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Nokia – Global Market Share40%; US Market Share 10%:

Competitive StrategiesIn 2008, Nokia, the global leader in mobilehandset manufacturing faced difficulties incapturing a sizeable market share in theUS. Nokia’s profit margins reduced yearafter year in US since 2004. One oftencited reason was its unwillingness tocustomise according to the preferences ofthe markets there. As the UStelecommunication industry is one of theworld’s biggest telecommunicationmarkets, Nokia had to establish itself inthis market to retain its global No.1position. The case study outlines the UStelecommunication industry structure andthe obstacles Nokia faced in finding afoothold in this marketplace. It hasgrabbed a 40% global market share; but inthe US it has been able to rake it up to just10%. What possible steps should Nokiatake to capture a sizeable portion of USmarket share? What challenges does itface? What prevents it from having aformidable market position in the US?Should it, succumbing to the marketpressures (realities!), decide to customiseits business model? What are theconsequences if it does? For a company,which adopted a standardised business modelacross the world, what would be theconsequences of altering it?

Pedagogical Objectives

• To understand the evolution of mobilephones and the revolutionary trends inthe mobile handset industry

• To analyse the telecommunicationindustry’s standards and their impact onthe industry and handset manufacturers

• To analyse the structure of the UStelecommunication industry and itsrelevance for handset manufacturers

• To identify the reasons for Nokia’sfailure in the US telecommunicationindustry and to debate on its strategicresponse.

Industry Mobile TelecommunicationsReference No. COM0172Year of Pub. 2009Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Nokia, Mobile Phones, Five Forces,Business Model, iPhone, 3G, Motorola,Value Chain, Convergence

SunTzu’s The Art of War: IndustryAnalysis Excercise (B)

This is a set of 102 Multiple ChoiceQuestions (MCQs) based on Sun Tzu’s TheArt of War book. Designed primarily toensure that the students have read the book,this can be used as an evaluation tool forthis exercise.

Industry Not ApplicableReference No. COM0171Year of Pub. 2009Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Leadership, Military, The Art of War,RMAS, Henry Fayol, Sandhurst, Strategy,Sun Tzu, Warfare, Culture, Wars, Crisis,HRM, Marketing, Drucker

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: IndustryAnalysis Exercise (A)

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, written 2,500years ago holds powerful lessons forrunning businesses, managing people,honing leadership abilities, motivating theemployees, preparing for a battle, etc. Ifthe book is used in a highly structured wayto underscore the underpinnings of pricelesswisdom contained throughout the book,the derived learning would be highlyenriching. No doubt, the book’s principlescan be applied across all the functionalareas of management – may it bemanufacturing/production, marketing,finance, HR or any other dimension ofmanaging a company. Most interestinglyand effectively, the book’s powerfullessons can be related to Strategy course,especially for analysing industries. Whenthis book is used for analysing an industry,along with the other established industryanalysis tools and techniques, the studentswould have definitely widened theirhorizons. To that end, this note provideshow competition shapes up the strategymaking, an overview of Sun Tzu’s The Artof War and how to go about integratingthis book with industry analysis exercise.A set of 100 MCQs and two videos (one onIndian Banking Industry and other onIndian Telecom Industry) are also availablealong with this note.

Industry Not ApplicableReference No. COM0170Year of Pub. 2009Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Leadership, Military, The Art of War,RMAS, Henry Fayol, Sandhurst, Strategy,Sun Tzu, Warfare, Culture, Wars, Crisis,HRM, Marketing, Drucker

India’s Subhiksha – Aping Wal-Mart’s EDLP Strategy?

Subhiksha, a popular Indian retailer is onan expansion mode and hoped to make itspresence felt in all parts of the country bythe end of 2008. As part of its marketingstrategy, Subhiksha adopted Wal-Mart’spopular EDLP pricing strategy. ThoughSubhiksha did not aspire to compete withthe conventional retailers like Nilgiri’s orSpencer’s Daily; it hoped to create a nichemarket with its discount model. Subhiksharelied heavily on organised retailing andeconomies of scale. Would an EDLPstrategy suit the Indian retail scenario?


• To comprehend the trends in the Indianretail industry

• To analyse the rationale behind theEDLP strategy of Subhiksha

• To study the challenges of a low pricingmodel in the competitive Indian retailsector.

Industry Retail IndustryReference No. COM0169CYear of Pub. 2008Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Indian Retailing Industry; CompetitiveStrategies Case Studies; Global Retailingindustry; Subhiksha; Customer Behaviour;EDLP Strategy; Wal-Mart’s EDLP strategy

Hershey vs Mars: The CandyStore War

Hershey and Mars had been rivals in thechocolate industry for decades, and hadshown no signs of backing off from theway they had competed so far. The greatestirony was that, Mars and Hershey werepartners in chocolate making way back inthe 1930s. And when they split, it was saidthat, Mars vowed to replace Hershey asthe number one chocolate maker in theUS. But till 2006, Hershey had been goingin full throttle and held the top position inthe US market. Though Hershey was onthe top, it faced new threats when its shareprice came down, the sales declined, andMars started taking them head-on in theretail front too. So is the vow that wastaken decades back getting fulfilled and willMars overtake Hershey in 2007?


• To discuss how the trend of healthconsciousness affects the chocolateindustry

• What strategies Hershey should adoptto counter competition from Mars

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• Discuss rivalry and competition of Pepsiand Coke or of companies in otherindustries

• The newest trends in chocolate retailing.

Industry Confectionery IndustryReference No. COM0168BYear of Pub. 2008Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Business Rivalry; US Chocolate Industry;Competitive Strategies Case Study;Chocolate Retailing; Gourmet Chocolates;M&M World; Health and WellnessProducts; Hershey; Mars

Airbus 350 vs Boeing 787 – Battlefor the Skies

Over the decades, Airbus and Boeing, thetwo major players have been at loggerheadsfor aircraft orders. This case details theintensity of the rivalry between the twocompanies by elucidating facts and figuresof a new aircraft being developed from eachof their stables. Boeing’s 787 Dreamlinerbeing designed with new compositematerial is meant to set industry standards.As according to the company, this aircraftwould help airliners save fuel costs. Theaircraft is also intended to be tons lighterthan other models. Airbus, on the otherside, with its A350 XWB intends to offerthe airline market with the largest aircraftit has produced till date. Post, Paris AirShow and the Dubai Air Show held in 2007,A350 claims to give a stiff competition to787. Boeing plans to deliver its Dreamlinerby 2008, and Airbus by 2013. Boeing with5 years of advantage, and confirmed orders,industry observers inquire, if Airbus wouldbeat the time advantage or bank on thestrength of the A350, or better still use thetime to their advantage and modify theaircraft to being user friendly.


• To understand competition existing in aduopoly market

• To understand demand and supply ofaircrafts in the aviation industry

• To analyse the competitive strategiesdeployed by Airbus and Boeing and thepossible threats from various newentrants to their duopoly

• To analyse whether the competitionbetween Airbus and Boeing would be ahealthy sign for the aircraftmanufacturing industry or would theylose their market share to the new playersof the industry.

Industry Aircraft IndustrysReference No. COM0167BYear of Pub. 2008

Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Airbus 350; Boeing 787; AircraftManufacturing Industry; Airbus Boeing;Dreamliner; A350 XWB; European Union;Subsidies; A330; Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; Bombardier; Commercial Aircraft

The Coffee War: McDonald’s vsStarbucks

Companies can stick with their competitiveadvantage, by either satisfying customers’need or else altering them. Firms that shapecustomer needs in new directionsdramatically increase the customer valueproposition and improve business systems– a strategy best described as market-driving. Many pioneering companies followthis strategy and are hugely successful. Case(B) discusses how an Indian hotel, The Park– a pioneer of ‘boutique’ hotels in India –followed this strategy to create a small butexclusive chain of sleek designer boutiquehotels. In a country accustomed to large,marble-clad hotels, The Park’s strategy tocreate the hotel was considered highly riskyand bizarre. But the hotel’s chairperson,Priya Paul, fought for her idea and hertransformational leadership qualities hasseen the hotel chain create a niche in theboutique hotels segment. The case is a goodillustration of a hotel chain with a market-driving approach that came up withbreakthrough innovations and deeplyreshaped business systems.


• To analyse the dynamics of the foodservice industry of the US

• To analyse the core competencies ofMcDonald’s and Starbucks

• To understand the rationale of Starbucksand McDonald’s expansion

• To highlight the challenges involved inproduct offering enhancements

• To discuss how McDonald’s andStarbucks would retain their corecompetencies.

Industry Food and BeveragesReference No. COM0166AYear of Pub. 2008Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Food Service Industry US; Fast FoodIndustry US; Coffee Shops; StarbucksExperience; Convergence; SpecialityCoffee; Howard Schultz; Baristas; BrandDilution; Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; Product Offering Enhancements;Core Competencies; Breakfast Segment

Indian Hotel Industry (B): ThePark’s Eye for the UnconventionalCompanies can stick with their competitiveadvantage, by either satisfying customers’need or else altering them. Firms that shapecustomer needs in new directionsdramatically increase the customer valueproposition and improve business systems– a strategy best described as market-driving. Many pioneering companies followthis strategy and are hugely successful. Case(B) discusses how an Indian hotel, The Park– a pioneer of ‘boutique’ hotels in India –followed this strategy to create a small butexclusive chain of sleek designer boutiquehotels. In a country accustomed to large,marble-clad hotels, The Park’s strategy tocreate the hotel was considered highly riskyand bizarre. But the hotel’s chairperson,Priya Paul, fought for her idea and hertransformational leadership qualities hasseen the hotel chain create a niche in theboutique hotels segment. The case is a goodillustration of a hotel chain with a market-driving approach that came up withbreakthrough innovations and deeplyreshaped business systems.


• To understand the boutique hotel conceptand its uniqueness among the otherformats, and also highlight its successfactors in India

• To discuss The Park’s positioning, beforeand after India’s economic liberalisation,and analyse the reasons for the hotel’srepositioning

• To discuss the framework in creating andimplementing a market-driving culture,to gain a competitive advantage.

Industry Hospitality IndustryReference No. COM0165Year of Pub. 2008Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Boutique Hotel Concept in India; PriyaPaul; Apeejay Surrendra Group; MarketDriving Strategy; Target Customers; Valueand Lifestyle Group; RepositioningStrategies; Leadership throughDifferentiation; Innovations in the IndianHotel Industry; Key Success Factors inIndian Boutique Hotel; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Indian HotelSegmentation; TransformationalLeadership; Change Management

Dell vs Lenovo: The CompetitiveStrategies in China

Dell entered China, the world’s fastestgrowing PC market, in 1998. Though itwas a late entrant, Dell initially did wellthrough its direct selling business model


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that primarily targeted the industrial andpublic service departments. But this modelleft out the Chinese consumer’s desire totouch the product before buying it. Eventhe actual growth zones, the third and fourthtier cities, were overlooked. But the sameChinese turf was tamed by a domesticbrand, Lenovo. Its relationship andtransactional business model - coupled witha highly efficient supply chain network -helped Lenovo corner 35% of marketshare, dipping Dell’s further. So should Dellalter its business model is just one of themany questions discussed in this case.


• To discuss critical success factors in theChinese PC market

• To understand and contrast the businessmodels of Dell and Lenovo

• To analyse the reasons behind Dell’sdeclining profits and falling marketshare in China

• To discuss Dell’s choices to gain a marketfoothold in China.

Industry Personal ComputersReference No. COM0164Year of Pub. 2008Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Chinese PC Industry; Business Models;Direct Selling Business Model; Relationshipand Transaction Business Model; DenXiaoping; Joint Ventures and Partnerships;Chinese Consumer Behaviour; Acquisitionof IBM’s PC Division; Market EntryStrategy; Supply Chain Management;Competitive Strategies Case Study;Developing a Business Strategy for China;Critical Success Factors in Chinese PCindustry; Business Model Comparison;Second Mover Disadvantage; ChallengesFaced by a Foreign Player

Virgin Atlantic’s Business-Class-only Airline: Emerging Threat to

Niche Air Carriers?In 2007, the open skies pact betweenEurope and US was rapidly changing thecompetitive scenario on transatlanticroutes. The small BCO (business-class-only)carriers like Eos, MAXjet, Silverjet, andL’Avion grew significantly creating a nichemarket on the New York-London route.Though all major traditional carriers likeBritish Airways, Virgin Atlantic, UnitedAirlines and American Airlines had well-established business-class services, these newniche players successfully positionedthemselves against these established players.The success of these small niche carriersforced the established carriers includingVirgin Atlantic to re-assess their services

and networks. In June 2007, Virgin Atlanticannounced its plan to start BCO service onvarious transatlantic routes between NewYork and various European destinations.Though Virgin Atlantic held significantcompetitive advantages, the first moveradvantage of these small niche players poseda major challenge to Virgin Atlantic. Howwell Virgin Atlantic can position itself inthis niche market was yet to be seen.


• To understand the dynamics of thetransatlantic aviation market

• To understand the factors that led tothe emergence of the transatlantic BCOmarket

• To analyse the positioning of small nicheplayers and their strategies

• To discuss the entry strategies ofestablished players in emerging nichemarkets.

Industry Airline IndustryReference No. COM0163AYear of Pub. 2008Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Transatlantic Aviation Industry;Deregulation; Open Skies Pact;Competitive Advantage; Growth Strategy;Niche Market; Business Travel; VirginAtlantic; Business-Class-Only Services;Brand Positioning; ProductCannibalisation; Market Segmentation;Eos; Competitive Strategies Case Study;MAXjet; Silverjet and L’Avion

Piaggio vs Honda: The StrategyLessons

Most companies that rose to become globalleaders, most often, started with limitedresources and capabilities. But they werebent on winning and then sustained thatobsession, termed as “strategic intent”.Piaggio, the Italian motorcyclemanufacturer, who tasted initial success withthe launch of ‘Vespa’ motor scooter in1946 faced numerous challenges ahead andwas close to bankruptcy in 2003. Incontrast, Honda, the Japanese automobilemanufacturer, leveraged its initial successof ‘Supercub’ motorcycle to foray intoautomobile production and achieved thestatus of a global automotive player. ThePiaggio vs Honda case compares thestrategies adopted by both manufacturers,each with a point of uniqueness, in a marketthat required greater flexibility, highcomplexity, quick changes and competitivestrategies. A comparison - of these twocompanies’ strategy models - reveals thatstrategy is never static and involvescontinuous adjustments.


• To understand the strategies used byHonda and Piaggio in their pursuit forglobal leadership

• To discuss and analyse the reasons behindthe success of Honda and failure ofPiaggio

• To debate why good companies go bad

• To understand and discuss the need andimportance of strategy formulation.

Industry AutomobileReference No. COM0162Year of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Enrico Piaggio; Soichiro Honda; Vespa;Ape; Supercub; US Automobile Industry;Japanese Motorcycle industry; GiovanniAgnelli; Roberto Colaninno; Market EntryStrategy; Restructuring Strategies;Competitive Strategies; Global ExpansionStrategies; Marketing and PromotionalStrategies; Cash on Delivery (COD);Competitive Strategies Case Study;Strategic Intent; Need and importance ofStrategy Formulation

Jack in the Box: Combating theBreakfast War in US

Jack in the Box was the fifth largesthamburger chain in the US. The companyoperated in 2100 locations across the USwith revenues of $2766 million for theyear 2006. But the company had beenovershadowed by rivals like McDonald’sand Burger King, which were far greater insize. The fast food market of US was in aslump after decades of over expansion. Butthe breakfast market was emerging as thesilver lining, accounting for 8% of the $500million in restaurant sales in the US. As aresult, all the major fast food chainscompeted for a share of the breakfastmarket with even speciality coffee chainslike Starbucks joining the fray by offeringdifferent breakfast products. Jack in theBox also decided to defend its share of thebreakfast market and thought ofpromoting its breakfast products, which ithad been serving all day since the last 20years with help of an advertising campaign.As competition among various fast foodchains intensifies with different companiesadopting strategies like menu innovation,advertising and better restaurantexperience, whether a regional chain likeJack in the Box would be able to fight thegoliaths of the fast food market remainsto be seen.


• To understand the drivers of the fastfood industry

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• To understand the strategies to beadopted to survive in an over crowdedand fragmented fast food market

• To discuss the various strategies adoptedby companies in the fast food segmentspecifically the breakfast market

• To analyse the strategies adopted by Jackin the Box to survive in the breakfastmarket

• To analyse the challenges faced by Jackin the Box and evaluate the future trendsfor the fast food industry.

Industry Fast Food IndustryReference No. COM0161AYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Fast Food Industry; Menu Innovation;Advertising; Breakfast Market; BrandReinvention; Demographic Trends;Competitive Strategies Case Study; BrandDifferentiation, Social Networking,McDonalds, Burger King, ReimagedRestaurants, Fast Casual Segment; DriveThrust; Jack In The Box; Healthier FoodOptions

China’s Retail Industry (C): TheCompetitive Strategies

This is the last case in China’s retail industryseries. While case (A) looks at thecompetitive landscape of China’s retailindustry, case (B) helps analyse thecompetitive responses to Chineseconsumer behavior. Case (C) presents a agallery of competitive strategies. Fromwhat has been learnt in cases A and B, Chelps know which company stands a betterchance to carve a niche for itself. What istheir unique advantage? If not, what shouldthey still do - immediately, remotely orforever? If strategy is all about creatingunique advantages, this case is much morethan how companies deploy differentstrategies to become unique. Shouldcompanies enter China with their time-tested business models? Or should they gofor new business practices? How the localplayers (incumbents) adjust their gameplans to the moves of bigger and bettercompetitors (new entrants)? Can both co-exist? Or would they exit with the entry offoreign players? The big picture would behow intensified competition can catapultan industry.


• To understand and analyse variouscompetitive strategies of creating uniquepositions in China’s retail industry

• To compare and contrast competitivestrategies of foreign players (the new

entrants) with local players (theincumbents); who is better equipped totap China’s retailing potential?; canforeign players leverage on theirexperience and learning curves fromother markets?; should they work ontheir strengths or create new ones tooperate in China’s market?; what arethe strengths of incumbents as well asthe new entrants?

• To debate on the co-existence of newentrants and the incumbents; whathappens to the local players as a resultof increased and intensified competitionfrom multi-national retailers?

Industry RetailReference No. COM0160Year of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Wal-Mart in China; Carrefour in China;Metro AG in China; Tesco PLC in China;Wumart Stores, Inc.; Lianhua SupermarketHoldings Co. Ltd.; Competitive strategiesof retailing companies; Protectionism inChina in retailing; Territorial restrictionsin China; China’s traditional retail industry;Competitive Strategies Case Study; Chineseretailing in the new era; Profitability inChinese retailing; Sustainability Chineseretailing

Nintendo’s CompetitiveStrategies in Gaming Console

MarketNintendo Co. Ltd., one of the leadingproducers of video games in the world, isfacing severe competition from Sony andMicrosoft. Nintendo’s last launch, theGame Cube has failed to make a mark inthe market place. In order to regain itsmarket share in November 2006 thecompany has launched Wii videogameconsole. The case discusses Nintendo’spositioning, segmentation, pricing,marketing and product launch strategy ofWii. The Case further debates whetherNintendo can sustain the success of Wii ornot.


• To analyse the causes for decline ofNintendo in Electronic Gaming ConsoleIndustry

• To analyse Nintendo’s strategy forlaunch of its new console Wii to recovermarket share.

Industry Electronic GamingReference No. COM0159PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Nintendo’s Decline; Gaming Industry;Strategy to recover market share; Wii;Xbox; Competitive Strategies Case Study;Play station; Nintendo; Game Cube; VideoGames; CEO Satoru Iwata; New productlaunch strategy

Convergence of Media: Impacton Viacom’s Entertainment

BusinessViacom, the largest cable network in theUS in terms of revenue in 2004, had itspresence in film production and musicdistribution and popular cable networks likeMTV and BET in its portfolio.

With the digitisation, all media companieswere shifting their focus to new digitalformats, as digital media content could beaccessed on a variety of devices. Viacomalso recognised the importance of digitalmedia convergence, and changed its courseof business to accommodate digital mediaofferings in its services. However, Viacomwas neither the first mover nor the leaderin the field of digital media. It had to facestiff competition from other players ofmedia and entertainment industry.


• The case study offers scope to learnabout new media platforms such as DVR,VOD, iPod, Mobile TVs and the Internetas media offering different content

• The case deals with the emerging mediaplatforms due to changing customerpreferences

• It raises debate as to the possiblestrategic options available to Viacom inthe wake of digital media convergence.

Industry Media and EntertainmentReference No. COM0158AYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Viacom Inc; Cable Networks; EntertainmentIndustry; Convergence; Digital Media;Competitive Strategies Case Study; InternetVideo; IPTV; Time Warner; Business

Mattel: Competitive Strategies inthe US

Since 1995 till 2007, the global toy industryhas been experiencing changes like the risein the number of video game players andshift in consumer preferences. Due to theunpredictable shift in the play patterns ofkids, traditional toy manufacturers – losingmarket share to video game companies –are toiling hard to retain their positions in


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the minds of Gen X kids. During 2003,Mattel Inc., the top player in the US toyindustry realised that its total market shareincluding the market for its flagship brand,Barbie, were under attack from competitorslike MGA, Hasbro, LeapFrog, Jakks andvideo games players. Mattel swiftlyretaliated by chalking out initiatives tocounter the changes in the industrythreatening its market leader position.Mattel broadened its product lines andundertook several other measures, as a resultof which, its revenue increased for fiscal2006. But industry observers are not sure ifMattel would succeed in retaining its industryleader position in the years to come.


• To understand Mattel’s growth strategiesin the US toy industry

• To get an insight of the changinglandscape in the global toy industry

• To study the competitive threats facedby Mattel

• To analyse the strategies chalked out byMattel Inc. to tackle the competition.

Industry Toy IndustryReference No. COM0157BYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Barbie; Mattel; Toy Indutry; Video Games;Competition; Hasbro; Age-compression;Fisher-Price; KGOY; Handlers; Leapfrogenterprises; Jakks Pacific; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Learning Company;Bratz; Toy Fair

Liz Claiborne: The US ApparelRetailer’s “Three-M’s” Strategy

During the mid-2000s, Liz Claiborne, a USapparel retailer, was whacked by thechanging dynamics in the apparel industry.The industry has been undergoing manychanges, due to consolidations amongmajor departmental stores and the storespreferring their own private labels. Thesechanging market trends forced companiesto rethink ways of doing business. As aresult, companies implemented strategiesto expand their brand portfolios and widenthe distribution network across channels.To bring back its lost glory, William L.McComb, Liz Claiborne’s CEO, initiated‘Three-M’s’ strategy – multi-brand, multi-geography and multi-channel. Throughwhich he hopes to win out in the fiercelycompetitive apparel industry.


• To analyse the value chain of the apparelcompanies

• To understand the impact of traderegulations on the textile and clothingindustry

• To discuss the changing dynamics in theapparel industry

• To examine the effect of changingconsumer preferences on the apparelcompanies

• To discuss the resulting challenges andstrategies of Liz Clairborne.

Industry Women’s ClothingReference No. COM0156Year of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Branded apparel; Quota restrictions; Free-trade agreements; Textile and clothing trade;Multi-Fibre arrangement; Outsourcing;Supply chain of apparel manufacturers;Trends in global apparel industry;Departmental stores; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Private labels; Multi-brand; Multi-geography; Multi-channel;William L. McComb; Fashion Trends

Napster Inc.: Singing a New TuneNapster Inc. (Napster) was the first widely-used peer-to-peer (or P2P) music sharingservice on the internet. Its technologyallowed music fans to easily share MP3format song files with each other. Itsservices were popular among internet userswho downloaded copyrighted music.However, between 2002-2005, growingcompetition had led to Napster’s salesdecline. To reverse the declining sales andrecapture lost consumers, Napster launchedits free downloading service. The case studydiscusses Napster’s strategies to regainmarket share in the online music industry.


• Understand the dynamics of online musicindustry.

· How Napster became a legendary icon.

· Impact of legal controversy on onlinemusic business

· Reason for Napster downfall

· Analyses the future prospects of Napsterwith reference to the increasingcompetition.

Industry Music SharingReference No. COM0155PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Peer-to-peer (or P2P) music sharingservice; Internet; Mp3; Free downloading

service; Napster; Music industry; Increasingpopularity; Competitors; No. of users;Legal challenges; Recording IndustryAssociation of America; Improvedtechnology; Digital onlineservice;Competitive Strategies Case Study;Expansion; Promotional efforts

Dunkin’ Donuts’ CompetitiveStrategies

In 2005, $4.8 billion-Dunkin’ Donuts(Dunkin) is one of the largest coffee andbaked goods chain in the world serving 2.7million customers every day. With risingcompetition, Dunkin had lost its positionas a market leader which it had enjoyed allthrough the 1990s. In March 2006, Dunkinwas acquired by a consortium of privateequity firms- Capital Partners LLC, TheCarlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee PartnersLP. The new owners outlined an aggressivegrowth strategy for Dunkin includingtripling its size over the next ten years,entering new markets across the countryand expanding the menu offerings beyondbreakfast. The case discusses competitivestrategies adopted by Dunkin to repositionitself and expand into newer markets.


• Growth strategies adopted to repositionDunkin, the largest coffee and bakedgoods chain in the world

• Business expansion strategies byentering new markets

• To discuss the dynamics of the fast foodand beverage industry.

Industry Food & BeverageReference No. COM0154PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Doughnuts and coffee; Value for moneysegment; Competition; New owner; Growthstrategy; Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; New markets; Expanding menus;Advertisements; Coffee market; Premiumsegment; Market survey; Change outlookof stores; Expanded market; Onlinepromotion; Product line; GlobalPositioning System; Loyal clientele

Best Buy: Growth throughSegmentation

Best Buy is a $30-billion-a-year consumerelectronics superstore with more than 930outlets across US and Canada. Itswarehouse-style superstores with yellow taglogo offer branded consumer products liketelevisions, DVD players, home audio, caraudio, computers, cameras, music, movies,

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software, games and personal computers.Since the 1990s, Best Buy followed ‘thebigger the better’ strategy which helped itgrow but with increasing competition thecompany felt the need to consolidate itsposition. This case study discusses BestBuy’s strategy to overcome competition.


• The case evaluates the strategies adoptedby Best Buy, to segment its targetcustomers to overcome the increasingcompetition in the consumer electronicsmarket.

Industry RetailReference No. COM0153PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

US retail industry; Future shop; MagnoliaAudio vedio; Geek squad; Accenture;Musicland; Customer centricity model;Reward zone; Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; RFID tag; Studio D; Escape; Ask ABlue Shirt programme

ASDA: Competitive Strategy in UKRetail Market

ASDA was the second largest supermarketchain in the United Kingdom (U.K.).Positioned as a value for money store, itsold groceries, apparel, CDs, books, videos,and other household items. ASDA, whichwas taken over by Wal-Mart in 1999, hadused the formula of Every Day Low Prices(EDLP) to gain market share in the Britishretail market. The initiative provedsuccessful for a few years, but stoppedyielding results as competition increased.In 2005, ASDA’s sales declined and marketshare fell from 16.7% in 2004 to 16.5% in2005. This case study discusses the strategyadopted by ASDA’s to make a turnaround


• Changes in retail industry in UK

• To analyse the ASDA’s Pricing Strategy

• To discuss the ASDA’s trouble shootinginitiatives.

Industry RetailReference No. COM0152PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Supermarket chain; Wal-Mart; Value formoney; Changing management; Businessmanagement; Business strategies; GregBenneman; Aggressive price; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Competitors; Marketshare; Price-rollback strategy; In-store

promotion; Morale boosting; Servicequality; Online selling; Store extension andnew openings

Yahoo vs Google: TheChallenge

With the battle of portals heating up,internet companies – Google and Yahoo!(Yahoo) are aggressively vying to becomethe world’s leading internet portal—the sitethat most internet users rely on foreverything, from searching the web tosending e-mail and catching up on the news.By 2005, Yahoo has become much morethan a portal; it is a full-fledged mediacompany. During 2006, Google’sdominance in search continues to give it acommanding lead in Internet advertising.The search engine major maintains itsgrowth momentum through organic andinorganic growth. Yahoo has missed outon acquisitions and setbacks such as thedelay of its search-advertising system, anddecelerating revenue growth are increasingthe pressure on Yahoo. As analystscompared the two internet companies, thecompanies themselves try to outdo eachother in areas such as search, advertisingand products and services. The casecompares the product offerings of the twocompanies, their strength in search andtheir advertising models and revenue. Italso compares their growth strategy.


• The case discusses the critical successfactors in the IT industry

• The case outlines Yahoo and Google’sgrowth strategy

• The case compares their new productlaunches, search engines and advertisingstrategy

• The case discusses their future growthprospects.

Industry IT IndustryReference No. COM0151PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Yahoo; Google; Search engines; businessmodels in the IT industry; advertisingstrategy; electronic mail; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; desktop search; webtraffic; flickr; orkut; business goals; productdesign

Toyota’s Success in the US AutoIndustry

The Case study is about business strategiesof the auto company –Toyota MotorCorporation in the US market. Toyota is a

Japan based leading automaker worldwidewhich offers a product portfolio includingpassenger cars, sport-utility vehicles(SUVs), minivans and trucks. It alsomanufactures automotive parts,components and accessories.

The case study talks about the dynamics ofthe US auto industry as of 2006-07 andposition of the major players in the USmarket- the US Big 3- General Motors(GM),Ford and DaimlerChrysler.The big three wereexperiencing huge losses by 2006-07 andclosing down some of their USmanufacturing plants and rationalising theirstaff. In contrast, Toyota was flourishing inits business and expanding its operations inthe US .It had become the second largestplayer in the US in 2006. The case studydiscusses Toyota’s success in the US marketin two stages: Stage 1: Since entry into theUS market till 2003-04 when it became thesecond largest player in the US and Stage 2:Toyota’s strategy to become No .1 from2004 onwards till 2006-07.


• To discuss business dynamics of US AutoIndustry

• To anlyse the changing trends in the USauto industry

• To discuss Toyota’s strategy forachieving success in the US automobilemarket.

Industry Automobile IndustryReference No. COM0150PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Toyota; Camry; Corolla; Avensis; Lexus;Tacoma; Tundra; US Auto industry;Toyota’s strategy for success; Kaizen; JIT;Lean manufacturing; Global Body Line;Hybrid Vehicles; US youth market; pick uptrucks; Competitive Strategies Case Study;CCC21; Value Innovation (VI)

The Future of Gap IncGap Inc (Gap) is one of the leadinginternational specialty retailers offeringclothing, accessories and personal careproducts for men, women, children and babiesunder the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navyand Forth & Towne brand names. Paul.Pressler (Pressler) who became Gap Inc’sCEO in October 2002 has been heralded forhis cost- cutting strategies that have restoredfinancial discipline in the company. Butthere has been a trade-off. Pressler, whohas little retail experience, has not steeredGap toward its customers’ tastes. Realisinghis mistakes, Pressler has changed hisstrategy in mid 2004 to generate growth.He has revitalized the marketing strategy,





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tied up with renowned designers and increasedthe focus on emerging economies. Will hesucceed in rejuvenating Gap Inc andattracting customers once again?


• The case discusses the dynamics of theUS garment industry

• The case analyses Gap’s repositioningstrategy and its decline

• The case debates over Gap’s revivalstrategy.

Industry Garment IndustryReference No. COM0149PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Gap; Competitive Strategies Case Study;Banana Republic; old navy; marketingstrategy; repositioning strategy; brandcannibalisation; consumer preference;turnaround strategy; employee exodus;SWOT analysis; merchandise

Southwest vs JetBlue in theChanging Market

Southwest Airlines and JetBlue were twoleading low cost airlines in the US. Bothairlines adopted a similar business strategyto compete against each other in the LCCmarket in the US. However in 2006, thetwo airlines faced increasing cost pressuresdue to high costs, increased competitionand rising fuel prices. The case studydiscusses Southwest Airlines and JetBlue’sstrategies to overcome cost pressures andcompete against each other buydifferentiating their services.


• The case compares the business modelof the two leading companies in the fieldof low cost airlines i.e. Southwest Airlinesand Jet Blue

• It evaluates various strategies adoptedby the two companies to gain costcompetitiveness.

Industry Airline IndustryReference No. COM0148PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Southwest airlines; jetBlue; low costairlines; David neeleman; New Air; XMsatellite radio; Embraer; homesourcedreservation system; Airbus A320; hobbyAirport; Morris air; Competitive StrategiesCase Study; Arizona One

Pringles– Combating the Launchof Lays Stax

Pringles the global market leader in the‘potato crisps’ category in the US is facinga new threat. In late 2003, Frito Lays haslaunched Lays Stax—a variety of potatocrisps that closely resembles Pringles.Though people across the world areaccustomed to the crunchy taste and theunique packaging of Pringles, Frito Lays,is offering an extensive range of flavoursin the potato crisps segment. It also offersunique packaging and competitive pricingand enjoys a huge distribution network.Being a market leader in the potato chipsmarket, Frito Lays is a formidablecompetitor. How can Pringles maintain itsmarket share in the face of stiffcompetition from Frito Lays?

The case can be used to teach competitivestrategy, branding strategy and marketstrategy.


• Analyse the snack industry and thechanging trends in the industry

• Pringles’ strategy vis-à-vis other brands

• Relationship between productdifferentiation, brand premium andpricing.

Industry Food & Beverage IndustryReference No. COM0147PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Potato chips; innovative packaging;premium branding; Competitive StrategiesCase Study; pricing strategy; frito lays;impulse purchase; mini brands

Managing Diversity at ToyotaToyota Motor Corporation, a leading automanufacturer has built its reputation forquality on the idea of continuousimprovement and respect for people. In2001, it has launched the Toyota DiversityStrategy, a ten year, multi-billion dollarsustainable commitment to minorityparticipation in Toyota. The strategy isbased on minority participation, equalopportunity and inclusion. It also uses amentoring programming called ‘championprogramme’. For Toyota diversity is notjust a social responsibility but a businessimperative. It believes that its strategicdiversity plan reflected well on its businessculture.


• HR; Diversity; Quality; Corporateresponsibility; minority participation;

continuous improvement; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; championprogramme; inclusion; Toyota

Industry Auto IndustryReference No. COM0146PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Nokia Media Master; AMPS/TDMA; 3G;Tetra; WAP; W-CADMA; Nokia E series;Competitive Strategies Case Study;Symbian OS

HMV: Competing in the DigitalWorld

HMV Group plc (HMV) was one of theworld’s leading retailers of music, DVD/video, computer games and books in theUK, US and Asia. An increase in the numberof online purchase of CDs and DVDs, arise in digital downloads and stiffercompetition from general supermarketshad an adverse impact on HMV’s revenuein 2005. Changes in musical tastes alsoaffected HMV’s sales adversely. HMVhoped to improve its profitability byinitiating fresh price cuts and expandingits online product offerings. To reverse thedownfall, HMV introduced variousinitiatives. In late 2006, HMV hadrevamped its online and offline offer, aswell as its pricing, to turn itself around.


• Business dynamics of HMV

· Impact of changing consumer taste andpreferences

· Competition in music industry and itsimpact on HMV

· HMV’s revitalizing strategies.

Industry Music IndustryReference No. COM0145PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Music retailer; waterstone; his master’svoice; EMI; Billionconsumers’ taste;Competitive Strategies Case Study;revitalizing; competitiors; market share;online offering; new pricing andpromotional efforts; cyclic game market;Ottaker; hmv.co.uk; Kiosksandsupermarket

H&M vs Zara: CompetitiveGrowth Strategies

The case compares the competitive growthstrategies of two ‘fast fashion’ retailers –

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H&M and Zara. Swedish retailer H&M hasbeen growing at an average rate of 20%annually in the past two decades. No otherEuropean retailer has expanded so quicklyand so successfully beyond its own borders.At the heart of Zara’s success is a verticallyintegrated business model spanning design,just-in-time production, marketing andsales. Inditex and its flagship store Zarahave been growing at a furious pace.

The two European retailers are known fortheir ‘fast fashion’ had unique businessmodels and growth strategies which haveenabled them to expand quickly andsuccessfully beyond their own borders.With the European markets becomingsaturated, the two companies are lookingfor ways to expand outside Europe andestablish their hegemony in the U.S., inmany ways the world’s most importantmarket.

The case outlines the growth strategy ofthe two companies in the US, emphasizingthe similarities and the differences in theirapproach. H&M has tailored its productstrategy to fit the US market. It has headedfor more upscale malls and busy downtowncenters and decided to open smaller stores.Zara has decided against developing amanufacturing base in the US. However, ithas followed the same business model andproduct strategy that it followed in Europe.Its clothes are however priced higher inthe US than in Europe to take case ofsupply costs.


• To compare the growth strategies andbusiness models of fashion retailers –H&M and Zara

• To understand how these Europeancompanies are trying to expand beyondtheir borders.

Industry Garmnet IndustryReference No. COM0144PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

H&M; Zara; Inditex; fast fashion;Competitive Strategies Case Study; businessmodel; supply chain; management; retailstrategy; pricing; marketing strategy;concept store; shelf life; Spain; Sweden;store chain; expansion strategy

BBC’s ChallengeIn 2006, the £4 billion- BritishBroadcasting Corporation (BBC), adominant broadcaster in the UnitedKingdom, operates several public TVchannels, a 24-hour cable news channel,digital channels, national and digital radionetworks, and an online news service. In

2004, the broadcaster is facing morescrutiny than at any other time in itshistory - and is under pressure from allquarters to justify its existence and thelicense fee which primarily funds thecorporation. The BBC’s charter is comingup for renewal in 2006 and its future, itsfunding and its role in general, is up fordiscussion and debate. People arequestioning the need for a license fee whichfunds services they either cannot receiveor do not watch. The BBC is also underpressure from the UK government becauseof the 2003 highly public row with thegovernment and also from the media –including its commercial rivals.

Its commercial rivals are concerned thatthe BBC is encroaching into their territory.The rapid growth of the BBC’s onlineservices together with the launch of digitalradio and television stations has elicitedprotests. Industry observers opine that thecharter’s review process has to find ananswer to the ‘catch 22’ situation. Thecharter renewal is expected to be a battleover how to maintain the benefits of thepublic service broadcaster in a much morecompetitive environment. The BBC hasbeen criticised for making programmes thatare not popular but are worthy, and it hasalso been criticised if it has madeprogrammes which reach millions ofpeople. Aware that the renewal of thecharter will increase the spotlight, the BBChas decided to prepare itself for remainingrelevant in the digital age. Will the outcomeof its digital strategy justify the publicfunding of the BBC?


• The case outlines BBC’s Royal Charterand traces BBC’s growth over the years

• It also discusses the challenges being facedby BBC including its splintered audience

• The case discusses BBC’s strategy toremain relevant in the digital age.

Industry Media and BroadcastingIndustry

Reference No. COM0143PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

BBC; BBC’s charter; digital strategy; BBC’slicense fee; audience profile; on screenmarketing; broadcaster; public sectorcompanies; debate; channel 4; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; ITV

Apple’s Challenges in the MP3Player Market

The case is about challenges faced by Applecomputers in the MP3 players market.Apple which is basically into design,

manufacturing and marketing of personalcomputers (PCs) and related software andservices to begin with, launched its MP3player iPod in 2001. iPod was well receivedby the market and continued to maintainits leadership position. iPod also became asignificant contributor to Apple’s bottom-line, accounting for 40% of its revenues in2005.

The competitor companies — SanDisk,Samsung, Sony, Creative Technology andToshiba largely shared the remainder ofthe portable player market. They tookaims at iPod several times but without muchsuccess. With the lucrative portable MP3music player market growing in size, theseplayers were not wiling to call it a day yet.Despite the intense competition newplayers like Microsoft were keen to enterthe market.

The case discusses the challenges faced byApple iPod amid increasing competitionin the MP3 player market.


• The case discusses about the changingbusiness model of Apple Company inthe MP3 market. It evaluates theproduct launching and productpositioning strategies of Apple, and itscompetitive strategies to facecompetition.

Industry Music Player IndustryReference No. COM0142PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Apple ipod MP3 player; evolution of MP3playermarket; Apple’s entry in the MP3player market; launch of 1st generationipods; launch of online media store iTunes;competitors; Microsoft; SanDisk;Competitive Strategies Case Study; Sony;competing MP3 player; Zune; Sansa;launching of subsequent generations ofiPod by apple; launching of iPod Nano

Home Depot vs B&Q: The Battlefor China’s Home Improvement

MarketIn 2006, China’s home improvementmarket was estimated to be worth $50billion, growing at 20% annually. As of2006, various domestic and internationalplayers had a presence in the market. WhileB&Q of UK was the market leader, otherssuch Home Mart, Home Way and OrientHome also had a stronghold. Besides,Home-Depot of the US, the largest retailerof home improvement products in theworld, was planning to enter China soon.In this scenario, analysts felt that themarket was ready for a fierce battle amongvarious retailers. They also debated how



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China’s home improvement market wouldshape up.

The case gives a brief account of theevolution of home improvement marketin China. It then discusses B&Q’s entry,growth strategies and expansion in thecountry. It also talks about Home-Depot’splanned entry and the challenges it wouldface in China.


• To understand the emergence and growthof China’s home improvement market

• To assess how B&Q entered China andestablished itself as the largest homeimprovement retailer

• To understand how Home Depot’s entrywould impact China’s homeimprovement industry in general andB&Q in particular

• To discuss who would lead the Chinesehome improvement market – HomeDepot or B&Q.

Industry RetailReference No. COM0141KYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Home improvement; Chinese homeimprovement market; B&Q; Kingfisher;Home Depot; China’s retailing scenario;China’s competitive landscape; Majorplayers; Evolution of home improvementmarket; Competitive Strategies Case Study;IKEA; Home Mart; Orient Home

Europe’s Grocery Market:Traditional Retailers vs

DiscountersSince early 2000s, discount retailers, whichwere once looked down upon as cheapstores, were rapidly enhancing theirpresence in Europe. Apart from cateringto low income customers, the discounterswere increasingly attracting consumersfrom all income levels. Between 1991 and2005, discount grocery retailers in Europenearly doubled their store count. Also, by2005, discount stores were the fastestexpanding format across Europe. Analystsforecast that discounters would enjoyconsistent growth in the region through2010, gaining significant market share.This made the traditional grocery retailersworry about their future growth. In orderto retain their dominance in the market,the retailers decided to follow Head to Headcombat strategies against the discounters.With both retailers and discountersfighting, analysts wondered how thegrocery market of Europe would shape upin future.

The case deals with how discounters aremaking inroads into the European grocerymarket and the steps taken by themainstream retailers to counter the attack.It also raises a question as to who woulddominate the grocery retailing market ofEurope.


• To get an idea of grocery retailing inEurope

• To discuss the emergence of discountretailers and how they made inroads intothe European grocery market

• To evaluate the steps taken by thetraditional retailers to compete againstdiscounters

• To argue who would dominate thegrocery retailing market of Europe.

Industry RetailReference No. COM0140KYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Evolution of modern retailing; Groceryretailing in Europe; Discount retailers;Types of discount operators; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Leading discountstore operators; Top grocery retailers inEurope; European grocery market size;Market size by geography; Top discountretailers in Europe 2005; Forecast of topgrocery retailers; Convenience store;Hypermarket; Price difference betweenbrands and private labels

Digital TV War: Korea vs JapanThe two Korean companies, LG andSamsung were trying to overtake Sony andthe other Japanese outfits in attainingdigital TV leadership. In 2005, Sony wasthe market leader in the LCD TV segmentand continued this status till 2006. But bythe end of 2006, Samsung wanted to takethe leadership status in LCD, Plasma andrear projection TVs. They had set a targetof selling digital TVs worth $8.8 billion by2006. Whereas LG also aspired to becomeleader in both these product categories by2007. The case deals with the industryoverview of the digital TV segment withthe increasing competition between theJapanese and Korean manufacturers.


