Digital Strategy and Action from edX

What do business luminaries like Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Netflix have in common? They’re digital businesses – meaning that they blur the digital and physical worlds – and their CEOs have built companies from idea to over $10 billion in revenues and kept them growing at an annual rate of at least 20%.

The surprising reality is that while you may never reach their level, you can be a better leader by learning from their success. The key is to understand how they grappled with the basic questions of digital strategy and action. How did they:

Decide what problem to solve?
Create a product that customers were eager to buy?
Build their teams to capitalize on growth?
Raise capital?
Win market share?
Sustain growth?

In this business and management course, you will learn from these maestros how to pick digital strategies with the greatest potential; use prototypes to match your product to unrelieved customer pain; identify, attract, and motivate the talent your company needs to grow; raise capital while maintaining control of your company’s future; win market share by delivering customers a quantum value leap; and build disciplined growth trajectories.

This course will combine the principles of Entrepreneurial Thought & Action ® with the ideas developed in the instructor’s books Hungry Start-Up Strategy (2012) and Disciplined Growth Strategies (2017). It will inspire you with in-depth case studies of how Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos built its most profitable business by selling companies access to the computer infrastructure that powers its e-commerce business; how Facebook boosted 37-fold its April 2012 $1 billion investment in Instagram; how Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wiped out Blockbuster Video through its DVD-by-Mail service and in 2007 moved to replace that service with online streaming when Apple launched the iPhone.

Who should take this course

Aspiring CEOs should take this class so they can beat the long odds against entrepreneurial success by understanding how the world’s top leaders keep their companies growing. Those who work for big companies can use these insights to accelerate their growth while defending themselves against digital business leaders seeking to win their customers.

This course is part of the Business Principles and Entrepreneurial Thought XSeries.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Apply the five tests of a great entrepreneurial idea
Use prototypes to discover the best product/market fit
Maintain control by varying capital sources at four stages of startup development

Win market share by delivering customers a quantum value leap
Build a culture that attracts top talent and turns customers into advocates
Chain five vectors into a sustainable growth trajectory

Apply the five tests of a great entrepreneurial idea
Use prototypes to discover the best product/market fit
Maintain control by varying capital sources at four stages of startup development
Win market share by delivering customers a quantum value leap
Build a culture that attracts top talent and turns customers into advocates
Chain five vectors into a sustainable growth trajectory

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Focuses on digital business strategy and action

Presents case studies of successful digital businesses

Provides insights from business luminaries such as Jeff Bezos and Reed Hastings

Taught by Peter Cohan, an experienced entrepreneur and author

Meant for aspiring CEOs and those working in big companies

Part of the Business Principles and Entrepreneurial Thought XSeries

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Digital Strategy and Action with these activities:

Review difficult math concepts

Show steps

Refresh your understanding of challenging math concepts to strengthen your foundation for this course's mathematical rigor.

Browse courses on Calculus

Show steps

Review lecture notes and textbooks from previous math courses.
Practice solving problems from online resources or textbooks.
Attend office hours or tutoring sessions to clarify any remaining doubts.

Read 'Good Strategy/Bad Strategy'

Show steps

Gain insights into effective strategy formulation by reading 'Good Strategy/Bad Strategy', a renowned book that provides a framework for evaluating and developing robust strategies.

View The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book thoroughly, taking notes and highlighting key concepts.
Reflect on the principles and case studies presented in the book.
Apply the lessons learned to your own business or entrepreneurial endeavors.

Follow tutorials on data visualization tools

Show steps

Enhance your data visualization skills by following guided tutorials, improving your ability to present data insights effectively.

Browse courses on Tableau

Show steps

Identify online tutorials or courses on data visualization tools.
Follow step-by-step instructions to create visualizations.
Experiment with different chart types and data manipulation techniques.

Five other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all eight activities

Develop a digital marketing campaign plan

Show steps

Apply your understanding of digital marketing by creating a comprehensive campaign plan, outlining strategies for reaching your target audience.

Browse courses on Digital Marketing

Show steps

Set metrics for tracking campaign performance.
Define campaign goals and objectives.
Identify target audience and conduct market research.
Develop a content strategy and create engaging content.
Outline distribution channels and promotion strategies.

Solve mock case studies

Show steps

Develop your strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities by practicing with mock case studies, simulating real-world business scenarios.

Browse courses on Case Studies

Show steps

Obtain mock case studies from online resources or textbooks.
Analyze the case study, identify key issues, and develop a solution.
Present your solution and defend your recommendations.
Seek feedback and refine your approach based on feedback.

Attend a workshop on digital marketing

Show steps

Expand your knowledge of digital marketing strategies by attending a workshop, gaining practical insights from industry experts.

Browse courses on Digital Marketing

Show steps

Research and identify relevant workshops.
Register for the workshop and actively participate in sessions.
Take notes, ask questions, and network with other attendees.

