Paired with humorous elements and illustrating examples, the Competitive Strategy and Organization Design specialization is the ideal choice for curious individuals who enjoy unique learning experiences and innovative teaching approaches. Its style is likely to appeal especially to young, middle-aged and young-at-heart learners. The specialization is indended for learners interested in engaging in fundamental theories and concepts of strategy and organization and applying these to practice. Employed professionals and management students will benefit from deepening and refreshing their existing knowledge by means of our specialization. Learners with non-business backgrounds will gain valuable additional business insights complementing their existing knowledge. Participants will learn to understand and analyze ● behavior of organizations in situations in which strategic decisions are interdependent ● strategies to build up and maintain a customer base ● internal workings of an organization as well as its interaction with the outside world, i.e. partners, complementors and competitors ● the design of an effective organization that can compete, grow and adjust flexibly to different environments This specialization is the only online learning program in which students can learn and laugh at the same time. That said, we are looking forward to learning and laughing with you!
Competitive Strategy and Organization Design Specialization
Excel in Competitive Strategy & Organization. Acquire theoretical knowledge & tools to master internal & external strategic management challenges
Offered By
Competitive Strategy and Organization Design SpecializationSkills you will gain
How the Specialization Works
Take Courses
A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.
Hands-on Project
Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.
Earn a Certificate
When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.
There are 4 Courses in this Specialization
Competitive Strategy
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.
Advanced Competitive Strategy
Advanced Competitive Strategy will introduce new topics and modules with even more real world examples and opportunities for student interaction than in the previous course Competitive Strategy (https://www.coursera.org/learn/competitivestrategy). In Advanced Competitive Strategy, we will look at how companies can build up and maintain their customer base by increasing switching costs and facilitating strategic customer lock-ins. We will find out how firms can increase their profits by pursuing suitable price discrimination and product differentiation strategies. We will look at examples of what is acceptable behavior under the premises of EU competition and US antitrust policies and discover exciting ways of how companies can increase their returns by strategically making use of network effects and economies of size. We will further intensify our newly acquired knowledge about network effects and discuss strategies that are explicitly tailored to network markets. We will analyze the workings of mergers and acquisitions and, moreover, support you in considering alternative strategies that can help companies grow organically.
Strategic Organization Design
Strategic Organization Design will introduce new topics and modules with even more real world examples and opportunities for student interaction than its predecessors Competitive Strategy (https://www.coursera.org/learn/competitive-strategy) and Advanced Competitive Strategy (https://www.coursera.org/learn/advanced-competitive-strategy). The final course in the Competitive Strategy and Organization Design specialization covers the internal workings of an organization and its interactions with the outside world. Where the first two courses mainly covered the way firms interact with the outside world, in particular competitors and complementors, the third course looks at the way a firm’s organization should be designed to compete effectively.
Competitive Strategy and Organization Design Project
This industry project is designed to allow you to apply the knowledge you have gained throughout the specialization for advising a real company. Our partner company will approach you with two specific questions the company is currently facing and that relate to the content of the specialization. You are asked to choose one of these questions and conduct an in-depth research on the topic. You need to collect relevant information, analyze it and relate it to the content you have learned throughout the Specialization. Based on your findings you will write a final report summarizing your research and consult the company how to deal with the issues they are facing.
Instructor
Tobias Kretschmer
ProfessorAbout Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the refund policy?
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Can I take the course for free?
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
Time to completion can vary based on your schedule, but most learners are able to complete the Specialization in about 5 to 6 months.
What background knowledge is necessary?
No background knowledge is required! Anyone interested in learning more about competitive strategies and the strategic design of organizations is welcome to join the Specialization.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
We recommend to take the courses in the presented order, as they build on each other.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
Coursera courses and certificates as such do not carry university credit. However, some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
You will improve your ability to analyze and understand strategic decisions of organizations and be able to improve your own decision making. You will have applied your new knowledge to a specific practical case and have gained experience in how to apply theoretical insights in every-day management decision making.
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
