At the heart of management science is the question of "Why do some organizations succeed while others fail?". This course in strategic management addresses this question by focusing on general theories, concepts, and tools to achieve competitive advantage and, ultimately, to become successful. Based on fundamental theories and techniques of strategic management, we discuss the following steps in strategic decision-making at the business level in detail:
- Strategic analysis: How does the external environment influence a firm's competitive position? What are internal influences (e.g., resources and capabilities)?
- Strategy formulation and selection: How are strategies developed, formulated, and selected? What are strategic options at the business unit level or the corporate level?
- Strategic innovation: What is strategic innovation? What are the challenges that established and young companies are confronted with when developing and commercializing strategic innovations?
- Strategy implementation and control: How to implement a strategy?
In addition, real-world case studies allow us to take a closer look at practical challenges and pitfalls of strategic management, as well as the key success factors.
This course is offered in the spring term.