Strategy & Competitive Analysis

Component

Marks

Description

Mapped CO

Simulations

20

Sim 1 (10M): The Blue Ocean Shift. Sim 2 (10M): The War Room (Game Theory).

CO2, CO3

Case Study

10

"The Disruption": Analysis of a market leader failing (e.g., Nokia/Kodak).

CO1, CO4

Presentation

10

"Strategic Audit": Analyzing a firm's external and internal environment.

CO5

Mid-Term

10

Internal written exam covering Industry Analysis & RBV.

CO1

Project

10

"Competitive Profile Matrix": Benchmarking a firm against top 3 rivals.

CO2

Participation

10

Active involvement in strategy debates.

All

Session

Topic

Pre-Reading (Robert M. Grant)

Assignment / Case Study

1

The Concept of Strategy

Strategy vs. Tactics, Corporate vs. Business Strategy.

Ch 1: Concept of Strategy

Assignment: Identify the "Winning Aspiration" of a local firm.

2

Industry Analysis: The Fundamentals

Porter’s Five Forces Framework.

Ch 3: Industry Analysis

Task: Map the 5 Forces for the Indian EV sector.

3

Further Topics in Industry Analysis

Strategic Groups and Competitor Analysis.

Ch 4: Competitor Analysis

Assignment: Create a Strategic Group Map for Airlines.

4

Internal Analysis: The Resource-Based View (RBV)

Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies.

Ch 5: Internal Analysis

Task: Apply VRIO Framework to Apple’s ecosystem.

5

Organizational Structure & Strategy

Designing structures for strategic execution.

Ch 6: Org Structure

Case Study: Organizational Change at Unilever.

6

Competitive Advantage: Cost Leadership

Sources of cost advantage and value chain analysis.

Ch 7: Cost Advantage

Assignment: Value Chain analysis of a low-cost carrier.

7

Competitive Advantage: Differentiation

Drivers of uniqueness and signaling value.

Ch 8: Differentiation

Task: Audit the differentiation strategy of Tesla.

8

Blue Ocean Strategy

Value Innovation and the Four Actions Framework.

Ref: Blue Ocean Strategy

Assignment: Draft an ERRC Grid for a stagnant industry.

9

Mid-Term Internal Exam

Assessment of Industry and Internal Analysis.

Review: Sessions 1–8

Assessment: Written Exam (10 Marks).

10

Technology-based Industries

Standards, Network Effects, and Platform Strategy.

Ch 9: Tech Strategy

Case Study: The War for Streaming Standards.

11

Simulation Lab 1: The Blue Ocean Shift

Creating uncontested market space.

Manual: Strategy Sim

Assessment: Simulation Performance Score (10 Marks).

12

Corporate Strategy: Diversification

Related vs. Unrelated diversification and synergy.

Ch 12: Diversification

Task: Analyze the diversification logic of Reliance.

13

Vertical Integration & Outsourcing

Transaction Cost Economics and Make-or-Buy decisions.

Ch 11: Vertical Integration

Assignment: Debate: Outsourcing vs. In-house Logistics.

14

Global Strategy

Porter’s Diamond and modes of entry.

Ch 13: Global Strategy

Task: Entry strategy for an Indian brand entering the US.

15

Game Theory in Strategy

Nash Equilibrium, Prisoner’s Dilemma, and Competitive Response.

Ref: Game Theory Basics

Assignment: Payoff Matrix for a pricing war.

16

Simulation Lab 2: The War Room

Strategic moves and counter-moves in a duopoly.

Manual: War Gaming Sim

Assessment: Simulation Performance Score (10 Marks).

17

Mergers, Acquisitions & Alliances

Strategic rationale and post-merger integration.

Ch 15: M&A Strategy

Case Study: The failure of AOL-Time Warner.

18

Strategy Implementation

The Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Maps.

Ref: Kaplan & Norton

Project: Draft a Strategy Map for a startup.

19

Capstone Presentation

Presenting the "Strategic Audit".

Manual: Presentation Rubric

Assessment: Group Presentation (10 Marks).

20

Course Synthesis

Strategy in the Age of AI and Turbulance.

Ch 16: Future of Strategy

Submission: Final Course Portfolio.