Course Summary
This course teaches the fundamentals of competitive strategy and how to apply it in different business contexts.Key Learning Points
- Understand the key principles of competitive strategy
- Learn how to analyze industry structure and competition
- Apply strategic thinking to make business decisions
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Develop a critical understanding of competitive strategy
- Learn how to evaluate industry structure and competition
- Apply strategic thinking to make better business decisions
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Basic knowledge of business concepts
- Familiarity with basic economic principles
Course Difficulty Level
IntermediateCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
Similar Courses
- Strategic Management
- Marketing Analytics
- Digital Marketing
Notable People in This Field
- Michael E. Porter
- Gary Hamel
Related Books
Description
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.
Outline
- Take Care of Your Competitors
- Introduction
- Game Setting
- Eliminating Dominated Strategies
- Nash Equilibrium
- Prisoners ’ Dilemma
- Game Setting
- Backward Induction
- Credible Threats
- Wrap Up
- How to Use Discussion Forums
- Get to Know Your Classmates
- Complete slides for week1
- Simultaneous Games
- Sequential Games
- Take Care of Your Competitors
- Why Firms Work Together
- Introduction
- Reasons for Cooperation
- Finite Repetition
- Backward Induction
- Infinite Repetition
- Factors Influencing Cooperation
- Aggressive Commitment
- Cooperative Commitment
- Wrap Up
- Complete Slides Week 2
- Reasons for Cooperation
- Finite Repetition
- Infinite Repetition
- Commitment
- Why Firms Work Together
- Complementary Products and Strategic Partnerships
- Introduction
- Complements: Examples and Definitions
- Generic Strategies
- Positive Externalities
- Examples
- Strategic Partnerships
- Wrap Up
- Complete Slides Week 3
- Complements
- Strategies for Complements
- Complements and Cooperation
- Complementary Products and Strategic Partnerships
- Entering a New Market
- Introduction
- Market Attractiveness
- Structural Entry Barriers
- Strategic Entry Barriers
- Commitment / Value Chain Reconfiguration
- Judo Economics / Niche Market
- Structural Entry Barriers / Commitment
- Limit Pricing / Predatory Pricing
- Pre-Emption
- Wrap Up
- Complete Slides Week 4
- Market Choice and Entry Barriers
- Entry Strategies
- Entry Deterrence
- Entering a New Market
- Why Worry About Research and Development
- Introduction
- Stages of R&D
- Types of Innovation
- Competitive Market
- Monopolist
- Monopolist with Threat of Entry
- Innovation under Competition
- Sleeping Patents
- Wrap Up
- Complete Slides Week 5
- R & D and Innovation
- Incentives to Innovate
- Innovation & Competition
- Why Worry About Research and Development
- Designing Products Wisely
- Introduction
- Theoretical Model
- Adjusting Model Assumptions
- Introduction
- Horizontal Differentiation
- Vertical Differentiation
- Generic Strategies
- Stuck in the Middle
- Wrap Up
- Complete Slides Week 6
- Bertrand Paradox
- Product Differentiation
- Pricing and Product Decisions
- Designing Products Wisely
- Final-exam
Summary of User Reviews
The Competitive Strategy course on Coursera is highly praised by many users. It covers important concepts in business strategy and provides practical insights. One key aspect that many users found helpful was the instructor's engaging teaching style.Pros from User Reviews
- Practical insights for business strategy
- Engaging teaching style of the instructor
- Good pacing of the course
- Great for beginners
- Strong emphasis on real-world applications
Cons from User Reviews
- Some users found the course content too basic
- Limited interaction with other students
- Not suitable for experienced professionals
- Some lectures were too long
- No certification or accreditation provided