COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Business Strategy & Strategic Management course. This program will equip you with the skills and knowledge to understand how strategy is formed, selected, implemented, and managed so that organisational objectives are translated into coordinated action. Throughout this course, you will examine how structured strategic processes, clear thinking, and ongoing feedback come together to guide decision making in complex and changing business environments.

The course begins by clarifying the strategic business process and how it provides a systematic framework for moving from analysis to action. You will explore the purpose and stages of strategic analysis, including how to gather and interpret information about the internal and external environment, and how to apply and present SWOT in a disciplined way that follows key rules rather than becoming a loose listing of points. You will then examine the purpose of strategic selection, the role of strategic implementation and management, what implementation typically involves in practice, and how the feedback link allows organisations to monitor results, learn from outcomes, and refine strategies over time.

Attention then turns to the concepts of strategic thinking and strategic management so that you can use a precise vocabulary for high-level decision making. You will consider what is meant by “strategy”, explore Mintzberg’s 5 Ps, and unpack the key elements of strategy using Chandler’s definition and related perspectives. You will analyse the three components of strategy and then define strategic management as the integrated process that links analysis, choice, implementation, and review. You will also explore the relationship between strategic thinking and leadership, and the way strategic planning fits within broader strategic management rather than replacing judgement and adaptability.

The course then explores major strands of strategy theory that have shaped modern management practice. You will examine the debate about the sources of strategy and the five distinct but interrelated strands of strategy thinking: the planning approach, the competitive positioning approach, the emergent or learning approach, the core competence approach, and the learning and knowledge-based strategy approach. You will consider how each of these strands interprets the role of analysis, competition, capabilities, and learning, and how managers can combine these perspectives to build more robust strategies in real organisations.

Finally, the course examines how strategic decisions are made and carried through the organisation, and how objectives are influenced by key stakeholders. You will explore the levels of strategic decision making and the concept of congruency between corporate, business, and functional strategies, as well as where strategy is actually carried out in everyday activities and processes. You will analyse how businesses set strategic objectives, compare the stockholder approach and the stakeholder approach, and examine how stakeholders exert influence on an organisation’s objectives through expectations, resources, and power, shaping what is possible and acceptable in strategic choices.

By the end of this course, you will be able to describe the strategic business process, conduct structured strategic analysis, and use SWOT in a disciplined and meaningful way. You will understand core strategy concepts and definitions, distinguish among key strands of strategy theory, and explain how strategic thinking, planning, and leadership interact within strategic management. Most importantly, you will be equipped to connect strategy formulation and selection with implementation, feedback, stakeholder expectations, and multi-level decision making, enabling you to contribute more confidently and coherently to strategic discussions and actions in your organisation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

·       The strategic business process     

·       The purpose and stages of strategic analysis  

·       The rules that should be followed when presenting the SWOT

·       The purpose of strategic selection

·       The purpose of strategic implementation and management

·       What implementation typically involves?

·       The purpose of the ‘feedback’ link

·       Strategic thinking and strategic management

·       What is strategy?         

·       The Mintzberg’s 5 Ps

·       The elements of strategy

·       Chandler’s definition of strategy

·       The three components of strategy

·       What is strategic management?

·       The relationship between strategic thinking and leadership

·       Strategic planning and strategic management

·       The debate about the ‘sources’ of strategy

·       The five distinct but often interrelated strands to strategy theory

·       The planning approach

·       The competitive positioning approach

·       The emergent or learning approach

·       The core competence approach

·       The learning and knowledge-based strategy approach

·       The levels of strategic decision-making

·       The concept of congruency

·       Where is a strategy actually carried out?

·       How do businesses set strategic objectives?

·       The stockholder approach

·       The stakeholder approach

·       How stakeholders exert influence on an organisation’s objective?

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.