A major topic in the recent strategy literature relates to the emergence of star (superstar) firms - firms that operate in multiple markets, enjoy large market shares across the globe, experience persistent growth, exercise enormous market power, and hold a large amount of cash. Understanding the origins, drivers and strategies of star firms sheds light on the secrets of corporate success and offers lessons on how to build a star firm. You will study the academic literature to explain the origins, drivers, and strategies of star firms and outline managerial lessons for developing successful firms. Your task is to: 1. Describe star firms, explore the evidence on the effect of a firm's quality in its early years on its chance of achieving star status, and explain why a firm's quality at birth critically affects its future performance. 2. Draw on historical cases to explore strategies that star firms employ to build on their initial success and grow their market. How do these strategies drive firm performance? Examples include R\&D investment and technology adoption. 3. Explain scale economies. And discuss how various static and dynamic scale economies can amplify the effects of a firm's initial success and growth strategies