Course No. PPM 107 Course Title: Sustainable Business Strategy Number of credits: 3 No. of Lectures tutorial practical: 42(42-0-0) Course Coordinator (s): Prof. Rajat Bakshi /Dr. Sapna A.Narula Introduction Strategic Management is defined as a set of managerial decisions and actions that determines the long-term performance of a corporation. It includes strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation and control. The study of strategic management therefore emphasizes the monitoring and evaluation of environmental opportunities and constraints in light of corporation s strengths and weaknesses. Sustainability is also now considered as a strategic issue by most of the firms across the globe and the three pillars of sustainability i.e. ecological, social as well as economic sustainability are finding place in the strategic landscape. Stakeholders are also demanding that firms should become environmentally responsible at all levels-be it corporate, business and functional level. The pressure from environmental groups have forced the firms to think and incorporate sustainability into all their functions i.e. product. market, operations, supply chain, finance etc. The managers need to evaluate their strategies from environmental perspective and adopt sustainability strategies in order to meet regulatory as well as stakeholder expectations. Hence, the business management students need knowledge, skills and tools to tackle environmental challenges in strategic terms by paying equal attention to financial, environmental and social issues that may affect their business. Hence, it makes sense to see the strategy as sustainable business strategy which includes environmental agenda in the list of strategists/ managers. Course Objectives This course is a basic strategic management course covering all aspects of strategy i.e. environmental analysis, internal analysis, strategic advantage analysis, strategy formulation, implementation and control. The course has been designed keeping in view the increasing need for environmental sustainability into products, markets and functional strategies of companies as demanded by stakeholders and regulatory authorities and hence at each step, due emphasis has been given on the sustainable aspect of strategy formulation and implementation. Learning Objectives To familiarise the students with factors affecting the firm and industry in long run and also with the tools and techniques of external as well as internal environmental analysis To develop their analytical as well as decision-making skills to formulate and evaluate strategy under a given set of environmental factors To develop a practical understanding of strategy formulation and implementation process To develop an understanding of impact of regulators and stakeholders on business strategy and introduce the concept of sustainable business strategy 1
Pedagogy The course will have a mix of theory and applied coursework with more practical approach. The teaching shall be done mainly through lectures/ case discussions/case presentations/exercises etc. The entire course has been divided into seven modules. There will be 42 sessions (One hour each) as per the course outline. The students are also expected to work out cases as well as assignments given at the end of each module which will help them develop their analytical as well as conceptual skills. There will be three cases and a project.. Both case study presentations as well as exercises are group assignments. Students are expected to work in the group of 4-5 for working out case solutions. The alternative solutions from all the groups will then be discussed in class. A list of reading materials shall be provided to each student. Students are also expected to come prepared before every class. The topics are largely based on the book on Strategic Management by Fred R. David. Evaluation Procedure Case Presentations (3) (Evaluation through presentation) 15% Project/ Assignments (Evaluation through presentation) 15% Minor Exam (s) (Closed Book Objective Type) 25% End-term Exam (Open Book Case based) 45% Details of course content and allotted time Topics Time allotted References Strategic Management Process Total sessions : 4 Introduction to Policy & Strategy, its 2 Chapter 1 evolution, The strategic Management Model, Applications of Strategic Management, Types of Strategies 1 Reading: Sustainable Aspect of Strategy: The Role of Corporation Economic, Environmental and Social 1 in Achieving Ecological Dimensions sustainability by Paul Shrivastava ( Academy of Management Review, 1995) Business Strategy and Sustainability Total sessions: 4 Foundations of Sustainable Strategic Management Readings: Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainable Strategic Management: An 2
Topics Time allotted References Socially Responsible Investing Evolutionary Perspective by Jean Corporate Sustainability Reporting Garner stead & W. 4 Edward Stead ( International Journal of Sustainable Strategic Management,2008) Corporate Challenges of Sustainable Development by Pratima Bansal Strategy Formulation (A) : Total Sessions: 10 Environmental Analysis Defining Mission, Vision, Objectives 1 Chapter 2 and Policies, Roles and responsibilities of CEOs in defining vision Exercise 2: Evaluate the mission and vision statement of any five companies from different sectors The Business Environment: External 4 Chapter 3 PESTEL Framework Porter s Industry Analysis Reading: The External factor Evaluation (EFE )Matrix and Competitive Profile Matrix A Note on Porter s Industry Analysis Case1: Sinarmas 1 The Business Environment: Internal 2 Chapter 4 Analysis Key Internal Forces Readings: Value Chain : Evolution and Analysis; Exploring the Concept ecological and social efficiency and of Fit in Strategic effectiveness 2 Management by The Internal factor Evaluation Matrix Venkatraman and Camillus The Resource Based View of 1 ( Academy of Organization and The Theory of Core Management Review, Competencies 1984) Case 2: Product and Market Strategy Dilemma: How Firms in Pesticide Industry Shall win the Race? The Core Competence of Corporation by C.K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel, (Harvard 3
Topics Time allotted References Business Review,May- June,1990) Strategy Formulation (B): Strategic Total sessions: 8 Options Financial vs Strategic Objectives 2,Levels of Strategies, Types of Chapter 5 Strategies: Integration Strategies, Intensive Strategies, Diversification strategies, Defensive Strategies, Readings: 1 Porter s Generic strategies New Sustainable 1 Business Models in Mergers & Acquisitions China by F. Birkin et al 1 (Business Strategy and Strategic Alliances Environment, 2009) 1 Turnaround strategy When Porter s Generic 1 Strategies are not Sustainability strategies, Networks, Enough: Models for Green alliances, Complementary partnerships and collaborations 1 Strategies for Turnaround Situation Case 3: How to Cope Environmental by Marius Pretorius ( Turbulence? A Case of Excel Crop Journal of Business Care ltd. Strategy,2008) Strategic Analysis & Choice Green and Competitive: Ending the Stalemate by Porter, M. E., and Claas van der Linde.(Harvard Business Review, 1995). Total Sessions:4 4