• To understand the emergence of flatpanel television in the global TVindustry

• To understand the dominance of theKorean and the Japanese manufacturersin the Digital TV segment, globally

• To discuss the overview of the globaldigital TV market

• To assess how the Korean companieslike LG and Samsung were trying toovertake Sony, the Japanese major

• To debate whether the Koreancompanies will be able to dethrone theJapanese competitors.

Industry Consumer ElectronicsReference No. COM0139KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Digital television (TV); Liquid crystaldisplay (LCD); Plasma; Korean; Japan;Sony; Samsung; LG (Lucky GoldstarCorporation); Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; Sharp; Matsushita; Flat TV;Consumer electronics; Business strategy;Pioneer Corporation; Rear projection TV

AMD: Challenging INTELAMD, the second largest chip makerchallenged the market leader Intel with itsserver chips. AMD had been growingsteadily in the server market with itsOpteron chips. AMD’s revenue increasedin 2005 in comparison to 2003. In theserver chip segment AMD had a marketshare of around 26% and the company wasaiming for a 40% global market share forserver chips by 2009. The case deals withthe background of both companies AMDand Intel. It also gives an insight into thechip industry overview with the increasingcompetition between AMD and Intel.


• To discuss the challenges faced by Intelfrom AMD

• To understand the chip industry

• To understand the competitive scenarioin the processor industry and thestrategic initiatives taken by both thecompanies

• To debate whether AMD could eat awayIntel’s market share or not.

Industry SemiconductorReference No. COM0138KYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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AMD (Advanced Micro Device); Intel;Chip; Semi conductor; Microprocessor;Server; Competitive Strategies Case Study;Personal computer (PC); Dell; IBM(International Business MachinesCorporation); Hewlett Packard (HP);

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Microsoft’s Zune: CompetitiveChallenges for Apple’s iPod

Global entertainment industry was heatingup at the end of 2006. In the time of globalmusic revolution when Apple’s iPod wasruling the roost in the portable digital musicplayer segment, as it was almostunchallenged and holding 76% marketshare in the US market since 2001. But atthe end of 2006 Microsoft decided tolaunch Zune in the iPod segment to takeon Apple’s iPod. It created a lot of interestamong US nationals and immediately Zunehad made its mark by pricing aggressivelyforcing Apple to reduce the iPod basemodel price by US $50.

This case deals with the new product launchby Microsoft and how they positionedtheir new product to challenge Apple andproblem associated with it. It alsoenlightens what reactive measure Applemight take to counter the onslaught. Thecase also talks about the mixed reactions itgot from the experts and users and discussesthe probable outcome of Microsoft’s newinitiatives to launch an iPod killer.


• To understand the portable music playerindustry

• To discuss the evolution of Apple’s iPod

• To analyse the challenge fromMicrosoft’s Zune

• To debate on Microsoft’s new initiative.

Industry Digital Music IndustryReference No. COM0137KYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Microsoft; Apple; Zune; iPod;Entertainment industry; Portable digitalmusic player; Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; Business model; Positioning of newproduct; Product management;Competitive challenges; Pricing strategy;Zune Marketplace; iTunes; ZuneZone;Downloaded music

Airbus and Boeing: BuildingPlanes in Global Factories

Lots of fear and apprehension cropped upamong the nationals of Europe andAmerica as both the continents’ primeaircraft manufacturer Airbus and Boeingwere transferring technical know-how toAsia that they were losing out the expertiseto build the next generation aircrafts.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner which was due totake the skies in 2007 was being built in avirtual factory, which was spread acrossthe continents. The prototype of theaircraft was being built in several countries(Japan, Korea, China, Australia, Sweden,and Canada). Almost 70 percent of theDreamliner was being built outside theUnited States. A350 was the answer ofAirbus to Boeing 787.The manufacturingrace between Boeing versus Airbus wasevolving. Up to 60 percent of theproduction work of A 350, which was dueto be launched in 2010 would be doneoutside Continental Europe. That evencontributed to the battle of racism andcorporate war between the US and Europe.Industry people started to apprehend thatthe volume of the core manufacturingactivities that the two companiesoutsourced to other countries were so bigthat their national identity was fading away.


• To discuss the importance of outsourcingin aerospace industry

· To analyse the core and peripheralactivities in aircraft manufacturing

· To discuss the implication of strategiestaken by Boeing and Airbus to outsourceoutside Europe and America.

Industry Aircraft ManufacturingReference No. COM0136KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Competitive Strategies Case Study: Airbus;Boeing; Global factories; Boeing 787Dreamliner; A350; Aircraft manufacturer;Outsourcing; Europe; America; Civilaerospace market; Cyclical; Politicalinfluence; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries(MHI); Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI);Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry(METI)

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7: ACompetitive Response to

Mozilla’s Firefox?Microsoft Corporation launched the latestversion of its web browser, InternetExplorer 7, in October 2006. Someindustry analysts believed that the latestoffering from Microsoft was more as aresponse to the pinch it was feeling in termsof market share erosion since 2004, whenits nearest competitor, MozillaCorporation released Firefox 1 rather thana proactive market strategy.

Internet Explorer 7 was reported to includevarious features that were pioneered byMozilla like integrated search window, tab

browsing and pop-up window blockerbesides adding certain enhanced securityfeatures. However, at the juncture ofMicrosoft’s latest release, Mozilla wasreported to release Firefox 2, an upgradedversion of its earlier web browser. The twoback-to-back releases were found to heralda new era of strategic warfare between thecorporate entities fighting for theirdominance in the web browser market.


• To seek an overview of the competitivelandscape in the web browser marketduring the 1990s

• To understand and analyze thecompetitive strategies of Microsoft andMozilla over the years

• To analyse the future implications ofInternet Explorer 7’s launch byMicrosoft.

Industry Operating Systems andUtilities Software

Reference No. COM0135KYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Internet Explorer; Mircrosoft; Mozilla;Netscape Navigator; Web browsers; Safari;Competitive Strategies Case Study; Opera;Open source; Windows XP; Windows Vista;Downloadable applications; HTML(hypertext markup language); Phishingprotection; Firefox 2; Integrated searchwindow

Toyota Motors in EmergingMarkets (PartA)

In the year 2000, Toyota rolled out itsmulti purpose vehicle (MUV) ‘Qualis’ inIndia which was an instant success.Gradually It introduced Camry, Corolla andlater in 2005, Innova. All these modelscreated success saga for Toyota Kirloskar.Notwithstanding of its initial success,Toyota could manage to have meager 5%market share in Indian passenger carmarket which remained far away from itsmission statement to grab 10% marketshare in Indian passenger car market by2010. Analysts predicted that unlessToyota would enter into compact carsegment, it would unlikely to have thatmuch market share.

The case deals with the decision dilemmain Toyota India operation. Would it pursueits aggressive cost leadership strategy orfollow the path of differentiation? Wouldit follow the rule of the industry and try tobe best in the known path or would itreshape the industry dynamics byintroducing alternative fuel cars in a massscale?





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• To understand the macro and microenvironment of Indian AutomobileIndustry

• To discuss the entry strategy of ToyotaMotors in India

• To analyse Toyota’s strategy of adaptinglocalisation strategy while maintainingthe company’s Global vision.

Industry AutomobileReference No. COM0134KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Competitive Strategies Case Study; Toyota;Entry strategy; Late mover; Plannedobsolescence; Prius; Cost leadership;Differentiation; Indian automobileindustry; Price competition; Innova;Camry; CBU (completely built unit); CKD(complete knocked down); Midsize sedans;MUV (Multi utility vehicle)

Boeing 747-8 – Airbus A380: TheBig Fight

The global aviation market was stronglydominated by Airbus and Boeing. BothAirbus and Boeing had contrasting viewsabout the future of the aviation market.While Airbus promoted hub to hub methodof air transportation and thus preferredlong haul flights, Boeing preferred pointto point method of air transportation. Thiscase gives an idea about the contrastingviews of the two aircraft manufactureralong with the future of commercial airlines.


• To understand the market dynamics ofcivil aerospace industry

• To understand business model of Airbusand Boeing

• To analyse competitive position ofAirbus vis a vis Boeing

• To analyse the sustainability of thecontrasting business models of Boeingand Airbus.

Industry AviationReference No. COM0133KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Boeing; Airbus; Japan Airlines; Boeing 747-8 freighter; Boeing 747-8 passenger; Shorthaul service; 787 Dreamliner; Aerodynamicprinciple; Point-to-point; Hub-to-hub;British Airport Authority; Nippon CargoAirlines; Project 747-8; Mach number;

Competitive Strategies Case Study; EADS(European Aeronautic Defence and SpaceCompany)

Toshiba versus Sony: The NextGeneration DVD Format War.Who Would Set the Standard?

In the last week of March, 2006 ToshibaCorp. launched its first version of HD-DVDplayer, HD-XA1, priced at $799.Withinfew weeks, on 18th April 2006, thecompany launched another simpler versionof HD-DVD player, HD-A1 which waspriced even lower at $499 with a per-unitloss of $200. According to analysts, thecost of the HD-A1 player was about $700or more which included the internalelectronics, packaging and manufacturingof the player. Toshiba’s marketingdepartment intentionally undertook asubstantial per-unit loss on the HD-A1 toboost sales and give the company’s HD-DVD platform (player and disc), a headstart and build an early lead in the formatwar over the Blu-Ray format technologywhich was developed by Sony Corporation.The competitors of Toshiba were Sony anda few others using the rival Blu-ray format.Sony was scheduled to launch the Blu-rayformat player in September-October 2006with price tag of $999 or more.

Consumer electronics analysts and tech-industry watchers remained glued watchingthe movements of the two rivals Sony andToshiba as they took a head-on-clash overthe race to establish the next-generation,high definition industry standard for DigitalVideo Disc(DVD) players and discs.Ultimately, there could be only one winnerwhose format would become the industrystandard. Whether Toshiba’s apparent‘loss-leader strategy’ would help to get anearly advantage for HD-DVD formatremained to be seen. Most consumers wereexpected to be neutral during the earlystages of the format war; there would notbe a winner immediately. In the times ahead,the answer would be known, but, till thattime it was a marketing war of thetechnology titans.


• To understand the HD-DVD and Blu-ray format Strategies adopted by Toshibaand Sony

• To understand that customers now canhave opinions of formats in the future

• To understand HD-DVD’s China Risk

• To understand the HD-DVD and Blu-ray Market

• To understand the concept of a loss leaderstrategy

• To understand that technological warfarecould lead to the market getting divided

• To understand pricing strategies of theHD-DVD and Blu-ray formats.

Industry ElectronicsReference No. COM0132BYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

HD-DVD and Blu-ray format Strategies;HD-DVD’s China Risk; technologicalwarfare; Loss-leader Strategy; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; pricing strategies ofthe HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats;Hollywood Film Studios; marketing war oftechnology formats; Betamax andVHS(Video Home System) war; ToshibaCorporation; Analytical Optical Disc; SonyCorporation Ltd; Entertainment Market

Motorola’s Competitive Strategy:Will It Work?

In the 1990s, Motorola Inc. was the no.1mobile manufacturer in the global handsetmarket. In the mid 1990s, due to theemerging popularity of digital mobileindustries, Motorola lost its no.1 positionin the global handset market. Nokia, aFinland based digital mobile manufacturerstarted growing and in 1997, with 22.5%market share, surpassed Motorola andgrabbed the no.1 position. In 1998, underChris Galvin, Motorola planned onrestructuring which included theintroduction of a new section within thecompany, job cuts, transforming Motorolainto a Net company and collaborating withinternet giants. In 2003, Motorola’smarket share rose to 13% as compared toNokia’s 34% but it failed to gain back itsposition. The company also had to facestiff competition from Siemens, Samsungand Sony Ericsson. In 2004, Ed Zanderjoined Motorola as CEO to succeed ChrisGalvin. Zander adopted strategies ofdiversification, product innovation,promotion, corporate culture and pricing.With all these strategies, Motorola’s marketshare rose to 22.1% from 19% in 2005.Despite this, Motorola was unable to catchup with Nokia which retained its positionas the market leader with 36% marketshare. What could be the next strategy forMotorola to regain its position?


• To understand the impact of changingtrends in the mobile industry

• To analyse reasons behind Motorola’sinability to gain back its position in theglobal handset industry

• To analyse the strategies adopted byChris Galvin

• To analyse the strategies adopted byEdward Zander.

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Industry Mobile HandsetReference No. COM0131BYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Global Handset Industry Performance;Motorola’s declining market share; Nokia’sleading market share; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Chris Galvin’sStrategy; Ed Zander’s Strategy; ProductInnovation; Collaboration; PricingStrategy; Diversification; CorporateCulture; Stiff competition in WorldwideHandset Industry; Six sigma

Japanese Luxury Cars overtakeAmerican Cars in the US Market

In the US luxury car market, two Japaneseautomakers, Toyota and Honda made amark for themselves and outperformedluxury cars made indigenously by Americanautomakers like General Motors and Ford.The growing popularity of Japanese carsin the US was evident by its high salesfigures. In 2005, particularly, Lexus(Toyota) sold 150,000 units, which wasmore than the sales of any other luxurycars in the US. Acura (Honda) was alsodoing fine in the US market. These Japaneseluxury cars were upsetting Americanautomakers. How had the Japanese luxurycarmakers been able to supersede US luxurycars on their home ground?


• To understand the competitive scenarioin the US luxury car market

• To analyse critical success factors forJapanese luxury car manufacturers in theUS soil

• To assess the potential challenges to theJapanese automakers in the US luxurycar market.

Industry Automobile IndustryReference No. COM0130BYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

US Luxury Car Market; Luxury Cars;General Motors and Ford; JapaneseAutomakers; Toyota; Honda; Nissan andBMW; Mean Selling Price (MSP);Competitive Strategies Case Study; QualityImprovement; Pricing Strategy; FuelEfficiency; Lexus, Acura; Eight-SpeedTransmission; European competitors

Toyota Ahead of Ford in the USToyota Motor Corp. (TMC) surpassed FordMotor Co. as the No.2 car maker in the

U.S, in July 2006. It was for the first timethat Toyota overtook Ford in its homemarket. Toyota had earlier outsold Ford interms of global sales. TMC which replacedChrysler as the No.3 in the Big 3 of theU.S car market, earlier in 2006, outsoldFord by a margin of 1,837 vehicles. Whatwere the factors that helped Toyota surpassFord? Was it American’s growingpreference for foreign models or Toyota’sproduct quality and more fuel-efficientmodels or was it something else? And whatwere the factors that affected Ford’s salesdeclines? This case discusses variousreasons for Toyota’s achievement.


• To understand the relevance ofinnovation as a growth strategy and forcompetitive advantage

• To discuss the evolution of competitionin the US automobile industry and theentry and expansion of foreign brands

• To analyse the market success of Toyotaand growing competition from its rivals

• To assess Ford’s moves to regain itsposition and Toyota’s need to sustainits growth.

Industry Automobile IndustryReference No. COM0129BYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Toyota and Ford; Toyota’s sales; US carmarket; Toyota in the US; The Big 3; Fordstruggling; Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; Toyota ahead of Ford; Stock prices;Market share; SUVs and Hybrid cars; Fuelefficiency; American Customersatisfaction Index; Customer retantionrates; Ford - Looking to bounce back; Ford- Rejuvenation process

Vertical product integration atMicrosoft: Will it succeed?

The Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft)with its global annual revenues of US $44.28billion had 71,553 employees in 102countries as on July 2006 and stood asworld’s second largest software companyafter IBM. Microsoft’s best selling productswere the Windows Operating System forservers and single computers and the Officesuite of productivity software. Thecompany had gained more than 90% ofmarket share in its segments of operatingsystem and web browser.

With its first product Xenix, the operatingsystem, the company developed successfulsoftware like Dos, windows, MS- Office.The company expanded its business to Webbased software in the mid 90s, mobile ended

devices in early 2000 and in 2001 itdiversified in to home and entertainmentsegment with the launch of video gameconsole ‘Xbox’. After successfully buildingroots with Xbox and its later version ofXbox 360, the company stepped into themusic player industry with its new project‘Zune’. Microsoft was gearing its resourcestowards services, and integrating variousdevices to stop the dominance of Apple’siPod.

Microsoft began to concentrate onhardware, and was planning to play a biggerrole in product design. As the software wasbecoming increasingly commoditised, itneeded to find new revenue streams to keepgrowing. Would Microsoft succeed to getmore control over the new vertical marketsto dominate, before monopoly of itsWindows erodes?


• To understand the Microsoft’smonopolized business in Operatingsystems segment

• To understand the importance of relateddiversification

• To discuss the competitive strategies

• To analyse the relevance of verticalintegration strategy.

Industry SoftwareReference No. COM0128AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Microsoft; Integration strategy; expansionstrategy; competitive strategy; marketleader; new product development;Innovation; core competencies; verticalmarkets; product integration; software;computers; Xbox; Zune; Windows; DOS;Microsoft Office; application software;system software; Competitive StrategiesCase Study; Web browser; operating system

Home Depot- A StrategicDilemma

The Home Depot Inc (Home Depot), anAmerican retailer for home improvementand construction products, the secondlargest retailer in the United States, behindWal-Mart, and third largest retailer in theworld, was considering sale or spin-off orInitial Public Offering of its supply HDSupply. The new separate entity would faceheavy competition from market leaderWal-Mart and its next arch rival Lowe’s inretail market.

The decision was seen as a strategic move,which would optimize shareholders valueand improve Home Depot’s commercialbusiness a network of companies that





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provided pipes, concrete and lumber toprofessional builders.


• Understanding Corporate Restructuring

• Understanding Spin-off as a restructuringtool.

Industry RetailReference No. COM0127AYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

The Home Depot Inc.; US retail; Homeimprovement Market; Spin-offs; Split-off;Strategic Evolution; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Wall-Mart; Lowe;Strategic Inflection Point

Ford vs. GM in AsiaRouted around a century back, theautomobile industry had been one of themost globalize and competitive of allindustries. It had a global turnover of $1.66 trillion in the year 2003. The industrywas dominated by a small number ofcompanies with worldwide recognition. Inthe NAFTA region the Big three players(Ford Motor, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler) constituted more than 60% sharein the world automobile production in1980. During the 1990s the US autoindustry faced a recession due to someinherent problems of excess capacity,higher price, inflation which made thisauto-player to move into the growingregions of Asia. Due to high populationand rapid economic growth the Asianmarket had great potential for foreign automanufacturer.

The case revolves around the two biggestauto manufacturer General Motors and FordMotors, which were already geographicallydiversified, had also moved into thegrowing region of Asia. The case talks abouttheir entry strategies into the Japan, Chinaand India as well as market positioning andcompetitive strategies to win the Asianmarket share. With cut-throatcompetition from Japanese players and thedomestic manufacturers will this playersbe able to sustain their position as anindustry leader?


• To discuss the Entry Strategies indeveloping nations

• To analyse competitive strategies ofFord and GM to compete with Asianrivals like Toyota and Suzuki

• To understand the importance oftechnological innovations andmarketing strategies.

Industry Automobile IndustryReference No. COM0126AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Entry strategies; Competitive strategies;Automobile Industry; Asia; Japaneseautomobile Industry; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Chinese AutomobileIndustry; Indian Automobile Industry; Car;Geographic Expansion

Pizza Hut: Pleasing ‘IndianPalates’

Pizza Hut Inc. is the world’s largest pizzachain with over 12, 500 outlets in morethan 90 countries worldwide. In India, thecompany has gained a firm footing overthe years by imbibing Indian values andtastes in its restaurants and its menu, whilemaintaining its international heritage andquality. The case discusses Pizza Hut’slocalisation strategy in India. How thecompany has tailored its menu, ambienceand even positioned itself to better appealto the Indian consumers. The companyhas used popular Indian celebrities andlaunched advertising campaignsaccordingly. The case covers the menu,positioning, outlook, and pricing of thecompany in India and the competition itfaces.


• To understand Pizza Hut’s localisationStrategy in India

• To discuss the Advertising Strategy ofPizza Hut in India

• To discuss the Pricing Strategy of PizzaHut in India

• To discuss rising competition in fast foodIndustry of India and evaluate the futureof Pizza Hut in the fast food Industry ofIndia.

Industry Fast Food IndustryReference No. COM0125PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Localisation strategies; Yum brands; IndianPizza market; Masala Pizza; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Vegiterian Pizza;Tandoori Pizza

Nokia’s convergence strategiesIn 2006, Nokia based in Espoo (Finland) isthe world leader in mobile communicationswith a global market share of 34%. Itsupplied mobile and fixed telecom networks

including related customer services. Nokiamanufactured easy-to-use and innovativeproducts like mobile phones, devices andsolutions for imaging, games, media andbusinesses.

Since 2000, the telecommunications,media and technology industry had focusedon convergence of technology. Bringingtogether the media - print, TV, fixed-linetelephony with the new digital world ofthe internet and mobility was a conceptwith great potential. Nokia had madeattempts to integrate various features inits mobiles and upgraded them. This casestudy discusses Nokia’s technologyconvergence strategy and its attempts tobecome a market leader.


• To understand the technologyconvergence trends in the mobileindustry

• To discuss Nokia’s technologyconvergence strategy for its mobilehandsets

• To discuss Nokia’s competitivestrategies.

Industry Mobile IndustryReference No. COM0124PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Nokia Media Master; AMPS/TDMA; 3G;Tetra; WAP; W-CADMA; Nokia E series;Competitive Strategies Case Study;Symbian OS

Volvo in IndiaAB Volvo is a Fortune 500 company basedin Sweden. Its product portfolio consistsof commercial vehicles like cars, trucks,buses, construction equipment, marine andindustrial engines, and aero engines. Itshigh-end, high-performance cars, trucksand buses are well known for their drivercomfort and safety. Volvo entered India in1997 by establishing a subsidiary ‘VolvoIndia Ltd’. In 1998, it established VolvoTrucks factory in Hoskote, near Bangalorein Southern India with an investment of$70 million. The company faced intensecompetition from established players likeTata Motors and Ashok Leyland. This casestudy discusses Volvo’s strategy for theIndian market and how it became successfulas a niche player.


• To understand the Indian commercialvehicle market

• To discuss the entry strategy of Volvoin India

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• To discuss Volvo’s strategy for the truckand bus segment.

Industry Auto IndustryReference No. COM0123PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

AB Volvo; SKF; Scania; Tata Motors;Competitive Strategies Case Study; AshokLeyland; Volvo Penta; Starbus

Rocketboom.com: Changing theFace of Entertainment Media

Launched in 2004, as a mock news showon the Internet, Rocketboom.com was abrand new concept. The show on thewebsite was a combination of innovativelycombined humorous news reports, comedy,and video blog. Initially, Rocketboom.comwas not taken very seriously by theindustry, but soon it had 300,000 viewers,numerous advertisers and buy-out offersfrom major TV networks. The casediscusses the concept behind Rocketboom,its business model, creation of a new marketsegment, birth of competition andchallenges faced by the company.


• To discuss the business model ofRocketboom

• To understand the dynamics of creatinga new market segment by a company

• To evaluate the success factors ofRocketboom.

Industry E-commerce IndustryReference No. COM0122PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Video blog; Andrew Baron; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Amanda Congdon;Tivo; weblog

Marks & Spencer: A BrightFuture?

M&S is a leading retailer of clothing, foodsand home products in the United Kingdom.M&S had ruled the retail world and reapedprofits for years. By the end of 1998though, the company started facingproblems. It went through a phase of baddecisions, complacency, and board roombattles which pushed it into a crisis thatlasted for several years. After selling offsome of its stores and bringing aboutchanges, in 2006, M&S was growing againand regaining profitability. The market

scenario had changed though and M&S wasno more the iconic brand it once was, rather,it was less than one quarter of the size ofTesco - UK’s largest and most profitableretailer in 2006. Could M&S once againgain its position in the market?


• To understand the factors leading to thedecline of Mark & Spencer

• To discuss the strategies of Mark &Spencer to revive its business

• To discuss brand revival strategy of theMark & Spencer.

Industry Apparel IndustryReference No. COM0121PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Marks & Spencer chargecard; Richardgreenbury; Competitive Strategies CaseStudy; Per Una Due; Stuart Rose; Simplyfood stores

Benetton’s Advertising: LookingBeyond Toscani

The Italy based, ¤1.765 billion-Benettongroup S.p.A.(Benetton) is a garment andapparel manufacturing company with apresence in 120 countries around the world.Benetton is known for its politically andculturally contentious advertisingcampaigns. The company is witnessing adecline in sales since the late 1990s, despiteformulating a change in its erstwhileradically different approach to advertising.Its new advertising strategy, which is moreproduct-led, non-controversial, andwithout politically or socially chargedissues, has failed to arrest the decline in itssales. Benetton’s net profit for the fiscalyear ending in March 31, 2005, has fallenby16.9 %, from ¤28 million, ($35 million)to ¤23 million, ($30.1 million), andrevenue has dipped 0.8%, from ¤381million, ($476.6 million) to ¤378 million,($495.2 million). Analysts wonder whetherBenetton’s new advertising strategy, witha far more conventional edge, will help itfind its niche within the retail market, orwill it lead to a complete loss of identityfor the famed Benetton brand? ShouldBenetton stick to its new advertisingstrategy or revert to the old one?


• To discuss the advertising strategy ofBenetton

• To identify the reason behind thedeclining sales of Benetton

• To evaluate the new advertising strategyadopted by the company

• To evaluate and compare the old andnew advertising strategies of Benetton.industry.

Industry Apparel IndustryReference No. COM0120PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Contrarian advertising; Sisley; Playlife;Competitive Strategies Case Study;Nordica; Rollerblade; Oliviero Toscani;James Mollison; Zara; fcuk; Gap

LEGO in 2006: Keeping Up withthe Changing Times

The case covers Lego’s productdevelopment strategies across the globe.Lego was the sixth largest toymanufacturing company in the world in2006.Since the beginning, the company’sscope of product development had beenimmense, even as its product foundationhad remained constant. With childrenturning away from traditional toys in favourof videogames and personal computers(PCs) in the late 1990s, Lego had resortedto several innovative products to keep upwith the changing times. It had alsodiversified into clothes, computer games,and Lego theme park to maintain itsgrowth momentum. By 2004, Lego wasrunning into losses.


• The concepts associated with productdevelopment in the traditional & moderntoy industry

• The concepts associated with changesaffecting consumer behavior

• The concepts related to product mixdecisions in the toy industry.

Industry Toy IndustryReference No. COM0119PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Automatic building bricks; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; legoland theme parks;play and learn; Lego Duplo bricks; DACTA;Lego Bionicle; Mattel; Hasbro; Legomindstorm; Lego cybermaster

Hasbro’s Product Line Strategyover the Years

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Trucks, Playskool, Easy Bake Oven, PlayDoh, Transformers Scrabble, Monopolyand Clue to name a few. The case coversthe evolution of Hasbro’s product Line andthe strategies undertaken by the companyto meet the threat from electronic gamesand game consoles. The case discusses theproduct development strategies adopted byHasbro and evaluates the strategyreformulation undertaken by Hasbro withreference to product development,modification, product mix and productconsistency.


• The case discusses the changingdynamics of the toy industry

• The case outlines Hasbro’s product linestrategy over the years

• The case discusses Hasbro’s competitivestrategies, its new product launches andhow these products have fared.

Industry Toy IndustryReference No. COM0118PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Playskool; Milton Bardley; CompetitiveStrategies Case Study; Mr Potato head;Romper room; Hasbro interactive; Furby

Sony India’s Retailing StrategiesSony, which was ranked first amongconsumer electronic brands in the world,was struggling to become the leading brandin India. It faced tough competition fromIndian rivals like Videocon and Onida, andmultinationals like LG, Samsung andPhilips. To emphasize its brand name andimage, Sony India introduced ‘lifestyleconcepts’ by launching spacious andaesthetically designed ‘Sony World’ stores.In these stores, Sony displayed its entireproduct range in a single showroom andtargeted high-end customers in urban areas.Despite promoting its products throughadvertisements which amounted to 4-5%of the company’s annual turnover, it wasonly second in market share in its differentproduct segments. Sony introduced fourdifferent retail formats in order todifferentiate their products, reinforce theirbrand and serve different customersegments. It began retuning its retail formatin 2006, in order to reach the youth andthe middle-class. To do so, the stores werelaunched under three brand names – SonyDigital Kiosks, Sony Walkman and SonyEricsson. As youth were more attractedtowards small format stores in shoppingmalls, the company hoped to find youngconsumers visiting their showrooms. Thecase discusses whether the changes in retail

• To discuss how Embraer benefited byentering new product segments and newmarkets

• To analyse how Embraer rose to becomethe second-largest regional jetmanufacturer in the world.

Industry Commercial Aircraftmanufacturing

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Bombardier; Embraer; regionalCommercial Jet; Boeing; Business Aviation.

Apple’s Foray in RetailingIn 2001, Apple Computer Inc. (Apple)forayed in retailing as part of its initiativeto increase its brand awareness andshowcase its Macintosh computers andoperating system. Since then, the retailstores functioned towards increasing thevisibility of its products as well asdisseminating product knowledge throughone-to-one customer interaction. In May2006, Apple introduced its 147th retailoutlet in New York and its retail strategyevolved from the traditional ‘store-frontsales approach’ towards a ‘techno-equivalent of the neighbourhood bar’, wherepeople could visit, meet friends, learn andhave an enjoyable time.

The case, while providing a broad overviewof the company, discusses Apple’s retailinitiatives both in the domestic as well asthe international market.


• To discuss Apple’s retailing initiativesas part of its strategy to increase productvisibility, product availability andcustomer interaction

• To understand how a separate distributionchannel would lead to increase in productawareness and product recall

• To understand Apple’s brand-buildinginitiatives through creation of company-owned retail stores

• To discuss the success probability ofApple’s mass strategy.

Industry Personal ComputersReference No. COM0115KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Apple computer; Retailing; Distributionchannel; kiosk; Retail Stores.

strategy were only enough for becomingthe brand no.1 in India.


• Booming consumer electronics retail inIndia

• Marketing and Branding strategies ofSony in India

• Retail formats of Sony in India.

Industry Consumer Electronics andAppliances Retail

Reference No. COM0117CYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Akio Morita; Sony Walkman; Sony World;Sony Proshop Sony Exclusive; SonyEricsson; Retailing; Samsung; LG; retailkiosks; Competitive Strategies Case Study;differentiated retailing; Multi-brand outlet;discount stores; dealer network

Embraer in 2005Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA(Embraer) was established in 1969 by theBrazilian government, to manufactureplanes primarily for the Brazilian AirForce. Later, Embraer began to export itsmilitary planes to other countries.Encouraged by the success of its militaryplanes business, Embraer decided tomanufacture commercial jets. It hadbecome an ideal state-owned enterprisethat served the regional and internationalaeronautical markets well. However, inthe late 1980s, Embraer found itself indeep financial crisis and was eventuallypushed to bankruptcy. In order to revivethe company, the Brazilian governmentprivatised Embraer in 1994. With thechange of ownership, the companyrestructured itself and entered new productsegments to gain the early moveradvantage. By the end of 2004, Embraerwas the second-largest regional jetmanufacturer in the world afterBombardier Inc. of Canada, and registerednet profits of US$380 million. The casediscusses Embraer ’s troubles, itsturnaround strategies and new productdevelopment.


• To understand how Embraer turnedaround itself after emerging frombankruptcy

• To understand the impacts ofunsuccessful product launches and losingconsumer focus

• To discuss Embraer’s new productlaunches to fill the gap in its the productrange

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Samsung – Leading in the DigitalAge

The case deals with Korea-based Samsung,one of the leading global electronicscompanies and synonymous with digitaltechnology. Samsung has strong presencefrom consumer electronics tosemiconductors. The case depicts in details,the journey of the company from thelower-end consumer electronicsmanufacturer to upscale image with strongbrand identity. The case showcases the newbrand-building principles of the Koreanconsumer electronics company that paidoff with the entry into ‘Global 100 Brand’in the new millennium. The case describesthe company’s three-pronged strategies –quality, design and innovation. Finally, thecase highlights future challenges that canhinder the brand-building process of thecompany.


• To understand the concept of upwardstretching in brand management withspecific reference to Samsung

• To understand the concept of missionstatement and translation of this intostrategies

• To analyse the brand building principlesalong with operational difficulties ofbrand building.


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Samsung; Brand Value; Micro Processor;Digital devices.

Airbus vs Boeing – ContrastingViews for the Future

Since its inception, Boeing had beenenjoying a virtual monopoly in thecommercial aircraft industry, but wasthreatened by the advent of the Europeanaerospace company, ‘Airbus S.A.S.’(Airbus), in 1970. Since then, Airbusgradually achieved a leadership position inthe market by dint of its innovativetechnologies and government funding. Forthe first time in 2003, Airbus became theworld’s largest manufacturer of commercialaircrafts. The competition among the twocompanies, attained a new dimension in2000, when Airbus announced thedevelopment of the world’s biggestpassenger plane – the A380. Airbus toutedthe A380 as the future of commercialaviation, as it envisaged a huge demand forlarger aircrafts. In contrast, Boeing asserted,that smaller and faster aircrafts would rulethe market. In keeping with this, Boeing

announced its plans to develop the 7E7Dreamliner. Analysts felt that if the A380failed, it would become a burden as Airbushad invested billion dollars on this model.This case study offers a discussion on thefactors that have driven Boeing and Airbusto adopt different strategies and whetherAirbus would proceed with the hugeinvestment, amidst the uncertainty in long-term demand. The case provides a detailedaccount of the structure of the commercialaircraft industry and the prevalent natureof competition.


• To understand the structure andcompetitive forces of commercialaviation industry

• To analyse the factors and elements ofcompetitive strategy adopted by Boeingand Airbus

• To form and analyse SWOT of both thecompanies

• To form investment pay off matrix forAirbus.

Industry Aircraft manufacturingReference No. COM0113KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Airbus; Boeing; A380; Super Jumbos;Competitive Strategies.

Wal-Mart’s Emerging ChallengesWal-Mart, the largest retailer in the worldcontinued to grow with its EDLP (EveryDay Low Price) policy. However, thecompany experienced sluggish sales growthand limited international expansions withchallenges from the retail majors.Moreover, the company had beenexperiencing employee grievances withhigh rate of employee turnover. In orderto counter these problems Wal-Mart tookfew initiatives which would not only reduceemployee turnover rate but would also addrevenue to the company. The case givesan insight into Wal-Mart’s history and thechallenges that it faced over the years. Italso gives an overview of the global retailmarket and the strategic initiatives takenby the company.


• To understand the global retail industry

• To understand the emerging challengesfaced by Wal-Mart

• To understand the different categoriesof retailers

• To understand the policies followed byWal-Mart

• To analyse the initiatives taken by Wal-Mart for its revival.

Industry Retail Department StoresReference No. COM0112KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Wal-Mart; Retail;Home Depot; Carrefour;EDLP.

Digital TV Battle: LCD vs PlasmaThere was a change in the global TVindustry due to the growing demand forthe flat TV sets. Buyers had a number ofchoices in deciding which flat panel TVthey were going to buy. The LCDs werebest suited for a maximum of 37 inchesTV screens. But there was debate about thesuitability of LCD and Plasma technologiesfor the larger screens. For a long timePlasma technology dominated the large TVsection but now the LCD TV makers likeSony and Samsung were challenging PlasmaTV makers like Matsushita and LG. WhileSony and Samsung had been betting withtheir 70inch LCD from 2007 onwards,Matsushita was fighting back by planningto launch its new 103 inch Plasma TV bythe end of 2006. The debate was thatwhether LCD TV makers would be able todethrone their Plasma TV competitors inthe giant TV market.


• To understand the global digital TVmarket and its trend

• To analyse the strategic initiatives takenby both LCD and Plasma Manufacturers

• To analyse the consumer behavior inthe digital TV market

• To discuss about the emergingtechnologies in the TV market.


Keywords

LCD; Plasma; Digital TV; Sony; Samsung;Sharp; LG.

AMD vs Intel: CompetitiveChallenges

The competitive challenges between the toptwo chip maker Intel and AMD took a newdimension due to different strategicinitiatives taken by both the companies.AMD not only attacked Intel with its serverchips but also challenged Intel by






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diversifying into graphics chip category withits acquisition of Array TechnologiesIncorporated (ATI) Technologies in a $5.4billion deal. But still AMD was worried withIntel’s antitrust practices. AMD blamed Intelwith its illegal discount program due to whichAMD’s PC market share dropped in Japan.So the debate was that whether AMD couldget rid of Intel’s monopolistic foul play.


• To understand the global chip industry

• To analyse the competition between thetop two companies in the processorindustry

• To analyse the antitrust practices of Intel.

Industry Microprocessor & DSPReference No. COM0110KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

AMD; Intel; Microprocessor; Chip;Semiconductor.

Verisign's Continuing MonopolyVerisign was a leading provider of a widerange of Internet-based services rangingfrom on-line payment processing todomain name registry. The companyowned the two popular top level domains(TLD’s), .com and .net that togetheraccounted for nearly 53 percent of allTLD’s. Owing to the leverage it enjoyedby virtue of being the largest player,Verisign was involved in severalcontroversial issues that raised concernsabout its business integrity andprofessionalism. This case lays specialfocus on some of the prominent anti-competitive business practices of Verisign,like the Waiting List service, misleadingcancellation notices and the Site Finder. Italso provides the readers a broad overviewof the domain name business and theexisting competitive scenario.


• To discuss the business of domain namesand the related market scenario

• To discuss some of the prominent anti-competitive business practices of Verisign,like the Waiting List service, misleadingcancellation notices and the Site Finder.

Industry Security softwareReference No. COM0109KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Verisign; Entrust; ICANN; TLD.

The US Wireless Industry in 2005The wireless industry was among the mostcompetitive industries in US. There werescores of players all across the country thatcompeted on poor margins. The markethad reached a level of saturation fromwhereon it had become difficult for operatorsto grow further. In the new businessscenario, mergers and acquisitions hademerged as potential alternatives thatensured, for the carriers a better marketshare. While some pro-consumer groups wereapprehensive of the effects of consolidation,many industry observers found it a scope toaccelerate technological advances by givingcompanies the resources to deploy high-speed networks. However, there was also asimmering fear that too much consolidationcould choke off the competition that hadmade wireless the most dynamic of all sectors.This case provides the readers with a broadunderstanding of the US wireless market,the competitive scenario therein,technological regulations, the standards andthe market trends.


• To discuss the competitive scenario inthe US wireless telecommunicationindustry

• To discuss the technological regulationsand standards

• To discuss the possible synergies andchallenges of mergers and consolidations.

Industry WirelessReference No. COM0108KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Verizon; AT&T; Nextel; sprint.

The Search Engine War: CanGoogle Sustain The Lead?

Google has revolutionised the searchengine industry. But in a regulatory filingwith the Securities and ExchangeCommission of US, Google hasacknowledged in unequivocal terms, theincreased threat to its leadership in thesearch engine business. The open admissionof the threats signals the intensifyingcompetition in the search engine market.Analysts wonder whether Google will beable to maintain its technological lead overits rivals. Also, is Google putting all itseggs in one basket? Does Google need tolook beyond search engines and movetowards a more diversified business model?


• To discuss the inception and growth ofGoogle

• To discuss the various services offeredby Google

• To discuss the competition that thecompany faces from Microsoft, Yahooand other players

• The likely future strategies of Google.

Industry Internet information providersReference No. COM0107KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Search Engine industry; Google; MySpace.

The DVD Format WarThe case discusses the ongoing strugglebetween Toshiba and Sony, as regards thenew DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) formats,HD-DVD (High Definition) and Blue Ray.It provides the reader with an overview ofthe existing market scenario and how thetwo companies are moving ahead to pushtheir own proprietary formats.

Pedagogical Objective

• To provide the readers a broad overviewof the existing DVD technologies andhow Sony and Toshiba are pushing theirown formats against all others.

Industry Electronic ComponentsReference No. COM0106KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Sony; Toshiba; DVD; Storage; Blue Ray;HD-DVD.

Hyundai Motor: FacingChallenges

Hyundai Motor India limited (HMIL) startedits Indian operation in 1996. It launchedSantro in B Segment, Getz in B+ Segment,Accent in C segment, Elantra in D Segment.Over the years HMIL became the secondlargest car manufacturer of India. But from2004 the company started to experiencethe heat in both segment. Entry of foreigncar makers: Honda, Toyota and Ford alongwith aggressive marketing and new productlaunch of Maruti put Hyundai in trouble. Itsmarket share in all segment reducedsignificantly. Hyundai planned to launch newmodels in all segments. It also revived itsproduction process and planned to positionsome of its product differently. Along withthis the management team of Hyundai wasalso trying to make a foray in overseasmarket. This case discuss in details aboutthe success potential of HMIL’s strategy inIndian market.

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• To give a glimpse of Indian automobilemarket, major players, recent trends andmarketing strategy adopted by differentcompanies

• To understand the segmentation-targeting-positioning strategy in Indianautomobile market

• To discuss in details about the 4Ps ofmarketing and its application in Indianautomobile industry

• To discuss about the marketing strategyadopted by HMIL, key differentiator ofits strategy and how the company planto regain its lost market share with thehelp of these strategies

• To understand the potential problemsof the strategy.

Industry Auto ManufacturingReference No. COM0105KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Hyundai; sedan; PLC; Brand management.

The Future for Nortel: 2006 andBeyond

In October, 2005 Telecom equipmentmajor Nortel Networks Corporation namedMike S. Zafirovski as its new president andchief executive officer. Zafirovski had hiswork cut out for him. To make sure Nortelfound level ground, after the accountingscandal and fraud of the past few years hadshaken the international reputation of thetelecom giant. The big question waswhether Nortel could register highturnover, post satisfactory profits andincrease market share to maintain itsposition as a major player in the telecomsector. Or would the company lose marketshare and customer confidence, toultimately settle at the second level ofmanufacturers in the industry?

The case traces the history of Nortel froma builder of phones and fire alarm boxes atthe beginning of the last century tooffering complete solutions formultiprotocol, multiservice, and globalnetworking together with software andservices in 2006. It discusses the globalbusiness activities of Nortel and itsperformance in the Cable market and Smalland Medium Enterprises as also the needfor adequate Security Systems in theexpanding telecom industry and the ITworld. The threat from manufacturers inChina with their capacity to offer lowprices is also analysed. The case concludesby taking a look at the challenges aheadfor Nortel, the need to introduce newproducts and services quickly into

international markets so as to be alwaysone step ahead of competitors in the fast-paced Web world. Should Nortel shedweight and become smaller by reducingproduct lines or should it merge with oneof the major telecom players to becomebigger and better?


• To analyse Nortel’s performance vis-à-vis the other major players in thetelecom industry and understand theproblems facing the new chief executive

• To discuss and analyse the strategic planevolved to take Nortel out of the pastaccounting scam, increase global marketshare and consolidate operationsworldwide.

Industry Consumer ElectronicsReference No. COM0104CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

NORTEL; Mike Zafirovski; Networks;Spin-off; Fibre-optics; Digital; Telecom;Internet; Strategy; Global; Ethernet; VoIP;SMB; Cable Market; Wireless; Brand;Strategy; Communication; Multimedia;Telephony; WiMax.

Amazon in 2005: Success andthe Future Challenge

Amazon.com, the world’s leading onlineretailer had survived for nine long yearswithout annual profits because it was guidedby a long-term vision that put into placestrategies for research, and the developmentof technology infrastructure. Thecompany finally turned the corner byposting profits for the first time in 2003.The case details the diversification ofAmazon.com into a software developer forother online retailers.

With its history of not posting profits,and having turned the corner recently, thebig question was whether Amazon wouldsurvive the onslaught of major competitorslike eBay, and continue to retain the No.1position while at the same time realisereasonable levels of earnings to satisfyshareholders. This was the dilemma thatfounder Jeff Bezos and his team had toaddress.


