4.8
stars
1,437 ratings

Bart Vanneste

48,697 already enrolled

Offered By

University of London

UCL School of Management

Corporate Strategy

University of London

About this Course

131,919 recent views

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

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 11 hours to complete

English

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

Try Coursera for Business

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.

Beginner Level

Approx. 11 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 (556 Ratings)

Bart Vanneste

Associate Professor

UCL School of Management

48,697 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.

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

Learn more about Coursera for Business

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(9,078 ratings)

Week

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!3m

Examples of Multi-Business Firms4m

Defining Corporate Strategy2m

Understanding Difference 1: Number of Businesses4m

Understanding Difference 2: Corporate Advantage7m

Understanding Difference 3: Competition7m

Conducting a Sum-of-the-parts Analysis12m

Why We Cannot Infer Corporate Advantage from a Sum-of-the-Parts Analysis4m

7 readings

How to Use Discussion Forums10m

Get to Know Your Classmates10m

Optional: Example of a Sum-of-the-Parts Analysis10m

Lecture slides10m

Chapter Corporate Advantage45m

Glossary10m

Assessment2m

1 practice exercise

Corporate Advantage20m

Week

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Diversification

3 hours to complete

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

11 videos

Examples of Diversification4m

Understanding the Basic Modes of Diversification7m

Understanding the Diversification Test5m

Understanding Synergies8m

A Five-step Approach to the Diversification Decision2m

Step 1: Finding Synergies6m

Step 2: Identifying Resource Gaps4m

Step 3: Identifying Candidates3m

Step 4: Evaluating Ally or Acquire7m

Step 5: Evaluating Organic or Inorganic Growth6m

Concluding the Five-step Approach to the Diversification Decision1m

4 readings

4Cs Synergies Framework10m

Lecture slides10m

Chapter Diversification25m

Introduction to quiz on Microsoft-Linkedin acquisition10m

2 practice exercises

Diversification30m

Microsoft-Linkedin acquisition30m

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Divestiture

2 hours to complete

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

9 videos

Examples of Divestiture4m

Understanding the Basic Modes of Divestiture4m

Understanding the Divestiture Test7m

Understanding the Regional Perspective3m

A Three-step Approach to the Divestiture Decision1m

Step 1: Finding Synergies5m

Step 2: Identifying Better Parents5m

Step 3: Choosing Divestiture Mode2m

Concluding the Three-step Approach to the Divestiture Decision1m

2 readings

Lecture slides10m

Chapter Divestiture: Stay or Exit10m

1 practice exercise

Divestiture30m

Week

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), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Example of Corporate Headquarters2m

Who Controls Corporate Headquarters?6m

How to Control More than You Own6m

Understanding HQ Influence Models5m

Understanding the Financial Perspective3m

Understanding the Uncertainty Perspective4m

Understanding the Synergy Perspective9m

Understanding the Social Perspective3m

Using the Synergistic Portfolio Framework6m

6 readings

Non-graded quiz7m

Course review2m

Lecture slides10m

Chapter Designing the Corporate HQ10m

Reviews

4.8

400 reviews

5 stars
83.80%
4 stars
14.39%
3 stars
1.38%
2 stars
0.20%
1 star
0.20%

TOP REVIEWS FROM CORPORATE STRATEGY

by BWJul 28, 2022

Really great and worthwhile course. Starts at a very basic level and goes through at a pace that is easy to follow and really helps learning. Bart is an excellent teacher.

by CTFeb 18, 2018

Great course, very clear explanations. Would highly recommend! The textbook is also very informative and anyone taking a strategy course would benefit from reading it.

by BHJan 24, 2023

Great learning experience and valuable information. I believe that even if you think you have all the knowledge on this topic, you'll still learn something new.

by SSFeb 1, 2022

Very good course to know about corporate strategy through Synergies, diversification and divestiture. Thanks to the mentor also to @coursera for the amazing course.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
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:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
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.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Build employee skills, drive business results

Discover Coursera for Business

Corporate Strategy

Corporate Strategy

About this Course