt with too.
In the second lesson, themes will be considered such as the importance of understanding what is required for the market and customer needs. For this reason, the various methodologies to map the market and customers will be analyzed together with the perception of competition. The various types of competition will be defined.
The third lesson is dedicated to the definition of a successful strategy. The methodology for strategy development will be illustrated. Classic methods will also be dealt with, such as “Porter’s five forces“, SWOT analysis and the “Ansoff” matrix. Lastly, the process to make the right “strategic planning” will be presented.
The fourth lesson will go further into detail in regards the aspects seen in the previous module such as “Porter’s five forces”, “SWOT” analysis and the “Ansoff” matrix with specific examples. Lastly, the “Abell” model will be illustrated.
The fifth lesson tackles the important topic of innovation because business doesn’t exist without continuous innovation as this is required to remain competitive over the years. The importance of a competitive strategic choice will be illustrated, which can be “cost leadership” or “differentiation” in order to find out where to implement innovation. The module will finish up by illustrating the importance of setting up the right organization and development of the relative processes in order to execute strategy in the most effective way.
The sixth lesson is dedicated to pricing as it is a fundamental factor to implement an effective strategy and, at the same time, the ability to understand whether the strategy has brought about the desired results. During the module, the “value” creation concept will be looked at together with the importance of illustrating “Value Pricing”. The module will end with the analysis of “Pricing Elasticity”.
In the seventh lesson, the important concepts of a good “go to market” strategy and “Front End” excellence will be illustrated. “Communication” is vital in order to make these actions as effective as possible. The lesson will finish up by looking at the important topics of people and leadership development which are essential elements for business development and growth.
Didattica ErogativaL'insegnamento prevede, per ciascun CFU, 5 ore di Didattica Erogativa, costituite da 2,5 videolezioni (tenendo conto delle necessità di riascolto da parte dello studente). Ciascuna videolezione esplicita i propri obiettivi e argomenti, ed è corredata da materiale testuale in pdf.Didattica InterattivaL'insegnamento segue quanto previsto dalle Linee Guida di Ateneo sulla Didattica Interattiva e l'interazione didattica, e propone, per ciascun CFU, 1 ora di Didattica Interattiva dedicata alle seguenti attività: lettura area FAQ, partecipazione ad e-tivity strutturata costituita da attività finalizzate alla restituzione di un feedback formativo e interazioni sincrone dedicate a tale restituzione.
Though very useful for individual preparation and study, on-line mid-term assessment and self-assessment tests are not mandatory in view of the final exam which students will take before a Commission as provided for under art. 11 c.7 e) of Ministerial Decree 270/2004.
The exam of eligibility consists of an exercise and of answering the teacher’s open-ended questions by explaining the concepts dealt with during the lessons in a clear and accurate way. A calculator can be used during the written test.
In addition to the lessons provided by the Teacher, it is mandatory to study the following texts:
Additional research material:
By appointment (f.botti@unimarconi.it)