• assess the attractiveness of an industry
• assess the competitive advantage of a firm
• evaluate the optimal scope of activities of a firm
• evaluate the international strategy of a firm
• evaluate opportunities to diversify the firm's core businesses

This course is focused on how to create and sustain advantages in highly competitive business environments. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis skills will be emphasized. We will focus on analytical frameworks and techniques for evaluating industries and for developing successful business strategies. Specifically, we will consider the internal and external factors that determine firms’ chances of success; firms’ offerings and costs relative to competitors; the scope of firm activities; the markets and niches a firm serves, and the capabilities that firms leverage; and scenario-based approaches to strategic management. All of these factors inform our understanding of the relationship between strategic action and competitive advantage. 
Students adopt the perspective of a general manager (e.g., of a business unit, a plant, a region, a division, a product line, a company) focused on long-term profitability. We will answer questions typically addressed by senior corporate executives. Two reactions to this challenge are common: (1) “It will be years before I’m a senior executive. Why do I need this course now?” or (2) “This course will accelerate my time-to-senior executive!” You are encouraged to embrace reaction #2. 
By considering business situations from the perspective of those who will be supervising your work and/or leading your employers, you will be prepared to deliver high quality work products. This course will prepare you to anticipate the most likely concerns and questions of senior executives making important business decisions.

Preliminary assignment: To help students get maximum value from this course, the instructor will provide a reading and related video clip to be read/viewed before the start of classes with a related task scheduled for class 1. 

Class 1: Introduction to course and economic foundations of 
Strategy 
Class 2: Market Structure and Industry Analysis 
Class 3: Core competences and competitive dynamics I 
Class 4: Competitive dyanamics II 
Class 5: Cost Advantage 
Class 6: Dynamic strategic management 
Feedback activity 
Class 7: Diversification Strategies 
Class 8: Vertical Integration 
Class 9: International Diversification 
Class 10: Competitive advantage transferability 
Class 11: Strategic career management

Preliminary Assignment: To help students get maximum value from ISUP courses, instructors provide a reading or a small number of readings or video clips to be read or viewed before the start of classes with a related task scheduled for class 1 in order to 'jump-start' the learning process.

Course timetable is available on  https://www.cbs.dk/uddannelse/international-summer-university-programme-isup/courses-and-exams.

We reserve the right to cancel the course if we do not get enough applications. This will be communicated on https://www.cbs.dk/uddannelse/international-summer-university-programme-isup/courses-and-exams end February 2018 at the latest.

Mandatory readings:

Grant, Robert M.: Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text and Cases, 9th edt. 

https:/​/​www.wiley.com/​en-gb/​Contemporary+Strategy+Analysis%3A+Text+and+Cases+Edition%2C+9th+Edition-p-9781119126515

Additional relevant readings:

“What is strategy?” by M. Porter
“Crafting strategy” by H. Mintzberg
“Understanding Industry Structure” by M. Porter
“Core Competence of the Corporation” by Prahalad & Hamel
 “The Right Game” by Brandenburger & Nalebuff
“Analyzing Relative Costs” by Rivkin and Halaburda
“From Competitive Advantage to Corporate Strategy” by M Porter
“Scope of the Corporation” by D. Collis, HBS #9-795-139
“Managing global Expansion. A conceptual framework” by Gupta, A.K. and Govindarajan, V.