Case studies on_strategy

S T R A T E G Y – I

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Competition and Strategy/Competitive Strategies

SunTzu’s The Art of War: Industry
Analysis Excercise (B)
Nokia – Global Market Share
40%; US Market Share 10%:
Competitive Strategies
In 2008, Nokia, the global leader in mobile
handset manufacturing faced difficulties in
capturing a sizeable market share in the
US. Nokia’s profit margins reduced year
after year in US since 2004. One often
cited reason was its unwillingness to
customise according to the preferences of
the markets there. As the US
telecommunication industry is one of the
world’s biggest telecommunication
markets, Nokia had to establish itself in
this market to retain its global No.1
position. The case study outlines the US
telecommunication industry structure and
the obstacles Nokia faced in finding a
foothold in this marketplace. It has
grabbed a 40% global market share; but in
the US it has been able to rake it up to just
10%. What possible steps should Nokia
take to capture a sizeable portion of US
market share? What challenges does it
face? What prevents it from having a
formidable market position in the US?
Should it, succumbing to the market
pressures (realities!), decide to customise
its business model? What are the
consequences if it does? For a company,
which adopted a standardised business model
across the world, what would be the
consequences of altering it?
Pedagogical Objectives
• To understand the evolution of mobile
phones and the revolutionary trends in
the mobile handset industry
• To analyse the telecommunication
industry’s standards and their impact on
the industry and handset manufacturers
• To analyse the structure of the US
telecommunication industry and its
relevance for handset manufacturers
• To identify the reasons for Nokia’s
failure in the US telecommunication
industry and to debate on its strategic
response.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Mobile Telecommunications
COM0172
2009
Available
Available

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

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India’s Subhiksha – Aping WalMart’s EDLP Strategy?

This is a set of 102 Multiple Choice
Questions (MCQs) based on Sun Tzu’s The
Art of War book. Designed primarily to
ensure that the students have read the book,
this can be used as an evaluation tool for
this exercise.

Subhiksha, a popular Indian retailer is on
an expansion mode and hoped to make its
presence felt in all parts of the country by
the end of 2008. As part of its marketing
strategy, Subhiksha adopted Wal-Mart’s
popular EDLP pricing strategy. Though
Subhiksha did not aspire to compete with
the conventional retailers like Nilgiri’s or
Spencer’s Daily; it hoped to create a niche
market with its discount model. Subhiksha
relied heavily on organised retailing and
economies of scale. Would an EDLP
strategy suit the Indian retail scenario?

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Not Applicable
COM0171
2009
Not Available
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: Industry
Analysis Exercise (A)
Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, written 2,500
years ago holds powerful lessons for
running businesses, managing people,
honing leadership abilities, motivating the
employees, preparing for a battle, etc. If
the book is used in a highly structured way
to underscore the underpinnings of priceless
wisdom contained throughout the book,
the derived learning would be highly
enriching. No doubt, the book’s principles
can be applied across all the functional
areas of management – may it be
manufacturing/production, marketing,
finance, HR or any other dimension of
managing a company. Most interestingly
and effectively, the book’s powerful
lessons can be related to Strategy course,
especially for analysing industries. When
this book is used for analysing an industry,
along with the other established industry
analysis tools and techniques, the students
would have definitely widened their
horizons. To that end, this note provides
how competition shapes up the strategy
making, an overview of Sun Tzu’s The Art
of War and how to go about integrating
this book with industry analysis exercise.
A set of 100 MCQs and two videos (one on
Indian Banking Industry and other on
Indian Telecom Industry) are also available
along with this note.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Not Applicable
COM0170
2009
Not Available
Not Available

• To comprehend the trends in the Indian
retail industry
• To analyse the rationale behind the
EDLP strategy of Subhiksha
• To study the challenges of a low pricing
model in the competitive Indian retail
sector.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail Industry
COM0169C
2008
Available
Available

Keywords
Indian Retailing Industry; Competitive
Strategies Case Studies; Global Retailing
industry; Subhiksha; Customer Behaviour;
EDLP Strategy; Wal-Mart’s EDLP strategy

Hershey vs Mars: The Candy
Store War
Hershey and Mars had been rivals in the
chocolate industry for decades, and had
shown no signs of backing off from the
way they had competed so far. The greatest
irony was that, Mars and Hershey were
partners in chocolate making way back in
the 1930s. And when they split, it was said
that, Mars vowed to replace Hershey as
the number one chocolate maker in the
US. But till 2006, Hershey had been going
in full throttle and held the top position in
the US market. Though Hershey was on
the top, it faced new threats when its share
price came down, the sales declined, and
Mars started taking them head-on in the
retail front too. So is the vow that was
taken decades back getting fulfilled and will
Mars overtake Hershey in 2007?

Keywords


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

• To discuss how the trend of health
consciousness affects the chocolate
industry
• What strategies Hershey should adopt
to counter competition from Mars

• The newest trends in chocolate retailing.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Confectionery Industry
COM0168B
2008
Available
Available

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

Airbus 350 vs Boeing 787 – Battle
for the Skies
Over the decades, Airbus and Boeing, the
two major players have been at loggerheads
for aircraft orders. This case details the
intensity of the rivalry between the two
companies by elucidating facts and figures
of a new aircraft being developed from each
of their stables. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner
being designed with new composite
material is meant to set industry standards.
As according to the company, this aircraft
would help airliners save fuel costs. The
aircraft is also intended to be tons lighter
than other models. Airbus, on the other
side, with its A350 XWB intends to offer
the airline market with the largest aircraft
it has produced till date. Post, Paris Air
Show and the Dubai Air Show held in 2007,
A350 claims to give a stiff competition to
787. Boeing plans to deliver its Dreamliner
by 2008, and Airbus by 2013. Boeing with
5 years of advantage, and confirmed orders,
industry observers inquire, if Airbus would
beat the time advantage or bank on the
strength of the A350, or better still use the
time to their advantage and modify the
aircraft to being user friendly.
• To understand competition existing in a
duopoly market
• To understand demand and supply of
aircrafts in the aviation industry
• To analyse the competitive strategies
deployed by Airbus and Boeing and the
possible threats from various new
entrants to their duopoly
• To analyse whether the competition
between Airbus and Boeing would be a
healthy sign for the aircraft
manufacturing industry or would they
lose their market share to the new players
of the industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.

Aircraft Industrys
COM0167B
2008

Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Available
Available

Keywords
Airbus 350; Boeing 787; Aircraft
Manufacturing Industry; Airbus Boeing;
Dreamliner; A350 XWB; European Union;
Subsidies; A330; Competitive Strategies Case
Study; Bombardier; Commercial Aircraft

The Coffee War: McDonald’s vs
Starbucks
Companies can stick with their competitive
advantage, by either satisfying customers’
need or else altering them. Firms that shape
customer needs in new directions
dramatically increase the customer value
proposition and improve business systems
– a strategy best described as marketdriving. Many pioneering companies follow
this 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 but
exclusive chain of sleek designer boutique
hotels. In a country accustomed to large,
marble-clad hotels, The Park’s strategy to
create the hotel was considered highly risky
and bizarre. But the hotel’s chairperson,
Priya Paul, fought for her idea and her
transformational leadership qualities has
seen the hotel chain create a niche in the
boutique hotels segment. The case is a good
illustration of a hotel chain with a marketdriving approach that came up with
breakthrough innovations and deeply
reshaped business systems.
• To analyse the dynamics of the food
service industry of the US
• To analyse the core competencies of
McDonald’s and Starbucks
• To understand the rationale of Starbucks
and McDonald’s expansion
• To highlight the challenges involved in
product offering enhancements
• To discuss how McDonald’s and
Starbucks would retain their core
competencies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Food and Beverages
COM0166A
2008
Available
Available

Indian Hotel Industry (B): The
Park’s Eye for the Unconventional
Companies can stick with their competitive
advantage, by either satisfying customers’
need or else altering them. Firms that shape
customer needs in new directions
dramatically increase the customer value
proposition and improve business systems
– a strategy best described as marketdriving. Many pioneering companies follow
this 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 but
exclusive chain of sleek designer boutique
hotels. In a country accustomed to large,
marble-clad hotels, The Park’s strategy to
create the hotel was considered highly risky
and bizarre. But the hotel’s chairperson,
Priya Paul, fought for her idea and her
transformational leadership qualities has
seen the hotel chain create a niche in the
boutique hotels segment. The case is a good
illustration of a hotel chain with a marketdriving approach that came up with
breakthrough innovations and deeply
reshaped business systems.


• Discuss rivalry and competition of Pepsi
and Coke or of companies in other
industries

• To understand the boutique hotel concept
and its uniqueness among the other
formats, and also highlight its success
factors in India
• To discuss The Park’s positioning, before
and after India’s economic liberalisation,
and analyse the reasons for the hotel’s
repositioning
• To discuss the framework in creating and
implementing a market-driving culture,
to gain a competitive advantage.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Hospitality Industry
COM0165
2008
Available
Available

Keywords
Boutique Hotel Concept in India; Priya
Paul; Apeejay Surrendra Group; Market
Driving Strategy; Target Customers; Value
and Lifestyle Group; Repositioning
Strategies;
Leadership
through
Differentiation; Innovations in the Indian
Hotel Industry; Key Success Factors in
Indian Boutique Hotel; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Indian Hotel
Segmentation;
Transformational
Leadership; Change Management

Keywords
Food Service Industry US; Fast Food
Industry US; Coffee Shops; Starbucks
Experience; Convergence; Speciality
Coffee; Howard Schultz; Baristas; Brand
Dilution; Competitive Strategies Case
Study; Product Offering Enhancements;
Core Competencies; Breakfast Segment

Dell vs Lenovo: The Competitive
Strategies in China
Dell entered China, the world’s fastest
growing PC market, in 1998. Though it
was a late entrant, Dell initially did well
through its direct selling business model
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that primarily targeted the industrial and
public service departments. But this model
left out the Chinese consumer’s desire to
touch the product before buying it. Even
the actual growth zones, the third and fourth
tier cities, were overlooked. But the same
Chinese turf was tamed by a domestic
brand, Lenovo. Its relationship and
transactional business model - coupled with
a highly efficient supply chain network helped Lenovo corner 35% of market
share, dipping Dell’s further. So should Dell
alter its business model is just one of the
many questions discussed in this case.

• To understand the dynamics of the
transatlantic aviation market

• To discuss critical success factors in the
Chinese PC market

• To understand the factors that led to
the emergence of the transatlantic BCO
market

• To understand and contrast the business
models of Dell and Lenovo

• To analyse the positioning of small niche
players and their strategies

• To analyse the reasons behind Dell’s
declining profits and falling market
share in China

• To discuss the entry strategies of
established players in emerging niche
markets.

• To discuss Dell’s choices to gain a market
foothold in China.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Personal Computers
COM0164
2008
Available
Available

Keywords
Chinese PC Industry; Business Models;
Direct Selling Business Model; Relationship
and Transaction Business Model; Den
Xiaoping; Joint Ventures and Partnerships;
Chinese Consumer Behaviour; Acquisition
of IBM’s PC Division; Market Entry
Strategy; Supply Chain Management;
Developing a Business Strategy for China;
Critical Success Factors in Chinese PC
industry; Business Model Comparison;
Second Mover Disadvantage; Challenges
Faced by a Foreign Player

Virgin Atlantic’s Business-Classonly Airline: Emerging Threat to
Niche Air Carriers?
In 2007, the open skies pact between
Europe and US was rapidly changing the
competitive scenario on transatlantic
routes. The small BCO (business-class-only)
carriers like Eos, MAXjet, Silverjet, and
L’Avion grew significantly creating a niche
market on the New York-London route.
Though all major traditional carriers like
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United
Airlines and American Airlines had wellestablished business-class services, these new
niche players successfully positioned
themselves against these established players.
The success of these small niche carriers
forced the established carriers including
Virgin Atlantic to re-assess their services

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and networks. In June 2007, Virgin Atlantic
announced its plan to start BCO service on
various transatlantic routes between New
York and various European destinations.
Though Virgin Atlantic held significant
competitive advantages, the first mover
advantage of these small niche players posed
a major challenge to Virgin Atlantic. How
well Virgin Atlantic can position itself in
this niche market was yet to be seen.

www.ibscdc.org

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Airline Industry
COM0163A
2008
Available
Available

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

Piaggio vs Honda: The Strategy
Lessons
Most companies that rose to become global
leaders, most often, started with limited
resources and capabilities. But they were
bent on winning and then sustained that
obsession, termed as “strategic intent”.
Piaggio,
the
Italian
motorcycle
manufacturer, who tasted initial success with
the launch of ‘Vespa’ motor scooter in
1946 faced numerous challenges ahead and
was close to bankruptcy in 2003. In
contrast, Honda, the Japanese automobile
manufacturer, leveraged its initial success
of ‘Supercub’ motorcycle to foray into
automobile production and achieved the
status of a global automotive player. The
Piaggio vs Honda case compares the
strategies adopted by both manufacturers,
each with a point of uniqueness, in a market
that required greater flexibility, high
complexity, quick changes and competitive
strategies. A comparison - of these two
companies’ strategy models - reveals that
strategy is never static and involves
continuous adjustments.

• To understand the strategies used by
Honda and Piaggio in their pursuit for
global leadership
• To discuss and analyse the reasons behind
the success of Honda and failure of
Piaggio
• To debate why good companies go bad
• To understand and discuss the need and
importance of strategy formulation.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile
COM0162
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Enrico Piaggio; Soichiro Honda; Vespa;
Ape; Supercub; US Automobile Industry;
Japanese Motorcycle industry; Giovanni
Agnelli; Roberto Colaninno; Market Entry
Strategy; Restructuring Strategies;
Competitive Strategies; Global Expansion
Strategies; Marketing and Promotional
Strategies; Cash on Delivery (COD);
Strategic Intent; Need and importance of
Strategy Formulation

Jack in the Box: Combating the
Breakfast War in US
Jack in the Box was the fifth largest
hamburger chain in the US. The company
operated in 2100 locations across the US
with revenues of $2766 million for the
year 2006. But the company had been
overshadowed by rivals like McDonald’s
and Burger King, which were far greater in
size. The fast food market of US was in a
slump after decades of over expansion. But
the breakfast market was emerging as the
silver lining, accounting for 8% of the $500
million in restaurant sales in the US. As a
result, all the major fast food chains
competed for a share of the breakfast
market with even speciality coffee chains
like Starbucks joining the fray by offering
different breakfast products. Jack in the
Box also decided to defend its share of the
breakfast market and thought of
promoting its breakfast products, which it
had been serving all day since the last 20
years with help of an advertising campaign.
As competition among various fast food
chains intensifies with different companies
adopting strategies like menu innovation,
advertising and better restaurant
experience, whether a regional chain like
Jack in the Box would be able to fight the
goliaths of the fast food market remains
to be seen.
• To understand the drivers of the fast
food industry

• To discuss the various strategies adopted
by companies in the fast food segment
specifically the breakfast market
• To analyse the strategies adopted by Jack
in the Box to survive in the breakfast
market
• To analyse the challenges faced by Jack
in the Box and evaluate the future trends
for the fast food industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Fast Food Industry
COM0161A
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Fast Food Industry; Menu Innovation;
Advertising; Breakfast Market; Brand
Reinvention; Demographic Trends;
Competitive Strategies Case Study; Brand
Differentiation, Social Networking,
McDonalds, Burger King, Reimaged
Restaurants, Fast Casual Segment; Drive
Thrust; Jack In The Box; Healthier Food
Options

China’s Retail Industry (C): The
This is the last case in China’s retail industry
series. While case (A) looks at the
competitive landscape of China’s retail
industry, case (B) helps analyse the
competitive responses to Chinese
consumer behavior. Case (C) presents a a
gallery of competitive strategies. From
what has been learnt in cases A and B, C
helps know which company stands a better
chance to carve a niche for itself. What is
their unique advantage? If not, what should
they still do - immediately, remotely or
forever? If strategy is all about creating
unique advantages, this case is much more
than how companies deploy different
strategies to become unique. Should
companies enter China with their timetested business models? Or should they go
for new business practices? How the local
players (incumbents) adjust their game
plans to the moves of bigger and better
competitors (new entrants)? Can both coexist? Or would they exit with the entry of
foreign players? The big picture would be
how intensified competition can catapult
an industry.
• To understand and analyse various
competitive strategies of creating unique
positions in China’s retail industry
• To compare and contrast competitive
strategies of foreign players (the new

entrants) with local players (the
incumbents); who is better equipped to
tap China’s retailing potential?; can
foreign players leverage on their
experience and learning curves from
other markets?; should they work on
their strengths or create new ones to
operate in China’s market?; what are
the strengths of incumbents as well as
the new entrants?
• To debate on the co-existence of new
entrants and the incumbents; what
happens to the local players as a result
of increased and intensified competition
from multi-national retailers?
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COM0160
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Wal-Mart in China; Carrefour in China;
Metro AG in China; Tesco PLC in China;
Wumart Stores, Inc.; Lianhua Supermarket
Holdings Co. Ltd.; Competitive strategies
of retailing companies; Protectionism in
China in retailing; Territorial restrictions
in China; China’s traditional retail industry;
Competitive Strategies Case Study; Chinese
retailing in the new era; Profitability in
Chinese retailing; Sustainability Chinese
retailing

Nintendo’s Competitive
Strategies in Gaming Console
Market
Nintendo Co. Ltd., one of the leading
producers of video games in the world, is
facing severe competition from Sony and
Microsoft. Nintendo’s last launch, the
Game Cube has failed to make a mark in
the market place. In order to regain its
market share in November 2006 the
company has launched Wii videogame
console. The case discusses Nintendo’s
positioning, segmentation, pricing,
marketing and product launch strategy of
Wii. The Case further debates whether
Nintendo can sustain the success of Wii or
not.
• To analyse the causes for decline of
Nintendo in Electronic Gaming Console
Industry
• To analyse Nintendo’s strategy for
launch of its new console Wii to recover
market share.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Electronic Gaming
COM0159P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Nintendo’s Decline; Gaming Industry;
Strategy to recover market share; Wii;
Xbox; Competitive Strategies Case Study;
Play station; Nintendo; Game Cube; Video
Games; CEO Satoru Iwata; New product
launch strategy

Convergence of Media: Impact
on Viacom’s Entertainment
Business
Viacom, the largest cable network in the
US in terms of revenue in 2004, had its
presence in film production and music
distribution and popular cable networks like
MTV and BET in its portfolio.


• To understand the strategies to be
adopted to survive in an over crowded
and fragmented fast food market

With the digitisation, all media companies
were shifting their focus to new digital
formats, as digital media content could be
accessed on a variety of devices. Viacom
also recognised the importance of digital
media convergence, and changed its course
of business to accommodate digital media
offerings in its services. However, Viacom
was neither the first mover nor the leader
in the field of digital media. It had to face
stiff competition from other players of
media and entertainment industry.
• The case study offers scope to learn
about new media platforms such as DVR,
VOD, iPod, Mobile TVs and the Internet
as media offering different content
• The case deals with the emerging media
platforms due to changing customer
preferences
• It raises debate as to the possible
strategic options available to Viacom in
the wake of digital media convergence.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Media and Entertainment
COM0158A
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Viacom Inc; Cable Networks; Entertainment
Industry; Convergence; Digital Media;
Competitive Strategies Case Study; Internet
Video; IPTV; Time Warner; Business

Mattel: Competitive Strategies in
the US
Since 1995 till 2007, the global toy industry
has been experiencing changes like the rise
in the number of video game players and
shift in consumer preferences. Due to the
unpredictable shift in the play patterns of
kids, traditional toy manufacturers – losing
market share to video game companies –
are toiling hard to retain their positions in
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5


the minds of Gen X kids. During 2003,
Mattel Inc., the top player in the US toy
industry realised that its total market share
including the market for its flagship brand,
Barbie, were under attack from competitors
like MGA, Hasbro, LeapFrog, Jakks and
video games players. Mattel swiftly
retaliated by chalking out initiatives to
counter the changes in the industry
threatening its market leader position.
Mattel broadened its product lines and
undertook several other measures, as a result
of which, its revenue increased for fiscal
2006. But industry observers are not sure if
Mattel would succeed in retaining its industry
leader position in the years to come.
• To understand Mattel’s growth strategies
in the US toy industry
• To get an insight of the changing
landscape in the global toy industry
• To study the competitive threats faced
by Mattel
• To analyse the strategies chalked out by
Mattel Inc. to tackle the competition.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Toy Industry
COM0157B
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Barbie; Mattel; Toy Indutry; Video Games;
Competition; Hasbro; Age-compression;
Fisher-Price; KGOY; Handlers; Leapfrog
enterprises; Jakks Pacific; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Learning Company;
Bratz; Toy Fair

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

• To understand the impact of trade
regulations on the textile and clothing
industry
• To discuss the changing dynamics in the
apparel industry
• To examine the effect of changing
consumer preferences on the apparel
companies
• To discuss the resulting challenges and
strategies of Liz Clairborne.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Women’s Clothing
COM0156
2007
Available
Available

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

Napster Inc.: Singing a New Tune
Napster Inc. (Napster) was the first widelyused peer-to-peer (or P2P) music sharing
service on the internet. Its technology
allowed music fans to easily share MP3
format song files with each other. Its
services were popular among internet users
who downloaded copyrighted music.
However, between 2002-2005, growing
competition had led to Napster ’s sales
decline. To reverse the declining sales and
recapture lost consumers, Napster launched
its free downloading service. The case study
discusses Napster’s strategies to regain
market share in the online music industry.

