Harvard Business School Publishing
Case Map for
Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson
Strategic Management: Competitiveness & Globalization, 8th Edition
(Cengage/South-Western, ©2009)
This map was prepared by an experienced editor. Faculty at Harvard Business School were not involved in analyzing the textbook or
selecting the cases and articles.
Every case map provides only a partial list of relevant items from HBS Publishing. To explore alternatives of for more information an the
cases listed below, visit: www.hbsp.harvard.edu/educators
1. Strategic Management &
Strategic Competitiveness
Ice-Fili
Michael G. Rukstad; Sasha
Mattu; Asya Petinova
Product#: 703516
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Stephen P. Bradley, Pankaj
Ghemawat, Sharon Foley
Pub. Date: September 18,
2003
Product#: 9-794-024
Bally Total Fitness
John R. Wells, Elizabeth A.
Raabe
Pub. Date: November 14,
2005
Product#: 9-706-450
Setting
Setting:
Russia; Food
industry; $25
million revenues;
2002
Setting:
United States;
Retail industry;
large; $68 billion
revenues; 440,000
employees; 1994
Setting:
United States;
Fitness industry;
$954 million
revenues; 22,200
employees; 20032004
Description
Designed as an overview of all aspects of the strategy process: industry analysis, positioning, dynamics and
sustainability, and scope issues of corporate strategy, including vertical integration, horizontal diversification,
and location issues. Ice-Fili is the largest ice cream producer in Russia in 2002, but is facing strong
competition from Nestle despite its success over other multinational competitors. Contains detailed exhibits,
allowing deeper analyses. Teaching Purpose: To introduce students to strategy.
Subjects Covered: Business policy, Competition, Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Emerging
markets, Five forces, Food processing industry, General management, Industry analysis, Manufacturing
industry, Russia, Strategy formulation.
Description:
Focuses on the evolution of Wal-Mart's remarkably successful discount operations and describes the
company's more recent attempts to diversify into other businesses. The company has entered the warehouse
club industry with its Sam's Clubs and the grocery business with its Supercenters, a combination supermarket
and discount store. Wal-Mart experienced a drop in the value of its stock price in early 1993, which it still has
not made up. Wal-Mart has advantages over its competitors in areas such as distribution, information
technology, and merchandising, to name a few.
Subjects Covered:
Competition, Discount department stores, Industry structure, Strategy formulation, Strategy implementation.
A modest health and tennis club in 1962, Bally Total Fitness had grown to become one of the major firms in
the $14 billion U.S. health club industry in 2004. Throughout its history, Bally had faced its share of
challenges as it rose to become a leading health club operator. The last couple of years had proven
particularly difficult, however: Bally's stock price had collapsed, it restated earnings in 2003 to the chagrin of
stockholders, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating the company's
accounting procedures. Also, Bally faced significant competition from the likes of privately owned 24 Hour
Fitness, which had $1 billion in sales in 2003. In 2004, under the direction of CEO Paul Toback, the company
streamlined advertising efforts--targeting undertapped segments of the population--cut costs, and modified
the firm's internal controls. Management's focus remained on increasing membership and maximizing revenue
per member. Would Toback's efforts get the company's price back up, inspire stockholder confidence in Bally,
and resist a rumored takeover, enabling Bally to remain a major player in the industry? A rewritten version of
earlier cases.
Subjects Covered:
Accounting, Competitive strategy, Five forces, Health, Industry analysis, Industry structure, Profits, Service
organizations.
Nucor at a Crossroads
Publication Date: Aug 31,
1992
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Pankaj Ghemawat,
Henricus J. Stander III
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-793-039
Revision Date:
Jan 20, 1998
Length: 22p
Setting:
Charlotte, NC;
Steel industry;
Fortune 500; $1
billion assets; 1987
2. The External
Environment:
Opportunities, Threats,
Industry Competition, and
Competitor Analysis.
Setting
Crown Cork & Seal in 1989
Publication Date:
Mar 1, 1993
Revision Date:
Jul 26, 2005
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Stephen P. Bradley, Sheila
Cavanaugh
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-793-035
Length: 21p
Teaching Note
Setting:
United States;
Packaging, carton
& container
industries; Fortune
500; $1.8 billion
revenues; 1989
Computer Reservation
Systems : An Industry of Its
Own
Ali F. Farhoomand, Andrew Lee
Pub. Date: January 01, 2000
Product#: HKU055
Description
Setting:
Global; Airline
industry; 1998
The Pharmaceutical
Industry: Challenges in the
New Century
Stephen P. Bradley; James B.
Weber
©2003 (revision 2004) 32
pages
Product#: 703489
Yahoo!: Business on
Internet Time
Jan W. Rivkin, Jay Girotto
Pub. Date: July 10, 1999
Product#: 9-700-013
Description:
Nucor is a minimill deciding whether to spend a significant fraction of its net worth on a commercially
unproven technology in order to penetrate a large but hitherto inaccessible segment of the steel market. This
case is an integrative one designed to facilitate full-blown analysis of a strategic investment decision.
Subjects Covered:
Capital investments, Competition, Economic analysis, Expansion, Technological change.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Setting:
Internet & online
services industries;
$30 billion market
value; 900
employees; 1999
Description:
Describes the structure and recent trends of the metal container industry, Crown's successful strategy for
competing in the industry, and John Connelly's leadership over more than 20 years. In 1989, William Avery
succeeded Connelly as CEO and is forced to consider new strategic options in the face of industry change. May
be used with How Global Brands Compete (R0409D) 8p Douglas B. Holt, John A. Quelch, Earl L. Taylor
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) vendors have enjoyed an indispensable role in the travel industry--75%
to 80% of all airline bookings are made by travel agents using CRSs. But by mid-1998, their solid position in
the industry is being threatened by two forces: the Web Sites run by airlines that are capable of accepting
bookings directly from customers, and a new CRS, supported by travel agencies around the world, called
Genesis. It is scheduled to go on trial in fourth quarter of 1998 and for launch in 1999.
Subjects Covered:
Corporate strategy, Electronic commerce, Five forces, Travel.
Provides a broad overview of the numerous internal and external forces that were driving change in the global
pharmaceutical industry in 2003. These forces—including downward price pressures, political and social
pressures, increased development costs, new technologies, new and different competitors, consolidation, and
threats to its basic business models—were changing the way drugs were discovered, developed,
manufactured, tested, regulated, marketed, sold, and purchased. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
Subjects Covered: Business & government, Competitive strategy, General management, Global Research
Group, Industry analysis, Industry structure, Management of change, Manufacturing industry, Organizational
behavior & leadership, Pharmaceuticals industry.
