This is a summary of the pre-master course Strategy & Organization at the University of Amsterdam. It contains a summary of all articles in the course, including a clarification of theories by important slides. Also, it contains a summary of the whole course. All strategy schools and literature of ...
General information
Strategy: plan of action/direction for an organization with a limited time horizon.
Important terms:
Corporate strategy: overall strategy of a diversified firm, consisting of multiple business units.
Competitive strategy: strategy of an individual business unit or single-businesses firm.
Core competence: bundles of capabilities.
Strategic planning: developing detailed plans, goals and budgets for the different parts of the firm, based on
formal and elaborate analyses performed by the planning staff.
Logical incrementalism: first establishing a broad strategic direction for a firm and then fine-tune that direction
through small, incremental actions.
Organizational culture: shared beliefs, assumptions, norms values and symbols.
Organizational inertia: unwillingness or inability of organizations to change.
Strategic intent: a statement that provides a point of view of the means by which your organization will
achieve its vision. Provides a sense of clarity, focus and inspires employees to work harder.
Classifying different strategy schools:
Strategy formulation (Process): design, planning and vision schools. Focus on intended strategy.
Strategic analysis (content): positioning and resource-based schools.
Strategy formation (process): entrepreneurship, power, learning, cognitive and cultural schools.
Integration (Context): environmental and configuration schools.
Prescriptive/descriptive schools
Prescriptive: “strategy should be…”. Design, planning, positioning and resource-based school.
Descriptive: “Strategy is…”. Rest.
, 1 Competitive Strategy
Plan of action for a corporation to create competitive advantage. Strategy at the company level.
Content: What strategies should be?
1.1 Thinking about Strategy, Stoelhorst, J.W. (2008)
Main concept: There are many theories, but there is not one
best strategy
Strategic management can distinguish three aspects:
1. Process – where do strategies come from? How do firms
develop strategies and how could they do so more
effectively? (week 3, 4, 6).
2. Content – what are good strategies? Which types of
strategies are there? (week 1 and 2).
3. Context – How specific do organizational / environmental
contexts affect process or content? Do different
organiations and industries require different strategies?
(week 5).
The standard model gives a three step process in which
strategic management is done:
1. Strategic Analysis
a. Phase 1: Formulate objectives
i. Formulate goals (long and short term)
ii. and what are stakeholder expectations
b. Phase 2: Internal and external analysis
i. Internal analysis: Strengths and
weaknesses
ii. External analysis: Opportunities and threats
iii. Outcome: strategic analysis of the issues the firm faces
2. Strategic Choice
a. Generate strategic options
b. Choose (Accessibility, Feasibility, Suitability)
3. Strategic Implementation
a. Draw up a detailed (business) plan
b. Assign responsibility and budget
c. Determine performance measures
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