Corporate Strategy Course Syllabus
Full curriculum breakdown — modules, lessons, estimated time, and outcomes.
Overview: This course provides a structured introduction to corporate strategy, designed for beginners seeking to understand how organizations manage multiple businesses strategically. The curriculum covers core concepts including corporate advantage, diversification, divestiture, and the role of corporate headquarters. With a total time commitment of approximately 8 hours, learners will engage with practical frameworks and real-world case studies to build foundational strategic thinking skills applicable across industries.
Module 1: Corporate Advantage
Estimated time: 2 hours
- Introduction to corporate strategy and its main goal: corporate advantage
- Comparison between corporate strategy and business strategy
- Conducting a sum-of-the-parts analysis to value multi-business firms
Module 2: Diversification
Estimated time: 2 hours
- Understanding the basic modes of diversification
- Identifying synergies and resource gaps
- Evaluating whether to ally or acquire
- Choosing between organic or inorganic growth
Module 3: Divestiture
Estimated time: 2 hours
- Exploring the reasons for divestiture
- Evaluating better parents
- Choosing the divestiture mode
- Understanding the regional perspective in divestiture decisions
Module 4: Corporate Headquarters
Estimated time: 2 hours
- Examining how corporate headquarters can create value across different businesses
- Understanding the role of corporate governance and strategic leadership
- Analyzing the impact of corporate culture on strategy implementation
Module 5: Final Project
Estimated time: 2 hours
- Apply sum-of-the-parts analysis to a multi-business firm
- Evaluate diversification and divestiture options for a case company
- Assess the role of corporate headquarters in strategic decision-making
Prerequisites
- Familiarity with basic business concepts
- No prior knowledge of corporate strategy required
- Access to course materials and willingness to engage with case studies
What You'll Be Able to Do After
- Understand the fundamentals of corporate strategy and its importance in managing multiple businesses
- Assess corporate advantage using sum-of-the-parts analysis
- Identify opportunities and risks in diversification strategies
- Evaluate when and how to divest businesses effectively
- Understand how corporate headquarters contributes to value creation across businesses