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2014/2015  KAN-CFSMO1116U  Corporate Strategy

English Title
Corporate Strategy

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Philip Kappen - Department of Strategic Management and Globalization (SMG)
Main academic disciplines
  • Globalization, International Business, markets and studies
Last updated on 12-09-2014
Learning objectives
This is the second course in strategic management at the FSM Program. The aim of the first course was to provide students with a strong theoretical foundation in the strategy field. This second course takes a more pragmatic approach towards application of strategic analysis and extends the perspectives from the previous course to multinational corporate management situation.

The aim of the course is that students after having following the course are able to:
  • Formulate corporate strategies taking into account the complexities and opportunities that the global dimension of strategy implies
  • Apply various analysis techniques in a global context
  • Refer to many examples of successful and less successful strategies when crafting strategy
  • Explain major types of strategic decisions
  • Conduct a thorough strategy case analysis
  • Be able to obtain and analyze information for strategic decision-making.
Examination
Corporate Strategy:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual
Size of written product Max. 5 pages
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 24 hours to prepare
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Spring Term
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

Individual written 24-hour take home case analysis covering topics taught in the two courses.
Course content and structure

Corporate Strategy deals with the management of different businesses and product-market activities within the umbrella or the larger, typically multinational, enterprise. Hence, the course focuses on the effective management of business entities operating across different product-markets and thereby builds on the business strategy perspectives concerned with firm positioning in industry specific product-markets. Effective corporate strategy relates to headquarter policies, business portfolio management, corporate restructuring, strategic change, etc., but it also relates for many firms to business expansion to a larger multinational scope. One of the fundamental challenges is to lead and structure the firm so its different parts provide a genuine contribution to global corporate performance.

Upon completion of this course the student should be equipped to address essential corporate and strategy issues and analyze complex multinational enterprise structures. The students will be asked to demonstrate their ability to complete a case analysis of a given company situation using material covered during this course as well as insights and skills acquired from the previous course(s) in strategic management or equivalent studies. The exam format will be a 24 hour take-home exam. The exam will test the student’s ability to use the knowledge gained through the course for solving particular problems related to the overall themes. The exam is not about learning the texts by heart but rather understanding and reflecting on topics covered in the course.
 
Teaching methods
Lectures, exercises and case discussions.
Expected literature

Grant, Robert M. (2013). Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 8th Edition (Text and Cases Edition). John Wiley and Sons, UK.
Last updated on 12-09-2014