This course starts with the premise that a strategic analysis requires an understanding of both internal and external environmental factors that affect strategic decision making.  In particular, strategic analysis involves assessing the firm’s internal strengths and weaknesses which includes understanding of implications of the firm’s industry structure and its competitive landscape for firm performance. In this context, a strategic analysis—the analysis that supports the development of a strategy—requires prediction analysis of own firm performance, the nature of changes in industries in general together with an understanding of the specific competitive context faced by a given firm. That is, to understand the strengths and weaknesses of its’ existing and potential rivals.
This course will introduce tools, concepts, and frameworks used to analyze the nature of industries and competition to develop competitive strategies. Ideally, such an analytical toolbox allows to pursue firms’ objectives and the key choices it is making to achieve those objectives in the face of competition from other firms (for example, how it will predict markets, what market position it will occupy and how it will allocate its scarce resources); in other words, how it will achieve a competitive advantage.
 

There is not a single text for the course. Instead, the lectures will be based on material from published papers, downloadable from CBS Library databases or to be made available on Learn.