Description:
In the wake of major competitive moves, CEO Tim Koogle and his senior team at Yahoo!, an Internet portal,
must decide whether and how to adjust their strategy. Following deals between AOL and Netscape, Excite and
@Home, Infoseek and Disney, and Snap and NBS, Yahoo! faces the prospect of being the last portal without a
significant partner. Students must grapple with the benefits and costs of integration in the rapidly changing
world of the Internet. Special emphasis is given to the interactions among Yahoo!'s functions and the effects
of those interactions on firm flexibility.
Subjects Covered:
Competition, Internet, Search engines, Strategy formulation.
3. The Internal
Environment: Resources,
Capabilities, and Core
Competencies
Setting
Description
Starbucks is faced with the issue of how it should leverage its core competencies against various
opportunities for growth, including introducing its coffee in McDonalds, pursuing further expansion of its retail
operations, and leveraging the brand into other product areas. The case is written so that students need to
first identify where Starbucks’ competencies lie along the value chain, and then assess how well those
competencies can be leveraged across the various alternatives. Also provides an opportunity for students to
assess what is driving growth in this company. Starbucks has a tremendous appetite for cash since all its
stores are corporate, and investors are betting that it will be able to continue its phenomenal growth so it
needs to walk a fine line between leveraging its brand to achieve growth and not eroding it in the process.
Starbucks
Mary M. Crossan; Ariff Kachra
©1998, 28 pages
Product#: 98M006
Documentum, Inc.
Rajiv Lal , Sean Lanagan
Pub. Date: September 18,
2001
Product#: 9-502-026
Digital Angel
Youngme Moon, Kerry Herman
Pub. Date: November 09,
2001
Product#: 9-502-021
Adolph Coors in the Brewing
Industry
Publication Date: Aug 20,
1987
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Pankaj Ghemawat
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-388-014
Revision Date:
Jun 23, 1992
Length: 21p
Setting:
Silicon Valley;
Software industry;
start-up; $2 million
revenues; 20
employees; 1993
Setting:
Palm Beach, FL;
2001
Setting:
United States;
Fortune 500;
1975-1985
Subjects Covered: Brands, Competitive strategy, Core competency, Corporate strategy, Entrepreneurship,
Fast food industry, Growth strategy, Industry analysis, Marketing strategy, Product management, Service
industry.
Description:
Describes Jeff Miller's attempt to implement Geoffrey Moore's crossing the chasm ideas at enterprise software
vendor, Documentum.
Subjects Covered:
Entrepreneurial management, Information technology, Market selection, Marketing strategy, New product
marketing, Sales strategy, Software.
Description:
Digital Angel is considering the appropriate marketing plan for the launch of its new locator device. The
device, a watch and pager worn in combination, provides GPS location information and monitors heart rate
and body temperature via body sensors. Parents of young children and caregivers of Alzheimer's patients are
the initial target markets for the device, but at least 26 potential markets have been identified for the product.
Building a brand and generating positive word of mouth are central to the marketing plan decision. But the
technology also raises concerns over privacy issues, and the benefits of the product are complex and
challenging to communicate.
Subjects Covered:
Advertising strategy, Consumer marketing, Innovation, Marketing planning, New product marketing, Product
development, Product introduction, Technology.
Description:
Describes a company that had traditionally followed a strategy quite distinct from its major competitors', its
eventual decision to imitate them, and its subsequent performance.
Subjects Covered:
Beverages, Competition, Industry analysis, Industry structure.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
4. Business Level Strategy
Airborne Express (A)
Publication Date:
Feb 5, 1998
Revision Date:
Dec 7, 1999
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Jan W. Rivkin
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-798-070
Length: 23p
Teaching Note
Samsung Electronics
Publication Date:
Jun 30, 2005
Revision Date:
Jul 29, 2006
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Jordan Siegel, James Jinho
Chang
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-705-508
Language: English
Length: 26p
Teaching Note
Setting
United States;
Express delivery;
$2.5 billion
revenues; 20,000
employees; 1997
China; Global;
South Korea;
Electronics
industry;
Semiconductor
industry; $78.5
billion revenues;
113,000
employees; 2005
Setting:
Radio; 2002
XM Satellite Radio (A)
David B. Godes, Elie Ofek
25 pages ©2003 (Update
2004)
Product#: 9 504009
The Brita Products Co.
John Deighton
Pub. Date: August 30, 1999
Product#: 9-500-024
Setting:
United States;
Consumer
products; $200
million revenues;
1989-1999
Description
In the wake of a highly successful quarter, senior managers of Airborne Express, the third largest player in the
express mail industry, review the firm's competitive position. Airborne has survived, and recently prospered,
in an industry with significant economies of scale even though it is much smaller than industry giants Federal
Express and United Parcel Service. The case challenges students to understand Airborne's unusual position.
Detailed data allow students to analyze Airborne's relative cost position, the fit among its activities, the
differences between Airborne and its rivals, and the evolution of its industry. Using these analyses, students
make recommendations concerning the firm's pricing policy, its globalization efforts, and a partnership with a
related company. Designed to be taught in a course on business-unit strategy. May be used with Selected
Exhibits from Airborne Express (A), Spreadsheet (9-703-751).
When is it possible to create a dual advantage of being both low cost and differentiated? In this case, students
assess whether Samsung Electronics has been able to achieve such a dual advantage, and if so, how this was
possible. Moreover, Samsung Electronics' long-held competitive advantage is under renewed attack. Students
also can assess how Samsung should respond to large-scale Chinese entry into its industry.
XM Satellite Radio is a radically new way to listen to radio. Management must develop a marketing strategy to
launch the firm and the category. A crucial aspect of the strategy is to determine which of two business
models the company will pursue. Should it focus predominantly on charging customers a monthly subscription
fee or on selling advertising time to advertisers? This decision is closely related to target market selection and
to the choice of optimal price points for subscription fees and radio receivers. Market research commissioned
by XM provides rich insights into these issues. In addition, XM management needs to figure out how to
establish partnerships with the leading electronics manufacturers. A consideration of its market share and
channel presence are essential to XM’s ultimate success in integrating satellite radio into home and car audio
systems. As it formulates its plan, XM needs to take into account the competitive landscape, primarily
comprised of broadcast radio (AM and FM) that has been in existence for many years and is offered for free,
as well as a second satellite radio provider (Sirius).
Subjects Covered: Broadcasting industry, Business models, Communications industry, Competition,
Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Decision making, Entertainment industry, General management,
Managerial skills, Managers, Marketing strategy, Pricing, Product introduction, Product life cycle, Product
management, Service industry, Services, Technology.
