Syllabus
Course Description
a) Strategic Analysis and Business Modeling
b) Strategic Management, General Management, Marketing, Innovation
Management
c) Elective
d) Strategic Analysis and Business Modeling course is aimed to develop analytical
skills, which could be applied for the reasons of business development. Strategic
business analysis includes (1) industry analysis, (2) business strategy analysis,
and (3) strategy evaluation and recommendations. Industry analysis begins
with a definition of products and markets, skills and competitors contained within
the industry, followed by industry structural analysis, and concluded with the
identification of the key success factors for the industry. Business strategy
analysis begins with a description of the strategic goals and business strategy of
the firm. It's implementation is then analyzed in terms of the firm's functional and
operational capabilities and the resulting financial and competitive performance.
Strategic evaluation or SWOT analysis encompasses the internal and external
factors that affect the company's business strategy. The business strategy is
compared against the industry's key success factors and competitive resource
requirements and the firm's internal capabilities and resources Business
modelling is used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions to
represent core aspects of a business, including purpose, business process,
target customers, offerings, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structures,
sourcing, trading practices, and operational processes and policies including
culture. The literature has provided very diverse interpretations and definitions of
a business model. A systematic review and analysis of manager responses to a
survey defines business models as the design of organizational structures to
enact a commercial opportunity.
This course is designed to teach the practical skills of development of value
propositions and business models for new ventures and new product projects, as
well as the necessary strategic analysis skills to understand the internal and
external environments which form the context of the venture or project.
Recent developments in entrepreneurship research and practice have provided a
new set of tools for the development of new ventures. These tools have allowed
startups to develop viable, scalable business models more quickly and
successfully than in the past. These tools are also quite useful in existing firms as
well, although adoption has been slow.
This course is highly practice-oriented; students with an idea for a new product or
venture will be able to validate their ideas, and develop functional business
models for them, leaving them prepared to actually launch their ventures by the
end of the course, if they so desire.
Learning Objectives

The objectives of this course are as follows:




To understand the process of value proposition design.
To be able to apply value proposition and business modeling principles to actual,
real-world projects.
To offer practice in defining and working out strategic management problems
related to technological innovation and internal entrepreneurship.
To develop an insight concerning ethical issues associated with the management
of technology and innovation.
Learning Outcomes

Students are able to solve cases on the topic;

Students are able to provide relevant analisys of the external business
environment;

Students are able to construct business models.
Course Plan

WEEK ONE
Introduction
Discussion of the syllabus, and course requirements.

WEEK TWO
Perm Engineering and Industrial Forum

WEEK THREE
Value Proposition Design
Business Model Canvas

WEEK FOUR
Project Interview Day
Project Interview Day

WEEK FIVE
Seminar / Interview Follow-up
Strategic Analysis

WEEK SIX
LEAN STARTUP LEAN (CONTINUED)
SEMINAR – FINAL PROJECT MATERIALS

WEEK SEVEN
Final Project Presentations 1
Final Project Presentations 2
Reading List
o Required
1. Blank, Steve, Four Steps to the Epiphany, 2e, K&S Ranch, 2013 (ISBN: 9780989200509)
2. Osterwalder, Alexander, and Yves Pigneur, Business Model Generation: A
Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, John Wiley and
Sons, 2010 (ISBN: 978-0470876411)
o Optional
1. Blank, Steve, and Bob Dorf, The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step
Guide for Building a Great Company, K&S Ranch, 2012 (ISBN: 9780984999309)
2. Furr, Nathan, and Paul Ahlstrom, Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's
Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation, NISI Institute,
2011 (ISBN: 978-0983723608)
3. Osterwalder, Alexander, et. al., Value Proposition Design: How to Create
Products and Services Customers Want, Wiley, 2014 (ISBN: 9781118968055)
4. Ries, Eric, The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous
Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, Crown Business, 2011
(ISBN: 978-0307887894)
Grading System
Class Participation
Individual Homework
Project Interview Assignment
Final Project Development
Exam
Total
200
100
200
300
200
1000
Guidelines for Knowledge Assessment
Student Responsibilities
You should come prepared for every class. The quality of class time is considerably
enhanced when you come to the class with the assignments already completed. My
goal is to stimulate a lively dialogue. During the lectures, discussions, and case
analyses, I will call upon students to share their understanding and insights about the
readings and cases.
Attendance/Class participation
Students should place nametags on their desk at every class to facilitate
identification and discussion, not to mention helping the professor remember names.
Absence and tardiness significantly reduce the learning that can occur in class and
tardiness is disruptive to other participants. Therefore, attendance and tardiness are
considered as a part of the participation grade. If you must be absent or tardy to a class,
it is courtesy to make arrangements with the instructor ahead of time. I will allow two
absences without your grade being affected. If you are unable to participate more than
twice, your grade will be affected.
Additionally, reading the assignments is required. Pop quizzes will be given as
needed to ensure that all students are reading the assigned pages each week. These
quizzes will count towards class participation.
Methods of Instruction
1. Forum Participation
Students will be required to attend the Perm Engineering and Industrial Forum, and
to prepare a report detailing what they saw and learned there, as well as their thoughts
on what was done well and what was not.
2. Project development
Students will venture out of the classroom during the fourth week, and interview
potential customers for their project. These interviews are to follow the principles
outlined in Value Proposition Design: the first object is to identify and verify correct
understanding of a customer’s (job/pain/gain) or problem, which the project may be able
to address. The second object is to verify proper “fit” between the proposed solution,
and the customer problem, as properly understood. This assignment should be
undertaken in groups of 2-3 students, as not all students may have project ideas readily
at hand.
3. Project Business Model
Following the field interviews, it is anticipated that not all project ideas will appear
viable. This is expected. Interview groups will combine to form new groups of 6-7
students for further development of the projects. These groups are to prepare a fully
developed set of materials for their project, including a value proposition canvas,
business model canvas, and investor presentation. For the final presentation, students
should act as if they were presenting to actual venture investors. Business attire is
required for the presentation.
4. Honor Code
Students are expected to abide by the Honor Code at all times.
A Note on Group Projects
Following each group project, each student in the group must send an email to the
professor with an evaluation of each of the other members of the group. This evaluation
should include a grade on a 100 point scale, along with a brief explanation of why the
person deserved that grade for each person in the group. This information will be kept
confidential.
Additionally, during and following each group’s presentation, each member of the
remainder of the class should evaluate the group. This evaluation should include the
evaluator’s name, the name of the group presenting, a grade for the presentation on a
100-point scale, and any constructive notes the student feels would be helpful to the
group. These evaluations will be handed in following each presentation, and will count
toward the class participation grade.
FINAL WORDS
You must participate in and turn in all assignments. Failure to turn in any assignment
will result in an incomplete or failing grade for the course. Don’t forget to put your name,
date, section #, and group (where appropriate) on all your assignments.
Good luck. Work hard and enjoy the course. Class participation is crucial for this
course. Make sure that you read current business and technology news. Any changes
in schedule will be announced in class.