Strategy and
Entrepreneurship
2025-2026
Rania El Ghalbzouri 1
Bridging Programme - MBA
, Table of Contents
Unit 1: Definition and importance of strategy ______________________________________ 3
In-person session 1 – Introduction & Case-based framing (Comic Relief / Metro, 2021)20
Unit 2: Strategy, vision and mission ______________________________________________ 23
Unit 3: Strategy - External analysis _______________________________________________ 38
Unit 4: Strategy - Internal analysis _______________________________________________ 56
Unit 5: Strategy development - Generic strategies _________________________________ 75
Unit 6: Strategy development - Supporting measures ______________________________ 88
In-person session 2 – CSR as Strategy ___________________________________________ 101
Unit 7: Strategy development - Internationalisation _______________________________ 105
In-person session 3 – BP Case: Deepwater Horizon (“The Spill”) ___________________ 115
Unit 8: Strategy development – Diversification ___________________________________ 118
In-person session 4 – SMEs and Strategy ________________________________________ 132
In-person session 5 – MTG Case & Strategic Collaboration ________________________ 137
Rania El Ghalbzouri 2
Bridging Programme - MBA
,Unit 1: Definition and importance of strategy
Introduction: The Belberry Story
A concrete way to understand strategy is to start with a real company story: Belberry.
Belberry began as a small family-owned grocery shop. Besides selling everyday products,
the family produced jams and jellies from ripe seasonal fruit in a very traditional, artisan
way. Customers loved these products: the quality was high, the taste distinctive, and the
production method authentic.
When the son, Thierry, took over the business, he focused on that one product category
that really stood out: jelly and jam. At the same time, he innovated. He noticed that
traditional jam in glass jars could be messy – especially for children – when spreading it
on bread. His idea: “squeezable jelly”, a more convenient way for consumers to enjoy
the product.
He developed a prototype and presented it to a major retail chain. The buyer liked the
concept but immediately set a condition: to get the product on their shelves, Belberry
would have to pay a substantial listing fee – tens of thousands of euros – with no
guarantee that any jar would actually sell.
Thierry’s reactions capture key elements of strategy:
➢ He refused to pay the listing fee: too risky for a small company and not in line with
how he wanted to grow.
➢ He concluded that mass retail might not be his ideal customer.
➢ He decided to reposition the brand: new branding, new visual identity, and a more
premium story built around quality, craftsmanship and heritage (Belberry, “Maison
fondée en 1956”, second generation).
Instead of chasing shelf space in supermarkets, he chose a very different route: high-end
customers such as luxury hotels, airlines (business class catering), and gourmet shops.
Belberry jelly became a niche, premium product for a selective but profitable segment.
This example already shows several core ideas of strategy:
➢ You can differentiate even in a “boring” category like jelly.
➢ Strategy is about making conscious choices: which customers you serve and which
you do not.
➢ Strategy also involves saying no to seemingly attractive opportunities that do not fit
your long-term direction.
These themes will return throughout the chapter.
Rania El Ghalbzouri 3
Bridging Programme - MBA
, What Do We Mean by Strategy?
At its core, a company’s strategy is the coordinated set of actions that its managers
take to outperform competitors and achieve superior profitability. Strategy is not a
single decision but a pattern of mutually reinforcing choices and activities.
Three points are essential:
1. Strategy is a coordinated set of actions
Companies act all the time, but not all actions are strategic. Strategy means actions
that are coherent and aligned: pricing, product design, marketing, operations, HR,
and investment decisions all work together towards a common direction.
2. Strategy is about competing differently
Strategy is not “doing the same as others, but a little cheaper or a little faster.” It is
about:
➢ Doing what rivals do not do, or
➢ Doing what they do, but in a way they cannot easily imitate.
This is exactly what Belberry did: instead of fighting for space in supermarkets like every
other jam producer, it focused on a different segment (luxury hotels and airlines) with a
differentiated product and story.
3. Performance is directly linked to strategy and execution
How well a company performs is strongly related to:
➢ The quality of its strategy (are we choosing the right things?), and
➢ The proficiency with which the strategy is executed (are we doing those things
well, consistently and at scale?).
A brilliant idea with poor execution will fail. Flawless execution of a weak idea also leads
nowhere. Strategy and execution are two sides of the same coin.
Three Central Strategy Questions
Any organization that is serious about strategy must confront three central questions:
1) What is our present situation?
➢ Where are we today in terms of markets, products, performance, resources, and
capabilities? How strong is our current position relative to competitors?
2) What is our future direction?
➢ Where do we want to go? What is our vision – the “flag” we want to plant in the
future, sometimes called our “north star”? What long-term targets are we aiming
for?
3) How are we going to get there?
➢ What is our game plan – the set of strategic choices and actions that will move
us from today’s situation to the desired future? Which projects, investments, and
initiatives will actually make the vision concrete?
These three questions structure most of strategic thinking: diagnosis of the present,
ambition for the future, and a coherent path between the two.
