Business Strategy in Practice (Project-centered Course)
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Business Strategy in Practice (Project-centered Course)
This course is part of Business Strategy Specialization
Instructors: Michael Lenox
17,887 already enrolled
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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
- Decision Making
- Report Writing
- Peer Review
- Business Research
- Research Reports
- Project Management
- Milestones (Project Management)
- Verbal Strategic Communication
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Strategic Thinking
- Business Writing
- Business Communication
- Analysis
- Organizational Strategy
- Executive Presence
- Business Analysis
- Constructive Feedback
- Business Strategy
Details to know
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
- 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 8 modules in this course
A Capstone Project is an assignment designed specifically to apply and showcase the skills you learned in the Specialization. To this end, the Business Strategy Capstone Project, a comprehensive Strategic Analysis, provides an opportunity for you to synthesize concepts and knowledge from the four prerequisite courses in the specialization. In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, you will be guided through your project by top-ranked faculty. You may continue with the organization you selected for previous assignments or select a new organization for this project. You will analyze the current state of the organization, strategic issues facing the organization, strategic paths the organization might pursue, make a recommendation of the best path for the organization to pursue, and write an Executive Summary. Your finished project will serve as an artifact showcasing your ability to conduct research on/within an organization, select and apply the most appropriate analytical tools, build a well-supported case for a specific position, and effectively communicate key points with executive leadership.
Welcome to the Business Strategy in Practice project-centered course and congratulations on completing the four prerequisite courses! In this course, you will bring together all that you have learned and employ your toolkit to develop your comprehensive Strategic Analysis. To get started, watch our "Welcome to the Business Strategy in Practice" video lecture. Then, read our Course Overview so you get a sense of what's ahead, including four milestones to help keep you on track to complete your project within the eight weeks. We are excited to watch you put your learning into action! Good luck, work hard, encourage one another, and enjoy!
What's included
10 videos1 reading1 discussion prompt
10 videos•Total 34 minutes
- Welcome to Business Strategy in Practice•2 minutes
- WIP Milestone 1•4 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: SWOT Analysis•2 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Competitor Analysis•3 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Environmental Analysis•3 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Five Forces Analysis•5 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Competitive Life Cycle Analysis•3 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Stakeholder Analysis•4 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Capabilities Analysis•3 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Strategy Maps•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Course Overview•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Introductions•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 2. This week you should continue working on WIP Milestone 1 so that you are ready to submit your assignment by the end of the week. Good luck and work hard -- thorough research will help you build a solid foundation for your project!
What's included
1 peer review1 discussion prompt
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
- WIP Milestone 1•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Share what you have found interesting/challenging•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 3. This is "buffer" week allowing time to complete your peer reviews -- providing as much constructive feedback as possible -- and then to start working on WIP Milestone 2.
What's included
1 video1 discussion prompt
1 video•Total 4 minutes
- WIP Milestone 2•4 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- What would you like to improve?•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 4. This week you should continue working on WIP Milestone 2 so that you are ready to submit your assignment by the end of the week. Good luck and work hard -- you will need a solid understanding of the different options and strategic paths in order to make your recommendation in the next milestone!
What's included
1 peer review1 discussion prompt
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
- WIP Milestone 2•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Share what you have found interesting/challenging•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 5. This is another "buffer" week allowing time to complete your peer reviews -- providing as much constructive feedback as possible -- and then to start working on WIP Milestone 3.
What's included
6 videos1 discussion prompt
6 videos•Total 24 minutes
- WIP Milestone 3•2 minutes
- Strategist'sToolkit: Hypothesis Testing•4 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Payoff Matrices•2 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Real Options Analysis•2 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Acquisition Analysis•5 minutes
- Strategist's Toolkit: Scenario Planning•8 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- What would you like to improve?•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 6. This week you should continue working on WIP Milestone 3 so that you are ready to submit your assignment by the end of the week. Looking ahead, Week 7 is a busy week: you will need to wrap up your peer reviews for WIP Milestone 3 and then prepare for the Final Milestone, putting the finishing touches on and then submitting your Strategic Analysis! So don't delay -- get going and work hard to meet your deadlines!
What's included
1 peer review1 discussion prompt
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
- WIP Milestone 3•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Share what you have found interesting/challenging•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 7. This is a busy week: you will need to wrap up your peer reviews for WIP Milestone 3 and then prepare for the final milestone: submitting your finished project! To prepare for the final milestone, you will pull together the work you completed for previous milestones, write a cogent and concise executive summary, put the finishing touches on your project, and then submit it for one final round of peer review. We are excited to see your finished projects!
What's included
1 video1 peer review1 discussion prompt
1 video•Total 2 minutes
- Final Milestone•2 minutes
1 peer review•Total 180 minutes
- Strategic Analysis•180 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- What would you like to improve?•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 8, our final week together. This is another "buffer" week allowing time to complete your peer reviews. While we only require three peer reviews, please consider completing an additional review or two to help your peers who might still be waiting for their final grade and Specialization Certificate. Additionally, we have a discussion opportunity for you to share final comments, reflections, and thoughts on your capstone experience.
What's included
1 discussion prompt
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Share final thoughts•10 minutes
Earn a career certificate
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Reviewed on May 9, 2016
The final project gives a deeper insight and understanding of how to apply the strategist's toolkits in creating valuable competitive position for an organization. Great Professors
Reviewed on Nov 11, 2020
This is a very good course for professionals of all backgrounds to deepen their business knowledge and an eye opener for those of us with technical background
Reviewed on Aug 31, 2016
excelent course to apply the knowledge of the previous courses
Frequently asked questions
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. 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.
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.
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