FEUP MESG - Services Engineering and Management

Corporate Strategy Course

Objectives, Skills and Learning Outcomes

1- BACKGROUND
Strategic thinking is becoming more and more relevant for an Industrial Engineer. The need to develop strategic management skills is crucial for the competitiveness of organizations, and only those o possess such skills will be able to assume higher levels of responsibility.

2- SPECIFIC AIMS
This course unit aims to endow students with the basic skills to think strategically, to develop a specific business and corporate strategy, to understand the issues and hurdles of implementation, in order to play a role in a given company's competitiveness.

3- PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE
EIG0035  Project Appraisal
EIG0036  Human Resources Management
EIG0034  General Management
EIG0029  Operations Management
EIG0028  Total Quality Management
EIG0032  Financial Management
EIG0030  Logistics Management
EIG0031  Marketing

4- PERCENTUAL DISTRIBUTION
* Scientific component - 60%
* Technological component - 40%

5- LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this subject, students should be able to:
- think strategically
- understand the issues and hurdles of implementing a given strategy
- design a specific business and corporate strategy
- design a strategic implementation plan
- define the controlling mechanisms for a given implementation plan

Program

1. Introduction and objectives (APG)

2. Basic concepts (APG)
a. Company
b. Enterprise, Strategic management, Competitiveness, etc

3. Strategy formulation (APG)
a. The schools of strategic thinking/ strategy safari
b. Positioning model vs. resource based model

4. Business level strategy:
a. Review of fundamental concepts and tools of analysis (APG)
b. Review of strategies (cost, differentiation, focus) and chain value (APG)
c. Chain value disarticulation (CMS)
d. MBOs: the example of Probos MBO about ProHolding (JRS)

5. Creation of value /EVA (JRS)

6. Corporate level strategy
a. Fundamental concepts (APG)
b. Diversification/Portfolio Management (JRS)
c. Vertical integration and strategic outsourcing (APG)
d. Acquisitions (CMS)
e. Internationalisation (MPS ?)
f. Collaborative strategy (AM ?)

7. Strategy implementation/execution
a. Fundamental concepts (APG)
b. Balanced ScoreCard: Mobil NM&R and Epoli examples (JRS)
c. “Leading the change” (CMS)

Visit the Corporate Strategy Course Website.