Participants will individually analyze a case study using the concepts covered in the business strategy course. Part 1: Strategic analysis Please pick a company of your choice

Participants will individually analyze a case study using the concepts covered in the business strategy course. Part 1: Strategic analysis Please pick a company of your choice (ideally, a business unit of your current or previous company, or a competitor) and do a strategic analysis using all the concepts and frameworks discussed during the Business Strategy course. Each participant should go through a careful analysis: External analysis: industry analysis, competitors, market dynamics,… Internal analysis: current business model and resources/capabilities Uncovering the connections between the different strategy frameworks of the module in the context of the industry will likely unlock unique insights. Ideally, you will use this exercise to formulate recommendations, including aspects of business model innovation (if relevant). This analysis will allow participants to demonstrate their analytical skills as well as their ability to formulate creative and insightful recommendations. You can refer to the following questions (and to the attached assessment sheet) to make sure your essay meets the requirements: Did you clearly state the origin of the competitive advantage? (ie, the difference between willingness to pay, described through the value proposition and the costs, stemming from the value architecture) Did you describe in detail the value proposition (including value curves to compare to competitors), the value architecture, and the profit equation? Did you state what are the current/needed resources and capabilities, ie, VRIST? What have you written that you could not write before the course? Are your learnings from the course highlighted in your paper? Part 2: Write the executive summary The executive summary itself is a note written to the CEO, summarizing the most salient and relevant parts of the strategic analysis undertaken in Part 1. Thus, the final report should be more than a check list of topics treated in isolation: it should be built around a narrative, presenting the analysis in a synthetic and engaging way. An example of a good executive summary is provided in the attached document. Please upload the executive summary (part 2) only: it should be about 2000 words (more or less 10%). You may add the most interesting frameworks (used in part 1, for example, the value curve) in the appendix if relevant. IMPORTANT: AI Use Protocol – Final Essay AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) are allowed to assist you during the essay writing process BUT we’re interested in your strategic thinking. Learn how to think with AI, not like AI. Therefore: You are encouraged to explore these tools to collect data, brainstorm, structure your ideas, and clarify concepts. AI can help challenge assumptions or play devil’s advocate, but your final arguments must reflect your own reasoning. Hence, use AI as a thought partner—not as a shortcut to avoid critical thinking. You remain responsible for the originality, coherence, and analytical depth of your essay. Hence, do not copy-paste large AI-generated text without understanding or adapting it. Avoid using AI to paraphrase or hide plagiarism. You can ask AI for help improving clarity, transitions, or grammar—but revise the output. Academic honesty rules apply. In case of doubt, an AI detector software will be used and misuse may lead to penalties or require resubmission. Be transparent, ethical, and intentional in your AI use: in addition to the number of words, clearly indicate at the end of your essay how you used AI (e.g., “used ChatGPT to clarify Porter’s Five Forces”). Format: The essay should be initially in Word format (then converted into a PDF). Indicate the number of words on your final document. Report on how you have used an AI if you have Please add your name to the title of the PDF file.