Competitive Strategy

Course goals

Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the student is able to:

• Understand and analyze various forms of competition and collaboration in the modern business landscape.
• Apply diverse theoretical lenses—including the resource-based view, managerial cognition, game theory, and competitive strategy—to dissect complex business challenges.
• Develop strategic solutions that create competitive advantage using strong strategic reasoning, informed assumptions, and financial modeling.

Content

In this course on competitive strategy, you will explore the core principles of competitive advantage and examine the strategic frameworks that guide firm behavior. As the business landscape evolves beyond traditional firm-to-firm competition, our curriculum expands to include collaborative interactions between firms and a wide range of societal stakeholders. Accordingly, we examine collaborative approaches among competitors, such as alliances, non-market strategies like lobbying, and methods for gaining competitive advantage on platforms.
Each week, you will participate in a lecture that lays the theoretical groundwork, followed by a tutorial where you apply these concepts through in-depth case studies. These cases serve as a playground where you actively apply theory to unravel the complexities of the strategic competition from a real world perspective. In working through real-world scenarios, you will learn to develop strategic arguments using strategic frameworks, informed assumptions, and financial modeling techniques.
Throughout the course, you will master essential strategies like cost leadership, differentiation, and diversification, while learning to assess both internal capabilities and external industry forces. As the course progresses, you'll tackle advanced topics including game theory, managerial cognition, and the disruptive effects of technology on industry boundaries. Additionally, you will explore non-market strategies such as lobbying, the dynamics of co-opetition, and the unique challenges of operating in platform economies—equipping you with a comprehensive understanding of modern competitive dynamics.

In case online access is required for this course and you are not in the position to buy the access code, you are advised to contact the course coordinator for an alternative solution. Please note that access codes are not re-usable meaning that codes from second hand books do not work, as well as access codes from books with a different ISBN. Separate or spare codes are usually not available.