DECO 27A39 - Introduction to Corporate Strategy & Development, with introductory Excel Modeling

The course pursues two main objectives: 1. To provide students with a comprehensive introductory overview of Corporate Development, covering both Corporate Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions (“M&A”). 2. To equip students with the necessary tools for modeling key strategic and financial scenarios using Microsoft Excel. Throughout the semester, we will focus on applying concepts and discussing real-world cases. In the Corporate Strategy section, we will review the critical decisions that companies face and explore how these decisions can be conceptualized, addressed, and transformed into strategic choices. This includes analyzing a firm's competitive environment, establishing competitive advantages, and fostering growth through organic means or external investments, including M&A. The second part of the course will delve into M&A as both a strategic tool and a profession. We will cover essential steps in a typical M&A process, stakeholders, strategic rationale, and explore technical aspects such as valuation models and contractual clauses. Simultaneously, we will integrate Microsoft Excel functions and models throughout the semester, enabling students to develop practical modeling skills for making simple strategic and financial decisions. This thread will run consistently alongside the other course content.

Louis BOUSSEKEY

Séminaire

English

- Basic understanding of economics (e.g. undergraduate microeconomics and macroeconomics) and business topics, with an interest to further zoom into corporate strategic decisions. - Personal computer equipped with Microsoft Excel

Autumn 2024-2025

- Group presentation on a company undergoing a strategic shift/an M&A operation (1/3 total grade) - Group end of term project: strategic M&A recommendation for a company of choice, in writing. (1/3 total grade) - In-class participation (1/3 total grade)