4.8
stars
1,530 ratings

Bart Vanneste

54,739 already enrolled

Offered By

University of London

UCL School of Management

Corporate Strategy

University of London

About this Course

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Corporate strategy is the strategy a firm uses to compete across multiple businesses. Many small firms want to grow by entering new businesses. Many large firms already are in multiple businesses, e.g. a photo camera producer selling also sunglasses. 
We developed this course to help you make good corporate strategy decisions. Of the many decisions a firm has to make, corporate strategy decisions are among the most consequential. We will look at these key corporate strategy decisions:
- Diversification: How and which businesses should your firm enter?
- Divestiture: How and from which businesses should your firm exit?
- Corporate HQ: How should we organize corporate headquarters to create value across the different businesses?

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.85/5 (600 Ratings)

Bart Vanneste

Associate Professor

UCL School of Management

54,739 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of London

The University of London is a federal University which includes 17 world leading Colleges. With extensive experience in distance learning since 1858, University of London has enriched the lives of thousands of students, delivering high quality degrees across the globe. Today, University of London is a global leader in flexible study, offering degree programmes to over 45,000 students in over 190 countries, delivering world-leading research across the world. To find out more about University of London, visit www.london.ac.uk

UCL School of Management

The UCL School of Management is the business school of University College London, one of the world’s leading universities, consistently ranked in the global top 20 for its academic excellence and research.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(9,932 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Corporate Advantage

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 48 min), 7 readings, 1 quiz

8 videos

Welcome to Corporate Strategy!3mExamples of Multi-Business Firms4mDefining Corporate Strategy2mUnderstanding Difference 1: Number of Businesses4mUnderstanding Difference 2: Corporate Advantage7mUnderstanding Difference 3: Competition7mConducting a Sum-of-the-parts Analysis12mWhy We Cannot Infer Corporate Advantage from a Sum-of-the-Parts Analysis4m

7 readings

How to Use Discussion Forums10mGet to Know Your Classmates10mOptional: Example of a Sum-of-the-Parts Analysis10mLecture slides10mChapter Corporate Advantage45mGlossary10mAssessment2m

1 practice exercise

Corporate Advantage20m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Diversification

3 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 59 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

11 videos

Examples of Diversification4mUnderstanding the Basic Modes of Diversification7mUnderstanding the Diversification Test5mUnderstanding Synergies8mA Five-step Approach to the Diversification Decision2mStep 1: Finding Synergies6mStep 2: Identifying Resource Gaps4mStep 3: Identifying Candidates3mStep 4: Evaluating Ally or Acquire7mStep 5: Evaluating Organic or Inorganic Growth6mConcluding the Five-step Approach to the Diversification Decision1m

4 readings

4Cs Synergies Framework10mLecture slides10mChapter Diversification25mIntroduction to quiz on Microsoft-Linkedin acquisition10m

2 practice exercises

Diversification30mMicrosoft-Linkedin acquisition30m

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Divestiture

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 36 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Examples of Divestiture4mUnderstanding the Basic Modes of Divestiture4mUnderstanding the Divestiture Test7mUnderstanding the Regional Perspective3mA Three-step Approach to the Divestiture Decision1mStep 1: Finding Synergies5mStep 2: Identifying Better Parents5mStep 3: Choosing Divestiture Mode2mConcluding the Three-step Approach to the Divestiture Decision1m

2 readings

Lecture slides10mChapter Divestiture: Stay or Exit10m

1 practice exercise

Divestiture30m

Week4

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Corporate Headquarters

Welcome to week 4! A key decision in corporate strategy is determining how to organize to create value across businesses. This week we look at corporate headquarters and how they can influence the different businesses. If you get stuck on the quiz or assignment, you should post on the Discussions to ask for help. (And if you finish early, I hope you'll go there to help your fellow classmates as well.)

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 49 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Example of Corporate Headquarters2mWho Controls Corporate Headquarters?6mHow to Control More than You Own6mUnderstanding HQ Influence Models5mUnderstanding the Financial Perspective3mUnderstanding the Uncertainty Perspective4mUnderstanding the Synergy Perspective9mUnderstanding the Social Perspective3mUsing the Synergistic Portfolio Framework6m

5 readings

Course review2mLecture slides10mChapter Designing the Corporate HQ10mFurther readings10mIntroduction to quiz on resource allocation10m

2 practice exercises

Corporate Headquarters30mResource allocation30m

Reviews

4.8

428 reviews

5 stars
84%
4 stars
14.31%
3 stars
1.23%
2 stars
0.25%
1 star
0.19%

TOP REVIEWS FROM CORPORATE STRATEGY

by MINov 14, 2020

The explanations is sweet and clear. For a quick course, I able to learn a lot of new things and easy to digest. Thank you Bart Vanneste. - Cheers from Malaysia

by AUNov 6, 2022

I would like to thank our mentor for good knowledge that he shared with us. But I can say that this was the hardest course I'd passed on Coursera because of hard tests and low grades.

by MOAug 17, 2022

I really enjoyed this course. The lecturer made it very easy for me to understand the concept of corporate strategy.

I highly recommend this course for all managers.

by MJMay 23, 2022

This course is very useful for understanding your strengths and driving your potential with full power to the successful accomplishments in the professional career.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

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Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Corporate Strategy

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