Description:
Clorox's Brita skillfully exploits a tide of water safety concerns, growing a home water (filtration) business
from inception to a 15% U.S. household penetration in ten years. The dilemma in the case arises as the period
of increasing returns seems to be drawing to a close, and management must use its legacy, an installed based
and a strong brand equity, to take the business forward into a less friendly environment. Students can model
the relation between the primary demand for pitchers and the derived demand for filters to decide where they
want to put future investments.
Subjects Covered:
Marketing management, New product marketing, Test markets, Water pollution.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Inside Intel Inside
Youngme Moon, Christina
Darwall
Pub. Date: June 05, 2002
Product#: 9-502-083
Callaway Golf Co.
Publication Date: Aug 11,
2000
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Rajiv Lal, Edith D.
Prescott
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-501-019
Revision Date:
Sep 26, 2005
Length: 23p
5. Competitive Rivalry &
Competitive Dynamics
Matching Dell
Publication Date:
Jun 6, 1999
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Jan W. Rivkin, Michael E. Porter
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-799-158
Language: English
Length: 31p
Teaching Note
Setting:
California;
Semiconductor
industry; $26
billion revenues;
83,000 employees;
2002
Setting:
Carlsbad, CA; Golf;
$800 million
revenues; 1999
Setting
Global; Computer
industry; Fortune
500; $19 billion
revenues; 1998
Setting:
United States;
Global; Beverage
industry; Fortune
500; 2000
Cola Wars Continue: Coke
vs. Pepsi in the Twenty-First
Century
David B. Yoffie; Yusi Wang
©2004, 24 pages
Product#: 702442
Description:
In early 2002, Pamela Pollace, vice president and director of Intel's worldwide marketing operations, is
debating whether the company should extend its "Intel Inside" branding campaign to non-PC product
categories, such as cell phones and PDAs. The "Intel Inside" campaign has been one of the most successful
branding campaigns in history. However, the campaign is more than ten years old, and growth in the PC
market appears to be stagnating. In contrast, sales of portable digital devices--such as PDAs and cell phones-appear to be growing at a healthy rate. Pollace is debating whether the "Intel Inside" campaign will work in
these other product categories, even though Intel doesn't dominate these other markets like it does the PC
market, and it isn't clear that consumers will associate Intel with these other markets.
Subjects Covered:
Advertising, Brands, Consumers, Direct marketing.
Description:
Describes a situation faced by Mr. Ely Callaway, the 80-year-old founder, chairman, and CEO of Callaway Golf
Co., in the fall of 1999. After a decade of stunning success with the marketing concept, Callaway suffered a
significant loss and witnessed a steep decline in sales in 1998. Mr. Callaway had built a $800 million business
by making a truly more satisfying product for the average golfer, making it pleasingly different from the
competition and communicating the benefits to the consumer. The results in 1998 forced Mr. Callaway to
reconsider the marketing program that had successfully supported the product until now.
Subjects Covered:
Consumer marketing, Distribution channels, Marketing mixes, Marketing strategy.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Description
After years of success with its vaunted "Direct Model" for computer manufacturing, marketing, and
distribution, Dell Computer Corp. faces efforts by competitors to match its strategy. This case describes the
evolution of the personal computer industry, Dell's strategy, and efforts by Compaq, IBM, Hewlett-Packard,
and Gateway 2000 to capture the benefits of Dell's approach. Students are called on to formulate strategic
plans of action for Dell and its various rivals.
Examines the industry structure and competitive strategy of Coca-cola and Pepsi over 100 years of rivalry.
New challenges of the 21st century included boosting flagging domestic cola sales and finding new revenue
streams. Both firms also began to modify their bottling, pricing, and brand strategies. They looked to
emerging international markets to fuel growth and broaden their brand portfolios to include noncarbonated
beverages like tea, juice, sports drinks, and bottled water. For over a century, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola had
vied for the "throat share" of the world's beverage market. The most intense battles of the cola wars were
fought over the $60 billion industry in the United States, where the average American consumes 53 gallons of
carbonated soft drinks (CSD) per year. In a "carefully waged competitive struggle," from 1975 to 1995 both
Coke and Pepsi had achieved average annual growth of around 10% as both U.S. and worldwide CSD
consumption consistently rose. This cozy situation was threatened in the late 1990s, however, when U.S. CSD
consumption dropped for two consecutive years and worldwide shipments slowed for both Coke and Pepsi. The
case considers whether Coke's and Pepsi's era of sustained growth and profitability was coming to a close or
whether this apparent slowdown was just another blip in the course of a century of enviable performance. A
rewritten version of an earlier case by Michael E. Porter and David B. Yoffie.
Subjects Covered: Beverages, Competition, Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Food processing
industry, Global business, Industry analysis, Industry structure, International business
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Wal-Mart Stores in 2003
Publication Date: Sep 18,
2003
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Pankaj Ghemawat,
Stephen P. Bradley, Ken Mark
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-704-430
Language: English
Revision Date:
Jan 30, 2004
Length: 32p
Apple Computer—2002
David B. Yoffie, Yusi Wang
Product Number: 9-702-469
Apple Computer, 2005
David B. Yoffie, Barbara J. Mack
Product Number: 9-705-469
Bitter Competition: The
Holland Sweetener Co. vs.
NutraSweet (A)
Publication Date: Dec 28,
1993
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Adam
Brandenburger, Maryellen
Costello, Julia Kou
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-794-079
Revision Date:
Nov 13, 2000
Length: 14p
6. Corporate Level
Strategy
Cooper Industries’
Corporate Strategy (A)
David J. Collis; Toby Stuart
1991 (Update 1995) 26 pages
Product#: 391095
Setting:
United States;
Retail industry;
$245 billion
revenues; 19652003
Setting:
Global; Personal
computer industry;
Fortune 500; $5.4
billion revenues;
9,600 employees;
1977-2002
Setting:
United States;
Computer industry;
Consumer
electronics; $8.2
billion revenues;
11,695 employees;
2004-2005
Setting:
Global; Sugars &
sweeteners
industry; large; $2
billion revenues;
1965-1992
Setting
Description:
Examine's Wal-Mart's development over three decades and provides financial and descriptive detail of its
domestic operations. In 2003, Wal-Mart's Supercenter business has surpassed its domestic business as the
largest generator of revenues. Its international operation seems poised to become the next growth driver for
the company as it marches toward the trillion dollar sales mark. But problems are starting to surface even as
the company is winning recognition as the number one company in the Fortune 500--unions keep pressuring
its minimum-wage employees and allegations of gender discrimination are alleged. Teaching purpose: To
introduce students to creating a competitive advantage.
