Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model from Coursera

Successful decision making is based on three key pillars: strategy, law and ethics. After taking this course you will be able to use a practical framework based on these three elements to make successful business, personal and leadership decisions.

This course opens with an example of a leadership decision: President Barack Obama’s strategic decision to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. The course then shows how the three elements can be used to prevent a tragedy when making a personal decision.

The rest of the course focuses on making successful business decisions. In essence, to achieve business and career success, you must create value (strategy) and manage risk (law) in a responsible manner (ethics).

Because the Law Pillar plays a central role in the three pillar model, the course includes practical legal briefings (with many examples) on the key elements of business success. Specifically, the course shows you how to:

• attract the best employees,

• develop successful products,

• create new business models,

• protect intellectual property,

• create contracts that achieve business goals, and

• use dispute resolution processes that improve business relationships.

Using a global perspective, the course also provides an introduction to international business culture for learners from the United States, and an introduction to the U.S. business culture for learners from outside the U.S.

What's inside

Syllabus

Welcome to Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model!

This course will enable you to use the Three Pillar model to manage business risk and create value in an ethical manner. You will also be able to use the model when making personal decisions. After completing this introductory module, you will understand the course goal and game plan.

Use the Three Pillar Model for Personal, Leadership and Business Decisions

In this module you will learn the basic structure of the Three Pillar model and the importance of thinking globally in today’s business world. You will also learn a practical decision making tool that you can begin to use immediately for personal and business decisions. Suggestion: The videos are viewed by learners from around the world. English is not the primary language for many of these learners. As a result, when shooting the videos I have attempted to speak in a slow and deliberate manner. If English is your native language, I recommend that you increase the speed to at least 1.25x.

Use Employment Law to Attract and Retain the Best Business Talent

Your ability to attract and retain the best employees is essential to business success. This requires an understanding of employment law. The videos in this module cover two of the most important and controversial areas of employment law: the ability of a business to fire employees and sex discrimination. After watching the videos, you will be able to manage employment risks in these areas, while also attracting the best talent to your business.

Meet Your Customers’ Needs: Transform Product Liability into Product Innovation

In a fast-changing world, your ability to develop new products is an important source of competitive advantage. The videos in this module provide you with methods for managing product liability risks. You can use these same methods for consumer research and new product development.

Create Business Opportunities Through Government Regulation

Government regulation plays an important role in determining the success of businesses around the world. In this module you will learn how to manage government regulatory risk by shaping the law and through compliance. You will also learn how to create business opportunities by anticipating regulation (the Regulatory Frontier Strategy) and by developing business models based on gaps in regulation (the Regulatory Gap Strategy).

Use Your Intellectual Property to Create Shareholder Value

Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own business or a manager in a major international corporation, intellectual property is one of your key business assets. In this module, guest lecturer Susan Kornfield, a leading intellectual property lawyer, will explain how to create, protect and use your intellectual property in the US and internationally. The module is divided into the four key areas of intellectual property: trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and patents. Although these areas can be technical and complex, she brings them to life with many fascinating examples. Each of the four sections concludes with a summary of a lawyer’s perspective on intellectual property (which tends to focus on risk management) and a business perspective (which focuses on value creation).

Develop Contracts that Create Value for Both Sides

Successful contracts are the key to value creation for businesses. This module provides a contracting checklist of the key elements anyone in business should understand when negotiating contracts. These elements are necessary to minimize risk by creating a “perfect” contract. However, because a legally perfect contract can also be harmful to business success, the module also covers how to focus your contracts on business objectives and how to visualize contract terms to increase your understanding.

Use Dispute Resolution Processes for Value Creation

This module focuses on the processes that you will use to resolve disputes and build relationships that are key to business success. Short videos demonstrate arbitration and mediation processes. The module includes discussion of practical management tools you can use immediately to manage risks relating to business disputes: a corporate pledge, screens, contract clauses, and online resources. The module also shows you how to dispute resolution for value creation, including using the power of apology and a life goals analysis.