Mentor junior students or entrepreneurs

Show steps

Sharpen your leadership and communication skills by mentoring junior students or entrepreneurs, providing guidance and support.

Browse courses on Mentoring

Show steps

Identify opportunities to mentor through university programs or local organizations.
Connect with mentees and establish regular communication channels.
Provide guidance on specific business challenges or career development.

Launch a small-scale entrepreneurial venture

Show steps

Gain hands-on experience by starting a small-scale entrepreneurial venture, putting your business knowledge and skills into practice.

Browse courses on Entrepreneurship

Show steps

Identify a business opportunity and develop a business plan.
Secure funding and resources.
Build a team and launch your venture.
Monitor progress and make necessary adjustments.
Evaluate the success of your venture and learn from the experience.

Career center

Learners who complete Digital Strategy and Action will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Strategy Manager

Strategy Managers develop and implement strategies to achieve a company's goals. This course may be useful for an aspiring Strategy Manager because it provides a framework for developing and implementing a strategy.

See salaries and explore the career path for Strategy Manager

Vice President

A Vice President is a senior executive in a company. This course may be useful for an aspiring Vice President because it provides a framework for developing and implementing a strategy, which is a critical requirement of a Vice President.

See salaries and explore the career path for Vice President

Senior Manager

Senior Managers are responsible for the overall management of a business function, such as finance, human resources, or operations. This course may be useful for an aspiring Senior Manager because it provides a framework for developing and implementing a strategy, which is a critical requirement of a Senior Manager.

See salaries and explore the career path for Senior Manager

Marketing Manager

Marketing Managers develop and execute marketing campaigns to promote products and services. This course would be useful for an aspiring Marketing Manager because it provides strategies for identifying customer needs, developing a product to meet those needs, and implementing a plan to win market share.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Sales Manager

Sales Managers develop and execute sales strategies to sell products and services. This course may be useful for an aspiring Sales Manager because it provides a framework for identifying and winning new customers, developing a sales plan, and building a sales team.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Manager

Product Manager

Product Managers are responsible for the development and management of products. This course may be useful for an aspiring Product Manager because it provides a framework for identifying customer needs, developing a product to meet those needs, and implementing a plan to win market share.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Innovation Manager

Innovation Managers develop and implement strategies to drive innovation within a company. This course may be useful for an aspiring Innovation Manager because it provides a framework for identifying opportunities, developing a plan to implement them, and building a culture of innovation within the company. All of these are crucial to successful innovation within a company.

See salaries and explore the career path for Innovation Manager

General Manager

A General Manager is responsible for the overall management of a business unit. This course may be useful for an aspiring General Manager because it provides a framework for developing and implementing a strategy, which is a critical requirement of a General Manager.

See salaries and explore the career path for General Manager

Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs start businesses and take on the risk of starting a new business in exchange for the potential profits. This course may be useful for an aspiring entrepreneur, as it provides a frameworks for identifying opportunities and developing a plan to capitalize on them, which would be extremely valuable for an entrepreneur starting out a new business.

See salaries and explore the career path for Entrepreneur

Consultant

Consultants advise companies on how to improve their performance and achieve their goals. They may work on a variety of projects, such as developing growth strategies, improving customer service, or implementing new technologies. This course would be useful for an aspiring consultant because it teaches the principles of developing and implementing a strategy, which would be extremely valuable for a consultant tasked with advising a company on how to improve performance.

See salaries and explore the career path for Consultant

Chief Strategy Officer

The CSO is responsible for developing and implementing the company's long-term strategy. This course may be useful for an aspiring CSO because it provides a framework for developing and implementing a strategy.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Strategy Officer

Chief Operating Officer

The COO is responsible for implementing a company's strategy and managing its day-to-day operations. This course may be useful for an aspiring COO, as it discusses the principles for creating a strategy and developing a plan to implement that strategy.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Operating Officer

Chief Information Officer

The CIO is responsible for planning and executing the company's information technology strategy. This course may be useful for an aspiring CIO, as it discusses the principles for identifying and exploiting opportunities created by digital technologies, which will be a central focus of the CIO.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Information Officer

Chief Executive Officer

The CEO is the top executive in the company. The CEO establishes a vision for the company, creates a strategic plan to realize that vision, and leads the implementation of the strategic plan. This course may be useful for an aspiring CEO, as this course discusses the principles behind setting a vision, creating a plan, and implementing that plan.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Executive Officer

Business Analyst

A Business Analyst is responsible for identifying not only business opportunities, but also the methods for the business to capitalize on these, whether it be through a new product or service or through entering new markets. They interface between technical personnel and management. Taking this course may be useful because it can provide a series of frameworks for identifying opportunities and for developing strategies to capitalize on them.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst