Should my 15-page MBA case analysis focus on strategy?
I'm in a graduate-level business strategy class and need to write a 15-page paper that includes a case study and a presentation. My professor said the essay should go beyond description, but I'm not sure how deep the analysis needs to be for a graduate paper versus my undergraduate work. I have two weeks left and I'm trying to figure out the right scope and depth.
1 Answer
Yes, for a graduate-level strategy course your 15-page case analysis should center on strategic analysis rather than description, using the case as a vehicle to evaluate competitive positioning, trade-offs, and decision logic. Think of the case as evidence: the bulk of each section should argue why a strategic choice succeeded or failed, not summarize what happened. The most concrete way to deepen the work is to anchor every major claim in an analytical framework, such as Porter's Five Forces, value chain dissection, or a VRIO resource assessment, and then explicitly compare your conclusions against competing frameworks. Professors at the graduate level read for the rigor of the reasoning chain, so a paragraph that simply restates facts reads as undergraduate work, while one that interprets those facts through a model and acknowledges an alternative lens reads as graduate work. If you are unsure whether your draft is analytical enough, highlight every paragraph and ask whether it answers "why" or "so what" rather than "what"; anything that only describes should be condensed into a sentence and used to set up a judgment. With two weeks remaining, build a section-by-section outline that names the framework, the strategic question, and the takeaway before you write, which keeps the paper from drifting into narrative. A short closing recommendation tied to feasibility and risk will signal the strategic mindset your professor is looking for.
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