Teacher(s)
Language
English
> French-friendly
> French-friendly
Prerequisites
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Main themes
This course is organized around a simulation of strategic management, in which different groups of students (4 students on average), each managing a virtual company, compete in one or two competitive markets, with the aim of maximize the value of their products for consumers and the value of their business. The simulation emphasizes the strategic aspects of running a business. This management simulation, rather than being an end in itself, serves as a field of exploration, so as to deepen the concepts seen by the students in their previous courses of Strategic Marketing and Market Studies, and to put them in perspective with the situation of their virtual company.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | Learning Outcomes At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to:
Given the « competencies referential » linked to the LSM Master in Management and in Business Engineering, this course mainly develops the following competencies:
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Content
Strategic Marketing offers an in-depth exploration of strategic business management, with a strong focus on strategic marketing (including positioning, segmentation, targeting, and value creation) as well as product portfolio management (strategic options, demand forecasting). The course places particular emphasis on the challenges and opportunities of the circular economy, encouraging students to integrate circularity into their strategic thinking. These themes are explored within a competitive and increasingly digital business environment.
The course is structured around a strategic business simulation, in which student teams manage a virtual company competing in a B2C market. The management simulation is not an end in itself; rather, it serves as an exploratory platform to deepen theoretical concepts and connect them to the context of the virtual company.
Students will be required to incorporate into their strategic thinking the potential circularity of their products (repairability, durability, carbon footprint, recyclable materials), and more globally, of their company (Eco-Score, sustainable initiatives, etc.). This will also involve considering market reactions, where consumers and governments are increasingly concerned about environmental challenges. This growing awareness raises expectations regarding companies’ ability to adapt, placing pressure on the virtual companies.
In addition to introducing an environmental framework based on circular economy principles, the course is also grounded in another key context in which companies operate: market digitalization. Attention will therefore also be given to digital communication strategies that organizations can implement in an increasingly digitized world.
Once their strategic options are defined, students will implement them within the simulation (product design via R&D, pricing, distribution, communication). In the final phase, they will reflect on their company’s positioning in light of environmental and digital transitions.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to:
Given the « competencies referential » linked to the LSM Master in Management and in Business Engineering, this course mainly develops the following competencies:
The course is structured around a strategic business simulation, in which student teams manage a virtual company competing in a B2C market. The management simulation is not an end in itself; rather, it serves as an exploratory platform to deepen theoretical concepts and connect them to the context of the virtual company.
Students will be required to incorporate into their strategic thinking the potential circularity of their products (repairability, durability, carbon footprint, recyclable materials), and more globally, of their company (Eco-Score, sustainable initiatives, etc.). This will also involve considering market reactions, where consumers and governments are increasingly concerned about environmental challenges. This growing awareness raises expectations regarding companies’ ability to adapt, placing pressure on the virtual companies.
In addition to introducing an environmental framework based on circular economy principles, the course is also grounded in another key context in which companies operate: market digitalization. Attention will therefore also be given to digital communication strategies that organizations can implement in an increasingly digitized world.
Once their strategic options are defined, students will implement them within the simulation (product design via R&D, pricing, distribution, communication). In the final phase, they will reflect on their company’s positioning in light of environmental and digital transitions.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to:
- analyze the possible strategic options for a company/organization, in particular from the point of view of its market positioning and customer segmentation;
- build the most appropriate strategy(s) for a company/organization, referring to theoretical concepts;
- understand and link information from advanced marketing studies;
- identify and focus on information that allows him to feed his reflection and achieve his objective, when a significant amount of information is provided to him;
- reconcile the points of view of his team;
- anticipate all the activities of his work over time, under pressure in terms of time;
- synthesize one's thinking in a clear way, to argue the choices made and to communicate them effectively, orally and in writing;
- critically evaluate the relevance of the choices made.
- Understand sustainability stakes for a company in a competitive market.
- Better grasp sustainable and digital initiatives.
- Evaluate and appreciate the relevance of their choices, a posteriori.
- Improve their written and oral competencies in English and gain insights in Public speaking and Report writing.
Given the « competencies referential » linked to the LSM Master in Management and in Business Engineering, this course mainly develops the following competencies:
- 2. Master an active and integrated command of a multidisciplinary body of knowledge (content, methods. models, conceptual frameworks) essential to act expertly in the various areas of management.
- 6. Integrate and work in a team, exercise enlightened leadership within the group.
- 7. Define and manage a project to completion, taking into account the objectives, resources and constraints that characterize the project environment.
- 8. Communicate, converse effectively and convincingly with the stakeholders
Teaching methods
This course alternates verbal interactions between the professor and each group of students (discussions), carrying out written reports (with “challenges” to fulfil), a system of inverted class (short tutorials/videos on some theoretical concepts, to be viewed between sessions), feedback provided to groups and global theoretical deepening. So, students have to make preparation work, individually, before some of the sessions, and have systematically to carry out group work after each session (intermediate reports and final report).
For linguistic aspects, students will be accompanied by Quentin Zèques (maître de langues, Institut des Langues Vivantes ILV). Through the English support sessions, students will gain the essential skills for achieving proficiency in both written and oral English. They will receive valuable feedback on formal aspects of report writing (e.g. structure, style, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and cohesion), along with guidance to enhance their English presentation skills.
For linguistic aspects, students will be accompanied by Quentin Zèques (maître de langues, Institut des Langues Vivantes ILV). Through the English support sessions, students will gain the essential skills for achieving proficiency in both written and oral English. They will receive valuable feedback on formal aspects of report writing (e.g. structure, style, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and cohesion), along with guidance to enhance their English presentation skills.