Subjects Covered:
Competitive advantage, Corporate strategy, Discount department stores, Distribution planning, Information
technology, International business, Management controls, Mass merchandising.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Description:
In 1980, Apple was the leader of the personal computer industry, but by 2002 it had suffered heavy losses at
the hands of the Wintel camp. This case examines Apple's strategic moves as the PC industry evolves in the
21st century and poses the question: Can Steve Jobs make Apple "insanely great" again?
Subjects Covered:
Competitive advantage, Corporate strategy, Industry analysis, Strategy formulation.
Description:
Apple has reaped the benefits of its innovative music player, the iPod. However, its PC and server business
continue to hold small market share relative to the worldwide computer market over the past few years. Will
the iPod lure new users to the Mac? Will Apple be able to produce another cutting-edge device quickly?
Subjects Covered:
Computer systems, Innovation.
Description:
The NutraSweet Co. has very successfully marketed aspartame, a low-calorie, high-intensity sweetener,
around the world. NutraSweet's position was protected by patents until 1987 in Europe, Canada, and Japan,
and until the end of 1992 in the United States. The case series describes the competition that ensued between
NutraSweet and the Holland Sweetener Co. (HSC) following HSC's entry into the aspartame market in 1987.
Describes the subsequent move and countermove in both the marketplace and the courts. Also, discusses the
business "game" that takes place at both the tactical and value levels. Ends with the final countdown to the
expiration of NutraSweet's U.S. patent.
Subjects Covered:
Beverages, Competition, Food, Game theory, Patents, Strategy formulation.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Description
Describes the development of a successful corporate strategy based on the acquisition and subsequent
consolidation of low-technology manufacturing companies. Starting with a company history and discussion of
current business segments, the case goes on to detail the innovation of corporate headquarters in strategy
formulation and operations. Highlights the synergistic possibilities in alike acquisitions and addresses the issue
of long-term value creation in acquisition-oriented firms. Emphasis is placed on the systems and procedures
installed to implement the corporate strategy.
Subjects Covered: Acquisitions, Competition, Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Finance, Mergers,
Mergers & acquisitions, Strategic planning, Strategy formulation, Strategy implementation.
Allianz (A1): An Insurer
Acquiring a Bank?
Joseph L. Bower, Marc L.
Bertoneche, Anders Sjoman,
Sonja E. Hout
Pub. Date: August 16, 2004
Product Number: 9-305-013
Google, Inc.
Publication Date:
Jan 12, 2006
Revision Date:
Feb 21, 2006
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Thomas R. Eisenmann, Kerry
Herman
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-806-105
Language: English
Length: 34p
Teaching Note
Newell Rubbermaid:
Strategy in Transition
Cynthia A. Montgomery,
Rhonda Kaufman, Carole A.
Winkler
Pub. Date: March 23, 2004
Product Number: 9-704-491
7. Acquisition and
Restructuring Strategies
Hewlett-Packard-Compaq:
The Merger Decision
Publication Date:
Apr 8, 2004
Revision Date:
Sep 14, 2004
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Krishna G. Palepu, Jonathan
Barnett
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-104-048
Length: 32p
Setting:
Germany; Financial
services; 37 billion
euros revenues;
2000-2001
Mountain View, CA;
United States;
Advertising
industry; Internet
& online services
industries;
Software industry;
$6.1 billion
revenues; 5,000
employees; 2005
Description:
The deal of the year in 2002, was the acquisition of Dresdner Bank by Allianz. Written from the perspectives of
Allianz's CEO, Henning Schulte-Noelle, before and after the deal and a regional manager implementing the
concept of a full-line financial service provider. Presents the original question facing Schulte-Noelle: "Should
Allianz acquire Dresdner?"
Subjects Covered:
Acquisitions, Banking, Financial services, Implementation, Insurance, Strategic planning.
Describes Google's history, business model, governance structure, corporate culture, and processes for
managing innovation. Reviews Google's recent strategic initiatives and the threats they pose to Yahoo,
Microsoft, and eBay. Asks what Google should do next. One option is to stay focused on the company's core
competence, i.e., developing superior search solutions and monetizing them through targeted advertising.
Another option is to branch into new arenas, for example, build Google into a portal like Yahoo or MSN;
extend Google's role in e-commerce beyond search, to encompass a more active role as an intermediary (like
eBay) facilitating transactions; or challenge Microsoft's hegemony over the PC desktop by developing software
to compete with Office and Windows.
A rewritten version of an earlier case.
Setting:
United States;
Personal care
products;
Household product
industry; $7.75
billion revenues;
47,000 employees;
2001-2003
Setting
Computer industry;
$70 billion
revenues; 140,000
employees; 20012002
Description:
Describes the transformation of a company's corporate-level strategy. Begins by laying out the strategy that
brought the Newell Co. stunning success for nearly three decades. The highly integrated, internally consistent
strategy was tailored for manufacturing and selling a particular genre of products to a particular kind of
customer. In the mid-1990s, Newell encountered some shifts in its competitive environment and a subtle
erosion in profits. In 1999, the $3.5 billion company paid a 49% premium to acquire the $2.5 billion
Rubbermaid Co., in part for its product development process and strong consumer brands. After the
acquisition, the profits of the combined enterprise deteriorated at an accelerated rate and the CEO was
replaced. In less than a year, a fundamentally new strategy was announced, profits improved, and both Wall
Street and major retailers were encouraged. Some setbacks followed, leading to reduced earnings and revised
expectations. Exposes students to the pains and struggles of changing a deeply ingrained and long-lived
strategy. Also forces them to confront the question of whether the new strategy is the right one and the
markers one should seek to prove the case.
Subjects Covered:
Acquisitions, Competition, Corporate strategy, Mergers, Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic planning, Strategy
formulation, Strategy implementation.
Description
Hewlett-Packard's proposed $24 billion acquisition of rival Compaq marked the largest merger in the history of
the computer industry. The merger was Hewlett-Packard's response to sweeping changes impacting the
technology industry. The severity of the stock market's reaction to the deal's announcement, coupled with a
"slim but sufficient" 51.4% shareholder approval margin, left many wondering whether the deal was beneficial
for shareholders.
