★ Capstone · Modules 15–16 · The Synthesis

The MBA
on a Napkin

Every core framework from all 14 modules, on one page. This is the synthesis your whole roadmap was building toward. Pin it up. Cover it. Re-draw it from memory. When you can rebuild this blank, you own the MBA.

The whole MBA in one line: create value, capture value, do it sustainably. Everything below is a tool for understanding, creating, measuring, or defending value.
1

Foundations & Frameworks

Modules 1–3

Strategy core M1

  • Strategy = being different, not just better
  • 5 Forces: rivalry, entrants, substitutes, buyers, suppliers
  • Generic: cost leadership / differentiation / focus
  • VRIO: Valuable·Rare·Inimitable·Organized
"Better is borrowable; different is defensible."

Strategy tools M1

  • SWOT: internal S/W × external O/T
  • Value Chain: primary + support → margin
  • BCG: Stars · Cash Cows · ? · Dogs
  • Ansoff: penetration→diversification (risk↑)
  • Blue Ocean: ERRC, escape competition

Economics M2

  • Demand down, supply up → equilibrium at cross
  • Elastic (>1): cut price to grow revenue
  • Inelastic (<1): raise price to grow revenue
  • Profit max where MR = MC
  • Structures: perfect comp → monopoly
PED = %ΔQ ÷ %ΔP

Statistics M3

  • Normal curve: 68–95–99.7 rule
  • z = (x−μ)/σ · CLT: sample means → normal
  • p < 0.05 → reject H₀
  • Type I = false +, Type II = false −
  • Correlation ≠ causation · R² = % explained
SD = √variance · CI = x̄ ± 1.96·(σ/√n)
2

The Money Engine

Modules 4–8

Accounting M4

  • Assets = Liabilities + Equity
  • Balance Sheet (snapshot) · P&L (period) · Cash Flow
  • ★ Net income → Cash Flow + Retained Earnings
  • Accrual ≠ cash · "profit is opinion, cash is fact"
Rev−COGS−OpEx−Int−Tax = Net Income

Ratios & DuPont M5

  • Liquidity · Leverage · Profitability · Efficiency
  • Current = CA/CL · Interest cover = EBIT/Int
  • Margins (per sale) vs ROA/ROE (per invested)
ROE = Margin × Asset T/O × Equity Mult.
High ROE from leverage = fragile mirage.

Mgmt accounting M6

  • Fixed (flat) vs variable (per unit) costs
  • Contribution = Price − variable cost/unit
  • Operating leverage = risk amplifier
  • Ignore sunk costs — decide on the future
Break-even = Fixed Costs ÷ CM/unit

Finance I M7

  • € today > € tomorrow (time value)
  • NPV > 0 → accept · IRR = rate where NPV=0
  • Risk: systematic (paid for) vs unsystematic (diversify)
  • When NPV vs IRR clash → trust NPV
PV = FV ÷ (1+r)ⁿ · WACC = the "r"

Finance II M8

  • Debt cheaper (tax shield) but adds distress risk
  • Optimal capital structure = lowest-WACC point (U-curve)
  • CAPM: Re = Rf + β(Rm−Rf)
  • DCF: forecast FCF + terminal value, discount at WACC
TV = FCF(1+g) ÷ (WACC−g)
3

Markets, Operations & People

Modules 9–12

Marketing M9

  • ★ STP: Segment → Target → Position
  • 4 Ps: Product · Price · Place · Promotion
  • Funnel (AIDA): Awareness→Interest→Desire→Action
  • Retention = cheapest growth (lifespan ≈ 1/churn)
LTV : CAC ≥ 3 : 1 (healthy)

Operations M10

  • ★ Bottleneck = slowest step sets throughput
  • Lean kills waste (DOWNTIME) · Six Sigma kills variation
  • Bullwhip: demand swings amplify upstream
  • Trade-off: efficiency vs resilience
Little's Law: I = R × T · EOQ = √(2DS/H)

Leadership M11

  • Maslow: Physio→Safety→Belong→Esteem→Self-actual
  • Herzberg: hygiene (floor) vs motivators (ceiling)
  • Mgmt = things right · Leadership = right things
  • Situational: Direct→Coach→Support→Delegate
  • Teams: Form→Storm→Norm→Perform

Negotiation & decisions M12

  • ★ BATNA (your power) · ZOPA (the deal zone)
  • Anchor first if well-informed
  • Interests not positions (the orange)
  • Biases live in fast System 1 — slow down
  • Change: urgency first, culture last (Kotter)
4

Integration & Capstone

Modules 13–16

Entrepreneurship M13

  • Lean Canvas: Problem→Customer→UVP→Solution
  • MVP → Build-Measure-Learn → pivot or persevere
  • Unit economics positive before scaling
  • Moats = the "unfair advantage" (= VRIO!)
  • Recurring revenue is king
"Fall in love with the problem, not the solution."

Case analysis M14

  • ★ External→Internal→Synthesize→Analyse→Decide
  • Diagnosis before prescription
  • Quantify everything · name the trade-offs
  • Present: BLUF → 3 reasons → risks → execution
Analysis beats intuition (remember BrewCo).

The meta-lesson M15–16

  • The MBA is one way of thinking, not 14 subjects
  • Scan the world → diagnose with evidence → decide under uncertainty → lead the execution
  • Every tool estimates, creates, or defends value

The 6 equations that run the whole thing

If you remember nothing else, remember these. Each is the beating heart of an entire discipline.

Accounting
Assets = Liabilities + Equity
Decisions (mgmt acct)
Break-even = Fixed ÷ CM/unit
Finance — the big one
Value = Σ CF ÷ (1+r)ⁿ
Profitability (DuPont)
ROE = Margin × Turnover × Leverage
Marketing
LTV : CAC ≥ 3 : 1
Operations
Inventory = Throughput × Time

🎯 The universal case ritual

Face any business problem — exam, work, or your own venture — and run this every time:

1

Diagnose

What's the real problem (not the symptom)?

2

Scan

Outside (5 Forces/PESTEL) then inside (VRIO).

3

Analyse

Right tools only — quantify the answer.

4

Decide

One clear recommendation, trade-offs named.

5

Execute

Funding, people, change, metrics.

How to use this sheet (the Week 16 ritual): Don't re-read it. Put it away, grab a blank page, and re-draw as much as you can from memory — the maps, the formulas, the hooks. Check what you missed, then repeat tomorrow. The gaps you find are your remaining study list. When the blank page matches this sheet, you're done. 🎓
★ Capstone complete · You built a 16-week MBA and made it through. Now go run the ritual on a real company. 🎓🍃