Topic outline

  • General

    Welcome to Strategy Process Spring 2022!

    ** We are planning on conducting the lectures in person. We follow Aalto University's COVID-19 guidelines and will make adjustments accordingly. **

    Passing the course requires completing the group assignment for a case company, consisting of graded sub-deliverables and a final report. Groups will be assigned. We encourage active interaction within the groups.

    Lectures are interactive, and lecture attendance is highly recommended. If you miss a (part of a) lecture, you should agree with your group on how you will compensate for your absence. We will work on the group assignment during the lectures and introduce the relevant instructions and theoretical frameworks. Hence, if you cannot attend the lectures, you should put extra effort into the group outside the lecture (everyone is expected to work on the group assignment around 15 hours per week outside lectures). Lecture slides and recommended additional readings will be available on MyCourses.

    See the course schedule for assignment details and a list of recommended readings.

    Please contact Jane Seppälä (@aalto.fi) with any questions or concerns.


    Learning outcomes

    Students will learn to formulate a strategy for a company through a systematic, structured process. They will also learn to plan strategy implementation and a continuous strategy process for a company. 

    Students will apply theoretical lessons in a hands-on assignment for a case company. The assignment is the key task in the course and theoretical lessons are organized to support students in the assignment. 

    The course is targeted at master’s students majoring in strategy or related areas. 


    Passing the course

    Group assignment: 50% of the course grade consists of sub-deliverables, and 50% of the final report. You need to return a set of slides every week and these slides will be graded.

    To prevent free-riding, you will also be peer-graded by your fellow group members twice during the course. This will have a significant effect on your grade (between +-2 grades) or passing the course. 


    Deliverables and deadlines - Group assignment 

    Formulate a strategy for the case company in the specified domain. The final deliverable is a PowerPoint presentation with about 20 slides covering the elements described below.

    Group-assignment sub-deliverables:

    1. No deliverable after first lecture

    2. Analyze the strategic situation and create options (DL 17.3. at 14:00)

    3. Elaborate on the strategic options + refine previous weeks' slides (DL 23.3. at 14:00 , send also to case company)

    4. Evaluate the strategic options (DL 31.3. at 14:00)

    5. Plan the execution of the chosen strategic option + refine previous weeks' slides (DL 6.4. at 14:00, send also to case company)

    6. Final report (DL 20.4. at 14:00 , send also to case company)

    In each lecture, some groups will present their slides and get feedback.


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