The Debate Over Unbundling
General Motors: The Delphi
Divestiture and Other
Possible Transactions
Publication Date:
Nov 8, 1999
Revision Date:
Jun 12, 2002
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Malcolm S. Salter
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-800-196
Length: 18p
Marks & Spencer: The
Phoenix Rises
Publication Date: May 2,
2003
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Joseph L. Bower
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-303-096
Revision Date:
Nov 17, 2005
Length: 29p
8. . International Strategy
United States;
Automotive
industry; Fortune
500; $180 billion
revenues; 350,000
employees; 1999
Setting:
London; Retail
industry; 8 billion
pounds revenues;
70,000 employees;
2000-2002
Setting
Description:
The great U.K. retailer fell on hard times in 1998. In 2001, a new CEO was recruited who appears to have
succeeded in turning around this world-renown company. This case examines the steps he took (strategic,
structural, and recruiting key people) and highlights a series of fundamental questions that remain. Can the
company regain its premium retail brand given the new competition and given the breadth of market
segments that it addresses under one roof? Are the new approaches to sourcing and segmentation sound?
Should the firm seriously consider reentering the international retail markets?
Subjects Covered:
Brands, Corporate strategy, Market segmentation, Teams.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Description
In 1998, Newell Co., a manufacturer of low-tech, high-volume consumer goods, acquired Calphalon Corp., a
high-end cookware company, and Rubbermaid, a $2 billion manufacturer of consumer and commercial plastic
products. The case focuses on Newell’s strategy and its elaboration throughout the organization, as well as the
importance of selecting appropriate acquisitions to grow the company. Do Calphalon and Rubbermaid fit with
the company’s long-term strategy of growth through acquisition and superior service to volume customers? A
rewritten version of an earlier case..
Newell Co.: Corporate
Strategy
Cynthia A. Montgomery;
Elizabeth J. Gordon
©1999 22 pages (updated)
Product#: 799139
P&G Japan: The SK-II
Globalization Project
Christopher A. Bartlett
©2004, 24 pages
Product#: 303003
Ever since General Motors (GM) announced in February 1997 its intention to divest Delphi Automotive
Systems--its upstream parts manufacturing operations--Wall Street had called for further unbundling, and
various stakeholders competed for their claim of value represented by GM. The case presents GM's four
options for the Delphi unit and raises valuation and governance issues regarding the remaining corporate
assets. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
Setting:
Japan; United
States; Consumer
products; $38
billion revenues;
110,000
employees; 1999
Subjects Covered: Acquisitions, Competitive strategy, Consumer goods, Consumer products industry,
Corporate strategy, Diversification, Entrepreneurship, Growth strategy, Household products, Manufacturing
industry, Mergers & acquisitions, Strategic planning.
Traces changes in P&G’s international strategy and structure, culminating in Organization 2005, a
reorganization that places strategic emphasis on product innovation rather than geographic expansion and
shifts power from local subsidiary to global business management. In the context of these changes introduced
by Durk Jager, P&G’s new CEO, Paolo de Cesare is transferred to Japan, where he takes over the recently
turned-around beauty care business. Within the familiar Max Factor portfolio he inherits is SK-II, a fastgrowing, highly profitable skin care product developed in Japan. Priced at over $100 a bottle, this is not a
typical P&G product, but its successful introduction in Taiwan and Hong Kong has de Cesare thinking the brand
has global potential. As the case closes, he is questioning whether he should take a proposal to the beauty
care global business unit to expand into Mainland China and/or Europe
Subjects Covered: Asia, Consumer products industry, Corporate strategy, Cosmetics, General management,
Global business, Globalization, Innovation, Innovation & entrepreneurship, International business,
International management, International marketing, Japan, Manufacturing industry, Marketing, Multinational
corporations, Operations management, Organization, Organizational structure, Product development, ,
Strategy implementation, Subsidiaries.
Lincoln Electric: Venturing
Abroad
Christopher A. Bartlett, Jamie
O'Connell
Pub. Date: January 14, 1998
Product Number: 9-398-095
Atlas Electrica:
International Strategy
Michael E. Porter, Arturo Condo
Pub. Date: November 07,
2003
Product#: 704435
Philips versus Matsushita: A
New Century, a New Round
Christopher A. Bartlett
Pub. Date: September 21,
2001
Product Number: 9-302-049
Setting:
Asia; Europe;
United States;
Welding; $1.1
billion revenues;
6,300 employees;
1988-1997
Setting:
Appliance industry;
$43 million
revenues; 850
employees; 2000
Setting:
Global; Europe;
Japan; Electronics
industry; large;
$40 billion-$60
billion revenues;
270,000
employees; 19702001
Description:
Lincoln Electric, a 100-year-old manufacturer of welding equipment and consumables based in Cleveland,
Ohio, motivates its U.S. employees through a culture of cooperation between management and labor and an
unusual compensation system based on piecework and a large bonus based on individual contribution to the
company's performance. Despite opening a few international sales and production ventures in Canada,
Australia, and France, Lincoln remained focused on manufacturing in the United States until 1988. At that
time, the company's new CEO expanded manufacturing through acquisitions and greenfields in 11 new
countries, attempting to transfer its unique management philosophy to each. However, Lincoln was unable to
replicate its highly productive system abroad. Operational problems led to a major restructuring in the early
1990s, supervised by Anthony Massaro, a newcomer to the company. In 1996, Massaro was named CEO and
set about expanding the company's manufacturing base through a new strategy. The case concludes in Asia,
where Lincoln's regional president is trying to decide whether and how to establish a manufacturing presence
in Indonesia, and in particular whether to try to transfer Lincoln's unique incentive-driven management
system.
Subjects Covered:
Incentives, International business, International operations, Manufacturing, Multinational corporations,
Strategy implementation.
Description:
Atlas must decide whether to acquire La Indeca, increasing its Central American presence, or to focus on
larger Latin American markets where higher growth is possible. In the year 2000, Jorge Rodriguez was in
charge of Atlas Electrica, the largest home appliance firm in Central America. Although it had almost doubled
its sales in the 1990s, by the end of the decade Atlas was experiencing a declining market share in its home
region and facing increasing competition from outside the region, especially from Mexican and Korean
multinationals. At the time, Atlas' main competitor in Central America, El Salvador-based Indeca, was up for
sale. Atlas Electrica, based in Costa Rica, served more than a dozen Latin American countries. Since its
establishment in 1961, it had served Central American markets with different types of home appliances, later
focusing on white-goods for middle-income segments of Central American consumers. In the mid-1990s,
through a strategic alliance with Sweden's AG Electrolux, Atlas had expanded to Latin American markets
beyond Central America.
Subjects Covered:
Alliances, Competitive advantage, Developing countries, Emerging markets, Globalization.
Description:
Describes the development of the international strategies and organizations of two major competitors in the
global consumer electronics industry. The history of both companies is traced and their changing strategic
postures and organizational capabilities are documented. Particular attention is given to the major
restructuring each company is forced to undertake as its competitive position is eroded. A rewritten version of
an earlier case.