Create and Lead an Ethical Business

This module focuses on the Ethics Pillar of decision making by addressing three questions that are important to your career success: (1) What decision-making process should you use when facing an ethical dilemma? (2) What guidelines should you consider when analyzing the dilemma? (3) How can your best serve as an ethical leader in you organization? In answering these questions, the module shows how you can use the Law Pillar and the Strategy Pillar to embed ethical standards into your business and create an ethical organization.

Final Examination

This module includes the final examination, including both the relevant instructions and honor code.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Focuses on understanding business success, which is critical for professionals, entrepeneurs, and students

Emphasizes ethics, strategy, and law as key factors in decision-making, providing learners with a comprehensive approach

Introduces international business culture, expanding the course's relevance to learners from diverse backgrounds

Provides a strong foundation for learners to make successful decisions in personal and professional settings

Incorporates practical examples and case studies to reinforce learning and make the course engaging

Guided by experienced instructors who provide valuable insights and expertise

Reviews summary

Excellent decision making mastery

Learners say this excellent course on decision making in business is well-received and engaging. Students note that the material is applicable to real-life situations. The knowledgeable instructor presents practical examples and includes ethical considerations. The flexible learning format makes it convenient for busy learners to balance their schedule.

Course is offered in a flexible learning format.

"The flexible learning format has been perfect for me."

Instructor includes ethical considerations in course material.

"practical examples he presented, and an ethical way of negotiating."

Course material is applicable to real-life situations.

"Excellent eye opener for knowledge on Decision making in Business environment "

"Excellent overview of US corporate law and ethics."

"Excellent course on making successful decisions through the strategy, law and ethics model."

Course is well-taught by a knowledgeable and engaging instructor.

"I loved the professor! Very interesting stuff was discussed."

"George Siedel is one of the best lecturers that I ever met in my education life!"

"I love the teacher. He's gentle, insightful, and pleasant."

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 Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model with these activities:

Review Strategic Decision Making

Show steps

Prepare for this course by reviewing basic concepts of strategic decision making.

Browse courses on Strategic Decision Making

Show steps

Read articles and books on strategic decision making.
Watch videos on strategic decision making.
Take practice quizzes on strategic decision making.

Review Business Law

Show steps

Prepare for the legal portion of this course by reviewing basic business law topics.

Browse courses on Business Law

Show steps

Read articles and books on business law.
Watch videos on business law.
Take practice quizzes on business law.

Read 'Good Strategy/Bad Strategy'

Show steps

This book provides a framework for evaluating and developing effective business strategies.

View The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book.
Summarize the key concepts of the book.
Apply the book's framework to a real-world business case.

Six other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all nine activities

Attend Industry Events

Show steps

Network with professionals in your field to learn about best practices and industry trends.

Show steps

Identify relevant industry events.
Attend the events.
Introduce yourself to other attendees.
Exchange contact information.

Form a Study Group

Show steps

Collaborate with classmates to discuss course material, work on assignments, and prepare for exams.

Show steps

Find classmates who are interested in forming a study group.
Schedule regular study sessions.
Discuss course material.
Work on assignments together.
Prepare for exams.

Follow Tutorials on Intellectual Property

Show steps

Supplement your learning on intellectual property by following online tutorials.

Browse courses on Intellectual Property

Show steps

Search for online tutorials on intellectual property.
Watch the tutorials.
Take notes on the key concepts.

Develop a Business Plan

Show steps

Apply the concepts learned in this course to develop a comprehensive business plan.

Browse courses on Business Plan

Show steps

Define the business opportunity.
Conduct market research.
Develop a marketing and sales strategy.
Create a financial plan.
Write the business plan.

Create a Course Notebook

Show steps

Organize and review course materials to enhance your understanding and retention.