Rania El Ghalbzouri 4
Bridging Programme - MBA
Entrepreneurship
2025-2026
Rania El Ghalbzouri 1
Bridging Programme - MBA
, Table of Contents
Unit 1: Definition and importance of strategy ______________________________________ 3
In-person session 1 – Introduction & Case-based framing (Comic Relief / Metro, 2021)20
Unit 2: Strategy, vision and mission ______________________________________________ 23
Unit 3: Strategy - External analysis _______________________________________________ 38
Unit 4: Strategy - Internal analysis _______________________________________________ 56
Unit 5: Strategy development - Generic strategies _________________________________ 75
Unit 6: Strategy development - Supporting measures ______________________________ 88
In-person session 2 – CSR as Strategy ___________________________________________ 101
Unit 7: Strategy development - Internationalisation _______________________________ 105
In-person session 3 – BP Case: Deepwater Horizon (“The Spill”) ___________________ 115
Unit 8: Strategy development – Diversification ___________________________________ 118
In-person session 4 – SMEs and Strategy ________________________________________ 132
In-person session 5 – MTG Case & Strategic Collaboration ________________________ 137
Rania El Ghalbzouri 2
Bridging Programme - MBA
,Unit 1: Definition and importance of strategy
Introduction: The Belberry Story
A concrete way to understand strategy is to start with a real company story: Belberry.
Belberry began as a small family-owned grocery shop. Besides selling everyday products,
the family produced jams and jellies from ripe seasonal fruit in a very traditional, artisan
way. Customers loved these products: the quality was high, the taste distinctive, and the
production method authentic.
When the son, Thierry, took over the business, he focused on that one product category
that really stood out: jelly and jam. At the same time, he innovated. He noticed that
traditional jam in glass jars could be messy – especially for children – when spreading it
on bread. His idea: “squeezable jelly”, a more convenient way for consumers to enjoy
the product.
He developed a prototype and presented it to a major retail chain. The buyer liked the
concept but immediately set a condition: to get the product on their shelves, Belberry
would have to pay a substantial listing fee – tens of thousands of euros – with no
guarantee that any jar would actually sell.
Thierry’s reactions capture key elements of strategy:
➢ He refused to pay the listing fee: too risky for a small company and not in line with
how he wanted to grow.
➢ He concluded that mass retail might not be his ideal customer.
➢ He decided to reposition the brand: new branding, new visual identity, and a more
premium story built around quality, craftsmanship and heritage (Belberry, “Maison
fondée en 1956”, second generation).
Instead of chasing shelf space in supermarkets, he chose a very different route: high-end
customers such as luxury hotels, airlines (business class catering), and gourmet shops.
Belberry jelly became a niche, premium product for a selective but profitable segment.
This example already shows several core ideas of strategy:
➢ You can differentiate even in a “boring” category like jelly.
➢ Strategy is about making conscious choices: which customers you serve and which
you do not.
➢ Strategy also involves saying no to seemingly attractive opportunities that do not fit
your long-term direction.
These themes will return throughout the chapter.
Rania El Ghalbzouri 3
Bridging Programme - MBA
, What Do We Mean by Strategy?
At its core, a company’s strategy is the coordinated set of actions that its managers
take to outperform competitors and achieve superior profitability. Strategy is not a
single decision but a pattern of mutually reinforcing choices and activities.
Three points are essential:
1. Strategy is a coordinated set of actions
Companies act all the time, but not all actions are strategic. Strategy means actions
that are coherent and aligned: pricing, product design, marketing, operations, HR,
and investment decisions all work together towards a common direction.
2. Strategy is about competing differently
Strategy is not “doing the same as others, but a little cheaper or a little faster.” It is
about:
➢ Doing what rivals do not do, or
➢ Doing what they do, but in a way they cannot easily imitate.
This is exactly what Belberry did: instead of fighting for space in supermarkets like every
other jam producer, it focused on a different segment (luxury hotels and airlines) with a
differentiated product and story.
3. Performance is directly linked to strategy and execution
How well a company performs is strongly related to:
➢ The quality of its strategy (are we choosing the right things?), and
➢ The proficiency with which the strategy is executed (are we doing those things
well, consistently and at scale?).
A brilliant idea with poor execution will fail. Flawless execution of a weak idea also leads
nowhere. Strategy and execution are two sides of the same coin.
Three Central Strategy Questions
Any organization that is serious about strategy must confront three central questions:
1) What is our present situation?
➢ Where are we today in terms of markets, products, performance, resources, and
capabilities? How strong is our current position relative to competitors?
2) What is our future direction?
➢ Where do we want to go? What is our vision – the “flag” we want to plant in the
future, sometimes called our “north star”? What long-term targets are we aiming
for?
3) How are we going to get there?
➢ What is our game plan – the set of strategic choices and actions that will move
us from today’s situation to the desired future? Which projects, investments, and
initiatives will actually make the vision concrete?
These three questions structure most of strategic thinking: diagnosis of the present,
ambition for the future, and a coherent path between the two.
Rania El Ghalbzouri 4
Bridging Programme - MBA
