Real World
Bridging Theory & Practice
Executive Master’s in Marketing and Strategic Communications Case Studies

<p><span class="p-body"><b>Case Studies</b></span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Case studies provide you with practical experience while fostering your critical thinking skills, and enabling you to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world business challenges. Case studies are a key pedagogical tool used throughout the Executive Master’s in Marketing and Strategic Communications course curriculum.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body"><b>Applying Frameworks & Concepts</b></span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Case studies bridge theory and practice by challenging you to apply strategic frameworks and marketing concepts to real scenarios. Whether analyzing a brand’s global sustainability strategy or evaluating a company’s market positioning, you learn to translate classroom insights into actionable business solutions.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body"><b>Problem-solving & Decision-making</b></span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Executive Master's candidates are tasked with identifying challenges, evaluating alternatives, and proposing solutions—skills that are essential for leadership roles. In some cases, students even select their own companies or industries to analyze, making the learning experience highly relevant and immediately applicable.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body"><b>Communication & Presentation Skills</b></span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Presentation and communication skills are integral to the case study experience. You will regularly deliver written analyses and oral presentations, defending your approaches and perspective in front of peers and faculty. These exercises build confidence and clarity in articulating complex ideas—an essential skill for marketing and communications execs.</span></p>
Case studies really helped me understand the material better. Seeing how things work in real situations made the concepts easier to grasp. They also helped me think through how I might handle similar challenges in the future.”
Nico Cubillos
MS in Marketing and Strategic Communications ‘25
<p><b>Critical Thinking & Analysis</b></p>
<p>Case studies encourage you to connect your academic work to current events and professional practice. From analyzing emerging technologies to developing omnichannel media strategies, you’ll tackle real-time business challenges with fresh, research-backed perspectives.</p>
<p><b>Recent case studies include:</b></p>
<ul class='p-list'>
<li><p>Unilever's New Global Strategy: Competing through Sustainability, in which Deciding on Where to Play and How to Win/EMSC1-GC0020 students evaluated the effect of corporate social responsibility and ethical practices on competitive strategy.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Boeing 737 Max 8: A Stalled Communication Take-Off? where Managing Communications for Investor Pitches, Launches, Turnarounds and Crises/EMSC1-GC0090 students analyzed the crisis, its handling, and proposed approaches for public relations/communications, culminating in a class presentation and discussion.</p>
</li>
<li><p>In a case study focusing on IoT products, Disrupting Markets through Distribution Channel Innovations/EMSC1-GC0060 students analyzed challenges faced by sharing economy companies like Airbnb and Uber related to balancing financial success and social responsibilities.</p>
</li>
</ul>