MGT333

Competitive
Strategy
Origin of ‘Strategy’
Warfare Strategos (Greek) – Strategem (Greek) –
Military General a plan or scheme, especially one used to
outwit an opponent or achieve an end.

Strategy

Warfare Business Sports Politics NGOs

Competitive Strategy
Basics and characteristics of a good strategy

For which organizations is Strategy important?

Startups?
Existing organizations?

Characteristics of a good strategy:

1. Strategy is not one-size-fits-all
Different strategies within an industry
2. Strategy is not a one-off process
Arriving at the Definition
Characteristics of an ideal strategy

Time duration Long term

To achieve what? Competitive Advantage

What do you need? Resources and Competencies

What impacts you? Changing environment

 Synthesizing the definition

(Competitive) Strategy is a long term

direction and unique position of a
business that creates competitive
advantage by utilizing resources and
competencies in a changing
environment.
Levels of Strategic Management
Levels of Strategic Management

How to achieve
competitive advantage?
 Levels of Strategic Management

Group level office

B C
A

Production
Mktg.
R&D
Initiation of strategy change
Triggering event: something that acts as
a stimulus for a change in strategy and can
include:

• Performance gap
• New CEO
• Strategic inflection point (business faces
a major change)
Strategic Development Processes
Emergent
Strategy

Intended Realized
Strategy Strategy

Unrealized
Strategy
Evaluation
Quiz – 10%
Assignments – 15% (Group)
Class Exercises – 15% (Group)
Case Analysis – 10% (Individual)
Project – 20% (Group)
End Term – 30% (Individual)