Non Competitive Strategies
(An elective of Strategic Management, 1.5 credit course)
Amar KJR Nayak, Ph.D.
The dichotomy of competition and non-competition has existed ever since the beginning of life. However, since the beginning of industrial revolution in the 17th Century, the balance has moved towards competition and it appears to most of us today that there is only one paradigm, viz., the paradigm of competition. This belief has significantly grown especially during the last two decades after the demise of the Soviet Union, a development which appears to strongly vindicate the paradigm of competition.
However, with the growing social, political, economic and environmental problems of the world, the question of whether to find new models within the competitive strategy framework or to look beyond competition has been ticked off. How to think ‘out of the box’ to get alternative frameworks for effective and sustainable management in the future? 'Non Competitive Strategy' should be able to tickle your thoughts and inspire you to develop alternative models for the future.
Course Objective:
The course has been designed to help students discern and question standard assumptions like
(i) Resources are limited and hence one needs to acquire as much as one can,
(ii) Efficiency can be achieved only through competition, and
(iii) Holistic and sustainable Models are not practical models
Attending this course will help the students to:
(i) Map & integrate strategic thinking that you might have learnt in Strategic Management, Systems Theories & Sustainability.
(ii) Evaluate the traditional strategies, thinking and assumptions, and
(iii) Explore new and innovative strategies through alternative windows/frameworks vis-à-vis the mainstream Competitive Strategy framework
Pedagogy:
The sessions will be through Case Discussions, Lectures & Presentation. The case will be used only as vehicles to understand a concept/principle and not to highlight or undermine an organization or individual. The course has been designed to understand and appreciate (a) Existing Analytical Framework and Defects in Firm Design (b) Search for Sustainable Enterprise System Design.
The participants will learn/gain the most if they have the following: (a) Have some familiarity to Competitive Strategies, (b) Have a broad outlook & thinking, and (c) Ability to see a Case only as vehicles to understand a concept/principle and neither to highlight nor to undermine an organization or an individual
Course Outline:
Notions of Strategy
Notions of Competition
Competition at its Peak
Notions of Efficiency: Control versus Freedom
Issues of Traditional Firm Design
Cases of High Efficiency through non competition: Alternate Models of Existence
Buddhist Economics & Principle of Trusteeship
Trust, Cooperation, and Sustainability
Value Base for the Ability to Transform: Kenosis & Deeper Engagement
Summary
Evaluation:
Self Evaluation: 10 %
Class Discussions: 20 %
Term Individual/Group Assignment: 30 %
End-Term Exam: 40 %
Term Group/Individual Assignment will involve critical analysis of any key design parameter on the long term sustainability of the firm and its externality. The parameters such as size, scale, ownership, and management control could be undertaken for the analysis. The term assignment can also be a review of a book or a real life case analysis relating to non competition or cooperative model. The length of the write-up on the assignment will be 15-20 pages. Provide all relevant references to the write-up.
Detailed Learning Plan with Reading List:
Notions of Strategy
Playing and Crafting with Dough
Article: Crafting Strategy, Mintzberg
Notions of Competition
No Contest: The Case Against Competition, Alfie Kohn
Competition at its Peak
Case: India-Australia Test Series, 2007-08, Amar KJR Nayak, XIMB-CCR
Film: Matrix I
Notions of Efficiency: Control versus Freedom
Issues of Traditional Firm Design
Optimizing Asymmetries for Sustainability, Amar KJR Nayak
Cases of High Efficiency through non competition: Alternate Models of Existence
Case: Ramakrishna Mission, Amar KJR Nayak, XIMB-CCR
Case: The Carmelites, Amar KJR Nayak, XIMB-CCR
Case: Lichat Papad
Buddhist Economics & Principle of Trusteeship
Small is Beautiful, J.E. Schumacher
Article: Trusteeship and the Crisis in Economic Theory, J.D. Seth
Trust, Cooperation, and Sustainability
Case of Nava Jyoti Community Enterprise System
Value Base for the Ability to Transform: Kenosis & Deeper Engagement
Summary
Books for Reference
In addition to all the articles and cases among the reading materials, the following references will be useful for understanding the discussions in the class.
1. Machiavelli for Beginners, Patrick Curry & Oscar Zarate
2. No Contest: The Case Against Competition, Alfie Kohn
3. Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
4. Serving Two Masters...., Russel J. Foulds
5. Small is Beautiful, J.E. Schumacher