Show steps

Gather all course materials, including notes, assignments, and quizzes.
Organize the materials into a logical order.
Review the materials regularly.

Create a Presentation on Ethical Decision-Making

Show steps

Demonstrate your understanding of ethical decision-making by creating a presentation that can be used to train others.

Browse courses on Ethical Decision-Making

Show steps

Research ethical decision-making.
Develop a framework for ethical decision-making.
Create a presentation on ethical decision-making.
Present your presentation to others.
Get feedback on your presentation.

Career center

Learners who complete Making Successful Decisions through the Strategy, Law & Ethics Model will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Entrepreneur

As an Entrepreneur, you are responsible for starting and running your own business. This course may be especially helpful in the early stages of developing your business, as it covers a wide range of topics that are essential to entrepreneurial success.

See salaries and explore the career path for Entrepreneur

Chief Executive Officer

As a Chief Executive Officer, you are responsible for making strategic decisions for a company. The robust sections on strategy, law, and decision making in this course will all be helpful in a C-Suite role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Executive Officer

Corporate Lawyer

As a Corporate Lawyer, you are responsible for providing legal advice to corporations on a wide range of matters. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in corporate law, which will be essential to your success in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Corporate Lawyer

Business Development Manager

As an Business Development Manager, you are responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities. The ethics, strategy, and law pillars of this course will provide you with the decision-making skills you need to identify opportunities and negotiate deals.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Development Manager

Operations Research Analyst

As an Operations Research Analyst, you are responsible for using mathematical and analytical techniques to solve business problems. The strategic and law pillars of this course will help you understand the legal implications of business models, and to frame your analysis within them.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Research Analyst

Management Consultant

As a Management Consultant, you are responsible for advising clients on how to improve their business performance. This course can help you develop the skills you need to analyze complex business problems and develop effective solutions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Management Consultant

Investment Banker

As an Investment Banker, you are responsible for advising companies on mergers and acquisitions, as well as other financial transactions. This course will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to make sound decisions in this complex and fast-paced environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Investment Banker

Financial Analyst

As a Financial Analyst, you are responsible for analyzing financial data and making recommendations to clients. This course can provide you with a strong foundation in business and finance, which will be essential to your success in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Analyst

Human Resources Manager

As a Human Resources Manager, you are responsible for managing the people and policies of an organization. This includes recruiting, hiring, training, and firing employees. The law pillar in this course provides crucial knowledge about employment law, which is essential for your success in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Sales Manager

As a Sales Manager, you are responsible for leading and motivating a sales team to achieve sales goals. This course can help you develop the leadership and decision-making skills you need to be successful in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Manager

Marketing Manager

As a Marketing Manager, you are responsible for developing and executing marketing campaigns that promote a company's products or services. The section on developing successful products and creating business opportunities through government regulation may be particularly useful in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Operations Manager

As an Operations Manager, you are responsible for the day-to-day operations of a business. This includes overseeing production, inventory, and customer service. The decision-making skills you learn in this course will be essential to your success in this role, as you will need to make quick and informed decisions on a daily basis.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Manager

Product Manager

As a Product Manager, you are responsible for developing, launching, and managing a product or service. Sound decision making is essential to your success in this role, as you will need to make choices about everything from product features to marketing campaigns. This course can help you develop the skills you need to make successful decisions in a business context.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Business Strategy Consultant

As a Business Strategy Consultant, you will use your problem-solving and analytical skills to help businesses make better decisions. This course is a good match because it includes the three pillars of decision making: strategy, law, and ethics. By understanding how these pillars work together, you can make better recommendations to your clients.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Strategy Consultant

Legal Compliance Manager

As a Legal Compliance Manager, your main function is to help your organization comply with complex legal regulations. It is an important role that protects a company from expensive lawsuits and ensures that it operates in an ethical and responsible manner. This course is a good fit as it has a robust section on law and ethics in a business context, including management of risks and the development of effective contracts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Legal Compliance Manager