During the mid-2000s, Liz Claiborne, a US
apparel retailer, was whacked by the
changing dynamics in the apparel industry.
The industry has been undergoing many
changes, due to consolidations among
major departmental stores and the stores
preferring their own private labels. These
changing market trends forced companies
to rethink ways of doing business. As a
result, companies implemented strategies
to expand their brand portfolios and widen
the distribution network across channels.
To bring back its lost glory, William L.
McComb, Liz Claiborne’s CEO, initiated
‘Three-M’s’ strategy – multi-brand, multigeography and multi-channel. Through
which he hopes to win out in the fiercely
competitive apparel industry.

Keywords

• To analyse the value chain of the apparel
companies

6


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

www.ibscdc.org

• Understand the dynamics of online music
industry.
· How Napster became a legendary icon.
· Impact of legal controversy on online
music business
· Reason for Napster downfall
· Analyses the future prospects of Napster
with reference to the increasing
competition.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Music Sharing
COM0155P
2007
Available
Not Available

service; Napster; Music industry; Increasing
popularity; Competitors; No. of users;
Legal challenges; Recording Industry
Association of America; Improved
technology;
Digital
online
service;Competitive Strategies Case Study;
Expansion; Promotional efforts

Dunkin’ Donuts’ Competitive
Strategies
In 2005, $4.8 billion-Dunkin’ Donuts
(Dunkin) is one of the largest coffee and
baked goods chain in the world serving 2.7
million customers every day. With rising
competition, Dunkin had lost its position
as a market leader which it had enjoyed all
through the 1990s. In March 2006, Dunkin
was acquired by a consortium of private
equity firms- Capital Partners LLC, The
Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners
LP. The new owners outlined an aggressive
growth strategy for Dunkin including
tripling its size over the next ten years,
entering new markets across the country
and expanding the menu offerings beyond
breakfast. The case discusses competitive
strategies adopted by Dunkin to reposition
itself and expand into newer markets.
• Growth strategies adopted to reposition
Dunkin, the largest coffee and baked
goods chain in the world
• Business expansion strategies by
entering new markets
• To discuss the dynamics of the fast food
and beverage industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Food & Beverage
COM0154P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Doughnuts and coffee; Value for money
segment; Competition; New owner; Growth
strategy; Competitive Strategies Case
Study; New markets; Expanding menus;
Advertisements; Coffee market; Premium
segment; Market survey; Change outlook
of stores; Expanded market; Online
promotion; Product line; Global
Positioning System; Loyal clientele

Best Buy: Growth through
Segmentation
Best Buy is a $30-billion-a-year consumer
electronics superstore with more than 930
outlets across US and Canada. Its
warehouse-style superstores with yellow tag
logo offer branded consumer products like
televisions, DVD players, home audio, car
audio, computers, cameras, music, movies,

promotion; Morale boosting; Service
quality; Online selling; Store extension and
new openings


With the battle of portals heating up,
internet companies – Google and Yahoo!
(Yahoo) are aggressively vying to become
the world’s leading internet portal—the site
that most internet users rely on for
everything, from searching the web to
sending e-mail and catching up on the news.
By 2005, Yahoo has become much more
than a portal; it is a full-fledged media
company. During 2006, Google’s
dominance in search continues to give it a
commanding lead in Internet advertising.
The search engine major maintains its
growth momentum through organic and
inorganic growth. Yahoo has missed out
on acquisitions and setbacks such as the
delay of its search-advertising system, and
decelerating revenue growth are increasing
the pressure on Yahoo. As analysts
compared the two internet companies, the
companies themselves try to outdo each
other in areas such as search, advertising
and products and services. The case
compares the product offerings of the two
companies, their strength in search and
their advertising models and revenue. It
also compares their growth strategy.

• The case evaluates the strategies adopted
by Best Buy, to segment its target
customers to overcome the increasing
competition in the consumer electronics
market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COM0153P
2007
Available
Not Available

Keywords
US retail industry; Future shop; Magnolia
Audio vedio; Geek squad; Accenture;
Musicland; Customer centricity model;
Reward zone; Competitive Strategies Case
Study; RFID tag; Studio D; Escape; Ask A
Blue Shirt programme

ASDA: Competitive Strategy in UK
Retail Market
ASDA was the second largest supermarket
chain in the United Kingdom (U.K.).
Positioned as a value for money store, it
sold groceries, apparel, CDs, books, videos,
and other household items. ASDA, which
was taken over by Wal-Mart in 1999, had
used the formula of Every Day Low Prices
(EDLP) to gain market share in the British
retail market. The initiative proved
successful for a few years, but stopped
yielding results as competition increased.
In 2005, ASDA’s sales declined and market
share fell from 16.7% in 2004 to 16.5% in
2005. This case study discusses the strategy
adopted 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 shooting
initiatives.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COM0152P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Yahoo vs Google: The
Challenge

• The case discusses the critical success
factors in the IT industry
• The case outlines Yahoo and Google’s
growth strategy
• The case compares their new product
launches, search engines and advertising
strategy
• The case discusses their future growth
prospects.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

IT Industry
COM0151P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Yahoo; Google; Search engines; business
models in the IT industry; advertising
strategy; electronic mail; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; desktop search; web
traffic; flickr; orkut; business goals; product
design

Keywords
Supermarket chain; Wal-Mart; Value for
money; Changing management; Business
management; Business strategies; Greg
Benneman; Aggressive price; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Competitors; Market
share; Price-rollback strategy; In-store

Toyota’s Success in the US Auto
Industry
The Case study is about business strategies
of the auto company –Toyota Motor
Corporation in the US market. Toyota is a

Japan based leading automaker worldwide
which offers a product portfolio including
passenger cars, sport-utility vehicles
(SUVs), minivans and trucks. It also
manufactures
automotive
parts,
components and accessories.
The case study talks about the dynamics of
the US auto industry as of 2006-07 and
position of the major players in the US
market- the US Big 3- General Motors(GM),
Ford and DaimlerChrysler.The big three were
experiencing huge losses by 2006-07 and
closing down some of their US
manufacturing plants and rationalising their
staff. In contrast, Toyota was flourishing in
its business and expanding its operations in
the US .It had become the second largest
player in the US in 2006. The case study
discusses Toyota’s success in the US market
in two stages: Stage 1: Since entry into the
US market till 2003-04 when it became the
second largest player in the US and Stage 2:
Toyota’s strategy to become No .1 from
2004 onwards till 2006-07.


software, games and personal computers.
Since the 1990s, Best Buy followed ‘the
bigger the better’ strategy which helped it
grow but with increasing competition the
company felt the need to consolidate its
position. This case study discusses Best
Buy’s strategy to overcome competition.

• To discuss business dynamics of US Auto
Industry
• To anlyse the changing trends in the US
auto industry
• To discuss Toyota’s strategy for
achieving success in the US automobile
market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile Industry
COM0150P
2007
Available
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 up
trucks; Competitive Strategies Case Study;
CCC21; Value Innovation (VI)

The Future of Gap Inc
Gap Inc (Gap) is one of the leading
international specialty retailers offering
clothing, accessories and personal care
products for men, women, children and babies
under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy
and Forth & Towne brand names. Paul.
Pressler (Pressler) who became Gap Inc’s
CEO in October 2002 has been heralded for
his costcutting strategies that have restored
financial discipline in the company. But
there has been a trade-off. Pressler, who
has little retail experience, has not steered
Gap toward its customers’ tastes. Realising
his mistakes, Pressler has changed his
strategy in mid 2004 to generate growth.
He has revitalized the marketing strategy,
www.ibscdc.org

7


tied up with renowned designers and increased
the focus on emerging economies. Will he
succeed in rejuvenating Gap Inc and
attracting customers once again?
• The case discusses the dynamics of the
US garment industry
• The case analyses Gap’s repositioning
strategy and its decline
• The case debates over Gap’s revival
strategy.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Garment Industry
COM0149P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Gap; Competitive Strategies Case Study;
Banana Republic; old navy; marketing
strategy; repositioning strategy; brand
cannibalisation; consumer preference;
turnaround strategy; employee exodus;
SWOT analysis; merchandise

Pringles– Combating the Launch
of Lays Stax
Pringles the global market leader in the
‘potato crisps’ category in the US is facing
a new threat. In late 2003, Frito Lays has
launched Lays Stax—a variety of potato
crisps that closely resembles Pringles.
Though people across the world are
accustomed to the crunchy taste and the
unique packaging of Pringles, Frito Lays,
is offering an extensive range of flavours
in the potato crisps segment. It also offers
unique packaging and competitive pricing
and enjoys a huge distribution network.
Being a market leader in the potato chips
market, Frito Lays is a formidable
competitor. How can Pringles maintain its
market share in the face of stiff
competition from Frito Lays?
The case can be used to teach competitive
strategy, branding strategy and market
strategy.
• Analyse the snack industry and the
changing trends in the industry
• Pringles’ strategy vis-à-vis other brands

Southwest vs JetBlue in the
Changing Market
Southwest Airlines and JetBlue were two
leading low cost airlines in the US. Both
airlines adopted a similar business strategy
to compete against each other in the LCC
market in the US. However in 2006, the
two airlines faced increasing cost pressures
due to high costs, increased competition
and rising fuel prices. The case study
discusses Southwest Airlines and JetBlue’s
strategies to overcome cost pressures and
compete against each other buy
differentiating their services.

• Relationship
between
product
differentiation, brand premium and
pricing.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Food & Beverage Industry
COM0147P
2007
Available
Available

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

• The case compares the business model
of the two leading companies in the field
of low cost airlines i.e. Southwest Airlines
and Jet Blue
• It evaluates various strategies adopted
by the two companies to gain cost
competitiveness.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Airline Industry
COM0148P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Southwest airlines; jetBlue; low cost
airlines; David neeleman; New Air; XM
satellite radio; Embraer; homesourced
reservation system; Airbus A320; hobby
Airport; Morris air; Competitive Strategies
Case Study; Arizona One

8

www.ibscdc.org

Managing Diversity at Toyota
Toyota Motor Corporation, a leading auto
manufacturer has built its reputation for
quality on the idea of continuous
improvement and respect for people. In
2001, it has launched the Toyota Diversity
Strategy, a ten year, multi-billion dollar
sustainable commitment to minority
participation in Toyota. The strategy is
based on minority participation, equal
opportunity and inclusion. It also uses a
mentoring programming called ‘champion
programme’. For Toyota diversity is not
just a social responsibility but a business
imperative. It believes that its strategic
diversity plan reflected well on its business
culture.
• HR; Diversity; Quality; Corporate
responsibility; minority participation;

continuous improvement; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; champion
programme; inclusion; Toyota
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Auto Industry
COM0146P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Nokia Media Master; AMPS/TDMA; 3G;
Tetra; WAP; W-CADMA; Nokia E series;
Symbian OS

HMV: Competing in the Digital
World
HMV Group plc (HMV) was one of the
world’s leading retailers of music, DVD/
video, computer games and books in the
UK, US and Asia. An increase in the number
of online purchase of CDs and DVDs, a
rise in digital downloads and stiffer
competition from general supermarkets
had an adverse impact on HMV’s revenue
in 2005. Changes in musical tastes also
affected HMV’s sales adversely. HMV
hoped to improve its profitability by
initiating fresh price cuts and expanding
its online product offerings. To reverse the
downfall, HMV introduced various
initiatives. In late 2006, HMV had
revamped its online and offline offer, as
well as its pricing, to turn itself around.
• Business dynamics of HMV
· Impact of changing consumer taste and
preferences
· Competition in music industry and its
impact on HMV
· HMV’s revitalizing strategies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Music Industry
COM0145P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Music retailer; waterstone; his master’s
voice; EMI; Billionconsumers’ taste;
revitalizing; competitiors; market share;
online offering; new pricing and
promotional efforts; cyclic game market;
Ottaker;
hmv.co.uk;
Kiosksand
supermarket

H&M vs Zara: Competitive
Growth Strategies
The case compares the competitive growth
strategies of two ‘fast fashion’ retailers –

The two European retailers are known for
their ‘fast fashion’ had unique business
models and growth strategies which have
enabled them to expand quickly and
successfully beyond their own borders.
With the European markets becoming
saturated, the two companies are looking
for ways to expand outside Europe and
establish their hegemony in the U.S., in
many ways the world’s most important
market.
The case outlines the growth strategy of
the two companies in the US, emphasizing
the similarities and the differences in their
approach. H&M has tailored its product
strategy to fit the US market. It has headed
for more upscale malls and busy downtown
centers and decided to open smaller stores.
Zara has decided against developing a
manufacturing base in the US. However, it
has followed the same business model and
product strategy that it followed in Europe.
Its clothes are however priced higher in
the US than in Europe to take case of
supply costs.
• To compare the growth strategies and
business models of fashion retailers –
H&M and Zara
• To understand how these European
companies are trying to expand beyond
their borders.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Garmnet Industry
COM0144P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

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

BBC’s Challenge
In 2006, the £4 billion- British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a
dominant broadcaster in the United
Kingdom, operates several public TV
channels, a 24-hour cable news channel,
digital channels, national and digital radio
networks, and an online news service. In

2004, the broadcaster is facing more
scrutiny than at any other time in its
history - and is under pressure from all
quarters to justify its existence and the
license fee which primarily funds the
corporation. The BBC’s charter is coming
up for renewal in 2006 and its future, its
funding and its role in general, is up for
discussion and debate. People are
questioning the need for a license fee which
funds services they either cannot receive
or do not watch. The BBC is also under
pressure from the UK government because
of the 2003 highly public row with the
government and also from the media –
including its commercial rivals.
Its commercial rivals are concerned that
the BBC is encroaching into their territory.
The rapid growth of the BBC’s online
services together with the launch of digital
radio and television stations has elicited
protests. Industry observers opine that the
charter’s review process has to find an
answer to the ‘catch 22’ situation. The
charter renewal is expected to be a battle
over how to maintain the benefits of the
public service broadcaster in a much more
competitive environment. The BBC has
been criticised for making programmes that
are not popular but are worthy, and it has
also been criticised if it has made
programmes which reach millions of
people. Aware that the renewal of the
charter will increase the spotlight, the BBC
has decided to prepare itself for remaining
relevant in the digital age. Will the outcome
of its digital strategy justify the public
funding of the BBC?

manufacturing and marketing of personal
computers (PCs) and related software and
services to begin with, launched its MP3
player iPod in 2001. iPod was well received
by the market and continued to maintain
its leadership position. iPod also became a
significant contributor to Apple’s bottomline, accounting for 40% of its revenues in
2005.
The competitor companies — SanDisk,
Samsung, Sony, Creative Technology and
Toshiba largely shared the remainder of
the portable player market. They took
aims at iPod several times but without much
success. With the lucrative portable MP3
music player market growing in size, these
players were not wiling to call it a day yet.
Despite the intense competition new
players like Microsoft were keen to enter
the market.


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

The case discusses the challenges faced by
Apple iPod amid increasing competition
in the MP3 player market.
• The case discusses about the changing
business model of Apple Company in
the MP3 market. It evaluates the
product launching and product
positioning strategies of Apple, and its
competitive strategies to face
competition.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Music Player Industry
COM0142P
2007
Available
Not Available


Keywords

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

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

• It also discusses the challenges being faced
by BBC including its splintered audience
• The case discusses BBC’s strategy to
remain relevant in the digital age.
Industry

Media and Broadcasting
Industry
Reference No.
COM0143P
Year of Pub.
2007
Teaching Note Not Available
Struc.Assign.
Not Available

Keywords
BBC; BBC’s charter; digital strategy; BBC’s
license fee; audience profile; on screen
marketing; broadcaster; public sector
companies; debate; channel 4; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; ITV

Apple’s Challenges in the MP3
Player Market
The case is about challenges faced by Apple
computers in the MP3 players market.
Apple which is basically into design,

Home Depot vs B&Q: The Battle
for China’s Home Improvement
Market
In 2006, China’s home improvement
market was estimated to be worth $50
billion, growing at 20% annually. As of
2006, various domestic and international
players had a presence in the market. While
B&Q of UK was the market leader, others
such Home Mart, Home Way and Orient
Home also had a stronghold. Besides,
Home-Depot of the US, the largest retailer
of home improvement products in the
world, was planning to enter China soon.
In this scenario, analysts felt that the
market was ready for a fierce battle among
various retailers. They also debated how
www.ibscdc.org

9


China’s home improvement market would
shape up.
The case gives a brief account of the
evolution of home improvement market
in China. It then discusses B&Q’s entry,
growth strategies and expansion in the
country. It also talks about Home-Depot’s
planned entry and the challenges it would
face in China.
• To understand the emergence and growth
of China’s home improvement market
• To assess how B&Q entered China and
established itself as the largest home
improvement retailer
• To understand how Home Depot’s entry
would
impact
China’s
home
improvement industry in general and
B&Q in particular
• To discuss who would lead the Chinese
home improvement market – Home
Depot or B&Q.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COM0141K
2007
Not Available
Not Available

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

Europe’s Grocery Market:
Traditional Retailers vs
Discounters
Since early 2000s, discount retailers, which
were once looked down upon as cheap
stores, were rapidly enhancing their
presence in Europe. Apart from catering
to low income customers, the discounters
were increasingly attracting consumers
from all income levels. Between 1991 and
2005, discount grocery retailers in Europe
nearly doubled their store count. Also, by
2005, discount stores were the fastest
expanding format across Europe. Analysts
forecast that discounters would enjoy
consistent growth in the region through
2010, gaining significant market share.
This made the traditional grocery retailers
worry about their future growth. In order
to retain their dominance in the market,
the retailers decided to follow Head to Head
combat strategies against the discounters.
With both retailers and discounters
fighting, analysts wondered how the
grocery market of Europe would shape up
in future.

10

www.ibscdc.org

The case deals with how discounters are
making inroads into the European grocery
market and the steps taken by the
mainstream retailers to counter the attack.
It also raises a question as to who would
dominate the grocery retailing market of
Europe.
• To get an idea of grocery retailing in
Europe
• To discuss the emergence of discount
retailers and how they made inroads into
the European grocery market
• To evaluate the steps taken by the
traditional retailers to compete against
discounters
• To argue who would dominate the
grocery retailing market of Europe.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COM0140K
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Evolution of modern retailing; Grocery
retailing in Europe; Discount retailers;
Types of discount operators; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Leading discount
store operators; Top grocery retailers in
Europe; European grocery market size;
Market size by geography; Top discount
retailers in Europe 2005; Forecast of top
grocery retailers; Convenience store;
Hypermarket; Price difference between
brands and private labels

Digital TV War: Korea vs Japan

• To discuss the overview of the global
digital TV market
• To assess how the Korean companies
like LG and Samsung were trying to
overtake Sony, the Japanese major
• To debate whether the Korean
companies will be able to dethrone the
Japanese competitors.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Consumer Electronics
COM0139K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Digital television (TV); Liquid crystal
display (LCD); Plasma; Korean; Japan;
Sony; Samsung; LG (Lucky Goldstar
Corporation); Competitive Strategies Case
Study; Sharp; Matsushita; Flat TV;
Consumer electronics; Business strategy;
Pioneer Corporation; Rear projection TV

AMD: Challenging INTEL
AMD, the second largest chip maker
challenged the market leader Intel with its
server chips. AMD had been growing
steadily in the server market with its
Opteron chips. AMD’s revenue increased
in 2005 in comparison to 2003. In the
server chip segment AMD had a market
share of around 26% and the company was
aiming for a 40% global market share for
server chips by 2009. The case deals with
the background of both companies AMD
and Intel. It also gives an insight into the
chip industry overview with the increasing
competition between AMD and Intel.

The two Korean companies, LG and
Samsung were trying to overtake Sony and
the other Japanese outfits in attaining
digital TV leadership. In 2005, Sony was
the market leader in the LCD TV segment
and continued this status till 2006. But by
the end of 2006, Samsung wanted to take
the leadership status in LCD, Plasma and
rear projection TVs. They had set a target
of selling digital TVs worth $8.8 billion by
2006. Whereas LG also aspired to become
leader in both these product categories by
2007. The case deals with the industry
overview of the digital TV segment with
the increasing competition between the
Japanese and Korean manufacturers.

• To discuss the challenges faced by Intel
from AMD


Keywords

• To understand the emergence of flat
panel television in the global TV
industry

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

• To understand the dominance of the
Korean and the Japanese manufacturers
in the Digital TV segment, globally

• To understand the chip industry
• To understand the competitive scenario
in the processor industry and the
strategic initiatives taken by both the
companies
• To debate whether AMD could eat away
Intel’s market share or not.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Semiconductor
COM0138K
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Microsoft’s Zune: Competitive
Challenges for Apple’s iPod
Global entertainment industry was heating
up at the end of 2006. In the time of global
music revolution when Apple’s iPod was
ruling the roost in the portable digital music
player segment, as it was almost
unchallenged and holding 76% market
share in the US market since 2001. But at
the end of 2006 Microsoft decided to
launch Zune in the iPod segment to take
on Apple’s iPod. It created a lot of interest
among US nationals and immediately Zune
had made its mark by pricing aggressively
forcing Apple to reduce the iPod base
model price by US $50.
This case deals with the new product launch
by Microsoft and how they positioned
their new product to challenge Apple and
problem associated with it. It also
enlightens what reactive measure Apple
might take to counter the onslaught. The
case also talks about the mixed reactions it
got from the experts and users and discusses
the probable outcome of Microsoft’s new
initiatives to launch an iPod killer.
• To understand the portable music player
industry
• To discuss the evolution of Apple’s iPod
• To analyse the
Microsoft’s Zune

challenge

from

• To debate on Microsoft’s new initiative.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Digital Music Industry
COM0137K
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Microsoft;
Apple;
Zune;
iPod;
Entertainment industry; Portable digital
music player; Competitive Strategies Case
Study; Business model; Positioning of new
product;
Product
management;
Competitive challenges; Pricing strategy;
Zune Marketplace; iTunes; ZuneZone;
Downloaded music

Airbus and Boeing: Building
Planes in Global Factories
Lots of fear and apprehension cropped up
among the nationals of Europe and
America as both the continents’ prime
aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Boeing
were transferring technical know-how to
Asia that they were losing out the expertise
to build the next generation aircrafts.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner which was due to
take the skies in 2007 was being built in a
virtual factory, which was spread across
the continents. The prototype of the
aircraft was being built in several countries
(Japan, Korea, China, Australia, Sweden,
and Canada). Almost 70 percent of the
Dreamliner was being built outside the
United States. A350 was the answer of
Airbus to Boeing 787.The manufacturing
race between Boeing versus Airbus was
evolving. Up to 60 percent of the
production work of A 350, which was due
to be launched in 2010 would be done
outside Continental Europe. That even
contributed to the battle of racism and
corporate war between the US and Europe.
Industry people started to apprehend that
the volume of the core manufacturing
activities that the two companies
outsourced to other countries were so big
that their national identity was fading away.
• To discuss the importance of outsourcing
in aerospace industry
· To analyse the core and peripheral
activities in aircraft manufacturing
· To discuss the implication of strategies
taken by Boeing and Airbus to outsource
outside Europe and America.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Aircraft Manufacturing
COM0136K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7: A
Competitive Response to
Mozilla’s Firefox?
Microsoft Corporation launched the latest
version of its web browser, Internet
Explorer 7, in October 2006. Some
industry analysts believed that the latest
offering from Microsoft was more as a
response to the pinch it was feeling in terms
of market share erosion since 2004, when
its
nearest
competitor,
Mozilla
Corporation released Firefox 1 rather than
a proactive market strategy.
Internet Explorer 7 was reported to include
various features that were pioneered by
Mozilla like integrated search window, tab

browsing and pop-up window blocker
besides adding certain enhanced security
features. However, at the juncture of
Microsoft’s latest release, Mozilla was
reported to release Firefox 2, an upgraded
version of its earlier web browser. The two
back-to-back releases were found to herald
a new era of strategic warfare between the
corporate entities fighting for their
dominance in the web browser market.
• To seek an overview of the competitive
landscape in the web browser market
during the 1990s
• To understand and analyze the
competitive strategies of Microsoft and
Mozilla over the years


Opteron; Business strategy; Lenovo;
Random access memory (RAM); Pentium

• To analyse the future implications of
Internet Explorer 7’s launch by
Microsoft.
Industry

Operating Systems and
Utilities Software
Reference No.
COM0135K
Year of Pub.
2007
Struc.Assign.
Not Available

Keywords
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); Phishing
protection; Firefox 2; Integrated search
window

Toyota Motors in Emerging
Markets (PartA)
In the year 2000, Toyota rolled out its
multi purpose vehicle (MUV) ‘Qualis’ in
India which was an instant success.
Gradually It introduced Camry, Corolla and
later in 2005, Innova. All these models
created success saga for Toyota Kirloskar.
Notwithstanding of its initial success,
Toyota could manage to have meager 5%
market share in Indian passenger car
market which remained far away from its
mission statement to grab 10% market
share in Indian passenger car market by
2010. Analysts predicted that unless
Toyota would enter into compact car
segment, it would unlikely to have that
much market share.
The case deals with the decision dilemma
in Toyota India operation. Would it pursue
its aggressive cost leadership strategy or
follow the path of differentiation? Would
it follow the rule of the industry and try to
be best in the known path or would it
reshape the industry dynamics by
introducing alternative fuel cars in a mass
scale?
www.ibscdc.org

11


• To understand the macro and micro
environment of Indian Automobile
Industry
• To discuss the entry strategy of Toyota
Motors in India
• To analyse Toyota’s strategy of adapting
localisation strategy while maintaining
the company’s Global vision.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile
COM0134K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

Boeing 747-8 – Airbus A380: The
Big Fight
The global aviation market was strongly
dominated by Airbus and Boeing. Both
Airbus and Boeing had contrasting views
about the future of the aviation market.
While Airbus promoted hub to hub method
of air transportation and thus preferred
long haul flights, Boeing preferred point
to point method of air transportation. This
case gives an idea about the contrasting
views of the two aircraft manufacturer
along with the future of commercial airlines.
• To understand the market dynamics of
civil aerospace industry
• To understand business model of Airbus
and Boeing
• To analyse competitive position of
Airbus vis a vis Boeing
• To analyse the sustainability of the
contrasting business models of Boeing
and Airbus.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Aviation
COM0133K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Boeing; Airbus; Japan Airlines; Boeing 7478 freighter; Boeing 747-8 passenger; Short
haul service; 787 Dreamliner; Aerodynamic
principle; Point-to-point; Hub-to-hub;
British Airport Authority; Nippon Cargo
Airlines; Project 747-8; Mach number;

12

www.ibscdc.org

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

Toshiba versus Sony: The Next
Generation DVD Format War.
Who Would Set the Standard?
In the last week of March, 2006 Toshiba
Corp. launched its first version of HD-DVD
player, HD-XA1, priced at $799.Within
few weeks, on 18th April 2006, the
company launched another simpler version
of HD-DVD player, HD-A1 which was
priced even lower at $499 with a per-unit
loss of $200. According to analysts, the
cost of the HD-A1 player was about $700
or more which included the internal
electronics, packaging and manufacturing
of the player. Toshiba’s marketing
department intentionally undertook a
substantial per-unit loss on the HD-A1 to
boost sales and give the company’s HDDVD platform (player and disc), a head
start and build an early lead in the format
war over the Blu-Ray format technology
which was developed by Sony Corporation.
The competitors of Toshiba were Sony and
a few others using the rival Blu-ray format.
Sony was scheduled to launch the Blu-ray
format player in September-October 2006
with price tag of $999 or more.
Consumer electronics analysts and techindustry watchers remained glued watching
the movements of the two rivals Sony and
Toshiba as they took a head-on-clash over
the race to establish the next-generation,
high definition industry standard for Digital
Video Disc(DVD) players and discs.
Ultimately, there could be only one winner
whose format would become the industry
standard. Whether Toshiba’s apparent
‘loss-leader strategy’ would help to get an
early advantage for HD-DVD format
remained to be seen. Most consumers were
expected to be neutral during the early
stages of the format war; there would not
be a winner immediately. In the times ahead,
the answer would be known, but, till that
time it was a marketing war of the
technology titans.
• To understand the HD-DVD and Bluray format Strategies adopted by Toshiba
and Sony
• To understand that customers now can
have opinions of formats in the future
• To understand HD-DVD’s China Risk

• To understand pricing strategies of the
HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Electronics
COM0132B
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
HD-DVD and Blu-ray format Strategies;
HD-DVD’s China Risk; technological
warfare; Loss-leader Strategy; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; pricing strategies of
the HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats;
Hollywood Film Studios; marketing war of
technology formats; Betamax and
VHS(Video Home System) war; Toshiba
Corporation; Analytical Optical Disc; Sony
Corporation Ltd; Entertainment Market

Motorola’s Competitive Strategy:
Will It Work?
In the 1990s, Motorola Inc. was the no.1
mobile manufacturer in the global handset
market. In the mid 1990s, due to the
emerging popularity of digital mobile
industries, Motorola lost its no.1 position
in the global handset market. Nokia, a
Finland based digital mobile manufacturer
started growing and in 1997, with 22.5%
market share, surpassed Motorola and
grabbed the no.1 position. In 1998, under
Chris Galvin, Motorola planned on
restructuring which included the
introduction of a new section within the
company, job cuts, transforming Motorola
into a Net company and collaborating with
internet giants. In 2003, Motorola’s
market share rose to 13% as compared to
Nokia’s 34% but it failed to gain back its
position. The company also had to face
stiff competition from Siemens, Samsung
and Sony Ericsson. In 2004, Ed Zander
joined Motorola as CEO to succeed Chris
Galvin. Zander adopted strategies of
diversification, product innovation,
promotion, corporate culture and pricing.
With all these strategies, Motorola’s market
share rose to 22.1% from 19% in 2005.
Despite this, Motorola was unable to catch
up with Nokia which retained its position
as the market leader with 36% market
share. What could be the next strategy for
Motorola to regain its position?
• To understand the impact of changing
trends in the mobile industry

• To understand the HD-DVD and Bluray Market

• To analyse reasons behind Motorola’s
inability to gain back its position in the
global handset industry

• To understand the concept of a loss leader
strategy

• To analyse the strategies adopted by
Chris Galvin

• To understand that technological warfare
could lead to the market getting divided

• To analyse the strategies adopted by
Edward Zander.

Mobile Handset
COM0131B
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Global Handset Industry Performance;
Motorola’s declining market share; Nokia’s
leading market share; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Chris Galvin’s
Strategy; Ed Zander’s Strategy; Product
Innovation; Collaboration; Pricing
Strategy; Diversification; Corporate
Culture; Stiff competition in Worldwide
Handset Industry; Six sigma

Japanese Luxury Cars overtake
American Cars in the US Market

U.S, in July 2006. It was for the first time
that Toyota overtook Ford in its home
market. Toyota had earlier outsold Ford in
terms of global sales. TMC which replaced
Chrysler as the No.3 in the Big 3 of the
U.S car market, earlier in 2006, outsold
Ford by a margin of 1,837 vehicles. What
were the factors that helped Toyota surpass
Ford? Was it American’s growing
preference for foreign models or Toyota’s
product quality and more fuel-efficient
models or was it something else? And what
were the factors that affected Ford’s sales
declines? This case discusses various
reasons for Toyota’s achievement.
• To understand the relevance of
innovation as a growth strategy and for
competitive advantage

In the US luxury car market, two Japanese
automakers, Toyota and Honda made a
mark for themselves and outperformed
luxury cars made indigenously by American
automakers like General Motors and Ford.
The growing popularity of Japanese cars
in the US was evident by its high sales
figures. In 2005, particularly, Lexus
(Toyota) sold 150,000 units, which was
more than the sales of any other luxury
cars in the US. Acura (Honda) was also
doing fine in the US market. These Japanese
luxury cars were upsetting American
automakers. How had the Japanese luxury
carmakers been able to supersede US luxury
cars on their home ground?

• To discuss the evolution of competition
in the US automobile industry and the
entry and expansion of foreign brands


Toyota and Ford; Toyota’s sales; US car
market; Toyota in the US; The Big 3; Ford
struggling; Competitive Strategies Case
Study; Toyota ahead of Ford; Stock prices;
Market share; SUVs and Hybrid cars; Fuel
efficiency;
American
Customer
satisfaction Index; Customer retantion
rates; Ford - Looking to bounce back; Ford
- Rejuvenation process

• To understand the competitive scenario
in the US luxury car market
• To analyse critical success factors for
Japanese luxury car manufacturers in the
US soil
• To assess the potential challenges to the
Japanese automakers in the US luxury
car market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile Industry
COM0130B
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
US Luxury Car Market; Luxury Cars;
General Motors and Ford; Japanese
Automakers; Toyota; Honda; Nissan and
BMW; Mean Selling Price (MSP);
Competitive Strategies Case Study; Quality
Improvement; Pricing Strategy; Fuel
Efficiency; Lexus, Acura; Eight-Speed
Transmission; European competitors

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

• To analyse the market success of Toyota
and growing competition from its rivals
• To assess Ford’s moves to regain its
position and Toyota’s need to sustain
its growth.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile Industry
COM0129B
2006
Available
Available

Keywords

Vertical product integration at
Microsoft: Will it succeed?
The Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft)
with its global annual revenues of US $44.28
billion had 71,553 employees in 102
countries as on July 2006 and stood as
world’s second largest software company
after IBM. Microsoft’s best selling products
were the Windows Operating System for
servers and single computers and the Office
suite of productivity software. The
company had gained more than 90% of
market share in its segments of operating
system and web browser.
With its first product Xenix, the operating
system, the company developed successful
software like Dos, windows, MS- Office.
The company expanded its business to Web
based software in the mid 90s, mobile ended

devices in early 2000 and in 2001 it
diversified in to home and entertainment
segment with the launch of video game
console ‘Xbox’. After successfully building
roots with Xbox and its later version of
Xbox 360, the company stepped into the
music player industry with its new project
‘Zune’. Microsoft was gearing its resources
towards services, and integrating various
devices to stop the dominance of Apple’s
iPod.
Microsoft began to concentrate on
hardware, and was planning to play a bigger
role in product design. As the software was
becoming increasingly commoditised, it
needed to find new revenue streams to keep
growing. Would Microsoft succeed to get
more control over the new vertical markets
to dominate, before monopoly of its
Windows erodes?


Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

• To understand the Microsoft’s
monopolized business in Operating
systems segment
• To understand the importance of related
diversification
• To discuss the competitive strategies
• To analyse the relevance of vertical
integration strategy.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Software
COM0128A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Microsoft; Integration strategy; expansion
strategy; competitive strategy; market
leader; new product development;
Innovation; core competencies; vertical
markets; product integration; software;
computers; Xbox; Zune; Windows; DOS;
Microsoft Office; application software;
system software; Competitive Strategies
Case Study; Web browser; operating system

Home Depot- A Strategic
Dilemma
The Home Depot Inc (Home Depot), an
American retailer for home improvement
and construction products, the second
largest retailer in the United States, behind
Wal-Mart, and third largest retailer in the
world, was considering sale or spin-off or
Initial Public Offering of its supply HD
Supply. The new separate entity would face
heavy competition from market leader
Wal-Mart and its next arch rival Lowe’s in
retail market.
The decision was seen as a strategic move,
which would optimize shareholders value
and improve Home Depot’s commercial
business a network of companies that
www.ibscdc.org

13


provided pipes, concrete and lumber to
professional builders.
• Understanding Corporate Restructuring
• Understanding Spin-off as a restructuring
tool.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COM0127A
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
The Home Depot Inc.; US retail; Home
improvement Market; Spin-offs; Split-off;
Strategic
Evolution;
Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Wall-Mart; Lowe;
Strategic Inflection Point

Ford vs. GM in Asia
Routed around a century back, the
automobile industry had been one of the
most globalize and competitive of all
industries. It had a global turnover of $
1.66 trillion in the year 2003. The industry
was dominated by a small number of
companies with worldwide recognition. In
the NAFTA region the Big three players
(Ford Motor, General Motors, and Daimler
Chrysler) constituted more than 60% share
in the world automobile production in
1980. During the 1990s the US auto
industry faced a recession due to some
inherent problems of excess capacity,
higher price, inflation which made this
auto-player to move into the growing
regions of Asia. Due to high population
and rapid economic growth the Asian
market had great potential for foreign auto
manufacturer.
The case revolves around the two biggest
auto manufacturer General Motors and Ford
Motors, which were already geographically
diversified, had also moved into the
growing region of Asia. The case talks about
their entry strategies into the Japan, China
and India as well as market positioning and
competitive strategies to win the Asian
market
share.
With
cut-throat
competition from Japanese players and the
domestic manufacturers will this players
be able to sustain their position as an
industry leader?
• To discuss the Entry Strategies in
developing nations
• To analyse competitive strategies of
Ford and GM to compete with Asian
rivals like Toyota and Suzuki
• To understand the importance of
technological
innovations
and
marketing strategies.

14

www.ibscdc.org

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile Industry
COM0126A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Entry strategies; Competitive strategies;
Automobile Industry; Asia; Japanese
automobile
Industry;
Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Chinese Automobile
Industry; Indian Automobile Industry; Car;
Geographic Expansion

Pizza Hut: Pleasing ‘Indian
Palates’

including related customer services. Nokia
manufactured easy-to-use and innovative
products like mobile phones, devices and
solutions for imaging, games, media and
businesses.
Since 2000, the telecommunications,
media and technology industry had focused
on convergence of technology. Bringing
together the media - print, TV, fixed-line
telephony with the new digital world of
the internet and mobility was a concept
with great potential. Nokia had made
attempts to integrate various features in
its mobiles and upgraded them. This case
study discusses Nokia’s technology
convergence strategy and its attempts to
become a market leader.

Pizza Hut Inc. is the world’s largest pizza
chain with over 12, 500 outlets in more
than 90 countries worldwide. In India, the
company has gained a firm footing over
the years by imbibing Indian values and
tastes in its restaurants and its menu, while
maintaining its international heritage and
quality. The case discusses Pizza Hut’s
localisation strategy in India. How the
company has tailored its menu, ambience
and even positioned itself to better appeal
to the Indian consumers. The company
has used popular Indian celebrities and
launched
advertising
campaigns
accordingly. The case covers the menu,
positioning, outlook, and pricing of the
company in India and the competition it
faces.



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

• To understand Pizza Hut’s localisation
Strategy in India
• To discuss the Advertising Strategy of
Pizza Hut in India
• To discuss the Pricing Strategy of Pizza
Hut in India
• To discuss rising competition in fast food
Industry of India and evaluate the future
of Pizza Hut in the fast food Industry of
India.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Fast Food Industry
COM0125P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Localisation strategies; Yum brands; Indian
Pizza market; Masala Pizza; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Vegiterian Pizza;
Tandoori Pizza

Nokia’s convergence strategies
In 2006, Nokia based in Espoo (Finland) is
the world leader in mobile communications
with a global market share of 34%. It
supplied mobile and fixed telecom networks

• To understand the technology
convergence trends in the mobile
industry
• To discuss Nokia’s technology
convergence strategy for its mobile
handsets
• To discuss
strategies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Nokia’s

competitive

Mobile Industry
COM0124P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords

Volvo in India
AB Volvo is a Fortune 500 company based
in Sweden. Its product portfolio consists
of commercial vehicles like cars, trucks,
buses, construction equipment, marine and
industrial engines, and aero engines. Its
high-end, high-performance cars, trucks
and buses are well known for their driver
comfort and safety. Volvo entered India in
1997 by establishing a subsidiary ‘Volvo
India Ltd’. In 1998, it established Volvo
Trucks factory in Hoskote, near Bangalore
in Southern India with an investment of
$70 million. The company faced intense
competition from established players like
Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. This case
study discusses Volvo’s strategy for the
Indian market and how it became successful
as a niche player.
• To understand the Indian commercial
vehicle market
• To discuss the entry strategy of Volvo
in India

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Auto Industry
COM0123P
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
AB Volvo; SKF; Scania; Tata Motors;
Competitive Strategies Case Study; Ashok
Leyland; Volvo Penta; Starbus

Rocketboom.com: Changing the
Face of Entertainment Media
Launched in 2004, as a mock news show
on the Internet, Rocketboom.com was a
brand new concept. The show on the
website was a combination of innovatively
combined humorous news reports, comedy,
and video blog. Initially, Rocketboom.com
was not taken very seriously by the
industry, but soon it had 300,000 viewers,
numerous advertisers and buy-out offers
from major TV networks. The case
discusses the concept behind Rocketboom,
its business model, creation of a new market
segment, birth of competition and
challenges faced by the company.
• To discuss the business model of
Rocketboom
• To understand the dynamics of creating
a new market segment by a company
• To evaluate the success factors of
Rocketboom.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

E-commerce Industry
COM0122P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Video blog; Andrew Baron; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Amanda Congdon;
Tivo; weblog

Marks & Spencer: A Bright
Future?
M&S is a leading retailer of clothing, foods
and home products in the United Kingdom.
M&S had ruled the retail world and reaped
profits for years. By the end of 1998
though, the company started facing
problems. It went through a phase of bad
decisions, complacency, and board room
battles which pushed it into a crisis that
lasted for several years. After selling off
some of its stores and bringing about
changes, in 2006, M&S was growing again
and regaining profitability. The market

scenario had changed though and M&S was
no more the iconic brand it once was, rather,
it was less than one quarter of the size of
Tesco - UK’s largest and most profitable
retailer in 2006. Could M&S once again
gain its position in the market?

