This course is part of the CLIMB program and Strategy track.
Introduction to Business Strategy

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Business Strategy

$1,850
Next 7-week session starts October 30th
Formulate strategies to give your organization a competitive advantage, using a proven framework that creates value for customers, employees, and suppliers.
7
weeks
5-6
hours per week
6
modules
Self-Paced
with regular deadlines

 This course earns you a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online. What you earn.

Overview
Syllabus
Enrollment
Stories
FAQs

Key Concepts

Assess business opportunities through the lens of value creation
Apply the value stick, a research-based framework for strategy formulation, to key strategic decisions that companies face today
Master the language and tools of business strategy to contribute meaningfully to strategic conversations and your team’s success
Create value for customers, employees, and suppliers, often in surprising ways, that rival companies will find hard to match
Build sustainable success with the help of complements and network effects

Who Will Benefit

Develop a powerful, value-based strategy to achieve greater success for your team and organization.
Participating in the student discussions and answering cold calls was empowering. It ignited a drive within me to learn and absorb as much as I could.
Leslie Pico
A small business owner and tech entrepreneur from Arizona
Programming & System Analysis, Biomedical Engineering, Estrella Mountain Community College
Small Business Administration, Northern Arizona University
Apply tools and frameworks to effectively allocate resources, determine which projects to pursue, and deepen your company’s competitive advantage.
We live in an ever changing world and in order to keep up and become successful, continuous education is a must-do.
Ozgur Taskaya
User Acquisition Manager at Adcash
Make stronger strategic recommendations and recognize the companies that are likely to achieve enduring financial success
The course has given me the confidence to know that my suggestions have a solid business basis.
Jennifer Moret
Financial Analyst

What You Earn

Certificate of Completion

Certificate of Completion

Boost your resume with a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online

Earn by: completing this course

Certificate of Specialization

Certificate of Specialization

Prove your mastery of strategy

Earn by: completing any three courses within this subject area to earn a Certificate of Specialization

Syllabus

6 Modules, 30-35 Hours
Download full syllabus
7-8
hrs
Module 1

Creating Value for Customers

Develop a foundational understanding of the value stick framework and learn how to make pricing decisions with a focus on willingness to pay (WTP).

Highlights

The Value Stick
Value Creation at Best Buy
Value Creation at Nonprofit Organizations
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. An Introduction to Value-Based Strategy
  2. Sales Success and Willingness to Pay
  3. Asking How
  4. Near-Customers

Featured Exercises

  • Identify ways to increase and decrease willingness to sell (WTS) to create a dual advantage
  • Explore the idea of value drivers
5
hrs
Module 2

Adding Value Through Complements

Understand the difference between complements and substitutes and discover the power of complements as a competitive advantage.

Highlights

Pricing Complements
Discerning Complements from Substitutes
Creating Complementarity
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Concepts

  1. Understanding Complements
  2. Shifting Value
  3. Navigating the Frenemy Relationship
  4. Discerning Complements from Substitutes

Featured Exercises

  • Create a customer journey map to discover complementary products and services
5
hrs
Module 3

Competing with Network Effects

Explore the three types of network effects, their impact on WTP, and how to compete against dominant platforms.

Highlights

Predicting Competition in Local Markets
Competing Against Dominant Platforms
Platforms in Your Value Chain
Serial Acquirers
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Concepts

  1. Understanding Network Effects
  2. Which Markets Will Tip
  3. Strategies for Underdogs
  4. Digital Platforms and Innovation

Featured Exercises

  • Analyze the marketplace to determine how to lift WTP in ways that don’t rely on scale
5
hrs
Module 4

Creating Value for Talent

Discover ways to make work more attractive for your employees, understand the difference between lowering WTS and reducing compensation, and explore workplace flexibility.

Highlights

The Problem with Retail Work
Breaking the Cycle
The Good Jobs Strategy
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Concepts

  1. Talent
  2. Linking Productivity and Customer Delight
  3. Competing on Flexibility
  4. Compensation Policy

Featured Exercises

  • Create an employee journey map to find ways to improve the employee experience
  • Explore the elements of the Good Jobs Strategy
5
hrs
Module 5

Mastering Productivity

Explore why some companies are more productive than others, the power of economies of scale, and opportunities to share value with your suppliers.