Subjects Covered:
Competition, Electronics, International operations, Multinational corporations, Organizational change,
Organizational structure, Strategy implementation.
9. Cooperative Strategy
The Renault-Nissan Alliance
Publication Date:
May 9, 2003
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Michael Y. Yoshino, Perry L.
Fagan
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-303-023
Length: 26p
Honda-Rover (A): Crafting
an Alliance
Publication Date:
Mar 1, 1999
Revision Date:
Nov 6, 2001
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
James K. Sebenius, Ashish
Nanda, Ron S. Fortgang
Type: Case (Library)
Product Number: 9-899-223
Length: 28p
Millennium Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. (A)
Stefan Thomke; Ashok
Nimgade
Pub. Date: December 21, 1999
Product#: 600038
Setting
Japan; France;
Automotive
industry; $36
billion revenues;
140,000
employees; 20022003
United Kingdom;
Europe;
Automotive
industry; large; $7
billion revenues;
40,000 employees;
1979-1993
Description
On Wednesday, May 29, 2002, the board of directors of Renault-Nissan BV (RNBV) met for the first time to
discuss the state of the alliance between Renault SA and Nissan Motors-two of the world's largest automakers.
RNBV was a 50/50 joint venture company established in March of that year to oversee the strategy of the
alliance and all activities undertaken jointly by Renault and Nissan. The new company would "steer alliance
strategy and supervise common activities on a global level, while respecting the identity and culture of each
company and not interfering in operations." Executives at both companies believed much had been
accomplished in the first three years of the alliance. Nissan, under Carlos Ghosn's leadership, had improved its
finances dramatically and was rapidly reemerging as a major player in the global auto industry. Moreover, the
alliance partners were in line with their initial forecast of $3.3 billion in cost savings and synergies promised
by 2002, according to their internal reporting. As the board prepared to meet, Louis Schweitzer and Ghosn
believed the alliance faced difficult challenges ahead. To what extent would the two companies be able to
realize further savings and synergies, particularly in the areas of manufacturing and additional sales? How
should the RNBV board address issues that had surfaced as employees of the two firms worked together
across disparate corporate and national cultures, functions, and geographies? Ultimately, would the two firms
be able to strike a balance between deepening their alliance while "respecting the identity and culture of each
company and not interfering in operations?"
Faced with vexing financial challenges in 1993, British Aerospace (BAe) is determined to shed its loss-making
automaker, Rover. It offers to sell its stake in Rover to Honda, Rover's partner since 1979, but Honda is
reluctant to raise its stake in Rover. Meanwhile, BMW approaches BAe with a confidential bid to buy out Rover.
This case places these developments within the context of the history of the British auto industry, Rover's
heritage, evolution of the Honda-Rover partnership, and the rationale for BMW's interest in Rover. The case
series describes subsequent developments.
Focuses on Millennium’s strategy to grow and revolutionize drug development through the use of new
technologies such as genomics. Describes how Millennium Pharmaceuticals—a fast-growing biotechnology firm
in Cambridge, MA—has used strategic alliances to finance the development of technology platforms based on
the latest breakthroughs in genomics. As the firm considers developing pharmaceutical drugs itself, they face
a number of challenges: 1) Can they revolutionize drug development by making it more predictable, faster,
and less costly? 2) How should they select their alliances such that they move closer to becoming a
pharmaceutical firm and still attract the funding needed for their strategy? 3) How can they continue to grow
rapidly and attract and retain some of the best minds in the pharmaceutical industry?
Subjects Covered: Alliances, Biotechnology, Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Employee retention,
Entrepreneurship, Financing, Innovation & entrepreneurship, Marketing, Operations management,
Pharmaceuticals, , Product development, Product life cycle, Strategy implementation.
Migros
Forest L. Reinhardt, Vincent
Dessain, Anders Sjoman
Pub. Date: December 14, 2005
Product Number: 9-706-028
Setting:
Switzerland;
Agribusiness; Food
industry; Retail
industry; $4.2
billion Swiss francs
revenues; 9,700
employees; 2005
Setting:
Global; Coffee;
2002
Starbucks and Conservation
International
James E. Austin, Cate Reavis
Pub. Date: April 01, 2003
Product Number: 9-303-055
10. Corporate Governance
Vivendi: Revitalizing a
French Conglomerate (A)
Cynthia A. Montgomery, John
M. Turner
©1998 (Update 2003) 21
pages
Product#: 799019
The Case for Contingent
Governance
Paul Strebel
Product Number: 9-SMR-127
Setting
Description:
In October 2005, Urs Riedener, head of marketing at Swiss retailer Migros, is contemplating the company's
competitive position. Primarily a retailer for foods and near-foods products, the cooperative Migros, with close
to 600 retail outlets in Switzerland (but only four outside its domestic market), is facing stiffer competition,
both from existing competitors (such as Coop) and new arrivals (such as hard discounters Lidi and Aldi).
Riedener and Migros management have so far always had faith in Migros' position in the marketplace, built
around its governance structure (the customers were also the owners, creating a close link between the
retailer and the market) and its emphasis on never selling harmful products. Socially, ecologically, and
ethically produced products was a key aspect of Migros' product offering. Riedner knows that Migros benefited
from a unique position--and he wants to make sure that Migros defends it from both new and old competitors.
Subjects Covered:
Agribusiness, Competitive advantage, Competitive environment, Cooperatives, Corporate governance,
Environmental protection, Food, International business, Product differentiation, Social enterprise, Strategy,
Supply chain.
Description:
Starbucks, the world's leading specialty coffee company, developed a strategic alliance with Conservation
International, a major international environmental nonprofit organization. The purpose of the alliance was to
promote coffee-growing practices of small farms that would protect endangered habitats. The collaboration
emerged from the company's corporate social responsibility policies and its coffee procurement strategy. The
initial project was in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas and resulted in the incorporation of shade-grown
coffee into the Starbucks product line, providing an attractive alternative market for the farmer cooperatives
at a time when coffee producers were in economic crisis due to plummeting world prices. Simultaneously, the
company had to deal with growing pressures from nonprofit organizations in the Fair Trade movement,
demanding higher prices for farmers. Starbucks was reviewing the future of its alliance with Conservation
International and its new coffee procurement guidelines aimed at promoting environmentally, socially, and
economically sustainable coffee production. The nature of the industry puts the case in the global context from
both the supply and demand sides.
Subjects Covered:
Agribusiness, Beverages, Corporate responsibility, Social enterprise, Strategic alliances.
