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Business Strategy

Business Strategy

This course is part of Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization

Instructor: Deepak Somaya

97,360 already enrolled

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2,084 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2,084 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Explain how different functions and activities fit together in a firm and how they align with the environment to create overall business performance.
Describe and employ important strategic management tools and frameworks for business models.
Apply strategic management tools and frameworks to business contexts in an appropriate manner to arrive at insights for strategic decision making.
Develop a coherent and actionable strategic plan by critically analyzing and processing abundant and diverse business and industry information.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

In this course you will learn how organizations create, capture, and maintain value. In doing so, you’ll develop an understanding of how and why this process 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).

You will be able to: - Understand how managers coordinate different functional areas, resources, and systems inside a company and align them with the external environment to enhance overall performance - Recognize 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 This course is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into these programs and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.

Module details

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. Next, 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.

What's included

13 videos11 readings2 assignments1 peer review1 discussion prompt1 plugin

13 videosTotal 78 minutes

Course Welcome and Orientation8 minutes
Meet Your Instructor: Deepak Somaya2 minutes
The Impact of the Gies Community2 minutes
Module 1 Overview Lecture2 minutes
Executive Interviews Introduction6 minutes
1-1.1: Mission, Vision and Values7 minutes
Mission and Values: Role of Leadership7 minutes
1-2.1: Introduction to Business Models7 minutes
1-2.2: The V.A.R.S. Framework, Part 111 minutes
1-2.3: The V.A.R.S. Framework, Part 26 minutes
1-3.1: Coherence, Fit and SWOT7 minutes
Case Introduction – Uber7 minutes
Uber Case Study Summary5 minutes

11 readingsTotal 140 minutes

Syllabus20 minutes
Glossary10 minutes
Description of Organizations and Brands10 minutes
Coursera Coach10 minutes
About the Discussion Forums10 minutes
Online Education at Gies College of Business10 minutes
Updating Your Profile10 minutes
Module 1 Overview10 minutes
Module 1 Readings10 minutes
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – Uber30 minutes
Module 1 Discussions10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Orientation Quiz30 minutes
Leading Strategically: Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Leading Strategically: Peer Assessment120 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Getting to Know Your Classmates10 minutes

1 pluginTotal 15 minutes

Welcome! Please Tell Us About Yourself15 minutes

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.

What's included

9 videos4 readings1 assignment1 peer review

9 videosTotal 83 minutes

Module 2 Overview Lecture4 minutes
2-1.1 The PESTEL Framework8 minutes
Executive Expertise: The External Environment7 minutes
2-2.1 Structure, Conduct and Performance17 minutes
2-2.2 Introducing the 5 Forces Framework17 minutes
2-2.3 Applying the 5 Forces Framework5 minutes
2-3.1 Dynamic Industry Analysis13 minutes
Case Introduction – The Soft Drink Industry8 minutes
The Soft Drink Industry Case Study Summary4 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Module 2 Overview10 minutes
Module 2 Readings10 minutes
Module 2 Discussions10 minutes
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – The Soft Drink Industry10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

External Analysis: Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

External Analysis: Peer Assessment60 minutes

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.

What's included

8 videos4 readings1 assignment1 peer review

8 videosTotal 64 minutes

Module 3 Overview Lecture3 minutes
3-1.1 Competitive Advantage & Firm Performance10 minutes
3-2.1 Activities of the Firm12 minutes
3-2.2 Resources and Capabilities11 minutes
3-3.1 Sustained Competitive Advantage10 minutes
Executive Expertise: Competitive Advantage8 minutes
Case Introduction – Starbucks Corporation8 minutes
Starbucks Case Study Summary3 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Module 3 Overview10 minutes
Module 3 Readings10 minutes
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – Starbucks10 minutes
Module 3 Discussions10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Internal Analysis and Competitive Advantage: Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Internal Analysis and Competitive Advantage: Peer Assessment60 minutes

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.

What's included

10 videos6 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 plugin

10 videosTotal 68 minutes

Module 4 Introduction3 minutes
4-1.1 Generic Business Strategies13 minutes
Executive Expertise: Strategic Positioning9 minutes
4-2.1 Dual Strategies10 minutes
4-3.1 Strategic Renewal9 minutes
Executive Expertise: Strategic Renewal6 minutes
4-4 The Manager’s Journey: Advice from Our Experts9 minutes
Course Conclusion3 minutes
Case Introduction – Lego Group5 minutes
Lego Case Study Summary2 minutes

6 readingsTotal 60 minutes

Module 4 Overview10 minutes
Module 4 Readings10 minutes
Module 4 Discussions10 minutes
Congratulations on completing the course!10 minutes
Get Your Course Certificate10 minutes
Instructions for Case Study Analysis – Lego10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Strategic Positioning and Strategic Renewal: Quiz30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Strategic Positioning and Strategic Renewal: Peer Assessment120 minutes

1 pluginTotal 15 minutes

Course-End Survey15 minutes

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Build toward a degree

This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(414 ratings)

Deepak Somaya

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

7 Courses117,976 learners

Offered by

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Learner reviews

5 stars
82.87%
4 stars
14.24%
3 stars
1.91%
2 stars
0.52%
1 star
0.43%

Showing 3 of 2084

Reviewed on Aug 10, 2016

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.

Reviewed on Aug 25, 2018

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.

Reviewed on Apr 23, 2017

Excellent class! Highly recommended to anyone who wants to learn the basics of business strategy. Professor Somay is a subject matter expert and his lectures are wonderful. Many thanks!

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