Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Coursera

Competitive Intel, Trends and Data Sourcing

Coursera via Coursera

Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates — All 10,000+ Courses at 40% Off
One annual plan covers every course and certificate on Coursera. 40% off for a limited time.
Get Full Access
You will learn practical approaches to rapidly assemble credible competitive intelligence and to forecast market change in ways stakeholders can act on. This course takes you through classic and adapted frameworks—such as Porter's Five Forces, feature-gap analyses, and risk-scoring matrices—along with pragmatic workflows for evidence discovery and verification. You'll practice advanced search operators, source prioritization based on a credibility hierarchy, and structured note-taking so that public filings, product specs, and earnings transcripts become usable intelligence. The curriculum emphasizes sophisticated methods for quantifying competitor moves, scoring their likely impacts, and visualizing market positioning with clear heatmaps and comparison charts. You will master the art of "Source Auditing" to ensure every forecast is backed by high-quality data. By completing short, time-boxed intelligence briefs and presentations, you'll build the habit of delivering concise, prioritized recommendations that product and strategy teams can operationalize while preserving full auditability of sources and assumptions. This course transforms you into a proactive analyst who can identify emerging marketing shifts and assess their potential implications. You will conclude the module by producing a comprehensive Market Intelligence Brief, a portfolio-ready document that demonstrates your ability to turn raw noise into a competitive advantage. Who this is for: Aspiring market researchers, business strategists, product managers, and professionals looking to develop competitive intelligence skills with no prior experience required.

Syllabus

  • Competitive Analysis and Strategy
    • This module provides a powerful framework for turning business data into a competitive advantage. You will learn to use Porter's Five Forces to analyze an industry's competitive structure and identify key pressures affecting profitability. The module then teaches you to master feature gap analysis, systematically comparing your products against competitors to uncover strengths, weaknesses, and innovation opportunities. Through hands-on labs and real-world scenarios, you will learn to connect high-level industry forces to specific product features, ensuring that your competitive insights translate into actionable strategic decisions and give your organization a distinct market advantage.
  • Analyze Competitors: Market Intelligence
    • This module is designed for professionals and analysts looking to transform market data into strategic foresight. You will learn to master two core analytical techniques. First, you will learn to conduct sentiment analysis on corporate communications, such as earnings calls and press releases, to detect shifts in a competitor's strategy. Next, you will apply a customized Porter's Five Forces framework to evaluate competitive intensity and industry attractiveness. Using real-world case studies from the airline, EV, and ride-sharing industries, you will build a comprehensive market assessment and provide data-driven recommendations that inform high-level strategic decisions, making you an invaluable asset in any business.
  • Forecast and Evaluate Market Trends
    • This module develops essential market forecasting and trend analysis skills for research professionals. You will learn to master techniques for analyzing historical data to predict future demand and evaluate the strategic relevance of emerging trends. Through practical application with time-series data, you will build the predictive capabilities needed to support forward-looking business decisions, identify new opportunities, and drive sustainable growth.
  • Source Credible Data Fast and Smart
    • This module is designed for analysts, researchers, and professionals seeking to build arguments on trustworthy evidence. You will move beyond basic keyword searching to become an advanced researcher, learning a systematic framework to evaluate information for credibility, authority, bias, and accuracy. You will also master advanced search operators like site:, filetype:, and intitle: to enhance your search precision. Through hands-on exercises, you'll create complex queries to find specific corporate reports and technical documents, developing the critical judgment needed to evaluate information reliability and improve your analysis and decision-making.
  • Competitive Market Assessment
    • In this culminating project, you will assume the role of a market intelligence analyst tasked with delivering a comprehensive competitive market assessment. This project challenges you to synthesize the core skills from this program to transform diverse market signals into actionable intelligence that drives product strategy. You will conduct a detailed feature-gap analysis, apply an adapted Porter's Five Forces framework to evaluate strategic risks, and produce a quantitative demand forecast. The final deliverable is a professional-grade market intelligence brief, complete with data visualizations and an executive summary designed for stakeholder review. By completing this project, you will create a valuable portfolio asset that demonstrates your ability to translate complex market data into clear, persuasive, and actionable strategic recommendations.

Taught by

Professionals from the Industry

Reviews

Start your review of Competitive Intel, Trends and Data Sourcing

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.