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Strategic Planning: Target Markets and Business Decision-Making

Explore how to make the right strategic choices for your business and the role of planning in building successful strategies.

402 enrolled on this course

Chess pieces on a board

Strategic Planning: Target Markets and Business Decision-Making

402 enrolled on this course

  • 2 weeks

  • 5 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

Explore the importance of strategic planning and decision-making in a business

In such a fast paced world, it’s becoming ever more vital for organisations to put strategic choice at the heart of a business plan.

This two-week course aims to provide you with the tools to make smart strategic choices and improve your decision-making skills within a business context.

Build your understanding of strategic planning

Strategic choices are integral to the successful running of a business, and should be undertaken at a variety of levels. This course will give you access to the knowledge to make plans at all three levels: Corporate level strategy (the foundational questions of what you want to achieve), business level strategy (how you’ll compete), and market level strategy (how to grow your business).

BCG explained: the Boston Consulting Group Matrix

When defining a strategy for your business, the Boston Consulting Group matrix (or BCG matrix) will help with long-term strategic planning. With the BCG matrix, you’ll assess the dynamic environment, considering portfolio and investment growth opportunities and whether to develop or discontinue products.

Conduct in-depth research into strategic leadership and strategic direction

You’ll cover the basics of strategic direction and leadership, competitive dynamics, and how these can help you build an effective senior management team. You’ll also explore how strategic leadership creates value for a business.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Corporate-level Strategy - diversification

    • Welcome to the course

      This week we will discuss how to allocate resources across business units in a large corporation and explain a firm’s strategic choice to for growth.

    • BCG matrix

      BCG matrix is one well-known method for product portfolio planning. It addresses the inter-relation between market growth and market share.

    • Assessing the dynamic environment

      The dynamic and fast-changing environment offer both opportunities and risks.

    • Does diversification create value?

      Can diversification create value? Yes, it certainly can. But you need to carefully consider the environment and allocate appropriate resource accordingly.

  • Week 2

    Strategic direction and leadership

    • Welcome to Week 2

      In this week, we aim to discuss the strategic direction of an organisation and roles of strategic leadership.

    • Strategic action: Which way to go?

      Strategic action: Which way to go?

    • Strategic leadership and competitive dynamics

      Strategic leadership and competitive dynamics

    • Summary activities

      Strategic leadership is at the centre of an organisation’s decision making process and determines which way the organisation is heading and competing.

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...

  • Discuss the nature and importance of strategic choices
  • Explain the importance of course portfolio management

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for intermediate-level business managers and students to gain more knowledge about strategy and globalisation. This course aims to equip you with the concepts, framework and techniques needed for better environmental scanning.

You can enhance your learning experience by following related courses, designed by Coventry University:

Who developed the course?

Coventry University

Coventry secured 5 QS Stars for Teaching and Online Learning in the QS World University Ranking 2020 and has received No. 1 in the world for Massive Open Online Courses in MoocLab’s World University Ranking 2021.

  • Established

    1992
  • Location

    Coventry

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$349.99 for one year

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
  • 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
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 7 May 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

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  • 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

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  • 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

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