Business Strategy

BUS 109 - 030

Competitive and Strategic Analysis

Professor: Timothy Gubler, PhD

Quarter: Winter 2016

Office: Anderson Hall 0010

Lecture time: T/TH 2:10-3:30PM

Phone: (951) 827-3674

Classroom: OLMH 1208

E-mail: tgubler@ucr.edu

Office Hours: T/TH 12:30-1:30PM, or by appointment

Course Description

This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts, theories, frameworks, and tools

used to formulate and evaluate business strategy. The primary objective is for students to learn

how to analyze and think critically about the factors that affect successful performance of

individuals and firms in competitive environments. This course provides students with the tools

needed to identify strategic problems and make recommendations to individuals and

organizations regarding how to improve their business performance.

This course places particular emphasis on problem formulation, critical thinking, and the ability

of students to clearly and effectively communicate ideas. Unique from other classes, developing

these skills requires applications of concepts, theories, tools, and frameworks to real world

organizations and phenomena in a “practice” environment. Consequently, the case-discussion

method will be utilized, and individual participation is critical to individual and class success.

BUS 109 is designed to function like and prepare students for future MBA courses. Thus, class

preparation, discussion, and professionalism will be emphasized.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Assess how factors from the external environment influence long-run firm performance,

and average industry returns

• Evaluate how strategic fit and complementarities in firm-level resources influence

competitive advantage

• Understand the importance of coherence in strategic positioning and firm resources

• Identify common technological or competitive risks to firm strategies, and understand

how firms and individuals can...