• To evaluate and compare the old and
new advertising strategies of Benetton.
industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Apparel Industry
COM0120P
2006
Available
Not Available

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

Keywords

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

Contrarian advertising; Sisley; Playlife;
Nordica; Rollerblade; Oliviero Toscani;
James Mollison; Zara; fcuk; Gap

• To discuss brand revival strategy of the
Mark & Spencer.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Apparel Industry
COM0121P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Marks & Spencer chargecard; Richard
greenbury; Competitive Strategies Case
Study; Per Una Due; Stuart Rose; Simply
food stores

Benetton’s Advertising: Looking
Beyond Toscani
The Italy based, ¤1.765 billion-Benetton
group S.p.A.(Benetton) is a garment and
apparel manufacturing company with a
presence in 120 countries around the world.
Benetton is known for its politically and
culturally
contentious
advertising
campaigns. The company is witnessing a
decline in sales since the late 1990s, despite
formulating a change in its erstwhile
radically different approach to advertising.
Its new advertising strategy, which is more
product-led, non-controversial, and
without politically or socially charged
issues, has failed to arrest the decline in its
sales. Benetton’s net profit for the fiscal
year ending in March 31, 2005, has fallen
by16.9 %, from ¤28 million, ($35 million)
to ¤23 million, ($30.1 million), and
revenue has dipped 0.8%, from ¤381
million, ($476.6 million) to ¤378 million,
($495.2 million). Analysts wonder whether
Benetton’s new advertising strategy, with
a far more conventional edge, will help it
find its niche within the retail market, or
will it lead to a complete loss of identity
for the famed Benetton brand? Should
Benetton stick to its new advertising
strategy or revert to the old one?
• To discuss the advertising strategy of
Benetton
• To identify the reason behind the
declining sales of Benetton
• To evaluate the new advertising strategy
adopted by the company

LEGO in 2006: Keeping Up with
the Changing Times


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

The case covers Lego’s product
development strategies across the globe.
Lego was the sixth largest toy
manufacturing company in the world in
2006.Since the beginning, the company’s
scope of product development had been
immense, even as its product foundation
had remained constant. With children
turning away from traditional toys in favour
of videogames and personal computers
(PCs) in the late 1990s, Lego had resorted
to several innovative products to keep up
with the changing times. It had also
diversified into clothes, computer games,
and Lego theme park to maintain its
growth momentum. By 2004, Lego was
running into losses.
• The concepts associated with product
development in the traditional & modern
toy industry
• The concepts associated with changes
affecting consumer behavior
• The concepts related to product mix
decisions in the toy industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Toy Industry
COM0119P
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Automatic building bricks; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; legoland theme parks;
play and learn; Lego Duplo bricks; DACTA;
Lego Bionicle; Mattel; Hasbro; Lego
mindstorm; Lego cybermaster

Hasbro’s Product Line Strategy
over the Years
The case covers Hasbro’s product line
strategy in the US. Hasbro is the second
largest toy maker in the US. Its product
portfolio includes legendary toys and games
such as Mr. Potato Head, G.I. Joe, Tonka
www.ibscdc.org

15


Trucks, Playskool, Easy Bake Oven, Play
Doh, Transformers Scrabble, Monopoly
and Clue to name a few. The case covers
the evolution of Hasbro’s product Line and
the strategies undertaken by the company
to meet the threat from electronic games
and game consoles. The case discusses the
product development strategies adopted by
Hasbro and evaluates the strategy
reformulation undertaken by Hasbro with
reference to product development,
modification, product mix and product
consistency.
• The case discusses the changing
dynamics of the toy industry
• The case outlines Hasbro’s product line
strategy over the years
• The case discusses Hasbro’s competitive
strategies, its new product launches and
how these products have fared.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Toy Industry
COM0118P
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Playskool; Milton Bardley; Competitive
Strategies Case Study; Mr Potato head;
Romper room; Hasbro interactive; Furby

Sony India’s Retailing Strategies
Sony, which was ranked first among
consumer electronic brands in the world,
was struggling to become the leading brand
in India. It faced tough competition from
Indian rivals like Videocon and Onida, and
multinationals like LG, Samsung and
Philips. To emphasize its brand name and
image, Sony India introduced ‘lifestyle
concepts’ by launching spacious and
aesthetically designed ‘Sony World’ stores.
In these stores, Sony displayed its entire
product range in a single showroom and
targeted high-end customers in urban areas.
Despite promoting its products through
advertisements which amounted to 4-5%
of the company’s annual turnover, it was
only second in market share in its different
product segments. Sony introduced four
different retail formats in order to
differentiate their products, reinforce their
brand and serve different customer
segments. It began retuning its retail format
in 2006, in order to reach the youth and
the middle-class. To do so, the stores were
launched under three brand names – Sony
Digital Kiosks, Sony Walkman and Sony
Ericsson. As youth were more attracted
towards small format stores in shopping
malls, the company hoped to find young
consumers visiting their showrooms. The
case discusses whether the changes in retail

16

www.ibscdc.org

strategy were only enough for becoming
the brand no.1 in India.
• Booming consumer electronics retail in
India
• Marketing and Branding strategies of
Sony in India
• Retail formats of Sony in India.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Consumer Electronics and
Appliances Retail
COM0117C
2007
Available
Not Available

• To discuss how Embraer benefited by
entering new product segments and new
markets
• To analyse how Embraer rose to become
the second-largest regional jet
manufacturer in the world.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Commercial Aircraft
manufacturing
COM0116K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Bombardier;
Embraer;
regional
Commercial Jet; Boeing; Business Aviation.

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

Embraer in 2005
Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA
(Embraer) was established in 1969 by the
Brazilian government, to manufacture
planes primarily for the Brazilian Air
Force. Later, Embraer began to export its
military planes to other countries.
Encouraged by the success of its military
planes business, Embraer decided to
manufacture commercial jets. It had
become an ideal state-owned enterprise
that served the regional and international
aeronautical markets well. However, in
the late 1980s, Embraer found itself in
deep financial crisis and was eventually
pushed to bankruptcy. In order to revive
the company, the Brazilian government
privatised Embraer in 1994. With the
change of ownership, the company
restructured itself and entered new product
segments to gain the early mover
advantage. By the end of 2004, Embraer
was the second-largest regional jet
manufacturer in the world after
Bombardier Inc. of Canada, and registered
net profits of US$380 million. The case
discusses Embraer ’s troubles, its
turnaround strategies and new product
development.
• To understand how Embraer turned
around itself after emerging from
bankruptcy
• To understand the impacts of
unsuccessful product launches and losing
consumer focus
• To discuss Embraer ’s new product
launches to fill the gap in its the product
range

Apple’s Foray in Retailing
In 2001, Apple Computer Inc. (Apple)
forayed in retailing as part of its initiative
to increase its brand awareness and
showcase its Macintosh computers and
operating system. Since then, the retail
stores functioned towards increasing the
visibility of its products as well as
disseminating product knowledge through
one-to-one customer interaction. In May
2006, Apple introduced its 147 th retail
outlet in New York and its retail strategy
evolved from the traditional ‘store-front
sales approach’ towards a ‘technoequivalent of the neighbourhood bar’, where
people could visit, meet friends, learn and
have an enjoyable time.
The case, while providing a broad overview
of the company, discusses Apple’s retail
initiatives both in the domestic as well as
the international market.
• To discuss Apple’s retailing initiatives
as part of its strategy to increase product
visibility, product availability and
customer interaction
• To understand how a separate distribution
channel would lead to increase in product
awareness and product recall
• To understand Apple’s brand-building
initiatives through creation of companyowned retail stores
• To discuss the success probability of
Apple’s mass strategy.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Personal Computers
COM0115K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Apple computer; Retailing; Distribution
channel; kiosk; Retail Stores.

The case deals with Korea-based Samsung,
one of the leading global electronics
companies and synonymous with digital
technology. Samsung has strong presence
from
consumer
electronics
to
semiconductors. The case depicts in details,
the journey of the company from the
lower-end
consumer
electronics
manufacturer to upscale image with strong
brand identity. The case showcases the new
brand-building principles of the Korean
consumer electronics company that paid
off with the entry into ‘Global 100 Brand’
in the new millennium. The case describes
the company’s three-pronged strategies –
quality, design and innovation. Finally, the
case highlights future challenges that can
hinder the brand-building process of the
company.
• To understand the concept of upward
stretching in brand management with
specific reference to Samsung
• To understand the concept of mission
statement and translation of this into
strategies
• To analyse the brand building principles
along with operational difficulties of
brand building.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0114K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Samsung; Brand Value; Micro Processor;
Digital devices.

Airbus vs Boeing – Contrasting
Views for the Future
Since its inception, Boeing had been
enjoying a virtual monopoly in the
commercial aircraft industry, but was
threatened by the advent of the European
aerospace company, ‘Airbus S.A.S.’
(Airbus), in 1970. Since then, Airbus
gradually achieved a leadership position in
the market by dint of its innovative
technologies and government funding. For
the first time in 2003, Airbus became the
world’s largest manufacturer of commercial
aircrafts. The competition among the two
companies, attained a new dimension in
2000, when Airbus announced the
development of the world’s biggest
passenger plane – the A380. Airbus touted
the A380 as the future of commercial
aviation, as it envisaged a huge demand for
larger aircrafts. In contrast, Boeing asserted,
that smaller and faster aircrafts would rule
the market. In keeping with this, Boeing

announced its plans to develop the 7E7
Dreamliner. Analysts felt that if the A380
failed, it would become a burden as Airbus
had invested billion dollars on this model.
This case study offers a discussion on the
factors that have driven Boeing and Airbus
to adopt different strategies and whether
Airbus would proceed with the huge
investment, amidst the uncertainty in longterm demand. The case provides a detailed
account of the structure of the commercial
aircraft industry and the prevalent nature
of competition.
• To understand the structure and
competitive forces of commercial
aviation industry
• To analyse the factors and elements of
competitive strategy adopted by Boeing
and Airbus
• To form and analyse SWOT of both the
companies
• To form investment pay off matrix for
Airbus.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Aircraft manufacturing
COM0113K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

• To analyse the initiatives taken by WalMart for its revival.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail Department Stores
COM0112K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

Digital TV Battle: LCD vs Plasma
There was a change in the global TV
industry due to the growing demand for
the flat TV sets. Buyers had a number of
choices in deciding which flat panel TV
they were going to buy. The LCDs were
best suited for a maximum of 37 inches
TV screens. But there was debate about the
suitability of LCD and Plasma technologies
for the larger screens. For a long time
Plasma technology dominated the large TV
section but now the LCD TV makers like
Sony and Samsung were challenging Plasma
TV makers like Matsushita and LG. While
Sony and Samsung had been betting with
their 70inch LCD from 2007 onwards,
Matsushita was fighting back by planning
to launch its new 103 inch Plasma TV by
the end of 2006. The debate was that
whether LCD TV makers would be able to
dethrone their Plasma TV competitors in
the giant TV market.


Samsung – Leading in the Digital
Age


Wal-Mart’s Emerging Challenges
Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world
continued to grow with its EDLP (Every
Day Low Price) policy. However, the
company experienced sluggish sales growth
and limited international expansions with
challenges from the retail majors.
Moreover, the company had been
experiencing employee grievances with
high rate of employee turnover. In order
to counter these problems Wal-Mart took
few initiatives which would not only reduce
employee turnover rate but would also add
revenue to the company. The case gives
an insight into Wal-Mart’s history and the
challenges that it faced over the years. It
also gives an overview of the global retail
market and the strategic initiatives taken
by the company.
• To understand the global retail industry
• To understand the emerging challenges
faced by Wal-Mart
• To understand the different categories
of retailers
• To understand the policies followed by
Wal-Mart

• To understand the global digital TV
market and its trend
• To analyse the strategic initiatives taken
by both LCD and Plasma Manufacturers
• To analyse the consumer behavior in
the digital TV market
• To discuss about the emerging
technologies in the TV market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0111K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

AMD vs Intel: Competitive
Challenges
The competitive challenges between the top
two chip maker Intel and AMD took a new
dimension due to different strategic
initiatives taken by both the companies.
AMD not only attacked Intel with its server
chips but also challenged Intel by
www.ibscdc.org

17


diversifying into graphics chip category with
its acquisition of Array Technologies
Incorporated (ATI) Technologies in a $5.4
billion deal. But still AMD was worried with
Intel’s antitrust practices. AMD blamed Intel
with its illegal discount program due to which
AMD’s PC market share dropped in Japan
.So the debate was that whether AMD could
get rid of Intel’s monopolistic foul play.
• To understand the global chip industry
• To analyse the competition between the
top two companies in the processor
industry
• To analyse the antitrust practices of Intel.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Microprocessor & DSP
COM0110K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
AMD; Intel; Microprocessor; Chip;
Semiconductor.

Verisign's Continuing Monopoly
Verisign was a leading provider of a wide
range of Internet-based services ranging
from on-line payment processing to
domain name registry. The company
owned the two popular top level domains
(TLD’s), .com and .net that together
accounted for nearly 53 percent of all
TLD’s. Owing to the leverage it enjoyed
by virtue of being the largest player,
Verisign was involved in several
controversial issues that raised concerns
about its business integrity and
professionalism. This case lays special
focus on some of the prominent anticompetitive business practices of Verisign,
like the Waiting List service, misleading
cancellation notices and the Site Finder. It
also provides the readers a broad overview
of the domain name business and the
existing competitive scenario.
• To discuss the business of domain names
and the related market scenario
• To discuss some of the prominent anticompetitive business practices of Verisign,
like the Waiting List service, misleading
cancellation notices and the Site Finder.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Security software
COM0109K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Verisign; Entrust; ICANN; TLD.

18

www.ibscdc.org

The US Wireless Industry in 2005
The wireless industry was among the most
competitive industries in US. There were
scores of players all across the country that
competed on poor margins. The market
had reached a level of saturation from
whereon it had become difficult for operators
to grow further. In the new business
scenario, mergers and acquisitions had
emerged as potential alternatives that
ensured, for the carriers a better market
share. While some pro-consumer groups were
apprehensive of the effects of consolidation,
many industry observers found it a scope to
accelerate technological advances by giving
companies the resources to deploy highspeed networks. However, there was also a
simmering fear that too much consolidation
could choke off the competition that had
made wireless the most dynamic of all sectors.
This case provides the readers with a broad
understanding of the US wireless market,
the competitive scenario therein,
technological regulations, the standards and
the market trends.
• To discuss the competitive scenario in
the US wireless telecommunication
industry
• To discuss the technological regulations
and standards
• To discuss the possible synergies and
challenges of mergers and consolidations.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Wireless
COM0108K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords

• To discuss the various services offered
by Google
• To discuss the competition that the
company faces from Microsoft, Yahoo
and other players
• The likely future strategies of Google.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Internet information providers
COM0107K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Search Engine industry; Google; MySpace.

The DVD Format War
The case discusses the ongoing struggle
between Toshiba and Sony, as regards the
new DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) formats,
HD-DVD (High Definition) and Blue Ray.
It provides the reader with an overview of
the existing market scenario and how the
two companies are moving ahead to push
their own proprietary formats.
Pedagogical Objective
• To provide the readers a broad overview
of the existing DVD technologies and
how Sony and Toshiba are pushing their
own formats against all others.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Electronic Components
COM0106K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

Verizon; AT&T; Nextel; sprint.

The Search Engine War: Can
Google Sustain The Lead?
Google has revolutionised the search
engine industry. But in a regulatory filing
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission of US, Google has
acknowledged in unequivocal terms, the
increased threat to its leadership in the
search engine business. The open admission
of the threats signals the intensifying
competition in the search engine market.
Analysts wonder whether Google will be
able to maintain its technological lead over
its rivals. Also, is Google putting all its
eggs in one basket? Does Google need to
look beyond search engines and move
towards a more diversified business model?
• To discuss the inception and growth of
Google

Hyundai Motor: Facing
Challenges
Hyundai Motor India limited (HMIL) started
its Indian operation in 1996. It launched
Santro in B Segment, Getz in B+ Segment,
Accent in C segment, Elantra in D Segment.
Over the years HMIL became the second
largest car manufacturer of India. But from
2004 the company started to experience
the heat in both segment. Entry of foreign
car makers: Honda, Toyota and Ford along
with aggressive marketing and new product
launch of Maruti put Hyundai in trouble. Its
market share in all segment reduced
significantly. Hyundai planned to launch new
models in all segments. It also revived its
production process and planned to position
some of its product differently. Along with
this the management team of Hyundai was
also trying to make a foray in overseas
market. This case discuss in details about
the success potential of HMIL’s strategy in
Indian market.


• To understand the segmentationtargeting-positioning strategy in Indian
automobile market
• To discuss in details about the 4Ps of
marketing and its application in Indian
automobile industry
• To discuss about the marketing strategy
adopted by HMIL, key differentiator of
its strategy and how the company plan
to regain its lost market share with the
help of these strategies
• To understand the potential problems
of the strategy.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Auto Manufacturing
COM0105K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Hyundai; sedan; PLC; Brand management.

The Future for Nortel: 2006 and
Beyond

• To analyse Nortel’s performance vis-àvis the other major players in the
telecom industry and understand the
problems facing the new chief executive
• To discuss and analyse the strategic plan
evolved to take Nortel out of the past
accounting scam, increase global market
share and consolidate operations
worldwide.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0104C
2006
Available
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.

In October, 2005 Telecom equipment
major Nortel Networks Corporation named
Mike S. Zafirovski as its new president and
chief executive officer. Zafirovski had his
work cut out for him. To make sure Nortel
found level ground, after the accounting
scandal and fraud of the past few years had
shaken the international reputation of the
telecom giant. The big question was
whether Nortel could register high
turnover, post satisfactory profits and
increase market share to maintain its
position as a major player in the telecom
sector. Or would the company lose market
share and customer confidence, to
ultimately settle at the second level of
manufacturers in the industry?

Amazon.com, the world’s leading online
retailer had survived for nine long years
without annual profits because it was guided
by a long-term vision that put into place
strategies for research, and the development
of technology infrastructure. The
company finally turned the corner by
posting profits for the first time in 2003.
The case details the diversification of
Amazon.com into a software developer for
other online retailers.

The case traces the history of Nortel from
a builder of phones and fire alarm boxes at
the beginning of the last century to
offering
complete
solutions
for
multiprotocol, multiservice, and global
networking together with software and
services in 2006. It discusses the global
business activities of Nortel and its
performance in the Cable market and Small
and Medium Enterprises as also the need
for adequate Security Systems in the
expanding telecom industry and the IT
world. The threat from manufacturers in
China with their capacity to offer low
prices is also analysed. The case concludes
by taking a look at the challenges ahead
for Nortel, the need to introduce new
products and services quickly into


Amazon in 2005: Success and
the Future Challenge

With its history of not posting profits,
and having turned the corner recently, the
big question was whether Amazon would
survive the onslaught of major competitors
like eBay, and continue to retain the No.1
position while at the same time realise
reasonable levels of earnings to satisfy
shareholders. This was the dilemma that
founder Jeff Bezos and his team had to
address.

• To study Amazon’s expansion and
growth despite posting losses for many
years
• Make a SWOT analysis of Amazon and
evaluate its strategy for the future.
Industry
Reference No.

On-line Retail
COM0103C

Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Amazon; Online retailing; e-commerce;
Cross-selling; Management strategies;
Digital programmes; Technological
innovations; 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 jingle
of the Internet users of the 90s was the
salutation which users got when signing
onto their America Online (AOL) account.
The caption was so popular that a movie
with the same title was released during the
90s. America Online, the largest Internet
Service Provider (ISP) in US in 2006,
offered dial-up and broadband internet
access and a host of online services through
its web portal. It was one of the most
renowned brands of the 1990s as it gave
Americans their first taste of the internet,
e-mail, instant messaging and many more
online features.


• To give a glimpse of Indian automobile
market, major players, recent trends and
marketing strategy adopted by different
companies

international markets so as to be always
one step ahead of competitors in the fastpaced Web world. Should Nortel shed
weight and become smaller by reducing
product lines or should it merge with one
of the major telecom players to become
bigger and better?

But things began to change for AOL in the
next decade. The turn of the 21st century
saw the merger of the internet with various
domains and created a demand for high
speed internet connections. AOL, which
could offer only a slow dial-up internet
access, was not able to fulfill the demands
of the consumers. It was also bombarded
with heavy competition in the field leading
to a gradual decline of the AOL subscriber
base.
In order to compensate the declining
revenue from the internet service
subscribers,
AOL
adopted
an
advertisement-based (ad-based) revenue
model and offered the AOL Content free
to general web users. Though this increased
the advertisement revenues of AOL, it did
not stop the decline of its subscriber base.
However, this was not good news for AOL
as AOL’s subscribers accounted for 36% of
the unique visitors to its network of websites
and generated 80% of the page views. To
overcome this, AOL made available its
software, e-mail and security products free
to all web users and decided to concentrate
on broadband rather than on dial-up.
The case details the Internet access
industry, the online advertising industry and
also briefs the prominent trends of the
internet users. It also details the various
strategies adopted by AOL, the consumer
perception of AOL and the challenges faced
by AOL in reviving itself.
• To Evaluate AOL’s new business model
www.ibscdc.org

19


• To discuss the position of AOL-Dial Up,
AOL Broadband and aol.com.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

ISP and Web Portal
COM0102C
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Internet Service Provider (ISP); America
Online (AOL); Time Warner; Online
Advertising; Google; Yahoo; Online trends;
Dial-up; Broadband; Cable; Consumer
Survey; Time Warner; DSL; Earthlink;
Comcast; Unique Visitors.

• The case traces the Indian film theatres
and how Multiplexes started in India,
their USP and its growth in India
• Helps the students understand the
business model adopted by the
Multiplexes.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Entertainment
COM0100C
2005
Not Available
Not Available

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

Wahaha in 2004
From a humble beginning as a school run
store in 1987, Hangzhou Wahaha established
itself as a major food and beverage enterprise
in China. Despite fierce competition from
international soft drink giants such as Coke
and Pepsi, Wahaha held its own stand in the
domestic market. The case discusses in
detail, the growth strategies adopted by
Wahaha to penetrate the domestic Chinese
market while highlighting the efforts taken
by its founder, Mr. Zong Qinghou in
establishing the company.
To understand
• Food and Beverage industry of China
• Growth of Wahaha and its competition
with large players like Pepsi and Coke.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Food and Beverages
COM0101C
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Hangzhou; Wahaha; Zong; Coke; Future
cola; Danone; Sun Tsu.

Multiplexes: An Emerging
Business Model in the Indian Film
Exhibition Industry
Multiplexes that offered a comfortable
viewing experience revolutionised the way
Indian moviegoers experienced cinema.
Movies were traditionally a pastime in India
but with only around 12,000 cinemas, the
country faced a shortage of quality cinema
halls. The advent of the modern multiplex
concept in the late 1990s, however,
revitalised the growing patronage and large
scale investments in the Indian film
exhibition Industry. The case while detailing
the early scene in the film exhibition
industry, discusses the emergence of the
multiplex model as a new business concept
in India.

