Master of Management Studies (M.M.S) Corporate Strategy Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026

Course objectives

• 1 To introduce strategic frameworks and their relevance in organizational decision- making.
• 2 To equip students with analytical skills to assess competitive positioning using industry analysis tools.
• 3 To enable students to analyze the effectiveness of corporate strategies including mergers, acquisitions, vertical integration, and diversification.
• 4 To enhance student capabilities in evaluating organizational structure, resource allocation, and strategy execution.
• 5 To foster critical thinking on strategic interdependencies, innovation, and common pitfalls in corporate strategies.

Course outcomes

• CO1: Understand the frameworks in strategy
• CO2: Apply strategic frameworks to real-world strategic decisions.
• CO3: Analyse the benefits and challenges of different corporate strategies, including M&A, vertical integration, and diversification.
• CO4: Evaluate organization structure, process and boundaries for resource allocation decisions
• CO5: Develop critiques about strategy execution, organizational structure, and managing interdependencies. Unit/ Hours

Unit 1 CO1, CO2 · 4 hours

Strategy – definition, 4P’s of strategy, Corporate and SBU strategies- four levers – scope, assets, design, scale; three positioning outcomes – value proposition, Bargaining Power, Cost structure

Unit 2 CO1, CO2 · 5 hours

Structural Analysis of Industries – Porter’s Five Forces Model

Unit 3 CO1, CO2 · 8 hours

Analysing Firm Competitiveness: Value Chain analysis; Resources Based View of Strategy (VRIS framework), core competencies

Unit 4 CO1, CO2 · 3 hours

Business Models – Osterwalder and Pigneur Business Model canvas

Unit 5 CO1, CO2 · 4 hours

Firm Networks

Unit 6 CO3 · 4 hours

The scope of the firm – where to compete? Horizontal, vertical and geographic scope; value creation in a multi-business firm

Unit 7 CO3 · 4 hours

Synergy and the Better-off tests – economies of scope, cost v/s revenue synergies

Unit 8 CO3 · 4 hours

Asset Specificity and Corporate Strategy – deployment and fungibility of assets; relationship-specific investments

Unit 9 CO3, CO4 · 4 hours

Ownership Test- Mergers & Acquisitions – backward and forward integration; post- acquisition integration strategies; value destruction in M&A

Unit 10 CO3, CO4 · 4 hours

Alliances and Joint ventures – pooling complementary assets and resources, co-creating value with other firms

Unit 11 CO3, CO4 · 4 hours

Organization Structure and Processes – resources allocation and decision making; balancing autonomy and collaboration

Unit 12 CO3, CO4 · 4 hours

Managing Interdependencies amongst SBU’s – shared resources for Competitive Advantage; incentive structures and execution challenges

Unit 12 CO3, CO4, CO5 · 4 hours

Corporate Boundaries and Open Innovation – ecosystem-based strategies, digital technologies and AI - role in corporate strategy

Unit 13 CO3, CO4, CO5 · 4 hours

Failure of Corporate Strategies – flaws in strategic logic; misplaced motives for diversification

Reference Books

• 1 Henry Chesbrough. Open Innovation. 2003
• 2 C.K. Prahalad, Gary Hamel. The Core Competence of the Corporation. 1990
• 3 Christopher Bartlett, Sumantra Ghoshal. Managing across Borders