Welcome to Competitive Advantage Module Takeaways, where two HBS students wrap up one of the most powerful modules in the RC Strategy course: how firms actually win.

In this episode, they break down four unforgettable cases — Walmart, Royal Opera House, Hurtigruten, and Hilti — to uncover what it really means to build and sustain a competitive advantage. From Walmart’s genius in stripping out costs that customers don’t care about, to the Royal Opera House’s artful differentiation that boosts willingness to pay, to Hurtigruten’s cautionary tale about chasing growth without an edge, and finally Hilti’s bold reinvention through Fleet Management, the conversation connects the dots across every kind of business.

Through humor, clarity, and caffeine-fueled analysis, Montse and Joey make abstract strategy ideas concrete — especially the golden rule of the module: widen the wedge between willingness to pay and cost. Along the way, they revisit tools like value maps, relative cost analysis, and the Five Forces, showing how each helps firms defend and renew their advantage.

Fast, funny, and full of insight, this episode captures what makes the Competitive Advantage module a turning point in HBS Strategy — and why mastering the wedge might just change how you see every business from now on.