20


www.ibscdc.org

Carrefour in China: Savoring the
Success
Carrefour, the world’s second-largest
retailer from France, initiated the idea of
“hyper-market” in 1959, stressing the need
for mass-sales, low delivery cost and
everyday discount to achieve high sales
turnover. The reasons for its phenomenal
success throughout the world were the
facilities it offered at its hypermarkets such
as one-stop shopping, low selling price,
freshness, self-service and free parking. By
July 2006, it had 8,321 fully owned stores
and more than 340 thousand employees
worldwide. The sales reached 75 million
euros and made it the largest retailer in
Europe, the second-largest in the world and
largest foreign retailer in China.
When it decided to enter China, a joint
venture with Chinese retailer Lin Hua was
formed and the first two stores were opened
in Shanghai and Beijing in late 1995 . By
October
2006,
it
operated
83
hypermarkets in 34 cities from Urumqi
(in the Western reaches of the Middle
Kingdom) to Harbin (near the Russian
border) to Kunming (in the South) by 2006.
Carrefour also operated the Champion
supermarkets and Dia convenience stores.
Its 2005 turnover was about 1.7 billion
euros (US$2.2 billion) (including valueadded tax), making China, Carrefour’s fifthlargest market and by June 2006, was
reporting a sales of 1259 million euros
(US$1621 million) in mainland alone.
Carrefour expected its sales in China to
grow by 25% to 30% annually over the
next five years.
Carrefour planned its expansion based on
two facts: growing Chinese retail sales,
expected to grow by more than 11% per
year to reach 10 trillion Yuan ($1.2 trillion;
£680 billion) in 2010 and the increase in
middle income households. Carrefour
announced that almost half of the 100
planned hypermarkets would be built in
Asia, and an average of 23 would be in
China each year until 2008, to cater to

this growing consumerism. The aggressive
strategy was part of Carrefour’s decision
to strengthen its position in promising
markets while abandoning loss making
ones, put in place by its president, Jose
Luis Duran, from 2005. It savored the
success achieved in China by offering
quality retailing experience and economy
for millions of Chinese. Helping itself to
grow among other foreign competitors by
implementing ‘Very-Chinese’ qualities in
its products, services, merchandising,
prices and ambience, Carrefour had truly
become a household name among Chinese
retailers. It remains to be seen how it would
face up to the challenges posed by local
retailers who would aggressively compete
for growing market share in the world’s
fastest growing economy.
The case anticipates familiarising the
students on:
• The retailing industry in China and its
local players
• Carrefour ’s stature in China as the
leading foreign retailer
• Carrefour’s entry strategies
• Carrefour’s branding methods to suit
Chinese tastes
• Carrefour ’s growth strategies, its
marketing, service, sourcing and HR
policies
• How local retailers competed with
Carrefour and what are the plans for
future expansion.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing
COM0099C
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Carrefour China; Carrefour; Retailing
Industry in China; Entry strategy of
Carrefour in China; Growth strategy of
Carrefour in China Competition in Chinese
Retailing; Challenges to traditional
newscast; China Europe International
Business School; Hypermarket in China
Gome & Shanghai Brilliance Group; Jean
Luc Chereau; Carrefour Quality Line;
Carrefour own brand; First line brand;
Frenchtouch brand.

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

LCDs got larger and posed a big threat to
companies such as Matsushita Electric
Industrial Co. (Panasonic) and Pioneer
Corp. of Japan. These companies made
big Plasma screens. Plasma TV makers
controlled 88% of the market for 40-inchplus, thin-screen televisions. The cost of
both LCD and Plasma TVs came down.
They achieved cost reduction by increasing
the dimensions of glass substrates used, but
the cost reduction effect was very small
beyond sixth or seventh generation plants.
Cost reduction beyond that point would
require cutting materials and other costthrough- volume production effects,
slowing the pace of production. As a result
of this there was a price war between LCD
and Plasma TV manufacturers. Now the
customers have a wide range of products
to choose from. This case captures the
latest developments happening in the
world of LCD and Plasma TVs and allows
for discussion on how the future would take
shape.
• To introduce the students to the
Competition between LCD and Plasma
technology
• To highlight the inherent advantages
and disadvantages of both these systems
• To underscore the technological
advancement in both LCD and Plasma
• To detail how players in both streams
were coming out with various new
versions
• To foresee the future of the TV market
– which technology will have an edge
over the other?
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Technology
COM0098C
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
LCD; Plasma; Flat screen; Televisions;
Technology; Liquid Crystal Display;
Marketing; Strategy; Brands; Product
innovation.

LIC – FACING PRIVATE SECTOR
The case is about the various changes that
happened in the Indian Life Insurance
sector
after
privatisation.
Till
privatisation, Life Insurance Corporation
of India (LIC) was the only company
providing life insurance services in India.
LIC sold its policies as tax instruments and
not as products giving protection against
risk. Most of the customers were underinsured with no flexibility or transparency
in the services provided. Before the entry
of private players insurance penetration
and awareness was very low especially in
rural India.
The insurance sector opened up for
competition from private insurance
companies with the enactment of the
Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority (IRDA) Act, 1999. As per the
provisions of the Act, the IRDA was
established on April 19th 2000. This marked
the beginning of liberalisation of the Indian
insurance sector. By 2006, there were 14
private insurers in India whose market
share was increasing every year. Innovative
products, smart marketing and aggressive
distribution helped the private sector grow
within a very short period. Slowly but
steadily, awareness about insurance was also
increasing in India. The increase in
penetration and awareness could be
attributed to the stiff competition
generated among public and private
players.
As a result of competition posed by the
private insurers, LIC launched many new
products, improved their services and
increased expenditure on advertising. The
case facilitates discussion on the strategies
to be adopted by LIC to stay ahead of
competition. It could also be used to discuss
the future of the Indian Life Insurance
sector.
• What are the strategies adopted by
private life insurers to grab market share
from LIC?
• How should LIC use its strengths to
maintain the market share it had in the
life insurance market?
• What is the future of life insurance in
India?
• LIC could join with some private
insurers.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Insurance
COM0097C
2006
Available
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 selling
approach; IRDA; Unit Linked Insurance
Plans-ULIP.

DTH vs Cable TV – Sky Wars in
India
Home entertainment in India had come a
long way from the days when there was
only one national channel, Doordarshan,
to the age of satellite television and, now,
the latest development called DTH (Direct
to Home) technology. The entry of Tata
Sky with its DTH (Direct to Home)
platform posed a threat to the cable T.V
industry. DTH gained popularity because
it provided hundreds of channels, 24x7
with clear transmission quality, pay per
view films and programmes and a whole
set of choices hitherto unknown to the
Indian television viewer. As of 2006, there
were three companies providing DTH
services in India – Doordarshan, Dishtv
and the latest entrant Tata Sky. Some more
players like Reliance and Sun TV were
expected to hit the market in the near
future. With the Government of India
having set the end of 2006 as the deadline
to introduce CAS (Conditional Access
System), in selected metros and later all
over India, the scene would become more
competitive. Cable operators have started
pressurising the Indian government to
speed up the process of changing the
analog technology to digital. Once cable is
digitised, cable operators would also be in a
position to provide programs in high
quality.


they shrank. Plasma TVs in larger sizes
were in fact cheaper to make, since the
glass needed was less sophisticated and
cheaper than the glass used in LCD panels.
But in 2006, the Korean, Japanese and
Taiwanese companies, who were into the
LCD technology, fought hard to gain
ownership of the global television market.
For a long time it was believed that the
LCD technology was suitable only for the
smaller sized televisions and could not
compete with Plasma technology in larger
sizes. This belief changed with the
introduction of the seventh-generation
(G7) plants by various LCD manufacturers.

Apart from DTH, new emerging
technological advancements in TV viewing
like Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)
and Cell Phone TV would also compete
among themselves to get their share of
the market in the Indian home
entertainment industry. For IPTV one
would need a broadband connection as well
as a set-top-box and a personal computer.
Considering the low PC penetration in
India, IPTV might take some more time
to gain popularity. The advancement in
mobile telephone technology has resulted
in mobile phones where channels could be
viewed. But some of the main constraints
of mobile TV could be the prohibitive cost
of the handset, the smaller size of the
screen and the low penetration rate of
personal computers in India. On the whole,
the Indian customer would have more
options in terms of TV entertainment and
the main deciding factor would be service
support. The case allows for discussion on
the
present
scenario
of
home
entertainment in India.

www.ibscdc.org

21


• To introduce the students to the home
entertainment industry in India
• To highlight the various technological
advancements that happened in the field
of TV broadcasting
• To throw light on various service
providers and their services


• To discuss the emerging technologies in
home entertainment in India.

• To emphasise how a small player can
become a dominant one

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Home entertainment
COM0096C
2006
Available
Not Available

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

AMD vs Intel – Strategies for
growth
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), the
global supplier of integrated circuits for
personal and networked computing and
communications, was the second-largest
supplier of x86-compatible processors It
was best known for its Athlon, Opteron,
Turion 64, Sempron, and Duron lines of
x86-compatible processors. The x86
microprocessor markets had become
extremely
competitive
as
major
technological breakthroughs were taking
place and new products were being
introduced. Taking advantage of the
changing scenario, AMD adopted strategies
that helped it emerge a much stronger and
more focused challenger to Intel, its closest
competitor and market leader. Intel, the
world’s largest manufacturer of x86compatible processors, monopolized the
market till 1991, when AMD released its
Athlon processor. Over the years, AMD
focused on delivering innovative products
and technologies with customer needs in
mind, proving to be a tough contender to
Intel. In July 2006, AMD planned to
acquire Canadian graphics chip maker
Array Technologies Incorporated (ATI),
one of the top three graphic chip makers.
Analysts felt that this acquisition would
empower AMD to compete with Intel
across a broader product portfolio,
including home entertainment, mobile
computing, consumer electronics, high
definition TVs and video games. The battle
between AMD and Intel was moving beyond
processors to a new battle over the entire
platform.
The case gives an overview of the
competitive strategies of AMD and Intel
in the global microprocessor market. It
converses in detail the establishment,

22

growth and the shift of AMD from being a
clone of Intel processors to becoming an
innovator. The case also brings to light
the fact that the battle between AMD and
Intel was now moving beyond processors
to a new battle over the entire platform
and it remained to be seen as to who would
emerge the winner in the long run.

www.ibscdc.org

• To discuss AMD’s Growth Strategies
encompassing Virtual Guerilla and
Customer Centric strategies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Microprocessor
COM0095C
2006
Available
Not Available

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

eBay in China
eBay Inc., the largest online auctioneer in
the world, entered China in 2002 by acquiring
a 33% stake in Shanghai’s online trading
website, EachNet.com for $30 million. In
2004, eBay secured full ownership of
EachNet and the site was renamed
eBayEachNet. In 2005, eBay announced
that it would invest $100 million into its
operations in China to ensure that it
dominated the market. eBay EachNet was
facing fierce competition from Taobao.com,
a local Chinese online auctioneer, which
had come into the scene in 2003.
Taobao.com was launched by Alibaba.com,
China’s biggest B2B website. Going by
statistics, Taobao.com seemed to be
competing very closely with eBay and some
analysts felt that Taobao.com might even
overtake eBay. Meg Whitman, the president
and CEO of eBay, said that China was a
‘must win’ for her company. The David vs
Goliath battle turned into a high-profile one
in August 2005, when Alibaba.com signed a
deal with Yahoo! According to this deal,
Yahoo! would add its Yahoo!China business
to Alibaba.com and the two companies
would work together to promote the Yahoo!
Brand in China. With eBay and Alibaba
stepping up their operations, it was to be
seen who would dominate the online auction
scene in China.
The case allows for discussion on strategies
to be adopted by a large multinational, to
counter local players. It also provides scope
for discussion on challenges faced by foreign
companies in emerging markets.

• To discuss strategies to be adopted by a
large multinational, to counter local
players
• To discuss challenges faced by foreign
companies in emerging markets.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

e-commerce
COM0094C
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
eBay; China; Taobao; e-commerce; Online
Auction;
Alibaba.com;
Yahoo;
competition; revenue model; Online
payments; emerging markets; marketing
strategy; competitive strategies; Asian
markets; Chinese Internet market.

NTUC FairPrice in 2005
NTUC FairPrice was a successfully run
cooperative supermarket chain of NTUC
(National Trades Union Congress) in
Singapore. Started as a cooperative to
moderate the cost of living in Singapore,
it dominated the grocery retail market in
Singapore. It returned dividends and other
benefits regularly to its members and was
involved
in
many
community
development activities. FairPrice was run
on sound business principles and the
innovative strategies adopted enabled it to
emerge a winner. The retail scene in
Singapore was fast changing with increasing
competition and varying consumer
preferences. In this light, it was to be seen
how
FairPrice
would
overcome
competition without sacrificing its social
objectives.
The case facilitates discussion on retail
strategies to be adopted by a supermarket
chain to face competition and varied
consumer behaviour. It also provides for
discussion on the role of cooperatives in
moderating costs and in community
development.
• To discuss retail strategies of a
supermarket chain
• To discuss the role of cooperatives in
moderating costs and in community
development.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COM0093C
2005
Not Available
Not Available

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

DELL: PCs in Pieces?
The case describes the challenges that the
Dell’s Personal Computer (PC) business
faces. The case aims at providing discussion
points regarding Dell’s present strategies
in dealing with the changing PC market.
The case traces the growth of the PC
industry and reasons for retardation of the
growth. It also intends to raise debate on
Dell’s business model and the viability of
the model in today’s competitive scenario.
The case is designed to help understand
the PC industry, Dell’s position as a PC
maker, competition faced by Dell and
impact of its business model on the market
as well as on the prospects of its growth in
other related areas.
• To understand the PC industry and Dell’s
position as a PC maker
• To understand the competition faced by
Dell
• To understand the impact of Dell’s
business model on the market as well as
on the prospects of its growth in other
related areas.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

IT Hardware-Personal
Computers
COM0092C
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Dell; Personal Computers/Pcs; PC Industry
Laptops; Desktops; Michael Dell; Global
PC Market Dell Strategies ; Replacement
Cycle; PC Price Wars Portable Computers.

Ryanair: Flying High in a
Competitive Atmosphere
The airline industry in Europe underwent
a transformation during the post
liberalisation era in the 1990s. The leading
low cost airline in Europe – Ryanair, began
its operations in 1985 from Ireland. It was
able to establish itself in the UK and it
extended its wings to other parts of Europe.
The company focused on price conscious
travelers who travelled often to different
parts of Europe for leisure and business.
Scheduled airlines like British Airways,
Lufthansa and Aer Lingus had to restructure
their fare levels to compete with low cost
airlines in Europe, and Ryanair in
particular.

The number of low-cost airlines halved
during 2006, out of which only 15 had
more than 50 flights per day. The low cost
airlines also succumbed to stiff competition
among themselves and some had to exit
the
market.
Albeit
challenging
circumstances, Ryanair maintained sales
growth of over 20% between 2000 and
2005. It maintained lower fares even
though fuel costs shot up and competition
increased. With successful pricing and costcutting strategies, it maintained a cost gap
of 64% compared to other scheduled
airlines. The case discusses strategies and
operations of Ryanair to maintain high
efficiency at lower costs.
• To study low-cost carrier industry in
Europe
• Ryanair’s cost-cutting and branding
strategies
• Competition for Ryanair in Europe
• Challenges faced by Ryanair to become
a leading player in the airline industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Airline Industry
COM0091C
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Ryanair; Low-cost airlines in Europe;
British Airways; EasyJet; short haul routes;
point to point flights; Skylight system;
Hertz Corporation; Buzz; Secondary
Airports and Third party contracts; Inviseo
Table; On board Advertising; Turn around
Time and Common Boeing fleet.

Intel: Leaping Ahead
Everywhere?
Intel Corporation, the leading international
ic-chip maker began a fresh campaign on
January 1st 2006 based on a new logo and
the slogan, ‘Leap ahead’. Intel had entered
the consumer goods market and
communications industry to make its
presence felt in almost every type of digital
device
manufactured
and
used
commercially. But it had to face
competition from other manufacturers
who had come up with the revolutionary
‘cell chip’. With challenges cropping up
from different directions, Paul Otellini, the
president and CEO of Intel, needed to make
a strategic decision on whether to continue
with the ‘Intel Everywhere’ policy or
rejuvenate the company’s core strength
of being the primary and dominant player
in the international PC market.
The case traces the background of Intel,
the obstacles faced and the measures taken

to counter them, the possibilities and
application of the dual-core chip, the
challenges ahead and the diversifications
made.
• The strategies taken by Intel, the leading
player in the chip market to consolidate
its brand position
• Intel’s strategies to retain the top
position worldwide by successfully
fending off competition from other
manufacturers.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

IT
COM0090C
2006
Not Available
Not Available


Trade; Exxon Mobil Alliance; Convenience
Stores; Store formats; Country themed
stores;
Community
development;
Consumer behaviour; Dairy Farm
International; Carrefour; Competition.

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

Google’s Desktop Search: A
Threat to Microsoft?
Microsoft, the world’s largest software
company was a dominant player in the
search market until the advent of Google,
a search engine in 1998. With its desktop
search tool, Google attempted to pose a
threat to Microsoft’s core activity of
controlling the users since the time they
turned on their PCs. Google also wooed
away Microsoft’s employees creating
further concern.
The case explores the strategies followed
by Google to outsmart Microsoft in the
search market. The case opens up
possibilities for further discussion on
Microsoft’s defensive measures to retain
its domination.
• To discuss the threat posed by Google
Desktop to Microsoft’s core activity
• To discuss Microsoft’s defensive
measures to retain its domination.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Online Industry
COM0089C
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Microsoft; Google; Desktop search;
Netscape Navigator; Browser war; Desktop
war; Longhorn; Competition; Internet
Explorer.

www.ibscdc.org

23


Yahoo! – A Jack of All Trades?
Over the years, Yahoo! had evolved from
a simple directory to a fully fledged media
and commerce powerhouse that dealt in
everything from financial information to
personal ads. With 236 million registered
users it had become a community site.
Yahoo! interconnected its various online
services, in more ways than one. It had
also expanded into entertainment with its
site offering film and video clips. Experts
felt that in trying to morph into so many
things, Yahoo! was less a leader and more a
novice.
The case allows for discussion on whether
Yahoo! should enter different areas of
operations and what its future focus should
be.
• To discuss whether Yahoo! should include
various operations
• To discuss the focus of Yahoo! in future
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Internet and Online Business
COM0088C
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Yahoo!; Internet; Media; Internet
Advertising; e-commerce transactions;
Chinese Operations; Search Engines;
Network optimisation; Diversification
strategies; internet growth strategies; Ad
ware; Revenue models.

Yamaha Bikes in Asia: Can its
Regaining Lost Ground?
Japan’s Yamaha Motor Company, one of
the biggest motor bike companies in the
world, faced numerous difficulties after the
Asian financial crisis. As currencies, stock
markets and asset values in many countries
plummeted, there was a major decline in
the earning and purchasing powers of
consumers. Yamaha’s motor bike segment
accounted for nearly 60% of its total sales
but the company’s market share in the Asian
nations declined rapidly from 18% in 1999
to 11% in 2003. Yamaha’s debts amounted
to an astounding $2.3 billion in 2001. The
demand for Yamaha bikes decreased and
inventories piled up. To counter all these
difficulties, Yamaha initiated various
management plans, operational reforms
and exclusive marketing strategies and
from 2003 began to show tremendous
improvement in its financial position. The
case discusses these strategies in detail to
show how Yamaha made a comeback in
the Asian bike market. It also enables
comparison with the performance of
competitors like Honda and Suzuki.

24

www.ibscdc.org

The case provides tremendous scope for
discussion on the effectiveness of Yamaha’s
strategies. There is also adequate room for
analysis on whether Yamaha can become a
global leader amidst tough competition, in
a scenario where the demand for bikes in
developed market had flattened and
tremendous growth was predicted in the
Asian market.
• To discuss the effectiveness of Yamaha’s
strategies by which it made a come back
in Asian market
• To discuss the possibilities of Yamaha
becoming a leader even though there was
tough competition.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobiles
COM0087C
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Yamaha Motor Company; Asian Motor
bikes market Yamaha bikes; Management
reforms; Marketing strategies; Operational
reforms; Cost reduction; Supply chain
management; Yamaha’s NEXT 50; System
Supplier(SyS); Technological innovation;
Market restructuring; Yamaha Town
Saigon; Moto Grand Prix race; Valentino
Rossi.

IBM’s Software Division: The New
Reliable Growth Engine?
IBM pioneered the global IT industry and
dominated
the
mainframe
and
minicomputer market since the mid-20th
century. However, with the global IT
industry undergoing a paradigm shift from
hardware to software, IBM faced a
slumpcline in the 1980s. Under the
visionary leadership of its erstwhile CEO
Louis Gerstner, IBM regained its past glory
by revamping its organisation structure and
shifting its focus to software and services.
Despite the increased contribution of IBM’s
Global Software Division to its total
revenue, as the IT industry worldwide faces
a period of transition due to the emergence
of services industry and emphasis on
customised services and custom care
solutions, analysts are sceptical whether
IBM’s software business alone can become
it’s most dependable growth engine.
• To analyse the role of software and
services in the Global Information
Technology Industry
• To understand the traditional business
model of IBM and discuss its
transformation from being a hardware

manufacturer to one of the leading
provider of software services in the world
• To debate whether IBM’s Global
Software Division can become the
driving force behind IBM in the long
run.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Information Technology
Services
COM0086
2006
Available
Available

Keywords
IBM’s Turnaround Middleware Market; ebusiness on-Demand; IBM’s New Growth
Platforms; On-Demand Computing; Open
Software Strategy; Autonomic Computing;
IBM’s purchase of PwC; IBM’s Business
Transformation Outsourcing; IBM’s
Acquisitions.

