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.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

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

Strategy, law, and ethics for decisions

According to learners, this course provides a practical framework combining strategy, law, and ethics for making better business and personal decisions. Many found the content easy to understand and appreciated the real-world examples. The inclusion of legal topics was seen as a valuable and unique aspect, particularly the modules on intellectual property and contracts. While the course is generally well-received, some feel certain topics could be explored in greater depth, suggesting it serves as a strong foundation rather than an exhaustive study.

Provides a good foundation, not exhaustive coverage.

"The course provides a solid introduction to the topics, but further study is needed for depth."

"It gives a good overview, but I wish some areas were covered more extensively."

"This is a great starting point for understanding the framework."

"I feel I have a strong foundation, but not deep expertise after this course."

Illustrative examples help solidify understanding.

"Examples used throughout the course helped immensely in understanding concepts."

"The case studies and examples made the material relatable and practical."

"Real-world scenarios made the decision model come alive."

"I found the examples particularly helpful for applying the theories."

Topics are presented in an easy-to-grasp manner.

"The instructor explained complex topics clearly and concisely."

"Videos were easy to follow, even for non-native English speakers."

"Content was presented in a way that made it easy to digest and understand."

"I appreciated the straightforward language used throughout the lectures."

Legal sections are relevant for business context.

"The legal concepts were explained well and directly relevant to business."

"I particularly enjoyed the sections on intellectual property and contracts."

"Understanding the legal pillar was very insightful for managing business risk."

"The legal briefings were a surprising but highly valuable addition."

Learn a useful model for better decision making.

"I found the 3 pillar model easy to understand and apply to my decision-making processes."

"The framework provided is practical and immediately applicable to real-world situations."

"This course taught me a valuable framework to analyze decisions from multiple angles."

"The course introduced a clear and concise model for making successful decisions."

Some topics move quickly or lack depth.

"Some parts felt a bit rushed, especially in the legal sections."

"Could use more in-depth coverage on complex topics."

"I would have liked more detailed explanations for certain concepts."

"At times, the pace felt too fast to fully absorb the information."

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

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

Browse courses on Strategic Decision Making

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

Review Business Law

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

Browse courses on Business Law

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

Read 'Good Strategy/Bad Strategy'

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

View The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists on Amazon

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

Six other activities

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Attend Industry Events

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

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

Form a Study Group

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

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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

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Supplement your learning on intellectual property by following online tutorials.

Browse courses on Intellectual Property

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

Develop a Business Plan

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

Browse courses on Business Plan

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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

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

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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

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

Browse courses on Ethical Decision-Making

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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