6 ECTS credits
169 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4021597ENR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
The course explores the determinants of industrial competitiveness and successful economic development viewed from a bottom-up, microeconomic perspective. While sound macroeconomic policies and stable legal and political institutions create potential for industrial competitiveness, wealth is actually created at the microeconomic and firm levels. The sophistication and productivity of firms, the vitality of industrial clusters, and the quality of the business environment are the ultimate determinants of the productivity and innovation capacity of nations, regions and industries. This course examines both advanced and developing economies and addresses competitiveness at multiple levels – nations and neighbouring countries, subnational units such as states or provinces, particular clusters, and the firm itself.
3-layered determinants of competitiveness
3. Micro-economic competitiveness (competitive advantages, sophistication of company operations and strategy, etc.)
2. Macro-economic competitiveness (Monetary and fiscal policies, human development, efficient public institutions, etc.)
1. Endowments or inherited factors (climate, geography, etc.)
The course is concerned not only with government policy but also with the roles that firms, industry associations, universities, and other institutions play in competitiveness. In modern competition, each of these institutions has an important and evolving role in economic development. The course explores not only theory and policy but also the organizational structures, institutional structures, and change processes required for sustained improvements in competitiveness.
The Microeconomics of Competitiveness is a distinctive graduate course offered in cooperation with prof. M. Porter and a team of his colleagues at Harvard Business School (HBS). It is designed to be taught to second year MBA students at HBS and affiliates of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School.
Lectures, in-class discussions, and team work (project). The course is interactive and requires a high level of involvement from the students during the class sessions. Students are expected to come to class prepared (read the chapters and cases before coming to class).
Students are also expected to actively participate in all class discussions. Beyond the required reading, students are encouraged to use other resources, mentioned in suggested readings list provided electronically on the learning platform.
Cases, syllabus, slides, additional papers, and team project information will be electronically provided.
(!) Because of the specific teaching method for this course, involving many cases and discussions, as well as individual or group feedback sessions, the total number of participants will be limited to thirty-two each academic year (or eight groups). Therefore, a specific selection process will be organized before each start of the academic year. Detailed guidelines of the pre-course student selection process are described in a separate memo and shared on the learning platform.
Course aims
The main aim of the course is to enable the students to integrate and activate general knowledge on competitiveness in order to make analytical managerial decisions. The course focuses on the environment in which global strategy is developed at the corporate, business and operational levels. Particular attention is paid to the processes, competencies and vision of top management, competitive positioning, understanding comparative costs. Part of the purpose of the course is to expose students to some of the most successful countries and regions. In addition to cases, there are readings, a series of lectures, and videotaped or physical appearances by guests who are national, regional, or business leaders involved in the cases studied or experts on the issues discussed in class.
Learning outcomes
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Primarily, MOC is a course about a way of thinking about competitiveness. The “answer” is less important than the thinking process. Analytical rigor is highly valued.
The evaluation will capture all aspects of the team project, including the presentation, the final report, and the interaction within the team and with the instructor throughout the project. Unless there are special reasons to deviate from this role, all members of the team will receive the same grade.
For the presentation and the report, we take in account whether all aspects of the project have been covered (see in “syllabus MOC Team project”), whether the team has identified appropriate data given what is available, whether the analysis of the data reveals an understanding of the tools and concepts discussed in class, whether the team has been able to integrate their findings in a coherent overall assessment of the location/cluster, and whether the recommendations are actionable and logically grounded in the preceding analysis. We also consider whether all formal requirements (length of the presentation, report) have been met. In addition to the presentation and final report, teams will be evaluated in the way they conducted all aspects of the project. Preparation, punctuality, and the conduct of review meetings with instructors will be considered.
In case of a final grade of ‘fail’ (less than 10/20), students are allowed a resubmit a final paper. All the requirements are the same as for Team Project (as indicated above) but it shall be an individually prepared paper.
The weight of a re-take is 80%: case summaries/answers to case questions cannot be retaken but its evaluation -if positive- is not annulled, -if negative the weight of a re-take individual paper is 100%.
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