• To study Amazon’s expansion andgrowth despite posting losses for manyyears

• Make a SWOT analysis of Amazon andevaluate its strategy for the future.

Industry On-line RetailReference No. COM0103C

Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Amazon; Online retailing; e-commerce;Cross-selling; Management strategies;Digital programmes; Technologicalinnovations; Jeff Bezos; Amazon Upgrade;Dot com companies; Search engines;Software platform; Competitive strategies;Branded site; Buyer behaviour.

AOL’s Ad-based Business Model‘You’ve got mail!’ The celebrated jingleof the Internet users of the 90s was thesalutation which users got when signingonto their America Online (AOL) account.The caption was so popular that a moviewith the same title was released during the90s. America Online, the largest InternetService Provider (ISP) in US in 2006,offered dial-up and broadband internetaccess and a host of online services throughits web portal. It was one of the mostrenowned brands of the 1990s as it gaveAmericans their first taste of the internet,e-mail, instant messaging and many moreonline features.

But things began to change for AOL in thenext decade. The turn of the 21st centurysaw the merger of the internet with variousdomains and created a demand for highspeed internet connections. AOL, whichcould offer only a slow dial-up internetaccess, was not able to fulfill the demandsof the consumers. It was also bombardedwith heavy competition in the field leadingto a gradual decline of the AOL subscriberbase.

In order to compensate the decliningrevenue from the internet servicesubscribers, AOL adopted anadvertisement-based (ad-based) revenuemodel and offered the AOL Content freeto general web users. Though this increasedthe advertisement revenues of AOL, it didnot stop the decline of its subscriber base.However, this was not good news for AOLas AOL’s subscribers accounted for 36% ofthe unique visitors to its network of websitesand generated 80% of the page views. Toovercome this, AOL made available itssoftware, e-mail and security products freeto all web users and decided to concentrateon broadband rather than on dial-up.

The case details the Internet accessindustry, the online advertising industry andalso briefs the prominent trends of theinternet users. It also details the variousstrategies adopted by AOL, the consumerperception of AOL and the challenges facedby AOL in reviving itself.


• To Evaluate AOL’s new business model




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• To discuss the position of AOL-Dial Up,AOL Broadband and aol.com.

Industry ISP and Web PortalReference No. COM0102CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Internet Service Provider (ISP); AmericaOnline (AOL); Time Warner; OnlineAdvertising; Google; Yahoo; Online trends;Dial-up; Broadband; Cable; ConsumerSurvey; Time Warner; DSL; Earthlink;Comcast; Unique Visitors.

Wahaha in 2004From a humble beginning as a school runstore in 1987, Hangzhou Wahaha establisheditself as a major food and beverage enterprisein China. Despite fierce competition frominternational soft drink giants such as Cokeand Pepsi, Wahaha held its own stand in thedomestic market. The case discusses indetail, the growth strategies adopted byWahaha to penetrate the domestic Chinesemarket while highlighting the efforts takenby its founder, Mr. Zong Qinghou inestablishing the company.


To understand

• Food and Beverage industry of China

• Growth of Wahaha and its competitionwith large players like Pepsi and Coke.

Industry Food and BeveragesReference No. COM0101CYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Hangzhou; Wahaha; Zong; Coke; Futurecola; Danone; Sun Tsu.

Multiplexes: An EmergingBusiness Model in the Indian Film

Exhibition IndustryMultiplexes that offered a comfortableviewing experience revolutionised the wayIndian moviegoers experienced cinema.Movies were traditionally a pastime in Indiabut with only around 12,000 cinemas, thecountry faced a shortage of quality cinemahalls. The advent of the modern multiplexconcept in the late 1990s, however,revitalised the growing patronage and largescale investments in the Indian filmexhibition Industry. The case while detailingthe early scene in the film exhibitionindustry, discusses the emergence of themultiplex model as a new business conceptin India.


• The case traces the Indian film theatresand how Multiplexes started in India,their USP and its growth in India

• Helps the students understand thebusiness model adopted by theMultiplexes.

Industry EntertainmentReference No. COM0100CYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Multiplex; Film Exhibition; Cinemas;India; PVR; Entertainment Tax.

Carrefour in China: Savoring theSuccess

Carrefour, the world’s second-largestretailer from France, initiated the idea of“hyper-market” in 1959, stressing the needfor mass-sales, low delivery cost andeveryday discount to achieve high salesturnover. The reasons for its phenomenalsuccess throughout the world were thefacilities it offered at its hypermarkets suchas one-stop shopping, low selling price,freshness, self-service and free parking. ByJuly 2006, it had 8,321 fully owned storesand more than 340 thousand employeesworldwide. The sales reached 75 millioneuros and made it the largest retailer inEurope, the second-largest in the world andlargest foreign retailer in China.

When it decided to enter China, a jointventure with Chinese retailer Lin Hua wasformed and the first two stores were openedin Shanghai and Beijing in late 1995 . ByOctober 2006, it operated 83hypermarkets in 34 cities from Urumqi(in the Western reaches of the MiddleKingdom) to Harbin (near the Russianborder) to Kunming (in the South) by 2006.Carrefour also operated the Championsupermarkets and Dia convenience stores.Its 2005 turnover was about 1.7 billioneuros (US$2.2 billion) (including value-added tax), making China, Carrefour’s fifth-largest market and by June 2006, wasreporting a sales of 1259 million euros(US$1621 million) in mainland alone.Carrefour expected its sales in China togrow by 25% to 30% annually over thenext five years.

Carrefour planned its expansion based ontwo facts: growing Chinese retail sales,expected to grow by more than 11% peryear to reach 10 trillion Yuan ($1.2 trillion;£680 billion) in 2010 and the increase inmiddle income households. Carrefourannounced that almost half of the 100planned hypermarkets would be built inAsia, and an average of 23 would be inChina each year until 2008, to cater to

this growing consumerism. The aggressivestrategy was part of Carrefour’s decisionto strengthen its position in promisingmarkets while abandoning loss makingones, put in place by its president, JoseLuis Duran, from 2005. It savored thesuccess achieved in China by offeringquality retailing experience and economyfor millions of Chinese. Helping itself togrow among other foreign competitors byimplementing ‘Very-Chinese’ qualities inits products, services, merchandising,prices and ambience, Carrefour had trulybecome a household name among Chineseretailers. It remains to be seen how it wouldface up to the challenges posed by localretailers who would aggressively competefor growing market share in the world’sfastest growing economy.


The case anticipates familiarising thestudents on:

• The retailing industry in China and itslocal players

• Carrefour’s stature in China as theleading foreign retailer

• Carrefour’s entry strategies

• Carrefour’s branding methods to suitChinese tastes

• Carrefour’s growth strategies, itsmarketing, service, sourcing and HRpolicies

• How local retailers competed withCarrefour and what are the plans forfuture expansion.

Industry RetailingReference No. COM0099CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Carrefour China; Carrefour; RetailingIndustry in China; Entry strategy ofCarrefour in China; Growth strategy ofCarrefour in China Competition in ChineseRetailing; Challenges to traditionalnewscast; China Europe InternationalBusiness School; Hypermarket in ChinaGome & Shanghai Brilliance Group; JeanLuc Chereau; Carrefour Quality Line;Carrefour own brand; First line brand;Frenchtouch brand.

Screen Wars – LCD vs PlasmaPlasma TVs had been ruling the marketfor 40 inches and larger screens to date,because Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)makers faced quality problems when theytried to make larger screens. The Plasmamakers, in turn, could not reduce the size,for the screens tended to lose brightness as

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they shrank. Plasma TVs in larger sizeswere in fact cheaper to make, since theglass needed was less sophisticated andcheaper than the glass used in LCD panels.But in 2006, the Korean, Japanese andTaiwanese companies, who were into theLCD technology, fought hard to gainownership of the global television market.For a long time it was believed that theLCD technology was suitable only for thesmaller sized televisions and could notcompete with Plasma technology in largersizes. This belief changed with theintroduction of the seventh-generation(G7) plants by various LCD manufacturers.

LCDs got larger and posed a big threat tocompanies such as Matsushita ElectricIndustrial Co. (Panasonic) and PioneerCorp. of Japan. These companies madebig Plasma screens. Plasma TV makerscontrolled 88% of the market for 40-inch-plus, thin-screen televisions. The cost ofboth LCD and Plasma TVs came down.They achieved cost reduction by increasingthe dimensions of glass substrates used, butthe cost reduction effect was very smallbeyond sixth or seventh generation plants.Cost reduction beyond that point wouldrequire cutting materials and other cost-through- volume production effects,slowing the pace of production. As a resultof this there was a price war between LCDand Plasma TV manufacturers. Now thecustomers have a wide range of productsto choose from. This case captures thelatest developments happening in theworld of LCD and Plasma TVs and allowsfor discussion on how the future would takeshape.


• To introduce the students to theCompetition between LCD and Plasmatechnology

• To highlight the inherent advantagesand disadvantages of both these systems

• To underscore the technologicaladvancement in both LCD and Plasma

• To detail how players in both streamswere coming out with various newversions

• To foresee the future of the TV market– which technology will have an edgeover the other?

Industry TechnologyReference No. COM0098CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

LCD; Plasma; Flat screen; Televisions;Technology; Liquid Crystal Display;Marketing; Strategy; Brands; Productinnovation.

LIC – FACING PRIVATE SECTORThe case is about the various changes thathappened in the Indian Life Insurancesector after privatisation. Tillprivatisation, Life Insurance Corporationof India (LIC) was the only companyproviding life insurance services in India.LIC sold its policies as tax instruments andnot as products giving protection againstrisk. Most of the customers were under-insured with no flexibility or transparencyin the services provided. Before the entryof private players insurance penetrationand awareness was very low especially inrural India.

The insurance sector opened up forcompetition from private insurancecompanies with the enactment of theInsurance Regulatory and DevelopmentAuthority (IRDA) Act, 1999. As per theprovisions of the Act, the IRDA wasestablished on April 19th 2000. This markedthe beginning of liberalisation of the Indianinsurance sector. By 2006, there were 14private insurers in India whose marketshare was increasing every year. Innovativeproducts, smart marketing and aggressivedistribution helped the private sector growwithin a very short period. Slowly butsteadily, awareness about insurance was alsoincreasing in India. The increase inpenetration and awareness could beattributed to the stiff competitiongenerated among public and privateplayers.

As a result of competition posed by theprivate insurers, LIC launched many newproducts, improved their services andincreased expenditure on advertising. Thecase facilitates discussion on the strategiesto be adopted by LIC to stay ahead ofcompetition. It could also be used to discussthe future of the Indian Life Insurancesector.


• What are the strategies adopted byprivate life insurers to grab market sharefrom LIC?

• How should LIC use its strengths tomaintain the market share it had in thelife insurance market?

• What is the future of life insurance inIndia?

• LIC could join with some privateinsurers.

Industry InsuranceReference No. COM0097CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Life Insurance Corporation of India – LIC;Life insurance industry in India; Monopoly

player; Private insurers in India;Privatisation; Competition; Marketing;Distribution channels in Insurance;Bancassurance; Rural market; Strategy;Product innovation; Need based sellingapproach; IRDA; Unit Linked InsurancePlans-ULIP.

DTH vs Cable TV – Sky Wars inIndia

Home entertainment in India had come along way from the days when there wasonly one national channel, Doordarshan,to the age of satellite television and, now,the latest development called DTH (Directto Home) technology. The entry of TataSky with its DTH (Direct to Home)platform posed a threat to the cable T.Vindustry. DTH gained popularity becauseit provided hundreds of channels, 24x7with clear transmission quality, pay perview films and programmes and a wholeset of choices hitherto unknown to theIndian television viewer. As of 2006, therewere three companies providing DTHservices in India – Doordarshan, Dishtvand the latest entrant Tata Sky. Some moreplayers like Reliance and Sun TV wereexpected to hit the market in the nearfuture. With the Government of Indiahaving set the end of 2006 as the deadlineto introduce CAS (Conditional AccessSystem), in selected metros and later allover India, the scene would become morecompetitive. Cable operators have startedpressurising the Indian government tospeed up the process of changing theanalog technology to digital. Once cable isdigitised, cable operators would also be in aposition to provide programs in highquality.

Apart from DTH, new emergingtechnological advancements in TV viewinglike Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)and Cell Phone TV would also competeamong themselves to get their share ofthe market in the Indian homeentertainment industry. For IPTV onewould need a broadband connection as wellas a set-top-box and a personal computer.Considering the low PC penetration inIndia, IPTV might take some more timeto gain popularity. The advancement inmobile telephone technology has resultedin mobile phones where channels could beviewed. But some of the main constraintsof mobile TV could be the prohibitive costof the handset, the smaller size of thescreen and the low penetration rate ofpersonal computers in India. On the whole,the Indian customer would have moreoptions in terms of TV entertainment andthe main deciding factor would be servicesupport. The case allows for discussion onthe present scenario of homeentertainment in India.



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• To introduce the students to the homeentertainment industry in India

• To highlight the various technologicaladvancements that happened in the fieldof TV broadcasting

• To throw light on various serviceproviders and their services

• To discuss the emerging technologies inhome entertainment in India.

Industry Home entertainmentReference No. COM0096CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

DTH; Cable TV in India; Satellite TV inIndia; Home entertainment in India;Strategy; Competition; Marketing;Service; Target customer.

AMD vs Intel – Strategies forgrowth

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), theglobal supplier of integrated circuits forpersonal and networked computing andcommunications, was the second-largestsupplier of x86-compatible processors Itwas best known for its Athlon, Opteron,Turion 64, Sempron, and Duron lines ofx86-compatible processors. The x86microprocessor markets had becomeextremely competitive as majortechnological breakthroughs were takingplace and new products were beingintroduced. Taking advantage of thechanging scenario, AMD adopted strategiesthat helped it emerge a much stronger andmore focused challenger to Intel, its closestcompetitor and market leader. Intel, theworld’s largest manufacturer of x86-compatible processors, monopolized themarket till 1991, when AMD released itsAthlon processor. Over the years, AMDfocused on delivering innovative productsand technologies with customer needs inmind, proving to be a tough contender toIntel. In July 2006, AMD planned toacquire Canadian graphics chip makerArray Technologies Incorporated (ATI),one of the top three graphic chip makers.Analysts felt that this acquisition wouldempower AMD to compete with Intelacross a broader product portfolio,including home entertainment, mobilecomputing, consumer electronics, highdefinition TVs and video games. The battlebetween AMD and Intel was moving beyondprocessors to a new battle over the entireplatform.

The case gives an overview of thecompetitive strategies of AMD and Intelin the global microprocessor market. Itconverses in detail the establishment,

growth and the shift of AMD from being aclone of Intel processors to becoming aninnovator. The case also brings to lightthe fact that the battle between AMD andIntel was now moving beyond processorsto a new battle over the entire platformand it remained to be seen as to who wouldemerge the winner in the long run.


• To emphasise how a small player canbecome a dominant one

• To discuss AMD’s Growth Strategiesencompassing Virtual Guerilla andCustomer Centric strategies.

Industry MicroprocessorReference No. COM0095CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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AMD; Intel; Microprocessor Industry;Semiconductor Industry; Virtual GuerillaStrategy; Customer Centric Strategy; ATI;Market Leader; Jerry Sanders; Paul Otellini;Intel’s restructuring efforts; Strategicpartnerships; Innovator; R&D Expenses.

eBay in ChinaeBay Inc., the largest online auctioneer inthe world, entered China in 2002 by acquiringa 33% stake in Shanghai’s online tradingwebsite, EachNet.com for $30 million. In2004, eBay secured full ownership ofEachNet and the site was renamedeBayEachNet. In 2005, eBay announcedthat it would invest $100 million into itsoperations in China to ensure that itdominated the market. eBay EachNet wasfacing fierce competition from Taobao.com,a local Chinese online auctioneer, whichhad come into the scene in 2003.Taobao.com was launched by Alibaba.com,China’s biggest B2B website. Going bystatistics, Taobao.com seemed to becompeting very closely with eBay and someanalysts felt that Taobao.com might evenovertake eBay. Meg Whitman, the presidentand CEO of eBay, said that China was a‘must win’ for her company. The David vsGoliath battle turned into a high-profile onein August 2005, when Alibaba.com signed adeal with Yahoo! According to this deal,Yahoo! would add its Yahoo!China businessto Alibaba.com and the two companieswould work together to promote the Yahoo!Brand in China. With eBay and Alibabastepping up their operations, it was to beseen who would dominate the online auctionscene in China.

The case allows for discussion on strategiesto be adopted by a large multinational, tocounter local players. It also provides scopefor discussion on challenges faced by foreigncompanies in emerging markets.


• To discuss strategies to be adopted by alarge multinational, to counter localplayers

• To discuss challenges faced by foreigncompanies in emerging markets.

Industry e-commerceReference No. COM0094CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

eBay; China; Taobao; e-commerce; OnlineAuction; Alibaba.com; Yahoo;competition; revenue model; Onlinepayments; emerging markets; marketingstrategy; competitive strategies; Asianmarkets; Chinese Internet market.

NTUC FairPrice in 2005NTUC FairPrice was a successfully runcooperative supermarket chain of NTUC(National Trades Union Congress) inSingapore. Started as a cooperative tomoderate the cost of living in Singapore,it dominated the grocery retail market inSingapore. It returned dividends and otherbenefits regularly to its members and wasinvolved in many communitydevelopment activities. FairPrice was runon sound business principles and theinnovative strategies adopted enabled it toemerge a winner. The retail scene inSingapore was fast changing with increasingcompetition and varying consumerpreferences. In this light, it was to be seenhow FairPrice would overcomecompetition without sacrificing its socialobjectives.

The case facilitates discussion on retailstrategies to be adopted by a supermarketchain to face competition and variedconsumer behaviour. It also provides fordiscussion on the role of cooperatives inmoderating costs and in communitydevelopment.


• To discuss retail strategies of asupermarket chain

• To discuss the role of cooperatives inmoderating costs and in communitydevelopment.

Industry RetailReference No. COM0093CYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Supermarket chain; Cooperative;Singapore; Retail Strategies; CSR(Corporate Social Responsibility); Grocery

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Trade; Exxon Mobil Alliance; ConvenienceStores; Store formats; Country themedstores; Community development;Consumer behaviour; Dairy FarmInternational; Carrefour; Competition.

DELL: PCs in Pieces?The case describes the challenges that theDell’s Personal Computer (PC) businessfaces. The case aims at providing discussionpoints regarding Dell’s present strategiesin dealing with the changing PC market.The case traces the growth of the PCindustry and reasons for retardation of thegrowth. It also intends to raise debate onDell’s business model and the viability ofthe model in today’s competitive scenario.The case is designed to help understandthe PC industry, Dell’s position as a PCmaker, competition faced by Dell andimpact of its business model on the marketas well as on the prospects of its growth inother related areas.


• To understand the PC industry and Dell’sposition as a PC maker

• To understand the competition faced byDell

• To understand the impact of Dell’sbusiness model on the market as well ason the prospects of its growth in otherrelated areas.

Industry IT Hardware-PersonalComputers

Reference No. COM0092CYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Dell; Personal Computers/Pcs; PC IndustryLaptops; Desktops; Michael Dell; GlobalPC Market Dell Strategies ; ReplacementCycle; PC Price Wars Portable Computers.

Ryanair: Flying High in aCompetitive Atmosphere

The airline industry in Europe underwenta transformation during the postliberalisation era in the 1990s. The leadinglow cost airline in Europe – Ryanair, beganits operations in 1985 from Ireland. It wasable to establish itself in the UK and itextended its wings to other parts of Europe.The company focused on price conscioustravelers who travelled often to differentparts of Europe for leisure and business.Scheduled airlines like British Airways,Lufthansa and Aer Lingus had to restructuretheir fare levels to compete with low costairlines in Europe, and Ryanair inparticular.

The number of low-cost airlines halvedduring 2006, out of which only 15 hadmore than 50 flights per day. The low costairlines also succumbed to stiff competitionamong themselves and some had to exitthe market. Albeit challengingcircumstances, Ryanair maintained salesgrowth of over 20% between 2000 and2005. It maintained lower fares eventhough fuel costs shot up and competitionincreased. With successful pricing and cost-cutting strategies, it maintained a cost gapof 64% compared to other scheduledairlines. The case discusses strategies andoperations of Ryanair to maintain highefficiency at lower costs.


• To study low-cost carrier industry inEurope

• Ryanair’s cost-cutting and brandingstrategies

• Competition for Ryanair in Europe

• Challenges faced by Ryanair to becomea leading player in the airline industry.

Industry Airline IndustryReference No. COM0091CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Ryanair; Low-cost airlines in Europe;British Airways; EasyJet; short haul routes;point to point flights; Skylight system;Hertz Corporation; Buzz; SecondaryAirports and Third party contracts; InviseoTable; On board Advertising; Turn aroundTime and Common Boeing fleet.

Intel: Leaping AheadEverywhere?

Intel Corporation, the leading internationalic-chip maker began a fresh campaign onJanuary 1st 2006 based on a new logo andthe slogan, ‘Leap ahead’. Intel had enteredthe consumer goods market andcommunications industry to make itspresence felt in almost every type of digitaldevice manufactured and usedcommercially. But it had to facecompetition from other manufacturerswho had come up with the revolutionary‘cell chip’. With challenges cropping upfrom different directions, Paul Otellini, thepresident and CEO of Intel, needed to makea strategic decision on whether to continuewith the ‘Intel Everywhere’ policy orrejuvenate the company’s core strengthof being the primary and dominant playerin the international PC market.

The case traces the background of Intel,the obstacles faced and the measures taken

to counter them, the possibilities andapplication of the dual-core chip, thechallenges ahead and the diversificationsmade.


• The strategies taken by Intel, the leadingplayer in the chip market to consolidateits brand position

• Intel’s strategies to retain the topposition worldwide by successfullyfending off competition from othermanufacturers.

Industry ITReference No. COM0090CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Intel; AMD; Branding; Cell Chip; Marketleadership; Dual-core; Clock speed;Microprocessors; Management Strategy;Centrino; Samsung; Itanium; Paul Otellini;Pentium; Mobile devices.

Google’s Desktop Search: AThreat to Microsoft?

Microsoft, the world’s largest softwarecompany was a dominant player in thesearch market until the advent of Google,a search engine in 1998. With its desktopsearch tool, Google attempted to pose athreat to Microsoft’s core activity ofcontrolling the users since the time theyturned on their PCs. Google also wooedaway Microsoft’s employees creatingfurther concern.

The case explores the strategies followedby Google to outsmart Microsoft in thesearch market. The case opens uppossibilities for further discussion onMicrosoft’s defensive measures to retainits domination.


• To discuss the threat posed by GoogleDesktop to Microsoft’s core activity

• To discuss Microsoft’s defensivemeasures to retain its domination.

Industry Online IndustryReference No. COM0089CYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Microsoft; Google; Desktop search;Netscape Navigator; Browser war; Desktopwar; Longhorn; Competition; InternetExplorer.





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Yahoo! – A Jack of All Trades?Over the years, Yahoo! had evolved froma simple directory to a fully fledged mediaand commerce powerhouse that dealt ineverything from financial information topersonal ads. With 236 million registeredusers it had become a community site.Yahoo! interconnected its various onlineservices, in more ways than one. It hadalso expanded into entertainment with itssite offering film and video clips. Expertsfelt that in trying to morph into so manythings, Yahoo! was less a leader and more anovice.

The case allows for discussion on whetherYahoo! should enter different areas ofoperations and what its future focus shouldbe.


• To discuss whether Yahoo! should includevarious operations

• To discuss the focus of Yahoo! in future

Industry Internet and Online BusinessReference No. COM0088CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Yahoo!; Internet; Media; InternetAdvertising; e-commerce transactions;Chinese Operations; Search Engines;Network optimisation; Diversificationstrategies; internet growth strategies; Adware; Revenue models.

Yamaha Bikes in Asia: Can itsRegaining Lost Ground?

Japan’s Yamaha Motor Company, one ofthe biggest motor bike companies in theworld, faced numerous difficulties after theAsian financial crisis. As currencies, stockmarkets and asset values in many countriesplummeted, there was a major decline inthe earning and purchasing powers ofconsumers. Yamaha’s motor bike segmentaccounted for nearly 60% of its total salesbut the company’s market share in the Asiannations declined rapidly from 18% in 1999to 11% in 2003. Yamaha’s debts amountedto an astounding $2.3 billion in 2001. Thedemand for Yamaha bikes decreased andinventories piled up. To counter all thesedifficulties, Yamaha initiated variousmanagement plans, operational reformsand exclusive marketing strategies andfrom 2003 began to show tremendousimprovement in its financial position. Thecase discusses these strategies in detail toshow how Yamaha made a comeback inthe Asian bike market. It also enablescomparison with the performance ofcompetitors like Honda and Suzuki.

The case provides tremendous scope fordiscussion on the effectiveness of Yamaha’sstrategies. There is also adequate room foranalysis on whether Yamaha can become aglobal leader amidst tough competition, ina scenario where the demand for bikes indeveloped market had flattened andtremendous growth was predicted in theAsian market.


• To discuss the effectiveness of Yamaha’sstrategies by which it made a come backin Asian market

• To discuss the possibilities of Yamahabecoming a leader even though there wastough competition.

Industry AutomobilesReference No. COM0087CYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Yamaha Motor Company; Asian Motorbikes market Yamaha bikes; Managementreforms; Marketing strategies; Operationalreforms; Cost reduction; Supply chainmanagement; Yamaha’s NEXT 50; SystemSupplier(SyS); Technological innovation;Market restructuring; Yamaha TownSaigon; Moto Grand Prix race; ValentinoRossi.

IBM’s Software Division: The NewReliable Growth Engine?

IBM pioneered the global IT industry anddominated the mainframe andminicomputer market since the mid-20th

century. However, with the global ITindustry undergoing a paradigm shift fromhardware to software, IBM faced aslumpcline in the 1980s. Under thevisionary leadership of its erstwhile CEOLouis Gerstner, IBM regained its past gloryby revamping its organisation structure andshifting its focus to software and services.Despite the increased contribution of IBM’sGlobal Software Division to its totalrevenue, as the IT industry worldwide facesa period of transition due to the emergenceof services industry and emphasis oncustomised services and custom caresolutions, analysts are sceptical whetherIBM’s software business alone can becomeit’s most dependable growth engine.


• To analyse the role of software andservices in the Global InformationTechnology Industry

• To understand the traditional businessmodel of IBM and discuss itstransformation from being a hardware

manufacturer to one of the leadingprovider of software services in the world

• To debate whether IBM’s GlobalSoftware Division can become thedriving force behind IBM in the longrun.

Industry Information TechnologyServices

Reference No. COM0086Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

IBM’s Turnaround Middleware Market; e-business on-Demand; IBM’s New GrowthPlatforms; On-Demand Computing; OpenSoftware Strategy; Autonomic Computing;IBM’s purchase of PwC; IBM’s BusinessTransformation Outsourcing; IBM’sAcquisitions.

Microsoft vs Google in 2005In 2005, Google is emerging as a major threatto Microsoft’s dominance. Google hasbeaten Microsoft to launch successfulinnovations like local-area search completewith maps and satellite photos, ways tosearch inside a video file, and search designedfor mobile phones. Google has emerged as anew kind of foe for Microsoft as it gains theability to attack the latter’s core business.Google’s search lead also looks prettyunassailable. Microsoft has supported thelaunch of its search-related advertisingbusiness in March 2005 with a $150 millionad campaign and scores of otherpromotions. But the effort has generatedlittle buzz, and Microsoft’s global marketshare, at about 13% of search requests,remains small. Microsoft has the option ofincreasing its market share either byacquiring AOL or entering into a partnershipwith AOL, though Google is doing its bestto thwart Microsoft. Coveted talent fromacademia, start-ups, and venerable techcompanies that a decade ago flocked toMicrosoft now seems more attracted toGoogle in the mid-2000s. Microsoft has lostseveral top minds to Google since 2003.


• The case can be used to do a SWOTanalysis of both Microsoft and Googleand discuss their growth strategy.

Industry IT (Information Technology)Reference No. COM0085PYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Chris Payne; Netscape; MSN; Software;Competition.

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Anheuser-Busch: Brewing aFresh Image

Anheuser-Busch is a leading Americanbrewer with 50% market share. It offers30 beverages in the US beer market.Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Bacardiare some of its well-known brands.However, in 2004, Anheuser-Busch’srevenues seemed to have stagnated as theUS beer industry saw flat consumptiontrends, decline in volumes and higher costs.Beer’s share of the US alcoholic beveragemarket had declined. The case studydiscusses how Anheuser-Busch usedinnovative advertising to enhance theimage of the beer, create brand awarenessamong consumers and to differentiate theirproducts in the beverage market.


• To discuss the dynamics of the US beerindustry

• To discuss the strategies adopted byAnheuser-Busch to make a comeback.

Industry Beverage industryReference No. COM0084PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Anheuser-Busch; Brewing industry; Lightbeer; Changing beer market; Spirits;Budweiser; Bud-Light; SABMiller;Speciality brewers; Grolsch; Adolph Coors;Grupo Modelo; Corona; Bacardi.

Dell Inc.: Facing FormidableChallenges in the US Consumer

MarketDell, in 2005, was the No.1 seller of PCs(desktops and notebooks) worldwide witha 17.8% market share and $50 billion inannual revenues. The company’s directbusiness model which eliminated the needfor middlemen was a major factorcontributing to this success. However, withthe corporate PC growth declining fromdouble digits in the 1990s to single digitspost 2001, Dell entered the consumer PCsegment with its Dimension desktop andInspiron notebook line in and the consumerelectronic segment with digital TV, MP3player and Axim handhelds in 2003.Consumer business was seen as a keyrevenue driver by Dell’s management whichannounced an ambition plan to increaserevenues to $80 billion by 2008.

However, 2005 proved to be a challengingyear for Dell. Not only did the companystruggle in the consumer electronicssegment leading to the withdrawal of MP3players but even in its core PC segment,Dell was cornered by traditional rivals suchas Hewlett-Packard and Gateway and new

competitors such as Lenovo and Acer. Thisresulted in lower average selling prices forDell’s products and adversely impacted itsoperating margins. With Dell encounteringproblems on various fronts, its share pricedeclined to $29 in October 2005; it’s lowestin two years, leading to the question ofwhether Dell’s direct business model couldensure further success in the changingscenario.


• To discuss the trends in the US PC market

• To understand how Dell had achievedgrowth through its Business model.

Industry ElectronicsReference No. COM0083B 306-171-1Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Dell Inc.; Michael Dell; Personal computer;Desktop; Note Book; ConsumerElectronics; Directbusiness model; Acer;Gateway; Hewelett-Packard; AppleComputers; Sony; BestBuy; WindowsMedia Center; XPS.

Royal Mail Group: Gaming upwith Competition

Royal mail Group, a public limited companyhad been providing postal services for over360 years in the UK. The group operatedunder the brands, Royal Mail, Post Officeand Parcelforce Worldwide and was knownfor offering value for money and highquality customer service. In 2000, thegroup reported a loss of £240 million whichcontinued till 2003. So, the governmenthad asked Postcomm (regulatory body) toliberalise the postal market in three stagesstarting from 2003. Royal mail alsounderwent major restructuring in 2003,under the leadership of Allan Leighton,chairman of Royal Group and chiefexecutive, Adam Crozier.


• The state of postal services in the UK

• Business model of Royal mail group

• Restructuring initiatives of Royal mailgroup.

Industry Postal ServicesReference No. COM0082BYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Royal mail; Postal services in the UK; Postwatch; Allan Leighton; Adam Crozier;Universal Service Obligation; Bulk Mail;

Business Model; Post Office Ltd.; Parcelforce Worldwide; single daily deliverysystem.

Federated Department Stores –Focusing on National Brands

Federated Department Stores (FDS) is oneof the America’s leading upscaledepartment retail stores that offer a rangeof merchandise, including apparel,accessories (handbags, jewelry andcosmetics), home furnishing, and otherconsumer goods. This case discusses indepth the growth of FDS and its constantefforts to unite the US department storeindustry. This case emphasises the FDS’sfocus towards building Bloomingdale’s andMacy’s as its two national brands byrenaming all of its regional stores. Thiscase also tries to understand the businessstrategy of the company and its futureplans.


• Study the origin and growth of the USDepartment Store industry

• Discuss the strategies adopted by FDS tosustain in the competitive retail market

• The pros and cons of FDS’s effort tounite its department stores into twonational brands – Bloomingdale’s andMacy’s

• Discuss ‘the four priority’ businessstrategy of FDS and suggest what otherfeatures it has to focus on.

Industry Retailing/Departmental storeReference No. COM0081BYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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US Department stores; Bloomingdale’s;Macy’s; National Brand; Macy’sdepartment stores; differentiatedassortments; simplified pricing; shoppingexperience; marketing strategy; JC Penny;Kohl’s corp.; Business strategy; TerryLundgren; Wal-Mart.

Amazon in 2006Amazon.com Inc. (Amazon), a fortune 500company and a leading on-line retailer,posted revenues of $8.4 billion in 2005.Amazon sustained its existence, despite thefact, that it was not making profits foralmost a decade since its inception. Itrecorded profits for the first time in historyof its existence in 2003.

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competitive pricing, convenience andsophisticated information search. Itoffered wide range of products covering31 categories including apparel, toys andgames, electronics, videos, kitchenware,sporting goods, jewelry and online auctions.It had become a platform offering a placeto businesses and individuals to trade theirproducts.

By 2006, it faced competition from anarray of online retailers. The onlinecommerce industry had unique players likeYahoo, Google and E-bay offering rangeof products overlapping each other. Withincreasing growth of e-commerce andcompetition in the on-line retail industry,would Amazon, be able to sustain its originalthrust on research and development andtechnological innovations? Would it be ableto sustain its No.1 position as an onlineretailer and also remain profitable?


• To understand the nature and structureof the online retail and commerceindustry

• To discuss the unique business modeladopted by Amazon

• To discuss the competitive growthstrategies followed by Amazon

• To discuss the issues and challenges facedby Amazon

• To debate whether Amazon can sustainits leadership position in the industry.

Industry e-commerceReference No. COM0080AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Innovation; Peripheral Vision; GrowthStrategies; Competitive Advantage; On-line retail industry; Business Model;Amazon; e-commerce; Diversification.

PepsiCo in 2006On December 12th 2005, for the first timein the rivalry of over a century, PepsiCo(Pepsi) surpassed its biggest foe Coca-Cola(Coke) in market capitalisation. It hadmuch higher operating revenue than Coke.After having tough time in mid 1990s,Pepsi finally got increasing sales andcheering investors.

According to the analysts, the chief reasonfor Pepsi’s outstanding performance wasits aggressive diversification. Thoughstarted as a beverage company, Pepsi nowheld No.1 position in snack food businesswith its Frito-Lay division and ranked No.3in overall food & beverage industry.However, Coke still continued to sell moresoft drink than Pepsi.

The case tracks the journey of Pepsi andcompares its current position to that of1990s. It highlights the strategic moves ofPepsi, which led it to overcome colatrenches and outperform its biggestcompetitor Coke. Nevertheless, thesuccess, would Pepsi be able to sustain itsperformance?


• To highlight the first-mover advantageenjoyed by PepsiCo by venturing in foodbusiness

• To discuss the leader and challengerstrategies

• To discuss the competitive strategies anddiversification strategies of PepsiCo.

Industry Food & BeverageReference No. COM0079AYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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PepsiCo; Coca-Cola; Pepsi-Cola; Frito-Lay; Business Strategy; StrategicManagement; Diversification; BrandPortfolio; Globalisation; Competitivestrategy; Business ethics; Snack food;growth; cola wars.

Adidas in China: Jockeying forSupremacy

The case describes the athletic sportswearindustry scenario in China with theGermany-based sportswear manufacturinggiant Adidas in focus. China, the world’smost populated country was fast emergingas the next economic superpower andsporting industry in China was flourishing.Adidas had entered the Chinese market inearly 1990s through agents and by 1993China had become the manufacturing hubfor its products. Adidas did not have theirown retail stores in China and their productswere sold through franchisees. It faced stiffcompetition from Nike, the world’s No.1sportswear manufacturer and Li-Ning, theChinese company. Sensing the hugepossibilities of growth, and opportunitiesthrown open by the upcoming OlympicGames in Beijing in 2008, the majorindustry players, both international anddomestic had geared up to reap maximumbenefits.

The case provides a background to analysethe sportswear industry in China on thebasis of Michael Porter’s five force modeland the company Adidas by its competitivestrategies. The demographic profile andsegmentation of the Chinese consumershas been described in the case. The decisionof Adidas to acquire Reebok will catapultits market share but will still fall short ofthe market share held by Nike. The

challenges lying ahead of Adidas will be tofirst achieve synergies resulting by theacquisition and then set its best foot forwardto directly confront the market leader andmaintain the lead over the domesticfavourite.


• To analyse the sportswear industry inChina on the basis of Michael Porter’sfive force model

• To discuss the competitive strategiesadopted by various marketers in China

• To discuss the opportunities andchallenges for Adidas in China.

Industry Athletic footwear and apparelReference No. COM0078AYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Athletic sportswear industry; Adidas; Nike;Li-Ning; Reebok; China; Sport scenario inChina; Franchising; Olympic games;consumer behaviour; consumersegmentation; brands; celebrityendorsement; competition; competitivestrategy; Porter ’s five force analysis;acquisition.

The US Automobile Industry’sNew Platform for Competition,

The ‘American’: What’s‘American’ Anyway?

For almost a century, the US was proud ofits three largest automobile companies –General Motors, Ford and Chrysler,(collectively called the Big Three). Fordwas the first to introduce the concepts ofmass production, moving assembly line and‘$5-day’, which became the industry norm.GM, one of the biggest companies in theworld, had to its credit the first US companyto generate $1 billion a year. Chrysler, onthe other hand, was known for itsinnovative capabilities. The automobileindustry was itself one of the mostimportant industries in the US. Receivingmore than the average salary and withgenerous healthcare and pension benefits,employees considered it a privilege to workfor the Big Three. However, the BigThree’s demesne was gradually invaded byforeign competition, especially fromJapan. Initially establishing a base byexporting to the US, the Japanesecarmakers gradually setup their ownproduction facilities, employed Americansand responded to the changing tastes andpreferences of the consumers in a betterand faster way. Over a period of time, theUS consumers no longer considered theseforeign companies as ‘foreign’. Withfalling market shares, increasing legacy

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costs, the significance of the Big Threedeclined significantly in the eyes ofconsumers, investors and the governmentalike. Amidst these conditions, Ford cameup with a promotional campaignemphasising on its American legacy.Toyota also launched a campaign strivingto showcase its ‘Americanism’. In addition,the retirees of the Big Three formed agrassroots association in order to persuadethe US consumers to buy only ‘American’to save the jobs of millions of Americansworking at the Big Three. In the light ofthis new platform of competition, thequestion arises as to whether it is possibleto define what is ‘American’ at all.


• To identify and discuss the strategicinflection points in the US automobileindustry

• To discuss how the once dominant BigThree lost to their Japanese counterparts

• To understand the advantages built andsustained by the Japanese companiesover the Big Three

• To explore the relevance of ‘patriotism’as a platform for competition

• To analyse what ‘Americanism’ meansin one of the most globalised industries.

Industry AutomobileReference No. COM0077Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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US automobile industry; Detroit’s BigThree; General Motors Ford DaimlerChrysler; Toyota Honda Nissan; KeepAmerica Rolling Legacy costs Healthcare;Competitive Advantage; Bold Movescampaign; Segmentation Targeting andPositioning (STP); Brand Image; IndustryLife Cycle; Lean Production Total QualityManagement; William Edwards Demingand Joseph M. Juran; Downsizingoperations Layoffs; UAW (United AutoWorkers); Emotional Branding.

Nancy Tellem’s CompetitiveStrategies for CBS Paramount

Television NetworkEntertainment Group: The Future

ChallengesCBS Paramount Television (CBS) capturedthe top position for the 2005-2006 seasonamong the US broadcast TV networks,under the dynamic leadership of NancyTellem (Tellem), president, CBSParamount Network TelevisionEntertainment Group. Under Tellem’sleadership, CBS became US’ most watchedTV network on the strength of successful

television programmes like The AmazingRace, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, TwoAnd A Half Men, Cold Case and Survivor.However, CBS faced considerablechallenges from its competitors like ABCand FOX. Moreover, broadcast TVnetworks are losing revenues fromadvertising to other forms of media andfacing increasing competition from newdigital media such as Internet, DVDs, PVRs,VOD, etc. It is being debated whetherTellem would be able to counter suchchallenges successfully in the future.


• To discuss about the competitive natureof US broadcast TV network industry

• To discuss about the competitivestrategies adopted by Nancy Tellem forCBS Paramount Television NetworkEntertainment Group

• To discuss about the potential threatposed to traditional media by new digitalmedia such as Internet, DVDs, PVRs,VOD, etc.

• To debate whether CBS ParamountTelevision Network EntertainmentGroup, under the leadership of NancyTellem, would be able to meet thechallenges successfully in the future.

Industry Media and EntertainmentReference No. COM0076Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

US Broadcast TV Network Industry; ABCInc.; FOX Broadcasting Company; NBCInc.; Reality TV Shows; Fall Season; CableTV; New Distribution Technologies; Video-On-Demand (VOD); Consolidation in TVNetwork Industry; Viacom; LeslieMoonves; New Digital Media; BusinessModels of Entertainment Companies.

Intel vs AMD: AMD has the LastLaugh?

The birth and evolution of themicroprocessor industry is synonymouswith the history of Intel. From a companythat manufactured memory chips in the1970s, Intel transformed into am i c r o p r o c e s s o r - m a n u f a c t u r i n gpowerhouse that dominated themicroprocessor industry and dictated termsto the PC industry. One of the main factorsresponsible for Intel’s meteoric rise was itsability to respond to the market withinnovative products. Until the late 1990s,Intel had a complete grip on themicroprocessor market with more than80% share. No rival could compete withIntel’s technological and marketing clout.Then in 1999, a small company named

AMD launched Athlon, a 64-bit desktopmicroprocessor with superior performancecompared to similar Intel microprocessors.AMD followed it up with a 64-bit servermicroprocessor called, Opteron. AMDconsistently came out with superiorproducts compared to Intel and steadilystarted gaining market share. Intel realizedthat a company that was one-tenth its sizewas a serious threat to its leadershipposition. In an effort to contain marketlosses and regain its lost glory, Intelimplemented extensive changes includingrestructuring and re-branding. Meanwhile,AMD was also trying to build on itsprevious successes and depose Intel fromits leadership position in themicroprocessor industry.


• To identify and analyse the strategicinflection points in the microprocessorindustry

• To discuss the growth strategies of Inteland AMD over the years

• To discuss the reasons underlying Intel’sfailure in anticipating the threat fromAMD

• To discuss the strategies implementedby AMD to gain a competitive edge overIntel

• To discuss whether the new initiativestaken up by Intel and AMD respectivelywill enable them to gain a sustainablecompetitive advantage over the other

• To discuss what strategies Intel and AMDmust adopt, in the light of changingmarket dynamics.

Industry SemiconductorReference No. COM0075Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Intel AMD; Semiconductor industry;Microprocessor market; Strategicinflection points; Growth strategy;Competitive strategy; BrandingRestructuring; Competitive advantageMarket share; Gordon Moore; RobertNoyce; Andrew Grove;Paul Otellini; JerrySanders; Hector Ruiz; Intel Pentium;Itanium; Xeon; Centrino; AMD OpteronAthlon Dual Core; Dell HP SunMicrosystems; Platform strategy.

