XLRI Executive Development Programme in Corporate Strategy, Growth and Profitability

• A structured refresh of core management principles: designed to level-set participants from non-management backgrounds and serve as a strong foundation before the advanced strategy content begins.

• An introduction to strategy and strategic thinking. Why it matters, how firms make long-term decisions about competitive positioning and resource allocation, and why strategic clarity drives organisational performance.

• How external forces shape organisational competitiveness. Participants learn to analyse industry attractiveness, competitive intensity, and market dynamics using Porter's Five Forces and related frameworks.

• Building competitive advantage from within. Covers the VRIO framework, value chain analysis, and organisational capabilities: and how firms identify and sustain their most durable sources of advantage.

• How firms create and sustain competitive advantage through cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategies. Value creation, positioning, and the strategic trade-offs that define how companies compete.

- Business expansion and portfolio management: diversification, vertical integration, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic alliances. How organisations pursue long-term growth and manage corporate portfolios.

• Competing in global markets. Cross-border competition, international market entry strategies, and managing the complexity of multinational organisations. How macro-level forces: geopolitics, policy, trade — shape strategy.

• The governance mechanisms that ensure accountability, transparency, and ethical decision-making in complex organisations. The role of boards, stakeholders, and governance systems in long-term corporate performance.

• Managing organisational transformation and strategic renewal. Restructuring, change management, overcoming resistance, and aligning organisational structures with evolving strategic objectives.

• How digital transformation and AI are reshaping industries and redefining competitive advantage. How organisations use technology to improve efficiency, create value, and sustain their position in disrupted markets: so you can lead that shift rather than be led by it.

• Innovation processes, entrepreneurial thinking, and opportunity identification in dynamic environments. How organisations build cultures of creativity, manage innovation pipelines, and develop entrepreneurial capabilities at scale.

• Integrating ESG thinking into strategic decision-making. Sustainable business practices, stakeholder expectations, and why sustainability is increasingly a driver of long-term value creation: not a constraint on it.

• The interaction between firms and social, political, and institutional environments. Stakeholder management, corporate social responsibility, public policy, and non-market strategies that shape organisational legitimacy.