WHU - Startseite | Logo

Strategy Making in Professional Sports - (M)

In this course, we are focusing on the importance of strategy in the global sports industry. Our focus will be on strategy making in professional football and how sustainable growth can be fostered through consciousstrategic choices. Together with students, we will explore whether professional football clubs still need long-term strategies in the light of a vastly more complex environment subject to a rapid rate of change. Students will learn about the importance of speed and scalability and derive implications for strategy making in a digitalized world.
Kurs ID
MGMT608
Art des Kurses
MSc Kurs
Wochenstunden
2,5
ECTS
5
Semester
HS 2023
Vortragssprache
Englisch
Vortragende/r
Prof. Dr. Sascha Schmidt
Bitte beachten Sie, dass AustauschstudentInnen im BSc-Programm der WHU eine höhere Anzahl an Credits erwerben als hier aufgeführt. Für weitere Informationen wenden Sie sich bitte direkt an das [International Relations Office].
Harvard Business School case studies from the sports industry, co-authored by Prof. Sascha L. Schmidt, will be used to discuss strategy making within professional football:

• FC Bayern Munich to understand why and how the club entered a new mar-ket and nurtured growth in China

• TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to understand why and how the club applies an early adopter innovation strategy to its football business

• German National Football Team to understand why and how balancing ex-ploitation and exploration is crucial to escape the success trap after winning the FIFA World Cup

The course is divided into four sessions that consecutively build upon each other.

Guest speakers from football clubs represented in the respective case studies will be invited to discuss major challenges of successful strategy making in professional football and interchange ideas on future developments with students.

With the help of case study method, students will apply strategy making tools and frameworks to real-life situations that business executives have faced. They will analyze the situation, decide on the best possible solution and defend their conclusions. We will advance their problem-solving skills as well as their ability to think and reason rigorously.

In the first session, student teams will get a work assignment to solve a specific issue on e.g., how to develop growth in adjacent businesses of a professional football club. While in the first three sessions, students will mainly participate in in class discussions and group work; the fourth session is dedicated to present an overall recommendation to football club executives. The professor and research assistants will coach dedicated groups of students in class as well as in between lectures to support them on their individual learning journey and to help them prepare their final presentation. This will include, amongst others, specific growth measures to be taken by the club, estimates and approximations of expected business impact, and concrete action plans.

Since the format of the course is highly interactive, the number of students will be limited.

Students will have the opportunity to assign themselves into groups of six for the final presentations.

Date Time
Monday, 30.10.2023 15:30 - 20:30
Tuesday, 31.10.2023 08:00 - 13:00
Monday, 13.11.2023 13:45 - 18:45
Wednesday, 15.11.2023 08:00 - 18:45
With the help ofthe case study method, students will apply strategy making tools and frameworks to real-life situations that business executives have faced. They will analyze the situation, decide on the best possible solution and defend their conclusions. We will advance their problem-solving skills as well as their ability to think and reason rigorously.
21st Century Sports: www.whu.edu/CSM/21st-century-sports(voluntary) Course package of obligatory readings will be announced (case studies, papers and additional readings)
Interactive Lecture, Case Studies, Discussions with Industry Experts, Group Work, Team Coaching, Presentation
50% Abschlusspräsentation im Team und Einreichen präsentierter Folien (inkl. Notizen), 25% individueller Case Write-Up, 25% individuelle Mitarbeit
Since the format of the course is highly interactive, the number of students will be limited to 30. Students will be admitted to the course based on the {\uc1\u8220*}first-come, first-served{\uc1\u8221*} principle.
150
WHU - Startseite | Logo