Automobile Safety: JapaneseManufacturers Lead the Way

Road accidents are resulting in increasingnumber of injuries and deaths every yearglobally. Realising the magnitude of theproblem, the World Health Organisation(WHO) in 2004, classified ‘road traffic




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injuries’ as a public health concern. Theworld over, governments in associationwith the automobile industry players aretaking a slew of measures to ensure vehicleas well as pedestrian safety. Though theUS and the European automobilemanufacturers had initially installed somesafety devices in the vehicles and hadinvested heavily in safety research, theJapanese auto manufacturers like Honda,Toyota, Mazda and Nissan have stolen amarch over them by commercializingsafety-related features in their automobiles.With state-of-the-art technology like GPS,adaptive cruise control, conversationalspeech interface etc., the Japanesemanufacturers have clearly taken a leadover other automobile manufacturers.However, there are certain issues such ascost-efficacy and affordability of the safetydevices that still need to be addressed.


• To understand the magnitude of theworldwide problem of deaths and injuriescaused due to road accidents

• To discuss the initiatives taken by variousgovernments and automobilemanufacturers in ensuring vehicle andpedestrian safety

• To discuss the new safety initiatives ofthe Japanese automobile industry

• To debate upon the cost-efficacy andthe possible legal repercussions of thesafety initiatives.

Industry AutomobileReference No. COM0074Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Automobile safety designing; NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA); Euro New Car AssessmentProgramme (NCAP); The Haddon Matrix;Intelligent Transport System (ITS);Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV);Emergency response system; Adaptivecruise control; Active safety technology;Automated Highway System (AHS); GlobalPositioning System (GPS); VehicleDynamics Integrated Management (VDIM)System; Total Human Model for Safety(THUMS); Nissan safety shield; Mazda’ssmart safety technologies.

The Changing Consumers’ Tastesin US Beer Market: Anheuser-

Busch Company’s CompetitiveStrategies

Since the 1970s, the US beer industry hadbeen hit by the rising costs of preparationand preservation of beer and the shifting

preferences of consumers towards low-costbeverages like wines, and spirits. Further,in the 1980s, increasing health concernamong consumers transformed the US beerindustry as traditional beers like ales andlagers were replaced by light lager beersand other health drinks. Under suchcircumstances, Anheuser-Busch, the leadingbrewer in the US, started losing marketshare to other big brands like SABMillerand Coors, small-scale local breweries andimported brands like Heineken. To fendoff competition, the company launched aseries of new products, acquired new brandsand entered into partnerships with otherbreweries to increase its market share.


• To understand the landscape of the USbeer industry and the changing consumertastes and preferences

• To analyse the reasons behind thedeclining sales of beer in the US and anincrease in the consumption of wine,spirits and other flavoured alcoholicbeverages

• To discuss whether the competitivestrategies of Anheuser-Busch would helpit to sustain its leadership in the US beermarket.

Industry BrewersReference No. COM0073Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Landscape of US beer industry; Differentcategories of beer; Anheuser-Busch’scompetitive strategies; SABMiller;Consumer preferences in US; Brandadvertising strategies; Beer brands ofAnheuser-Busch; Market segmentation ofbeer industry; Mergers and acquisitions inthe beer industry; Global expansionstrategies of Anheuser-Busch.

PVR Cinemas: CompetitiveStrategies of the Indian Cineplex

PioneerPriya Village Roadshow (PVR) is the largestcinema exhibition player in India, whichintroduced the concept of multiplexes inthe country in 1997 and redefined themovie viewing experience of the Indianaudience. In 2004, the company alsodiversified into movie distribution. Withmany firsts to its credit, PVR openedmultiplexes in the National Capital Region(NCR) of India and other metros likeMumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad in 2006.However, since the turn of the 21st century,PVR has been facing stiff competition fromother players, who have equal investmentcapabilities and similar expansion plans.


• To understand the movie exhibitionbusiness in India and the factors that ledto the inception of the multiplexconcept in India

• To discuss the growth strategies of PVRin the Indian multiplex business

• To analyse the competitive strategiesof PVR’s competitors and debate onstrategies that might support PVR tosustain its leadership in the Indianmultiplex industry.

Industry Movie ExhibitionReference No. COM0072Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

‘Movies First’; Village Roadshow; CinemaEuropa; THX certified cinemas; PVR(Priya Village Roadshow) Bangalore; GoldClass; PVR Pictures; ICICI (Industrial Creditand Investment Corporation of India)Advantage Fund; PVR Movies First; AdlabsFilms; IMAX Dome; Fame Adlabs; ShringarCinemas; Inox Leisure; Fun Multiplex.

McDonald’s in UK: TheCompetitive strategies

Since its launch in 1974, McDonald’s hasmaintained its profitability by offering itsregular menu of burgers and french fries toits customers in the UK. However, since2001, McDonald’s has been drawingincreased criticism as consumers in UK heldMcDonald’s responsible for causing obesity.Besides, the company also began to facestiff competition from ‘trendy’ outlets likeStarbucks and Subway that offered‘healthy’ food. McDonald’s added saladsto its menu, which, the company felt, wouldchange its image from being a junk foodretailer to a healthy food provider. It alsochanged the appearance of its stores tocompete in the highly competitive UK fastfood market.


• To understand the competitive landscapeof UK’s fast food retailing industry

• To analyse the reasons behindMcDonald’s rapid growth in UK’s fastfood market and its decline since thedawn of the 21st century

• To discuss whether a change inMcDonald’s image would help thecompany to rebuild the same trust, whichit enjoyed prior to 2001.

Industry Fast Food & Quick ServiceRestaurants

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Keywords

Fast food industry in the UK; Challengesfaced by McDonald’s in the UK; Brandrepositioning; Competition in the UK’sfast food industry; McDonald’s competitorsin the UK; Wimpy; Pret a Manger; KFC;Starbucks; Burger King; Subway;Turnaround strategy; Core competencesin the fast food industry; Changing trendsin the UK’s fast food industry; McDonald’srevival in the UK.

Lowe’s, AMD, Target et al.: TheSecond-mover Advantage?

In the world of business, the pioneer or thefirst-mover in an industry often fails tostand up to the competition from itsfollower or the second-mover due to itsfailure to constantly innovate or to taketimely and effective competitive decisions.The first-movers tend to cling on to theirtime-tested strategies, which yield positiveresults when they are the sole entity in aparticular market – a phenomenon knownas ‘active inertia’. This leads to a declinein their financial position and sometimesput their existence in jeopardy. Thesecond-movers, on the other hand, havebeen found to gain from the experiencesof the pioneer and take full advantage ofthe pioneer’s weaknesses and strategicmistakes.


• To understand the challenges that apioneer faces in any industry and thefactors that determine the sustainabilityof its leadership

• To analyse the various constraints ofthe first-movers, which are takenadvantage of by the second-movers tostrengthen their positions

• To discuss how the first-movers canprotect their lead in an industry bykeeping competition at bay.

Industry Discount RetailingReference No. COM0070Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

First mover’s disadvantage; Second mover’sadvantage; Wal-Mart vs Target; Motorolavs Nokia; Intel vs AMD; Sony vs Samsung;Home Depot vs Lowe’s; Marketing myopia;Active inertia; Value innovation; Pioneer-Migrator-Settler map; New Value Curve;‘Caffeine-induced Oasis’; Core competencydevelopment.

FedEx in China: The CompetitiveStrategies

The expansion of the postal industry inChina has attempted to keep pace withthe rapid growth of the country’seconomy. The transformation of theindustry from offering basic services tostate-of-the-art express delivery serviceshas taken place in less than half a century.While China Post dominates the postalservices market, global courier companieshave established a major presence in thefast growing courier and express deliverysegment of China. FedEx has been the mostsuccessful player amongst them. Thecompany’s strategic alliances with majordomestic companies, a large distributionnetwork and fast delivery services offers aunique advantage over competitors DHL,UPS and TNT in China.


• To discuss the critical success factors inthe courier service industry of China

• To discuss the growth and challenges ofFedEx in China

• To discuss the strategies adopted byFedEx to gain a competitive edge in theChinese market.

Industry Express Delivery ServicesReference No. COM0069Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Postal and courier services market;Logistics and express delivery services;China Post; Competitive strategies;Market entry strategies; DHL; TNT;United Parcel Service (UPS); Strategicalliance; Joint venture; World TradeOrganisation (WTO) accession; StatePostal Bureau; Sinotrans; Wholly-ownedsubsidiary; Competitive advantage.

Kroger’s Customer-centricBusiness Model: The Competitive

StrategiesFor many years, the third-largestsupermarket group in the US, Kroger, hasbeen competing to gain market share fromworld’s No.1 retailer, Wal-Mart. FollowingWal-Mart’s price-led business model,Kroger tried to attract customers andincrease its sales. However, it failed as itscost reduction could not match its pricereduction. Realising that it was difficult tocompete on the basis of price alone, in2002, along with Dunnhumby (aspecialised provider of databasemanagement and analytical services),Kroger formulated a customer-centricstrategy for itself. According to this,

customer data is analysed to get a deeperunderstanding of their purchasingbehaviour. The retailer also implementeda ‘customer first’ strategy to deliver highervalue to its customers coupled with anenhanced shopping experience.


• To understand the need for Kroger’stransition in its business model from beingprice-led to being customer-centric

• To analyse whether such transition wouldhelp Kroger or go against it, as bywavering between price-led andcustomer-led business models, Krogermight lose its strategic focus.

Industry Grocery RetailReference No. COM0068Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Customer relationship management;Relevance marketing; 80:20 rule; thePareto Principle; Top retailers in the US;Business model of leading retailers; Costleadership strategy; Competition in theretail industry; Wal-Mart; Safeway; Tesco;Kmart; Challenges faced by retailers;Customer behaviour.

Hyundai in China: TheCompetitive Strategies

Ever since 1978, when China started thetransformation from a controlled-economy to a market-oriented one, it hasexperienced one of the fastest growth rates.Helped by booming demand, the country’sautomobile industry has experienced thefastest growth rate in the world since the1990s. Many of the global automobilemanufacturers entered China to takeadvantage of its huge customer andresource base. Hyundai Motor Companywas one of the late entrants in the Chinesemarket. It adopted a combination ofstrategic alliances, in-depth marketresearch, quality manufacturing andcompetitive pricing to establish itspresence in the country.


• To discuss the critical success factors inthe Chinese automobile industry

• To discuss the market entry strategiesof Hyundai in China

• To discuss the strategies that Hyundaiadopted to gain a competitive edge inthe Chinese market.

Industry AutomobileReference No. COM0067Year of Pub. 2006





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Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Chinese automobile industry; Competitivestrategies; Hyundai Motor Company;General Motors Volkswagen; Kia MotorCorporation; Price cutting; Mid-size carmarket; Joint ventures; Strategic alliances;Beijing Hyundai; Sonata Elantra Accent;Market entry strategies; Brand image;Market research; Premium car segment.

HP into Digital Printing: Charting aNew Competitive Landscape

Founded in 1938 by two Stanford engineers,Bill Hewlett and David Packard, HP becamewell-known in the computer industry,manufacturing a range of computers fromdesktop machines to microcomputers. Italso became popular for its wide range ofpersonal desktop printers in the 1980s.After establishing itself in the printerindustry, HP started shifting its focus moretowards imaging and printing products. Itlaunched photo printers for consumers toprint at home and later acquired Snapfish,a leading online photo website to expandin the digital photo printing market. In2006, HP launched it photo-printing kiosksto further penetrate into the digital photoprinting market. But there remain doubtsabout HP’s chances of gaining leadershipin a market already dominated by Kodakand Fuji.


• To discuss the reasons behind the choiceof various mediums of digital photoprinting by consumers

• To discuss the logic behind HP’s strategyto penetrate into the digital photoprinting market

• To discuss the challenges HP might facein the digital photo printing market

• To discuss the chances HP has in thedigital photo printing market in thepresence of already established playerslike Kodak and Fuji.

Industry Digital Photo PrintingReference No. COM0066Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Hewlett-Packard (HP); Digital photoprinting; Kiosks; HP Photosmart ExpressStation; Snapfish; On-line photo services;Retail photofinishers; Home printing;Albertsons; Kodak; Fuji; Inkjet technology;Dye sublimation process.

IKEA in China: Competingthrough Low-Cost Strategies

With a simple mission statement “to createa better everyday life for the Chinesepeople”, IKEA entered China in 1998.Initially it faced challenges due to high dutyrates and the strict quotas levied by theChinese government. To attract customersin China, IKEA adopted a low-cost strategyand started offering quality furniture atdiscounted prices. Although, IKEA tastedsuccess in China, analysts are scepticalwhether the price-reduction strategy ofIKEA would benefit it in the long run amidststiff competition and the changingcustomer preferences.


• To understand the impact of customerpreferences on the furniture retailingindustry in China

• To discuss how IKEA gained competitiveadvantage by differentiating its productsand maintaining a cost leadership in thefurniture retailing industry of China.

Industry Home furnishings &Housewares Retail

Reference No. COM0065Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Global furniture retailing industry;Furniture retailing industry in China;Customer preferences in China; Foreignfurniture retailers in China; Domesticfurniture manufacturers in China; Price offurniture in China; B&Q; Customerspending habits in China; Supplier countriesof IKEA; IKEA’s global operations.

Toyota’s Lexus: The ChangingCompetitive Focus

A shift in customer preferences in the early1990s towards luxury cars prompted manyJapanese automakers to launch their ownluxury brands. In 1989, Toyota launchedLexus, which quickly overtook Americanand European automakers to become thenumber one selling luxury brand in the US.To counter competition from Lexus,American and European automakerslaunched sportier and lower-cost versionsof their cars. Lexus’s market share beganto fall and it launched sportier versions ofits cars to stay in the game. It also launchedthe Lexus brand in Japan in September2005. But Lexus was still trailing behindEuropean automakers in the high-endluxury segment in the US. To establish itselfin this segment, Lexus launched the LS460 in 2006 and also decided toaggressively pursue European markets

where it could not establish itself due tothe strong presence of Europeanautomakers. But analysts are doubtful aboutits success, as the European automakershave already established themselves in thehigh-end luxury segment in American,European and Japanese markets.

Pedagogical Objectives• To understand the evolution and the

dynamics of the luxury car market

• To discuss the strategies adopted byToyota in establishing Lexus as a luxurybrand in the US

• To discuss the rationale behind Toyota’schange in competitive focus to targetthe high-end luxury segment in the US,Europe and Japan

• To debate whether Toyota would besuccessful in establishing itself in thehigh-end luxury segment in the face ofincreasing competition from establishednames in the high-end luxury segment.

Industry Auto manufacturingReference No. COM0064Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Toyota; Lexus; LS 460; Luxury cars; Stand-alone brand; Customer service; BMW;Mercedes-Benz; Competitive focus; Pricecompetitiveness.

Amgen, the World’s BiggestBiotechnology Group: The

Competitive StrategiesSince its inception in 1980 as AppliedMolecular Genetics Incorporated, Amgen’sgrowth to become the world’s largestbiotechnology company with sales of$12.4 billion in 2005 has beenphenomenal. Through its innovations,acquisition of companies like Immunex andother operational strategies, Amgen hasavoided the dual menace of sluggish growthand stiff competition that has hit manypharmaceutical and biotechnologicalbehemoths.


• To highlight the strategies adopted byAmgen to become the biggestbiotechnology company in the world ina relatively short span of 25 years

• To focus on the global biotechnologyindustry and the competitive landscapeof Amgen

• To discuss the competitive strategiesadopted by Amgen to retain itsleadership.

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Industry Biopharmaceuticals &Biotherapeutics

Reference No. COM0063Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Global biotechnology industry; Acquisitionof Immunex; Blockbusterbiopharmaceuticals and drugs; Strategicacquisitions of Amgen; Patents of Amgen;Biotechnology drug development process;Amgen’s acquisitions and partnerships;Research and development expenditure ofAmgen; Eranasp; Neupogen; Enbrel;Epogen; Molecular biology.

The Container Store’s CustomerService:Recruitment andTraining as Competitive

AdvantageThe storage and organisation segmentforms a part of the home furnishingindustry and, over time, the Container Storehas become synonymous with this nicheretail category. The Container Store wasestablished in 1978, and though many newplayers entered had the storage andorganisation segment, none were assuccessful as the Container Store. Thecompany’s unique recruitment and trainingpolicy, corporate culture and philosophygive it an un-replicable advantage over itscompetitors.


• To understand how the training andrecruitment programs of The ContainerStore give it a competitive advantage

• To discuss The Container Store’semployee-related programmes and howthey have become a competitiveadvantage for the company

• To discuss the challenges the companyfaces in sustaining its unique businessmodel.

Industry Home Furnishing andHousewares

Reference No. COM0062Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Retail industry; Home furnishing andhousewares industry; Training andrecruitment policies; Competitiveadvantage; Human resource management;Storage and organisation products;Employee empowerment; Performanceappraisal; Employee turnover; Wal-Marttarget; Kip Tindell; Garrett Boone; Nichemarketing; Specialty stores; Teamwork.

Wrigley vs Cadbury Schweppes:The Competitive Strategies in

chewing Gum MarketWrigley, with a global market share of35.4%, is the world’s largest manufacturerand marketer of chewing gums. For thefirst time in its history, its dominance wasthreatened when confectionery giantCadbury Schweppes forayed into themanufacturing of chewing gum in 2002 andquickly acquired a market share of 26%worldwide. In response, Wrigley alsodiversified into confectionery, the corebusiness of Cadbury Schweppes.


• To understand the competitive strategiesadopted by Wrigley and CadburySchweppes

• To discuss their abilities to sustain andenhance their respective positions in theglobal chewing gum market.

Industry Candy and ConfectionsReference No. COM0061Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Global chewing gum market; Competitivestrategies; Growth strategies; Acquisitionstrategies; Marketing strategies; Brandpositioning; Product promotion strategies;Joyco; Altoids; Life savers; Doublemintchewing gums; Spearmints; Trident Splash;Hollywood.

Wal-Mart vs Target: ImageDifference and Competitive

ResponsesAlthough both Wal-Mart and Target startedin 1962 as discount retail stores, thecompanies evolved over the years toproject completely different images. WhileWal-Mart developed an ‘every day prices’image, Target projected an ‘upscale image’.However, both the retailers were trying tochange their image with Wal-Mart tryingto shift towards a more upscale image,while Target trying to project an image ofa retailer selling quality products at lowprices.


• To understand the development of Wal-Mart and Target over the years, thedifference in image projected by the twocompanies and the image makeoverstrategies being adopted by them as apart of their competitive response toeach other

• To discuss whether the image makeoverwould be beneficial for Wal-Mart andTarget.

Industry RetailingReference No. COM0060Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Wal-Mart; Target; Image differences;Competitive responses; Cost leadershipstrategy; Low-price strategy; Promotionalstrategy; Low profile image; Upscaleimage; Brand perception; Brand building;Idea leadership.

Volkswagen in China: TheGrowth Challenges

By 2003, China had become the world’sfastest growing major automobile market.Industry experts opined that China wouldsoon emerge as the fourth largest auto-market after the US, Japan and Germany.Volkswagen, China’s largest automaker in2003, with a 37% market share, stood togain from the expanding market. However,the second quarter of 2004 witnessed anabrupt slowdown in the sales of automobilesin China. Volkswagen also faced increasedcompetition from companies like GeneralMotors and Toyota. In a bid to maintainits position in the Chinese market,Volkswagen plans to increase itsinvestments in the country to 5.3 billioneuros (US$6.5 billion) by 2008.


• To discuss Volkswagen’s growth in theChinese market and the strategies itadopted to deal with the increasingcompetition and the changing economicscenario of the country.

Industry Automobile ManufacturingReference No. COM0059Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Volkswagen (VW); China; Automobileindustry; China’s automobile industry;Shanghai Volkswagen AutomotiveCompany; FAW-Volkswagen AutomotiveCompany Limited; Growth strategy; VWjoint ventures in China; Growth challengesin China; VW expansion plans in China;FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inChinese auto sector

Virgin Mobile in USA:Differentiating Growth Strategies

Virgin Group, the British conglomeratewhich operates in various businesses fromairlines to bridal services, started VirginMobile USA (Virgin) in July 2002. Virgintargeted the under penetrated youth






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segment in the US market and was able toenrol two million customers by mid-2004.Analysts termed this performance as a hugesuccess, considering the point that theservices were targeted at the low-incomeyouth market.


• To discuss Virgin Mobile’s entry strategiesinto a seemingly matured US mobilemarket.

Industry Wireless TelecommunicationsReference No. COM0058Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Virgin Mobile; Virgin Group; WirelessTelecommunications; Telecommunicationsin USA; Mobile virtual network operators(MVNO); Telecom resellers; Youth brands;Marketing to young America; Sprint PCS;Demographic segmentation; Wirelesscarriers in USA.

The Power of a Start-upCompany: Can Iliad Group

Unsettle the Monopoly of FranceTelecom?

By 2004, Iliad Group (established in 1987)had become France’s second largest playerin the Internet and telecommunicationsservices market (after France Telecom)with a turnover of US$670.3 million. Iliadstarted as an Internet service provider andtransformed itself into a full-fledgedInternet and telecommunicationscompany, incorporating advancedtechnologies through its own network.Though the Group’s goal was to competewith rivals like AOL and Wanadoo inInternet services, it offered toughcompetition to the state-owned monopoly,France Telecom and revolutionised theFrench telecom market.


• To understand the rapid expansion ofIliad Group in France

• To discuss the threats posed by itscompetitive strategies to the monopolyof France Telecom.

Industry Internet and On-line ServicesProviders

Reference No. COM0057Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

France Telecom; Telecommunicationsector of France; Free Internet services;Freebox; Broadband Internet services;

Local loop unbundling; Major Internetservice provider in France; Low-costtelephony solutions; French telecommarket; Fibre-optic network; VoIP (Voiceover Internet Protocol); Freeplayersoftware; Altitude Telecom; WiMAX(Worldwide Interoperability for MicrowaveAccess); DSLAM (Digital Subscriber LineAccess Multiplexer).

The Competitive Strategies ofRyanair

While most of the world’s traditionalairlines are finding it tough to survive,Ireland-based Ryanair is able to makeprofits consistently. The low cost modelof the airline is helping the company tooffer low fares and thereby attract largenumbers of travellers who would otherwisenot have travelled by air.


• To discuss how Ryanair is keeping costslow and getting ahead of the majorairlines in Europe

• To discuss the broad spectrum ofcompetition that runs through theairlines industry.

Industry AirlineReference No. COM0056Year of Pub. 2003Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Low-cost airlines; Ryanair; easyJet;Competition in Europe’s airline industry;Cost management; Consolidation; Ryanairvs easyJet; Michael O’Leary; Europe’s lowcost airlines; Discount airline; Cost-cuttingat Ryanair; Low frills airline; Ryanair’sadvertisements; Ryanair’s airport deals;Ryanair.com.

Tesco vs ASDA: UK’s RetailingBattle

The competitive scenario of the UK retailindustry changed with the entry of Wal-Mart through its purchase of ASDA in1999. ASDA intensified the competitionthrough its strategy of ‘every day lowprices’. It quickly established itself as thelow price retailer. However, focus onquality and customer service helped Tescoto become the leading retailer in the UK.To compete with ASDA in terms of lowprices, Tesco also started to greatly reducetheir prices. This counter strategy of Tescohelped it hold a major market share of theretail market, leading ahead of itscompetitors. On the other hand, ASDA inspite of providing low prices, saw its marketshare continuously decrease in the year2005.


• To understand the competition betweenthe two leading retailers, Tesco andASDA, along with the differences in thestrategies adopted by them

• To discuss the sustainability ofcompetition squarely based on price

• To discuss the desirability of counterstrategies under such circumstances.

Industry RetailingReference No. COM0055Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Tesco; ASDA; UK retail industry; Wal-Mart; Sainsbury’s; Competitive strategies;Cost-cutting strategies; Acquisitions;Retailing battle; Cost competitiveness;Objectives; Customer service; SMILESmarketing campaign.

Samsung vs Sony: FromBenchmarking to Outsmarting

In the mid-1990s, Samsung was known asa low-cost manufacturer of electronicproducts that imitated Sony’s models. Hithard by the Asian financial crisis in 1997,the company implemented a turn aroundunder the leadership of its chief executiveofficer, Jong Yong Yun. By 2005, Samsunghad transformed itself from being acopycat to a manufacturer of high quality,cutting edge electronic products. In theprocess, it also overtook Sony as the world’smost valuable consumer electronics brand.


• To understand the turnaround strategiesof Jong Yong Yun, the evolution of theSamsung brand and the diminishing powerof Sony

• To discuss Samsung’s ability to maintainits leadership in the global consumerelectronics industry even without a‘Walkman-like’ iconic product in itsstables.

Industry Memory Chips and ModulesReference No. COM0054Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Samsung Electronics; Sony; Paranoidcorporate culture; Jong Yong Yun; Reverseengineering turn around strategy;Benchmarking; Brand building; Masterbrand strategy; Brand value; Digitaltelevision technology; Memory chips;Liquid Crystal Display (LCD); Mobilephones; Asian financial crisis

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Samsung vs Sony: TheCompetitive Collaboration

In 2004, Sony, the iconic consumerelectronics giant, formed S-LCD, a jointventure with Samsung Electronics tomanufacture large-sized LCD (Liquid CrystalDisplay) panels for its television division.Prior to Sony, Samsung had also enteredinto strategic alliances with othercompetitors like Apple, Intel, Motorola,Dell, HP and Nokia. With huge investmentsin research and development, Samsung,whose portfolio does not include blockbusterbrands like Sony’s Trinitron and Apple’siPod, aims to displace its competitors (whoare also its customers and partners) fromtheir leadership position.


• To understand the strategy ofcompetitive collaboration

• To discuss how Samsung is using thisstrategy to gain a leadership position inthe global consumer electronics industry.

Industry Memory Chips and ModulesReference No. COM0053Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Samsung; Sony; Consumer electronics;Competitive collaboration; Collaborativecompetition; Strategy; Strategic alliance;Japan; South Korea; Samsung Electronics;Dell; Apple; Jong Yong Yun; Global brand;Nokia.

Samsung vs LG: Similar Goals,Dissimilar Strategies

By the end of the fiscal year 2004, Samsung,the largest South Korean conglomerate,reported a profit of US$10 billion, whileits global and domestic competitor LG (LGElectronics) could make US$1.5 billion.Since its inception, the leadership positionof Samsung in dynamic random accessmemory technology and its strategic entryinto the consumer electronics industrybrought it on a par with other global leaderslike Sony and Philips. The rise of thecompany as the 21st largest global brand in2004 was due to its cutting edge technology,innovative designs and savvy marketing.LG, which was late to enter the industry,intends to emerge as a strong internationalbrand in the footsteps of Samsung.However, LG is considered to be a laggardin the consumer electronics industry withits short product life-cycles and everchanging technologies.


• To discuss how LG, as a market follower,is making efforts to become one of the

leading players in the global consumerelectronics industry.

Industry ElectronicsReference No. COM0052Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Samsung; LG (LG Electronics); Globalbranding; Vertical integration; Culturalmarketing; CDMA (Code Division MultipleAccess) technology; GSM (Global Systemfor Mobile Communication); Consumerelectronics market; Chaebol; DRAM(Dynamic Random Access Memory);Digital technology.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc.: TheCompetitive Strategies

In mid-2005, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, theworld’s third-largest oil company, hasundergone a massive restructuring. Fornearly a century, Royal Dutch/Shell wasone of the most renowned companies ofthe world, for its long-term planning,technical capabilities and collegialmanagement style. Shell was once viewedas a textbook case of a multinationalbehemoth, with far-flung operations,Anglo-Dutch heritage and a twin boardstructure. Its old corporate slogan, ‘Youcan be sure of Shell’, seemed a merestatement of fact. But the waters changedfrom the mid-1990s. First, the companyhas faced agitations fromenvironmentalists and human rightsactivists. During the consolidation phase,its competitors seized the lead and grewbigger. In 2004, the company wasembroiled in an oil reserves reportingscandal. All these perils were analysed tobe the upshot of the once hailed twin boardstructure. As a result, in 2005 the companywas restructured and was rechristened asRoyal Dutch Shell Plc.


• To understand the nature and intensityof the recent troubles of the company

• To discuss how the company tried totide over such trying times and are thesustainability of those strategies.

Industry Oil and Gas Exploration andProduction


Keywords

Royal Dutch/Shell Group; Royal Dutch ShellPlc.; Shell transport and trading; RoyalDutch Petroleum; Exxon-Mobile; BritishPetroleum (BP); Oil and natural gas; Oil

and gas exploration and production;Corporate governance at Shell; Reservereporting scandal at Shell; Competitivestrategies of Shell; Restructuring at Shell.

Reforms at Bombay StockExchange, Asia’s Oldest StockExchange: The Competitive

StrategiesThe Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), whichis the largest stock exchange in Asia,witnessed a profound transformation in itsbusiness operations. From being a regionalstock exchange, it has emerged as one ofthe important institutions for transferringsavings into investments, in the country.Between 1990 and 2003, BSE witnessed aseries of stock market scams, whichinvolved more than 5,000 rupee crores ofinvestors’ money. BSE faced criticism fromindustry experts, analysts, policy makersand politicians for being non-transparent,unregulated and taking inadequate measuresfor investors’ protection. To overcomethese challenges, BSE launched a series ofmeasures in the late 1990s and with theadvent of reforms, BSE witnessed notabledevelopments in many areas such as: (1)trading; (2) operations; (3) management;and (4) addressing investors’ grievances.The Government of India also took stepsto corporatise the stock exchange, therebyseparating trading, ownership andmanagement. Finally, on the August 9th

2005, BSE created history by convertingitself into a corporate entity, therebyforming BSE Limited.


• To understand how BSE has emerged(from a regional stock exchange) toAsia’s largest stock exchange

• To understand the issue of failure ofcorporate governance at Asia’s biggeststock exchange

• To discuss the competitive strategiesadopted by BSE to overcome thechallenges and competition faced by aNational Stock Exchange and otherglobal stock exchanges.

Industry Stock MarketsReference No. COM0050Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE); NationalStock Exchange; Over The CounterExchange of India (OTCEI); Securities andExchange Board of India (SEBI);Government of India; Competition;Corporatisation; Financial markets; Stockbroking; Stock market scams; Financialsector reforms; Controller of Capital Issues





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(CCI); Margin trading; On-line trading;Economics, politics and businessenvironment; Strategy and generalmanagement.

Progressive Corp: The AutoInsurer’s Competitive Strategies

Progressive Corporation, the No.3 autoinsurer in the US has been in the race tocapture a substantial market share from itsrivals, State Farm and Allstate.Progressive’s tailor-made insuranceservices for its customers made it one ofthe leading auto insurers in the US.However, due to cutthroat pricecompetition from its rivals, Progressive’sgrowth faced some difficulties in early 2004.


• To discuss the competitive strategiesadopted by Progressive Corporation tosustain its position in the market

• To discuss how competitive the companycan be in the future.

Industry InsuranceReference No. COM0049Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Auto insurance market in the US;Progressive’s innovative services to itscustomers; History of ProgressiveCorporation; Top ten insurers in the US;Immediate response vehicle; Autograph;Working of Concierge Claims Service;Financials of Progressive Corporation;Market shares of Progressive and itscompetitors; Awards received byProgressive Corporation.

PlayStation vs Xbox: The Battlefor Supremacy

Growing at a pace of 11% CAGR(compound annual growth rate) and fastsurpassing the revenues of Hollywood, thevideo game industry has baffled the mediaand entertainment observers. Led by Sony’sPlayStation series of consoles, the industryhas weathered the slump of the late 1990sthat lowered everything from Internetstocks to computer sales. The boomingindustry caught the sights of Microsoft,which launched its Xbox console in thelate 2001. Analysts believed that the arrivalof Xbox would end the supremacy of Sony’sPlayStation.


• To discuss the strategies adopted by Sonyand Microsoft to capture market share

• To discuss both Sony’s and Microsoft’sefforts to popularise on-line gaming,which experts say would be the nextbattlefield.

Industry Video GamesReference No. COM0048Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Video game console industry; Cyclicalnature of industry; Game software business;Sony PlayStation; Microsoft Xbox;Nintendo’s GameCube; Electronic ArtsIncorporated; Game royalties; Consolesales; Backward compatibility; Price cuts;Microsoft’s XNA; ElectronicEntertainment Expo (E3); On-line gaming.

Oracle’s Bid for PeopleSoft:PeopleSoft’s Combat Strategies

PeopleSoft, Inc., the second-largestenterprise software provider in the world,had been thwarting the hostile takeoverattempt made by the Silicon Valley databasegiant, Oracle Corporation, since mid-2003.But Oracle has been relentlessly makingunsuccessful attempts to take overPeopleSoft. Though its previous takeoverattempts failed, on November 19th 2004,Oracle met with some success when amajority of PeopleSoft’s shareholdersexpressed their support to its offer. Despitethe shareholders’ support for the bid, Oraclestill has to wait for the approval from theDelaware’s Chancery Court for eliminationof the final barrier – the ‘Poison Pill’ andthe invalidation of the Customer AssuranceProgram, provisions inducted by PeopleSoftto prevent the takeover.


• To discuss Oracle’s hostile takeover bidefforts, and PeopleSoft’s combatstrategies to thwart the bid

• To discuss the potential advantages anddisadvantages to the two companies,their shareholders and customers, in theevent of Oracle’s success.

Industry Software Products andServices


Keywords

PeopleSoft Inc. (PeopleSoft); OracleCorporation (Oracle); Enterprise Softwareproducts and services; Enterprise ResourcePlanning (ERP) Software; Databasesoftware products and services; Hostiletakeover; Combat strategies; Poison pill;Customer Assurance.

NTT DoCoMo vs KDDI: The PriceWar

The biggest mobile player in Japan, NTTDoCoMo, was losing out in the race for3G (third generation) mobile services.The company reduced its earningsforecast for the fiscal year 2004, in thelight of a fierce price war besetting themobile services market of Japan.DoCoMo’s immediate rival in thedomestic market, KDDI, had initiated aprice competition in November 2003 byoffering lower priced 3G services, whichhad enabled KDDI to add more subscribersthan DoCoMo. To increase its subscriberbase, DoCoMo slashed its tariff and alsoinitiated its efforts to come out withinnovative technologies for which it hadbeen well-known in the Japanese telecomindustry.


• To discuss NTT DoCoMo’s strategiesto fight the price war and regain itsinnovative edge in the Japanese mobileservices industry.

Industry Wireless CommunicationServices


Keywords

NTT DoCoMo; KDDI; Price war; Mobileservices in Japan; CDMA2000 (CodeDivision Multiple Access); W-CDMA(Wideband-Code Division MultipleAccess); 3G services; Competitive scenarioin the Japanese cell phone market; i-mode;FOMA (freedom of mobile multimediaaccess); FeliCa; Smart chips; Telecomderegulation in Japan.

Netflix: The US DVD RentalCompany’s Competitive

StrategiesLos Gatos (California)-based Netflix Inc.,was the world’s first and largest on-lineDVD rental firm. The company, with itsinnovative business model, emerged as astrong player in the DVD rental industry.The convenience of ordering on-line andsavings from late fees of the traditionalvideo rental companies helped thecompany garner a huge customer base. Asthe on-line DVD rental model gainedpopularity, Netflix began to pose a threatto the established players like BlockbusterInc. and Hollywood EntertainmentCorporation. Gradually, traditional videorental companies like Blockbuster andretail giants like Wal-Mart andAmazon.com also entered the on-linerental bandwagon.

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• To discuss the innovative business modelof Netflix and how the business modelposed a threat to traditional video rentalstores

• To understand the initiatives taken byNetflix to retain its market share in thelight of the increasing competition frommuch bigger rivals like Blockbuster anda threat of substitution from video-on-demand services.

Industry Internet RetailReference No. COM0045Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Netflix’s business model; Competitionfrom Blockbuster Inc; On-line DVD rentalmarket; Business model innovation;Threat of substitution; Competition fromvideo-on-demand services.

Mozilla: Microsoft IE’s ChallengerIn 1998, when Microsoft was fastbecoming a near-monopoly in the browsermarket, Netscape created Mozilla.org andreleased the programming source code forits Communicator software to the opensource community. The Mozilla project’sobjective was to develop a good browserquickly. After 32 months and severalreleases, Mozilla, its Internet applicationsuite, and Firefox, its standalone browser,have become very popular with Internetusers. Mozilla’s browsers have becomefamous for being clutter- free andinnovative, and word-of-mouth marketing.


• To discuss whether the technicallysuperior, open-source communitybacked Mozilla can upstage IE (InternetExplorer) in the light of Microsoft IE’ssecurity loopholes

• To discuss the current hurdles and futureopportunities for Mozilla

• To discuss possible future scenarios inthe browser market.

Industry SoftwareReference No. COM0044Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Mozilla; Firefox; Microsoft InternetExplorer (IE); Netscape; Browser wars;Security problems in IE; MozillaFoundation; Bugzilla; Mozilla extensions;Longhorn project; Standalone browsers;Mitchell Baker.

Microsoft vs WindowsLegal proceedings were started againstMicrosoft in the early 1990s, looking intopossible anti-trust violations by theRedmond-based software giant. Thisculminated in Justice Jackson orderingMicrosoft to be broken into two, in 2000.An appeals court judgement overruledJustice Jackson’s verdict, but upheld theview that Microsoft had indeed used itsmonopoly position to further its owninterests and to kill competition. By theend of the 1990s, Microsoft’s legal woeshad taken on a transatlantic dimension,with the European Commission alsoinvestigating alleged monopolisticpractices by Microsoft. The EC verdict, inMarch 2004 asked Microsoft to break upWindows- Microsoft’s operating system-so as not to include software add-ons. Theverdict is still up for appeal.


• To discuss the possible spin-offs forMicrosoft’s future

• To discuss the backdrop of the legalverdicts based on build on facts from thepast to build up possible future businessscenarios.

Industry Computer SoftwareReference No. COM0043Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Microsoft versus Windows; Monopoly;Anti-trust violations; William H (Bill)Gates; Steven Ballmer; Justice ThomasPenfold Jackson; Mario Monti’s Microsoftverdict; European CompetitionCommission; Windows operating system;US Justice Department; Business ethics;Microsoft Internet Explorer versusNetscape Navigator; Microsoft WindowsMedia Player versus Real Media Player;Microsoft rulings; American softwareindustry.

Microsoft vs Google: The Clashof Unequals?

Microsoft is the largest software companyin the world with revenues of $39.8 billionin 2005. However, the company has beenfacing increasing competition from Google,the number one search engine in the world.Google has been diversifying its businessesinto software development, posing a directchallenge to Microsoft. The increasingthreat from Google has driven Microsoft toreorganise its business structure from sevenbusiness units to three units. Several analystssee this as a move to make the companymore agile and competitive to counter thethreat from Google.


• To understand the strategies beingadopted by both Microsoft and Google

• To discuss whether Google could becomea formidable competitor for Microsoftin the future.

Industry Information TechnologyReference No. COM0042Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Bill Gates; Microsoft Corporation; GoogleInc; Search engine; Software development;Business diversification; Businessreorganisation; Antitrust lawsuits;Monopoly; Open source code operatingsystem; Market for operating systems.

Microsoft in the Mobile PhoneIndustry: Strategies and

ChallengesSince the early 1990s, handsetmanufacturers started selling high-endmobile devices. As the market for thesehigh-end mobile devices is increasing everyyear, the software has become one of themost strategic parts in this context andgained prominence. This attracted theattention of Microsoft to gain a footholdin the growing market for mobile software.


• To discuss Michael E Porter ’s FiveForces Model with specific focus onintense competition and types ofcompetition namely, company specific,group specific and network-based

• To understand the challenges forMicrosoft to successfully enter themobile software market

• To discuss how Microsoft overcomes thehurdles to establish itself in the mobilebusiness

• To discuss the company’s strategy ofexpanding into mobile software businessand its intention to change the erstwhileapproach of staying vertically integratedinto horizontally integrated model.

Industry Mobile Handset IndustryReference No. COM0041Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Mobile handset industry; Microsoft;Microsoft’s entry strategies; Nokia;Symbian Group; Handset manufacturers;Competition; Competitive strategies;Mobile software; Vertical integration;Horizontal integration.





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Microsoft and the Threat of LinuxWhen open source software was gainingmomentum during the early 1990s, littledid the industry giants realise the menaceposed by the plethora of softwarecommunities that collaborated to produce‘free’ software. The emergence of theInternet further strengthened themovement, which ultimately yielded afinished product in the form of Linux.When giants like IBM and Dell started usingLinux for their servers, they seemed tohave an answer to Microsoft’s dominancein the operating systems market.


• To discuss whether Microsoft willeventually have to ‘open’ its code toretain its dominance in the market.

Industry Information TechnologyReference No. COM0040Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Microsoft; Linux; GNU (Gnu’s not Unix);Open source; Proprietary Software; RichardStallman; IBM and Linux; Shared sourceinitiative; Red Hat Linux.

Meg Whitman’s CompetitiveStrategies for eBay

eBay was founded in 1995 by a youngcomputer programmer, Pierre Omidyar, inSilicon Valley, USA. Unlike most other on-line companies, which started in the 1990s,eBay had been profitable right from thefirst month of its launch. However, thecompany witnessed its maximum growthunder its current chairman Meg Whitman,who joined in 1998. By 2003, Whitmanmade eBay the world’s largest on-lineauction company with 5,000 employeesserving 62 million registered users globally.


• To discuss how Meg Whitman, in justfive years, transformed eBay from anordinary auction site to an e-commercepowerhouse.

Industry Internet AuctionsReference No. COM0039Year of Pub. 2003Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

History of eBay; AuctionWeb; On-lineauctioning; Transactions on eBay; MegWhitman, CEO of eBay; Stock prices ofeBay; Growth of eBay under Meg Whitman;eBay’s customer service; Voice of theCustomer on eBay; eBay University; eBay

Live; eBay’s competitors; Meg Whitman’smanagement style; eBay’s fraud protectionprogramme; eBay’s global operations.

Low-cost Carriers in USA: PricingPressures for Major Airlines

The entry of low-cost carriers intocommercial aviation had a legacy of factors– both environmental and operational –that contributed to their business models.If the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978helped them scale their operations, their‘no-frills’ approach eased their entrystrategies. The success of their businessmodel can be inferred from the fact thatthey survived one of the worst downturns(the September 11 terrorist attacks) in thehistory of commercial aviation, while themajor airlines were desperately seeking forbankruptcy protection.


• To discuss how the low cost carriersexerted an enormous pricing pressure onthe major airlines with their low fare,point-to-point services

• To discuss the major airlines’ fight-back,which eventually extended theiroperations to the low-cost segment.

Industry Commercial AviationReference No. COM0038Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Low-cost carriers; The major airlines;Airport hubs; The 1978 AirlineDeregulation Act; Southwest Airlines;People Express Airlines; New routes andnew airlines; Operating revenues;Operating costs; The grip of bankruptcy;Major carriers adopting the low-costmodel; In-flight food services; JetBlue’ssavvy approach; Delta’s Song and United’sTed; Union concessions.

Logan: No-frills Luxury Car fromRenault

Logan, the new car launched on September24th 2005 by Italian auto major Renault, iscited as the cheapest luxury as well as value-for-money car. It is engineered and designedmainly to cater to Central and EasternEurope, Africa and West Asia, that cannotafford expensive Western Europe cars.Logan provides basic features withoutresorting to any added and expensivefeatures which are known to be used lessfrequently but escalate pricesdisproportionately. Logan was a surprisehit in the markets that it was meant forand also in those in which it was not.


• To discuss how Renault offered a luxurycar at lower price

• To discuss the factors that enabled thesuccess of Logan.


Keywords

Logan; Luxury car; No frills car; Renault;Nissan; Competition; Expansion; Dacia;Growth; Price; Market shares; Samsung;Europe.

