This course equips students with tools and concepts to analyze strategic interactions in dynamic environments and to select competitive strategies while anticipating competitors’ responses. It examines how strategic choices shape industry structure and how industry structure, in turn, influences firm strategy and profitability. The first part focuses on dynamic competition, including price wars, market entry, and entry deterrence. The second part addresses high-tech and network industries, covering innovation, strategic patenting, compatibility decisions, and platform dynamics. The third part explores vertical integration and alternative governance forms such as alliances, joint ventures, and strategic contracting. A central objective is to highlight the interdependence of these areas and how decisions in one domain affect outcomes in others. The second weekend of lectures will take place in Tallinn, Estonia, in conjunction with the Goethe MBA study trip.
- Explain how industry structure determines the profit potential of firms
- Identify how particular instruments and decisions influence the strategic position
- Analyze firm interaction in environments of uncertainty and asymmetric information
- Examine strategic behaviour in a dynamic setting and the credibility of strategic commitments
This course is only available as part of the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Entrepreneurship when combined with other courses from our Goethe MBA Digital Transformation | Data Science | Sustainability program. For more information, please visit the certificate program page.
Duration
Location
Language
Prof. Dr. Uwe Walz
Prof. Dr. Uwe Walz holds the Chair of Industrial Organization and is Co-Director of the PhD Program in Economics at Goethe University Frankfurt. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Tübingen and completed his habilitation at the University of Mannheim. Prior to joining Goethe University in 2002, he held professorships at the University of Bochum and the University of Tübingen. He is one of the founding directors of the Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE and a research professor at ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. His research focuses on private equity, entrepreneurial finance, and contract theory.
The second part of the course will take place during the study trip to Tallinn from April 12-16, 2027.
Candidates with an undergraduate degree (i.e., bachelor or equivalent) of 180 credit points (CP) based on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) can apply for our Open Programs. The allocation of credit points for work experience will appear on the Academic Transcript of Records and be titled ‘Prior Learning Assessment’.
CAS applicants must submit a recent proof of English language proficiency at the higher B2 level per the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The GBS Office of Admissions will accept test results of the following tests, taken no longer than two years ago upon the date of submission:
- TOEFL iBT®
- TOEFL iBT® Home Edition
- IELTS
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
- English Language Level Test (ELLT) - Oxford International Digital Institute
Applicants may request a waiver of proof of proficiency in English in case one of the following conditions applies. The applicant
- is a native speaker of English;
- has graduated from an international baccalaureate program
- has completed their undergraduate or master-level studies in a program taught entirely in English;
- has worked in an English-speaking country for at least one year.
If the applicant has not taken any of the above tests when submitting the application, the applicant can upload a confirmation of the test registration to the online admissions portal.
Applicants who submit a language certificate older than two years but without an expiry date will be invited for an additional interview with a native speaker of English.
Proof of relevant post-undergraduate work experience of at least one year is to be submitted, e.g., a performance review, reference letter, or written confirmation from your employer.