Applied corporate & industry analysis

Throughout the semester, a series of seminars introduces four core analytical frameworks, SWOT(T), Porter's Five Forces, VRIO, and Industry Life Cycle, alongside skills-building sessions on writing sharp business memos and delivering effective presentations. Students put these frameworks to work in their own analysis project, building toward a detailed study of a real firm and the industry it competes in.

Students are free to define the scope of their analysis, which may address the firm as a whole or focus on one of its specific business units. The industry under examination need not match the firm's overall classification or its principal line of business; an analysis of Nestlé, for instance, might center on a single business unit, such as chocolate, coffee, or nutritional products, rather than the company in its entirety.

The project is designed to develop judgment, not just technique. Students learn to select the right framework(s) for a given business situation, to integrate multiple analytical lenses into a coherent strategic argument, to engage with proprietary, first-hand knowledge rather than published sources alone, and to defend their reasoning to someone who knows the industry well.

Note:

This course is closely integrated with the MTE Mentoring Program, in which each first-year student is paired with a mentor. The choice of company for the analysis is made jointly by the student and mentor: the mentor's own company is the natural and preferred option, though an alternative may be selected provided both parties agree. If another company is chosen, it is strongly advised that either the student or the mentor already have a direct contact inside the organization, as meaningful access to information underpins the quality and feasibility of the project.