Core Strategy (MBA)

MBA Programme, London Business School, Strategy and Entrepreneurship, 2019

Course Description: The field of strategy, and this course, attempts to address the central issue in business: why do some firms outperform other firms? It is empirically evident that there are significant profitability differences between industries, and there are significant profitability differences between firms within industries. In the three modules in this course, we will develop an understanding of what underlies such inter-industry and inter-firm profitability differences.

In the first module we will systematically examine what drives inter-industry profitability differences and how firms can engage in effective strategy-making. In module two, we transition to understanding intra-industry, inter-firm profitability differences and examine the role of firm strategy in discriminating between good and bad performance. This module mainly focuses on how businesses should compete within industries. Finally, module three examines corporate strategy, i.e., which industries should firms compete in and what instruments are available to do so effectively. The course also attempts to sensitize students to the societal context within which business operates and how this might constrain the choice of strategy.