Foundations of Strategic Management- Period 4 Business & Economics Program Spring 2020 Semester - Amsterdam

The course aims to familiarize students with a number of classical and influential debates in the strategic management literature. This includes examining some of the "founding fathers" of strategy, such as Sun Tzu, as well as the work of more contemporary management thinkers such as Michael Porter, Henry Mintzberg, and Richard D?Aveni. Students will read both original texts as well as recent studies applying these perspectives, in order to gain a better understanding how classical debates inform current strategic management research and practice. Particular attention will be given to identifying and assessing different and potentially diverging positions in these central debates in the field. In addition to acquiring knowledge about the development of the scientific field of strategic management, the focus is on conducting a critical review of strategic management literature and on conducting an investigation in strategic management practices. During the course students are invited and challenged to develop their own opinion and adopt a genuinely scholarly attitude. This not only contributes to a deeper understanding of central debates in strategic management, but also provides an important basis for a students' further development in this field.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.