Sustaining Competitive Advantage


Overview/Description
Target Audience
Expected Duration
Lesson Objectives
Course Number



Overview/Description
In today's competitive business environment, being as good as the competition is not enough. An organization must devise strategies and develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies to set it apart from the competition. In this course business strategies are examined that can help a company gain and sustain competitive advantage. Companies build their strength around three key strategic areas: competitive positioning, core competence, and talent. By focusing on these strategic approaches, this course demonstrates how competitive advantage can be created, grown, and sustained in a company.

Target Audience
Those in management who are engaged in or preparing for a more strategic role in business. This includes senior executives, operations managers, consultants, and businesspeople looking to add a more strategic edge to their business activities. This course is also aimed at business students and professionals who want to gain knowledge of how strategy can be applied in a business context.

Expected Duration (hours)
3.0

Lesson Objectives

Sustaining Competitive Advantage

  • recognize the benefits of understanding Porter's competitive positioning model
  • determine which forces are undermining a company's position in a given scenario
  • match Porter's five competitive forces to the considerations associated with each
  • determine the most appropriate generic strategy to use in a given scenario
  • match primary value chain activities to examples
  • recognize the benefits of taking a competence-based strategic management approach
  • determine whether a company's competencies can be considered "core" in a given scenario
  • identify examples of the five key competence management tasks
  • recognize the importance of the strategic development of talent
  • identify examples of the value disciplines that drive successful organizations
  • identify the strategies employers should consider adopting to attract top talent in today's workplace
  • identify examples of the six interlocking strategies used to build a talented workforce
  • determine the appropriate strategies for engaging senior leaders in the talent management processes in a given scenario
  • Course Number:
    stgy_01_a02_bs_enus