Highlights

Fixed and Variable Costs
How Big Banks Get Bigger
Teaching Your Suppliers
Good Management
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Concepts

  1. Measuring Productivity
  2. Economies of Scale
  3. Teaching and Learning
  4. Good Management

Featured Exercises

  • Identify ways to improve supplier relationships
  • Determine the difference between good management practices and productivity
5
hrs
Module 6

Implementing Strategy

Learn to move from strategy formulation to implementation and discover the importance of prioritizing and differentiating strategic initiatives.

Highlights

Prioritizing Your Value Drivers
Refining Your Value Maps
Strategy Implementation
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Value Maps
  2. Evolving Your Value Proposition
  3. Connecting Strategy, Activities, and KPIs
  4. Execution Challenges

Featured Exercises

  • Determine the most important value drivers for your customers and employees
  • Create a value map for your company
  • Explore ways to prioritize the most important value drivers to grow your business
Free E-Book

How to Formulate a Successful Business Strategy

This guide will equip you with the tools, frameworks, and knowledge to formulate a successful business strategy to propel your organization forward.

Our Difference

Business Strategy enables anyone to think and act strategically. Learn an effective, easy-to-grasp framework some of the world’s best companies use to create value and achieve outstanding financial performance.
Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes and applying your knowledge through group exercises.
Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes and applying your knowledge through group exercises.
Get social by collaborating with a global community of peers before, during, and after your course. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program will be added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
Get social by collaborating with a global community of peers before, during, and after your course. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program will be added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts from companies like Best Buy, Corning, DoorDash, Farfetch, GE, Harkins Theatres, JPMorgan Chase, Quest Diagnostics, Raksul, Ripple, Simon-Kucher & Partners, Tatra banka, and West Monroe Partners.
Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts from companies like Best Buy, Corning, DoorDash, Farfetch, GE, Harkins Theatres, JPMorgan Chase, Quest Diagnostics, Raksul, Ripple, Simon-Kucher & Partners, Tatra banka, and West Monroe Partners.

About the Professor

Felix Oberholzer-Gee
Business Strategy

Andreas Andresen Professor of Business Administration
"Business Strategy will equip you with a framework that you can apply immediately."

Dates & Eligibility

Starting
Oct
30
7 Weeks  $1,850 + applicable international taxes
Enrollment deadline October 24
View weekly calendar
Enroll Now
Starting
Jan
15
7 Weeks  $1,850 + applicable international taxes
Enrollment deadline January 9
View weekly calendar
Enroll Now
Starting
Mar
12
7 Weeks  $1,850 + applicable international taxes
Enrollment deadline March 6
Enroll Now
  • No documentation required

All learners must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course.

Learn about bringing this course to your organization.

Learner Stories

90%
are more self-assured at work
My favorite part of the program was interacting with my cohort members where I received valuable shared experiences, feedback and was able to be a thought partner around strategies and best practices in varying scenarios.
Raymond Porch
Manager of Diversity Programs at Boston Public Schools
The course has given me the confidence to know that my suggestions have a solid business basis.
Jennifer Moret
Financial Analyst
* Source: 2022 surveys and course data
 
All FAQs

Business Strategy FAQs

Participants in Business Strategy are eligible for a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Business School Online.

Participants are expected to fully complete all coursework in a thoughtful and timely manner. This will mean meeting each week’s course module deadlines and fully answering questions posed therein. This helps ensure your cohort proceeds through the course at a similar pace and can take full advantage of social learning opportunities. In addition to module and assignment completion, we expect participation in the social learning elements of the course by offering feedback on others’ reflections and contributing to conversations on the platform. Participants who fail to complete the course requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the course.

More detailed information on course requirements will be communicated at the start of the course. No grades are assigned for Business Strategy. Participants will either be evaluated as complete or not complete.

You will have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program. Access to course materials and the course platform ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program.

Once you've earned your Certificate of Completion, list it on your resume along with the date of completion:

Harvard Business School Online
Certificate in Business Strategy
[Cohort Start Month and Year]

List your certificate on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" with the language from the Credential Verification page:

School: Harvard Business School Online
Dates Attended: [The year you participated in the program]
Degree: Other; Certificate in Business Strategy
Field of Study: Leave blank
Grade: "Complete"
Activities and Societies: Leave blank

Description:
Business Strategy is a 6-week, 30-35 hour online certificate program from Harvard Business School. Business Strategy equips professionals with a simplified framework they can immediately apply to create value for customers, employees, and suppliers while maximizing returns and an organization’s competitive edge. Participants learn to evaluate trade-offs and align, prioritize, and formulate strategic initiatives for the greatest business impact.

 

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