Applied corporate & industry analysis

MGT-410 / 3 crédits

Enseignant: De Groot Eugène

Langue: Anglais

Withdrawal: It is not allowed to withdraw from this subject after the registration deadline.

Remark: Open to MTE Master students only. Special schedule. See the MTE website: https://go.epfl.ch/mte

Summary

The intent of this project is to encourage interchange between students and their mentors. Each student, in consultation with her or his mentor, will choose a company that the student will analyze in context of its primary industry. The company may be that of the mentor, but is not required to be.

Content

This project has two major parts.

The first part is an applied company and industry analysis of a firm as agreed upon by the student and her/his mentor. The format of the report is a detailed SWOTT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, and (optionally) Trends) of the focal firm and its competitors in the context of the firm's identified industry. The identified industry need not correspond to the firm's overall classification nor its primary area of commerce; for example, an analysis of Nestlé does not have to be in terms of the company as a whole, but may instead be at the business-unit level (i.e. chocolate, coffee products, nutritional products, etc.). The student is wholly responsible for the research content of the report; while the mentor may choose to contribute information, it is neither mandatory nor expected. The student is, however, expected to interview two credible sources of information on the focal firm and its industry. This could be a competitor, an industry supplier, or a regulator.

The second part will be a series of skills-building seminars taking place throughout the semester. Three of these are basic sessions on writing academic and business reports. Since the final deliverables will be graded - in part - based upon the points discussed in this session, it is advisable to attend.

Keywords

SWOT Analysis

Competitive Industry Analysis

 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Assess / Evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to its industry sector
  • Synthesize data from diverse sources
  • Analyze a company's resources
  • Report results in a businesslike manner
  • Conduct research about a company and its primary industry
  • Compare a firm's activities and/or performance with that of its competitors
  • Integrate primary and secondary data

Transversal skills

  • Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
  • Set objectives and design an action plan to reach those objectives.
  • Respect the rules of the institution in which you are working.
  • Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
  • Write a scientific or technical report.

Expected student activities

The student is expected to meet at least one time with her/his mentor in order to establish the focal company and its relevant industry sector. In the research undertaking, the student is expected to interview two persons either in the focal firm or in a firm operating in the relevant industry sector. 

The student will gather as much information on both focal firm and industry and perform a detailed SWOT analysis of the firm in context of its industry sector. The report is expected to be a minimum of 15 pages not including tables, figures, and references.

Assessment methods

Final report (100%)

Dans les plans d'études

  • Semestre: Printemps
  • Forme de l'examen: Pendant le semestre (session d'été)
  • Matière examinée: Applied corporate & industry analysis
  • Cours: 1 Heure(s) hebdo x 14 semaines
  • Projet: 2 Heure(s) hebdo x 14 semaines
  • Type: obligatoire
  • Semestre: Printemps
  • Forme de l'examen: Pendant le semestre (session d'été)
  • Matière examinée: Applied corporate & industry analysis
  • Cours: 1 Heure(s) hebdo x 14 semaines
  • Projet: 2 Heure(s) hebdo x 14 semaines
  • Type: obligatoire

Semaine de référence

Cours connexes

Résultats de graphsearch.epfl.ch.