Description
Examines corporate strategy for a diversified firm in the French business context. Issues include corporate
governance, vision, and the management of unrelated diversification. After the company’s first loss ever, the
Vivendi board elected a new chairman who completed a financial restructuring and articulated a new corporate
strategy. His actions were in part determined by the French business environment, which does not easily
permit staff reductions, and by the increasing importance of foreign investors in France.
Subjects Covered: Business conditions, Competitive strategy, Conglomerates, Corporate culture, Corporate
governance, Corporate strategy, Diversification, Economic conditions, Europe, France, General management,
Leadership, Manufacturing industry, Organizational structure, Service industry, Vision
Description:
Many corporate boards adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to governance. Instead, they should consider that
their primary role must shift depending on various conditions, both internal and external. Boards have four
main functions--auditing, supervising, coaching, and steering--each with a different perspective and behavior.
The roles reflect two main differences in board culture. The first type of board concerns itself mainly with
shareholder interests or shareholder plus other stakeholder interests. The focus is on externalities. The second
type of board either monitors executives' activities or gets actively involved in the conduct of the organization.
Here the focus is on handling ineffective management. The basic role types are not mutually exclusive;
instead they reflect different board cultures that result from different emphases on decision making and
resource allocation. During any time period, a board must determine what its dominant role should be, given
the current conditions.
Subjects Covered:
Corporate culture, Corporate governance, Corporate strategy, Leadership, Organizational behavior,
Shareholders relations.
The Board of Directors at
the Coca-Cola Co.
Jay W. Lorsch, Rakesh
Khurana, Sonya Sanchez
Pub. Date: August 11, 2003
Product Number: 9-404-039
11. Organizational
Structures & Controls
Setting:
Atlanta, GA; Soft
drink industry; $20
billion revenues;
2002-2003
Setting
Sampa Video, Inc.
Publication Date: Jun 13,
2001
Availability: In Stock
Author(s): Gregor Andrade
Type: Case (Gen Exp)
Product Number: 9-201-094
Revision Date:
Oct 7, 2003
Length: 3p
12. Strategic Leadership
GE’s Two-Decade
Transformation: Jack
Welch’s Leadership
Christopher A. Bartlett; Meg
Wozny
©1999 24 pages
Product#: 399150
Description
Describes the development of the international strategies and organizations of two major competitors in the
global consumer electronics industry. The history of both companies is traced and their changing strategic
postures and organizational capabilities are documented. Particular attention is given to the major
restructuring each company is forced to undertake as its competitive position is eroded. A rewritten version of
an earlier case.
Philips vs. Matsushita: A
New Century, a New Round
Christopher A. Bartlett
©2003, 20 pages
Product#: 302049
Massport (A): The Aftermath
of 9/11
Michael A. Roberto, Erika M.
Ferlins
Product#: 304081
Description:
Provides a history of the board of directors of the Coca-Cola Co. through 2003. Describes the evolution in the
board's membership, practices, and structure and the role it played in the company's governance. Questions
are raised about the relationship between the board and top management, especially how the board is
carrying out its responsibilities in the 21st century.
Subjects Covered:
Beverages, Corporate governance.
Setting:
Boston, MA;
Transportation
industry; $180
million revenues;
1,000 employees;
2001-2004
Setting:
2001
Setting
Setting:
United States;
Global; $100 billion
revenues; 293,000
employees; 19811998
Subjects Covered: Competition, Competitive strategy, Corporate strategy, Electronics, Globalization, High
technology, International business, International operations, Manufacturing industry, Multinational
corporations, Organization, Organizational change, Organizational structure, Strategy implementation.
Description:
This case looks at the turnaround at the Massachusetts Port Authority after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It
begins with the situation during the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and then describes how the new CEO
restructures the public agency to operate much more like a business organization.
Subjects Covered:
Business government relations, Change management, Corporate culture, Leadership, Organizational design,
Organizational structure, Public sector, Security, Transportation.
Description:
A video rental store is considering offering home delivery service. Management must value the project under
different financing strategies and methods, specifically adjusted present value (APV) and weighted average
cost of capital (WACC).
Subjects Covered:
Capital budgeting, Capital investments, Cash flow, Debt management, Financial strategy, Financing, Present
value, Valuation.
Assignment Sheet and Assessment Rubric Available
Description
GE is faced with Jack Welch’s impending retirement and whether anyone can sustain the blistering pace of
change and growth characteristic of the Welch era. After briefly describing GE’s heritage and Welch’s
transformation of the company’s business portfolio of the 1980s, the case chronicles Welch’s revitalization
initiatives through the late 1980s and 1990s. It focuses on six of Welch’s major change programs: The
“Software” Initiatives, Globalization, Redefining Leadership, Stretch Objectives, Service Business
Development, and Six Sigma Quality
Subjects Covered: Business policy, Competitive strategy, Conglomerates, Corporate culture, Corporate
strategy, Executives, General management, Leadership, Management of change, Manufacturing industry,
Organizational behavior & leadership, Organizational change, Organizational development, Service industry,
Strategy implementation, Upper management.
Howard Schultz and
Starbucks Coffee Company
Publication Date:
Feb 13, 2001
Revision Date:
Sep 30, 2005
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Nancy F. Koehn
Type: Case (Pub Mat)
Product Number: 9-801-361
Length: 40p
Teaching Note
Bennie Wiley at The
Partnership, Inc.
Laura Morgan Roberts, Victoria
W. Winston
Pub. Date: October 24, 2005
Product Number: 9-406-012
Bill Belichick and the
Cleveland Browns
John R. Wells, Travis Haglock
Product Number: 9-706-415
Seattle, WA; Retail
industry; $2.2
billion revenues;
37,000 employees;
1982-2001
Setting:
Boston, MA; United
States; 5
employees; 2005
Setting:
Cleveland, OH;
Sports industry;
$100 million
revenues; 200
employees; 1995
Investigates the entrepreneur's strategic initiatives to develop a mass market for specialty coffee in the 1980s
and 1990s. These initiatives included the development of premium products, rapid expansion of companyowned stores--each with attractive retail environments and responsive customer service--and, especially, the
creation of a strong brand. Also devotes considerable attention to how Schultz built the Starbucks
organization, examining the consistent emphasis that he and his colleagues placed on the company's
relationship with its employees, how Schultz financed Starbucks' early expansion, how vertical integration
ensured quality control, and how--strategically and operationally--the company managed its phenomenal
domestic and international growth after 1993.
