Syllabus Information

1. General information

The coordination within the company of a whole series of interdependent activities is the responsibility of the general management, which is ultimately responsible for long-term survival, sets the organization's objectives and designs the mechanisms to achieve them. The basic tasks associated with the performance of the management team include the internal design and allocation of resources, the integration of the activities of the various functional areas, the interaction between them and continuous adaptation to changes in the environment, and the design of the company's overall strategy. The top management should, therefore, be in charge of all those questions related to efficiency (are resources being allocated correctly?), effectiveness (are the set goals being achieved?) and effectiveness (have these goals been adequately defined ?).

In order to complete the subject satisfactorily, it is advisable for students to be familiar with the basic concepts of the subjects assigned to the area of Business Organisation previously taught in the degree in Business Administration and Management (Fundamentals of Business Administration, Organisation and Internal Management).

These approaches and goals are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations () United Nations (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/), in particular, the activities planned in the subject will contribute to the achievement of goals 4 (objectives 4.3 and 4.4) and 8 (objectives 8.2 and 8.3).

2. Learning results

Once the student has passed the subject, they will be able to:

-  Identify the concept of competitive advantage and adequately manage some indicators that approximate the creation of value in the company, as well as the role played by strategy in this process. In particular, distinguish with precision between accounting profit and economic profit and identify the different levels within the company's strategy and the most relevant decisions in each of them.

- Assess the profit potential offered by a given industrial sector based on the analysis of a series of basic dimensions.

-  Diagnose the internal reality of the company, detect its strengths and weaknesses, and identify those resources and capabilities that can be a source of sustainable competitive advantage.

-  Explain the basic generic strategies, identify their sources and describe how value is generated from their execution.

3. Course Program

I. Concept of strategy and strategic direction

        1. Competitive advantage and value creation

        2. Strategy: definition, elements and typologies

II. Strategic analysis

        3. The company and the environment

        4. Organization and evolution of the industry

        5. Internal analysis of the company: the theory of resources

III. Strategy formulation          

        6. Competitive strategies

3. Syllabus

I. Concept of strategy and strategic direction

        1. Competitive advantage and value creation

        2. Strategy: definition, elements and typologies

II. Strategic analysis

        3. The company and the environment

        4. Organization and evolution of the industry

        5. Internal analysis of the company: the theory of resources

III. Strategy formulation          

        6. Competitive strategies

4. Academic activities

The development of the program and the achievement of the established learning objectives require a continuous work of the student around the following activities:

- Attendance, recommended, to classes.

- Reading and study of the bibliographic material indicated in each topic.

- Regular and careful completion of the exercises and practical cases that will be proposed by the professor throughout the course.

- Completion of a paper analysing in detail the situation of a company or an industry chosen by consensus between the teacher and the student and which allows a detailed knowledge of the chosen sector or industry to be attained.}

- Consultation of doubts and difficulties arising in the study of the different subjects.

The learning activities are as follows:

- Master classes: 30 hours

- Practical classes: 30 hours

- Study and personal work: 88 hours

- Assessment tests: 2 hours.

5. Assessment system

In both calls, the subject can be passed either through a mixed evaluation system or through a global assessment.

Mixed assessment

- Individual delivery of all exercises and analysis of proposed cases, with active participation in the practical classes at those that are solved. In these sessions, activities will be carried out in order to assess the learning results foreseen, such as test-type questions, open questions or public presentation of the activities carried out (10%-15% of the final grade).

- Analysis of the main strategic decisions in the company, through the elaboration of a document whose follow-up will be carried out throughout the term through meetings with the teacher and oral defence of the same (groups of 4-5 students, 25%-30% of the final grade).

- Final test. Theoretical and practical test in which the acquisition of the different competences acquired throughout the term will be demonstrated. A minimum of four points (60% of the final grade) must be obtained.

Global Assessment

Final test, under the same conditions indicated in the previous point (100% of the final grade).

Assessment Criteria

In the assessment of each of the activities, it will be taken into account that the student:

- Demonstrates knowledge, understanding and ability to use, in different situations, the concepts and tools presented in class.

- Is capable of rigorously applying, integrating and synthesizing the knowledge acquired.

- Reasons and elaborates by himself/herself his/her answers, based on existing information.

- Is able to work in a group, when required by the learning activity.