Microsoft vs Google in 2005
In 2005, Google is emerging as a major threat
to Microsoft’s dominance. Google has
beaten Microsoft to launch successful
innovations like local-area search complete
with maps and satellite photos, ways to
search inside a video file, and search designed
for mobile phones. Google has emerged as a
new kind of foe for Microsoft as it gains the
ability to attack the latter’s core business.
Google’s search lead also looks pretty
unassailable. Microsoft has supported the
launch of its search-related advertising
business in March 2005 with a $150 million
ad campaign and scores of other
promotions. But the effort has generated
little buzz, and Microsoft’s global market
share, at about 13% of search requests,
remains small. Microsoft has the option of
increasing its market share either by
acquiring AOL or entering into a partnership
with AOL, though Google is doing its best
to thwart Microsoft. Coveted talent from
academia, start-ups, and venerable tech
companies that a decade ago flocked to
Microsoft now seems more attracted to
Google in the mid-2000s. Microsoft has lost
several top minds to Google since 2003.
• The case can be used to do a SWOT
analysis of both Microsoft and Google
and discuss their growth strategy.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

IT (Information Technology)
COM0085P
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Chris Payne; Netscape; MSN; Software;
Competition.

Anheuser-Busch is a leading American
brewer with 50% market share. It offers
30 beverages in the US beer market.
Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Bacardi
are some of its well-known brands.
However, in 2004, Anheuser-Busch’s
revenues seemed to have stagnated as the
US beer industry saw flat consumption
trends, decline in volumes and higher costs.
Beer’s share of the US alcoholic beverage
market had declined. The case study
discusses how Anheuser-Busch used
innovative advertising to enhance the
image of the beer, create brand awareness
among consumers and to differentiate their
products in the beverage market.
• To discuss the dynamics of the US beer
industry
• To discuss the strategies adopted by
Anheuser-Busch to make a comeback.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Beverage industry
COM0084P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

Dell Inc.: Facing Formidable
Challenges in the US Consumer
Market
Dell, in 2005, was the No.1 seller of PCs
(desktops and notebooks) worldwide with
a 17.8% market share and $50 billion in
annual revenues. The company’s direct
business model which eliminated the need
for middlemen was a major factor
contributing to this success. However, with
the corporate PC growth declining from
double digits in the 1990s to single digits
post 2001, Dell entered the consumer PC
segment with its Dimension desktop and
Inspiron notebook line in and the consumer
electronic segment with digital TV, MP3
player and Axim handhelds in 2003.
Consumer business was seen as a key
revenue driver by Dell’s management which
announced an ambition plan to increase
revenues to $80 billion by 2008.
However, 2005 proved to be a challenging
year for Dell. Not only did the company
struggle in the consumer electronics
segment leading to the withdrawal of MP3
players but even in its core PC segment,
Dell was cornered by traditional rivals such
as Hewlett-Packard and Gateway and new

competitors such as Lenovo and Acer. This
resulted in lower average selling prices for
Dell’s products and adversely impacted its
operating margins. With Dell encountering
problems on various fronts, its share price
declined to $29 in October 2005; it’s lowest
in two years, leading to the question of
whether Dell’s direct business model could
ensure further success in the changing
scenario.
• To discuss the trends in the US PC market
• To understand how Dell had achieved
growth through its Business model.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Electronics
COM0083B
306-171-1
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Dell Inc.; Michael Dell; Personal computer;
Desktop; Note Book; Consumer
Electronics; Directbusiness model; Acer;
Gateway; Hewelett-Packard; Apple
Computers; Sony; BestBuy; Windows
Media Center; XPS.

Royal Mail Group: Gaming up
with Competition
Royal mail Group, a public limited company
had been providing postal services for over
360 years in the UK. The group operated
under the brands, Royal Mail, Post Office
and Parcelforce Worldwide and was known
for offering value for money and high
quality customer service. In 2000, the
group reported a loss of £240 million which
continued till 2003. So, the government
had asked Postcomm (regulatory body) to
liberalise the postal market in three stages
starting from 2003. Royal mail also
underwent major restructuring in 2003,
under the leadership of Allan Leighton,
chairman of Royal Group and chief
executive, Adam Crozier.
• The state of postal services in the UK

Business Model; Post Office Ltd.; Parcel
force Worldwide; single daily delivery
system.

Federated Department Stores –
Focusing on National Brands
Federated Department Stores (FDS) is one
of the America’s leading upscale
department retail stores that offer a range
of merchandise, including apparel,
accessories (handbags, jewelry and
cosmetics), home furnishing, and other
consumer goods. This case discusses in
depth the growth of FDS and its constant
efforts to unite the US department store
industry. This case emphasises the FDS’s
focus towards building Bloomingdale’s and
Macy’s as its two national brands by
renaming all of its regional stores. This
case also tries to understand the business
strategy of the company and its future
plans.


Anheuser-Busch: Brewing a
Fresh Image

• Study the origin and growth of the US
Department Store industry
• Discuss the strategies adopted by FDS to
sustain in the competitive retail market
• The pros and cons of FDS’s effort to
unite its department stores into two
national brands – Bloomingdale’s and
Macy’s
• Discuss ‘the four priority’ business
strategy of FDS and suggest what other
features it has to focus on.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing/Departmental store
COM0081B
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
US Department stores; Bloomingdale’s;
Macy’s; National Brand; Macy’s
department
stores;
differentiated
assortments; simplified pricing; shopping
experience; marketing strategy; JC Penny;
Kohl’s corp.; Business strategy; Terry
Lundgren; Wal-Mart.

• Business model of Royal mail group
• Restructuring initiatives of Royal mail
group.

Amazon in 2006

Keywords

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

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

Since inception, it focused on building an
online retail experience for the customers,
which included greater selection,

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Postal Services
COM0082B
2005
Not Available
Not Available

www.ibscdc.org

25


competitive pricing, convenience and
sophisticated information search. It
offered wide range of products covering
31 categories including apparel, toys and
games, electronics, videos, kitchenware,
sporting goods, jewelry and online auctions.
It had become a platform offering a place
to businesses and individuals to trade their
products.
By 2006, it faced competition from an
array of online retailers. The online
commerce industry had unique players like
Yahoo, Google and E-bay offering range
of products overlapping each other. With
increasing growth of e-commerce and
competition in the on-line retail industry,
would Amazon, be able to sustain its original
thrust on research and development and
technological innovations? Would it be able
to sustain its No.1 position as an online
retailer and also remain profitable?
• To understand the nature and structure
of the online retail and commerce
industry
• To discuss the unique business model
adopted by Amazon
• To discuss the competitive growth
strategies followed by Amazon
• To discuss the issues and challenges faced
by Amazon
• To debate whether Amazon can sustain
its leadership position in the industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

e-commerce
COM0080A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Innovation; Peripheral Vision; Growth
Strategies; Competitive Advantage; Online retail industry; Business Model;
Amazon; e-commerce; Diversification.

PepsiCo in 2006
On December 12th 2005, for the first time
in the rivalry of over a century, PepsiCo
(Pepsi) surpassed its biggest foe Coca-Cola
(Coke) in market capitalisation. It had
much higher operating revenue than Coke.
After having tough time in mid 1990s,
Pepsi finally got increasing sales and
cheering investors.
According to the analysts, the chief reason
for Pepsi’s outstanding performance was
its aggressive diversification. Though
started as a beverage company, Pepsi now
held No.1 position in snack food business
with its Frito-Lay division and ranked No.3
in overall food & beverage industry.
However, Coke still continued to sell more
soft drink than Pepsi.

26

www.ibscdc.org

The case tracks the journey of Pepsi and
compares its current position to that of
1990s. It highlights the strategic moves of
Pepsi, which led it to overcome cola
trenches and outperform its biggest
competitor Coke. Nevertheless, the
success, would Pepsi be able to sustain its
performance?

challenges lying ahead of Adidas will be to
first achieve synergies resulting by the
acquisition and then set its best foot forward
to directly confront the market leader and
maintain the lead over the domestic
favourite.


• To analyse the sportswear industry in
China on the basis of Michael Porter’s
five force model

• To highlight the first-mover advantage
enjoyed by PepsiCo by venturing in food
business
• To discuss the leader and challenger
strategies
• To discuss the competitive strategies and
diversification strategies of PepsiCo.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Food & Beverage
COM0079A
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
PepsiCo; Coca-Cola; Pepsi-Cola; FritoLay; Business Strategy; Strategic
Management; Diversification; Brand
Portfolio; Globalisation; Competitive
strategy; Business ethics; Snack food;
growth; cola wars.

Adidas in China: Jockeying for
Supremacy
The case describes the athletic sportswear
industry scenario in China with the
Germany-based sportswear manufacturing
giant Adidas in focus. China, the world’s
most populated country was fast emerging
as the next economic superpower and
sporting industry in China was flourishing.
Adidas had entered the Chinese market in
early 1990s through agents and by 1993
China had become the manufacturing hub
for its products. Adidas did not have their
own retail stores in China and their products
were sold through franchisees. It faced stiff
competition from Nike, the world’s No.1
sportswear manufacturer and Li-Ning, the
Chinese company. Sensing the huge
possibilities of growth, and opportunities
thrown open by the upcoming Olympic
Games in Beijing in 2008, the major
industry players, both international and
domestic had geared up to reap maximum
benefits.
The case provides a background to analyse
the sportswear industry in China on the
basis of Michael Porter’s five force model
and the company Adidas by its competitive
strategies. The demographic profile and
segmentation of the Chinese consumers
has been described in the case. The decision
of Adidas to acquire Reebok will catapult
its market share but will still fall short of
the market share held by Nike. The


adopted by various marketers in China
• To discuss the opportunities and
challenges for Adidas in China.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Athletic footwear and apparel
COM0078A
2005
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Athletic sportswear industry; Adidas; Nike;
Li-Ning; Reebok; China; Sport scenario in
China; Franchising; Olympic games;
consumer
behaviour;
consumer
segmentation;
brands;
celebrity
endorsement; competition; competitive
strategy; Porter ’s five force analysis;
acquisition.

The US Automobile Industry’s
New Platform for Competition,
The ‘American’: What’s
‘American’ Anyway?
For almost a century, the US was proud of
its three largest automobile companies –
General Motors, Ford and Chrysler,
(collectively called the Big Three). Ford
was the first to introduce the concepts of
mass production, moving assembly line and
‘$5-day’, which became the industry norm.
GM, one of the biggest companies in the
world, had to its credit the first US company
to generate $1 billion a year. Chrysler, on
the other hand, was known for its
innovative capabilities. The automobile
industry was itself one of the most
important industries in the US. Receiving
more than the average salary and with
generous healthcare and pension benefits,
employees considered it a privilege to work
for the Big Three. However, the Big
Three’s demesne was gradually invaded by
foreign competition, especially from
Japan. Initially establishing a base by
exporting to the US, the Japanese
carmakers gradually setup their own
production facilities, employed Americans
and responded to the changing tastes and
preferences of the consumers in a better
and faster way. Over a period of time, the
US consumers no longer considered these
foreign companies as ‘foreign’. With
falling market shares, increasing legacy

• To identify and discuss the strategic
inflection points in the US automobile
industry
• To discuss how the once dominant Big
Three lost to their Japanese counterparts
• To understand the advantages built and
sustained by the Japanese companies
over the Big Three
• To explore the relevance of ‘patriotism’
as a platform for competition
• To analyse what ‘Americanism’ means
in one of the most globalised industries.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile
COM0077
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
US automobile industry; Detroit’s Big
Three; General Motors Ford Daimler
Chrysler; Toyota Honda Nissan; Keep
America Rolling Legacy costs Healthcare;
Competitive Advantage; Bold Moves
campaign; Segmentation Targeting and
Positioning (STP); Brand Image; Industry
Life Cycle; Lean Production Total Quality
Management; William Edwards Deming
and Joseph M. Juran; Downsizing
operations Layoffs; UAW (United Auto
Workers); Emotional Branding.

Nancy Tellem’s Competitive
Strategies for CBS Paramount
Television Network
Entertainment Group: The Future
Challenges
CBS Paramount Television (CBS) captured
the top position for the 2005-2006 season
among the US broadcast TV networks,
under the dynamic leadership of Nancy
Tellem (Tellem), president, CBS
Paramount
Network
Television
Entertainment Group. Under Tellem’s
leadership, CBS became US’ most watched
TV network on the strength of successful

television programmes like The Amazing
Race, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, Two
And A Half Men, Cold Case and Survivor.
However, CBS faced considerable
challenges from its competitors like ABC
and FOX. Moreover, broadcast TV
networks are losing revenues from
advertising to other forms of media and
facing increasing competition from new
digital media such as Internet, DVDs, PVRs,
VOD, etc. It is being debated whether
Tellem would be able to counter such
challenges successfully in the future.
• To discuss about the competitive nature
of US broadcast TV network industry
• To discuss about the competitive
strategies adopted by Nancy Tellem for
CBS Paramount Television Network
Entertainment Group
• To discuss about the potential threat
posed to traditional media by new digital
media such as Internet, DVDs, PVRs,
VOD, etc.
• To debate whether CBS Paramount
Television Network Entertainment
Group, under the leadership of Nancy
Tellem, would be able to meet the
challenges successfully in the future.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Media and Entertainment
COM0076
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
US Broadcast TV Network Industry; ABC
Inc.; FOX Broadcasting Company; NBC
Inc.; Reality TV Shows; Fall Season; Cable
TV; New Distribution Technologies; VideoOn-Demand (VOD); Consolidation in TV
Network Industry; Viacom; Leslie
Moonves; New Digital Media; Business
Models of Entertainment Companies.

Intel vs AMD: AMD has the Last
Laugh?
The birth and evolution of the
microprocessor industry is synonymous
with the history of Intel. From a company
that manufactured memory chips in the
1970s, Intel transformed into a
microprocessor-manufacturing
powerhouse
that
dominated
the
microprocessor industry and dictated terms
to the PC industry. One of the main factors
responsible for Intel’s meteoric rise was its
ability to respond to the market with
innovative products. Until the late 1990s,
Intel had a complete grip on the
microprocessor market with more than
80% share. No rival could compete with
Intel’s technological and marketing clout.
Then in 1999, a small company named

AMD launched Athlon, a 64-bit desktop
microprocessor with superior performance
compared to similar Intel microprocessors.
AMD followed it up with a 64-bit server
microprocessor called, Opteron. AMD
consistently came out with superior
products compared to Intel and steadily
started gaining market share. Intel realized
that a company that was one-tenth its size
was a serious threat to its leadership
position. In an effort to contain market
losses and regain its lost glory, Intel
implemented extensive changes including
restructuring and re-branding. Meanwhile,
AMD was also trying to build on its
previous successes and depose Intel from
its
leadership
position
in
the
microprocessor industry.


costs, the significance of the Big Three
declined significantly in the eyes of
consumers, investors and the government
alike. Amidst these conditions, Ford came
up with a promotional campaign
emphasising on its American legacy.
Toyota also launched a campaign striving
to showcase its ‘Americanism’. In addition,
the retirees of the Big Three formed a
grassroots association in order to persuade
the US consumers to buy only ‘American’
to save the jobs of millions of Americans
working at the Big Three. In the light of
this new platform of competition, the
question arises as to whether it is possible
to define what is ‘American’ at all.

• To identify and analyse the strategic
inflection points in the microprocessor
industry
• To discuss the growth strategies of Intel
and AMD over the years
• To discuss the reasons underlying Intel’s
failure in anticipating the threat from
AMD
• To discuss the strategies implemented
by AMD to gain a competitive edge over
Intel
• To discuss whether the new initiatives
taken up by Intel and AMD respectively
will enable them to gain a sustainable
competitive advantage over the other
• To discuss what strategies Intel and AMD
must adopt, in the light of changing
market dynamics.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Semiconductor
COM0075
2006
Available
Available

Keywords
Intel AMD; Semiconductor industry;
Microprocessor
market;
Strategic
inflection points; Growth strategy;
Competitive
strategy;
Branding
Restructuring; Competitive advantage
Market share; Gordon Moore; Robert
Noyce; Andrew Grove;Paul Otellini; Jerry
Sanders; Hector Ruiz; Intel Pentium;
Itanium; Xeon; Centrino; AMD Opteron
Athlon Dual Core; Dell HP Sun
Microsystems; Platform strategy.

Automobile Safety: Japanese
Manufacturers Lead the Way
Road accidents are resulting in increasing
number of injuries and deaths every year
globally. Realising the magnitude of the
problem, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) in 2004, classified ‘road traffic
www.ibscdc.org

27


injuries’ as a public health concern. The
world over, governments in association
with the automobile industry players are
taking a slew of measures to ensure vehicle
as well as pedestrian safety. Though the
US and the European automobile
manufacturers had initially installed some
safety devices in the vehicles and had
invested heavily in safety research, the
Japanese auto manufacturers like Honda,
Toyota, Mazda and Nissan have stolen a
march over them by commercializing
safety-related features in their automobiles.
With state-of-the-art technology like GPS,
adaptive cruise control, conversational
speech interface etc., the Japanese
manufacturers have clearly taken a lead
over other automobile manufacturers.
However, there are certain issues such as
cost-efficacy and affordability of the safety
devices that still need to be addressed.
• To understand the magnitude of the
worldwide problem of deaths and injuries
caused due to road accidents
• To discuss the initiatives taken by various
governments
and
automobile
manufacturers in ensuring vehicle and
pedestrian safety
• To discuss the new safety initiatives of
the Japanese automobile industry
• To debate upon the cost-efficacy and
the possible legal repercussions of the
safety initiatives.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile
COM0074
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Automobile safety designing; National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA); Euro New Car Assessment
Programme (NCAP); The Haddon Matrix;
Intelligent Transport System (ITS);
Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV);
Emergency response system; Adaptive
cruise control; Active safety technology;
Automated Highway System (AHS); Global
Positioning System (GPS); Vehicle
Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM)
System; Total Human Model for Safety
(THUMS); Nissan safety shield; Mazda’s
smart safety technologies.

The Changing Consumers’ Tastes
in US Beer Market: AnheuserBusch Company’s Competitive
Strategies
Since the 1970s, the US beer industry had
been hit by the rising costs of preparation
and preservation of beer and the shifting

28

www.ibscdc.org

preferences of consumers towards low-cost
beverages like wines, and spirits. Further,
in the 1980s, increasing health concern
among consumers transformed the US beer
industry as traditional beers like ales and
lagers were replaced by light lager beers
and other health drinks. Under such
circumstances, Anheuser-Busch, the leading
brewer in the US, started losing market
share to other big brands like SABMiller
and Coors, small-scale local breweries and
imported brands like Heineken. To fend
off competition, the company launched a
series of new products, acquired new brands
and entered into partnerships with other
breweries to increase its market share.
• To understand the landscape of the US
beer industry and the changing consumer
tastes and preferences
• To analyse the reasons behind the
declining sales of beer in the US and an
increase in the consumption of wine,
spirits and other flavoured alcoholic
beverages
• To discuss whether the competitive
strategies of Anheuser-Busch would help
it to sustain its leadership in the US beer
market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Brewers
COM0073
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Landscape of US beer industry; Different
categories of beer; Anheuser-Busch’s
competitive strategies; SABMiller;
Consumer preferences in US; Brand
advertising strategies; Beer brands of
Anheuser-Busch; Market segmentation of
beer industry; Mergers and acquisitions in
the beer industry; Global expansion
strategies of Anheuser-Busch.

PVR Cinemas: Competitive
Strategies of the Indian Cineplex
Pioneer
Priya Village Roadshow (PVR) is the largest
cinema exhibition player in India, which
introduced the concept of multiplexes in
the country in 1997 and redefined the
movie viewing experience of the Indian
audience. In 2004, the company also
diversified into movie distribution. With
many firsts to its credit, PVR opened
multiplexes in the National Capital Region
(NCR) of India and other metros like
Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad in 2006.
However, since the turn of the 21st century,
PVR has been facing stiff competition from
other players, who have equal investment
capabilities and similar expansion plans.

• To understand the movie exhibition
business in India and the factors that led
to the inception of the multiplex
concept in India
• To discuss the growth strategies of PVR
in the Indian multiplex business
• To analyse the competitive strategies
of PVR’s competitors and debate on
strategies that might support PVR to
sustain its leadership in the Indian
multiplex industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Movie Exhibition
COM0072
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
‘Movies First’; Village Roadshow; Cinema
Europa; THX certified cinemas; PVR
(Priya Village Roadshow) Bangalore; Gold
Class; PVR Pictures; ICICI (Industrial Credit
and Investment Corporation of India)
Advantage Fund; PVR Movies First; Adlabs
Films; IMAX Dome; Fame Adlabs; Shringar
Cinemas; Inox Leisure; Fun Multiplex.

McDonald’s in UK: The
Competitive strategies
Since its launch in 1974, McDonald’s has
maintained its profitability by offering its
regular menu of burgers and french fries to
its customers in the UK. However, since
2001, McDonald’s has been drawing
increased criticism as consumers in UK held
McDonald’s responsible for causing obesity.
Besides, the company also began to face
stiff competition from ‘trendy’ outlets like
Starbucks and Subway that offered
‘healthy’ food. McDonald’s added salads
to its menu, which, the company felt, would
change its image from being a junk food
retailer to a healthy food provider. It also
changed the appearance of its stores to
compete in the highly competitive UK fast
food market.
• To understand the competitive landscape
of UK’s fast food retailing industry
• To analyse the reasons behind
McDonald’s rapid growth in UK’s fast
food market and its decline since the
dawn of the 21st century
• To discuss whether a change in
McDonald’s image would help the
company to rebuild the same trust, which
it enjoyed prior to 2001.
Industry
Reference No.