L’Oreal’s Business StrategyEstablished in 1909, L’Oreal, the Frenchcosmetic company, had become the worldleader in the cosmetic market by 2003.The L’Oreal group marketed over 500brands, consisting of more than 2,000products. Its products included make-up,perfume, hair and skin care products, whichwere tailored according to the consumerneeds. The company believed in thestrategy of innovation and diversification.In 2003, though the L’Oreal group wasranked number one in the US cosmeticmarket, it faced tough competition fromEstee Lauder and Procter and Gamble(P&G). This made the group refocus itsbusiness strategy. It came up with productscatering to the beauty needs of differentethnic groups and genders.


• To discuss the various strategiesimplemented by the L’Oreal group to bethe market leader in the global cosmeticmarket and how the group is trying tosustain that position by refocusing itsstrategy.

Industry Cosmetics IndustryReference No. COM0036Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

L’Oreal; Laboratories Garnier; Researchand development; Innovation anddiversification; Lindsay Owen-Jones;Mass-market channels; Professionalproducts division; Black American cultureand learning; Soft-Sheen and Carson brand;Different ethnic groups; Business strategy;Estee Lauder; Procter and Gamble; Globalcosmetic market; Personal care products;Maybelline.

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Kinetic Group (India): Gearingup for the Future

Since the early 2000s, motorcycles werethe fastest moving segment of the Indiantwo-wheeler industry and in 2002-2003 itaccounted for about 76% of the overallmarket. In order to take advantage of thistrend many players, traditionally scooterand moped makers, had entered thismarket, dominated by Hero Honda, TVSMotors and Bajaj Auto (which togethercontrolled about 86% of the motorcyclesegment). One such player was KineticGroup, which had been a dominant playerin the gearless scooters and mopedssegment. Since 2001, Kinetic had launcheda number of motorcycles for customerswanting different value propositions: price;fuel efficiency; design; and after salesservice etc. However, at the end of 2003,it had less than 2% of the motorcyclemarket.


• To discuss how Kinetic plans to increaseits market share in motorcycles, inaddition to strengthening its portfolioof scooters and mopeds.


Keywords

Kinetic Group; India two-wheeler industry;Joint ventures and alliances; Research anddevelopment; Competitive growthstrategies; Brand building; Global expansionstrategy; Motorcycles; Marketpenetration; Market share; Organic andinorganic growth; Product design; Productsegmentation and positioning.

Jungle Jim’s International Marketvs Wal-Mart: Jungle Jim’sDifferentiation Strategies

Jungle Jim’s International Market, situatedin Fairfield, Ohio, about 20 miles north ofCincinnati, is a sprawling specialty foodmarket in a theme park-like atmosphere.With more than 285,000 square feet ofshopping area all under one roof, and foodfrom 72 countries, US National Associationfor the Specialty Foods Trade recognisesit as one of the best international foodstores in the US. Its exotic offerings likedried lotus blossoms, pigs’ heads, babyoctopus salad, canned blue corn fungus,ostrich eggs and many more, attract morethan 50,000 people every week. Jungle Jim’shas carved a niche for itself by the dualemphasis on shopping as entertainmentand specialty foods. Though the strategyhas insulated Jungle Jim’s from the pricewars, it is only to some extent and its sales

were threatened by the entry of Wal-Martstores, Kroger and other department storesinto its region.


• To discuss the differentiation strategiesadopted by Jungle Jim’s to combat theincreasing competition.

Industry RetailingReference No. COM0034Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Jungle Jim’s International Market; Wal-Mart stores; Kroger; Retailing;Differentiation strategies; Speciality food;Competition; Inventory management;Stock Keeping Units (SKU’s); Vendormanagement; Buying behaviour; Specialityconsumer; Differentiation strategies; Lowcost strategy; Core competencies.

Jong Yong Yun, SamsungElectronics’ CEO: Competingthrough Catastrophe Culture

Jong Yong Yun, Samsung Electronics’ chiefexecutive officer since December 1996,has restructured Samsung by defyingtraditional Korean corporate culture ofhierarchy and lifetime employment. Yuninstilled a sense of ‘perpetual crisis’ amonghis employees and encouraged them tocome up with innovative products thataccording to him, were necessary forSamsung’s survival. His emphasis was onquality products with unique designs andeffective brand promotions. In 2004,Samsung surpassed Sony to earn profits of$9.4 billion over revenues of $72 billion.Still, Yun felt that to compete in the globalmarket, Samsung’s products needed to betransformed into brands like that ofApple’s iPod or Sony’s Walkman.


• To understand the growth of SamsungElectronics

• To discuss how a change in leadershipand organisational culture helps toenhance a company’s competitiveness.

Industry Memory Chips and ModulesReference No. COM0033Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Kun-Hee Lee; Traditional culture atSamsung; Jong Yong Yun; SamsungElectronics’ brand value; Lee’s newmanagement initiative; SamsungElectronics’ design culture; Jong Yong Yun’s

restructuring strategy; Yun’s open-stylemanagement; Bureaucracy in Samsung;Yun’s business model for SamsungElectronics’ 3Ps; Samsung Electronics’brand image; Corporate culture; Samsung’sVIP centre.

Hyundai: Tomorrow’s Toyota?Hyundai Motor Co., associated with shabbyautomobiles that regularly became laughingstock in the late night television talk showsof the US, has stunned the auto world byoccupying the number two slot in the‘2004 Initial Quality Study’ of J.D. Powerand Associates. Hyundai trailed behindToyota, the long time industry leader inquality, by just one point. The newly earnedrespect for Hyundai has helped in increasingits sales, to earn a spot in the global bigleague. In 2004, Hyundai became numberseven in worldwide auto sales. This hasencouraged Hyundai to declare its ambitionof overtaking Toyota in quality parametersby 2008 and become the fifth-largest carmaker by 2010, banking on its quality.


• To discuss whether the new found qualityimprovement at Hyundai is for real andwhether the strategies that Hyundai isfollowing will help in overtakingToyota.


Keywords

Hyundai; JD Power Associates; InitialQuality Study; Quality improvements ofHyundai; Six Sigma campaign in Hyundai;Santa Fe; Hyundai’s quality problems inUS; Hyundai’s sales in US; Brandingproblems of Asian auto makers; Qualityproblems of non-Japanese automakers.

Honda’s Eighth-generation Civic:The Competitive Strategies

Since its introduction in 1972, the HondaCivic has remained a major attraction toyoung customers with its sporty look andlow-cost. Honda’s attempt to make thecar appealing to all ages cost the Civic itsdesign and compactness, which in turnprompted loyal customers to defect toHonda’s competitors. Alarmed by the rapiddecline in sales, Honda launched its neweighth-generation Civic in September2005.


• To understand the evolution of the Civicover the years






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• To discuss Honda’s competitive strategiesto fend off its competitors in the highlycompetitive US compact car segment.


Keywords

Honda Motor Company; Honda Civicgenerations; Civic in US; Competitivestrategies of Civic; Compact car market inUS; Eighth generation Civic; ToyotaMotors; Controlled Vortex CombustionChamber (CVCC) engines; US Clean AirAct; Saturn ION; Safety cars; Hybrid cars.

Google: Challenges AheadEstablished in 1998, Google is perceivedas one of the most successful Internet start-ups Silicon Valley had ever seen. In itsinitial years, Google virtually had nocompetition and hence became the ‘chosensearch engine’ among the Internet users.The success of Google prompted the likesof Yahoo! and Microsoft to launch theirown search engines, thereby intensifyingthe competition. Many more searchengines followed suit as they saw anopportunity to generate revenues throughthe search results. Whether Google canweather the competition and still remaindominant is a question that is of interestto many, especially in the wake of its plansfor an Initial Public Offering.


• To discuss how Google and the searchengine industry have evolved over theyears

• To discuss the revenue generation modeladopted by the search engines like thePay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising thatprovided better returns on advertisingexpenditure compared to other formsof on-line advertisements

• To discuss how PPC has attractedcompetition to the search engine space.

Industry Information TechnologyReference No. COM0030Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Google; Search engines; Overture; Yahoo!;Microsoft; Pay-Per-Click; (PPC); Howpay-per-click works; Google; Overture andPPC; Competition in search enginemarket; Traditional view; Distribution forsearch engines; Google’s Initial PublicOffering (IPO); Google’s acquisitions.

Gillette’s Challenges andStrategic Responses

Although Gillette, in its 102-year corporatehistory, had been a dominant player in therazor and blade market, competitionloomed in the form of Schick’s ‘Quattro’in late 2003. The Quattro, with its superiortechnology was a direct attack on the mostsuccessful razor line of Gillette – theMach3. Though Gillette, with its researchand development muscle, could quicklyimprovise Mach3, to a battery poweredM3Power, much was still to be seen as towhether Gillette’s move could help it toretain the coveted position in the razorand blade market.


• To understand the strategic attack ofSchick on Gillette and Gillette’s counterdefensive strategies.

Industry Cosmetic and Skin CareReference No. COM0029Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Gillette; Energizer Holdings Incorporated;Schick; M3Power; Quattro; Oral-B;Gillette Sensor; Duracell; Refillable razorbusiness; Gillette Mach3; Gillette SafetyRazor Company; Gillette altra shavingsystem; Shaving products; Revlon;Progressive blade geometry.

Electronic Arts vs Take-Two: TheCompetitive Strategies in the US

Videogame MarketIn 2004, Electronic Arts, United States’leading videogame software publisher andmanufacturer, started witnessing stiffcompetition from Take-Two Interactive,which ventured into the sports videogamemarket with a low-priced footballvideogame, ESPN NFL2K5, competingdirectly with Madden NFL, the high-pricedfootball game from Electronic Arts. Tofend off competition, Electronic Artsreduced prices of its products and also signedexclusive deals with some of the majorsports leagues in the US. In response, Take-Two also signed a semi-exclusive deal withMajor League Baseball (MLB) to producebaseball videogames as well as acquiring avideogame development studio.


• To provide a landscape of the videogameindustry in the US

• To discuss the competitive strategiesadopted by Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive to establish theirsupremacy in the industry.

Industry Entertainment and GamesSoftware


Keywords

Atari; Electronic Arts; Competitivestrategies; Sony; Strategic alliance;Microsoft; Market share of Sportsvideogames; Low cost strategy; Top sportslicenses in US; ESPN (Entertainment andSports Programming Network); Sega;Diversification strategies of Take-Two;FIFA Soccer; Video game industry’s valuechain.

EADS in America: TheCompetitive Strategies

EADS (European Aeronautic Defence andSpace company) North America Inc., theUS subsidiary of EADS the world’s secondlargest aerospace and defence company,operates through its 12 subsidiaries in 21states of the US. Since its formation in2003, EADS North America has openednew aircraft manufacturing plants, formedpartnerships with US defence companieslike Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, tofend off competition from Boeing andLockheed Martin, and has also acquiredcompanies like Racal Instruments, whichspecialises in testing aerospace and defenceequipment.


• To highlight the competitive strategiesof EADS

• To discuss the strategies of EADS toforay into the US defence market, thelargest in the world.

Industry Commercial AircraftManufacturing


Keywords

Global aerospace and defence industry;World’s biggest defence market; Strategicpartnerships in the defence industry;Acquisitions in the defence industry; Globalindustrial strategy; Greater EuropeanSolution; Transatlantic co-operation;European Union; Lobbying for militaryactivities; US Department of HomelandSecurity; Deepwater programme.

Dr. Reddy’s Tussles with PfizerDr. Reddy’s Laboratories are a leadingIndian pharmaceutical company and a well-established player in the global generics

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and bulk drug manufacturing business. Itwas the first Indian pharmaceuticalcompany that received approval from theUS Food and Drug Administration (FDA)to market a generic version of Eli Lilly’sdrug, Prozac, under a 180-day marketingexclusivity. However, in 2002, Pfizerchallenged Dr Reddy’s intentions to marketits yet-to-launch branded generic versionof Norvasc (for example AmVaz of DrReddy’s) in US courts.


• To discuss Dr Reddy’s defense againstPfizer’s challenges.

Industry PharmaceuticalReference No. COM0026Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited; PfizerInc; US Food and Drug Administration(FDA); Branded generics; Abbreviated NewDrug Application (ANDA); Patentchallenges; Indian pharmaceutical industry;United States Court of Appeals for theFederal Circuit; 505 (b) (2) applicationprocess, paragraph IV filing; Americanpharmaceutical industry; Exclusivemarketing rights; Generic drugmanufacturers; Business strategy; Norvasc;Amlodipine Besylate; Amlodipine Maleate;Off-patent drugs.

Disney Channel’s CompetitiveStrategies

Disney Channel was one of the earliestchannels for kids to appear on Americantelevision. The channel originally startedas a pay channel in 1983 and catered to acomparatively small segment of themarket. It was not until 1993 that thechannel started transforming itself into abasic cable network. However, thetransformation had its own challenges interms of programming and distributionstrategies. Besides, the channel was freefrom commercials and the only revenue itgenerated was from cable operators.


• To understand the Disney channel’stransformation under the stewardship ofits president, Anne Sweeney

• To discuss the channel’s uniquesegmentation strategy and the revenuesthe channel generated throughmerchandising its shows like ‘LizzieMcGuire’ and ‘That’s So Raven’

• To highlight how Disney Channelacquired a distinct status in the WaltDisney Group.

Industry Television Cable andBroadcasting


Keywords

Disney Channel; Walt Disney; Tween; Kidschannels; Basic cable; Programmingstrategy; Anne Sweeney; Lizzie McGuire;Raven; Hilary Duff; Commercial-free;Child stars; ABC Cable Networks; Cableoperators; Pay channel.

DHL in USA: The CompetitiveStrategies

By the end of 2004, DHL (Dalsey, Hillblomand Lynn) had a 40% market share in bothEurope and Asia and only 7% in the US, itssingle largest market for expressdistribution. It invested $1.2 billion in theUS to set up new sort centres and dropboxes and take on its rivals FedEx (FederalExpress Corporation) and UPS (UnitedParcel Service), which together held 78%of the US parcel market.


• To highlight DHL’s expansion plans inUS

• To discuss the competitive strategies ofDHL to fend off its rivals.

Industry Express Delivery ServicesReference No. COM0024Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

DHL (Dalsey Hillblom Lynn); US parcelmarket; FedEx (Federal ExpressCorporation); UPS (United Parcel Service);Express delivery; Logistics; Deutsche Post;Airborne Express; Danzas Group; Freight-forwarder; Strategic parts centres; Expresslogistics centres; Drop-boxes; Regional sortcentres; New DHL

DHL in India: The CompetitiveStrategies

Since its entry into India in 1979, DHL(Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) has studiedthe industry requirements in India and wasaware of the growth potential of thelogistics industry. Despite being the marketleader in the INR 800 crore Indian expressand logistic industry with a market shareof 65%, due to increased competition, DHLis trying to grow further to consolidate itsleading position in the industry byexploring new niche markets.


• To discuss the strategies adopted by DHLto increase its market share in India byrepositioning itself as a niche, industryspecific, solutions provider.

Industry Express Delivery ServicesReference No. COM0023Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Global logistics service providers; Logisticsservice providers in India; Internationalair express service providers; Deutsche PostAG; History of express industry in India;Courier industry in India; Competitivestrategies of DHL India (Dalsey, Hillblomand Lynn); Companies in the express andlogistics industry in India; DHLsinternational operations; Services providedby DHL in India apart from global services.

Dell vs GatewayDell Computers Limited, in its 20 years ofits existence, is considered as a pioneer indirect marketing. The company has alwaysfocused on improving its supply chain byreducing costs through direct selling. Dell’smission is focused on the concept of thedirect-to-market strategy. The company’sdirect model has become a globalbenchmark in supply chain management,and many other organisations worldwidehave incorporated it to improve theirsupply chains. Gateway Incorporated alsostarted its business as a direct seller ofcomputer systems. However, by the year2000, the focus of the company shiftedfrom ‘direct marketing’ to ‘research anddevelopment’.


• To discuss the growth strategies of Delland Gateway over time

• To discuss how Dell’s efficient andresponsive supply chain enabled it tolead the market without spending toomuch on research and development andhow weaknesses in Gateway’s supplychain made it lag behind, in spite oflaunching numerous new products invarious categories.

Industry Computer HardwareReference No. COM0022Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Dell Computers Limited; Michael Dell;Supply chain management; Directmarketing; Disintermediation; e-Commerce; Just-in-time; Quick shipprogramme; Tedd Waitt; Gateway





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Computers; Cow-spotted boxes; Beyondthe box; Gateway Country Stores; Researchand development; Rolls Royce of laptops.

Daiei vs Aeon: ContrastingRetailing Strategies of the

Japanese RetailersDaiei, which had been the largest retailerin Japan since 1972, lost its number oneposition to Ito-Yokado in 1999 and hadaccumulated debts to the tune of ¥2.4trillion by 2000 due to the collapse of thebubble economy. Since then, it has beenimplementing various restructuringstrategies and has been bailed out twice,receiving ¥640 billion of assistance fromthe banks. It still carried a debt of over 1trillion yen in 2004 with UFJ (a Japanesebank) being the major creditor providing¥400 billion. On the other hand, Aeon hademerged as the largest retailer in Japan withtotal revenues of ¥3.5 trillion in February2004. It had become the leading contenderfor sponsorship in Daiei’s rehabilitationprogramme undertaken by the IndustrialRevitalisation Corporation of Japan andaims to become one of the world’s top 10retailers by 2010.


• To discuss the contrasting growthstrategies of Daiei and Aeon, with Aeongaining a strong foothold in the highlycompetitive Japanese retail market thatwas once dominated by Daiei.


Keywords

Retailing strategies; Daiei; Aeon; Japaneseretailing industry; Bubble economy;Speciality store operations; Supply chainmanagement; General merchandising;Distribution efficiency; Pricecompetitiveness; Product differentiation;Japan’s Wal-Mart; Industrial RevitalisationCorporation of Japan; Rehabilitationprogramme; Worldwide Retail Exchange(WWRE).

Competition in China’s LuxuryCar Market

With the arrival of new generationChinese, who are more enterprising andambitious, the pattern of expenditure onluxury goods has changed. By early 2004,the country emerged as the world’s fastest-growing and third-largest car market afterthe US and Japan. Even the governmentpolicy of fixed permit fee on all importedcars has encouraged the growth of luxury

car market in China. By 2004, majorcarmakers like Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford,GM, and Mercedes-Benz were operating inChina. Even Italy’s Ferrari and Maseratiexpanded their operations. What once wasan unexplored market soon becamecompetition-frenzy and model-conscious.Added to this, in 2004, the Chinesegovernment increased the import quota ofcars and decreased the permit fee onimported cars. This came as a shot-in-the-arm to many more carmakers who wereplanning to foray into China.


• To trace the various factors thatcontributed to the increase incompetition in the China’s luxury carmarket

• To discuss how the luxury carmakers arevying to attract the new generationChinese.


Keywords

China’s luxury car market; Competitionin China’s luxury car market; China’sbooming car market; Luxury cars in China;China’s economic landscape; China’s richclass; GM (General Motors); BMW;Toyota; Ford; GM and DaimlerChrysler;Nissan; Ferrari; Rolls Royce; Maybach;Bentley Motors.

Coke’s Changing Fortunes: TheNeed for Change

The Coca-Cola Company, the world’sleading soft drink company, is engaged inchanging its leadership, strategies, andmolding its culture. After a slew ofcontroversies due to strained relations withits bottlers, contamination scares and legalbattles since the 1990s, the company’sperformance took a severe beating. Coca-Cola is now trying to change its structural‘hardware’ as well as its behavioural‘software’ to regain its past glory.


• To discuss the company’s efforts to learnfrom its mistakes and cope with thechanging contexts

• To discuss the contemporarymanagement models like ‘learningorganisation’, ‘individualisedcorporation’ and ‘change masters’, inthe 21st century global economy.

Industry Carbonated BeveragesReference No. COM0019


Keywords

Coca-Cola; Coke; Beverage; Change;Bottlers; Restructuring; Reorganisation;CEO succession; Mergers and acquisitions;Contamination scares; Lawsuits;Accounting; Corporate social initiatives;eKO management; Racial discrimination.

Coca-Cola: The Battle on Non-carbonated Front

In the light of the increase in public’s healthconsciousness in the 1990s, coupled withthe mounting concerns regarding theharmful effects of carbonated soft drinks,non-carbonated beverages and bottledwater markets grew in leaps and bounds.Coca-Cola was a mute witness to thestagnating growth of its carbonatedbeverages market while its non-carbonatedsegment started contributing significantlyto its growth.


• To discuss the strategies adopted byCoca-Cola to move into the non-carbonated arena after decades offocusing exclusively on carbonateddrinks.

Industry Carbonated BeveragesReference No. COM0018Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Global beverage market; Carbonatedbeverages market; Growth of non-carbonated beverages market; Diet drinks;Coca-Cola’s strategies for non-carbonatedbrands; Bottled water market; Pepsi’s non-carbonated brands; Dasani; Coca-Cola’s‘project mother’; Coca-Cola’spromotional efforts of non-carbonatedbrands; Coca-Cola’s challenges in the non-carbonated market; Top non-alcoholicbeverage makers in the world; Coca-Cola’sfuture plan for growth.

Coach Inc.: Lew Frankfort’sCompetitive Strategies

Since 2000, Coach Inc., which has beensynonymous in the US with heavy, toughunlined leather bags, has been posting anaverage 12% growth rate in net income.In 2003, Coach was the largest maker andretailer of leather accessories in the USand was creating waves in the globalmarket for luxury leather goods andaccessories. The man behind the rapid

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growth of Coach has been its CEO, LewFrankfort, who put the company back ontrack after its sales started plummeting inthe mid-1990s.


• To discuss the competitive strategies ofLew Frankfort to transform Coach froma staid maker of leather handbags into afashion brand selling the latest designedmultistyled bags, clothes, shoes, jewelleryand leather accessories.

Industry AccessoriesReference No. COM0017Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Coach Inc.; Lew Frankfort; Louis Vuitton;Gucci; Leather accessories; TommyHilfiger; Hamptons flap satchel; Brandbuilding strategies; Competitive strategiesof Coach Incorporated; Brand imagetransformation; Sara Lee; Women’sfashion accessories; Prada; Fashionretailing; Luxury brands in leatheraccessories.

Cisco vs Juniper: Router WarsIn May 2004, Cisco Networks (Cisco)launched its much awaited top-of-the-line,high-end router code-named ‘Huge FastRouter’ (HFR). Cisco dominated theInternet router business as the primarysupplier of routing technology to InternetService Providers (ISPs) and largecompanies. HFR was launched at a timewhen Cisco was facing intense competitionfrom a much smaller company namedJuniper Networks (Juniper). Though Ciscoremained a dominant force in the overallnetworking market, it was losing groundto Juniper in the most expensive, high-end router segment – core routers.


• To discuss how Juniper became a majorcompetitor to Cisco

• To discuss how Cisco planned to regainthe lost market share.

Industry Networking IndustryReference No. COM0016Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Cisco and Juniper; Core and edge routers;John Chambers; Carrier routing system -1; Huge fast router; Routing architecture;Networking industry; Junos.

Christie’s: The 240 Year-oldAuction House’s Competitive

StrategiesChristie’s, along with Sotheby’s, hasdominated the auction industry since itsinception. However, the emergence andincreasing popularity of on-line auctionsis posing a serious challenge to thetraditional auction firms. To counter thecompetition from on-line auctioneers, aswell as regain the top slot in the auctionindustry from Sotheby’s, Christie’s hasadopted several strategies.


• To highlight the evolution of Christie’sas an iconic auction house

• To discuss the competitive strategies ofChristie’s to fend off increasingcompetition from the on-lineauctioneers and regain the top slot fromSotheby’s in the auction industry.

Industry AuctionReference No. COM0015Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Christie’s; Auction industry; Sotheby’s;Competitive strategies; Art marketrecession; Differentiation strategies; On-line auctioneers; eBay; Price fixing; EdDolman.

Charles Schwab’s CompetitiveStrategies

The deregulation of the US fixed ratebrokerage system in 1975 saw the birth ofCharles Schwab, one of the world’s largestdiscount-brokerage houses. It wasconsidered a pioneer in implementing thelatest technologies in the field of financialservices. Charles Schwab was set up on thefundamental principle of offering a highquality service at an affordable price, whichrevolutionised the brokerage business.Leveraging on its innovative services, itbecame the number one on-line brokeragehouse. In its journey, the company had toadopt some key strategies, which re-definedits basic values.


• To discuss the soundness of thecompetitive strategies adopted byCharles Schwab

• To understand the innovative servicesthat enabled Charles Schwab to becomethe leading on-line brokerage firm.

Industry Banking and FinancialServices

Reference No. COM0014

Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Charles Schwab competitive strategy;Investment banking; Discount broker;Commissions on brokerage; Brokeragetrade; No-fee mutual fund supermarket;Schwablink; e-Commerce; E*Trade;Ameritrade; David Pottruck; On-linebroking service; Schwab equity rating;Securities and Exchange Commission;Internet Brokerage Company; E.Schwab.

Carrefour: CompetitiveStrategies During Challenging

TimesFrance-based Carrefour is by far the largestretailer in Europe. With its hypermarketchain established in 30 countries, Carrefouris the world’s second-largest retailer afterWal-Mart. However, economic recessionin its home-market of Europe has causedCarrefour’s sales to decline, while themarket share of its rival discount chainscontinues to grow.


• To focus on the competitive strategiesemployed by Carrefour in trying to retainand enhance its market share

• To discuss the competence of Carrefourto wade through challenging times.


Keywords

Carrefour; French retail market; Europe’slargest retailer; Wal-Mart; Hypermarket;French government regulations; GallandLaw; Discount chains; European retailrankings; Carrefour Japan; Pricing strategy;Produits Carrefour Internationaux; Ed;hard discounter chain; Competitivestrategies; Turnaround.

Boston Scientific vs Johnson &Johnson: Battle for the Stent

MarketFirst-mover advantage in a virgin marketis crucial for a pharmaceutical company asit invests billions of dollars on research.Introducing a new product first would resultin a quicker financial break-even and evenprofit for the company. Stent, a medicaldevice that obviated open-heart surgeries,turned out to be one of the hottest productsfor the pharma and medical devicecompanies in the US. Though Johnson &






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Johnson pioneered the stent market anddominated it, the company lost its lead toother players such as Guidant, Medtronicand Boston Scientific. Just when theindustry was on the point of oblivion,Johnson & Johnson came back with‘cypher’ in 2003 – a drug-coated stent. Itinstantly became a leader, surpassingBoston Scientific and other players. Inrecord time, Boston Scientific respondedwith its own drug-coated stent, ‘taxus’ inMarch 2004 and displaced Johnson &Johnson from its leading position.


• To discuss the market forces that operatein the stent market

• To discuss the battle for dominancebetween Boston Scientific and Johnson& Johnson and the factors that shapethe competitive positions of theincumbent companies

• To discuss the critical factors that helpcompanies to wade through a volatileindustry

• To discuss the importance of first-moveradvantage in the pharmaceuticalindustry.

Industry Video Rental and SalesReference No. COM0012Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Coronary stent; Boston Scientific; Johnson& Johnson; Palmaz-Schatz stent; Drugcoated stents; Bare metal stents; The NIRstent; The cypher launch; The taxuslaunch; Medinol’s Kobi Richter; Guidant;Medtronic; Role of Federal DrugAdministration (FDA); Clandestinefacility; Patent infringements and lawsuits.

Blu-ray vs HD-DVD: The FormatWar Between Sony and Toshiba

The ‘War of Standards’, considered, as thebattle for dominance between two non-compatible technologies is not new to theAmerican entertainment industry. Themost prominent one happened in the1970s, when Sony Corporation’s Betamaxvideotape format competed with VHS(Video Home System), which was promotedby Victor Company of Japan Limited(JVC). In 2005, a new format war betweentwo non-compatible types of high-definition videodisc, hit the consumerelectronics industry. This time, thecompeting companies are again theconsumer electronic giants from Japan –Sony and Toshiba, who want their ownstandards to be the default standards forthe high definition DVD. The high

definition variants of the standardsdefinition DVDs – Blu-ray and HD-DVDfrom Sony and Toshiba respectively, claimhigh-end performance and a major up-gradefrom the standard definition DVD.


• To understand the origins of the presentstandards war in the videodisc market,the comparison of the formats, and thestrategic positioning of the twocompanies – Sony and Toshiba

• To discuss whether cost competitivenessand ease of up-gradation of Toshiba’stechnology can overpower thetechnological edge of Sony

• To analyse the influence of the hardwaremanufacturers and the Hollywoodstudios, on the possible outcome of thestandards war.

Industry Consumer ElectronicsReference No. COM0011Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

The standards war; High Definition-DVD(HD-DVD); Sony’s Blu-ray disc; Toshiba’sHD-DVD; World standard for the highdefinition DVD; Lack of inter-compatibility; Battle for dominance;Entertainment industry; Hollywoodstudios’ stake; India health; National healthpolicy; Technological superiority; Low-cost advantage.

Blockbuster Corp. in a MatureVideo-Store Industry: Options

and StrategiesBlockbuster was one of the strongestentertainment brands in the US and aleading global provider of in-house videos,DVDs and video games on rent, with morethan 9,000 stores across North and SouthAmerica, Europe, Asia and Australia. Overthe past few years, new technology such asVideo On Demand (VOD) and theavailability of movies for purchase at lowprices on-line and at discount stores suchas Wal-Mart and Best Buy had sapped someof the demand for rentals. Blockbuster sawits business model coming under heavypressure and found its business labelled asan industry in decline by experts.


• To enable the reader understand the DVDrental market in the US

• To discuss the options and strategies forBlockbuster, as it still puts its future atstake on traditional DVD rentals in-stores and on-line, while rivals like

Netflix has embraced the VODtechnology to counter to fend offdeclining sales.

Industry Video Rental and SalesReference No. COM0010Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Blockbuster Corp.; Product life cycle;Industry life cycle; Video store industry;Video rentals and video on demand; Matureindustry; Business model; Strong consumer-focus; Declining industry; Consumer andbuyer behaviour; Innovative alternativetechnological threat; On-line stores forvideo sales and rentals; Life cycleextension; Viacom split-off; Growthoptions and strategies.

Best Buy and Circuit City’sRevenue Models: Threat from

Wal-Mart?Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Circuit City arethe top three consumer electronics retailersin the US. Over the years, Best Buy andCircuit City have built a reputation forselling quality goods along with high valuecustomer assistance at the point of sale.However, due to commoditisation, profitsat the retailers are fed not by the lowmargins on electronics goods but bycommissions earned on warranties soldalong with the goods. Wal-Mart, althougha leading electronics retailer, only startedselling warranties in October 2005.


• To highlight the importance of warrantyrevenues to the bottom lines of BestBuy and Circuit City

• To discuss the threat posed by Wal-Martto the revenue models of Best Buy andCircuit City.

Industry Consumer Electronics andAppliances Retail


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Best Buy; Circuit City; Wal-Mart; Revenuemodel; Consumer electronics retailer;Sound of Music; Extended warranties;Warranty sales commission; Securities andExchange Commission (SEC); Warrantyweek; Upscale image; Product care plan;Down-market image; Concept I store.

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BBC vs Emap: The CommercialRadio Battle

Traditionally the BBC has dominated theradio-broadcasting sector in the UK. Thepublicly funded BBC dwarfed commercialradio stations, which intended to challengethe BBC in the wake of the success of thedigital radio broadcasting. The BBC hasalso invested heavily in digital radio. Theadvent of digital radio has fragmented theradio audience, adversely affecting theadvertisement revenue of the commercialradio stations. Analysts opine that onlythose media groups, which have cross-selling ability and adequate scale tonegotiate good deals with the advertisers,would survive these challenging times orwill be lost in the consolidation wave thatis sweeping the British radio-broadcastingsector. In this aspect, East Midlands AlliedPress (Emap) plc., a leading radio andmagazine group, has an edge over itscompetitors. It is believed that Emap wouldchallenge the BBC in digital radiobroadcasting.


• To study the trends in the UK radiosector

• To discuss the strengths of Emap tochallenge the mighty BBC.

Industry Radio Broadcasting andProgramming


Keywords

Radio broadcasting in Britain; Profile ofBBC (British Broadcasting Corporation);East Midlands Allied Press (Emap) plc.;Digital radio broadcasting in Britain;Changing landscape of radio in Britain;Competitive scenario in British radio;Private radio companies in Britain;Competition for BBC in the domesticmarket.

Barbie vs Bratz: Competition inthe Tween Girl Market

Barbie, introduced by toymaker Mattel in1959, has been the most popular fashiondoll ever created. Barbie fascinatedgenerations of little girls and Mattel hassold over a billion Barbies since itsinception. However, its undisputedleadership in the fashion doll market hasbeen facing a challenge since January 2002from Bratz, a rival fashion doll from MGAEntertainment. MGA Entertainmentsuccessfully marketed its Bratz to the tweengirls, a marketing niche that Mattel hasbeen struggling for years to target. The

continued success of Bratz has been sendingshockwaves through Mattel.


• To discuss the challenge for Barbie fromBratz, in the tween segment

• To discuss if Barbie can ward off theBratz challenge and remain relevant tothe tween girl market.

Industry Toys and GamesReference No. COM0007Year of Pub. 2003Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Barbie; Bratz; Tween; Mattel; US toyindustry; Fashion dolls; MGAEntertainment; NPD Group; Best-sellingtoys; Barbie Rapunzel; Robert A Eckert;Isaac Larian; Age compression; My SceneBarbie; Flavas.

AvtoVAZ, the Russian Car Maker:Facing Up the Foreign

CompetitionAvtoVAZ is the largest passenger carmakerin Russia having one of the biggestproduction lines (144 km) in the world.Till the end of the 20th century, AvtoVAZdominated the Russian market with 90%market share. By the turn of the 21st

century, Russia’s car market began boomingdue to a healthy economy and high exportrevenues, triggering off high purchasingpower and the demand for new lifestyles.Due to huge demand for cars, many foreigncarmakers started foraying into Russia, andwith customer preference shifting toforeign cars AvtoVAZ started losing marketshare.


• To highlight the growth of AvtoVAZ inthe protected centrally planned Russianeconomy

• To discuss the competitive strategies ofthe company to fend off foreigncompetitors in its domestic market andto regain it’s lost market share.

Industry Auto ManufacturingReference No. COM0006Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

AvtoVAZ, the Russian car maker;Expansion strategies; Growth strategies;Competition; Lada car models; Russian carindustry; CITIC Prudential; GeneralMotors; Ford; Cost reduction; Acquisitionsand partnerships; Import tariffs; Market

share; New product development;Challenges for AvtoVAZ.

Apple’s ‘Low-end’ Strategy: ThePayoffs

In early 2005, for the first time in itshistory, Apple Inc. entered the low-endmarket by introducing its cheapest digitalmusic player, iPod Shuffle at $99 and a‘headless’ Mac Mini at $499. However,analysts observe that with these newproducts Apple is likely to run the risk ofcannibalisation and might also face severecompetition from established players likeDell, HP (Hewlett-Packard) and Sony inthe low-end market.


• To describe Apple’s product strategy

• To discuss the payoffs of Apple’s entryinto the low-end market.

Industry Personal ComputersReference No. COM0005Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Apple’s low-end strategy; Apple’s productstrategy; Apple product matrix; Apple’siPod Shuffle; Mac Mini; Mac’s marketshare; Apple’s Internet strategy; Apple’sdigital hub strategy; Sales of iPod Shuffle;Mac Mini’s major competitors; Apple’ssweet spot; MP3 market; Apple’schallenges in the low-end market; GlobalPC (Personal Computer) market

Aldi: The German Wal-Mart?Selling what customers want is differentfrom selling what retailers want theircustomers to buy. Keeping the offeringsimple and satisfying the customers’ basicnecessities has gone a long way in Aldi’ssuccess. The hard discounter with a powerfulbusiness model is threatening to changethe global retailing landscape.


• To discuss the business model of Aldifrom the perspective of the 4Ps(Product, Place, Price and Promotion).

Industry Grocery RetailReference No. COM0004Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Grocery retailers; Hard discounting;Characteristics of a hard discounter;






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McCarthy’s 4P (Product, Place, Price andPromotion) model; Zone model ofdifferentiation; Private labels of discountstores; Radio frequency identification(RFID) chips; Aldi’s strategies to keep itsprices low; Aldi Sud; Aldi Nord; Kelloggs;Discount retailers.

Albertsons’ CompetitiveStrategies

Albertsons, the second-largest supermarketchain and the fifth-largest drugstore in theUS, is among those that pioneered the ‘dualbranding concept’ by transforming its foodstores to ‘food and drug’ combinationstores. Stiff competition from domesticand foreign players and lower profitmargins, prompted the company to focuson its dual branding concept, apart fromadopting other strategic measures.


• To discuss the methods adopted byAlbertsons to differentiate itself fromits competitors

• To discuss Albertsons’ business strategies.

Industry Grocery RetailReference No. COM0003Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Albertsons; Jewel-Osco; Dual branding;Sav-on; Super Saver; Neighbourhoodmarketing; Unicru; Shaw and Star; Six sigmaquality programme; Supermarket chain;American Stores Company; Personalshopper system; Shop ‘n’ scan; Preferredsavings card; Food and drug store.

Airbus and Boeing: DivergentGrowth Plans

Since its inception, Boeing enjoyed a virtualmonopoly in the commercial aircraftindustry. But the advent of the Europeanaerospace firm, ‘Airbus Industrie’, in 1970,posed a major threat to Boeing’sdominance in the commercial aircraftmarket. Over the years, Airbus graduallymade its ground riding on governmentfunding and innovative technologies. Forthe first time in 2003, Airbus became theworld’s largest manufacturer of commercialaircrafts by surpassing Boeing in marketshare. Competition among the two reacheda new dimension when Airbus announcedthe A380 Superjumbo. Airbus touted theA380 as the future of commercial aviation,as it saw a huge demand for larger aircrafts.In contrast, Boeing asserted that smallerand faster aircrafts would rule the marketand announced its plans to build the 7E7Dreamliner.


• To discuss the dynamics of thecommercial aircraft industry

• To understand the market factors thathave driven Boeing and Airbus to adoptdifferent approaches

• To understand the resulting shift in themanufacturing practices at both thecompanies.

Industry Aerospace IndustryReference No. COM0002Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Boeing; Airbus; A380 SuperJumbo; 7E7Dreamliner; Two philosophies; McDonnellDouglas; European Aeronautic Defense andSpace Company; SARS (Severe acuterespiratory syndrome); Unfair tradepractices; Government subsidies; Rise ofAirbus; Risk sharing partners; Financingthe A380.

Adidas vs PUMA: Marketing Warfor Football World Cup 2006

The Football World Cup has become amega event watched by viewers from acrossthe globe. As a result, the event offersexcellent marketing opportunities forglobal sportswear manufacturers. The twoGerman sportswear manufacturers, Adidasand PUMA, have been fine tuning theirmarketing strategies for Football WorldCup 2006 and are confident that the megaevent will bring them opportunities tofulfill their strategic objectives. However,critics are sceptical about the companies’success of their endeavour.


• To enable understanding the profile ofAdidas and PUMA, the competitivelandscape in the sportswear industry andthe marketing strategies that the twocompanies have adopted for FootballWorld Cup 2006

• To discuss whether the two companieswould be able to achieve their objectives.

Industry SportswearReference No. COM0001Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Adidas; PUMA; Football World Cup 2006;Sportswear; Salomon; Adidas-Salomon;three division structure; Marketing war;Competitive landscape; Nike; Reebok;Herbert Hainer; Jochen Zeitz;Endorsements.

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Nintendo’s Innovation Strategies:A Sustainable Competitive

Advantage?The history of the video game industrybelongs to Nintendo, a Japan-basedhardware and software manufacturer.Through a series of hit products thatestablished many memorable characterslike Mario and Donkey Kong, Nintendogarnered almost 90% market share.However, when Sony entered the industryin the 1990s, Nintendo’s position startedto dwindle. Nintendo’s market shareplunged drastically as the preferences ofgamers shifted from simple fun games totechnically superior gamers offered bySony and Microsoft, which entered themarket in 2001. Why did Nintendo, which,at one point of time was almostsynonymous with video games, fail toprotect its territory? Moreover, all thedefence strategies of the Japanese playercontinuously flopped in front of thetechnological prowess of its competitors.When the company was almost falling likea house of cards, it launched Wii, a consolewith an unconventional design. Though Wiiwas not directly competing with Sony’sPlayStation or Microsoft's Xbox, itmanaged to steal substantial market shareand fans of both the players. What was sounique about Wii? How did it impact theindustry? Can Nintendo sit back and relaxwhile its competitors are strategising towin back their customers? Besides all this,the case delves into the sustainability ofNintendo’s new found competitiveadvantage, considering the fact that thelife span of a console is short.


• To understand the nature of the videogame industry

• To analyse the sources of competitiveadvantage in this industry

• To understand Nintendo’s strategybehind launching Wii

• To analyse the sustainability ofNintendo’s strategy.

Industry Video GamesReference No. CCA0041Year of Pub. 2009Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Available

Keywords

Nintendo, Video games industry,Innovation, Competition, Sony, Microsoft,Value Chain, Business model, Consumerbehaviour, Industry Dynamics,PlayStation, Competitive Strategy,Technology, Critical success factors




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China’s Manufacturing Edge: Is itLosing?

This case, set in 2008 end, attempts toexplore a debate on whether China is losingits competitive edge as a preferredmanufacturing destination. Since China’stransition from a planned economy underthe leadership of Deng Xiaoping into amarket economy in 1978, there was a rapidgrowth in the Chinese economy. Leveragingon its strength of 1.3 billion people,including 100 million cheap labours, Chinapromoted labour-intensive massmanufacturing. Coupled with the open doorpolicy, China’s strategy of becoming theworld’s factory floor was quiet successful.Within 20 years, China became theseventh-largest economy in terms of GDP,the most favoured nation for FDI andemerged as the world’s superpower inmanufacturing. With competitiveadvantages in labour, raw material and supplychain, China was ranked 40th in GlobalCompetitiveness Index, an index that rankscountries based on their competitiveness.However, how sustainable is China'scompetitiveness? By 2003, China wasfinding it hard to retain MNCs. Rising labourcosts, spiralling raw material prices andappreciating Yuan, is forcing manycompanies to shut down their branches inChina and move out for better alternatives.Can China remain globally competitivewhile other low-cost countries like Indiaand Vietnam are offering bettermanufacturing advantages to MNCs? Someof the companies, however, still prefer Chinaas the destination of choice owing to factorslike large consumer market, supply chainadvantages and relatively low raw materialprices. Moreover, to avoid the challenge ofrising cost, companies are changing theirstrategies, investing on higher technologyand training employees. Even China isshifting from mass manufacturing labour-intensive industries to high-tech industries.The case explores the opportunities andchallenges that China would face as itscompetitive equation is shifting.


• To understand the factors that make acountry economically competitiveglobally

• To understand the factors that madeChina competitive

• To analyse the economic benefit andsocial cost to china’s economicdevelopment and the sustainability ofChina’s competitive advantage

• To analyse whether China is losing itscompetitive edge and measures thatChina should take to regain/retain itscompetitive edge.

Industry ManufacturingReference No. CCA0040Year of Pub. 2009

Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Available

Keywords

China, MNCs, Yuan, GCI, CompetitiveAdvantage, Comparative Advantage, DengXiapong, China's Competitiveness, GDP,PPP, Manufacturing Sector

eBay in China: Strategies andChallenges

eBay a world leader in the online auctionindustry entered China in 2002. It facedsevere competition in the Chinese marketfrom a local player- Taobao.com operatedby Alibaba.com, China’s largest B2Boperator. eBay also faced restrictions inthe operation of its payment service, PayPal. The Chinese Government imposedregulations requiring domestic control overfinancial services companies like Pay Pal.After nearly five years of operation inChina, eBay was left with only 29% marketshare as against Taobao’s 67%. eBay triedto adopt its US model in its Chineseoperations, although with some alterationsto suit local needs.

