Programme Trimester/Semester Faculty Course Credit-Full/Half 1) Course Objectives

PGDM RM IV

Faculty e-mail id Faculty intercom number Students Contact hours

rushianandan@simsr.somaiya.edu 3110

Rushi Anandan

12-1, Monday

Business Policy 100

Some firms systematically perform better than other firms that operate in the same industry. In some industries, firms tend to have consistently higher returns than firms in other industries. Our key premise in this class is that those performance variations can be caused by the firms strategic choices as well as by the industry structure. Top managers of the firm can significantly influence the choice of strategy and the choice of industries in which the firm operates, thus affecting its financial performance and its owners wealth. The perspective adopted in this course is that of top managers making decisions about what businesses their corporations should focus on and how to run these individual businesses. We will explore different analytical models that allow us to identify and diagnose the strategic issues companies face in complex and competitive environments. We will also learn how to propose sound and realistic solutions to such problems based upon a deep understanding of the firms resources and capabilities. Because the job of the general manager cuts across all functional areas, this course builds on your previous work in the program and provides a total business perspective. Aside from preparing future general managers, the course is useful for functional specialists as well. In order to capture the pragmatic, action-oriented, complex and ambiguous nature of the strategic management issues, this course is taught through the case method. We will supplement the case discussions with readings, lectures, and conceptual discussions. Our objective is for you to develop your own personal synthesis and approach for identifying the key contingencies and solving the key problems facing a business organization. 2) Course content / Coverage (brief) 3) General Description of Pedagogy : Corporate strategy. Strategy implementation : Theory And Cases

4) Student learning outcomes from the course : Understanding issues of corporate strategy and strategy implementation 5) Session Details 1. :

Dynamic Capabilities: Strategic Commitments

Reading: Dynamic theories, Ghemawat, Ch. 5

Key Themes:

How do strategic commitments shape firm strategy?

2, 3.

Corporate-Level Strategy: Horizontal Scope of the Firm

Reading: From Competitive Advantage to Corporate Strategy, Porter

Key Themes: How should we make decisions on the horizontal boundaries of the firm? How is value created by the corporate center? How does business group affiliation add value in the Indian context? Cases: Bharat Forge- Extending horizontal scope, ITC, Oracle

4.

Corporate-Level Strategy: Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances

Reading: Acquisitions and restructuring strategies, Hitt et al

5, 6.
Case:

Corporate-Level Strategy: Diversification Strategy

Cooper Industries Corporate Strategy (A) Choosing corporate scope, Ghemawat, p. 124-137 Reading:

7, 8.

Corporate-Level Strategy: Vertical Scope of the Firm

Reading: Reading: Key Themes: Case: Choosing corporate scope, Ghemawat, p. 137-142 Make, Buy or Ally, Anandan How should we make decisions on the vertical boundaries of the firm? Disney-Pixar

9.

Review for midterm

10.

Corporate-Level Strategy: Geographical Scope of the Firm

Reading: Key Themes: Chapter 8, Hill and Jones, Strategic Management How should we make decisions on the global strategy of the firm?

Contemporary Issues in Strategy

11, 12.

Strategic Management Systems

Reading: The Balanced Scorecard- Measures that Drive Performance Case: Mobil USM&R (A1) Key Themes: How do firms translate strategy formulation into strategy implementation using the BSC?

Reading:

McKinsey 7-S Framework

Key Themes: How do firms translate strategy formulation into strategy implementation using the 7-S framework?

13, 14

Shareholder Value or Stakeholder Value?

Reading: Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility, Porter, Kramer Case: Key Themes: Merck & Co., Inc.: Addressing Third-World Needs (A) Should firms be accountable to shareholders or stakeholders?

15.

Blue Ocean Strategy

Reading: Case: Key Themes: Blue Ocean Strategy, Mauborgne and Kim Crafting Winning Strategies in a Mature Market: The US Wine Industry in 2001 Structuralist view v. Reconstructionist view of competitive strategy

16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Project Presentations Project Presentations Project Presentations Project Presentations Project Presentations

6) Required text & Course Materials

: Readings and cases listed above

7) Optional Course Materials & Readings: Give details of reference books, journalsnational/international 8) Assessment Criteria:
Individual grade:

Final exam Case analysis assignments/quizzes Attendance/participation

50% 20% 10%

Team grade:

Firm analysis presentation/viva Firm analysis report

5% 15%

Total:

100%

The above-mentioned components are just indicative. However please make sure that attendance constitutes one of the components of evaluation in all cases.