Fast Food & Quick Service
Restaurants
COM0071

2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Fast food industry in the UK; Challenges
faced by McDonald’s in the UK; Brand
repositioning; Competition in the UK’s
fast food industry; McDonald’s competitors
in the UK; Wimpy; Pret a Manger; KFC;
Starbucks; Burger King; Subway;
Turnaround strategy; Core competences
in the fast food industry; Changing trends
in the UK’s fast food industry; McDonald’s
revival in the UK.

Lowe’s, AMD, Target et al.: The
Second-mover Advantage?
In the world of business, the pioneer or the
first-mover in an industry often fails to
stand up to the competition from its
follower or the second-mover due to its
failure to constantly innovate or to take
timely and effective competitive decisions.
The first-movers tend to cling on to their
time-tested strategies, which yield positive
results when they are the sole entity in a
particular market – a phenomenon known
as ‘active inertia’. This leads to a decline
in their financial position and sometimes
put their existence in jeopardy. The
second-movers, on the other hand, have
been found to gain from the experiences
of the pioneer and take full advantage of
the pioneer’s weaknesses and strategic
mistakes.
• To understand the challenges that a
pioneer faces in any industry and the
factors that determine the sustainability
of its leadership
• To analyse the various constraints of
the first-movers, which are taken
advantage of by the second-movers to
strengthen their positions
• To discuss how the first-movers can
protect their lead in an industry by
keeping competition at bay.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Discount Retailing
COM0070
2006
Not Available
Available

Keywords
First mover’s disadvantage; Second mover’s
advantage; Wal-Mart vs Target; Motorola
vs Nokia; Intel vs AMD; Sony vs Samsung;
Home Depot vs Lowe’s; Marketing myopia;
Active inertia; Value innovation; PioneerMigrator-Settler map; New Value Curve;
‘Caffeine-induced Oasis’; Core competency
development.

FedEx in China: The Competitive
Strategies
The expansion of the postal industry in
China has attempted to keep pace with
the rapid growth of the country’s
economy. The transformation of the
industry from offering basic services to
state-of-the-art express delivery services
has taken place in less than half a century.
While China Post dominates the postal
services market, global courier companies
have established a major presence in the
fast growing courier and express delivery
segment of China. FedEx has been the most
successful player amongst them. The
company’s strategic alliances with major
domestic companies, a large distribution
network and fast delivery services offers a
unique advantage over competitors DHL,
UPS and TNT in China.
• To discuss the critical success factors in
the courier service industry of China
• To discuss the growth and challenges of
FedEx in China
FedEx to gain a competitive edge in the
Chinese market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Express Delivery Services
COM0069
2006
Not Available
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); Strategic
alliance; Joint venture; World Trade
Organisation (WTO) accession; State
Postal Bureau; Sinotrans; Wholly-owned
subsidiary; Competitive advantage.

Kroger’s Customer-centric
Business Model: The Competitive
Strategies
For many years, the third-largest
supermarket group in the US, Kroger, has
been competing to gain market share from
world’s No.1 retailer, Wal-Mart. Following
Wal-Mart’s price-led business model,
Kroger tried to attract customers and
increase its sales. However, it failed as its
cost reduction could not match its price
reduction. Realising that it was difficult to
compete on the basis of price alone, in
2002, along with Dunnhumby (a
specialised provider of database
management and analytical services),
Kroger formulated a customer-centric
strategy for itself. According to this,

customer data is analysed to get a deeper
understanding of their purchasing
behaviour. The retailer also implemented
a ‘customer first’ strategy to deliver higher
value to its customers coupled with an
enhanced shopping experience.
• To understand the need for Kroger’s
transition in its business model from being
price-led to being customer-centric
• To analyse whether such transition would
help Kroger or go against it, as by
wavering between price-led and
customer-led business models, Kroger
might lose its strategic focus.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Grocery Retail
COM0068
2006
Available
Not Available


Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

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

Hyundai in China: The
Ever since 1978, when China started the
transformation from a controlledeconomy to a market-oriented one, it has
experienced one of the fastest growth rates.
Helped by booming demand, the country’s
automobile industry has experienced the
fastest growth rate in the world since the
1990s. Many of the global automobile
manufacturers entered China to take
advantage of its huge customer and
resource base. Hyundai Motor Company
was one of the late entrants in the Chinese
market. It adopted a combination of
strategic alliances, in-depth market
research, quality manufacturing and
competitive pricing to establish its
presence in the country.
• To discuss the critical success factors in
the Chinese automobile industry
• To discuss the market entry strategies
of Hyundai in China
• To discuss the strategies that Hyundai
adopted to gain a competitive edge in
the Chinese market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.

Automobile
COM0067
2006

www.ibscdc.org

29


Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Not Available
Not Available

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

HP into Digital Printing: Charting a
New Competitive Landscape
Founded in 1938 by two Stanford engineers,
Bill Hewlett and David Packard, HP became
well-known in the computer industry,
manufacturing a range of computers from
desktop machines to microcomputers. It
also became popular for its wide range of
personal desktop printers in the 1980s.
After establishing itself in the printer
industry, HP started shifting its focus more
towards imaging and printing products. It
launched photo printers for consumers to
print at home and later acquired Snapfish,
a leading online photo website to expand
in the digital photo printing market. In
2006, HP launched it photo-printing kiosks
to further penetrate into the digital photo
printing market. But there remain doubts
about HP’s chances of gaining leadership
in a market already dominated by Kodak
and Fuji.
• To discuss the reasons behind the choice
of various mediums of digital photo
printing by consumers
• To discuss the logic behind HP’s strategy
to penetrate into the digital photo
printing market
• To discuss the challenges HP might face
in the digital photo printing market
• To discuss the chances HP has in the
digital photo printing market in the
presence of already established players
like Kodak and Fuji.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Digital Photo Printing
COM0066
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

30

www.ibscdc.org

IKEA in China: Competing
through Low-Cost Strategies
With a simple mission statement “to create
a better everyday life for the Chinese
people”, IKEA entered China in 1998.
Initially it faced challenges due to high duty
rates and the strict quotas levied by the
Chinese government. To attract customers
in China, IKEA adopted a low-cost strategy
and started offering quality furniture at
discounted prices. Although, IKEA tasted
success in China, analysts are sceptical
whether the price-reduction strategy of
IKEA would benefit it in the long run amidst
stiff competition and the changing
customer preferences.
• To understand the impact of customer
preferences on the furniture retailing
industry in China
• To discuss how IKEA gained competitive
advantage by differentiating its products
and maintaining a cost leadership in the
furniture retailing industry of China.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Home furnishings &
Housewares Retail
COM0065
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Global furniture retailing industry;
Furniture retailing industry in China;
Customer preferences in China; Foreign
furniture retailers in China; Domestic
furniture manufacturers in China; Price of
furniture in China; B&Q; Customer
spending habits in China; Supplier countries
of IKEA; IKEA’s global operations.

Toyota’s Lexus: The Changing
Competitive Focus
A shift in customer preferences in the early
1990s towards luxury cars prompted many
Japanese automakers to launch their own
luxury brands. In 1989, Toyota launched
Lexus, which quickly overtook American
and European automakers to become the
number one selling luxury brand in the US.
To counter competition from Lexus,
American and European automakers
launched sportier and lower-cost versions
of their cars. Lexus’s market share began
to fall and it launched sportier versions of
its cars to stay in the game. It also launched
the Lexus brand in Japan in September
2005. But Lexus was still trailing behind
European automakers in the high-end
luxury segment in the US. To establish itself
in this segment, Lexus launched the LS
460 in 2006 and also decided to
aggressively pursue European markets

where it could not establish itself due to
the strong presence of European
automakers. But analysts are doubtful about
its success, as the European automakers
have already established themselves in the
high-end luxury segment in American,
European and Japanese markets.
• To understand the evolution and the
dynamics of the luxury car market
Toyota in establishing Lexus as a luxury
brand in the US
• To discuss the rationale behind Toyota’s
change in competitive focus to target
the high-end luxury segment in the US,
Europe and Japan
• To debate whether Toyota would be
successful in establishing itself in the
high-end luxury segment in the face of
increasing competition from established
names in the high-end luxury segment.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Auto manufacturing
COM0064
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Toyota; Lexus; LS 460; Luxury cars; Standalone brand; Customer service; BMW;
Mercedes-Benz; Competitive focus; Price
competitiveness.

Amgen, the World’s Biggest
Biotechnology Group: The
Since its inception in 1980 as Applied
Molecular Genetics Incorporated, Amgen’s
growth to become the world’s largest
biotechnology company with sales of
$12.4 billion in 2005 has been
phenomenal. Through its innovations,
acquisition of companies like Immunex and
other operational strategies, Amgen has
avoided the dual menace of sluggish growth
and stiff competition that has hit many
pharmaceutical and biotechnological
behemoths.
• To highlight the strategies adopted by
Amgen to become the biggest
biotechnology company in the world in
a relatively short span of 25 years
• To focus on the global biotechnology
industry and the competitive landscape
of Amgen
adopted by Amgen to retain its
leadership.

Industry

Keywords
Global biotechnology industry; Acquisition
of
Immunex;
Blockbuster
biopharmaceuticals and drugs; Strategic
acquisitions of Amgen; Patents of Amgen;
Biotechnology drug development process;
Amgen’s acquisitions and partnerships;
Research and development expenditure of
Amgen; Eranasp; Neupogen; Enbrel;
Epogen; Molecular biology.

The Container Store’s Customer
Service:Recruitment and
Training as Competitive
Advantage
The storage and organisation segment
forms a part of the home furnishing
industry and, over time, the Container Store
has become synonymous with this niche
retail category. The Container Store was
established in 1978, and though many new
players entered had the storage and
organisation segment, none were as
successful as the Container Store. The
company’s unique recruitment and training
policy, corporate culture and philosophy
give it an un-replicable advantage over its
competitors.
• To understand how the training and
recruitment programs of The Container
Store give it a competitive advantage
• To discuss The Container Store’s
employee-related programmes and how
they have become a competitive
advantage for the company
• To discuss the challenges the company
faces in sustaining its unique business
model.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Home Furnishing and
Housewares
COM0062
2006
Available
Available

Wrigley vs Cadbury Schweppes:
The Competitive Strategies in
chewing Gum Market
Wrigley, with a global market share of
35.4%, is the world’s largest manufacturer
and marketer of chewing gums. For the
first time in its history, its dominance was
threatened when confectionery giant
Cadbury Schweppes forayed into the
manufacturing of chewing gum in 2002 and
quickly acquired a market share of 26%
worldwide. In response, Wrigley also
diversified into confectionery, the core
business of Cadbury Schweppes.
• To understand the competitive strategies
adopted by Wrigley and Cadbury
Schweppes
• To discuss their abilities to sustain and
enhance their respective positions in the
global chewing gum market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Candy and Confections
COM0061
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Global chewing gum market; Competitive
strategies; Growth strategies; Acquisition
strategies; Marketing strategies; Brand
positioning; Product promotion strategies;
Joyco; Altoids; Life savers; Doublemint
chewing gums; Spearmints; Trident Splash;
Hollywood.

Wal-Mart vs Target: Image
Difference and Competitive
Responses
Although both Wal-Mart and Target started
in 1962 as discount retail stores, the
companies evolved over the years to
project completely different images. While
Wal-Mart developed an ‘every day prices’
image, Target projected an ‘upscale image’.
However, both the retailers were trying to
change their image with Wal-Mart trying
to shift towards a more upscale image,
while Target trying to project an image of
a retailer selling quality products at low
prices.

Keywords


Retail industry; Home furnishing and
housewares industry; Training and
recruitment
policies;
Competitive
advantage; Human resource management;
Storage and organisation products;
Employee empowerment; Performance
appraisal; Employee turnover; Wal-Mart
target; Kip Tindell; Garrett Boone; Niche
marketing; Specialty stores; Teamwork.

• To understand the development of WalMart and Target over the years, the
difference in image projected by the two
companies and the image makeover
strategies being adopted by them as a
part of their competitive response to
each other
• To discuss whether the image makeover
would be beneficial for Wal-Mart and
Target.

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing
COM0060
2005
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Wal-Mart; Target; Image differences;
Competitive responses; Cost leadership
strategy; Low-price strategy; Promotional
strategy; Low profile image; Upscale
image; Brand perception; Brand building;
Idea leadership.

Volkswagen in China: The
Growth Challenges


Biopharmaceuticals &
Biotherapeutics
Reference No. COM0063
Year of Pub. 2006
Struc.Assign. Not Available

By 2003, China had become the world’s
fastest growing major automobile market.
Industry experts opined that China would
soon emerge as the fourth largest automarket after the US, Japan and Germany.
Volkswagen, China’s largest automaker in
2003, with a 37% market share, stood to
gain from the expanding market. However,
the second quarter of 2004 witnessed an
abrupt slowdown in the sales of automobiles
in China. Volkswagen also faced increased
competition from companies like General
Motors and Toyota. In a bid to maintain
its position in the Chinese market,
Volkswagen plans to increase its
investments in the country to 5.3 billion
euros (US$6.5 billion) by 2008.
• To discuss Volkswagen’s growth in the
Chinese market and the strategies it
adopted to deal with the increasing
competition and the changing economic
scenario of the country.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile Manufacturing
COM0059
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Volkswagen (VW); China; Automobile
industry; China’s automobile industry;
Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive
Company; FAW-Volkswagen Automotive
Company Limited; Growth strategy; VW
joint ventures in China; Growth challenges
in China; VW expansion plans in China;
FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in
Chinese auto sector

Virgin Mobile in USA:
Differentiating Growth Strategies
Virgin Group, the British conglomerate
which operates in various businesses from
airlines to bridal services, started Virgin
Mobile USA (Virgin) in July 2002. Virgin
targeted the under penetrated youth

www.ibscdc.org

31


segment in the US market and was able to
enrol two million customers by mid-2004.
Analysts termed this performance as a huge
success, considering the point that the
services were targeted at the low-income
youth market.
• To discuss Virgin Mobile’s entry strategies
into a seemingly matured US mobile
market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Wireless Telecommunications
COM0058
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Virgin Mobile; Virgin Group; Wireless
Telecommunications; Telecommunications
in USA; Mobile virtual network operators
(MVNO); Telecom resellers; Youth brands;
Marketing to young America; Sprint PCS;
Demographic segmentation; Wireless
carriers in USA.

The Power of a Start-up
Company: Can Iliad Group
Unsettle the Monopoly of France
Telecom?
By 2004, Iliad Group (established in 1987)
had become France’s second largest player
in the Internet and telecommunications
services market (after France Telecom)
with a turnover of US$670.3 million. Iliad
started as an Internet service provider and
transformed itself into a full-fledged
Internet
and
telecommunications
company,
incorporating
advanced
technologies through its own network.
Though the Group’s goal was to compete
with rivals like AOL and Wanadoo in
Internet services, it offered tough
competition to the state-owned monopoly,
France Telecom and revolutionised the
French telecom market.
• To understand the rapid expansion of
Iliad Group in France
• To discuss the threats posed by its
competitive strategies to the monopoly
of France Telecom.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Internet and On-line Services
Providers
COM0057
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
France Telecom; Telecommunication
sector of France; Free Internet services;
Freebox; Broadband Internet services;

32

www.ibscdc.org

Local loop unbundling; Major Internet
service provider in France; Low-cost
telephony solutions; French telecom
market; Fibre-optic network; VoIP (Voice
over Internet Protocol); Freeplayer
software; Altitude Telecom; WiMAX
(Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access); DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line
Access Multiplexer).

• To understand the competition between
the two leading retailers, Tesco and
ASDA, along with the differences in the
strategies adopted by them
• To discuss the sustainability of
competition squarely based on price
• To discuss the desirability of counter
strategies under such circumstances.

The Competitive Strategies of
Ryanair
While most of the world’s traditional
airlines are finding it tough to survive,
Ireland-based Ryanair is able to make
profits consistently. The low cost model
of the airline is helping the company to
offer low fares and thereby attract large
numbers of travellers who would otherwise
not have travelled by air.
• To discuss how Ryanair is keeping costs
low and getting ahead of the major
airlines in Europe
• To discuss the broad spectrum of
competition that runs through the
airlines industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Airline
COM0056
2003
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Low-cost airlines; Ryanair; easyJet;
Competition in Europe’s airline industry;
Cost management; Consolidation; Ryanair
vs easyJet; Michael O’Leary; Europe’s low
cost airlines; Discount airline; Cost-cutting
at Ryanair; Low frills airline; Ryanair’s
advertisements; Ryanair’s airport deals;
Ryanair.com.

Tesco vs ASDA: UK’s Retailing
Battle
The competitive scenario of the UK retail
industry changed with the entry of WalMart through its purchase of ASDA in
1999. ASDA intensified the competition
through its strategy of ‘every day low
prices’. It quickly established itself as the
low price retailer. However, focus on
quality and customer service helped Tesco
to become the leading retailer in the UK.
To compete with ASDA in terms of low
prices, Tesco also started to greatly reduce
their prices. This counter strategy of Tesco
helped it hold a major market share of the
retail market, leading ahead of its
competitors. On the other hand, ASDA in
spite of providing low prices, saw its market
share continuously decrease in the year
2005.

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing
COM0055
2005
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Tesco; ASDA; UK retail industry; WalMart; Sainsbury’s; Competitive strategies;
Cost-cutting strategies; Acquisitions;
Retailing battle; Cost competitiveness;
Objectives; Customer service; SMILES
marketing campaign.

Samsung vs Sony: From
Benchmarking to Outsmarting
In the mid-1990s, Samsung was known as
a low-cost manufacturer of electronic
products that imitated Sony’s models. Hit
hard by the Asian financial crisis in 1997,
the company implemented a turn around
under the leadership of its chief executive
officer, Jong Yong Yun. By 2005, Samsung
had transformed itself from being a
copycat to a manufacturer of high quality,
cutting edge electronic products. In the
process, it also overtook Sony as the world’s
most valuable consumer electronics brand.
• To understand the turnaround strategies
of Jong Yong Yun, the evolution of the
Samsung brand and the diminishing power
of Sony
• To discuss Samsung’s ability to maintain
its leadership in the global consumer
electronics industry even without a
‘Walkman-like’ iconic product in its
stables.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Memory Chips and Modules
COM0054
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
Samsung Electronics; Sony; Paranoid
corporate culture; Jong Yong Yun; Reverse
engineering turn around strategy;
Benchmarking; Brand building; Master
brand strategy; Brand value; Digital
television technology; Memory chips;
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD); Mobile
phones; Asian financial crisis

leading players in the global consumer
electronics industry.

In 2004, Sony, the iconic consumer
electronics giant, formed S-LCD, a joint
venture with Samsung Electronics to
manufacture large-sized LCD (Liquid Crystal
Display) panels for its television division.
Prior to Sony, Samsung had also entered
into strategic alliances with other
competitors like Apple, Intel, Motorola,
Dell, HP and Nokia. With huge investments
in research and development, Samsung,
whose portfolio does not include blockbuster
brands like Sony’s Trinitron and Apple’s
iPod, aims to displace its competitors (who
are also its customers and partners) from
their leadership position.

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Electronics
COM0052
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
Samsung; LG (LG Electronics); Global
branding; Vertical integration; Cultural
marketing; CDMA (Code Division Multiple
Access) technology; GSM (Global System
for Mobile Communication); Consumer
electronics market; Chaebol; DRAM
(Dynamic Random Access Memory);
Digital technology.

• To understand the strategy
competitive collaboration

of

• To discuss how Samsung is using this
strategy to gain a leadership position in
the global consumer electronics industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0053
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
Samsung; Sony; Consumer electronics;
Competitive collaboration; Collaborative
competition; 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, while
its global and domestic competitor LG (LG
Electronics) could make US$1.5 billion.
Since its inception, the leadership position
of Samsung in dynamic random access
memory technology and its strategic entry
into the consumer electronics industry
brought it on a par with other global leaders
like Sony and Philips. The rise of the
company as the 21st largest global brand in
2004 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 international
brand in the footsteps of Samsung.
However, LG is considered to be a laggard
in the consumer electronics industry with
its short product life-cycles and ever
changing technologies.
• To discuss how LG, as a market follower,
is making efforts to become one of the

Royal Dutch Shell Plc.: The
In mid-2005, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, the
world’s third-largest oil company, has
undergone a massive restructuring. For
nearly a century, Royal Dutch/Shell was
one of the most renowned companies of
the world, for its long-term planning,
technical capabilities and collegial
management style. Shell was once viewed
as a textbook case of a multinational
behemoth, with far-flung operations,
Anglo-Dutch heritage and a twin board
structure. Its old corporate slogan, ‘You
can be sure of Shell’, seemed a mere
statement of fact. But the waters changed
from the mid-1990s. First, the company
has
faced
agitations
from
environmentalists and human rights
activists. During the consolidation phase,
its competitors seized the lead and grew
bigger. In 2004, the company was
embroiled in an oil reserves reporting
scandal. All these perils were analysed to
be the upshot of the once hailed twin board
structure. As a result, in 2005 the company
was restructured and was rechristened as
Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
• To understand the nature and intensity
of the recent troubles of the company
• To discuss how the company tried to
tide over such trying times and are the
sustainability of those strategies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Oil and Gas Exploration and
Production
COM0051
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Royal Dutch/Shell Group; Royal Dutch Shell
Plc.; Shell transport and trading; Royal
Dutch Petroleum; Exxon-Mobile; British
Petroleum (BP); Oil and natural gas; Oil

and gas exploration and production;
Corporate governance at Shell; Reserve
reporting scandal at Shell; Competitive
strategies of Shell; Restructuring at Shell.

