Hidden Champions: Survey Analysis of Corporate Strategies in Niche Markets

Participation Prerequisites

None

Course Content

This seminar focuses on Hidden Champions, highly successful firms that lead global niche markets while remaining relatively unknown to the broader public. Often deeply specialized and frequently family-influenced, these firms are essential players in global innovation networks and supply chains.

The seminar introduces:

• The definition and strategic characteristics of Hidden Champions
• How niche strategizing differs from mainstream competitive strategy
• Key drivers of success: customer intimacy, focus, innovation, and long-term thinking
• Cross-country variation in the prevalence and logic of Hidden Champions

• Each student will select one Hidden Champion from anywhere in the world and conduct an in-depth strategic analysis of the firm. The analysis should focus on one key strategic characteristic that is particularly important for the selected company, such as niche focus, innovation leadership, customer intimacy, internationalization, vertical integration, family influence, knowledge protection, AI strategy, long-term orientation etc.

  The central objective is not merely to describe the company. Drawing on academic literature, students are expected to explain why the selected strategic characteristic is important for the firm, how it contributes to sustainable competitive advantage, under which conditions it is effective, and how it is shaped by the firm's industry, competitive environment, and international markets and their current and long-term dynamics. The analysis should critically evaluate the opportunities and challenges associated with the strategy and conclude by deriving evidence-based strategic implications for the future development of the company.

Intended Learning Outcomes and Competencies

Upon successful completion of this seminar, students will be able to:

• systematically identify, review, and critically evaluate academic literature in the fields of strategic management/hidden champions/entrepreneurship etc.

• write an independent seminar paper in accordance with established standards of academic research and scientific writing;

• apply theoretical concepts and empirical research to a real-world company and derive well-founded, evidence-based conclusions;

• explain and critically assess the defining characteristics, strategies, and success factors of Hidden Champions;

• analyze the strategy of a Hidden Champion within its industry, competitive environment, and international markets;

• develop evidence-based strategic implications and managerial recommendations for the future development of a Hidden Champion

Instruction Type

☒ Presence
☐ Online synchronous
☐ Online self-paced
☐ Hybrid

Form of Examination

Literature

Foundational readings will be provided via Moodle.