Institute of Management & Strategy at the University of St.Gallen (IOMS-HSG)

Welcome to our website! We are independently financed and positioned within the University of St.Gallen as the first point of contact for all aspects of strategic management.

A few facts about our institute

1. place SIM
in the world wide FT ranking

100+ Master degrees
per year

30+ Countries
of the students

10+ PhD fellows
at the institute

20+ Business cooperations
on different topics

The three fields of the IOMS

Under the motto
«We create and share knowledge in Strategic Management that is equally rigorous and relevant and
has a positive impact for academics, students, executives, and society at large»
we mainly operate in three different areas:

Research

Find out more about our research activities, where predominantly scientific concepts are developed with the focus on the problem and the application.

Teaching

Discover our wide range of courses offered at bachelor, master and doctoral level.

Executive Education

Learn about our executivce education programs in strategy, finance, general management and leadership.

News

Zurich Insurance Group launches AI Lab together with the Institute of Management & Strategy and ETH Zurich

29. October 2025

With the newly established Zurich AI Lab, Zurich Insurance Group is launching a joint initiative with the Institute of Management & Strategy (IOMS-HSG) and ETH Zurich’s Agentic Systems Lab. The aim is to reshape the insurance industry through artificial intelligence (AI) and accelerate the development of scalable AI solutions.

Strong presence from our institute at the SMS Conference

17. October 2025

Strong presence from our institute at the SMS Conference in San Francisco! Our team just returned from a truly inspiring few days at The Strategic Management Society Conference in San Francisco, filled with cutting-edge research, thought-provoking discussions, and valuable connections. Several members of our institute had the opportunity to present their latest strategy research, contributing to critical conversations shaping the future of our field.

We are especially proud that two of the papers presented — one by Dr. Dora Maric, and another by Heinrich-Jakob Wild (together with Dr. Fabian Takacs, Prof. Dr. Karolin Frankenberger, and Joakim Vincent) — were nominated for the prestigious SMS Conference Best Paper Prize. Even more exciting, the latters’ work on the integration of strategically misfitting corporate ventures received an Honourable Mention (Top 5 conference papers) — a fantastic recognition of their impactful research. Congratulations to all involved! 👏

New Publication – EXPRESS: Comprehensive vs. Speed: Investor Reactions to Due Diligence Length under Varying Industry Conditions

9. October 2025

A recent study by Prof. Dr. Tomi Laamanen and colleagues investigates how the pace of due diligence impacts the success of acquisitions. Analyzing 501 M&A deals of S&P 1500 firms, the research reveals that both excessively fast and overly slow due diligence can reduce acquirer performance, with optimal results achieved

New Publication – The role of CEO integrity in M&A decision-making

9. October 2025

New research by Prof. Dr. Tomi Laamanen and colleagues in the Strategic Management Journal explores how CEO integrity shapes M&A decision-making. The study shows that high-integrity CEOs act more cautiously, avoiding risky or large-scale acquisitions and paying lower premiums—protecting firms from costly mistakes but sometimes missing growth opportunities. 👉 Read

Research

Business management has undergone enormous change in recent years. In particular, framework conditions have been changed by technical and digital developments. Our institute has a total of 5 chairs and 6 competence centers focusing on various strategic topics.

Our Competence Centers

The IOMS focuses its research on the latest topics in business administration. The aim is to offer the most up-to-date and useful knowledge both for society and for companies to respond to their challenges.

Alliances, Platforms & Ecosystems

Due to the advent of digital platforms, issues of cooperative strategies, both at the business, corporate and network levels, have again become increasingly important.

Circular Economy

This Competence Center focuses on the promising alternative to today’s linearly functioning economic systems and presents a solution to the waste of resources and the creation of waste in the first place.

Global & Corporate Strategy

As globalization progresses, today’s top management places its holistic, global strategy at the center of its corporate mission.

Innovative Business Models & Competitive Strategies

Through business model innovations, companies create and secure competitive advantages and adapt to the constant change.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions are an important engine of transformation in the global economy with significant influence on national and international production networks, market relations and competitive dynamics.

Strategy Processes, AI & Decision Making Under Uncertainty

By identifying and defining new business processes that offer more efficient opportunities through digital technologies, new regulations, new markets, new customer profiles and new business practices, unique strategies can be formed.

Teaching

The extensive range of courses offered at bachelor, master and doctoral level allows over 200 students per semester to build up comprehensive knowledge in the areas of strategic management, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Our students benefit from close mentoring throughout the entire training process up to degree papers.

Executive Education

In addition to the high level of professional quality, our executive education programs impress with the exclusive network. The focus is always on personal contact with fellow students, speakers, executives or network partners. The heterogeneous field of participants from different industries promotes cross-industry and lasting contacts that will successfully contribute to your career.

Program overview

The Institute of Management and Strategy is the perfect choice for executive education programs in the areas of strategy, financen, general management and leadership. For many years, countless delighted participants have valued the high degree of practical relevance, the exclusive network and the renowned instructors.

In-house executive education

We will accompany you in the development and implementation of executive education programs for executives and in the design of in-house academies. We evaluate your needs and develop a tailored concept for you.