This course is part of the Business Strategy and Decision Making Skills ExpertTrack
An Introduction to Macro Environmental Analysis and Business Strategy
Explore the fundamentals of business strategy and learn how the macro environment and macroeconomics affect strategy formulation.
- Duration2 weeks
- Weekly study5 hours
- Included in an ExpertTrackCourse 1 of 5
An Introduction to Macro Environmental Analysis and Business Strategy
Understand how macro environmental factors influence business strategy
How do you develop a winning business strategy, and how does the macro environment influence a company’s strategy formulation? In this course you’ll have the opportunity to explore the definition of business strategy and will unlock the potential of the macro environment.
Discover the power of macroeconomics
You’ll have a chance to discuss the concept of strategy and globalisation and examine the macro environment in detail, using a series of in-depth case studies to help determine where a firm should position itself in a globalised environment.
Understand the benefits of globalisation
Globalisation is the great economic theme of the past 30 years. The course will look in-depth at the benefits and costs of globalisation for business, and what are the barriers to global business.
Learn to perform your own PESTLE analysis
The course will also allow you to explore the macro environment using the PESTLE framework. PESTLE (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental) is an important business-analysis tool that allows you to uncover the key factors influencing an organisation from the outside.
Syllabus
Week 1
Contexts of strategy and decision making
Welcome to the course
Strategy plays an important part in many areas of business, but is strategy alone enough to guarantee that an organisation will achieve its corporate goals?
Origin of strategy
Explore the origin of strategy and examine how strategy helps companies gain competitive advantage.
Globalisation and its impact on strategy
Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of globalisation and explore how globalisation might impact on a company's strategy
Summary of the week
Reflect on the activities that you have done this week and find out what is coming up next.
Week 2
Macro Analysis
Welcome to Week 2
How does globalisation drive a firm’s strategic decision-making? We will cover the concept of macro analysis along with PEST frameworks and institutional analysis.
Introduction to the PEST model
The PEST consists of the political, economics, social-cultural, and Technological aspects of environment
Understanding institutions
Institutions are the ‘rules of the game’ and are the humanly devised constraints to guide human behaviour (North 1990).
Summary activities
How can a firm gain competitive advantages in a highly attractive industry? Micro analysis helps us to identify the key success factors in the industry.
Prove you're job ready
Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.
- Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
- Complete each course and pass assessments.
- Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
- Create a shareable certificate link for your CV and LinkedIn.
- Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
- Make your career dreams a reality.
Download a PDF
Share your certificate
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Demonstrate a good understanding of the concept of strategy
- Explore the effects of globalisation on a firm’s strategy
- Explain the concepts of a Macro environment
Who is the course for?
This ExpertTrack is designed for intermediate-level business managers and students to gain more knowledge about strategy and globalisation. This course will equip you with the concepts, framework and techniques needed for better environmental scanning.
Who developed the course?
Coventry University
Coventry secured gold in the UK Government’s 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and is University of the Year for Student Experience in The Times & The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019.
- Established1992
- LocationCoventry
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps, but you can complete them as quickly or slowly as you like
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn
Start learning today - free 7-day trial
After your free trial you can:
- Pay $39 per month to keep learning online
- Have complete control over your subscription; you can cancel any time
- Work at your own pace and set your own deadlines at every stage
- Only pay while you’re learning; the subscription will cancel automatically when you finish
- Complete online assessments to test your knowledge and prove your skills
- Earn digital course certificates and a final award that you can share online, with potential employers, and your professional network
- Keep access to the content of courses you complete even after your subscription ends
