IE Business School

Foundations of Strategy

Taught in English

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8,291 already enrolled

Course

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals

Carl Kock

Instructor: Carl Kock

4.7

(82 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete
3 weeks at 3 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Prepare for a degree

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12 quizzes

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There are 4 modules in this course

Strategy is a complex field and intrinsically related to economics. In this first week we will establish the basic logic of how firms and markets function by using economic logic from a distinctly strategic perspective.

What's included

6 videos5 readings2 quizzes

The economic logics discussed in the first week have shaped the field of strategic analysis from very early on. Porter’s Five Forces – probably the most well-known strategic analysis tool – directly builds on the notion of market structures and helps us to get a deeper understand of how the competitive environment affects the ability of firms to generate true economic profits. In this week, we´ll look at how Porter's Five Forces are related to market structures, economies of scale, and begin to touch on how firms leverage these to create competitive advantage.

What's included

4 videos7 readings3 quizzes2 app items

This week, we will move away from exclusively considering the external structure of an industry as the source of competitive advantage and instead focus our view on the internal resources and capabilities within firms – and the associated “resource based view” to look at how internal resources and capabilities play out in competitive situations.

What's included

6 videos8 readings5 quizzes1 app item

Looking through the lens of the five forces at the industry, or through that of the resource based view at firm internal resources and capabilities, feels a bit like swings of a pendulum – and, indeed, strategic theory and practice over the last decades has veered from a near-exclusive focus on the environment to being entranced by firms’ core capabilities. However, to get the full picture of where your firm stands (and where it and its industry may move) requires us to consider both of these perspectives! In this final week we will work on this crucial integration by building our understanding of what a competitive advantage truly is – and what distinct forms it can take.

What's included

5 videos1 reading2 quizzes

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.8 (28 ratings)
Carl Kock
IE Business School
2 Courses8,342 learners

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4.7

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