Daeyun Woo, an SKK GSB Professional MBA (PMBA) graduate, works as a pork merchandiser at E-Mart, one of Korea’s leading retail chains. He explains that merchandisers in major retail companies go far beyond product development and sales, overseeing the entire commercial process from sourcing and purchasing to planning, sales, and profit-and-loss management. As responsibilities evolve from operational to strategic with seniority, the role demands a broad range of knowledge and skills.

Explaining his decision to pursue an MBA, he shared: “Above all, success in sales depends on understanding customers. To sell effectively, merchandisers need marketing expertise, an understanding of business strategy, and strong financial acumen. Recognizing that I needed to strengthen these capabilities led me to pursue an MBA.”

Daeyun chose SKK GSB’s PMBA for its global perspective and practice-oriented approach. He noted that its case-based learning method trained him to define problems independently, to evaluate alternatives, and to make decisions, rather than simply relying on predefined answers. Reflecting on this experience, he said: “Discussing real-world business cases gradually changed my mindset. Instead of trying to find the ‘right answer,’ I learned to identify and make the best possible decision.”

He also highlighted the value of learning alongside peers from diverse industries, noting that exposure to different perspectives significantly broadened his thinking beyond retail.

Reflecting on his growth, Daeyun said: “The most meaningful part of the program was learning to think like a business leader. In the past, my primary goal was to create a good product. After completing the PMBA, however, I began to consider why customers choose a particular product, what kind of competitive advantage we could build, and how that advantage could contribute to the company’s profitability.” He added that this shift enabled him to build a differentiated supply structure, strengthen cost competitiveness, and improve supply stability.

In terms of execution, he achieved strong results by expanding product categories both horizontally and vertically while tailoring strategies to specific markets. He also applied concepts such as game theory to competition and supplier negotiations, improving decision-making and outcomes.

Summarizing the overall impact of the program, he said: “It enabled me to organize my practical experience into a systematic language of business.”

He applied this approach to a project that earned him E-Mart’s Goreat Award, which recognises top-performing products based on sales, market impact, and contribution to the company. The project focused on expanding the market for Korean black pork by developing a heritage-based product and redesigning its value proposition.

He explained that instead of relying on price discounts, he focused on increasing perceived customer value while simultaneously strengthening structural competitiveness. By applying the Customer Value Proposition framework, he identified price as the key purchase barrier. At the same time, he leveraged the resource-based view to build a supply chain that competitors could not easily replicate, securing both cost advantages and product quality.

“The important point is that we did not simply reduce the price. I concluded that discounts alone could not create a competitive advantage. We therefore developed new sourcing regions based on the Korean heritage black pig breed and redesigned the supply structure to secure a cost advantage. This enabled us to offer a combination of price and quality that competitors would find difficult to match.”

Reflecting on the project, he emphasized that its success lay not just in product development but in repositioning the category itself and designing both customer value and competitive advantage simultaneously.

Sharing his advice for prospective students, Daeyun said: “The PMBA is not simply a program for earning an MBA degree. It is a process of reinterpreting practical experience from a business leader’s perspective. Working professionals accumulate a wide range of experience in their careers, but they rarely have opportunities to explain that experience systematically or turn it into a clear basis for decision-making. Through diverse frameworks and business cases, the PMBA enables students to structure their experience and develop the ability to make higher-level decisions. Discussions with classmates from different industries also naturally broaden your perspective, while the relationships you build become an invaluable professional network long after graduation. For me, the PMBA was defined less by what I learned than by how it changed the way I think.”