In this course you will learn how organizations create, capture, and maintain value, and how it is fundamental for sustainable competitive advantage. You will be able to better understand value creation and capture, and learn the tools to analyze both competition and cooperation from a variety of perspectives, including the industry level (e.g., five forces analysis), and the firm level (e.g., business models and strategic positioning).
• Understand how managers coordinate different functional areas, resources, and systems inside a company and align them with the external environment to enhance overall performance
• Knowledge of strategic management tools and frameworks, and apply them to real business contexts Process diverse business and industry information to diagnose strategic issues, evaluate strategic alternatives, and formulate a coherent and actionable strategic plan
• How to think like a CEO, entrepreneur, or general manager.
This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.
This course is part of the Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization
Business Strategy
Offered By
About this Course
4.8
500 ratings
Skills you will gain
Strategic ManagementBusiness ModelStrategic ThinkingBusiness Strategy
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
12 hours to complete
Course Orientation
You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
1 video (Total 9 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
1 video
6 readings
Syllabus20m
About the Discussion Forums10m
Glossary10m
Description of Organizations and Brands10m
Updating Your Profile10m
Social Media10m
1 practice exercise
Orientation Quiz10m
4 hours to complete
Module 1: Leading Strategically
The Leading Strategically module will lay the foundation of business strategy course. You will learn about mission, vision and values and their role in overall strategy landscape. You will learn about the VARS framework for analyzing business models and SWOT framework for understanding the fit and coherence of business strategy.
12 videos (Total 73 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
12 videos
1-1.1: Mission, Vision & Values8m
Executive Expert Introductions5m
Executive Expertise: Mission and Values6m
1-2.1: Introduction to Business Models5m
1-2.2: The V.A.R.S. Framework, Part 16m
1-2.3: The V.A.R.S. Framework, Part 210m
Executive Expertise: Business Models7m
1-3.1: Coherence, Fit and SWOT7m
Case Introduction – Uber7m
Uber Case Study Summary5m
Like this course? Learn more with the iMBA! (optional)1m
4 readings
Module 1 Overview10m
Module 1 Readings10m
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – Uber10m
Module 1 Discussions10m
1 practice exercise
Module 1 Quiz10m
Week
24 hours to complete
Module 2: External Analysis
The Environmental Analysis module will focus on a key aspect of business strategy – analyzing and understanding the external environment of a firm. You will learn about the macro-environment of firms and the PESTEL framework for macro-environmental analysis. You will also learn about firms’ industry environment and understand how to predict industry profitability by using the 5-forces framework.
9 videos (Total 83 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
9 videos
2-1.1 The PESTEL Framework9m
Executive Expertise: The External Environment5m
2-2.1 Structure, Conduct and Performance16m
2-2.2 Introducing the 5 Forces Framework16m
2-2.3 Applying the 5 Forces Framework5m
2-3.1 Dynamic Industry Analysis12m
Case Introduction – The Soft Drink Industry8m
The Soft Drink Industry Case Study Summary4m
4 readings
Module 2 Overview10m
Module 2 Readings10m
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – The Soft Drink Industry10m
Module 2 Discussions10m
1 practice exercise
Module 2 Quiz10m
Week
34 hours to complete
Module 3: Internal Analysis and Competitive Advantage
The module on Internal Analysis and Competitive Advantage will provide an in-depth understanding of the origins of unique company strengths and how they can produce a competitive advantage. You will learn about the origins and consequences of fundamental internal differences among firms using the analytical viewpoints of activities, resources, and capabilities. You will be introduced to the strategic tools of value chains, value networks, and the V-R-I framework to help you analyze the implications of these within-firm differences for (sustained) competitive advantage.
8 videos (Total 64 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
8 videos
3-1.1 Competitive Advantage & Firm Performance9m
3-2.1 Activities of the Firm11m
3-2.2 Resources and Capabilities10m
3-3.1 Sustained Competitive Advantage10m
Executive Expertise: Competitive Advantage7m
Case Introduction – Starbucks Corporation7m
Starbucks Case Study Summary2m
4 readings
Module 3 Overview10m
Module 3 Readings10m
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – Starbucks10m
Module 3 Discussions10m
1 practice exercise
Module 3 Quiz10m
Week
44 hours to complete
Module 4: Strategic Positioning and Strategic Renewal
The Strategic Positioning and Strategic Renewal module brings together the internal and external aspects of strategic analysis to formulate an overall strategy for the firm. You will learn about the two main “generic strategies” that businesses can pursue, which can be complemented by broad or narrow scope to yield four key types of strategic positioning. You will also learn about “dual” strategies and why and how a firm's strategy must be adapted to strategically renew its positioning.
9 videos (Total 62 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
9 videos
4-1.1 Generic Business Strategies12m
Executive Expertise: Strategic Positioning8m
4-2.1 Dual Strategies9m
4-3.1 Strategic Renewal8m
Executive Expertise: Strategic Renewal9m
Case Introduction – Lego Group4m
Lego Case Study Summary2m
Course Conclusion2m
4 readings
Module 4 Overview10m
Module 4 Readings10m
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – Lego10m
Module 4 Discussions10m
1 practice exercise
Module 4 Quiz10m
4.8
93 Reviews44%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
17%
got a pay increase or promotion
Top Reviews
I am really honored to review this course. The course and the Professor was really having a high practical approach. 4th Module was little bit confusion although it was a great time doing the course.
I really enjoyed the case studies in this course and the education on various frameworks felt like I could immediately use the material in real world scenarios. Highly recommended course materials.
Instructor
Deepak Somaya
Professor of Business AdministrationUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign College of Business Department of Business Administration
Start working towards your Master's degree
This course is part of the 100% online Master of Business Administration (iMBA) from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
If you are admitted to the full program, your courses count towards your degree learning.
About University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs.
About the Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization
Enhance leadership and business skills for immediate impact. Practice everyday leadership, manage people, learn and apply concepts and techniques to effectively manage organizations through organizational design, and formulate and implement strategy.
Through the courses in this specialization, you will learn the fundamentals to effectively lead people and teams, manage organizations as well as tools to analyze business situations and develop strategies. The Specialization covers the strategic, human resource, and organizational foundations for creating and capturing value for sustainable competitive advantage – including how to manage people and organizations, analyze the competition, and develop strategies both within a business and across a portfolio of businesses.
The capstone is a strategic leadership and management plan where you’ll apply what you will learn to an actual business situation with participation by one or more focal companies. The deliverable will be designed to create value from the perspective of potential employers while achieving pedagogical and experiential goals for learners.
This Specialization is part of the University of Illinois Masters of Business Administration degree program, the iMBA. Learn more about the admission into the program here and how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into the program. You can also start with for-credit courses within the Illinois iMBA degree program.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. 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.
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Is financial aid available?
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