This Specialization covers both the dynamics and the global aspects of strategic management. You'll learn how to evaluate industry evolution, build and sustain competitive advantage, formulate and assess business strategies, and align efforts to organizational strategy. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply your skills by creating a comprehensive Strategic Analysis for an existing business or a venture of your own.

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Business Strategy Specialization
Steer Your Business to Success. Generate value and demonstrate global impact in four courses.



Instructors: Michael Lenox
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What you'll learn
How to evaluate industry evolution
How to build and sustain competitive advantage
How to formulate and assess business strategies
How to align efforts to organizational strategy
Overview
Skills you'll gain
- Milestones (Project Management)
- Growth Strategies
- Governance
- New Business Development
- Plan Execution
- Organizational Strategy
- Peer Review
- Business Research
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Business Strategy
- Project Management
- Analysis
- Stakeholder Management
- Competitive Analysis
- Business Ethics
- Corporate Strategy
- Strategic Thinking
- Data-Driven Decision-Making
- Strategic Leadership
What’s included

Add to your LinkedIn profile
Advance your subject-matter expertise
- Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
- Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
- Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
- Earn a career certificate from University of Virginia

Specialization - 5 course series
What you'll learn
How to use the SWOT, competitor, and environmental analysis tools
How to assess an industry's structure and how the competitive dynamics in an industry affect profitability
How to complete a capabilities analysis and how to use this analysis to guide decision making
How to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of four generic competitive positions
Skills you'll gain
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
What you'll learn
How to identify and evaluate opportunities to scale an organization
How to enter new markets and apply game theory to analyze, assess, and respond to competitors
How to assess the impact of a potential merger and acquisition and avoid common pitfalls of this type of growth
How to unlock the keys to innovation, from building an innovative capability to adding value from innovation to determining an innovation strategy
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
How to connect strategic analysis to strategy execution using hypothesis testing to unearth key assumptions and assess their validity
Four different approaches to strategy formulation and how governance ties into effective strategy formulation
Use the 4A Model for effective strategy execution to ensure appropriate human and organizational resources are in place
Tips from industry experts for successful strategy development and execution
Skills you'll gain
What you'll learn
Employ your toolkit to develop your comprehensive Strategic Analysis
Build a well-supported case recommending a specific strategic path
Effectively and efficiently communicate key points with executive leadership
Identify strategic paths the organization might pursue
Skills you'll gain
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
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Frequently asked questions
Time to completion can vary based on your schedule, but most learners are able to complete the Specialization in about 6 months.
Each course in the Specialization is offered on demand, with cohorts opening each month. If you don't complete a course on the first try, you can easily transfer to the next session, and your completed work and grades will carry over. The Capstone is offered a few times per year.
No background knowledge is required. This Specialization is designed for all professionals interested in enhancing their business strategy skills, including executives, entrepreneurs, management consultants, financial analysts, and nonprofit sector leaders and employees.
More questions
Financial aid available,