In December 2006, eBay announced a jointventure with TOM Online, China’s popularwireless operator and looked forward to arevival in its Chinese operations. The casefacilitates discussion on whether eBaywould be able to establish itself in theChinese market. The case can be used toteach courses on Strategy and tospecifically discuss challenges faced byglobal players in China.


• To analyse the business model of eBay

• To analyse the dynamics of onlineauction industry in china

• To understand the factors behind eBay'sfailure in capturing substantial marketshare in china

• To analyse whether eBay would be ableto establish itself in the chinese marketafter its joint venture with TOM online.

Industry E CommerceReference No. CCA0039CYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

eBay; Business Strategies; Online AuctionIndustry; Chinese Internet Market; ECommerce Market; Re entry Strategies;Strategy Management; eBayEachNet;PayPal; eBay's Stragegy; Core Competency& Competitive Advantage Case Study;TOM Online; Alibaba; Meg Whitman;Taobao

Nokia vs. Motorola (A): Fight forMarket Share – Flight of Margins?In a short span of time the mobile handsetindustry has seen phenomenal growth anda paradigm shift. The success parametershave changed and the incumbent handsetmakers have to adjust to still be in thereckoning. The growth rate is howeverforecast to slow down and there is fiercebattle among the players to gain a biggermarket share, even if that means sacrificingprofit margins.

Nokia, the market leader has seen its marketshare fall due to lack of foresight. Throughproduct innovation, Motorola wants toreclaim the top position it lost to Nokia.Asian handset makers too want and arebecoming stronger. Quickest adjustment tomarket needs is all that matters.Meticulously surveying the industry, thiscase discusses the much-needed strategies.


• To understand the trends and the criticalsuccess factors in the global mobilehandset industry, and how did this changetheir strategies

• To understand the concept of value chain

• To do the scenario analysis for themobile handset industry

• To analyse the standing of Nokia vis-à-vis Motorola.

Industry TelecommunicationReference No. CCA0038Year of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Available

Keywords

Trends in the Global Mobile HandsetIndustry; Critical Success Factors in MobileHandset Industry; Basis for IndustrySegmentation; Value Chain Analysis; TotalProduct Concept; Core Competency &Competitive Advantage Case Study; VRIOframework; Relevance of concept ofmarket share; market share vs.profitability; Nokia vs. Motorola; telecomoperators; Samsung; LG Electronics; SonyEricsson

Nokia vs Motorola (B): Fight forMarket Share – Flight of Margins?Motorola, ranked second in the mobilehandset industry, launches its fashionableultra-slim phone, RAZR. It is a terrific hitand becomes iconic. Motorola inchescloser to Nokia, to topple it from the topposition. Both slog it out for market share,at the cost of their average selling pricesand operating margins. DebatingMotorola’s strategy, this case discusseswhether it can beat Nokia.


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• To understand product innovation andgrowth strategies with respect to theMOTO RAZR

• To analyse the parameters ofcompetition in the mobile handsetindustry, and see the standing of Nokiaand Motorola with regard to them

• Understand the concept of market shareand profitability.

Industry TelecommunicationReference No. CCA0037Year of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Available

Keywords

Product innovation; mobile handsetindustry; MOTO RAZR; growth Strategies;concept of market share and profitability;operating margins; Core Competency &Competitive Advantage Case Study;average selling price; Nokia vis-à-visMotorola

eBay's Competitive Strategies inChina

$4.5 billion-eBay.com (eBay) is one of thelargest online auctionand shopping websitewhere people and businessman buy and sellgoods and services worldwide. eBay alsoown PayPal, Skype, and Eachnet. eBayhas a global customer base of 181 million.The company has 31 websites across theglobe, from Brazil to Germany to China.

eBay was losing market share in China. Toboost traffic in the world's second-biggestInternet market, the company decided toform a partnership with Beijing-based TomOnline Inc. With the deal, eBay sought toestablish its leadership in ecommercemarket in China. The case discusses theinitiative taken by the company to regainits market share.


• The online auction market in China

• eBay’s localisation strategy

• Challenges faced by eBay in China

• eBay’s venture strategy to establish itsleadership in e-commerce market.

Industry Service IndustryReference No. CCA0036PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Online Auction; shopping website;EachNet; PayPal; Skype; Taobao; China;Market Share; Virtual Feedback forum; Core

Competency & Competitive AdvantageCase Study; Meg Whitmen

3M : Cultivating CoreCompetency

In 2006, the $ 21.2 billion 3M is theepitome of high-technology/low-technology business with over 50,000products ranging from Post-it Notes andScotch tape to transdermal patches ofnitroglycerin and optical films. 3M owesits formidable strength to its unusualcorporate culture, which has comfortablyfostered innovation and interdepartmentalcooperation, backed by a massive researchand development budget.

When George Buckley (Buckley) joins asthe CEO of 3M in December 2005, thecompany is facing criticism from analystsand investors over anemic revenue growththat has slowed to between 1 and 5 %through parts of 2004 and 2005, evenwhile the broader markets have beenexpanding. Buckley realises that he needsto generate growth, maintain premiummargins and strategically manage thecompany’s portfolio – all without drivingout 3M’s culture of innovation on whichboth the company’s fame and its longhistory of success rests. He plans to developa growth strategy which is based on andenhances 3M’s core competency.

Buckley realises that there is a need todemystify 3M and understand the workingsof the ‘3M Lattice’. 3M’s technologyportfolio and process capability are at thecore of its unique business model. Thesetechnology platforms are the threads thatweave together the company’s diversebusinesses. According to Buckley, 3M’sfundamental core competency lies inapplying coatings to backings. To grow itscore business, the company intends to buildon 3M’s strengths through constantreinvention, even stronger key customerpartnerships, customisation, solvingcustomers needs, entering niche segmentsand capturing new segments.Buckley intendsto build scale increase market share,emphasize localisation and build long termcompetency. The idea is to defend createdmarkets against new entrants, using dualbranding in the upper middle market;emphasize product localisation using amixture of brands and local acquisitions;thoughtfully extend private labeling andaccurate capacity planning. He has identifiedcore product categories for building scale.


• To examine the working of 3M, acompany with diversified businesspresence

• To study how the company used itstechnological prowess to enhancebusiness opportunities

• To learn from the company’s growthstrategy how it generated growth,maintained margins and managed theproduct portfolio

Industry ElectronicsReference No. CCA0035PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

3M; innovation; core competancy; inter-segmnet technology sharing; intellectualproperty; 3M Lttice; technology sharing;Core Competency & CompetitiveAdvantage Case Study; Scotch brand tape;extending technology; post it notes;market architecture; competitiveplatform; Scotch Brite; 3M Scotchshield;six Sigma

Battle of the Titans: Lowe's vsHome Depot

The do-it-yourself market was beginningto take shape after the Second World War.The post-war economy also gave rise toanother form of competition: large, chain-owned hardware stores known as homecenters and resulted in an upsurge of theDo-It-Yourself (DIY) market. Lowe’s wasa dominating player in the homeimprovement market. When Home Depotopened its warehouse stores, it was aninstant hit and other companies copied theformat. Lowe’s also tried copying theformat in order to prevent downfall of itsbusiness. Lowe’s effort paid off. In 2000,Home Depot’s glory started fading andLowe’s was gaining momentum especiallyin the American home improvementmarket. To revamp itself, Home Depotwas investing on store modernization andalso in attracting women customers. Onthe other hand, Lowe’s was expandingaggressively into new markets and thecompany also had plans to enter Canada.With the home improvement marketreaching its saturation, analysts wonderedwho would sustain. Stiff competition wasanother major challenge, so the questionwas who would succeed?


• To discuss about the retailing industryand housing market in the US

• To provide an overview of the variousstrategies adopted Home Depot andLowe’s

• To analyse the competition betweenHome Depot and Lowe’s.

Industry Home ImprovementReference No. CCA0034BYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Available

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Home Improvement market; CoreCompetency & Competitive AdvantageCase Study; Home centers; Home Depot;Lowe’s; US retailer; Home Depot vsLowe’s; HR initiatives; Technology enabledsupply chain; International Expansion;Frontrunner; data warehousing

Internal Branding and HRM atVirgin

The case covers Virgin’s innovative humanresource (HR) practices and internalbranding exercise. A diversified group,Virgin has over 200 privately heldcompanies. Founder promoter RichardBranson (Branson) has extended the Virginbrand to diverse and distinct businesses suchas airline, cola, mobile phone, bridal wear,retail chain, financial services, cars, jeans,trains, and books amongst others. AsBranson extends brand Virgin to new andunrelated area, Virgin’s human resourcemanagement, leadership and brand valuesplay a key role in maintaining its core brandvalues. The case enables students to discussVirgin’s innovative HR practices andinternal branding strategy, evaluate itsHRM model with reference to recruitment,work culture and role of leadership andspread of core brand values.


• Understand the dynamics of the VirginGroup

• Discuss its innovative HR practices andinternal branding strategy

• Evaluate Virgin’s HRM model withreference to recruitment, work cultureand role of leadership and spread of corebrand values

• Discuss the future prospects of Virgin’sHRM model and its internal brandingexercise.

Industry Service IndustryReference No. CCA0033PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Richard Branson; Virgin Atlantic; CoreCompetency & Competitive AdvantageCase Study; Virgin retail; Virgin Rail; VirginDirect; Virgin People; Virgin blue; VirginVillage

Virgin in 2006: Managing BrandExtensions

The case covers Virgin’s brand extensionstrategies across the globe. In 2004, the$8.1 billion Virgin Group is a diversified

group of over 200 privately heldcompanies. It has been involved in morebrand extensions than any other majorbrand in the past 20 years. Founderpromoter Richard Branson has extendedthe Virgin brand to diverse and distinctbusinesses such as airline, cola, mobilephone, retail chain, financial services, cars,and trains, amongst others. According toanalysts, the resulting portfolio ofdifferent corporate entities breaks everyestablished strategic guideline for brandextension. The case enables students todiscuss the brand extension strategiesadopted by Virgin and the role played byBranson, evaluate Virgin’s business modelwith reference to core brand values,management practices, factorscontributing to its failures or success andthe financial ramification of its strategy;and discuss the future prospects of Virgin’sbrand extension, its new foray’s and thefuture role of its promoter.


• Understand the dynamics of the VirginGroup

• Discuss the brand extension strategiesadopted by Virgin and the role played byRichard Branson, its promoter

• Evaluate Virgin’s business model withreference to core brand values,management practices, factorscontributing to its failures or success andthe financial ramification of its strategy

• Discuss the future prospects of Virgin’sbrand extension, its new foray’s and thefuture role of its promoter – Branson.

Industry Service IndustryReference No. CCA0032PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Virgin Atlantic; Virgin retail; Virgin Rail;Virgin Direct; Virgin Lightships; StagecoachGroup; T-Mobile network; CoreCompetency & Competitive AdvantageCase Study; Virgin Mobile; NTL-Telewest;Virgin Cola

Microsoft – Novell Alignment:The Future of Linux

Microsoft entered into a workingagreement with Novell on November 2nd2006 to build, market and support a seriesof new solutions to make both theirproducts to work together. Both had theirversions of OS and other server software,but Microsoft was proprietary softwarewhereas Novell dealt with Linux, freesoftware developed over years of researchand contributions by millions of softwareenthusiasts. As they were principally

opposing each other, the alignment to co-promote their software was intriguing tomany.

The case describes how free softwaremovement evolved over years and howLinus Torvalds developed Linux, a Unix-like OS on Linux Kernel which was freelyavailable and openly editable. The welldocumented rivalry between Microsoft andOpen Source software was presented by thecase and it compares both Linux andWindows – as operating software. Theefficiency derived by the Microsoft-Novellalignment by way of virtualization,interoperability, patent coverage and webservices for managing physical and virtualservers for the users of Microsoft Windowsand Novell’s Linux seemed to be immense.The case also outlines the possibility ofNovell being dissolved into the Microsoftamalgam, as many industry analysts havepointed to such earlier partnerships anddeals.


• Competitive strategies in softwareindustry

• Dynamics in Operating and Servernetwork software Industry

• Ethics in software industry

• Development of Proprietary and Freeoperating software.

Industry SoftwareReference No. CCA0031CYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

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Microsoft-Novell alignment; Microsoft;Novell; Linus OS; Windows OS; FOSS; GNU– Free OS project; Halloween documents;OpenSUSE; Core Competency &Competitive Advantage Case Study;Virtualisation; Interoperability

Steel Authority of India: FacingNew Challenges

The Indian steel industry was the thirdfastest growing steel industry in the worldnext only to China. The demand for Indiansteel was growing at 8-9 % as against aglobal average of 5-6 %. By 2006, with acurrent capacity of 38 million tonnes perannum (MTA) the Indian Steel Industrywas the 8th largest producer of steel in theworld. With capital investments of overRs. 100,000 crore, the Indian steel industryprovided direct/indirect employment toover 2 million people. Over the years, Indiaproduced international quality steel ofalmost all grades/varieties and had also beena net exporter of steel, though in smallerquantities.



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On November 4 2005, the IndianGovernment gave its approval for theNational Steel Policy (NSP), which aimedat hiking production to over 100 MillionTonnes Per Annum (MTA) to make theIndian steel industry globally competitivein terms of cost, quality and product mix.The NSP anticipated achieving 100 MTAby 2019-20 from 38 MTA in 2004-05. Onthe demand side, the strategy was to createadditional demand for steel throughpromotional efforts, awareness creationand strengthening the delivery chain,especially in rural areas. On the supply side,the strategy was to create additionalcapacity, remove procedural and policybottlenecks in the availability of inputssuch as iron ore and coal, make higherinvestments in R&D and human resourcedevelopment and improvise infrastructuresuch as roads, railways and ports. The coreof this vision was Steel Authority of IndiaLtd. (SAIL), one of Indian government’s‘Navratna’ public sector undertakings(PSU). SAIL’s impeccable record insupporting the country’s infrastructuralgrowth by innovative metallurgicalproducts like special alloy steels, was beingchallenged by its own ageing plants andincreasing competition. S.K. Roongta,CMD affirmed that by going the mergerand acquisition way that other steelmanufacturers preferred, SAIL would alsolook for steel plants to acquire. Expressingconfidence about SAIL’s opportunities infacing up to the new challenges, the SAILCMD confirmed,"We are able to maintainour market share despite new producerscoming up in nineties and we shall continueto do so.”


• The case anticipates familiarizing thestudents on

• Steel Industry in India and SAIL’s staturein it

• The evolution of SAIL over the years

• The dynamics of Indian and ChineseSteel industries

• The growth route adopted by otherIndian steel makers

• SAIL’s short term and long termstrategies

• Challenges for SAIL

• SAIL’s growth and consolidations plansto reach the targets set by NSP.

Industry SteelReference No. CCA0030CYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

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Core Competency & CompetitiveAdvantage Case Study; Steel Authority of

India Limited – SAIL; National Steel PolicyS.K. Roongta; Tata Steel; Mittal-Arcelor’plans for India; Joint ventures of SAIL;Natsteel; SAIL’s growth by expansion;SAIL’s growth by consolidation; Cokingcoal requirement; SAIL’s Joint developmentof coal mines; Essar Steel; Cost cutting atSAIL’s manufacturing; Foreign acquisitionsof SAIL; SAIL’s short term strategies

Coca-Cola Sticks to CarbonatedBeverages

In December 2005, for the first time inhistory, Coca-Cola had a marketcapitalisation which was lower than thatof its arch-rival Pepsi. The company’smarket value was $97.9 billion, comparedto $98.4 billion of Pepsi. This sparked adebate among the analysts about the futureof the world’s largest beverage company.Only five years back, the market value ofCoke was three times that of Pepsi. Sincethe mid-1980s, Coke concentrated on itscore business of carbonated soft drinks,which generated huge profits for thecompany. However, in the mid-1990s,carbonated drinks witnessed slow growthas the consumers’ preference shifted tosports and energy drinks. Realising thechanging trend, Pepsi quickly expandedinto non-carbonated drinks, snack foodsand restaurant businesses, while Coke stuckto its cola business. By 2000, Pepsi had adiverse product portfolio which reduced itsreliance on cola business. The case attemptsto highlight Coke’s dependence oncarbonated drinks and elaborates on Pepsi’sgradual expansion into other businesses.The case also discusses the trends in thesnack and soft drink industries and raises aquestion regarding how Coke wouldreinforce its leadership position in a slowgrowth market.


• To discuss Coke’s strategies to reduce itsreliance on beverages

• To analyse Pepsi’s strategy ofdiversifying into non-carbonated drinksand snacks

• To understand the repercussions ofrelying on a single product

• To understand the benefits of anextensive product portfolio

Industry Carbonated BeveragesReference No. CCA0029KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Coke; Pepsi; carbonated beverages.

The Great ‘Wal’ of China: StrongEnough?

Wal-Mart, the Bentonville, Arkansas basedUS Corporation expanded into China in1996. On entry Wal-Mart not only facedintense competition from other foreignretailers such as Carrefour and Metro, butalso from domestic players like ChinaResources Enterprise, Hualian and theBailian Group. Even while making theChinese adapt to American kind of stores,Wal-Mart built a strong vendor baselocalising most of its offerings. Wal-Martalso extended its low pricing strategy toChina.

The case while detailing the expansion ofWal-Mart to China provides a scope fordiscussion on the strategies adopted by itand its rivals in the competitive Chineseretail industry. The case also discusses thechallenges faced by Wal-Mart.


• Analyse Wal-Mart’s strategy vis-à-vislocal retailers in China

• Understand the initiatives taken by Wal-Mart to tackle competition and generatebusiness volumes for compoundedgrowth.

Industry RetailReference No. CCA0028CYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Wal-Mart; China; Retail Industry;Logistics; Sourcing; Infrastructure;Competitive Advantage; MarketEnvironment; Carrefour; Metro; USModel; Globalisation; Localisation WTO;Shenzhen.

Tata Motors’ Rs. One - Lakh CarProject: Opportunities &

ChallengesIn May 2006, Tata Motors, India’s largestautomobile company, announced its firstplant to manufacture a small car costingapproximately Rs.1 lakh, causing uproarin the Indian automobile industry. RatanTata said that the car would create a newparadigm in low-cost personal transport,carve out a new market segment and reachthe broader base of the pyramid.

Apart from kindling the interests of millionsof future car owners in India, the Rs.1 lakhcar project of Tata Motors initiated debatesin the industry about the feasibility of sucha low priced car and its conformity to thesafety and emission standards. Establishedauto manufacturers felt that Tata Motors’project was too ambitious when viewedagainst the inevitable price increase of steel

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and other raw materials in future. They alsoopined that it would be very challenging forthe Tatas to retain the price tag. But RatanTata went ahead with the strategic alliancewith Fiat Auto SpA, constructing anassembly plant in West Bengal and lookingfor never-before moves like usingreengineered plastics and adhesives insteadof welding metal components to keep thecar light and affordable. Tata was confidentthat his one-lakh car would appeal to themasses, as did his Indica, and would sell insufficient volumes.

The engine for the small car projectcodenamed Project X3, was likely to be aEuro IV compliant, 30-35 bhp, 700ccpetrol engine, The car would have‘continuously variable transmission (CVT)technology. Italian design house, IDEA,which worked with Tata Motors on Indicawill be designing the aesthetic andaerodynamic model. The other cost-cutting measure related to the intensiveuse of plastics on the body of the car.Developers for the project wereexperimenting on carbon-fiber compositesfrom renewable resources which would offera strong but incredibly lightweightalternative. The company was considering3-4 sites to produce the ‘people’s car’,whose engines and power-train would bedeveloped in-house. Tata was also reportedto be in talks with the TVS, the Hero andthe Kinetic Motor groups to co-invest inthe assembly facilities in other locations.Tata Motors reasoned that by 2008, thelaunch year of small car, the top-end pricefor motorcycles would be Rs. 70,000 toRs. 80,000. Hence, a car priced at Rs. 1lakh would be a perfect and saferalternative. Tata also eyed the possibilitiesof exporting to south East Asian countrieslike Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

As of 2006, the annual size of the globalcar market was around 50 million units, ofwhich the Asian numbers, excluding Japanand Korea, might be under three millionindicating the unsaturated nature of thecar market in Asia. Added to this would bethe market of the high priced two wheelers.A perfect entry price for these populouscountries would be in the range of $2,000-3,000 which would open up these marketsand buildup unprecedented volumes. WhileIndia had the engineering skills andinnovative industry leadership, China couldbe a source for mass manufacturing. Analliance which synergizes these abilitiescould create opportunities dethroningJapan and Korea as automobile leaders inAsia. A huge market thus developed wouldhave scope for not only Tata Motors, butother players from both the nations.


The case anticipates familiarising thestudents on:

• The Indian automobile industry

• Tata Motors and its various products

• Possibilities for a Rs. One lakh car inIndia

• Various challenges such a car would facein the Indian market

• Opportunities available for the car inIndia and markets abroad

• Technologies and components goinginto car making.

Industry Automobile Industry in IndiaReference No. CCA0027CYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Tata Motors; Rs. One lakh Car; ProjectX3; Indian Automobile Industry; Growthstrategy of Carrefour in China; IDEADesigner for Tata Motors’ cars;Reengineered Plastics for interiors; TataMotors plant; Singur; West Bengal; Twowheeler and Four wheeler Industry in India;Export possibilities for small cars; Smallcars; Tata Ryerson and Tata Motorfinance;Quadricycles; Aerodynamics and aestheticsin small car; Automobile consortium inIndia.

Yahoo! – Eyeing the Next BigThing on Internet

After the dismal financial performance inthe early 2000s, Yahoo! (Yahoo) is on itsway back to profitability in 2003. Underthe guidance of Terry Semel (Semel) CEOYahoo, the portal is on the way to becomingthe largest media company in the world.With the spread of broadband, brandadvertising is steadily becoming the largestsource of revenue for online companies. Asadvertisers flock to Yahoo, Semel has a toughtask of convincing traditional media, whichis responsible for most of its content, tocontinue their relationship with Yahoo.

Semel believes that “Social media” wherecontent is generated by users themselves,through their photo and video blogs,podcasts and hyperlinks, is the “next bigthing” on the internet both for the userand the advertiser. As Semel makesinvestments to make social media a reality,he wonders if his bet will pay off. With somuch content being generated in Yahoo,will Yahoo be able to maintain the finebalance between guiding the user to themost relevant content and its own content?


• To discuss Yahoo’s growth

• To discuss the competition and changingmarkets

• To discuss Yahoo’s new growth Strategyin changing environments.

Industry Online CompanyReference No. CCA0026PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Yahoo!; Terry Semel; Online brandadvertising; Social media; Broadband;Search; Yahoo News; Yahoo Users; Flickr;Konfabulator; Strategy; Yahoo TV;Business Model; Hyperlinks; Blogs.

Toys “R” Us: A “Category Killer”Killed?

US-based ‘Toys R Us’ (TRU) was not onlyone of the first toy supermarkets in theworld but also the No.1 toy retailer in US.The company was known as a categorykiller and had ruled the market for years.In the late 1990s though, when discountgiants Wal-Mart and Target entered themarket, TRU started facing problems. Thecompany tried to compete with discountersbut its strategies did not work favourablyand it faced financial problems. Thesituation was so severe that the companywas considering completely selling off itstoys business. The case details thecircumstances that led TRU into problemsand forced the company to take somemajor decisions. Finally, the case discussesthe actions taken by the company and itsplans for the future.


• To discuss the way TRU revolutionisedthe toy retail industry by selling a widerange of toys in one place and becominga category killer, thereby literally wipingof small toy stores and departmentstores.

• To discuss the concept of specialtyretailing, get an overview of the US toymarket and competition in the market.

• To discuss the factors that led to adownfall in the company’s fortunes.

Industry Toy Retail IndustryReference No. CCA0025PYear Of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Toys R Us; Specialty toy retail; Toyindustry; toysrus.com; Online toy sellers;Category killer; Big box stores.

McDonald’s in 2005: Sustainingthe Growth Momentum

When James R. Cantalupo (Cantalupo) diesunexpectedly, the McDonald’s board actsswiftly to execute a succession plan that




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Cantalupo himself has put into place.However, within months of assumingoffice, Charlie Bell (Bell) discovers he isterminally ill and the board offers the jobto James A. Skinner (Skinner), the personbeing groomed by Bell for the job. Thestrategy launched by Cantalupo to turnaround McDonald’s, which has beenstruggling in the 1990s, is smoothlyimplemented and even carried forward byhis successors. Despite tZZZZheunexpected departures of its CEOs, fourCEOs in as many years, McDonald’scontinues to flourish. The case discussesMcDonald’s succession strategy.McDonald’s prefers to recruit its CEOsfrom within the organisation rather thanfrom outside. All the McDonald’s CEOshave been company veterans, working theirway to the top. The case also tracesMcDonald’s growth strategies under itsvarious CEOs.


• The case discusses McDonald’s successionstrategy. McDonald’s prefers to recruitits CEOs from within the organisationrather than from outside. All theMcDonald’s CEOs have been companyveterans, working their way to the top

• The case also traces McDonald’s growthstrategies under its various CEOs.

Industry Retail-FoodReference No. CCA0024PYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

James Cantalupo; Charlie Bell; JamesSkinner; Ray Kroc; Fred Turner; MichaelQuinlan; Jack Greenberg; Growth;Competition.

Aging Microsoft?Microsoft, the largest technology companyin the world, has become bigger, slowerand less profitable than it was five yearsago. The company relies on Windows anda suite of desktop applications for 80% ofsales and 140% of profits. Newer products– the Xbox videogame machine, the MSNonline service, the wireless and small-business software, have collectivelyaccumulated losses worth $7 billion in fouryears. Analysts point out that Microsoft,with $40 billion in sales and 60,000employees, had grown multi-layered andbureaucratic. Despite the restructuringexercise undertaken by Steve Ballmer(Ballmer), Microsoft seems to be steepedin bureaucracy. Ballmer plans to launchseveral new products and upgrade theexisting ones. Will Ballmer’s plan succeedin rejuvenating Microsoft’s fortunes andboosting employee morale?


• The case outlines Microsoft’s rise, itsproduct portfolio and its growth strategy

• The case discusses Microsoft’s newproduct launches and comparativeperformance of these products againstthe market rivals

• It discusses the reasons behindMicrosoft’s declining profitability.

Industry IT(Information Technology)Reference No. CCA0023PYear of Pub 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Microsoft; Bureaucratic; Multi-layered; BillGates; Ballmer; Operating System; X-Box;Small business accounting ; Longhorn; MSNSearch; Digital TV; Microsoft Windows;Microsoft Office; Revenue; Technology.

Sirius Satellite Radio: CatchingUp in US Satellite Radio Market

Sirius Satellite radio Inc., was one of thetwo satellite radio providers in the USmarket. The company had better financialand technical backing as compared to itsonly competitor XM Radio. Certaindecisions taken up by the company wasthe cause of its setback, which allowed itscompetitor to gain a lead in the US market.Further, the competition for the companycompounded with the entry of newtechnologies such as HD Radios,Podcasting, internet radios. Sirius madeefforts to catch up with competition inthe US market, with better marketingstrategies and innovative contents.


• To discuss about the US satellite radioera and the radio architecture in Sirius.

Industry Radio Broadcasting &Programming

Reference No. CCA0022BYear of Pub 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.; Satellite RadioTechnology; XM Satellite Radio Inc.; USSatellite Radio Market; Agere; DavidMargolese; Joseph P Clayton; MelKarmazin; Recapitalisation at Sirius; AM;FM Radio; HD Radios; Pod Casting;Internet planning at Sirius; Sirius’s alliancewith automakers.

De Beers: End of Monopoly?De Beers for long had enjoyed a monopolyin the diamond industry. It was to the extent

that Diamonds and De Beers had becomesynonymous with each other. But eventsin the early half of 2000s the monopolywas displaying signs of cracking up. Therewere new sources coming up, it was difficultto control the supplies, the industry wasgetting integrated vertically, new men likeLev Leviev were taking De Beers on theirown turf and worse the African nations forthe producers of diamonds were playinghardball with De Beers. The case examineshow De Beers built up the monopoly, thechallenges it was facing in 2004 and whetherit could overcome those challenges. It alsoexamines whether these emerging cracksindicated decrease in prices of diamonds.


• Can discuss the Monopoly in thediamond industry

• Can take a look at the Marketingstrategies of De Beers

• Take a look at how politics and industryinteract with each other.

• Role of Governments in fostering cartels

• Can examine the economics of theindustry.

Industry Diamond IndustryReference No. CCA0021BYear of Pub 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Diamond Industry; De Beers in SovietUnion; DeBeers in US; Diamonds Forever;Monopoly and Competition; CentralSelling Organization (CSO); Lev Veviev;Investment Diamonds; Blood Diamonds;Artificial/Synthetic Diamonds; DiamondCartels; Integration in Diamond Industry;Diamond Retailing.

BPO: Will India sustain itsadvantage?

By the end of 1990s, India was looked uponas a prominent outsourcing destination forIT projects. The availability of sufficientIT resources, quality manpower at cheapcost and the key geographical locationbenefited India.

The seeds of Business Process OutsourcingIndustry were sown in India, by BritishAirways, HSBC and GE in 1990s. Graduallythe industry grew, as many MNCsoutsourced their IT related lower end jobsto India. With the growing hype of jobattractiveness in the industry, the salarylevels of employees increased, which wasconsidered to be a hurdle for the prospectsof country. Also, India had to facecompetition from countries likePhilippines, South Africa and China whowere growing fast. What steps would Indian

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companies take to revive India’s future inBPO industry was to be seen.

The case discusses the various parameterson which India had gained competitiveadvantage in past. Further, it explainsfactors on which the competing countrieswere trying to turn the trend towards them.


• To study the various parameters thatresulted in the success of BPO industryin India

• To study the emerging threats to theBPO industry in India

• To analyse the competitive advantageof other countries, that competed withIndia for their share in the industry

• To analyse the future prospects of theIndia in the global BPO industry arena.

Industry Information TechnologyReference No. CCA0020AYear of Pub 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Business Process Outsourcing; IT; ITES;India; Outsourcing; High talent pool; Valuechain; Cost advantages; IT infrastructure;NASSCOM.

Yum Brands in ChinaIn 2005, Kentucky, US based YUM!Brands, Inc. was the world’s largest quickservice restaurant (QSR) company basedon the number of system units. Yumdeveloped, operated, franchised andlicensed nearly 34,000 restaurants in morethan 100 countries. Four of its restaurantbrands KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and LongJohn Silver’s were the global leaders of thechicken, pizza, Mexican food, and quick-service seafood categories, respectively.Outside the US, Yum opened three newrestaurants every day including onerestaurant per day in China where it wasthe market leader.

The case provides the basis for analysingthe sunrise Chinese fast food industry withYum as the focus. The successful strategiesadopted by Yum such as localization,owning its supply chain management,effective human resource management etccontributed to its evolution as the marketleader in China. The challenges Yum facedin China were stiff competition fromMcDonald’s and other international andlocal players, growing concerns related tolack of healthy nutrition values of fast foodand outbreak of bird flu epidemics. Yumhad plans to introduce its two other fastfood brands, Long John Silver’s and A&WAll American Food in China. Howsuccessful would these be with Chinese

consumers and would Yum be successful insustaining its competitive position remainsto be seen.


• To analyse the Chinese fast food industry

• To discuss the growth strategies andcompetitive strategies adopted by YumBrands in China in evolving as themarket leader

• To identify the challenges that YumBrands needs to overcome to continueits dominance and stay ahead ofcompetitors like McDonald’s and otherlocal favorites.

Industry Fast Food IndustryReference No. CCA0019AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Yum; China; KFC; Pizza Hut; Taco Bells;Long John Silver’s; A&W All-Americanfoods; McDonald’s; Quick ServiceRestaurants; franchisees; strategy;localization; supply chain management;human resource management; competitivestrategy; market leader; new productintroduction; healthy nutrition value;multi-branding; bird-flu.

Yahoo and Google: Fight forDominance

In July 2005, the search engine industryratings showed that the number of searcheson Google, the industry leader, hadincreased by 6%; where as that of Yahoo’shad increased by 9% on Q-to-Q basis.Though Google had 36% market share inWeb search in 2004, Yahoo was catchingup fast with 27% market share.

Till 2004, Google had been the undisputedleader in the search engine industry. A waveof mergers, acquisitions, and personnelchanges shook up this ever-volatileindustry and Yahoo emerged as a threat toGoogle’s dominance. Yahoo was a fullfledged media and information companywhereas Google was technology savvy andwas known for its innovation led growth.With different strengths and philosophies,the two companies were competingaggressively in the same market.

The case describes the growth strategiesfollowed by both players. Google’sinnovation driven growth strategy andYahoo’s diversified business model todominate the industry has been comparedand contrasted. The case highlights thecompetitive advantages Yahoo and Googlehave in their respective areas. The caseends with a debate on who would rule thesearch industry.


• To understand the search engine industrystructure

• To discuss the competitive growthstrategies followed by the market leaderGoogle and the market challenger Yahoo

• To analyse the business models followedby both competitors and their corecompetencies

• To discuss the competitive advantagesGoogle and Yahoo had over each other

• To debate on who will dominate theindustry in future and what shape willthe industry take.

Industry Information TechnologyReference No. CCA0018AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Innovation; Peripheral Vision;Diversification in related Industries;Challenging the Leader; Growth Strategiesof an Innovator; Competitive Advantage;Search Engine Industry; Yahoo; Google;Search Engine Industry.

Asia: The Destination for MedicalTourism

Asia had emerged as the destination formedical (healthcare) tourism capitalisingon advantages of “lower cost skilledpersonnel, cultural factors, naturalendowments and unique forms of medicine.”The targeted consumers were patientsfrom developed nations where medicaltreatments were expensive and the waitinglists long. By providing medical servicesto foreign customers, these countries werenot only generating valuable foreignexchange, but were also creatingemployment opportunities. Thailand wasthe leader in the region, followed bySingapore and Malaysia and India as thepreferred destinations for medicaltreatment.

The benefits of foreign exchange,employment and growth in nationalincome, which extended well beyond themedical, travel and tourism sectorsattracted government interest across Asia,and efforts to attract medical tourists addedto the growth of the industry.

Though Asian countries provided cheapermedical services, they were also perceivedby some as being manned by low qualitydoctors who provided poor qualitytreatment. Pricing of the treatments andpackages across the region varied. Expertsopined that the over emphasis on theforeign patients who offered higherrevenue compared to domestic patients can




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be detrimental to public healthcare servicesin the home country. Despite the issuesand challenges, the region had vastopportunity for growth.

The case describes the growth and reasonsof the Asian region as a preferreddestination for Medical/HealthcareTourism and the importance of thehealthcare tourism industry in the Asianeconomies. The case details the issues andchallenges for the countries in servicingthe patients. The case ends on thediscussion whether such emphasis onhealthcare tourism was diverting theattention and resources of the governmentfrom the domestic healthcare needs,especially public health. With suchcompetition and challenges, would Asiancountries be able to capitalize on theopportunity and at the same time fulfillthe social obligation of healthcare at home?


• To discuss the growth and reasons of theAsian region as a preferred destinationfor Medical/Healthcare Tourism and theimportance of the healthcare tourismindustry in the Asian economies

• To analyse the issues and challenges forthe countries in servicing the medicaltourist patients

• To debate whether such emphasis onhealthcare tourism was diverting theattention and resources of thegovernment from the domestichealthcare needs, especially public health

• To debate whether with suchcompetition and challenges, Asiancountries will be able to capitalise onthe opportunity and at the same timefulfill the social obligation of healthcareat home?

Industry Medical Tourism/ HealthcareTourism

Reference No. CCA0017AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Marketing; Destination marketing;Marketing strategy; Market positioning;Niche market; Public and private sectorinvolvement; Business strategy; Strategicmanagement; Core competence; Firstmover advantage; Cost advantage; Service;Hospitality; Patient feedback;Competition; Asian economies; India;Singapore; Malaysia; Thailand.

Google- Emerging Threat toMicrosoft Monopoly

Google Inc. started as a research project byLarry Page and Sergey Brin was converted

to commercial venture in 1998. The userfriendly simplicity and innovative image ofGoogle was a phenomenal success. By 2005,Google was a search engine industry leaderand with its innovations in technology andnew software products, it posed a threat tothe software giant, Microsoft.

The case talks about the competitiveadvantage Google had in terms ofInnovation and technology. The Casefocuses on the strategies Google used tobecome the market leader in Search EngineIndustry and how it is becoming a threatfor the market leader (Microsoft) inSoftware Industry. It highlights thechallenges faced by Microsoft due to itslack of peripheral vision.


• To discuss and discover the corecompetency and competitive advantageof Google over its rivals

• To understand the strategies followed bythe market leader and the marketchallenger of the industry

• To confer the peripheral vision Googledisplayed by venturing into relatedindustry (software development)

• To analyse and debate on the outcomeof such rivalry in the industry and inrelated industries.

Industry Information TechnologyReference No. CCA0016AYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Innovation; Peripheral Vision;Diversification in related Industries;Challenging the Leader; Growth Strategiesof an Innovator; Competitive Advantage;Core competency

AMD’s TechnologicalInnovations: Converting

Capabilities into CompetitiveAdvantages

AMD always remained in the shadow ofIntel until the launch of its Athlon andOpteron processors. Although AMD holdsless than 20% of the global microprocessormarket vis-à-vis Intels’s 80%, the technicalsuperiority of its products has been acceptedby the industry. With Hector Ruiz at thehelm, the company has initiated renewedeffort in continuing its commitment tocustomer-centric innovation.


• To highlight the changing competitivedynamics of the global microprocessormarket

• To understand how a newcomer canchallenge and unsettle an establishedplayer.

Industry Microprocessors,Microcontrollers & DSPs

Reference No. CCA0015Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Advanced micro devices; Globalmicroprocessor industry; Intel; AMD’scustomer centric innovations; Server;desktop and notebook processors;Competition between AMD and Intel;Innovations by AMD; AMD’s core values;Competitive advantages of AMD.

Nucor Corp.’s ‘Performance-driven’ Organisational Culture:Employee-driven Competitive

Advantage?The ninth-largest steel producer in theworld, Nucor, began life as a carmanufacturer later diversifying intomanufacturing nuclear testing andelectronics equipment and ultimately steeljoist manufacturing. The success of the joistmanufacturing business led the companyto invest in a new experimental mini-milltechnology that used scrap steel to producesteel. With the help of the new technologyand a unique organisational culture, thecompany became the second largestproducer of steel in the US. Theorganisational culture encompassed anegalitarian workplace and a decentralisedorganisational structure. The company’scompensation system is strictly based onperformance, which helped keepproductivity levels high in addition toboosting employee morale. The company’sculture has helped increase net incomefrom $311 million in 2000 to $1.3 billionin 2005. But the company’s expansionplans overseas and a rigid work culture areraising doubts about its sustainability.


• To discuss the role of mini-milltechnology in the success of Nucor

• To discuss how Nucor created a uniqueorganisational culture that fosteredequality

• To discuss how Nucor developed acompetitive advantage by adopting aperformance-based compensationsystem

• To discuss the challenges that Nucormight face in an ever-competitive steelindustry.

Industry Steel IndustryReference No. CCA0014

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Nucor; Organisational culture; KennethIverson; Daniel DiMicco; Leanmanagement structure and decentralisedmanagement structure; Bonus andperformance-based compensation;Integrated mills and mini-mills; chiefexecutive officer (CEO) compensation;Share the pain; No-layoff policy;Competitive advantage; Core competencyand strategic intent.

Mittal Steel’s KnowledgeManagement Strategy: Giving it

a Competitive EdgeStarting from the late 1980s, Mittal Steelhas acquired and turned many steel plantsaround, across the globe. Through itsknowledge management program, whichwas established in the mid-1990s, the bestpractices across the group are shared amongits various plants for improvisation ofmanufacturing processes for costreduction. Mittal Steel, whose turnover was$22 billion in 2004, increased itsproduction capacity from 20 million tonsto 70 million tons between 2002 and 2005and became the biggest steel company inthe world.


• To highlight the importance ofknowledge management program and itscontribution towards the success ofMittal Steel.

Industry Steel ProductionReference No. CCA0013Year Of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Mittal Steel; Laxmi Nivas Mittal; Growthstrategies; Ispat International; Knowledgemanagement; Turnaround strategies; Costcutting; Largest steel producer; Low coststeel producer; Mittal Steel’s businessmodel; Acquisitions; Family business;Competitive advantage; Operations;Knowledge integration.

Sharp: Building CompetitiveAdvantage Through Innovation

Since its inception in 1912, SharpCorporation has traditionally been knownfor its new categories of ‘never seen before’products. The latest in its innovations wasunveiled in July 2005, when the companystarted the mass production of the world’sfirst ‘dual-function LCD’ (liquid crystal

display), which displays information in rightand left viewing directions. Being a globalleader in LCD technology, Sharp has alsodeveloped another variety of LCD, whichcan be switched between wide and narrowviewing angles. With a turnover of 2,539billion yen by March 2005, Sharp expectsadditional revenue of about 10 billion yenfrom these two innovations by 2006.


• To discuss growth strategy andinnovations of Sharp.

Industry Electronic ComponentsReference No. CCA0012Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Competitive advantage; LCD (liquid crystaldisplay); Integrated circuits; Consumerelectronics; Optoelectronics; Competitiveedge; Texas Instruments; Componenttechnologies; High density television(HDTV); Microelectronics;Semiconductors; Optical communicationsystem.

Using Online Presence to GainCompetitive Advantage: The

BBC WaySince its on-line foray in 1998, BritishBroadcasting Corporation (BBC) has overthe years transformed its on-line venturefrom a news and programme supportservice to UK’s leading-content basedwebsite. By 2004, it had 525 websites withover two million pages of content. Itscontents span society and culture, soapsand teen chat to science and nature. Withits broader news content enhanced by audioand visual aids, BBC attracts a majority ofnewspaper readers, both online and offline.The viewership of BBC’s news websiteincreased from 1.6 million weekly users in2000 to 7.8 million users in 2005. Thishas led to a 30% decline in total newspaperreadership since 1990 and their on-line sitesare believed to face extinction due to therapid decline in advertising revenues.


• To discuss the competitive strategies ofBBC

• To discuss the potential challenges thatBBC On-line might face due to rapidincrease in various content serviceproviders.

Industry Television and InternetContent Poviders

Reference No. CCA0011Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC);Internet content provider; On-line contentmarket; Newspaper readership in UK;Mandatory TV licence fee in UK;Competitive strategies for BBC; John Birt;BBC Worldwide; BBC News Online;Beeb.com; UK Internet demographics;Content production system of BBC;Independent review of BBC Online; Marketoperations of BBC Online; Interactivetechnology in BBC.

Apple’s New Operating System,‘Tiger’: Riding on The Success of

iPod?On April 29th 2005, Apple launched Tiger,its latest operating system. With 200features, Tiger is the most advanced,powerful and user-friendly operatingsystem for the Apple’s Mac users to date.With innovative features like Spotlight andDashboard, Tiger is poised to change theway people use computers across the world.While some opine that Apple has launchedTiger ‘about time’ when the company isbasking in the success of iPod, others aresceptical whether the company can makeTiger as successful as iPod. Besides, Appleis also expected to face competition fromMicrosoft, which is expected to come outwith ‘Longhorn’, an advanced version ofits operating system Microsoft XP.


• To discuss the product innovativestrategies of Apple

• To discuss the possible competition fromMicrosoft.

Industry Personal ComputersReference No. CCA0010Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Apple; Tiger; iPod; Operating system;Technology; Innovation; USA; Strategy;Windows; Longhorn; Macintosh; Personalcomputer; Digital music; Steve Jobs; iTunes.

