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Industry and Competitive Analysis
Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:31:19
Abstract
Industry and Competitive Analysis (ICA) is an essential part of any strategic management process. It contains a very practical set of methods to quickly gain a good grasp of an industry. The purpose of ICA is to understand factors that influence the financial performance of an industry and firms within that industry, thereby enabling firms to develop effective competitive strategies.
Objective
Goals of the course • Students will develop an in-depth understanding of how the structure of an industry impacts both industry-level and firm-level performance • Students will develop practical skills in analyzing industries and firms within them • Students will gain a broad understanding of the impact of digitalization on various industries and develop an in-depth understanding of (at least) one chosen industry • Students will improve the analytical skills needed to successfully compete in the digital age
Content
Industry and Competitive Analysis (ICA) is an essential part of any strategic management process in firms and other organizations. It contains a very practical set of methods to quickly gain a good grasp of an industry, be it pharmaceuticals, information and communication technology, professional services, or even the beer industry. The purpose of ICA is to understand factors that influence the performance of an industry and firms within that industry. Gaining such understanding supports firms in developing effective competitive strategies. As the world witnesses tremendous development in digital technologies, many industries are in the midst of transitioning from analogue to digital business models. Digitalization is radically changing what firms produce and the way they organize their business activities. To adapt to these changes, practitioners and scholars alike need a more advanced set of analytical tools to understand the constantly-changing industries. That is why we have developed our course as ICA 2.0, which provides state-of-the-art tools to gain an updated picture of various industries before and after their digital transformation. In this course, we will study theoretical frameworks, examine evidence from empirical research, and benefit from experience shared by our guest speakers. The course is organized into thirteen sessions that comprise a combination of (guests) lectures, case studies, and (tutored) group work. The schedule is subject to change, depending on the availability of the guest lecturers.
Resources
Literature
This course is built upon a management classic (Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Porter, 2004). We also draw from more recent research findings and practitioner-oriented strategy research. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the assigned readings and develop a thorough understanding of the material before coming to class. For students wishing to explore the course content in greater depth, optional readings are proposed for each session. We will share the course literature and case material on the Moodle course page, which is accessible to students who have successfully enrolled to the course in myStudies. Competitive strategy • Chapter 2 of Porter (2004) • Porter, M. E. (1996). What is strategy. Harvard Business Review. 74 (6): 61-78. Industry Dynamics • Chapter 3 of Porter (2004) • Porter, M. E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review. 86(1): 78-93. Opportunities & Feasibility Analyses • Alvarez, S. A., Barney, J. B., Anderson, P. (2013). Forming and Exploiting Opportunities: The Implications of Discovery and Creation Processes for Entrepreneurial and Organizational Research. Organization Science, 24(1), 301-317. Strategic Groups & Advanced Analytics for ICA • Short, J. C., David J. K., Timothy B. P., & Tomas M. H. (2007). Firm, strategic group, and industry influences on performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28: 147-167. • Harrigan, K. R. (1985). An application of clustering for strategic group analysis. Strategic Management Journal, 6(1), 55-73. • Hannigan, T. R., Haans, R. F., Vakili, K., Tchalian, H., Glaser, V. L., Wang, M. S., ... & Jennings, P. D. (2019). Topic modeling in management research: Rendering new theory from textual data. Academy of Management Annals, 13(2), 586-632. • Chen, H., Chiang, R. H., & Storey, V. C. (2012). Business Intelligence and Analytics: From Big Data to Big Impact. MIS quarterly, 36(4), 1165-1188. • Almquist, Z. W., & Bagozzi, B. E. (2017). Using radical environmentalist texts to uncover network structure and network features. Sociological Methods & Research. • Schmiedel, T., Müller, O., & vom Brocke, J. (2018). Topic modeling as a strategy of inquiry in organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 3(1). ICA in the Digital Age I • Adner, R., Puranam, P., & Zhu, F. (2019). What Is Different About Digital Strategy? From Quantitative to Qualitative Change. Strategy Science, 4(4), 253-261. • Iansiti, M., & Lakhani, K. R. (2020). From Disruption to Collision: The New Competitive Dynamics. MIT Sloan Management Review, 61(3), 34-39. • Li, W. C., Nirei, M., & Yamana, K. (2019). Value of data: there’s no such thing as a free lunch in the digital economy. US Bureau of Economic Analysis Working Paper, Washington, DC. • Porter, M. E., and Heppelmann, J. E. (2015) How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Companies. Harvard Business Review 93 (10): 97–114. ICA in the Digital Age II • Kim, E., Nam, D. I., & Stimpert, J. L. (2004). The applicability of Porter’s generic strategies in the digital age: assumptions, conjectures, and suggestions. Journal of management, 30(5), 569-589. • Davenport, T. H. (2006). Competing on analytics. Harvard business review, 84(1), 98. • Gupta, S. (2018). Driving digital strategy: A guide to reimagining your business. Harvard Business Press. • Bakshy, E., Messing, S., & Adamic, L. A. (2015). Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook. Science, 348(6239), 1130-1132.
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Industry and Competitive Analysis
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC , NDS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Industry and Competitive Analysis |
|
3 h weekly |
Offered In
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Management, Technologie und Ökonomie Master (Willkommen und Einführung ins MSc ETH MTEC 15. September 2025, 14.00 - 16.15, Raum HG E 1.1)
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MAS in Management, Technology, and Economics (MAS MTEC Einführungsveranstaltung für Studierende im 1. Semester: Freitag, 12.09.2025, 09.00 -17.30, LEE E 101)