Why do some firms outperform others? Learn to understand strategic management and the economic foundations of strategy theories. During the course, we will discuss various theories.

Upon completion of this course students have:

• the knowledge of the theories of (competitive) strategy that are central to the current debates in the strategic management field;
• the ability to critically assess these theories;
• the ability to use these theories to analyse business problems.

Develop an in-depth understanding of how organisations can maintain their connection with the environment, thus ensuring their long-term survival and sustainable competitive advantage.

At the end of the course, students will:

• understand the major behavioral and evolutionary theories of organisational adaptation;
• understand the contributions of organisational learning, ambidexterity, and corporate entrepreneurship to the phenomenon of organisational adaptation;
• identify and explain internal and external barriers to adaptation;
• identify and critically assess potential solutions to the challenge of adaptation;
• critically reflect on current business research related to organisational adaptation.

Explore strategic organisational issues at different levels, from cooperative behaviours of individual human actors to inter-firm relationships. What choices can firms make in strategies and organisational design, while at the same time encouraging coordination and cooperation among individuals and sub-units?

Upon completion of this course students have:

• the ability to explain the main theories in the field of strategy as they relate to organisational design (e.g., agency theory, transaction cost economics, team production theory, resource based theory);
• the ability to critically reflect on these theories, based on a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and to compare and contrast them with alternative theories;
• the ability to apply the theories discussed in the course to strategic issues faced by firms when organising in practice (e.g., how to structure and govern activities, how to manage and compensate employees and managers, whether and how to outsource activities, whether and how to diversify).