Evaluation methods
Student evaluation will be determined by:
- evolution in strategic reasoning (consistence in decisions, relevance in the positioning of brands in the different markets, attitude towards risk, learning from mistakes);
- thorough understanding and application of the theoretical concepts
- group dynamics
- challenges and intermediate reports. Specific instructions will be provided during the first session.
This system of on-going evaluation requires student's participation to each session.
In case a student does not get a sufficient grade to get credited for this class, and if s/he wants to be able to improve his/her grade for the current academic year, s/he will be asked to elaborate an extra individual written report, whose grade will replace the grades obtained in (2) and (3) - individual on-going evaluation and written final report. S/he won't be able to improve the grade obtained for the group on-going evaluation.
Note: In the group/team work assigned in this course, information sources must systematically be cited, according to the academic references standards. In case the student has used a generative AI, s/he must systematically mention the parts of his/her work in which s/he used this tool, by adding a bottom page note indicating if the generative AI tool has been used and the purpose of this use (information search, text writing and/or text revising). The student remains responsible for the content of its production, independently of the references used. Thus, by submitting a team/group or individual work report for evaluation, the student asserts that: (i) it accurately reflects the phenomenon studied, and to do so, s/he must have verified the facts; (ii) s/he has respected all specific requirements of the work assigned to her/him, in particular requirements for transparency and documentation of the scientific approach implemented. If any of these assertions are not true, whether by intent or by negligence, the student has violated his/her commitment to truth with respect to the piece of knowledge produced in the context of his/her work, and possibly to other aspects of academic integrity, which constitutes academic misconduct and will be considered as such.
- a group on-going evaluation (60% of the global grade), based on:
- evolution in strategic reasoning (consistence in decisions, relevance in the positioning of brands in the different markets, attitude towards risk, learning from mistakes);
- thorough understanding and application of the theoretical concepts
- group dynamics
- challenges and intermediate reports. Specific instructions will be provided during the first session.
- An individual on-going evaluation (20% of the global grade).
- A final report (20% of the global grade). Specific instructions will be provided during the first session. This report will be orally presented by the students during the white week between parts 1 and 2 of the quadrimester.
This system of on-going evaluation requires student's participation to each session.
In case a student does not get a sufficient grade to get credited for this class, and if s/he wants to be able to improve his/her grade for the current academic year, s/he will be asked to elaborate an extra individual written report, whose grade will replace the grades obtained in (2) and (3) - individual on-going evaluation and written final report. S/he won't be able to improve the grade obtained for the group on-going evaluation.
Note: In the group/team work assigned in this course, information sources must systematically be cited, according to the academic references standards. In case the student has used a generative AI, s/he must systematically mention the parts of his/her work in which s/he used this tool, by adding a bottom page note indicating if the generative AI tool has been used and the purpose of this use (information search, text writing and/or text revising). The student remains responsible for the content of its production, independently of the references used. Thus, by submitting a team/group or individual work report for evaluation, the student asserts that: (i) it accurately reflects the phenomenon studied, and to do so, s/he must have verified the facts; (ii) s/he has respected all specific requirements of the work assigned to her/him, in particular requirements for transparency and documentation of the scientific approach implemented. If any of these assertions are not true, whether by intent or by negligence, the student has violated his/her commitment to truth with respect to the piece of knowledge produced in the context of his/her work, and possibly to other aspects of academic integrity, which constitutes academic misconduct and will be considered as such.
Online resources
Pedagogical material, put on Moodle (Student Corner), is made of:
- Slides (Power Point)
- Syllabus (Markstrat)
- Short videos prepared by the Professor
- Slides (Power Point)
- Syllabus (Markstrat)
- Short videos prepared by the Professor
Bibliography
[1] D. A. AAKER, C. MOORMAN (2021), Strategic Market Management, Eleventh Edition, John Wiley & Sons.
[2] G.G. DESS, G.T. LUMPKIN, M.L. TAYLOR (2005), Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages, Second Edition, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
[3] J.-P. HELFER, M. KALIKA, J. ORSONI (2016), Management Stratégique, 10ème Edition, Librairie Vuibert – Gestion.
[4] G. HOOLEY, B. NICOULAUD, J. M. RUDD, N. LEE (2025), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning, 8rd Edition, Pearson Education.
[5] D. ANGWIN, G. JOHNSON, P. REGNER, K. SCHOLES (2023 ou edition précédente), Stratégique, 13ème Edition, Pearson Educ. France.
[6] J.J. LAMBIN, C. de MOERLOOSE, N. KERVYN (2025), Marketing Stratégique et Opérationnel: la démarche Marketing dans une perspective responsable, 11ème Edition, Dunod, Paris.
[7] M. E. PORTER (2004), The Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors, Second Edition, The Free Press; Export Edition.
Interesting business journal:
McKinsey Quarterly - www.mckinsey.com/quarterly/overview
[2] G.G. DESS, G.T. LUMPKIN, M.L. TAYLOR (2005), Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages, Second Edition, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
[3] J.-P. HELFER, M. KALIKA, J. ORSONI (2016), Management Stratégique, 10ème Edition, Librairie Vuibert – Gestion.
[4] G. HOOLEY, B. NICOULAUD, J. M. RUDD, N. LEE (2025), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning, 8rd Edition, Pearson Education.
[5] D. ANGWIN, G. JOHNSON, P. REGNER, K. SCHOLES (2023 ou edition précédente), Stratégique, 13ème Edition, Pearson Educ. France.
[6] J.J. LAMBIN, C. de MOERLOOSE, N. KERVYN (2025), Marketing Stratégique et Opérationnel: la démarche Marketing dans une perspective responsable, 11ème Edition, Dunod, Paris.
[7] M. E. PORTER (2004), The Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors, Second Edition, The Free Press; Export Edition.
Interesting business journal:
McKinsey Quarterly - www.mckinsey.com/quarterly/overview
Faculty or entity
