TU-C2040 - Strategy Fieldwork, Lecture, 8.1.2024-22.5.2024
Topic outline
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Welcome to the Strategy Fieldwork course!
The course starts with a kick-off session on Monday January 8th at 10:15-12 at T2 - C105 hall. Attendance is mandatory.
Overview and learning objectives
In this course you will solve a practical business problem for a company, which involves analysis of market characteristics, assessment of business potential, or identification of value for customers or partners for a new business, product or service. So you act as a team of “consultants” to the company.
After taking the course you should have learned the following:
- How to translate a real-life business question or problem into a systematic study?
- How to identify and apply relevant methods for studying the question or problem?
- How to generate relevant data and analyse them to help solve the problem?
- How to devise recommendations based on the analysis that are likely to solve the business problem?
- How to work in teams, solve upcoming problems, and give constructive feedback on the work of others?
The course is targeted at DIEM/Tuta bachelor students and it is recommended that the course is taken during the 2nd year. "TU-2010 Introduction to Strategic Management" is a prerequisite for the course. Other students interested in taking the course should contact the course staff before the start of the course.
This is a project course done in groups
The course primarily consists of group work. Groups must consist of 4 students (we might expand size to 5 at a later stage depending on the amount of project proposals). Please start forming your groups right away using the tool available in the Kickoff section. During the second session we will fill up the teams / form groups of the students who are still looking for a group.
Each group will work with a company to solve its real-world problem. Please see the Finding a project topic -section (will be published Jan 15) for more information about available topics.
You will receive guidance by a course instructor for the group work. Additionally, there will be three sessions before the work starts that provide you with relevant information about how to conduct the project, how to set up the study, how to generate and analyse data so that you can draw valid conclusions and valuable recommendations for the company, and how to structure and present your findings. You will also act as “opponent” for another group, which involves giving feedback and providing constructive criticism.
During the course you will:
- Find a client company (yourself or from the topics provided by the course) and agree on carrying out a project for that company
- Set the project objectives and scope
- Collect primary data
- Analyze the data
- Develop a business solution for the company
- Write a report for the company
- Present the report in class
- Provide feedback on the work of one other group
The total expected workload of the course is 135 hours (5 credits), which consists of 3 initial sessions, project work, opponent work, and final presentation.
For any questions about the course, please use the discussion board below, or if you have a personal question, be in touch with the course teachers Kimmo Karhu or Mikko Heiskala (firstname.lastname@aalto.fi).
Welcome to the course!
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This is an open discussion forum to discuss any topics related to the course. If you have any generic (non-personal) question regarding the course, please post it to the discussion forum instead of sending email to course staff. If you have a personal question, please always send email to course staff.
Using the discussion forum has several benefits:
- either of the teachers can react to your question
- any of your fellow students can also answer the question
- your question and answer is visible to all other students who might be wondering the same question
You can also use the discussion forum to look for a project group or a member to your project group.
We look forward to active discussion and participation on the course!
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Feedback sessions Page
- How to translate a real-life business question or problem into a systematic study?