This course is part of the Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization

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Deepak Somaya

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Part of the Master of Business Administration (iMBA) degree

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Strategic Leadership and Management SpecializationUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

About this Course

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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/.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Course 5 of 7 in the

Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization

Approx. 18 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

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Skills you will gain

Strategic Management
Business Model
Strategic Thinking
Business Strategy

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.

Course 5 of 7 in the

Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization

Approx. 18 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

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

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.79/5 (334 Ratings)

Deepak Somaya

Professor of Business Administration

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign College of Business Department of Business Administration

75,139 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

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.

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.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(7,570 ratings)

Week

Week 1

2 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.

2 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 11 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

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.

4 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 73 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

12 videos

Module 1 Overview Lecture1m

Executive Interviews Introduction6m

1-1.1: Mission, Vision & Values6m

Executive Expertise: Mission and Values6m

Mission and Values: Role of Leadership7m

1-2.1: Introduction to Business Models7m

1-2.2: The V.A.R.S. Framework, Part 111m

1-2.3: The V.A.R.S. Framework, Part 26m

1-3.1: Coherence, Fit and SWOT6m

Case Introduction – Uber6m

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

Leading Strategically: Quiz30m

Week

Week 2

4 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.

4 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 83 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Module 2 Overview Lecture3m

2-1.1 The PESTEL Framework8m

Executive Expertise: The External Environment6m

2-2.1 Structure, Conduct and Performance17m

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

Module 2 Discussions10m

Instructions for Case Study Analysis – The Soft Drink Industry10m

1 practice exercise

External Analysis: Quiz30m

Week

Week 3

3 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.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 64 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

8 videos

Module 3 Overview Lecture2m

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 Advantage8m

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

Internal Analysis and Competitive Advantage: Quiz30m

Week

Week 4

5 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.

5 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 72 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes

11 videos

Module 4 Introduction2m

4-1.1 Generic Business Strategies12m

Executive Expertise: Strategic Positioning8m

4-2.1 Dual Strategies9m

4-3.1 Strategic Renewal8m

Executive Expertise: Strategic Renewal6m

4-4 The Manager’s Journey: Advice from Our Experts9m

Course Conclusion2m

Gies Online Programs3m

Case Introduction – Lego Group4m

Lego Case Study Summary2m

6 readings

Module 4 Overview10m

Module 4 Readings10m

Module 4 Discussions10m

Congratulations!10m

Get Your Course Certificate10m

Instructions for Case Study Analysis – Lego10m

1 practice exercise

Strategic Positioning and Strategic Renewal: Quiz30m

Reviews

4.8

416 reviews

5 stars
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3 stars
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2 stars
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1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM BUSINESS STRATEGY

by TWAug 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.

by EEOct 8, 2018

Enjoyed this course and the presentation of it. The writing assignments did get a bit cumbersome at times, but did fortify retention of the information presented for me.

by TLMar 18, 2020

Excellent course , really touch various subjects related to what business strategy is comprised of,

also loved the case studies and learning about many different companies.

by SPSep 8, 2019

Good platform to learn the core ideas of Business strategies with supporting case studies..this helps me a lot to understand the attributes to follow in real biz world

View all reviews

About the Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization

Through this 6-course Specialization in Strategic Leadership and Management, you will learn the fundamentals of effectively leading people, teams, and organizations and develop tools to analyze business situations. In addition to building a conceptual framework for leadership, learners will develop and practice strategies for immediate impact. The Specialization covers the strategic, human resource, and organizational foundations for creating and capturing value for sustainable competitive advantage both within a single business and across a portfolio of businesses.

The specialization culminates in a capstone: a leadership and management plan where you’ll apply what you’ve learned to a business situation. With participation by one or more focal companies, the experiential and hands-on deliverable will provide valuable practice and create value from the perspective of potential employers. This Specialization is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admissions into the program and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into the program here.

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 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.
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.

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