Strategies for Long-Term Growth

Strategies for Long-Term Growth focuses on what business managers need to know to create and execute strategies that achieve competitive advantage for products and services. This capstone course will provide the insights and tools required to understand how marketing integrates with other key functions across the enterprise - product development, operations, finance and sales - in effectively managing an enterprise.During the semester, we will examine: - How companies create, capture and renew competitive advantage in the marketplace - The impact of industry structure on markets and competition - Sources of value in product/service offerings and how they evolve over time - The role of technology, operations and distribution in delivering value - Competitive dynamics -- effective responses to preempt, deter or effectively counter competitive moves - How to repeatedly develop products and services that break away from competition - Putting the pieces together: winning business strategies for long-term growthWhile the course will build on a theoretical foundation, it is designed to be practical, hands-on, and applied, giving students the opportunity to analyze and plan business strategies drawing on examples from firms in a variety of industries. The course will incorporate three mutually reinforcing approaches: - Interactive presentations on relevant concepts and frameworks - Case preparation and discussion spanning numerous B2B and B2C companies - Guest speakers drawn from senior executive ranks of major corporations, including Bain, IKEA, Unilever, citizenM Hotels, Casper, and Uber