Students should be able to:

·       give a structured synthesis and evaluation of strategic management tools;

·       give a structured analysis and evaluation of strategic situations that managers can be confronted with

·       propose in a well thought-over and structured way some actions that managers can undertake to deal with different strategic situations;

·       assess the importance of uncertainty, intuition and values (a-logic) in strategic situations and  explain how these variables can be dealt with.

The course offers a framework which helps students to acquire a broader perspective on organizational functioning and strategic management.  It provides students with a critical insight in some of the most well-known strategic planning tools, such as strategic planning, industry analysis, competitor analysis, SWOT-analysis, scenario planning, balanced scorecards, etc..  The course offers a discussion of the foundations and the different dimensions of strategy (content, process, context).   

 Secondly, the importance of mission, vision and goals in strategy making is being analyzed.    In the main part of the course, the different tools for internal and external analysis of strategy are being discussed.  The course provides some basic principles for effective management.

The required readings are mentioned for each session. For all sessions the handouts of the slides will be made available. These handouts and the notes should be studied thoroughly. Some guest lecturers will provide additional readings to the students.

·     De Wit, Bob & Ron Meyer (2010). Strategy Synthesis. Resolving strategy paradoxes to create competitive advantage. 3rd edition,  South Western, Cengage Learning, Hampshire.

·     Johnson, G. & K. Scholes (2005). Exploring corporate strategy. Text and cases. 7^thedition.  Harlow (England), Pearson Education.

·     Ron Sanchez & Aimé Heene (2004), The new Strategic Management. Organization. Competition and Competence. John Wiley & Sons