Capstone Cup Competition

Spring 2020 started with 127 students across 29 teams who presented in round one to more than 30 external judges. Sixteen advanced, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought about an unprecedented experience. As we all adapted to social distancing, the students voiced their hope that we could still put on the Capstone Cup.

Additionally, the community response to this adjustment was just as enthusiastic as the student response, with 19 business professionals volunteering their time to judge three different pools. Thanks to their time, we were able to select four high-performing teams as this year’s winners: one champion ($500 Amazon gift card), one second-place winner ($300 Amazon gift card), and two finalists ($150 Amazon gift card).

Spring 2020 Capstone Cup Finalists

Link to Presentation: https://use.vg/qGYtcL	Link to Presentation: https://use.vg/IfGRGO
Link to Presentation: https://use.vg/c5H47U	Link to Presentation: https://use.vg/t55P9p

The Final Case Brief - LVMH: The Luxury of Business Portfolios

	Founded in 1987 when fashion house Louis Vuitton merged with champagne creator Moët Hennessy, LVMH has emerged as the dominant leader in the luxury goods industry. LVMH has thrived on frequent acquisitions that bolster its widely-known business portfolio of luxury brands. Collectively, LVMH is the umbrella that covers 75 “Houses”, a term used by LVMH to define the individual business units within the conglomerate. These Houses each operate in one of the six major sectors of the luxury market: fashion and leather goods, watches and jewelry, wines and spirits, perfumes and cosmetics, and selective retailing. As the consultant, you are asked to conduct a portfolio analysis to assess the health of each business sector, in addition to the macro- and micro-level trends within sub-sectors of the luxury goods industry. Which sector should LVMH focus on? What brand should it set its sight on for acquisition or divestiture? Essentially, you have been asked to assess LVMH’s current portfolio and provide a strategic recommendation on how it should grow over the next three years.

2019-2020 Finalists

Spring 2020

*Second place winner