B6484 - COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS IN DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENTS

Learning outcomes

This course provides students with insights and tools for understanding and analyzing competition in today’s rapidly changing business landscapes. Active participation in the course's training activities, including lectures, seminars featuring business representatives, and group works, coupled with individual study, will empower students to: - Apply critical indicators to benchmark the firm's strategic positioning with respect to competitors. - Acquire knowledge to identify challenges and opportunities in rapidly changing technological, demand, and regulatory environments. - Acquire the necessary skills to understand the dynamics of competition in industries where digital platforms and connected ecosystems have redefined the rules of strategy.

Course contents

Competitive Analysis in Dynamic Environments is a comprehensive course designed to equip students with the strategic insights and analytical tools necessary to identify and understand competitors in today’s rapidly evolving and highly competitive business landscapes. Through an analysis of technological changes, consumer preferences, and institutional dynamics, the course prepares students to understand how businesses can outmaneuver competitors in contexts characterized by great uncertainty and rapid change. Special attention will be given to understanding strategic decisions in industries heavily influenced by the digital revolution, such as platform industries (e.g., smartphones, operating systems, social networks, e-commerce websites, search engines, streaming services, app stores, and gaming consoles), where ecosystems play an increasingly crucial role in determining competitive advantage.

Key topics include:

• Industry evolution and strategic change
• The relevant product and geographic market, as defined by competition authorities
• Strategic group analysis
• The job-to-be-done theory
• Blue ocean strategy
• Windows of opportunity and changes in market leadership
• First-mover advantages in rapidly changing demand and technological environments
• Multimarket competition
• Platforms, ecosystems, and the new rules of strategy
• Competition in platform-based industries

Readings/Bibliography

For the preparation of the course, students are expected to study the following materials:

- Readings in the form of academic articles, which will be downloadable from the Virtuale online platform.

- Slides prepared by the instructor, uploaded at the end of each week on the Virtuale online platform.

Teaching methods

- Lectures focused on topics related to competitive analysis.

- Discussion of case studies.

- Seminars featuring business representatives.

Assessment methods

To successfully complete the course, students are required to pass a written exam consisting of a combination of open-ended and multiple-choice questions. The exam format includes approximately five multiple-choice questions, each worth two points, and two open questions or exercises, each valued at 11 points. The duration of the test is one hour.

In addition to the written exam, students have the option to enhance their final grade by participating in group projects. These projects involve doing a competitor analysis of a firm using the tools discussed in class and presenting the findings in a PowerPoint presentation. Working in teams of 3-5 members, students are to submit their presentations to the instructor before the end of the course, with deadlines to be communicated in class. While this activity is not mandatory, it is highly recommended and can contribute a maximum of 4 extra points to the final grade. The project work will be presented by each team in front of the class at the conclusion of the course.

The final grading, following a scale of 0-30, adheres to the criteria outlined below:

<18: Insufficient

18-23: Sufficient

24-27: Good

28-30: Very good

30 e lode (>30): Excellent

It is important to note that the final written exam is the same for both attending and non-attending students.

Teaching tools

• Case studies
• Articles from business magazines
• Lecture slides
• Video

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Giachetti