Yulu Tang

This course is available on the CEMS Exchange, Global MSc in Management, Global MSc in Management (CEMS MIM), Global MSc in Management (MBA Exchange), MBA Exchange, MSc in Management (1 Year Programme), MSc in Management (1 Year Programme) (Work Placement Pathway) and MSc in Management and Strategy. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

How to apply:

Places on oversubscribed courses will be allocated via a random ballot process with priority given to students with the course in their Programme Regulations, followed by other Department of Management students, then students from elsewhere in the school. Providing you apply before the Department deadline of 10am on Monday 28 September 2026, the time you applied will not be taken into account. Please be aware that places on high demand courses cannot be guaranteed. By submitting an application, students are confirming that they meet any pre-requisites specified. Providing an additional written statement will not aid a student’s chances of being accepted onto a course, and statements are not read.

For further information and updates on course availability during Week 1, please see the Department of Management Electives Moodle page.

Deadline for application:

Please apply by 10am on Monday 28 September 2026 with your first course choices. No allocations are made before this date and time.

For queries contact:

Please view the Department of Management Electives page for contact emails.

Students will need to have some understanding of microeconomics and knowledge of basic statistical methods would be an advantage.

This course is an introduction to the strategic management of modern diversified firms. It studies how firms decide what to focus on, where to draw their boundaries, how to organise and motivate people internally, and how to compete and adapt in a changing environment.  

The course covers the key strategic decisions facing modern managers: what products and activities should the firm focus on? Which tasks should be outsourced versus kept in-house? How should the firm be structured to coordinate and motivate employees, managers and other stakeholders? How should the firm’s scope and internal organisation adapt as markets and technologies evolve?  How should firms position themselves competitively? In addition, what new strategic challenges do firms face in the digital economy and with the rise of AI? By the end of the course, you will have a toolkit drawn from economics, organisational theory, and real-world business cases that you can apply to firms across industries. 

30 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
3 hours of seminars in the Spring Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

In its Ethics Code, LSE upholds a commitment to intellectual freedom. This means we will protect the freedom of expression of our students and staff and the right to engage in healthy debate in the classroom.

Students will be required to undertake the analysis of a real-world Corporate Strategy problem which will be marked and handed back with feedback. 

Corporate Strategy, Tools for Analysis and Decision-Making, Phanish Puranam and Bart Vanneste, First Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Exam (80%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period.

Course participation (20%).