In this six-module course, you will learn how businesses and organizations behave in situations in which strategic decisions are interdependent, i.e. where my actions affect my competitors' profits and vice versa. Using the basic tools of game theory, we will analyse how businesses choose strategies to attain competitive advantage.
Competitive Strategy
Competitive Strategy
This course is part of Competitive Strategy and Organization Design Specialization
Instructor: Tobias Kretschmer
366,558 already enrolled
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7
(3,086 reviews)
18 hours to complete
3 weeks at 6 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
97%
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Assessments
25 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Competitive Strategy and Organization Design Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 6 modules in this course
In this module, we introduce the basic concepts of game theory and use strategic games to learn competitor analysis. We answer “what is a strategy?” and look at the different ways to determine a best or dominant strategy. We also discuss the concepts of Nash Equilibrium and Prisoners’ Dilemma - and learn that it is important to anticipate and take into consideration the actions of the other players. Lastly, we analyse what happens when we change the game from simultaneous (where everybody acts at the same time) to sequential (where players move after each other).
What's included
9 videos3 readings3 assignments
According to economic theory, companies compete with each other in the marketplace. In reality, they are often friendly and cooperate with each other. In this module, we attempt to understand this strategy, and why it is good for the organizations involved. With this, we evaluate the factors that encourage or hinder cooperation and apply them in different examples.
What's included
9 videos1 reading5 assignments
In this module, we introduce complements and discuss what they mean to us in economic terms. We study why companies like to sell their products in a bundle - and how complementarity creates switching costs. We also discuss the importance of that coordination among companies with complementary products. Finally, we look at strategic partnerships as a powerful tool to align companies’ interests in this specific setting.
What's included
7 videos1 reading4 assignments
This module is about market entry. We first look at different tools to assess the attractiveness of a market – and then discuss strategies that have proven to be helpful for entering a new market, such as positioning and marketing strategies. We also look from the other perspective, and analyse what established businesses can do to keep new competitors out of the market.
What's included
10 videos1 reading4 assignments
In the context of R&D, a number of important strategic questions arise consistently; in this module, we take a closer look at these questions. Though many innovations are created by a stroke of luck, it seems that the majority of innovations are created because their inventors actively strive towards this specific innovation and differentiation strategy.
What's included
9 videos1 reading4 assignments
In this module, we focus on strategic aspects of product design and pricing strategy. We analyse how companies can adjust their products in a way that lowers the competitive pressure in the market. Later on, we look at some generic strategies for product design and pricing – and discuss the problems related to being stuck between these strategies.
What's included
9 videos1 reading5 assignments
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.8 (397 ratings)
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4.7
3,086 reviews
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Showing 3 of 3086
AD
5
Reviewed on Jun 28, 2020
A very engaging course. Prof Tobias Kretschmer made it very interesting with excellent examples which anyone can relate to. The presentation and the pace of course was very good.
IG
5
Reviewed on Aug 17, 2015
The course is amazing and very helpful for everyone who works on Business Development and Business Strategy. Definitely need the second course - Advanced Competitive Strategy.
DS
5
Reviewed on Jul 18, 2020
I had a blast studying this course. It had cleared all my doubts related to business and kudos to tobias sir and the coursera team on preparing such wonderful material to learn from. thank you.
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Frequently asked questions
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