Stephanie Scott
MBA Case Studies
Competitive Advantage: "Squeeze" Lemonade Stand
MBA 8820: GLOBAL COMPETITIVE STRATEGY
For the first case study in my Global Competitive Strategy course, I was tasked with developing a concept for a lemonade stand and identifying a clear competitive advantage. The assignment required building a simple business strategy, including branding, product offerings, location, target customers, and positioning, all within a one-page framework.
I developed Squeeze, a lemonade stand concept centered around a social-first, experience-driven approach. Instead of competing purely on product, I focused on differentiation through branding, aesthetic appeal, and shareability. The idea was to create a lemonade stand that functions as both a beverage stop and a destination—designed to generate organic visibility through social media and user-generated content. This approach reflects how modern consumers, particularly Gen-Z and Millennials, engage with brands through experiences rather than just transactions.
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After submitting the assignment, I received positive feedback from my professor, who highlighted the strength of the brand name and the product differentiation. The simplicity and memorability of “Squeeze,” along with the creative drink offerings, were recognized as strong elements of the concept. However, one area for improvement was the location strategy, which was noted as being too broad, even though it aligned well with the intended target audience. This feedback helped me recognize the importance of balancing creative vision with strategic precision.
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Building on this feedback, I decided to further develop the concept by creating a full visual identity and presentation deck to explore what the brand would look like in execution. This next step allowed me to move beyond the theoretical strategy and bring the idea to life. Through the deck, I translated the original concept into a cohesive brand experience, incorporating visual elements such as menu design, physical stand mockups, outdoor seating, and photo-op installations. These elements reinforced the original strategy by showing how Squeeze could create an environment that encourages engagement, content creation, and repeat visits.
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This process also highlighted the role of AI as a co-intelligent tool in my workflow. While the original assignment restricted the use of AI, the development of the visual deck leveraged AI to rapidly generate realistic brand scenarios and environments. At the same time, I had to critically evaluate and refine these outputs—particularly in maintaining brand consistency and aligning visuals with the intended strategy. This demonstrated that while AI can enhance creativity and efficiency, human direction is essential for ensuring strategic alignment and quality.
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Overall, the Squeeze project evolved from a simple class assignment into a more fully realized brand concept. By incorporating feedback and extending the idea into a visual execution, I was able to deepen my understanding of competitive advantage—not just as a written idea, but as something that must be clearly communicated and experienced by the customer. This project reflects how strong branding, customer insight, and experience design can transform a basic product into a differentiated and competitive business.
AI In My Professional Career
MBA 8125: DIGITAL INNOVATION
For my Digital Innovation course, I was tasked with analyzing my current professional environment and demonstrating how artificial intelligence could enhance and transform my work. The goal of the assignment was not just to show usage of AI tools, but to demonstrate a deeper understanding of how AI can be integrated into workflows to create strategic value.
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I approached this project by examining my role as both a freelance digital marketer and content creator, where I operate as what I described as a “one-woman marketing department.” In this environment, I am responsible for end-to-end execution, including content strategy, copywriting, analytics, reporting, SEO, and client communication. On page 3 of my deck, I outlined the breadth of these responsibilities, highlighting how much of my time was previously spent on repetitive, manual tasks such as drafting captions, pulling reports, and analyzing performance data.
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This formed the foundation for the “Before” portion of my case study, where I identified a key pain point: the inefficiency of manual execution. By clearly defining these constraints, I was able to position AI not as a replacement, but as a strategic enhancement tool.
The “After” portion of the project focused on how I integrated AI into my workflow through three specific methods. First, I developed a system of meta-prompting to scale creative output while maintaining my brand voice. As shown on page 5, I moved from casually using AI to designing structured prompts that embed audience psychology, tone, and platform strategy. This allowed me to generate multiple high-quality variations of content quickly, resulting in a measurable 60% reduction in drafting time.
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Second, I implemented AI as an analytical translator for performance data. On page 6, I demonstrated how I use AI to move beyond descriptive analytics into prescriptive strategy by generating hypotheses, defining SMART KPIs, and forecasting growth scenarios. This shift enabled me to provide more strategic, data-driven recommendations to clients rather than simply reporting on past performance.
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Third, I leveraged AI as a business accelerator in my freelance work. As illustrated on page 7, I use AI to refine my positioning, streamline proposal development, analyze competitor messaging, and strengthen client-facing deliverables. This not only improved efficiency but also increased my confidence in rate negotiation and enhanced my perceived value as a strategist.