Description:
Benaree Wiley, an African American, female HBS graduate (class of 1972), was appointed CEO and president
in 1991 of The Partnership, a Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to developing leadership potential in
professionals of color and in increasing their representation in area businesses and institutions. The
organization suffered from a lack of unity among the board, an unclear mission, and financial challenges,
including debt in excess of $100,000. Starting with only an administrative assistant, Wiley built the
organization from the ground up, using her ability to develop and nurture relationships as the basis for
growth. In December 2004, Wiley announced her impending retirement, leaving the organization with the
strategic challenge of moving its programs and services to a level of greater impact (beyond the Boston
community), without the leadership of its heralded CEO.
Subjects Covered:
African Americans, Business models, Careers & career planning, Diversity, General management, Growth
strategy, Leadership, Minority & ethnic groups, Nonprofit sector, Power & influence, Women in business.
Description:
Genius? That is not what they were calling Bill Belichick in Cleveland. Why? Four losing seasons in five years.
Fans hurled trash and insults. The media resented him. Ownership abandoned him. Players quit on him. Very
different from the three Super Bowls in five years Belichick would win with the New England Patriots a few
years later. Different players? Different ownership? Different management styles? Different strategies?
Different coach? Find out. What happened when the Browns hired a man who began studying football strategy
at the age of six? A man with a degree in economics who almost became an MBA candidate before accepting a
job in football that paid $25 a week. A man who was long recognized as one of the best assistant coaches in
the NFL. Learn how Belichick managed the players, the coaches, the owner, the media, etc.
Subjects Covered:
Business history, CEO, Human resources management, Leadership, Management philosophy, Strategy
formulation, Strategy implementation.
13. Strategic
Entrepreneurship
Internal Entrepreneurship
at the Dow Chemical Co.
Publication Date:
Jan 1, 2003
Revision Date:
Jul 29, 2003
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Bala Chakravarthy, Hans Huber
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: IMD145
Source: IMD - International
Institute for Management
Development
Length: 13p
Teaching Note
Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA
Publication Date:
May 7, 1990
Revision Date:
Jul 22, 1996
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Christopher A. Bartlett, Ashish
Nanda
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-390-132
Language: English
Length: 20p
Teaching Note
The Path to a Spin-off-Nortel Networks to
NetActive: One Form of
Corporate Entrepreneurship
Publication Date:
Jan 1, 2004
Revision Date:
Feb 9, 2004
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Gina Colarelli O'Connor, Mark P.
Rice
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: BAB067
Language: English
Source: Babson College
Length: 14p
Setting
Description
Europe; United
States; Chemical
industry; $28
billion revenues;
2000-2001
Describes how a corporate entrepreneur shapes an internal growth venture within the company, mobilizes the
resources that are needed to implement the venture, and achieves success. Complementing his
entrepreneurial behavior, however, is the support that he receives from several senior managers in the firm.
Allows a careful examination of the challenges for corporate entrepreneurship in a large multinational firm and
the roles that senior executives have to play to support it.
Europe; Global;
Stockholm;
Sweden; Zurich;
Furniture industry;
Retail industry;
large; $2.5 billion
revenues; 1989
Traces the development of a Swedish furniture retailer under the leadership of an innovative and
unconventional entrepreneur whose approaches redefine the nature and structure of the industry. Traces
IKEA's growth from a tiny mail order business to the world's largest furniture dealership. Describes the
innovative strategic and organizational changes Kamprad made to achieve success. In particular, focuses on
his unique vision and values and the way they have become institutionalized as IKEA's binding corporate
culture. The trigger issue revolves around whether this vital "corporate glue" can survive massive expansion
into the United States and the Eastern Bloc and Kamprad's replacement as CEO by a "professional manager."
Describes the exploratory learning processes a new venture undergoes as it evolves its breakthrough/radical
innovation--an algorithm that makes software rentable--within Nortel Network's Business Venture Group.
Details the challenges of managing under high uncertainty and within a white space opportunity. Focuses on
the project leader and the leader of the Business Ventures Group as she evolves her processes for managing a
portfolio of potential breakthrough innovations. Highlights the following key issues: exploratory marketing,
business model creation, team composition within the venture, and the venture's relationship to the mother
organization.
Guidant: Radiation Therapy
Publication Date:
Jul 25, 2000
Revision Date:
Sep 12, 2005
Availability: In Stock
Author(s):
Michael J. Roberts, Diana
Gardner
Type: Case (Field)
Product Number: 9-801-040
Length: 24p
Teaching Note
Charles Schwab in 2002
Lynda M. Applegate; F. Warren
McFarlan; Jamie Ladge
©2002, 29 pages
Product#: 803070
Indiana; Medical
equipment &
device industry;
$930 million
revenues; 1996
Setting:
United States;
Financial services;
$2 billion
revenues; 2002
Setting:
Sweden; Petroleum
industry; 19001937
Ivar Kreuger and the
Swedish Match Empire
Geoffrey G. Jones, Ingrid
Vargas
Pub. Date: November 04,
2003
Product#: 804078
Describes a potential new approach to treating cardiac disease--radiation therapy. Guidant, a leading medical
device maker, faces a choice about whether to pursue this new and risky technology and, if so with what
strategy.
Details the evolution of the Charles Schwab business model, from its founding in 1975 to October 2002. The
protagonist, David Pottruck, is faced with re-inventing the firm as a full-service brokerage at a time of
tremendous industry instability as the industry reels from the effects of deregulation, consolidation, global
economic downturn, and investor lack of confidence. Teaching Purpose: To illustrate the process of building
businesses and evolving business models.
Subjects Covered: Business models, Competitive strategy, Electronic commerce, Entrepreneurship, Financial
services, Growth strategy, Information age, Leadership, New economy, Organizational behavior, Service
industry, Technology.
Description:
Taught in Evolution of Global Business. Globalization and corporate fraud are the central themes of this case
on the international growth of Swedish Match in the interwar years. Between 1913 and 1932, Ivar Kreuger,
known as the "Swedish Match King," built a small, family-owned match business into a $600 million global
match empire. Despite the economic and political disruptions of the interwar period, Swedish Match owned
manufacturing operations in 36 countries, had monopolies in 16 countries, and controlled 40% of the world's
match production. Kreuger companies lent over $300 million dollars to governments in Europe, Latin America,
and Asia in exchange for national match monopolies. Relying on international capital markets to finance
acquisitions and monopoly deals, by 1929 the stocks and bonds of Kreuger companies were the most widely
held securities in the United States and the world. After Kreuger's 1932 suicide, forensic auditors discovered
that Kreuger had operated a giant pyramid scheme. His accounts were ridden with fictitious assets, the truth
hidden in a maze of over 400 subsidiary companies. Swedish Match's deficits exceeded Sweden's national
debt.
Subjects Covered:
Business government relations, Business history, Cartels, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Fraud, Globalization,
International business, Multinational corporations.