About this course: In this six-module course, you will learn how businesses and organizations behave in situations in which strategic decisions are interdependent, i.e. where my actions affect my competitors' profits and vice versa. Using the basic tools of game theory, we will analyse how businesses choose strategies to attain competitive advantage. This course is also available in Chinese. Please go to our course catalog to access the Chinese version of Competitive Strategy.

Created by: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

Taught by: Tobias Kretschmer, Professor
Institute for Strategy, Technology and Organization

Basic Info	Course 1 of 4 in the Competitive Strategy and Organization Design Specialization.
Commitment	10 hours of videos and quizzes
Language	English, Subtitles: Chinese (Simplified)
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Take Care of Your Competitors

In this module, we introduce the basic concepts of game theory and use strategic games to learn competitor analysis. We answer “what is a strategy?” and look at the different ways to determine a best or dominant strategy. We also discuss the concepts of Nash E...

9 videos, 3 readings, 2 practice quizzes

Graded: Take Care of Your Competitors

WEEK 2

Why Firms Work Together

According to economic theory, companies compete with each other in the marketplace. In reality, they are often friendly and cooperate with each other. In this module, we attempt to understand this strategy, and why it is good for the organizations involved. Wi...

9 videos, 1 reading, 4 practice quizzes

Graded: Why Firms Work Together

WEEK 3

Complementary Products and Strategic Partnerships

In this module, we introduce complements and discuss what they mean to us in economic terms. We study why companies like to sell their products in a bundle - and how complementarity creates switching costs. We also discuss the importance of that coordination a...

7 videos, 1 reading, 3 practice quizzes

Graded: Complementary Products and Strategic Partnerships

WEEK 4

Entering a New Market

This module is about market entry. We first look at different tools to assess the attractiveness of a market – and then discuss strategies that have proven to be helpful for entering a new market, such as positioning and marketing strategies. We also look from...

10 videos, 1 reading, 3 practice quizzes

Graded: Entering a New Market

WEEK 5

Why Worry About Research and Development

In the context of R&D, a number of important strategic questions arise consistently; in this module, we take a closer look at these questions. Though many innovations are created by a stroke of luck, it seems that the majority of innovations are created becaus...

9 videos, 1 reading, 3 practice quizzes

Graded: Why Worry About Research and Development

WEEK 6

Designing Products Wisely

In this module, we focus on strategic aspects of product design and pricing strategy. We analyse how companies can adjust their products in a way that lowers the competitive pressure in the market. Later on, we look at some generic strategies for product desig...

9 videos, 1 reading, 3 practice quizzes

Graded: Designing Products Wisely

Graded: Final-exam

FAQs

How It Works

Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

Help from Your Peers

Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.

Certificates

Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.

Creators

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences.

Pricing

	Audit	Purchase Course
Access to course materials	Available	Available
Access to graded materials	Not available	Available
Receive a final grade	Not available	Available
Earn a shareable Course Certificate	Not available	Available

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 of 1,449 ratings

Ein hervorragender Lehrer, der einen sehr lehrreichen Kurs erstellt hat.

An exceptional teacher and a very educational course.

A great overview to business strategy

Really great learning from the course. Can be readily applied in real life situations. Thank you Professor and the team for preparing such a nice course.

Seriously this is the best business-related course on coursera! The material and the professor is outstanding. I'd very much recommend it. You won't get bored while watching all the videos. You can see the effort put into producing such a high quality course. It's by far the best course I've took on coursera and believe me I tried a lot of courses.

Share