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The final portion of the case study focused on my future trajectory. I reframed my professional identity from a “Social Media Manager” to an “AI-Integrated Marketing Strategist,” as shown on pages 8–9. This shift reflects a broader industry trend where execution is increasingly automated, and value is created through system design, strategic oversight, and decision-making. My long-term plan includes continued upskilling in prompt engineering, AI analytics tools, and workflow automation to remain competitive in an AI-driven market (page 10).
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A key insight from this project is captured in my “Human-Centric Advantage” framework (page 11), where I highlight that while AI excels in speed and data processing, human value lies in judgment, cultural fluency, and strategic thinking. This reinforces the idea that the future of work is not about competing with AI, but about effectively integrating it.
My professor’s feedback reinforced the strength of this approach, particularly noting that I successfully moved beyond using AI as a simple tool and instead positioned it as a foundational layer of my business. The project was recognized as a strong example of “Artificial Co-Intelligence,” where AI and human expertise work together to enhance outcomes rather than replace them.
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Overall, this case study demonstrates how I have transitioned from executing marketing tasks to designing systems that drive efficiency, scalability, and strategic impact. By integrating AI intentionally into my workflow, I am not only improving my current performance but also positioning myself to lead in an increasingly AI-driven economy.
Operations Optimization: DoorDash
MBA 8155: OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
For my Operations Management course, I worked in a team to analyze DoorDash’s delivery system with the goal of identifying bottlenecks, reducing customer wait times, and improving overall operational efficiency. The project focused on applying core operations management concepts such as process flow analysis, cycle time reduction, and capacity optimization to a real-world platform.
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We began by defining the central business problem: how DoorDash can reduce customer wait times and improve order fulfillment efficiency without sacrificing service quality. As outlined in our deck (page 5), the delivery process involves multiple interdependent stages, including order placement, restaurant preparation, driver assignment, and final delivery. Each stage contributes to total cycle time, making it critical to understand where delays occur and how they compound across the system.
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To diagnose inefficiencies, we mapped the full delivery process using a Critical Path Method (CPM) analysis. On page 9, our process flow diagram identified the restaurant preparation stage and driver travel time as the primary bottlenecks, with preparation alone taking approximately 20 minutes and delivery travel taking up to 35 minutes. These stages represented the longest durations in the system and therefore had the greatest impact on total cycle time, which we calculated to be approximately 63 minutes.
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In addition to process mapping, we incorporated data analysis to better understand what drives delivery time variability. Using both a large Kaggle dataset and a synthetic operational dataset (pages 13–14), we were able to examine key variables such as delivery distance, driver ratings, and speed. This dual-dataset approach allowed us to overcome data limitations and capture critical operational timestamps like prep time and driver wait time, which are essential for identifying bottlenecks and queue delays.
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Based on our findings, we developed a revised process model that reduced inefficiencies and improved system flow. As shown on page 10, we streamlined the process by reducing restaurant prep time, eliminating driver idle time, and tightening delivery zones to improve driver availability. These changes reduced total cycle time from 63 minutes to 41 minutes—a 27-minute improvement—and increased overall system efficiency.
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Our recommendations focused on practical, scalable solutions. These included reducing delivery radius during peak hours to minimize travel time, pre-positioning drivers in high-demand zones using DoorDash’s Geo-Grid-Cache system, categorizing restaurants by speed to better manage customer expectations, and incentivizing restaurants to meet accurate prep-time estimates (page 18). These strategies collectively address both supply-side and demand-side inefficiencies while maintaining service quality.
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Overall, this project demonstrated how operations management tools can be applied to a complex, real-time system to drive measurable improvements. By combining process analysis, data modeling, and strategic recommendations, we were able to move from identifying inefficiencies to designing actionable solutions. This case study reinforced the importance of bottleneck identification and system-level thinking in optimizing performance, particularly in fast-paced, logistics-driven environments like DoorDash.
Omnichannel Marketing Strategy Analysis: Ulta Beauty
MK8200: MARKETING RESEARCH
As part of my MBA Marketing Research coursework, I conducted a comprehensive analysis of Ulta Beauty’s marketing strategy to evaluate how the brand sustains growth in an increasingly competitive and digitally driven retail landscape. Ulta operates within the $100 billion U.S. beauty market and has established itself as a leading retailer by uniquely combining both mass-market and prestige products, capturing approximately 10% of market share . This positioning presents both a competitive advantage and a strategic challenge, as the brand must continuously balance accessibility, customer experience, and profitability.
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My analysis focused on understanding how Ulta’s marketing ecosystem supports its growth, beginning with its target consumer. Ulta primarily serves women ages 18 to 34, while also expanding into adjacent segments such as mature skincare consumers and men’s grooming, signaling an opportunity for broader market penetration . What differentiates Ulta is its value proposition: a one-stop beauty destination offering a wide range of products across price points, combined with in-store services like salons and personalized consultations. This hybrid model allows Ulta to appeal to both value-driven and prestige-oriented consumers, reinforcing its accessibility while maintaining a premium experience.
