Business Planning to Grow Successful Companies
Explore the world of business, analyse business environments, and learn how to successfully expand into foreign markets.
668 enrolled on this course
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
5 hours100% online
How it works
Business Planning to Grow Successful Companies
Develop and launch a successful business from idea to expansion.
From initial idea and business strategy to funding and international expansion, this course will take you through all the steps to launching and developing a successful business.
Plan and strategise to build a successful business
On this course, you’ll look at the key elements of effective business planning and how to develop a business strategy. You’ll also be introduced to important financial concepts and the different ways that businesses are financed.
By evaluating case studies of successful businesses and entrepreneurs, you’ll be able to develop your own business ideas, create plans and strategies to support them, and start to think about your funding options.
Discover the tools to conduct effective industry analysis
An important step in assessing the feasibility of a business idea is understanding the business environment and competitors. There are many different tools that you can use to put together a market analysis.
On this course, you’ll explore the key elements of three important tools: SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, and Porter’s five forces analysis. You’ll then look at applying different models for situation audits to help build a picture of the business environment.
Evaluate the different methods for international expansion
There are a number of modes for expanding a business into foreign markets and each has its merits and drawbacks. Explore these different methods with a combination of case studies from real businesses and supplemental materials to help understand the different approaches to international expansion.
Once you’ve learned the different methods, you can then apply them to your own business idea and discuss the suitability of each one.
Syllabus
Week 1
Business Start Ups and Business Planning
Introduction
In this activity you will be introduced to the week and begin to consider the question: what makes a good business idea?
Characteristics of Successful Business
In this activity, you will evaluate what makes a business successful.
Introduction to Business Planning
In this activity, you will consider how to plan a successful business by evaluating case studies.
Coming up with a Business Idea
In this activity, you will learn how to craft a business idea and begin to brainstorm on your own business idea.
Weekly Wrap Up
This activity will summarise the week and prepare you for next week.
Week 2
Understanding Your Business Environment
Introduction
In this activity, you will be introduced to the week and take a poll on your current knowledge on SWOT and PESTEL.
Conducting a Situation Audit (SWOT)
In this activity, you will be introduced to SWOT analysis.
Understanding the Competitive Environment
In this activity, you will be introduced to aspects that foster a competitive business environment.
Understanding the Macro Environment
In this activity, you will be introduced to the PESTEL analysis.
Weekly Wrap Up
This activity will summarise the week and prepare you for next week.
Week 3
Organisational Structure and Financial Planning
Welcome to Week 3
In this activity, you will be introduced to the week.
The Different Types of Organisation
In this activity, you will be introduced to limited and unlimited liabilities.
Funding a Business
In this activity, you will learn about sources of finance and be presented with a case study on finance.
Financial Reporting
In this activity you will be introduced to the basics of accounting statements and financial costing.
Weekly Wrap Up
This activity will summarise the week and prepare you for next week.
Week 4
International Expansion
Introduction
In this activity, you will be introduced to the week and hear a case study on international expansion.
Modes of International Expansion - Importing and Exporting
In this activity, you will be introduced to importing and exporting logistics as a means of expansion.
Modes of International Expansion - Franchising and Licensing
In this activity, you will be introduced to franchising and licensing as a means of expansion.
Modes of International Expansion - Strategic Alliances and Joint Ventures
In this activity, you will be introduces to strategic alliances and joint ventures as a means of expansion.
Modes of International expansion- WOFS
In this activity, you will be introduced to wholly owned foreign subsidiaries (WOFS) as a means of expansion.
Weekly Wrap-Up
This activity will summarise the week and prepare you for the next course.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Evaluate the characteristics of successful businesses
- Develop your own business ideas through building an understanding of different industries
- Compare sources of finance to assess their suitability for different situations
- Discuss the suitability of the different methods of international expansion for your own business idea
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone looking to understand effective business planning, specifically in relation to international growth strategies.
This may also be of extra interest to anyone studying business at degree level or business at level 3.
If you want to further your knowledge, you may be interested in thee courses, from the same provider, that share the same overall learning outcomes:
Who will you learn with?
I am a Tutor in Business Management at the University of Kent, and have been working within higher education for almost 20 years. I also work as a consultant and run my own consulting boutique.
Who developed the course?
The University of Kent
The University of Kent, the UK’s European university, is one of the country’s most dynamic universities. Established in 1965, it now has 19,850 students studying at its various campuses.
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| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $109/one-off payment | $39.99 For your first month. Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Sample the course materials | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Access expires 11 Jan 2025 |
| Access to 1,000+ courses | cross | tick | cross |
| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
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| Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$39.99
For your first month. Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Tests to boost your learning
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$109/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Tests to boost your learning
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Limited access
Free
Sample the course materials
- Access expires 11 Jan 2025
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 29 December 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 29 December 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
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