North America’s LargestIndependent Oil & Gas

Company, EnCana: BuildingCompetitive Advantage through

‘Unconventional’ MeansEnCana Corporation (EnCana) evolvedfrom being a virtually unknown entity toNorth America’s largest independent oiland gas company. Under the leadership ofchief executive officer, Gwyn Morgan,EnCana developed a strategy of focusingexclusively on extraction of






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‘unconventional’ or difficult to bring outoil and gas at a time when 90% of theworld’s hydrocarbon needs were being metby conventional sources. Over the years,EnCana obtained the technology andexpertise necessary to profitably developunconventional sources of energy. Thecompany also acquired substantial landresources making it the largest holder ofland in the North American region. Withthe existing reserves of unconventional oiland gas estimated to be more than twicethe amount of conventional sources,EnCana was poised to achieve Morgan’svision of becoming a ‘global super-independent’ oil major.


• To highlight the evolution of EnCanaby building competitive advantage.

Industry Oil, Gas & EnergyReference No. CCA0009Year of Pub 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

EnCana Corporation; Largest independentenergy company; Alberta EnergyCompany; Growth expansion andreorganisation plan; Unconventional oilexploration and discovery; PanCanadianEnergy Corporation; Unconventional oiland gas energy resources; Acquisition andmerger divestment sell-off; Proven oil andgas reserves; Competitive advantage; Focuson core operations; Global super-independent oil major; Oil and gasexploration rights; Takeover target andchallenges; Rising oil prices OPEC resources.

Audi’s BHAG: To Match theExclusive Image of Mighty Benz

and BMW – Can it Achieve?Audi is the high-end German automobilemanufacturer and one of the world’spremium automotive brands. It is a 99%subsidiary of Volkswagen, Europe’s biggestcar maker. The ‘Big Hairy and AudaciousGoal’ (BHAG) of Audi is to match theimage of the mighty Benz and BMW. Toachieve its goal, the company has adoptedseveral growth strategies expanding itsproducts and markets. Though Audi hasbeen successful to a certain extent inachieving its goal, according to analysts, ithas yet to overcome several otherchallenges.


• To discuss the transformation of Audifrom an ordinary brand to a luxury brand

• To discuss the challenges for Audi.

Industry Automobile ManufacturingReference No. CCA0008


Keywords

Audi AG; Mercedes Benz; BayerischeMotoren Werke (BMW); Marketingnetwork problems; High profile customers;German high-end car manufacturer;Volkswagen; August Horch; Sports utilityvehicles (SUV); Big Hairy and AudaciousGoal (BHAG); Martin Winterkorn;Structural problems and cultural clashes;Premium automobile brand; Highperformance luxury cars; JD Power &Associates Inc’s rankings.

Toyota in China: Selling at ‘ChinaPrice’

Toyota has always strived to be a cost andquality leader. In 2005, Toyota’s new cost-cutting initiative comes from China andits ‘China Price’ has become its newbenchmark to cut the cost of its autocomponents further. For this, Toyota hasplanned certain cost-cutting strategies thatare likely to come across certainhindrances.


• To discuss Toyota’s cost managementstrategies

• To discuss the challenges for Toyota’snew initiatives.

Industry Automobile ManufacturingReference No. CCA0007Year Of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign Not Available

Keywords

Toyota production system; Benefits of leanmanufacturing; Toyota’s CCC21(Construction of CostCompetitiveness forthe 21st century); Keiretsu; The SingleMinute Exchange of Die; Toyota’s cost-cutting strategies; Global Body Line;Toyota’s component suppliers;Competition in China’s automobileindustry; Sourcing and manufacturing autoparts in China; Toyota’s purchasingphilosophy.

iMAC G5’s Success: iPod’s HaloEffect

In the first quarter of 2004, the sales ofiPod, Apple Computer Inc.’s most populardigital music player, exceeded that of itsunique Macintosh desktops. The increasein total revenues of Apple and the steadysales of iMAC, introduced in the late 1990sduring company’s restructuring, wasattributed to iPod, which had been animportant spoke in Apple’s strategy to

create a digital hub. In the fourth quarterof 2004, Apple released its third generationiMAC - the iMAC G5 that resembled theiPod in aesthetics and endorsed it with atagline ‘From the makers of iPod.’


• To discuss the pros and cons of Apple’sstrategy of leveraging iMAC G5 on thehalo effect of the iPod.

Industry Personal ComputersReference No. CCA0006Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Apple Computer Inc.; Microsoft Windows;iPod flat panel iMAC’s; iTools; PowerMac;Halo effect; PC clones; Cross-licensing;Digital hub and digital lifestyles; Retailstore productivity; Portable music devicemarket; Bundled software package; SteveJobs.

Digital Animation: India’sCompetitive Advantage

Although computer graphics had been usedin Hollywood motion pictures since thelate 1970s, it was only towards the end ofthe 1990s that the animation industryentered Indian markets. With the growingpopularity of India as an outsourcingdestination for technology orientatedwork, the US and European animationstudios found it profitable to outsource low-end work to Indian animation studios like‘Jadoo Works’, ‘Toonz India’ and ‘MayaEntertainment Limited’. Despiteincreasing competition from its southeastAsian rivals like Taiwan, The Philippinesand China, India’s animation industry isexpected to grow by 30% to $1.5 billionby 2008.


• To discuss how India emerged as afavorite destination for companiesoutsourcing animation and digitalcontent creation work.

Industry Motion Picture Productionand Distribution

Reference No. CCA0005Year of Pub 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Indian animation; SFX (special effects);Computer graphics; Jadoo Works; MayaEntertainment; Outsourcing to India;India’s competitive advantage; 2Danimation; 3D animation; PentamediaGraphics; Toonz Animation; CartoonNetwork; Padmalaya Films; Global

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animation industry; IFC (InternationalFinance Corporation).

Building Competencies: TheKorean Way

‘The East Asian Miracle’, that is howKorea’s impressive growth performanceover the last four decades is usuallydescribed. The case study focuses on theconditions of dynamic industrial changesthat helped Korea to catch up with theindustrialised nations in the world.


• To discuss the development ofinnovation in a changing environment;from dependence upon knowledgedeveloped abroad, to research as afoundation for innovation

• To discuss how the developing countriescan use the model that Korea followed(the government policies and foreigntechnology transfer) to catch up withthe developing world.

Industry Automobile ManufacturingReference No. CCA0004Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Building competencies; South Korea’schaebols; Duplicative and creativeimitation; Technology transfer; Reverseengineering; Research and development;Hyundai; Samsung; LG; Automobileindustry; Semi-conductor industry;Imitation to innovation; Learning bydoing; learning by research; South Koreanexports; Investment driven state; Low costinvestments; Technology assimilation;building.

Competitive Advantages ofJapanese Automobile

ManufacturersDespite a late entry in the global automobileindustry and the devastation caused by thetwo World Wars, Japan’s automobileindustry witnessed a rapid growth thattransformed the country into the world’sleading automobile manufacturer by the turnof the 21st century. One of the major reasonsbehind this success had been the radicalJapanese production system, devised byTaiichi Ohno of the Toyota MotorCompany. The ‘Toyota Production System’or the ‘Lean Production System’, as it wascalled, focused on the elimination of wasteat every step of the manufacturing process,empowered employees to take decisions forsolving problems and helped to buildconducive relations between themanufacturers and their suppliers. This

resulted in a slew of high quality, low costcars from Japan that put enormouscompetitive pressures on carmakers fromother nations, especially the ‘Big Three’(GM, Ford and Chrysler) of the US.


• To discuss the competitive advantagesof the Japanese Lean production system,which resulted in the production of highquality, low cost cars

• To discuss how Japanese manufacturesgave competition to the ‘Big Three’ ofUS.

Industry Automobile ManufacturingReference No. CCA0003Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

KEYWORDS

Toyota production system; Leanproduction; Toyota; Honda; Nissan;Japanese automobile industry; Kanban; Bigthree; Mass production; Lean supply chain;Benefits of lean production; Philosophybehind Toyota production system (TPS);Lean design and development; Kaizen; Just-in-time.

Cipla ‘s Generic CompetenceThanks to the Indian Patents Act 1970,Indian pharmaceutical companies becameadept at reverse engineering. Minimalexpenditure on R&D, low labour costs andlow input costs due to availability of cheapindigenous raw materials contributed tolower production costs. These factorscontributed to the Indian pharma industrybecoming ‘generics’ driven. The growingproblem of AIDS across the world,especially in poor countries of Africa, calledfor an urgent need of producing affordabledrugs to combat the disease. ChemicalIndustrial and Pharmaceutical Laboratories(CIPLA), the third largest pharmaceuticalcompany in India and one of the leadinggenerics producers, offered to supply certainAIDS drugs to these countries, at about atenth of the price offered bymultinationals. This move by CIPLA sentthe big pharma players across the worldscurrying to lower their prices and to stopgeneric versions of their drugs being sold.


• To discuss the factors that made IndianPharmaceutical industry generic driven

• To discuss how CIPLA utilized IndianPatents Act 1970 to offer drugs at lowerprices and thereby challenging the bigpharma companies of the world.

Industry Pharmaceutical IndustryReference No. CCA0002

Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc. Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Chemical Industrial and PharmaceuticalLaboratories; CIPLA; Generic drugs andpatented drugs; Medecins Sans Frontieres;World Health Organisation; World TradeOrganisation; Yusuf Hamied; IndianPatents Act 1970; General Agreement onTrade and Tariffs (GATT); Abbreviated newdrug application; Zidovudine; Productpatents and process patents; DoctorsWithout Borders; Pharmaceutical valuechain; European Commission.

Taiwan’s CompetitiveAdvantage in Liquid Crystal

Displays (LCDs)Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technologyfirst hit the consumer market in the 1960sin the form of watches, calculators etc. Bythe late 1990s, it was widely used innotebooks, PCs, cell phones, personaldigital devices and so on. LCD TVs withtheir premium price tag represented arelatively small segment of the overalltelevision market even in 2003. However,LCD TV production was expected to go upin 2004. Consequently, prices were likelyto drop to levels affordable to the averagecustomer by 2005. Since the late 1990s, avast majority of LCD products such asnotebook PCs, cell phones, personal digitaldevices were made in Asia. As in 2003Taiwanese manufacturers dominated thenotebook computer industry. This gaveTaiwanese LCD-makers a competitiveadvantage in the booming LCD TVbusiness. However, Korea and Japandominated the LCD business. Taiwan trailedJapan in LCD technologies. BesidesTaiwan, with its high cost of land and labourwas losing its competitive advantage as amanufacturing base to China.


• To discuss the competitive landscape inAsia in the LCD business, with specificreferences to the competitive advantageof Taiwan in the technology.

Industry Electronic ComponentsReference No. CCA0001Year of Pub. 2003Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Taiwan; Taiwan’s competitive advantage;Taiwan and LCD; Small and mediumenterprises; Cluster; Liquid crystal display;Thin film transistor; Plasma display;Samsung; LG Philips; AU Optronics; Sharp;Korea; Volatility; OBM.





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FOPP, UK's Music Retailer (B): TheCosts of Overexposure?

This case is a very good illustration ofwhat competition does to even anestablished company. While Case A deeplydwells on the effectiveness of Fopp's targetmarket selection and its positioningstrategy thereafter, Case B helps discusshow valid was Fopp's decision to go outof business. This case is an antithesis tothe analysis carried out in Case A. WhileCase A stimulates discussion on Fopp'spositioning to reach a particularcommunity, Case B helps in criticallyexamining the reasons for the musicchain's closure. Students are alsoencouraged to choose among the threeavailable exit options.


• To analyse the reasons for Fopp'sbusiness model failure

• To debate and evaluate the survivingoptions available for Fopp.

Industry EntertainmentReference No. COS0066Year of Pub. 2007Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Available

Keywords

Music Retailing; Customer Segmentation;Customer Targeting; Niche Marketing;Corporate Strategies Case Study; Fopp;Bankruptcy; Exit Options; Virgin Records;HMV; Over Exposure; Unfocussed Growth;Positioning

Hewlett-Packard’s Strategy inPrinting Business

Hewlett-Packard (HP) based in California,US is a global technology solutionsprovider serving individual consumers,businesses and institutions. The companyfollowed a strategy of innovating andupgrading its products to increase itsmarket share. It provided a full range ofhigh-tech equipment, including personalcomputers, servers, storage devices,printers, and networking equipment. HPsold over 10,000 different products in theelectronics and computer field. Since the1980s, HP’s imaging and printing businesshad been a major contributor to itsprofitability. But as competition increasedwith the entry of new manufacturers andprice undercutting HP had to revamp itsprinters with affordable technologies. Thecase study discusses HP’s strategy toinnovate in order to maintain its marketleadership.


• The case discusses the key factorsdriving the printer industry

• The case analyses the competitors movevis-à-vis HP in the printer industry

• The case also evaluates the strategiesadopted by HP to stay ahead in the highlycompetitive market.

Industry Electronic IndustryReference No. COS0065PYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Hewlett- Packard; HP Laset jet printer;Corporate Strategies Case Study; HPThinkjet; HP Desk Jet; HP officeJet;Xerox printers; Lexmark printers; All-in-one printers; multi function printers; HPedgeline; Hp inkjet printers; HPphotosmart; Total print management; HPWeb JetAdmin; HP OpenView

Salesforce.com’s MillionSubscriber Dream

The case study is about a US based on-demand CRM (Customer RelationshipManagement) solution provider company– Salesforce.com. The company’s flagshipoffering is Salesforce automation suite(SFA) which enables customers to managetheir sales function.

The case study is about the competitivestrategy of Salesforce.com, which is basedon the concept of SaaS (Software As aService). SaaS meant offering software asa service on subscription basis and not as aproduct like a software package.

The case study discusses the ERP industryto which Salesforce.com’s competitorsoriginally belonged to and who have enteredCRM arena also. The case analysesSalesforce.com vis –a –vis its competitorsand discusses the initiatives launched bythe company to grow beyond CRM to enterother business domains and achieve itsmillion subscriber dream and achieverevenues of $1 billion by 2007.The casealso discusses about the future potential ofCRM and ERP industries.


• To discuss strategies adopted bySalesforce.com vis-à-vis its competitors

• Discuss the initiatives launched by thecompany to grow beyond CRM and enterother business domains

• To discuss the future potential of CRMand ERP industries.

Industry IT (Information Technology)Reference No. COS0064P

Year of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Salesforce.com-on demand provider; s/was a service; end-of s/w slogan; CRM amdERP industry; packaged player-SAP;oracle; Corporate Strategies Case Study;on demand players-sieble; netsuite; opensource players-sugarCRM; business model-team edition; professional edition;enterprise edition; Appexchange platform;salesfroce.com extension beyond CRM;AppExchnage mobile; launch of unlimitededition; pertner edition; mashup withgoogle; salesforce.com's geographicalextention

Managing Product Recall: TheDell Way

In August 2006, Dell announced a recall of4.1 million laptop batteries made by Sonyand fitted in its laptop computers. Dellsaid that the faulty batteries might, in rarecases, overheat and ignite. The recall wastermed as the largest in the history ofconsumer electronics and raised fears aboutthe safety of laptop computers. Theincident also raised questions about Dell’sproduct quality and came as a blow to itsefforts to refresh its image and customerservice. In such a scenario, analystswondered how Dell was planning to dealwith the problem and save its reputation.

The case primarily discusses how Dell plansto manage the entire recall process. It alsodiscusses the battery overheating problemand the recalls announced due to theproblem.


• To discuss the impacts of battery recallon Dell

• To understand the strategies adopted byDell to recall the batteries

• To analyse how Dell handled the entirerecall process

• To debate whether Dell would be able towin back the goodwill of the customersor not.

Industry Personal ComputersReference No. COS0063KYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Dell; Laptop computer; Battery recall;Lithium-ion battery; Sony; AppleComputer; Notebook battery; Batteryoverheating; CPSC (Consumer ProductSafety Commission); Rechargeable lithiumbattery; Notebook market share; Corporate

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Wal-Mart’s Exit from South KoreaWal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer wasgrowing at a rapid pace with more than6100 stores world wide, their net salesreached to more than US $312.4 billion(bn) for the year ended in Jan 31, 2006.Wal-Mart was pursuing aggressiveinternational expansion since 1990, butthis strategy was apparently not applicableto the country of South Korea. The worldlargest retailer was pulling out of thepeninsula-where it’s wholly owned “Wal-Mart Korea” arm had struggled since 1998as they failed to attract the local customers.The management said that it had agreed tosell its 16 South Korean outlets to Shinsegae,a local retailer, for $882 million after Wal-Mart incurred a loss of US $10.58 millionin the year 2005, on sales of US $ 802million. Shinsegae was South Korea's largestdiscount store chain and also used to runthe country's third-ranked departmentstore chain E-Mart. This case gives an ideaabout the failed strategy of Wal-Mart,globally the largest retailer.


• To understand the global retail market

• To discuss about Wal-Mart’s strategicinitiatives in South Korea

• To analyse Wal-Mart’s failure in SouthKorea

• To argue on its decision to exit fromSouth Korea.

Industry RetailReference No. COS0062KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Wal-Mart; Retailer; Wal-Mart Korea;Shinsegae; Discount store chain; E-Mart;Pull-out; Carrefour; Tesco; 'Warehouse'format; E-Land; Corporate Strategies CaseStudy; Strategy; Everyday low prices;Korea Makro; Dry goods

Wal-Mart’s Exit from GermanyThe world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart wasgrowing at a rapid pace with more than6100 stores world wide, with the net salesreached to more than US 312.4 billion forthe year ended in Jan 31, 2006. Since 1990,Wal-Mart was pursuing aggressiveinternational expansion, but the strategywas apparently failed in the country ofGermany. Wal-Mart was about to take thereverse turn in July, 2006 by selling its

underperforming German stores to thecounty’s leading retail chain Metro AG.Wal-Mart which used to operate 85hypermarkets across Germany by, admittedthat it would incur a roughly US $1 billionpretax loss on the deal of its 2007 fiscalyear. Ever since entering the US retail gianthad struggled to capture the cut-throatGerman retail market. Analysts perceivedthat US Model of business was not effectivein Germany besides that they failed tounderstand the customer want, and alsoGerman labor law. Analysts also thoughtthat limited critical mass, insufficient squaremeter productivity and too aggressivepricing policy and above all cut throatcompetition from the local competitorslike Aldi, Metro AG might cause Wal-Mart’sdownfall in Germany.

This case deals with the detail analysis whyWal-Mart failed in Germany and its decisionto exit from Germany was strategicallycorrect or not.


• To understand the global retail market

• To discuss about Wal-Mart’s initiativesin Germany

• To analyse Wal-Mart’s failure inGermany

• To argue on its decision to exit fromGermany.

Industry RetailReference No. COS0061KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Wal-Mart; Retailer; Hypermarket; Aldi;Metro AG; Wertkauf; Corporate StrategiesCase Study; Interspar; Arkansas; Germany;Western Europe; Acquisition; Discountfood retail; Pricing policy; German antitrustlaw; Every day low prices

BP: Trying to Win Back its ‘Green’Image

Since March 2006, British Petroleum’s(BP) pipeline at Alaska Tundra Region,which connected Prudhoe Bay (the biggestoilfield of US) and Trans Alaskan Pipelineswas virtually collapsed. Surveillance teamjointly operated by BP and governmentofficials revealed that the six miles longpipeline connecting the oilfield and theTrans Alaskan pipeline was severelycorroded. This led to the decision to closedown the oilfield. This incident reduced oiltransportation through the pipeline to onefourth, affected BP’s top-line and bottom-line and led to a severe PR disaster for thecompany. Analysts often wondered how acompany like BP, which made ‘green’ a

core part of its identity and re-brandeditself as ‘Beyond Petroleum’ suffered fromthe worst oil spill. It was later revealedthat to put more and more emphasis oncost competitiveness the company failedto take proper preventive measures tocheck the corrosion of the oil field.Analysts opined that though the companystill believed about its ‘green’ ethos andvalues, it needs to be aligned with thebusiness philosophy that the companypracticed in the field.

This case gives in detail about Prudhoe Bayincidence, its impact on BP’s ‘green’positioning and environment friendlyimage, strategy taken by BP to win backits ‘green’ image and how the companyplanned to prevent similar incidents infuture without affecting its costcompetitiveness.


• To discuss the importance of integratedstrategy in the context of Prudhoe Bayincidence

• To analyse the implication of thePrudhoe Bay disaster in BP’s corporateimage

• To discuss the importance of damagecontrol initiatives in the context of BP.

Industry Oil and GasReference No. COS0060KYear of Pub. 2007Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Corporate Strategies Case Study; BritishPetroleum (BP); Alaska Tundra region;Trans Alaskan pipelines; Prudhoe Bay;Atlantic Richfield Company; Castrol;Conoco Phillips; Pigging; Ultra sounding;Couponing; Corrosion; 'BeyondPetroleum'; BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc;North Slope

BAE Systems Exits CommercialAircraft Manufacturing

Hampshire, UK-based fourth largestdefense and aerospace company, BAESystems decided to sell its 20% Airbus stakefor £1.87 billion to EADS. Airbus was goingthrough crisis due to the delivery delays ofsuper jumbo A380. Moreover, the valuationof BAE’s stake was much lower£1.87billion, half of what BAE expected.In the industry of defense and aerospace,governments played a major role byfunding the projects or also at times beingthe major customer. BAE’s sale of Airbus’stake marked an end of Britain’scontribution in European commercialaircraft manufacturing and thereby led topressure from the government. In addition,BAE was considering focusing on American




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defense market. The proceeds from thesale of its Airbus stake were expected to beinvested in developing its Americanbusiness. Many analysts viewed BAE’s stepa wrong move. BAE’s decision to quitcommercial aircraft market altered itsrelations with the home government.

The case aims to discuss the corporate goalsand steps taken by the company in linewith its strategy.


• To understand defense and aerospaceindustry and factors affecting it

• To understand the markets for militaryaircrafts and challenges

• To understand Corporate strategies andStrategic Planning process.

Industry Defense and CommercialAerospace

Reference No. COS0059AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

BAE Systems; Airbus SAS; Boeing co.;EADS; Commercial AircraftManufacturing; Defense industry;Commercial Aerospace Industry; CorporateStrategies Case Study; Markets; US and UKmarkets; Other markets; Industry Exit;British Government; MoD; StrategicDecision Making; American DefenseIndustry; Transatlantic strategy; Sale ofAirbus stake; Commercial aircraft projects;Britain’s Future in commercial aircrafts

YouTube versus MySpace -Google's Dilemma

Both, MySpace.com and YouTube.comwere the front-runners in the ‘usergenerated content’ Web site category,which witnessed a significant growth in theyear 2005-06. Google, the Web searchgiant, signed a revenue sharing deal withMySpace in August 2006. MySpace ownedby News Corp, was the number one amongsocial networking Web sites. In October2006, Google announced acquisition ofYouTube, the leader in free video hostingand sharing Web sites, in a $1.65 billionstock deal.

Google also had presence in socialnetworking Web site category throughOrkut.com and shared a small market sharein the free video hosting and sharing Website category throughVideo.Google.com

The race to gain maximum number ofeyeballs had brought MySpace and YouTubeinto competition with each other. Analystswondered whether Google’s deal withYouTube would lead to conflict withMySpace and intensify business rivalry.

With interests in both the Web properties,how would Google strike a balance ofinterests to leverage significant returns, orkeep the conflict of interests away?


• To discuss the Corporate Strategy andConflict Management

• To analyse the impact of BusinessRivalry and Emergence of a New BusinessModel.

Industry Digital Media & EntertainmentReference No. COS0058AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Google; You Tube; MySpace; NewsCorporation; Video Sharing and HostingWeb site; Corporate Strategies Case Study;User Generated Content; Social NetworkingWeb site; Web Search Engine; InternetAdvertising; Emerging Media Opportunity;Corporate Strategy; Conflict Management;Game Theory; Competitive Strategies;Diversification Strategy; Mergers andAcquisition

Financial Re-engineering atEssar Steel

Essar Steel Ltd. (Essar Steel) is the largestintegrated producer of steel in WesternIndia with a capacity of 4.6 million tonnesper annum (mtpa). Essar diversified itsbusiness by expanding into various sectors.The simultaneous launch of severalprojects during the 1990s pushed the grouptowards a liquidity crunch. To tide overthe financial crisis, Essar Steel decided toavail the option of CDR to get out of thedebt trap and strengthen its balance sheet.The case discusses Essar Steel’s financialcrises and its reengineering. It also discusseshow financial problems affected theliquidity of Essar Steel and the severalfinancial strategies formulated by EssarSteel to tide over the problems. It alsohelps to evaluate the reengineering strategyundertaken by Essar Steel to repay the debtand expansion of related projects.


• To discuss the expansion strategy ofEssar Steel

• To understand the factors lead the EssarSteel towards financial crises

• To evaluate the re-engineering Strategyadopted by Essar Steel to overcome itsproblems.

Industry Steel IndustryReference No. COS0057PYear of Pub. 2006

Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

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Hot rolled coils; Ruias; Hazaria; CorporateStrategies Case Study; Floating rate notes;DR grade pallets

BharatMatrimony.com: FixingIndian Marriages Online

In the traditional Indian society, marriagewas considered as a relationship betweenfamilies rather than just two individualsand the society did not prefer dating orfree mixing of the sexes. Marriages arrangedby families were thus the preferred formof marriage in the society.BharatMatrimony.com (BMC) whereas,was an Indian online marriage portal tryingto preserve the sanctity of the institutionof marriage while leveraging the power oftechnology and the Internet. The casediscusses the Indian set-up, norms of thesociety, BMC’s business model and itsgrowth strategies. It also focuses on therising competition, changing Indianscenario and the scope of online portals.


• To understand the cultural environmentof India with respect to Marriages

• To discuss the Business Model ofBharatMatrimony.com

• To discuss the growth strategy ofBharatMatrimony.com

• To discuss rising competition amongstvarious online Indian portals engaged inthe business of Fixing Marriages Online.

Industry E-commerce IndustryReference No. COS0056PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Indian Matrimonial market; CorporateStrategies Case Study; Marriages in India;desi match maker; Swayamvar; Veri profile;iRishta.com

Foster’s Group – A New productPortfolio

Foster’s Group is a leading manufacturerof internationally acclaimed brands Foster’sLager, Victoria Bitter and Crown Lager andwine brands like Penfolds, Rosemount andWolf Blass. It was the world’s third mostwidely distributed brand. Since 2000, salesof international brands had fallen. In a bidto increase its sales revenue and marketshare, Foster’s decided to consolidate itsbeer and wine business. This case studydiscusses the reasons behind the fall in sales,

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its consolidation strategies and its attemptsto become a major player in the winesegment.


• To discuss the changing characteristicsof the global wine industry

• To discuss Foster’s Groups strategy toconsolidate the beer business

• To discuss Foster’s Groups strategy toenter the premium wine segment.

Industry Beverege IndustryReference No. COS0055PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Beringer Blass wine estate; Carlton &United beverages; Lensworth Group;Corporate Strategies Case Study; Scottish& Newcastle; SAB Miller; Mildara Blass;Rosemount; Penfold's; Lindemans

P&G’s Buzz MarketingThe $57 billion - Procter & Gamble (P&G)was the world's No.1 maker of householdproducts. It had always been a frontrunnerin marketing. It had invented the conceptsof brand, brand management and the ‘SoapOpera’. The company had recentlyresorted to ‘Buzz/Word-of-mouthmarketing’ as its latest experiment toattract consumers. P&G had set up Tremorand Vocal point wherein it encouragedteens and moms respectively to talk topeople, about everything - from theproducts to anything under the sun. Theinitiative was turning out to be a hugesuccess, once again making P&G thepioneer for moving away from traditionalmediums of marketing and opening up newavenues. The case discusses P&G’s previousmarketing innovations, the businessmodels of Tremor and Vocal point and theoppositions that it faced from certainsegments.


• To understand the concept of Buzzmarketing

• To discuss various marketing initiativesby P&G

• To discuss the business model of Tremorand Vocalpoint

• To evaluate the factors behind thesuccess of Tremor and Vocalpoint.

Industry FMCG IndustryReference No. COS0054PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Buzz marketing; Viral marketing; tremor;Corporate Strategies Case Study;vocalpoint; Steve knox

Lenovo-IBM – ManagingTransition

In December 2004, Lenovo, China’sleading personal computer manufactureracquired IBM’s PC division for $1.75billion. The deal created a $13 billioncompany with 8% share of the worldwidePC market. The take over involved theintegration of IBM’s operations andemployees by Lenovo. This case studydiscusses how Lenovo has managed theintegration and the strategies it is adoptingto compete in the global market.


• To understand the Chinese personalcomputer industry scenario

• To discuss the Lenovo-IBM merger andits implications on the global personalcomputer industry

• To discuss Lenovo’s strategy to make acomeback.

Industry IT (Information Technology)Reference No. COS0053PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Legend Computers; Think Vision; ThinkPad; Corporate Strategies Case Study; ThinkVantage; Think centre; Aptiva; Netvista;Lenovo 3000 series; Think centre E series;V series

Poste Italiane: A Story ofCorporate Metamorphosis

In 1990s, Poste Italiane, the largestcompany of Italy, was facing huge financiallosses. It was one of Europe's most inefficientcompanies and was synonymous with longqueues at the post offices, not so politeclerks at the customer interaction help desksand late delivery of mails. However, effortsdirected towards financial and operationalrevival of the company started in 1998 whenCorrado Passera (Passera) took over as theCEO of the company. Passera undertook anumber of strategies to restructure theorganization and diversified into financialservices. In 2002, Massimo Sarmi (Sarmi)succeeded Passera as the next CEO. Hefurther strengthened the company’soperation by reinforcing the financialdivision and upgrading the informationtechnology infrastructure. From 2003, suchcorporate makeover strategies had starteddelivering results, when it attained its first

break even. In 2005, Poste Italiane hadrevenue of US$20,485.2 million and a profitof US$433.5 million. In recognition of itsexemplary turnover, the company wasplaced in the list of Fortune 500 companiesfor the first time in 2006. The case detailsthe various restructuring strategies of thetwo CEO’s. It also provides a briefdescription of the postal service sector ofthe European Union.


• To discuss the company's poor financialposition in the 1990's and the reasonsbehind them

• To discuss the corporate restructuringstrategies of its CEOs, Corrado Passeraand Massimo Sarmi

• To discuss the company's diversificationinto financial services

• To discuss the HR strategies pertainingto such restructuring.

Industry Financial servicesReference No. COS0052KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

Post Italiane; Corporate restructuring;Mission; Vision; Banking Industry; ParcelDelivery.

Posco: Moving Towards RawMaterial

South Korea based POSCO, the fifth largeststeel producer of the world, planned to setup a steel plant of 12 million tonnes perannum (mtpa) at Paradeep, India. This U$12 bn investment is POSCO's firstinvestment outside its home country,Korea. The company chose India as itsraw-material source due to her high qualityiron-ore reserves. The company plannedto produce primary steel in India andtransport the semi-finished steel to itsmanufacturing facility in Korea. Analystsopine that the new initiatives will helpPOSCO to compete more effectively withBaoSteel, Mittal Steel and Arcelor in theSouth-East Asian market. But a group ofanalysts are skeptical whether POSCO cansuccessfully leverage its U$12 billioninvestment as it envisaged. The caseprovides a scope to students for discussingthe recent trends in the global steel industry.It also analyzes how POSCO plans toleverage its investment and the challengesit might face to accomplishing itsobjectives.


• To discuss the trends and pattern ofglobal steel industry





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• To discuss how control over raw materialact as a key growth driver in global steelindustry

• To discuss the value chain of the globalsteel industry

• To discuss the key growth factor in globalsteel industry

• To discuss how steel companies plan tointegrate backward

• To discuss the key factors that a steelcompany judge before investing and planto leverage it.

Industry SteelReference No. COS0051KYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assig. Not Available

Keywords

POSCO; primary steel making; secondarysteel making; value chain analysis; slab.

Indian Textile Industry:Implications After MFA Phase outIn January 2005, with the phase out of theMulti Fibre Agreement (MFA), the quotasystem in the world textile market cameto an end. In the post quota era, Indiantextile exports were expected to increasefrom US$15 billion in 2005 to US$50billion by 2010. India had the advantageof low cost labour, availability of rawmaterials in abundance, andencouragement by the government. Indiaalso had a significant presence in the globaltextile market. However, India lackedinfrastructure and modern technology. Thecase discusses the opportunities andchallenges for the Indian textile industryin the post quota era. It also throws lighton the strategy adopted by Indian textilemajors and small and medium enterprisesand discusses whether the removal of theMFA will be a gain or a loss for the Indiantextile industry.


• The case discusses the opportunities andchallenges for the Indian textile industryin the post quota era

• It also enlightens on the strategy adoptedby Indian textile industry

• The case also discusses whether theremoval of the MFA will be a gain or aloss for the Indian textile industry.

Industry TextileReference No. COS0050PYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Multi-fibre arrangement; Exports; Quota.

EDS in 2005: Jordan’s ChallengeEDS, the second largest global technologyservices company in the world has been ina financial mess since 2001. After threeyears of putting out fires, Michael Jordan(Jordan) CEO EDS, who had been broughtin two years ago to turn EDS around, hasfinally unveiled a plan to revive growth.He has cut costs and streamlined processes,but the changes have not been visible inthe firm’s balance sheet.

In 2005, Jordan has come up with a novelidea of selling EDS as the leader of afederation dubbed the Agility Alliance. The10 key partners in the group push eachothers’ products. Jordan hopes his newinitiatives would succeed in reviving growthotherwise EDS may enter a “downwardspiral”. Can Jordan turn around EDS by2006?


• The case traces EDS’ growth, its declineand Jordan’s turnaround strategy ofcutting costs and streamlining processes– (but the changes have not been visiblein the firm’s balance sheet.)

• It also discusses EDS’ new strategy, theadvantages of the agility alliance andpersisting challenges before the company.

Industry IT (Information Technology)Reference No. COS0049PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

EDS;Michael Jordan; Strategy; Growth.

Canon in 2006 – At Crossroads?In 2006, Canon is the world’s largest sellingdigital camera company. Fujio Mitarai(Mitarai) Canon’s CEO since 1997 hassingle-handedly transformed the unwieldydebt-laden company into one of Japan’smost profitable companies. However,Mitarai’s success has brought him newchallenges. It needs to maintain its lead inexisting product categories and look fornew areas of growth. To address the latter,Mitarai has made heavy investment in anew technology called surface-conductionelectron-emitter display, or SED, which hebelieves will enable Canon to carve a placefor itself in the flat-screen-TV market. Tomaintain market leadership in existingproduct categories, Canon is focusing onenhancing each business’s productdevelopment capabilities and product pricecompetitiveness.


• The case traces the growth of Canon,discusses its innovations and successstrategy. It outlines why the deal isimportant to all the players, and what isat stake for them

• The case also discusses the Canon’sefforts to maintain market leadershipin existing product categories, throughenhancement of product developmentcapabilities and product pricecompetitiveness. It also discussesCanon’s efforts to carve a place for itselfin the flat-screen-TV market.

Industry Digital camers,TV, PhotocopierReference No. COS0048PYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Canon; Fujio Mitarai; digital camera;excellent global corporation; threeregional headquarter system; SEDtechnology; photocopiers; TV; Japan;optics; strategy; call system of production;Join Logistics System.

Infosys Foundation: In For aSystematic Service

Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic armof Infosys Technologies Ltd. (Infosys), wasfounded in 1996 with an aim to serve thesociety it operates in. The primary focusareas of the Foundation were health care,social rehabilitation and rural uplift,learning and education, and preservationof art and culture in India. The case studytries to give a holistic account of thespecific efforts made by the Foundation inthis direction. The case also discuses thephilanthropic nature of Infosys’ socialinitiatives and exemplify them from a widerperspective.


• The areas in which the Foundationworks

• The potential areas in which the focusof the Foundation can be concentrated.

Industry Not ApplicableReference No. COS0047BYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Corporate Philanthropy; Philanthropy inIndia; Health care; Social; rehabilitation;Rural uplift; Learning and education inIndia; Preservation of Indian art andculture; Systematic service; Foundation;Infosys Technology; Sudha Murthy.

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Warehouse clubs in the USWarehouse clubs in the US registered aphenomenal growth during the last decadeof 20th century and the early decade ofthe 21st century. Costco, Sam’s club andBerkley and Jansen (BJ’s) were the threeleading warehouse clubs in the US.Warehouse clubs operated as no-frills, self-service format which offered lower pricesas compared to other retailers. It offered anarrow assortment of branded food andgeneral merchandise items within a widerange of product categories. Customerswere limited to members who paid anannual fee. Warehouse clubs redefineddiscounting and many retailers wereinterested in its business model.


• The state of wholesale club industry inthe US

• Business strategy of warehouse clubs.

Industry RetailReference No. COS0046BYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Warehouse clubs; Costco; Sam’s Club; BJ’s;Merchandising; Business Model; Wholesaleclub industry; Discounting; No-frills; Self-service formats; Membership; Distribution;supply chain; Retail in the US; Same storesales.

LGEIL in the Indian HandsetMarket

In 2003-2004, the Indian mobile handsetindustry with a growth of 568% was thesecond largest market after China. Therewere around 20 handset companies in theGSM segment and around 10 players in theCDMA segment. LG, a Korean playerentered the Indian market with the CDMAsegment in collaboration with the serviceoperators, Reliance Infocomm and TataTeleservices. LG Electronics India Ltd.,(LGEIL) captured 66% market share in theCDMA segment compared to Samsung whohad a market share of only 15.2%. Havingtasted the initial success in the CDMAmarket, LGEIL entered the GSM market.The case gives in-depth information on thetelecom environment in India, and thegrowth of the handset market in India. Thecase discusses on the various initiatives takenby LG in the GSM market.


• The nature and characteristics of theIndian mobile handset market

• LG’s strategy to retain its position inthe CDMA market

• Having been successful in the CDMAmarket, would LG be able to competeeffectively in the GSM market?

Industry Mobile HandsetReference No. COS0045BYear of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

LG; Indian Telecom; LG Electronics IndiaLtd; GSM Segment; CDMA Segment;Nokia; Samsung; Indian mobile HandsetIndustry; Benq Reliance Infocomm; TataTeleservices; Chinese Handset Market;Global Player in India.

Master Card in 2005MasterCard, the world’s second largestcredit card association announced plans forits IPO by early 2006. It faced stiffcompetition from the market leader Visaand other rivals. The IPO was announcedat a time when various lawsuits filed by itsrivals and its merchants were ongoing. Alsothe US credit card industry was goingthrough a wave of consolidation.

The case describes the industry structureof the credit cards, the present organizationstructure of MasterCard and the proposedone after the IPO. The case also describesthe competitive landscape of the industryand the critical factors affecting it. Thecore of the case is the proposed IPO ofMasterCard which is looked upon byanalysts as a move by MasterCard to regainits dominance, insulate itself against thelawsuits and evolve with a new organizationstructure.


• To understand how card credit industryoperates

• To understand survival strategies

• To understand brand management

• To debate issue related to corporategovernance.

Industry Credit Card IndustryReference No. COS0044AYear of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

MasterCard; Visa; Initial Public Offering(IPO); credit cards; competition; industrystructure; consolidation; financialinstitutions; restructuring; organizationstructure; debit cards; corporategovernance; electronic payment systems;credit card history; Discover.

McDonald’s LocalizationStrategy:Brand Unification, Menu

Diversification?McDonald’s, the world’s leading fast-foodretailer with 30,000 restaurants in 119countries, has successfully maintained itsglobal brand identity by standardizing itsprinciples and service quality but customizingits offerings across the globe. The highlightof McDonald’s localization strategy has beenits foray into Asia where it has survived andhas repeatedly proved itself vis-à-vis otherbig food retailers who have failed due totheir inability to adapt to Asia’s diversecultures, tastes and temperaments.


• To understand the importance ofadaptation to local culture, tastes andpreferences for global food retailers

• To understand how McDonald’s hasmaintained uniform brand identity acrossthe globe while customizing its menu tosuit local tastes

• To analyse whether McDonald’slocalization strategy would prove to bea disadvantage in case the brand loses itsunique American appeal.


Reference No. COS0043Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

‘I’m lovin’ it’; Balanced and activelifestyles; Localisation strategies ofMcDonalds’s in Asia; McDonald’s ‘HappyPrice Menu’ in India; Food studios;McDonald’s on the move; Localising theon-line world; The McDonald’s way; The5P’s (product, price, promotion, place,people) of McDonald’s; The QSCV (quality,service, cleanliness and value) Principle;Menu customisation; Flexible operatingplatform.

Philips Electronics NV: Weighingthe Strategic Options forSemiconductor Division

The semiconductor industry is considereda highly volatile industry. There arefrequent changes in technology, whichconstantly influence demand and supply.Philips failed to sustain its semiconductordivision in the light of these fluctuations.The huge investment requirement and thevolatile earnings further compounded theirproblems. In 2005, Philips Electronicsdecided to separate its chip division as anindependent legal entity. The company hasthe options to go for an IPO, merger or aspin off. Analysts speculate that a mergermight be the one chosen in the end.






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• To understand the reasons underlyingPhilips’ decision to divest itssemiconductor division

• To discuss the different strategic optionsavailable to Philips for consideration.

Industry SemiconductorsReference No. COS0042Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Philips; Semiconductor industry; IPO(initial public offering); Merger; Spin-off;Europe; Competition; Expansion;Electronics market; Recovery plans;Research and development; Investments;Acquisition.

Porsche’s Investment inVolkswagen: Moving Away from

911?In October 2005, German luxury sports-car maker Porsche, increased its stake inmass-market car maker Volkswagen to18.53%, with an option to acquire anadditional 3.4%. Porsche’s chief executiveofficer Wendelin Wiedeking maintainedthat the move was to protect its businessmodel and to give the company long-termstability. Analysts were sceptical about theprofitability of this venture and more aboutthe risk that Porsche’s image could sufferfrom close association with Volkswagen.That voiced diversification meant thatPorsche faced the same threats of branddilution, rising costs and lower margins asbigger car makers.


• To discuss the future of the Porsche-Volkswagen alliance and the challengesfaced by Porsche as it moves away fromits ‘911’ (luxury sports car) image.

Industry AutomobileReference No. COS0041Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Porsche; Volkswagen; Automobile; Luxurysports car maker; Mass-market car maker;Diversification; Diversification risk; Brandmanagement; Positioning; Alliance.

FedEx, The US Express ParcelCarrier: Rationale Behind itsStrategic (Non) Expansion

Since its inception in 1971, FedEx, theworld’s leading express transportation

company, has focused on its core businessof express delivery. Although, the growinginternational trade and increasing demandfor custom-made services have drivenvarious dominant players like DHL, UPSand TNT to establish themselves as a‘one-stop shop’ for all the logisticsrequirements of their customers, FedExhas limited itself to the small package andlight freight markets. This policy of thecompany has raised doubts about theprudence of its decision.


• To highlight the changing trends in theglobal express parcel delivery industry

• To discuss the rationale behind FedEx’sdecision to stay tuned only to its corebusiness.

Industry Express Delivery ServicesReference No. COS0040Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Federal Express; Global express deliveryindustry; Transportation services; One-stop shop for all logistics services; Supplychain and warehouse management; Roleof express delivery service; United ParcelService; DHL and TNT; Frederick Smith;International trade and globalisation; Huband spoke model; Third party logisticsproviders; Key stages in express delivery;Federal ground; Competitive strategies.

Honda: As Acura in USA and asLegend in Japan?

In late 2005, Honda announced that in2008, it would launch Acura, its highlysuccessful brand in the US market, in Japan.By launching Acura, Honda plans to forayinto the Japanese luxury car market thathas been dominated by the US andEuropean carmakers. However, analysts aresceptical about the success of Acura amidstintense competition in the Japanese carmarket and Japanese loyalty to importedbrands like BMW, Mercedes and Audi .