Topics Time allotted References The Nature and Process of Strategic 1 Chapter 6 analysis and choice: A comprehensive Strategy-Formulation framework Reading: The input stage: IFE and EFE matrix; 2 A Strategy Evaluation The Matching Staage: TOWS,SPACE Model for Management, BCG, IE matrix; The Decision Stage: by Simon Hastings ( QSPM matrix 1996) Cultural Aspects of strategic Choice, The Role of Board of Directors, Strategy and Social responsibility, Role of values in Strategic Choice, sustainability as core value 1 Strategy Implementation Total Sesions:8 Issues in Strategy Implementation: 2 Chapter 7 & 8 Policies, Resource allocation, managing conflict, 7S Framework Readings: Matching structure with strategy: 2 A Proposed Framework restructuring and Reengineering, for Strategy creating a strategy supportive culture, Implementation Functional and technological issues in in Indian Context by strategy implementation Azhar Kazmi ( 2 Management Decision, Preparing organization for 2008) sustainability: sustainable culture, resources and technologies Environmental Technologies and Competitive Advantage by Paul Srivastava( Strategic Management Journal, 1995) Sustainable Organizational Technology by Paul Srivastava (International Journal of Sustainable Strategic Management, 2008) Strategy Review, Evaluation and Total Sessions: 4 Control 5
Topics Time allotted References The Strategic Evaluation, Process and 1 Chapter 9 Framework 1 Reading: Balanced Scorecard 1 A Note on Balanced Strategic Audit Score card 2 Exercise 4: Project Presentations Total 42 6
Modules I. Strategic Management Process This module aims to familiarise the students with the key terms in strategic management, strategic management process, history and evolution of strategic management and the sustainable aspect of strategy. II. Business Strategy and Sustainability This module will familiarise the students with how sustainability is a key issue in business strategy formulation and how the issue of sustainability should be addresses in terms of economic, social as well as environmental aspects. Alongside, they will be acquainted with CSR, socially responsible investing III. Strategy Formulation (A): Environmental Analysis This module will cover the external as well as internal environmental analysis. The students will be exposed to various external factors which can affect business including Porter s Industry analysis. The importance of all these factors will also be explained. The importance of resources, capabilities and competencies will also be dealt with including the theory of core competencies. Through this module, the students will be practically exposed to preparation of EFE, IFE and CPM matrix. IV. Strategy Formulation (B): Strategic Options This module aims to cover the various strategic options available viz. integration, diversification and intensification strategies, identify which strategies are important to pursue for the firm including sustainability strategies V. Strategic Analysis & Choice Here, with the help of various matrices, the students shall be exposed to analysing the various strategic options and choosing the right one. The issues such as role of board of directors, cultural aspect of strategy formulation shall also be dealt with. VI. Strategy Implementation This module will acquaint the students with how can a strategy be successfully implemented. The importance of critical success factors such as culture, structure and resources shall also be dealt with. VII. Strategy Review, Evaluation and Control The objective of this module is to help students learn the importance of strategy evaluation and control, develop a practical framework for evaluating strategies including strategy audit. This course will also help the students learn the balanced scorecard concept and its applications. Project: 7
Students are required to work on a project in this course and present it toward the semester end. They will work in groups and are required to work since the beginning of the course. Each group will choose one sector and company (ies) to complete following tasks: Task 1: Evaluate the mission and vision statement of any five companies from different sectors Task 2: An analysis of Corporate Sustainability Reporting of companies in any selected sector Task 3: Preparing IFE( Internal factor Evaluation), EFE( External Factor Evaluation Matrix), IE(Iinternal-External matrix and CPM ( Competitive Profile Matrix) for selected company (ies)/sectors Suggested Reading: 1. The course-contents (REFERRALS) refer to the book Strategic Management: concepts and cases (10 th Edition) by Fred R. David and students are expected to read these chapters before coming to the class except the module II on Business Strategy and Sustainability which refers to book on Sustainable Strategic Management by Edward Stead and Jean Garner Stead There will be some handouts on class lectures covering only the main points and hence it is imperative to be attentive in the class. The readings referred to in the course outline shall be provided to you by the course instructor Additional Readings: Thomson & A.J. Strickland: Strategic Management :Concepts and Cases, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi (2003) T.L. Wheelen, J. Hunger, K.Rangarajan: Concepts in Strategic Management & Business Policy, Pearson Education, Delhi- (2005) Gerry Johnson & K. Scholes: Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases, PHI, New Delhi (2002) V. Gupta, K. Gollakota, R. Srinivasan: Business Policy and Strategic Management- Concepts and Applications; Prentice-Hall of India, New Delhi (2005) J.G. Stead & Edward Stead: Sustainable Strategic Management, M. E. Sharpe & Co., 2004. J.G. Stead & Edward Stead: Management for a Small Planet, M.E. Sharpe& Co.,2009. 8
Michael.E.Porter, Competitive Advantage, Free Press The Elegant Solution: Toyota s Formula for Mastering Innovation by Matthew E. May The course is reviewed and commented by the following experts: Mr P.S.Narayan Ecoeye, Social and Community Initiatives, Wipro Mr Brij Sethi Ecoeye, Social and Community Initiatives, Wipro Mr Rakesh Sharma Strategy & Business Development, Philips Electronics India Limited Mr Pawan Deep Singh Strategy & Business Development, Philips Electronics India Limited Prof. Paul Srivastava Director, David O Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, Concordia University Prof. Jean Garner stead Professor of Strategy, East Tennesse State University 9