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A key finding from my research was that Ulta’s omnichannel strategy serves as its primary growth engine. By integrating e-commerce with a large physical retail footprint, including services like buy-online-pickup-in-store and curbside delivery, Ulta creates a seamless and flexible customer journey. However, maintaining consistency across digital and in-store experiences presents an ongoing operational challenge, particularly as consumer expectations continue to rise . Additionally, Ulta’s loyalty program, with over 39 million members, plays a critical role in driving retention and enabling personalized marketing.
While this program strengthens customer relationships and provides valuable data insights, it also introduces pressure on profit margins due to its reliance on discounts and rewards.
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The brand’s digital and social media strategy further reinforces its position, particularly among Gen Z and millennial consumers. Through influencer partnerships and platform-specific content, Ulta effectively drives awareness and product discovery in a highly visual and trend-driven category. However, this approach requires constant innovation and content production to remain competitive in a saturated digital landscape . Similarly, Ulta’s emphasis on inclusivity and diversity has strengthened its brand equity, but as these values become industry standards, they no longer serve as a unique differentiator, requiring the brand to evolve its positioning further.
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Based on this analysis, I identified several strategic opportunities for Ulta to sustain long-term growth. These include deepening personalization through CRM and loyalty data, expanding digital commerce capabilities to meet rising convenience expectations, refining the in-store experience to reduce product overwhelm, and optimizing pricing strategies to better balance customer incentives with profitability. Additionally, continuing to invest in authentic, purpose-driven marketing will be essential for maintaining brand relevance in an increasingly values-driven market.
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This project demonstrates my ability to analyze complex marketing ecosystems, translate data into actionable insights, and develop strategic recommendations that align with both consumer behavior and business objectives.
Consumer Behavior Analysis: Ben & Jerry’s
MK 8100: BUYER BEHAVIOR
As part of my MBA Consumer Behavior coursework, I conducted an in-depth analysis of Ben & Jerry’s to understand how consumer motivations, values, and perceptions influence brand loyalty and purchasing behavior. Operating in the competitive premium ice cream market, Ben & Jerry’s differentiates itself not only through product innovation, but through its strong commitment to social justice, sustainability, and ethical sourcing. This positioning creates a unique challenge and opportunity: appealing to both consumers seeking indulgence and those driven by values-based decision making.
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My research combined secondary analysis, real-world fieldwork, and the application of key consumer behavior frameworks to better understand the brand’s target audience. In addition to analyzing brand positioning and consumer sentiment across digital platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X, I conducted in-person field research at a Ben & Jerry’s retail location in Atlanta, where I engaged directly with customers and collected survey data to capture firsthand insights into purchasing behavior and decision-making processes. This combination of observational and primary research allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of how consumers interact with the brand both online and in-store.
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One of the most significant insights from this analysis was that Ben & Jerry’s consumers are motivated by a combination of hedonic and value-driven factors. While the product satisfies a desire for indulgence and sensory pleasure, many consumers are equally influenced by the brand’s stance on social and environmental issues. Both survey responses and behavioral observations revealed that consumers often choose Ben & Jerry’s over competitors because they feel aligned with the brand’s mission and values, reinforcing a deeper emotional connection beyond the product itself.
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Further analysis revealed distinct consumer segments, including the “Dessert Lover,” who is driven by novelty and indulgence, and the “Socially Conscious Consumer,” who prioritizes ethical consumption and brand alignment. Additional segments, such as environmentally conscious shoppers and trend-driven consumers, highlight the brand’s ability to attract a diverse audience through both product innovation and cultural relevance. This segmentation underscores the importance of balancing product-focused messaging with purpose-driven storytelling.
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Despite strong brand loyalty, the research also identified a key tension around pricing. Some consumers expressed concern that the product’s price did not always align with perceived value, which may limit broader accessibility and market expansion. This presents an opportunity for the brand to more effectively communicate its premium positioning through quality, sourcing practices, and social impact.
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Based on these insights, I identified several strategic opportunities for Ben & Jerry’s, including strengthening values-based marketing to deepen emotional connection, segmenting messaging to address both indulgence and purpose-driven motivations, and reinforcing its premium value proposition to address pricing concerns. Additionally, continued investment in culturally relevant campaigns can further solidify the brand’s identity and resonance with its audience.
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This project demonstrates my ability to conduct both qualitative and quantitative consumer research, apply behavioral theory in real-world settings, and translate insights into strategic marketing recommendations that drive brand growth and customer loyalty.