6 ECTS credits
174 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 4017174FNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Studenten die dit opleidingsonderdeel opnemen, moeten geslaagd zijn voor 'Micro-economie' en 'Management' en geslaagd of op zijn minst ingeschreven zijn voor 'Bedrijfsfinanciering'. Students who want to enroll for this course, must have passed 'Intermediate Microeconomics', 'Management' and must be enrolled/ have passed 'Corporate Finance'.
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Business
Educational team
Elvira Haezendonck (course titular)
Fiona Maureen Courtens
Laura Molinari
Lynn Faut
Activities and contact hours
20 contact hours Lecture
16 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
154 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

In the course it is analysed how the result of a business profit is determined by its strategy and environment. Special attention is drawn to strategy analysis and formulation. Two levels are distinguished: concern/corporate and competitive strategy. Concern strategy determines in which industries the business should invest and competition strategy tells how a business can position itself in a segment and how it can reach and maintain a competitive advantage. There is also attention in the course for the link between strategy and the specific business environment.
During the course, economic and strategic instruments and methods are discussed which are useful for the analysis of the competitive situation. Examples are given during the lectures and short cases are solved. Theoretical concepts are developed which are important for strategy building.

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Slides of the classes and cases, Canvas
Handbook (Required) : Economics of strategy, Besanko, D., D. Dranove, M. Shanley and S. Schaefer, 7de, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 9781119378761, 2017
Additional info

This course is taught in English and all the materials, as well as the exam, are in English

Cases, slides and all other materials are provided via the electronic platform Canvas and/or Vub-bookstore

Please note that the slides are just to help you with your notes during the lectures and point at the topics to be known from the book. They are only a small part of all materials to be studied

Teaching Methods

  • Lecture: collective contact-dependent moments during which the lecturer engages with learning materials
  • Seminar, Exercises or Practicals (Practical): collective or individual contact-dependent moments during which the students are guided to actively engage with learning materials
  • Independent or External Form of Study (Self): independent study

This description of the teaching methods is indicative, in order to assess the expected study load.

REGULAR STUDENTS

Lecture:  20 hours

Practical: 16 hours

  • assignment cases + discussion: 10 hours
  • individual feedback and online help: 6 hours

Self: 138 hours

  • preparation lectures, amounting to 2 hours per chapter : 18 hours (9 x 2 hours)
  • preparation cases (reading assignments and background of the assignments): 16 hours
  • case assignments: 24 hours
  • reporting case solution: 8 hours
  • preparation 20 cases (open book exam), amounting to 2 hours per case: 40 hours
  • preparation exam: 32 hours (4 days of 8 hours)

WORKING STUDENTS

Lecture:  6 hours

Practical: 16 hours

  • assignment cases + discussion: 10 hours
  • individual feedback and online help: 6 hours

Self: 154 hours

  • preparation lectures, amounting to 2 hours per chapter : 18 hours (9 x 2 hours)
  • preparation cases (reading assignments and background of the assignments): 24 hours
  • case assignments: 32 hours
  • reporting case solution: 8 hours
  • preparation 20 cases (open book exam), amounting to 2 hours per case: 40 hours
  • preparation exam: 32 hours (4 days of 8 hours)
Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

This course aims at strengthening the conceptual and analytical skills, the ability to synthesize and critically analyse information and strategic decision making in a competitive business environment. Students should be capable of:

  • Understanding the concepts of corporate and competitive strategy and their implications;
  • Evaluating the competitive position of businesses and analyzing alternative strategies in a dynamic context;
  • Analyzing environments of businesses and the rationality of strategic decision makers in a systematic manner;
  • Formulating strategic options taking into account hypotheses on information of changes in the market (competition, environment, vertical business chain, etc.)

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 75% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 25% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Written Exam with a relative weight of 75 which comprises 75% of the final mark.

    Note: written, individual, open book exam

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Group Reports with a relative weight of 25 which comprises 25% of the final mark.

    Note: based on group reports of cases and assignments

Additional info regarding evaluation

The evaluation will be on theory and methodology, applied to case(s)

  • 25% of the evaluation is based on written group reports of case assignments during the academic year; and
  • 75% of the evaluation is based on a written, individual, open book exam.

Groups consist of three or four members. If problems occur within a team or group, a peer review can be started. A peer review should be requested at the latest 3 weeks before the exam period starts, in written and with a motivation by at least two members of the team, and should be sent to both the course responsible and assistant. In case, a peer review will be conducted, and if it turns out that at least 50% of the team recognizes the failure of participation of one or more group members, this member will obtain 0 as mark for this assignment.

The student has – for both exam sessions - passed with an end result of minimum 10/20, even if on one of both parts of the exam a score of less than 10/20 has been obtained.

Second exam session (retake)

Your group assignments result obtained during the academic year (first session) will be transferred to the second exam session, regardless of the mark. There is no retake possible for the group assignments.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Business Engineering: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Business Economics: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Master of International Business: Standaard traject
Master of Business Engineering: Business and Technology: Standaard traject