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Advanced Business Strategy

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Advanced Business Strategy

This course is part of Business Strategy Specialization

Instructors: Michael Lenox

59,545 already enrolled

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

1,159 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

1 week 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.

1,159 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

The dynamics of competition, the competitive life cycle, and strategies to survive and thrive through industry disruption
Internationalization strategies, how, where, and when to enter foreign markets, and foreign direct investment
How businesses compete across industries, the value of being in different markets, and the right degree of diversification
Stakeholder management and how engaging with non-capital stakeholders can create value

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Business Strategy 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

Advance your strategic analysis skills in this follow-up to Foundations of Business Strategy. In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, you'll learn the tools to analyze strategy across time (competitive dynamics), industries (corporate strategy), geographies (international strategy), and institutions (non-market strategy). Top-ranked faculty will introduce the tools you need to complete a comprehensive evaluation and understand the strategy dynamics of an industry: Competitive Lifecycle, Internationalization and Stakeholder Analyses, and Diversification Matrices.

Module details

Studebaker, Remington, Sears, Kodak. Companies that were leaders in their time but failed to adapt to change. In this module, we'll explore the impact of disruptive innovations and how companies can navigate these changes, evolve over time, and avoid the pitfalls of the competitive life cycle. By the end of this module, you will be able to complete a competitive life cycle analysis. Let's get started.

What's included

8 videos4 readings1 assignment

8 videosTotal 49 minutes

Introduction to Strategy Over Time5 minutes
The Dynamic Capabilities Perspective6 minutes
Introduction to the Competitive Life Cycle9 minutes
Competitive Life Cycle: Common Patterns9 minutes
Why Incumbent Firms Fail or Survive9 minutes
Competitive Life Cycle Analysis7 minutes
Module Lessons1 minute
Strategist's Toolkit: Competitive Life Cycle Analysis3 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Course Overview10 minutes
Course Requirements10 minutes
Get to Know Your Classmates10 minutes
Using the Discussion Forums10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 40 minutes

Dynamic Strategy40 minutes

Welcome! Industry and firm globalization has taken off in the past few decades. Firms can realize great gains by moving into foreign markets, but they only do so if they act strategically. In this module, we'll discuss the rise of globalization and explore two primary strategic questions: Where to compete and how to enter that market. We'll consider the pros and cons of strategic options for entering foreign markets. By the end of this module, you'll be able to complete an internationalization analysis.

What's included

9 videos1 assignment

9 videosTotal 54 minutes

Introduction to International Strategy8 minutes
Patterns of Internationalization7 minutes
Where to Compete5 minutes
Entering Foreign Markets: Exporting5 minutes
Entering Foreign Markets: Licensing and Alliances6 minutes
Entering Foreign Markets: Foreign Direct Investment5 minutes
Foreign Direct Investment: Entry Mode6 minutes
Module Lessons4 minutes
Strategist's Toolkit: Internationalization Analysis8 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 40 minutes

International Strategy40 minutes

Corporate strategy is often a question of diversification. How can firms leverage their current position across markets to build profits? In this module, we'll discuss firm scope and the financial, operational, and strategic reasons to expand and diversify. We'll explore the theory of the firm--or why firms exist and how this relates to their scope. By the end of this module, you'll be able to develop a diversification matrix.

What's included

9 videos1 assignment

9 videosTotal 42 minutes

Introduction to Competing across Industries5 minutes
Financial Reasons to Diversify6 minutes
Operational Reasons to Diversify5 minutes
Strategic Reasons to Diversify7 minutes
Why Firms Exist: Theory of the Firm8 minutes
Limits on Firm Scope4 minutes
The Right Degree of Diversification3 minutes
Module Lessons1 minute
Strategist's Toolkit: Diversification Matrices3 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 40 minutes

Diversification Strategy40 minutes

How can a firm's values add value to the firm? Stakeholder management is a way of thinking about ethical considerations impacting an organization's strategy. In this module, we'll discuss how effective business strategy considers the impact of a firm's decisions and actions on various stakeholders, both primary and secondary, and uses that knowledge to guide strategic actions. By the end of this module, you'll be able to complete a stakeholder analysis.

What's included

8 videos1 reading2 assignments1 peer review

8 videosTotal 42 minutes

Introduction to Stakeholder Strategy4 minutes
Creating Value for Stakeholders6 minutes
Aligning Key Stakeholders5 minutes
Aligning Secondary Stakeholders7 minutes
Sources of Institutional Pressure9 minutes
Value Creation and Your Values3 minutes
Module Lessons4 minutes
Strategist's Toolkit: Stakeholder Analysis4 minutes

1 readingTotal 20 minutes

Assignment Overview20 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 70 minutes

Practice Reviewing an Assignment30 minutes
Stakeholder Strategy40 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 180 minutes

Advanced Competitive Position180 minutes

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

(131 ratings)

Michael Lenox

University of Virginia

24 Courses625,292 learners

Offered by

University of Virginia

Learner reviews

5 stars
81.29%
4 stars
15.08%
3 stars
2.32%
2 stars
0.68%
1 star
0.60%

Showing 3 of 1159

Reviewed on Jul 31, 2018

I liked the course and course content but the concept of peer reviewing and waiting for someone to peer-review your final assignment is really tiring.

Reviewed on May 15, 2020

Very good. The course give you more contents and tools for a deep analysis about diversification, internationalization and stakeholders firms' strategy

Reviewed on Aug 9, 2021

With this course I actually understood that how I can apply the theoretical part into practical/real-time world. Really worth it, if you want to go for it!

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