• To highlight the competitive landscapeof the luxury car market in Japan

• To discuss Honda’s strategy to win a sharein the domestic luxury car market ofJapan.

Industry Automobile ManufacturingReference No. COS0039Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Honda; Acura; Legend; Toyota; Lexus;Luxury car market; US; Japan; BMW;Mercedes; Audi.

Big Media’s ‘On-demand’Entertainment: What’s the

Business Model?In the past, nearly every dollar thattelevision networks used to earn came fromcommercials. However, with thefragmentation of the market, advertiserswere growing reluctant to pay for a generalaudience who were tuning out from theirmessages. As a result, top US televisionnetworks like NBC Universal, CBSBroadcasting and ABC had abandoned theirage-old policies and practices ofbroadcasting, to make available their topshows via video on demand (VOD) services.At the end of 2004, there were 7.5 millioncable-based VOD users worldwide, and thenumber was expected to grow to 13 millionby the end of 2005 and 34 million in 2009.But one thing was missing – the businessmodel.


• To highlight the trend of on-demandentertainment and the challenges facedby the industry in the absence of abusiness model

• To discuss the feasibility of a businessmodel for the on-demand servicecompanies.

Industry BroadcastingReference No. COS0038Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

On-demand entertainment; Video onDemand (VoD); Business model; Revenuemodel; Market fragmentation;Cannibalisation; Customer retention;Distribution network; 20-120 rule; Free onDemand (FoD).

Infineon, The GermanChipmaker’s Troubles: The

Strategy DilemmaUncertainty loomed over the Germanchipmaker Infineon, as the market forDRAM (Dynamic Random AccessMemory) chips were on a long-termdecline. Squeezed by tough competitionfrom Asian competitors and declining pricesof memory chips, Infineon decided towithdraw from the memory chip business,which contributed 40% of its revenues.

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• To discuss the concern of Infineon’sstakeholders and the strategic dilemmafacing the company, as withdrawal fromthe memory product business wouldreduce Infineon to a much smallercompany manufacturing logic chips.

Industry SemiconductorsReference No. COS0037Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Infineon Technologies; Chipmaker; DRAM(Dynamic Random Access Memory) chips;Value chain; Spin-off; Market saturation;Pricing pressure; Memory chips; Logic chips;Research and development.

Cartridge World, The AustralianCartridge Refilling Company’sBusiness Model: Can it Sustain?

Digital-based inkjet and laser printing is beingdone at an increasing rate worldwide. Coupledwith the high cost of ink cartridges,manufacturing inkjet cartridges has becomean extremely profitable business for printermanufacturers. However, the exorbitantlyhigh cost of ink cartridges has resulted incustomers shifting to the concept ofrefilling ink cartridges that are done at halfthe cost of a new cartridge. Cartridge World,an Australian company that operates inmany countries through franchise stores,leads this business model.


• To discuss the new business modeladopted by Cartridge World

• To discuss whether Cartridge World,leveraging on its new business model,can compete with big printermanufacturers like Hewlett Packard.

Industry Printing Imaging EquipmentReference No. COS0036Year of Pub. 2006Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Brick and mortar concept; Competitiveadvantage; Cash cow; Low cost strategy;Quality; Competition; Franchising;Business model; Customer service; Businessethics; Hewlett-Packard (HP); Canon;Competitive strategy.

Best Buy’s ‘Customer Centricity’Model: The Segmented Stores

Minneapolis-based Best Buy is a leadingconsumer electronics retailer in the US and

Canada. Since its inception in 1966, BestBuy has grown through customerorientation by developing many conceptstores. However, due to competition fromspecialty retailers and discount retailers inthe US, Best Buy’s market share startederoding. To fend off competition, in 2004,Best Buy developed a new customer centricsegmented stores model in selectedmarkets, which were designed to targetspecific consumer segments like womenand urban youth.


• To highlight the growth strategies ofBest Buy

• To discuss the ‘customer centricity’model of Best Buy as a tool to sustain itsfuture growth.

Industry Electronics and AppliancesRetail

Reference No. COS0035Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Best Buy; Customer centricity model;Growth strategies; The segmented stores;Customer focus; Concept stores; Superstore format; Speciality retailers; Discountretailers; Competition; Acquisitions;Competitive advantage; Customerorientation; Brad Anderson; Serviceinnovation.

Dell’s Dilemma: Corporates orConsumers?

Since its inception in 1984, Dell has beena pioneer of direct selling of computers tolarge enterprises on a global scale. Whilelarge enterprises contributed 85% to itsrevenue, retail consumers contributed therest. However, since late 2005, with thepersonal computer (PC) consumer marketoutpacing the corporate market in growth,Dell is striving to focus more on theconsumer markets through innovativeproduct offerings.


• To highlight the growing importance ofthe consumer markets for the global PCindustry

• To discuss the strategies of Dell tobalance between its traditional enterprisemarket and the new technology savvyconsumers.

Industry Information TechnologyReference No. COS0034Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Global personal computer PC (personalcomputer) industry; US PC industry; Directmarketing at Dell; Virtual integration atDell; Competitors of Dell; Convergingdigital technologies; Price competition forDell; Product differentiation at Dell; Globalexpansion at Dell; Hewlett and Packard;Apple; Dell’s kiosks in US malls; Supplychain management at Dell; Dell’s customersatisfaction.

Interpublic (USA), the World’sThird Biggest Marketing Services

Group: The Perils of RecklessGlobal Expansion

Since 2002, after the class action lawsuitsagainst it and the investigation by USSecurities and Exchange Commission onits accounting irregularities, InterpublicGroup, the world’s third largest marketingservices company, has been struggling tomake its records consistent with the USGAAP. In September 2005, Interpublicrestated its earnings for the period 2000-2004, which led to the reduction of $514million in its earnings. The accounting woesstemmed from reckless global expansioninitiatives of Interpublic in countries likeAzerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Ukraineand Uzbekistan, where accountingpractices are different from those in theUS. The company lost clients like GM,Unilever and Bank of America, whichaffected its brand equity and increased itsdebt burden.


• To discuss the negatives of reckless globalexpansion by a corporate and theresulting factors which could affect acorporate’s brand image.

Industry Advertising and MarketingReference No. COS0033Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Interpublic; Global expansion; Marketingservices; Inorganic growth strategy;Acquisition; Sarbanes Oxley Act; US GAAP(generally accepted accounting principals);Marketing communications companies;Lowe Worldwide; WPP; Omnicorp;Strategy.

The Changing Style: Versace’sVeracity?

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$533.8 million by 1997. However, withthe murder of Gianni Versace in 1997, thecompany started witnessing declining sales,accumulating debts that touched £83million by the end of 2003. However, underGiancarlo Di Risio, who was appointed asthe new chief executive officer (CEO) inSeptember 2004, Versace witnessed a 21%increase in retail sales in the first quarterof 2005. The company expects to breakeven by 2007.


• To understand the growth of Versaceunder Gianni

• To discuss the restructuring strategiesadopted by his sister Donatella and thenew CEO to revive Versace after thedeath of its founder.

Industry ApparelReference No. COS0032Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Gianni Versace; Donatella; Restructuringstrategies; Italian fashion industry; Medusalogo; Apparel market; Family-run businesses;Design innovations; Advertising strategies;Richard Avedon; Competitive strategies ofVersace; Entrepreneurship; Giancarlo DiRisio; Divestments of Versace products lines;Importance of customer research.

BP - John Browne Bets on Asia:The Strategic Logic

To fuel its growth, BP (British Petroleum)started expanding its operations in Asia,especially in the lucrative markets of Chinaand India. BP entered into joint venturedeals in the downstream sector, with localcompanies in both these countries.However, BP was not granted significantaccess in the domestic oil industry in thesecountries, especially in the upstream sector.Also, the margins on the downstreamoperations were lower than the upstreamoperations.


• To explore the strategic logic behind BP’sexpansion into Asia

• To discuss the potential of such anexpansion and the future of BP in Asia.

Industry EnergyReference No. COS0031Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

BP (British Petroleum); Downstreamoperations; Upstream operations; Lord

John Browne; Russian oil industry; Chineseoil industry; Indian oil industry; Sinopec;Hindusthan Petroleum Corporation Ltd;Government subsidy; Mergers.

Google’s Grand Moves: Are theyStrategic?

To widen its revenue base, Google hasrecently diversified into a variety ofbusinesses ranging from wireless Internetaccess and mobile devices to operatingsystems and e-commerce. However, despitehaving the highest brand recognition, with300 million users worldwide, Google is facingstiff competition from other search giantslike Microsoft and Yahoo!. Additionally, thematuring of the paid search listings marketmight prove to be a limiting factor for thefuture growth of the company.


• To highlight the expansion strategies ofGoogle

• To discuss the potential benefits thatGoogle might accrue from its expansioninitiatives in the future and its imminentchallenges.

Industry Internet Search and NavigationReference No. COS0030Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Global search engine industry; Yahoo!;Microsoft; eBay PayPal; Expansionstrategies of search engines; Businessstrategies of search engines; Market entrystrategies; Services and products;Acquisitions; Diversification; Froogle;Revenue model; Competitive strategies;Search engine war; Google IPO (InitialPublic Offering).

Starbucks’ Music(Mis?)Adventure

During the 1990s, due to customer demand,Starbucks started selling compilation CDsof the music that it played in its stores. Bythe turn of the 21st century, Starbucksacquired a CD catalogue company, launchedan FM music channel, opened music mediabars in 45 of its stores in Seattle and Austinand successfully released and marketed newalbums of established as well as aspiringartists. However, Starbucks faced stiffcompetition from music and non-musicretailers who offered on-line music at lowerprices and user-friendly technology.


• To understand the strategies adopted byStarbucks to foray into music retailing

• To discuss the challenges that it mightface in a highly competitive industry intransition.

Industry RetailingReference No. COS0029Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

US coffee retail market; US music industry;Global expansion of Starbucks;Competitive advantage of Starbucks;Product lines of Starbucks; Starbucks’ brandextension; Music record labels; Breakevenof revenues at media bars; Third placeexperience at Starbucks; Starbucks’customers; Starbucks Hear Music coffeehouses; Starbucks Hear Music media bars;Antigone Rising; Genius Loves Company

Dell’s Service Business:Duplicating the Low-Cost PC

ModelBy following its Dell Direct or Low-CostPC Model, Dell became the number oneseller of personal computers. For itsservices business, Dell went on to duplicatethe model and the business posted a profitof $3.7 billion with a 30% growth rate in2005. The company was confident thatthe model was successful for its servicesbusiness and analysts expected this businessto double in size by 2010. However, criticswere sceptical about the future of Dell’sservices business and the applicability ofthe model.


• To enable understanding the intricaciesof the Dell Direct Model and the wayDell was duplicating it in the servicesbusiness

• To highlight the challenges that layahead for Dell’s services business

• To discuss whether Dell’s servicesbusiness would be as successful as itshardware business and the appropriateof its business model.

Industry IT ServicesReference No. COS0028Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Dell’s service business; Dell Direct; Dell’slow-cost PC model; Dell effect; Dell’s build-to-order system; Michael Dell; Managedservices; Support services; Professionalservices; Deployment services; Financialservices; Training and certificationservices.

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Siemens’ Troubled Mobile PhoneBusiness: Options and Strategies

The mobile phone division of Siemens AG,the German electronics major, is the fourthlargest producer of mobile handsets in theworld. But since 2001 it has been constantlyreporting losses quarter after quarter. Thecompany’s efforts to revive the division’sfortunes failed to yield any substantial resultand the division has grown to be the‘Achilles heel’ for the European giant.With the appointment of the new ChiefExecutive Officer (CEO), Klaus Kleinfeld,a decision on the mobile division has becomethe top priority. The troubled unit posesfour possible options for the new CEO –sale, closure, joint venture or a turnaround.


• To understand the growth of Siemens’mobile phone division, the factorsresponsible for its decline and thestrategies adopted during the troubledtimes

• To discuss the various options availablefor the CEO to make a decision on thefuture of the loss-making mobile unit.

Industry Mobile Electronics,Communications


Keywords

Siemens Information andCommunications; Mobile electronicsproducts and services; Information andCommunication Mobile (ICM);Turnaround and survival strategies;Restructuring plan; cost-cutting efforts;Heinrich von Pierer and Klaus Kleinfeld;Siemens Communications Group; SiemensAG mobile division; Loss-making division;EU economic recession; overcapacity;Nokia; Sony Ericsson; Motorola; BenQ;Revival options and strategies; Telecomequipment and services; Turnaroundspecialist; Divestments and spin-offs.

Reviving Sanyo: Experimentingwith an Inexperienced CEO

Sanyo Electric Company, Japan’s third-largest consumer electronics makerwitnessed the company’s biggest financialdecline in its 58-years of history for theyear ended March 31 st 2005, as it reporteda loss of $1.1 billion. The grave financialposition in turn spurred a change in thetop management. Tomoyo Nonaka, aformer TV journalist, with little knowledgeabout electronics and no managementexperience was appointed as the newchairman and chief executive officer(CEO), while Toshimasa Iue, grandson of

Sanyo’s founder and son of the currentchairman Satoshi Iue was appointed as thepresident. The new appointments came asa surprise to many’.


• To discuss the revival prospects of Sanyo,with an inexperienced CEO at the helm.

Industry Consumer ElectronicsReference No. COS0026Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Sanyo Electrical Company; Consumerelectronics; Corporate governance; Chiefexecutive office (CEO); Managementreshuffle; Leadership; Tomoyo Nonaka;Toshimasa Lue; Succession planning;Change management; Turnaround;Restructuring strategies; Sales decline;Original equipment manufacturer; Sluggisheconomic conditions.

VW’s and GM’s Loss in China: FirstMover’s Disadvantage?

During the 1960s and the 1970s, Chinalacked the technical expertise to facilitatemass production of automobiles. TheGovernment of China made a policy ofencouraging foreign car makers through50-50 joint ventures with the indigenousproducers. Among the first to enter intothe Chinese market through this modewere Volkswagen (VW), in 1984, andGeneral Motors (GM), in 1995. ThoughVW and GM made huge profits and largemarket shares in China in their early years,they lost out eventually to new entrantslike Hyundai and a Chinese companynamed Chery. Despite their position as theincumbents, they failed to customise theircars according to the shift in their customersegment, from the government-ownedinstitutions to individuals. It was opinedthat GM and VW have procrastinated cost-cutting and other measures for too long.


• To discuss how complacency can tumblethe fortunes of a company and dampenthe first mover’s advantage

• To discuss whether it proves beneficialto be a forerunner or a follower in thenew markets.

Industry Automobile ManufacturingReference No. COS0025Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Volkswagen; General Motors; First mover’sadvantage; Customisation; Competitive

pricing strategy; New market entrants;Chery; Global automobile industry; Jointventure; Shanghai Automotive CorporationFirst Auto Works (FAW); Flexible toolingand lean manufacturing; Operationalflexibility; Price war; Market share.

Paul Otellini’s ‘Right Hand Turn’Strategy: Leading Intel in a New

Direction?By the turn of the 21st century, Intel’schallenges included the Internet bubbleburst, rival AMD outperforming Intel andvarious product delays and cancellations.Amidst these challenges, Paul Otellini inNovember 2004 was appointed as fifthChief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intel.Otellini shifted Intel’s focus from speed ofmicroprocessors to its performance usingdual core processors indicating a ‘right handturn’ for Intel. With the introduction ofdual core chips and Paul Otellini as thenew CEO, in May 2005, Intel attempts totake on rival AMD and steer itself as a‘growth company’.


• To understand Intel’s challenges in the21st century

• To discuss Intel’s new strategy for growthin 2005, under the leadership of PaulOtellini, against the backdrop of thecompetitive semiconductor industry.

Industry Microprocessors,Microcontrollers, DigitalSignal Processing


Keywords

Intel’s product launch strategy; PaulOtellini at Intel; Intel-AMD price war;Global semiconductor industry; Heatgenerated by Intel’s processors; AMD’stechnological advantages over Intel; Intel’sdual core processors; Otellini’s ‘two-in-a-box’ management strategy; Paul Otellini’s‘right hand turn’ strategy; Reorganisationat Intel; Dell’s Intel only strategy;Leadership style; Moore’s Law.

Sir Howard Stringer at Sony:Delivering ‘American Results’ for

a Japanese Company?In the early 21st century, Sony, Japan’smost innovative company and the world’smost valuable consumer electronicscompany, was in a crisis. Its foray intomusic, motion pictures, and financialservices, had left the company facing adiverse spectrum of increasinglycompetitive rivals. Sony’s brand value was






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on the decline as products like Apple’s iPod(portable digital music player) andSamsung’s LCD (liquid crystal display) TVsleaped ahead in terms of quality and demandin an industry, which had been dominatedby Sony for almost half a century. Arestructuring plan, ‘Transformation 60’,was implemented by the then chiefexecutive officer Nobiyuki Idei to reviveSony’s flagging business by 2006, the yearof Sony’s 60th anniversary. However, in2004, Sony’s core electronics business,which constituted almost two-thirds of thecompany sales, incurred losses. NobiyukiIdei resigned from his post and for the firsttime in the history of Sony, a non-Japanese,non-engineer, Sir Howard Stringer wasappointed the head of Sony.


• To understand the problems at Sony, therise of Sir Howard within Sony, thereasons for Sir Howard’s appointmentas the head of Sony and the challengesfacing Sir Howard and Sony

• To discuss whether Sir Howard will beable to revive Sony’s fortunes.

Industry Electronics and EntertainmentReference No. COS0023Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Sony Corporation; Masaru Ibuka and AkioMorita Leadership; Tokyo Tsushin KogyoTotsuko; Global consumer electronicsindustry; Audio and video electronicdevices; Sony Computer EntertainmentInc; Business model legacy innovation;Failed synergies of content and devices;Video tape format war Betamax vs VHS;Sony Ericsson; Aiwa; MGM; Cineplex; CBS;Nobuyuki Idei and Sir Howard Stringer;Walkman; Trinitron TV; Cybershot;PlayStation; World’s smallest, largest, first,best; Sony Pictures; Music Television;BMG; Transformation 60 restructuringplan.

AOL’s Ad Revenues: A NewBusiness Model

By the end of September 2004, thesubscriber base of AOL (America OnlineInc), the world’s largest Internet accessprovider, had reduced from 26 million to22.7 million. AOL began to lose theindustry leadership to Yahoo!, MSN andGoogle; its ad revenue for the second quarterof 2004 being $221 million against Yahoo’s$467 million.


• To highlight the troubles faced by AOL

• To discuss the potential of the newadvertisement model of AOL to boostits revenues.

Industry Telecommunications and MediaReference No. COS0022Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

AOL (America Online Inc); On-linesubscription; Ad revenues; Yahoo; MSN;Google; On-line ad industry; Pay-per-click;Adwords; Cost-per-click; Advertising.com;Video on demand; AIM (AOL InstantMessenger) video; AOL Instant Messenger;Clickthrough rates.

The New York Times: BalancingProfitability And Traditional

JournalismThe New York Times (Times), which hasbeen credited with one hundred and elevenPulitzer prizes and revered for its authenticjournalism, is faced with several challenges.Arthur Sulzberger Jr, publisher of the Times,is faced with the challenge of justifyinghuge investments made for revamping theprinted editions, and the expenses incurredfrom investigative reporting and findingnew revenue streams for the company.The solution for increasing profitabilitymight lie in its on-line version and thecompany is debating on the issue of levyinga subscription fee for viewing its on-linecontent.


• To understand the viability of authenticjournalism while pursuing the objectiveof increasing profit margins

• To discuss whether The New York Timesshould be charging its on-line visitorsfor both its current and archive sections.

Industry Newspaper PublishingReference No. COS0021Year of Pub. 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

The New York Times; Printing andpublishing industry; Competition in thenewspaper industry; Strategic partnershipsbetween companies; Strategic decisionmaking by management; On-line newschannels; On-line subscription fees; On-line advertising; Print edition and on-lineversions of newspapers; Significance ofadvertisement revenues; Nytimes.com;The New York Times Digital Company;Strategic investments in print and on-lineeditions; Business models of The New YorkTimes; The Washington Post.

Accenture’s Grand Vision:‘Corporate America’s Superstar

Maker’Accenture is a leading managementconsulting, technology services andoutsourcing firm. While traditionalmanagement consulting was the mainbusiness for Accenture, areas like systemsintegration and outsourcing became the keygrowth sectors for the company. However,its broad geographic and marketdiversification increased competition. Tobecome the industry leader, the new chiefexecutive officer, William Greendeveloped a grand vision for Accenture,‘Corporate America’s Superstar Maker’.


• To discuss Accenture’s grand vision, itscompetitive advantages, its strategiesand the future challenges

• To discuss whether Accenture would beable to achieve its grand vision.

Industry Management Consulting and.Outsourcing


Keywords

Accenture; Grand vision; William Green;Management consultancy; Business processoutsourcing (BPO); Systems integration;Leadership development programme;Arthur Andersen & Co; Consulting business;Competitive advantage; Business andservices portfolio; Diversification; MostAdmired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE)Awards; Strategy; Accenture SensorTelemetry Rapid Deployment Toolkit.

Building Business in China: TheShui On Way

The rapid growth in China’s constructionindustry since the late 1990s providedseveral opportunities for constructionfirms to expand their operations in thecountry. Vincent Lo, the chairman of ShuiOn Group, a Hong Kong based constructionenterprise, first entered the Chinese marketduring the mid-1980s. Over the next fewyears, he began to invest on the ChineseMainland, buying cement plants anddeveloping high-end commercial andresidential centers. He spent a lot of timebuilding relationships with Chineseofficials, which earned him the nickname,‘King of guanxi’. Vincent Lo’s mostsuccessful venture in China has been thedevelopment of Shanghai’s premierentertainment district, Xintiandi.

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• To highlight the realities of doingbusiness in China

• To discuss how Vincent Lo has capitalisedon his knowledge of the country’scustoms and traditions to build hisbusiness in the country.

Industry Construction IndustryReference No. COS0019Year of Pub 2005Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Mainland China; Regulatory framework;China’s construction industry; Buildingrelationships; Shui on Group; ChineseMinistry of Construction; Ministry ofUrban and Rural Construction; State-owned enterprises; Foreign constructionfirms; Business opportunities; XintiandiEntertainment District; Vincent Lo;Engineering design and consulting firms;Commercial housing projects; Chinese realestate.

Nike’s New Discipline:BalancingCreativity and Business Sense

Beaverton, Oregon-based Nike Inc, hasachieved what most brands in the worldhave failed. As an athletic footwear andsports apparel manufacturer, Nike’s brandhas spread through generations of sportand leisure activity. Over the years, thebrand had become synonymous with sportcelebrities like Michael Jordan and TigerWoods. Nike’s belief in a performance shoebacked by high-value advertising enabledit to gain an edge over competitors likeAdidas and Reebok. But the company hadits share of ups and downs due to supplychain failure and outmoded designs. Addedto this were the allegations of labourexploitation in its Asian factories. But thecompany rebutted its critics by emergingas the leader in the athletic footwearsegment. In the fiscal year that ended May31 st 2004, the company posted a 15%rise in sales reaching $12.3 billion.


• To discuss Nike’s marketing andadvertising practices in the light ofcustomers’ fast changing preferences

• To discuss how the company has, overthe years, produced some of the bestshoe technologies.

Industry FootwearReference No. COS0018Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

Nike; Onitsuka Tiger Company; BlueRibbon Sports; Bill Bowerman and PhilKnight; Jogging wave; Performance shoes;Sports celebrities; Adidas and soccer;Acquisitions; R&D centre (research anddevelopment); Air Jordan; The ‘just do it’campaign; Footlocker.

Bloomberg’s Dilemma: Growthor Sale?

In November 2001, after Bloomberg’sfounder Michael Rubens Bloomberg left thecompany to become the New York CityMayor, a new management team took overthe reins of the media and financial-information conglomerate. By allaccounts, Michael Bloomberg had placedhis firm in the hands of a managementteam that did not seem to be inclined tochange much or take big risks, in markedcontrast to the situation when MichaelBloomberg was at the helm. Also thecompetition increased from other playersin the industry such as Reuters, ThomsonCorporation and Dow Jones.


• To discuss the challenges faced byBloomberg after Michael Bloomberg leftthe company

• To discuss the initiatives taken by thecompany to counter the measures takenby its competitors.

Industry Information Collection andDelivery


Keywords

Bloomberg; Michael Bloomberg; Marketdata industry; Reuters; Tom Glocer;Thomson Financial; Dow Jones; TheBloomberg Professional; Terminals; PeterT Grauer; Reuters’ 3000; Bloomberg-lite;Lex Fenwick; Bloomberg law; Bloomberganywhere.

McDonald’s Menu: Makeover orMake-up?

By the turn of the 21st century, obesity hadbeen categorised as a global epidemic andstudies conducted by the ‘Centre for DiseaseControl and Prevention’ of the US showedthat nearly 30% of the Americanpopulation was suffering from obesity andrelated health problems. Weight Watchersand other social groups blamed the calorie-rich food as the prime cause of obesity andbegan to target fast-food companies like

the McDonald’s Corporation. McDonald’sbecame the focal point for a number ofanti-obesity lawsuits and controversialdocumentaries. In response to thisbacklash, McDonald’s embarked on amission to change its menu offerings toinclude a range of ‘healthy’ food items likesalads and juices. Despite such efforts,sceptics raised serious concerns about thegenuineness of the health benefits of thenew additions and on the sincerity of thecompany’s commitment to the cause ofpromoting a healthy lifestyle.


• To discuss the issue of corporate socialresponsibility among fast foodcompanies.


Reference No. COS0016Year of Pub 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

Keywords

McDonald’s; Go active; Obesity; Super sizeme; McLibel trial; McSalad Shakers;Premium salads; McDonald’s calories;Subway; Panera bread; Schlotzsky’s; HappyMeals; Anti-obesity; Fastfood chains;McDonald’s balanced lifestyles platform.

indiOne: The Indian ‘Premium’Hotel for the ‘Bottom of the

Pyramid’Tata group’s Indian Hotels CompanyLimited (IHCL), India’s largest luxury hotelchain launched its first ‘no-frill’ hotelnamed indiOne in Bangalore. indiOne, astand-alone brand created without the Taj-tag, aimed to provide a comfortable, clean,and safe stay at an affordable price for themiddle-class traveler. The hotel providedsingle and double rooms just for INR 900and INR 950 ($19.45 and $20.54)respectively. This was considered to be alandmark innovation in the traditionalIndian hospitality industry that had beenover the years targeting foreign touristsand had ignored the huge potential of itsdomestic tourists, who were predominatelyfrom the middle-class segment. Moreover,the industry faced the brunt of lowoccupancies and declining average roomrates (ARRs) as Indian tourism wentthrough a bad phase due to September 11terrorist attacks, the attack on the IndianParliament House and escalating tensionin the Indo-Pak relations. So when themajority of the luxury hotels were tryingto boost their occupancy rates and ARRsby introducing discount schemes andloyalty programmes, IHCL launched abudget hotel, which was affordable to theIndian middle-class traveler.





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• To discuss how IHCL has positioneditself in the budget category withoutdiluting the image of its flagship Tajbrand

• To discuss the potential opportunitiesthat companies have in serving thepopulation at ‘the bottom of thepyramid’.

Industry LeisureReference No. COS0015Year of Pub 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

indiOne; Tata group; Indian hotel industry;Luxury hotels; Cost efficiencies; Branding;India’s middle class; Domestic traveller;Roots Corporation Limited.

Hutchison’s Gamble in theEuropean 3G Cellular Market

Since the beginning of the 21st century, theEuropean telecom companies had invested$250 billion in licence fees andinfrastructural development to offer 3G(third generation) cellular services. Theywere betting on a technology that had notbeen developed to an extent where theoperators could provide full-fledged 3Gservices to their customers. Consequently,most of these companies got into hugedebts and write offs. Under suchcircumstances, Hutch started its 3G servicesin Europe.


• To discuss the factors which promptedHutch to make huge investments in the3G service in Europe and what is at stakefor its first commercial 3G service inthe continent.

Industry Consumer Electronics andAppliances


Keywords

Hutchinson Whampoa Limited; Thirdgeneration (3G) cellular services; Europeantelecommunication industry; Mobiletelephony in Europe; NTT DoCoMo;Generations of mobile telephony; 3Gmobile telephony in Europe;Telecommunication license fees in Europe;Losses of European telecom companies;Hutchinson’s telecom services in Europe;Telecom tariff war in Europe.

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Whole Foods Markets: GrowthDilemmas

Whole Foods Markets Inc (Whole Foods),started in 1980 in Texas, US, successfullytapped the growing interest of Americanconsumers in ‘organic foods’, and went onto emerge as the world’s largest organicfoods retailing chain by 2000. Withoperations spread across North Americaand the UK, the chain is popular for itsproducts, philosophy and growth. Butcompetition is increasing from similar storechains, regional food retail chains and alsothe world’s leading retail chains. WholeFoods’ growth is credited to its founderJohn Mackey, who is now facing thechallenges of withstanding the growingcompetition from global giants andretaining the good show of the companyin terms of growth and profits. There areother challenges in the form of employeeunrest, sourcing bottlenecks, and protestsfrom consumer interest organisations.


• To discuss the inception and growth storyof Whole Foods from a single store to amarket leading chain of stores

• To discuss the profile of the organicfoods market and the industry dynamics,along with the competitive scenario forWhole Foods.

Industry Food Retailing, GroceryReference No. COS0013Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Organic foods; Natural foods; Whole foods;John Mackey; Organic farming; Wal-Mart;Competition in the US grocery market;Rise of organic foods; USDA (United StatesDepartment of Agriculture) organiclabeling; National organic standards; Wildoats markets; Growth challenges.

Imagi International Holdings Ltd(HK): The Growth Dilemmas

Boto International, a Hong Kong-basedcompany was the largest manufacturer ofartificial Christmas trees and festiveproducts and supplied its products to storeslike Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target. In 2002,Boto’s management sold the profitableChristmas tree business to finance itsanimation start-up called ImagiInternational. With no experience in thefield of animation, it was a challenge forImagi’s management to make it one of thetop players in the Hong Kong animationindustry.


• To discuss the growth dilemmas facedby Imagi International and its endeavourto prove to its shareholders that showbusiness was more fun and profitable thanmaking Christmas trees.

Industry Multimedia and EntertainmentReference No. COS0012Year Of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Imagi International Holdings Limited;Hong Kong animation industry; Zentrix;Father of the Pride; Computer graphicsanimation; Christmas tree business;Greenland Investment Holdings Limited;Carlyle Group; DreamWorks SKG; FrancisKAO; Boto International HoldingsLimited; Growth strategies; Siegfried andRoy’s show; Media and entertainmentindustry.

Bikram Yoga: Doing Yoga theMcDonald’s Way?

Yoga, a traditional Indian approach tophysical fitness, mental peace and spiritualbliss, has been in the public domain formore than five thousand years. The 20thcentury witnessed the rise and spread ofYoga in several forms and styles, aroundthe world. Especially in the US, thepopularity of Yoga turned it into amultimillion dollar business. It raisedconcern when one such style - BikramYoga - sought copyrights and set forth afranchising business model.


• To discuss the controversy about BikramYoga in the wake of its protection as anintellectual property

• To discuss the issue of commodificationand commercialisation of Yoga.

Industry Not ApplicableReference No. COS0011Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note AvailableStruc.Assign. Available

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Bikram Yoga; Bikram Choudhury; Yoga inAmerica; Intellectual property rights; SunValley conference; Copyright protection;McDonald’s franchising model;Commodification; Commercialisation;Brand strength; Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga;Alternative health treatment; Patents andtrademarks





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JetBlue Airways: Neeleman’sFuture Bet

During the period 2001-2003, when thesix major network carriers in the US hadcollectively lost $21 billion, the low costairline JetBlue had managed to increase itsprofits from $38 million to $103 million.In spite of the overall industry malaise,Neeleman, the airline’s founder made anaggressive plan to increase the fleet sizefrom 57 Airbus A320s to 290 and theemployee strength to 25,000 by 2010(from 6,000 in 2003).


• To discuss the strategies adopted byJetBlue to keep costs low and comparethem with other low cost carriers suchas Southwest Airlines

• To discuss the development of the workculture at JetBlue and its significance indifferentiating the airline from its othercompetitors

• To discuss the challenges the airline mightface due to the rapid expansion and itscomparison with People Express Airlines

• To discuss the challenges the airlinemight face by diversifying its fleet withthe Embraer jets and the probableunionisation threats it might face due tothis strategy

• To discuss the challenges it might facefrom the other major airlines once theindustry becomes more stable.

Industry AirlinesReference No. COS0010Year Of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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JetBlue Airways; Low cost airlines in theUS; Cost management by low cost carriers;US airlines industry after September 11,2001; Brand building by JetBlue Airways;Operations of JetBlue airways; HR (humanresource) practices at JetBlue Airways; Corevalues of JetBlue Airways; Low cost versustraditional airlines in the US; Growth plansof JetBlue Airways; The challenges aheadfor JetBlue Airways.

Kodak: Betting on DigitalImaging

Eastman Kodak, a 130 year old companyis undergoing a radical transformation dueto the rapid convergence of traditionalphotography with consumer electronics.Faced with the threat of worldwide declinein photographic film sales, as well as thegrowing popularity of digital cameras,Daniel Carp, the chairman and CEO ofKodak, had announced a new growth

strategy. His focus was in the digital trinityof image capture (cameras), services (on-line photofinishing sites, kiosks andminilabs) and image output (printingpaper).


• To discuss the growth strategies adoptedby its current chairman and CEO DanielCarp for its digital imaging business

• To discuss Kodak’s future outlook

• To discuss the threat posed by cameraphones to the digital still cameraindustry in the short and long-term.

Industry Photographic and OpticalEquipment Manufacturers


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Kodak; Digital imaging; Daniel Carp;Traditional film business; Digital service;Competitive scenario; On-linephotofinishing sites; Kodak’s newinitiatives; Entertainment imaging group.

Nicholas Piramal India: SurvivalStrategies for International Patent

Law RegimeThe Indian pharmaceutical industry is onthe verge of a major turnaround with theproposed implementation of InternationalPatent Law (IPL) from January 2005onwards. This means that India’spharmaceutical companies will have tostrictly adhere to product patent laws andnot the process patent laws that it hasfollowed to date. Indian companies werereverse engineering the patented drugs and,with minor changes in the process, launchedthem in the domestic markets at cheaperrates. The enforcement of the law wouldnecessiate the Indian companies tocomplete with global pharma majors tostay in business. Thus, Indian companieshave increased investments in research anddevelopment (R&D), joint ventures andalso have elaborated their marketingefforts.


• To discuss the impact of internationalpatent law on the Indian pharmaceuticalindustry and how NPIL planned to meetthe product patent challenge

• To discuss the various efforts taken byNicholas Piramal India Limited (NPIL)to stay competitive in the post-2005period

• To discuss the strategic approachesfollowed by NPIL to face the global

competitive market and the company’sfocus on joint ventures more than onR&D

• To discuss the multiprolonged strategicapproach for growth

• To discuss the multifaceted strategiesadopted by Nicholas Piramal IndiaLimited to cope with the on-comingimplementation of international patentlaw from January 1st 2005

• To discuss the problems that NPIL wouldhave to face in the future with its adoptedstrategies.

Industry Pharmaceutical IndustryReference No. COS0008Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Survival strategy - Nicholas Piramal IndiaLimited (NPIL); Indian pharmaceuticalindustry; Generic drugs; Drug price controls;Business strategy; Joint ventures; alliancesand partnerships; International patent law;Indian Patent Act, 1976; Product, processpatents; Mergers and acquisitions; Organic,inorganic growth strategy; Research anddevelopment; New chemical entities(NCE); Marketing and branding; Traderelated aspects of intellectual propertyrights; General agreement on trade andtariffs (GATT).

Expedia: The Changing BusinessModel

Having started as an on-line travel agentfor the airline companies in 1994, Expediaincreased its offerings and became theworld’s leading on-line travel agent in2002. The success of Expedia wasattributed to the shift in its business modelfrom ‘commission model’ to ‘merchantmodel’.


• To discuss how Expedia reinvented itsbusiness by creating multiple profitcenters like hotel bookings, car rentals,etc.

• To discuss the unique concepts that thecompany has innovated to help it tocome out from the travel slump afterthe September 11 downturn.

Industry Travel Agencies and ServicesReference No. COS0007Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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agent; Travel business; Dynamicpackaging; Business travel industry; RichardBarton; Travelocity; Metropolitan Travel;InterActiveCorp; USA NetworksIncorporated; Newtrade Technologies;Expert searching and pricing.

Coke’s Relationship with Bottlers:To ‘Revive and Sustain’

The Coca-Cola Company (Coke), theworld’s leading soft drink company, has itssuccess tied to its global bottling system.As the company’s executives wielded morepower and control over their bottlingpartners and neglected the partners’interests, their relationships strained andthe company’s performance got affected.On introspection, the company realisedthe need to revive its relationship with itsbottlers and government regulatorsworldwide to sustain its success.


• To discuss some of the changes Cokemade in rebuilding the strainedrelationships with its bottlers

• To discuss the importance of maintaininggood relationships with partners, andtaking their interests into account whiledesigning policies.

Industry BeveragesReference No. COS0006Year of Pub 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

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Coke’s bottling operation; Consolidationof bottlers; Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE);Acquisitions and mergers; Douglas Daft;Distribution channels; Coca-Cola servings;Contamination scares; Coke concentrate;Financial wizardry; Donald Keough;Roberto Goizueta; Douglas Ivester; TheCoca-Cola Company (Coke); HellenicBottling Company; Restructuring; 49%solution.

Exelon’s Business Strategy:JohnW Rowe’s Way

When the going gets easy every companygets going and dares to venture intounrelated businesses. Growth charts, easymoney and stock market bubbles make theexecutives at many companies think thatnothing could go wrong with them. Thiscase provides insights into the strategy ofan electric utility Exelon, which did notfall into herd mentality, stuck to its basicsand went from strength to strength. ExelonCorporation, one of the largest electricutility companies in the United States hasbeen implementing its cost cutting andacquisition strategy, to become the number

one electric utility company. In 2002 and2003, the company was listed on theBusinessWeek’s tally of 50 best performingcompanies in the Standard and Poor’sstock index.


• To discuss the strategy a company couldfollow in a mature industry

• To enable discussion as to how acompany can leverage on its corecompetency in its endeavor to becomethe number one company in its industryl.

Industry Utility and EnergyReference No. COS0005Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Exelon Corporation; Peco EnergyCompany; Unicom Corporation; John WRowe; Corbin A McNeill Jr; Utilitycompanies; Nuclear fleet; Cost cutting;Mergers and acquisitions; Purchasingmethod of accounting; Sithe Energies;American Energy Company; Wholesalemarket and retail market; DynegyIncorporated; Rate freeze.

ICICI: Too Big to Fail?Into the fifth decade of its existence, theIndustrial Credit & Investment Corporationof India (ICICI) had evolved to become abehemoth in the Indian financial system.With a presence in almost every financialmarket segment and numerous subsidiaries,it is the bank with the second-largest assetbase in India. Expansions anddiversifications had however raisedquestions about the rationale behind theexpansion. When a simple rumour of acash crunch could cause panic withdrawalsrunning into one and a half crores in justthree days, it was time to stop andconsolidate their position, thought experts.


• To discuss the meteoric rise of ICICI inIndia

• To discuss whether the company shouldstrive for better results in the markets itoperates in or should go for neweropportunities as and when they presentthemselves

• To discuss the possible problems becauseof bringing all the subsidiaries under oneumbrella organisation.

Industry Banking & Financial ServicesReference No. COS0004Year of Pub 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Industrial Credit and InvestmentCorporation of India (ICICI); ICICI Bank;Reverse merger; Largest private sectorbank; Retail banking; Retail portfolio;Expansion; Consolidation.

Merck: The Cost of Going AloneFor generations, Merck & Co wasconsidered the jewel of the pharmaceuticalindustry. However, it was under RoyVagelos, who became the CEO in 1985,that the company produced manybreakthrough drugs. While the companyemerged as the icon of consumerhealthcare, Vagelos was dubbed as the ‘JackWelch of the pharmaceutical industry’.Particularly, Merck’s overwhelmingresearch power left many rival companiesstruggling. However, the mid-1990s sentmost of the pharma majors in the US intoa dry spell due to expirations of patents.Even for Merck, the year 2000 meant theexpiration of five of its blockbuster drugsand the company had no new drugs in itsresearch pipeline. While most of thepharma companies either merged or boughtideas from small biotech firms to fill theirpipeline, Merck remained stuck to its idealof developing its drugs in-house.


• To facilitate discussion on how Merck,under Vagelos, became the world-leaderin consumer healthcare

• To discuss why Merck was reluctance tolook for a merger partner, when mostof the pharma majors have benefitedfrom the synergies of mergers.

Industry PharmaceuticalReference No. COS0003Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Ray Gilmartin; Roy Vagelos; Zocor;Patent-expiration; Streptomycin;Schering-Plough; Vioxx; Mevacor; Pfizer;Vasotec; Pharma mergers.

Genentech’s Business StrategyGenentech, the pioneer of thebiotechnology industry and one of theworld’s leading biotech companies, wasfounded in 1976. The company in its earlyyears, aspired to become a blockbuster-producing giant but was unsuccessful. WhenArthur D Levinson took over as the CEOin 1995, he shifted Genentech’s focus totargeted therapies from blockbusters. In2002, it was the top US seller of brandedanti-tumor drugs. It outperformed big

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pharma companies such as Novartis andAstraZeneca in this segment. In 2003, thecompany’s market cap of about $30billion was bigger than most big pharmaplayers. According to analysts, the excitingthing about the company was not its stockprice or its growing supremacy in the cancersegment; rather it was the company’sunique strategy unlike other players in theindustry.


• To discuss Genentech’s business strategyof shifting its focus to targeted therapydrugs unlike the big pharmaceuticalcompanies and how it paid off totransform it into a behemoth in theglobal pharmaceutical industry.

Industry Pharmaceutical IndustryReference No. COS0002Year of Pub. 2004Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Genentech; Business strategy;Biotechnology industry; Research anddevelopment; United Statespharmaceutical industry; Avastin; ArthurD Levinson; Big pharma; Targetedtherapies; Rituxan; Herceptin; Food anddrug administration; United States Food andDrug Administration; Blockbuster drugs;Biologics license application.

HDFC’s Business ModelIn the late 1990s, to exploit the synergiesbrought by universal banking, major banksin Europe and America merged to formleading banks in the world. The trend ofconsolidation hit even the Indian markets.In 2002, Industrial Credit and InvestmentCorporation of India Ltd (ICICI), one ofthe leading development financialinstitutions in India, reverse merged withits subsidiary ICICI Bank, to become thesecond largest bank in India. However,Housing Development and FinanceCorporation (HDFC), India’s leadinghousing finance company in terms ofdeposits and loan disbursements, positioneditself as a group of companies with eachsubsidiary offering specialised products. Itfocused on generating synergies of universalbanking by cross-selling its products acrossits subsidiaries without actually merginginto a single entity.


• To highlight the emerging trend ofuniversal banking in Europe and Americaand the rise of consolidation in theIndian banking industry

• To discuss HDFC’s strategy to generatethe synergies of universal banking by

cross-selling its products through itsvarious companies, each selling somespecialized products.

Industry Banking & Financial ServicesReference No. COS0001Year of Pub. 2003Teaching Note Not AvailableStruc.Assign. Not Available

Keywords

Housing Development and FinanceCorporation; HDFC; Developmentfinancial institution; Indian housingscenario; Universal banking; Interest andinterest rate; Industrial Credit andInvestment Corporation of India Ltd;ICICI; Subsidiaries; mergers andacquisitions; Core competencies; CreditInformation Bureau (India) Ltd; CIBIL;Mutual fund; Statutory liquid and cashreserve ratios; Cross-selling.


case studies on strategy(catalogue i)

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