Other links:
Other links:
“What will leadership look like in an era of thriving organisations? We are moving from an era of individual leaders to an era of networked leadership teams that steer organisations.” – McKinsey & Company
To succeed in such networked leadership teams, a deep understanding of the organisation’s “business” is necessary. Whether you plan to run your own business, lead a global company or simply turn ideas into maximised value and impact, the key ingredients in moving from average performance to top-quintile success are reimagination of strategy and a strong business acumen.
Business Strategies for Future Leaders is an experiential course designed to prepare aspiring professionals to participate in a blended journey of strategy, marketing and innovation. It integrates management theory with real-world decision-making, exposing participants to market complexities, strategic frameworks, innovation-driven marketing, and the financial acumen necessary to lead modern organisations. You will understand what makes a business thrive—or fail, explore how companies achieve and sustain competitive advantage in global markets, decode why “customer is king” in the digital age and build your business acumen by integrating strategic, financial, and operational perspectives. You will step into the shoes of real decision-makers—CEOs, marketers and strategists—through interactive simulations, global case studies, and team-based challenges. You will engage in live discussions, leadership role plays, and case analyses to bridge conceptual understanding with applied practice.
The course will culminate with a capstone project, where you will draft a Memo and present to the assumed leadership of a company of your choice, outlining strategic opportunities and threats, recommending market initiatives and making suggestions to increase revenue, reduce costs or both. Each week, you will participate in class activities and do assignments that will contribute to the successful completion of the capstone project.
What’s more? Top students will also achieve an extended opportunity to work on a business project to develop a new product idea, or marketing plan or a go-to-market strategy for a renowned company or a startup.
“One of my biggest learnings was that successful entrepreneurship is not just about having a big idea — it’s about solving real problems for real people. I learned how to identify pain points, test assumptions through minimum viable products, and adapt based on user feedback. I now understand the importance of validating ideas before execution and the value of staying lean and adaptable. Whether I start my venture now or later, I feel more confident in my ability to approach entrepreneurship strategically and sustainably. This course has sparked a genuine interest in startup culture.”
– Advika, Grade 11, Delhi Public School
This course is for high schoolers who aspire to become leaders in startups, corporates or family-owned businesses and prepare themselves to become professionals with strategic management capabilities. The course aims to help students develop a deep appreciation for how global businesses operate, evolve and grow.
Prerequisite: High proficiency in written & spoken English.
| Week | Lecture Module | Project Module |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | What Business are you in?
Case Study: Urban Company |
Speaking ” Business” – Integrated Management
The Biz Cafe Simulation: Hands-on experience of managing a virtual coffee shop to make decisions around staffing, marketing, operations, and finances. Assignment: Write up on “Why Most Once-Successful Companies Die, but Some Don’t” – Research on success and failure stories of organisations’ structure-conduct-performance. |
| Week 2 | Are You Sure You Have A Strategy?
|
Strategising Globally – Winning Moves
Assignment: Apply Porter’s Five Forces and/or the Frederickson and Hambrick to a company’s market position and share why its business strategy is unique.
|
| Week 3 | The Two Core Functions In Business – Marketing & Innovation
Case Study: Juan Valdez: Innovation in Caffeination
|
Marketing & Innovation in a Connected World #MarketMe
Newshoes Marketing Simulation: Comprehensive experience of managing a simulated athletic shoe company to make decisions around product design, marketing metrics, competitive pricing, etc. Assignment: Develop a 1-week social media campaign for the “Quit Smoking Campaign” for University Students
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| Week 4 | Building Business Acumen and Thinking Ahead
|
Putting It All Together
Peer Collaboration: What would you do if you were CEO for a day and were given a virtual budget to invest in company growth? Rapid Fire SWOT of companies around you Assignment: The Entire cohort is divided into marketing, operations, finance, etc. teams – all cross-functional teams have to collaborate and write a business plan for a prompt given by the faculty.
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| Counselling:
Get a chance to ask questions to the faculty and the mentor, and get their answers and perspective. You are encouraged to ask questions to the faculty around the following aspects:
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Mentoring:
You are encouraged to ask questions to the mentor around the following aspects:
|
The capstone project is a leadership lab – to step into a leader’s shoes and experiment like in a lab. You will work on drafting a Memo and presenting to the assumed leadership of a company of your choice – by outlining strategic opportunities and threats, recommending market initiatives and making suggestions to increase revenue, reduce costs or both.
Bibek Banerjee is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management at Ashoka University. He has extensive experience in institution-building, consulting, leadership and talent development, and executive education. His leadership development initiatives have benefited several global organisations, including Ericsson, Coca-Cola, Citibank, the Aditya Birla Group, Microsoft, GE-Genpact, Jubilant FoodWorks, Infosys, the TATA Group, Unilever India, HDFC Bank, TVS Group, Phillips, and the Indian Oil Corporation.
As the Chairperson of the Marketing Area at IIM Ahmedabad, he was among the first management academics in India to successfully integrate engaged learning methods, such as simulations using digital technology, into the curriculum. He also co-founded the Centre for Research in Retailing at IIMA. During his tenure as Director General and Academic Mentor of the IMT Group of Institutions, IMT Ghaziabad achieved the prestigious AACSB accreditation in record time. In his capacity as Honorary Director of the Academy of Indian Marketing Professionals, he played a pivotal role in conceptualising and implementing the Doctoral Consortium for Scholars and Young Faculty in Marketing & Consumer Sciences in India.
Over his academic career spanning three decades, he has published in top-tier international peer-reviewed scholarly journals and has held visiting professor positions at several universities. He has also served as the Dean of the School of Management and Entrepreneurship (SME) and as Senior Dean and University Head of Strategic Initiatives. He established the Academy of Continuing Education (ACE) at the university and was its founding Dean, leading the academy’s efforts to create a platform that fosters collaboration between academia and industry on contemporary challenges shaping business and ecosystem sustainability in the digital age.
Grading, Assessments, Certification and much more
All Ashoka Horizons courses offer a certificate on satisfactory completion of the course.
Class participation will be assessed based on your active engagement in live sessions, contributions to discussion forums, and involvement in Teaching Fellow-led activities.
Achieve More…with Horizons
*For select students, subject to the discretion of the faculty
This programme is administered through an online platform. Students are expected to have a foundational understanding of computer usage, including but not limited to sending emails and conducting Internet searches. Consistent access to the Internet and a computer that aligns with the recommended minimum specifications are also requisite for participation in the programme.
Have a question about Ashoka Horizons Achievers Programme? Write to us on horizons@ashoka.edu.in
One of the biggest things I learned was how important it is to really understand the problem you’re trying to solve before jumping to solutions. The idea of listening to users, testing ideas early, and focusing on value instead of just profit really stood out to me.
The course helped me realise that business is not only the world of grown-ups, but it is what I can begin to learn and practice.
Prakash Dharamrajan
Visiting Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Ashoka University
PGDM, IIMA
Schedule:May 23, 2026 (Saturday) – June 14, 2026 (Sunday)*
Prof Sudipta Sarangi
PhD, Professor and Head Department of Economics, Virginia Tech
Schedule:May 23, 2026 (Saturday) – June 14, 2026 (Sunday)*
Parush Arora
Assistant Professor of Economics, Ashoka University
Ph.D. University of California, Irvine
Schedule:June 20, 2026 (Saturday) – July 12, 2026 (Sunday)*