Reforms at Bombay Stock
Exchange, Asia’s Oldest Stock
Exchange: The Competitive
Strategies
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which
is the largest stock exchange in Asia,
witnessed a profound transformation in its
business operations. From being a regional
stock exchange, it has emerged as one of
the important institutions for transferring
savings into investments, in the country.
Between 1990 and 2003, BSE witnessed a
series of stock market scams, which
involved more than 5,000 rupee crores of
investors’ money. BSE faced criticism from
industry experts, analysts, policy makers
and politicians for being non-transparent,
unregulated and taking inadequate measures
for investors’ protection. To overcome
these challenges, BSE launched a series of
measures in the late 1990s and with the
advent of reforms, BSE witnessed notable
developments in many areas such as: (1)
trading; (2) operations; (3) management;
and (4) addressing investors’ grievances.
The Government of India also took steps
to corporatise the stock exchange, thereby
separating trading, ownership and
management. Finally, on the August 9 th
2005, BSE created history by converting
itself into a corporate entity, thereby
forming BSE Limited.


Samsung vs Sony: The
Competitive Collaboration

• To understand how BSE has emerged
(from a regional stock exchange) to
Asia’s largest stock exchange
• To understand the issue of failure of
corporate governance at Asia’s biggest
stock exchange
adopted by BSE to overcome the
challenges and competition faced by a
National Stock Exchange and other
global stock exchanges.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Stock Markets
COM0050
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE); National
Stock Exchange; Over The Counter
Exchange of India (OTCEI); Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI);
Government of India; Competition;
Corporatisation; Financial markets; Stock
broking; Stock market scams; Financial
sector reforms; Controller of Capital Issues

www.ibscdc.org

33


(CCI); Margin trading; On-line trading;
Economics, politics and business
environment; Strategy and general
management.

Progressive Corp: The Auto
Insurer’s Competitive Strategies
Progressive Corporation, the No.3 auto
insurer in the US has been in the race to
capture a substantial market share from its
rivals, State Farm and Allstate.
Progressive’s tailor-made insurance
services for its customers made it one of
the leading auto insurers in the US.
However, due to cutthroat price
competition from its rivals, Progressive’s
growth faced some difficulties in early 2004.

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Video Games
COM0048
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Video game console industry; Cyclical
nature of industry; Game software business;
Sony PlayStation; Microsoft Xbox;
Nintendo’s GameCube; Electronic Arts
Incorporated; Game royalties; Console
sales; Backward compatibility; Price cuts;
Microsoft’s
XNA;
Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3); On-line gaming.

adopted by Progressive Corporation to
sustain its position in the market
• To discuss how competitive the company
can be in the future.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Insurance
COM0049
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Auto insurance market in the US;
Progressive’s innovative services to its
customers; History of Progressive
Corporation; Top ten insurers in the US;
Immediate response vehicle; Autograph;
Working of Concierge Claims Service;
Financials of Progressive Corporation;
Market shares of Progressive and its
competitors; Awards received by
Progressive Corporation.

PlayStation vs Xbox: The Battle
for Supremacy
Growing at a pace of 11% CAGR
(compound annual growth rate) and fast
surpassing the revenues of Hollywood, the
video game industry has baffled the media
and entertainment observers. Led by Sony’s
PlayStation series of consoles, the industry
has weathered the slump of the late 1990s
that lowered everything from Internet
stocks to computer sales. The booming
industry caught the sights of Microsoft,
which launched its Xbox console in the
late 2001. Analysts believed that the arrival
of Xbox would end the supremacy of Sony’s
PlayStation.
• To discuss the strategies adopted by Sony
and Microsoft to capture market share

34

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

www.ibscdc.org

Oracle’s Bid for PeopleSoft:
PeopleSoft’s Combat Strategies
PeopleSoft, Inc., the second-largest
enterprise software provider in the world,
had been thwarting the hostile takeover
attempt made by the Silicon Valley database
giant, Oracle Corporation, since mid-2003.
But Oracle has been relentlessly making
unsuccessful attempts to take over
PeopleSoft. Though its previous takeover
attempts failed, on November 19th 2004,
Oracle met with some success when a
majority of PeopleSoft’s shareholders
expressed their support to its offer. Despite
the shareholders’ support for the bid, Oracle
still has to wait for the approval from the
Delaware’s Chancery Court for elimination
of the final barrier – the ‘Poison Pill’ and
the invalidation of the Customer Assurance
Program, provisions inducted by PeopleSoft
to prevent the takeover.
• To discuss Oracle’s hostile takeover bid
efforts, and PeopleSoft’s combat
strategies to thwart the bid
• To discuss the potential advantages and
disadvantages to the two companies,
their shareholders and customers, in the
event of Oracle’s success.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Software Products and
Services
COM0047
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
PeopleSoft Inc. (PeopleSoft); Oracle
Corporation (Oracle); Enterprise Software
products and services; Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) Software; Database
software products and services; Hostile
takeover; Combat strategies; Poison pill;
Customer Assurance.

NTT DoCoMo vs KDDI: The Price
War
The biggest mobile player in Japan, NTT
DoCoMo, was losing out in the race for
3G (third generation) mobile services.
The company reduced its earnings
forecast for the fiscal year 2004, in the
light of a fierce price war besetting the
mobile services market of Japan.
DoCoMo’s immediate rival in the
domestic market, KDDI, had initiated a
price competition in November 2003 by
offering lower priced 3G services, which
had enabled KDDI to add more subscribers
than DoCoMo. To increase its subscriber
base, DoCoMo slashed its tariff and also
initiated its efforts to come out with
innovative technologies for which it had
been well-known in the Japanese telecom
industry.
• To discuss NTT DoCoMo’s strategies
to fight the price war and regain its
innovative edge in the Japanese mobile
services industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Wireless Communication
Services
COM0046
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
NTT DoCoMo; KDDI; Price war; Mobile
services in Japan; CDMA2000 (Code
Division Multiple Access); W-CDMA
(Wideband-Code Division Multiple
Access); 3G services; Competitive scenario
in the Japanese cell phone market; i-mode;
FOMA (freedom of mobile multimedia
access); FeliCa; Smart chips; Telecom
deregulation in Japan.

Netflix: The US DVD Rental
Company’s Competitive
Strategies
Los Gatos (California)-based Netflix Inc.,
was the world’s first and largest on-line
DVD rental firm. The company, with its
innovative business model, emerged as a
strong player in the DVD rental industry.
The convenience of ordering on-line and
savings from late fees of the traditional
video rental companies helped the
company garner a huge customer base. As
the on-line DVD rental model gained
popularity, Netflix began to pose a threat
to the established players like Blockbuster
Inc. and Hollywood Entertainment
Corporation. Gradually, traditional video
rental companies like Blockbuster and
retail giants like Wal-Mart and
Amazon.com also entered the on-line
rental bandwagon.


• To understand the initiatives taken by
Netflix to retain its market share in the
light of the increasing competition from
much bigger rivals like Blockbuster and
a threat of substitution from video-ondemand services.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Internet Retail
COM0045
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Netflix’s business model; Competition
from Blockbuster Inc; On-line DVD rental
market; Business model innovation;
Threat of substitution; Competition from
video-on-demand services.

Mozilla: Microsoft IE’s Challenger
In 1998, when Microsoft was fast
becoming a near-monopoly in the browser
market, Netscape created Mozilla.org and
released the programming source code for
its Communicator software to the open
source community. The Mozilla project’s
objective was to develop a good browser
quickly. After 32 months and several
releases, Mozilla, its Internet application
suite, and Firefox, its standalone browser,
have become very popular with Internet
users. Mozilla’s browsers have become
famous for being clutter- free and
innovative, and word-of-mouth marketing.
• To discuss whether the technically
superior, open-source community
backed Mozilla can upstage IE (Internet
Explorer) in the light of Microsoft IE’s
security loopholes
• To discuss the current hurdles and future
opportunities for Mozilla
• To discuss possible future scenarios in
the browser market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Software
COM0044
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Mozilla; Firefox; Microsoft Internet
Explorer (IE); Netscape; Browser wars;
Security problems in IE; Mozilla
Foundation; Bugzilla; Mozilla extensions;
Longhorn project; Standalone browsers;
Mitchell Baker.

Legal proceedings were started against
Microsoft in the early 1990s, looking into
possible anti-trust violations by the
Redmond-based software giant. This
culminated in Justice Jackson ordering
Microsoft to be broken into two, in 2000.
An appeals court judgement overruled
Justice Jackson’s verdict, but upheld the
view that Microsoft had indeed used its
monopoly position to further its own
interests and to kill competition. By the
end of the 1990s, Microsoft’s legal woes
had taken on a transatlantic dimension,
with the European Commission also
investigating alleged monopolistic
practices by Microsoft. The EC verdict, in
March 2004 asked Microsoft to break up
Windows- Microsoft’s operating systemso as not to include software add-ons. The
verdict is still up for appeal.
• To discuss the possible spin-offs for
Microsoft’s future
• To discuss the backdrop of the legal
verdicts based on build on facts from the
past to build up possible future business
scenarios.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Computer Software
COM0043
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Microsoft versus Windows; Monopoly;
Anti-trust violations; William H (Bill)
Gates; Steven Ballmer; Justice Thomas
Penfold Jackson; Mario Monti’s Microsoft
verdict;
European
Competition
Commission; Windows operating system;
US Justice Department; Business ethics;
Microsoft Internet Explorer versus
Netscape Navigator; Microsoft Windows
Media Player versus Real Media Player;
Microsoft rulings; American software
industry.

Microsoft vs Google: The Clash
of Unequals?
Microsoft is the largest software company
in the world with revenues of $39.8 billion
in 2005. However, the company has been
facing increasing competition from Google,
the number one search engine in the world.
Google has been diversifying its businesses
into software development, posing a direct
challenge to Microsoft. The increasing
threat from Google has driven Microsoft to
reorganise its business structure from seven
business units to three units. Several analysts
see this as a move to make the company
more agile and competitive to counter the
threat from Google.

• To understand the strategies being
adopted by both Microsoft and Google
• To discuss whether Google could become
a formidable competitor for Microsoft
in the future.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0042
2006
Available
Available

Keywords
Bill Gates; Microsoft Corporation; Google
Inc; Search engine; Software development;
Business diversification; Business
lawsuits;
reorganisation; Antitrust
Monopoly; Open source code operating
system; Market for operating systems.


• To discuss the innovative business model
of Netflix and how the business model
posed a threat to traditional video rental
stores

Microsoft vs Windows

Microsoft in the Mobile Phone
Industry: Strategies and
Challenges
Since the early 1990s, handset
manufacturers started selling high-end
mobile devices. As the market for these
high-end mobile devices is increasing every
year, the software has become one of the
most strategic parts in this context and
gained prominence. This attracted the
attention of Microsoft to gain a foothold
in the growing market for mobile software.
• To discuss Michael E Porter ’s Five
Forces Model with specific focus on
intense competition and types of
competition namely, company specific,
group specific and network-based
• To understand the challenges for
Microsoft to successfully enter the
mobile software market
• To discuss how Microsoft overcomes the
hurdles to establish itself in the mobile
business
• To discuss the company’s strategy of
expanding into mobile software business
and its intention to change the erstwhile
approach of staying vertically integrated
into horizontally integrated model.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Mobile Handset Industry
COM0041
2005
Not Available
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.
www.ibscdc.org

35


Microsoft and the Threat of Linux
When open source software was gaining
momentum during the early 1990s, little
did the industry giants realise the menace
posed by the plethora of software
communities that collaborated to produce
‘free’ software. The emergence of the
Internet further strengthened the
movement, which ultimately yielded a
finished product in the form of Linux.
When giants like IBM and Dell started using
Linux for their servers, they seemed to
have an answer to Microsoft’s dominance
in the operating systems market.
• To discuss whether Microsoft will
eventually have to ‘open’ its code to
retain its dominance in the market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0040
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Microsoft; Linux; GNU (Gnu’s not Unix);
Open source; Proprietary Software; Richard
Stallman; IBM and Linux; Shared source
initiative; Red Hat Linux.

Meg Whitman’s Competitive
Strategies for eBay
eBay was founded in 1995 by a young
computer programmer, Pierre Omidyar, in
Silicon Valley, USA. Unlike most other online companies, which started in the 1990s,
eBay had been profitable right from the
first month of its launch. However, the
company witnessed its maximum growth
under its current chairman Meg Whitman,
who joined in 1998. By 2003, Whitman
made eBay the world’s largest on-line
auction company with 5,000 employees
serving 62 million registered users globally.

Live; eBay’s competitors; Meg Whitman’s
management style; eBay’s fraud protection
programme; eBay’s global operations.

Low-cost Carriers in USA: Pricing
Pressures for Major Airlines
The entry of low-cost carriers into
commercial aviation had a legacy of factors
– both environmental and operational –
that contributed to their business models.
If the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978
helped them scale their operations, their
‘no-frills’ approach eased their entry
strategies. The success of their business
model can be inferred from the fact that
they survived one of the worst downturns
(the September 11 terrorist attacks) in the
history of commercial aviation, while the
major airlines were desperately seeking for
bankruptcy protection.
• To discuss how the low cost carriers
exerted an enormous pricing pressure on
the major airlines with their low fare,
point-to-point services
• To discuss the major airlines’ fight-back,
which eventually extended their
operations to the low-cost segment.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Commercial Aviation
COM0038
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Low-cost carriers; The major airlines;
Airport hubs; The 1978 Airline
Deregulation Act; Southwest Airlines;
People Express Airlines; New routes and
new airlines; Operating revenues;
Operating costs; The grip of bankruptcy;
Major carriers adopting the low-cost
model; In-flight food services; JetBlue’s
savvy approach; Delta’s Song and United’s
Ted; Union concessions.

• To discuss how Meg Whitman, in just
five years, transformed eBay from an
ordinary auction site to an e-commerce
powerhouse.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Internet Auctions
COM0039
2003
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
History of eBay; AuctionWeb; On-line
auctioning; Transactions on eBay; Meg
Whitman, CEO of eBay; Stock prices of
eBay; Growth of eBay under Meg Whitman;
eBay’s customer service; Voice of the
Customer on eBay; eBay University; eBay

36

www.ibscdc.org

Logan: No-frills Luxury Car from
Renault
Logan, the new car launched on September
24th 2005 by Italian auto major Renault, is
cited as the cheapest luxury as well as valuefor-money car. It is engineered and designed
mainly to cater to Central and Eastern
Europe, Africa and West Asia, that cannot
afford expensive Western Europe cars.
Logan provides basic features without
resorting to any added and expensive
features which are known to be used less
frequently
but
escalate
prices
disproportionately. Logan was a surprise
hit in the markets that it was meant for
and also in those in which it was not.

• To discuss how Renault offered a luxury
car at lower price
• To discuss the factors that enabled the
success of Logan.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0037
2006
Not Available
Not Available

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

L’Oreal’s Business Strategy
Established in 1909, L’Oreal, the French
cosmetic company, had become the world
leader in the cosmetic market by 2003.
The L’Oreal group marketed over 500
brands, consisting of more than 2,000
products. Its products included make-up,
perfume, hair and skin care products, which
were tailored according to the consumer
needs. The company believed in the
strategy of innovation and diversification.
In 2003, though the L’Oreal group was
ranked number one in the US cosmetic
market, it faced tough competition from
Estee Lauder and Procter and Gamble
(P&G). This made the group refocus its
business strategy. It came up with products
catering to the beauty needs of different
ethnic groups and genders.
• To discuss the various strategies
implemented by the L’Oreal group to be
the market leader in the global cosmetic
market and how the group is trying to
sustain that position by refocusing its
strategy.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Cosmetics Industry
COM0036
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
L’Oreal; Laboratories Garnier; Research
and development; Innovation and
diversification; Lindsay Owen-Jones;
Mass-market channels; Professional
products division; Black American culture
and learning; Soft-Sheen and Carson brand;
Different ethnic groups; Business strategy;
Estee Lauder; Procter and Gamble; Global
cosmetic market; Personal care products;
Maybelline.

Since the early 2000s, motorcycles were
the fastest moving segment of the Indian
two-wheeler industry and in 2002-2003 it
accounted for about 76% of the overall
market. In order to take advantage of this
trend many players, traditionally scooter
and moped makers, had entered this
market, dominated by Hero Honda, TVS
Motors and Bajaj Auto (which together
controlled about 86% of the motorcycle
segment). One such player was Kinetic
Group, which had been a dominant player
in the gearless scooters and mopeds
segment. Since 2001, Kinetic had launched
a number of motorcycles for customers
wanting different value propositions: price;
fuel efficiency; design; and after sales
service etc. However, at the end of 2003,
it had less than 2% of the motorcycle
market.
• To discuss how Kinetic plans to increase
its market share in motorcycles, in
addition to strengthening its portfolio
of scooters and mopeds.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0035
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Kinetic Group; India two-wheeler industry;
Joint ventures and alliances; Research and
development;
Competitive
growth
strategies; Brand building; Global expansion
strategy;
Motorcycles;
Market
penetration; Market share; Organic and
inorganic growth; Product design; Product
segmentation and positioning.

Jungle Jim’s International Market
vs Wal-Mart: Jungle Jim’s
Differentiation Strategies
Jungle Jim’s International Market, situated
in Fairfield, Ohio, about 20 miles north of
Cincinnati, is a sprawling specialty food
market in a theme park-like atmosphere.
With more than 285,000 square feet of
shopping area all under one roof, and food
from 72 countries, US National Association
for the Specialty Foods Trade recognises
it as one of the best international food
stores in the US. Its exotic offerings like
dried lotus blossoms, pigs’ heads, baby
octopus salad, canned blue corn fungus,
ostrich eggs and many more, attract more
than 50,000 people every week. Jungle Jim’s
has carved a niche for itself by the dual
emphasis on shopping as entertainment
and specialty foods. Though the strategy
has insulated Jungle Jim’s from the price
wars, it is only to some extent and its sales

were threatened by the entry of Wal-Mart
stores, Kroger and other department stores
into its region.
• To discuss the differentiation strategies
adopted by Jungle Jim’s to combat the
increasing competition.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing
COM0034
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Jungle Jim’s International Market; WalMart
stores;
Kroger;
Retailing;
Differentiation strategies; Speciality food;
Competition; Inventory management;
Stock Keeping Units (SKU’s); Vendor
management; Buying behaviour; Speciality
consumer; Differentiation strategies; Low
cost strategy; Core competencies.

Jong Yong Yun, Samsung
Electronics’ CEO: Competing
through Catastrophe Culture
Jong Yong Yun, Samsung Electronics’ chief
executive officer since December 1996,
has restructured Samsung by defying
traditional Korean corporate culture of
hierarchy and lifetime employment. Yun
instilled a sense of ‘perpetual crisis’ among
his employees and encouraged them to
come up with innovative products that
according to him, were necessary for
Samsung’s survival. His emphasis was on
quality products with unique designs and
effective 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 global
market, Samsung’s products needed to be
transformed into brands like that of
Apple’s iPod or Sony’s Walkman.

restructuring strategy; Yun’s open-style
management; Bureaucracy in Samsung;
Yun’s business model for Samsung
Electronics’ 3Ps; Samsung Electronics’
brand image; Corporate culture; Samsung’s
VIP centre.

Hyundai: Tomorrow’s Toyota?
Hyundai Motor Co., associated with shabby
automobiles that regularly became laughing
stock in the late night television talk shows
of the US, has stunned the auto world by
occupying the number two slot in the
‘2004 Initial Quality Study’ of J.D. Power
and Associates. Hyundai trailed behind
Toyota, the long time industry leader in
quality, by just one point. The newly earned
respect for Hyundai has helped in increasing
its sales, to earn a spot in the global big
league. In 2004, Hyundai became number
seven in worldwide auto sales. This has
encouraged Hyundai to declare its ambition
of overtaking Toyota in quality parameters
by 2008 and become the fifth-largest car
maker by 2010, banking on its quality.


Kinetic Group (India): Gearing
up for the Future

• To discuss whether the new found quality
improvement at Hyundai is for real and
whether the strategies that Hyundai is
following will help in overtaking
Toyota.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0032
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Hyundai; JD Power Associates; Initial
Quality Study; Quality improvements of
Hyundai; Six Sigma campaign in Hyundai;
Santa Fe; Hyundai’s quality problems in
US; Hyundai’s sales in US; Branding
problems of Asian auto makers; Quality
problems of non-Japanese automakers.

• To understand the growth of Samsung
Electronics
• To discuss how a change in leadership
and organisational culture helps to
enhance a company’s competitiveness.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0033
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Kun-Hee Lee; Traditional culture at
Samsung; Jong Yong Yun; Samsung
Electronics’ brand value; Lee’s new
management
initiative;
Samsung
Electronics’ design culture; Jong Yong Yun’s

Honda’s Eighth-generation Civic:
The Competitive Strategies
Since its introduction in 1972, the Honda
Civic has remained a major attraction to
young customers with its sporty look and
low-cost. Honda’s attempt to make the
car appealing to all ages cost the Civic its
design and compactness, which in turn
prompted loyal customers to defect to
Honda’s competitors. Alarmed by the rapid
decline in sales, Honda launched its new
eighth-generation Civic in September
2005.
• To understand the evolution of the Civic
over the years
www.ibscdc.org

37


• To discuss Honda’s competitive strategies
to fend off its competitors in the highly
competitive US compact car segment.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0031
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Honda Motor Company; Honda Civic
generations; Civic in US; Competitive
strategies of Civic; Compact car market in
US; Eighth generation Civic; Toyota
Motors; Controlled Vortex Combustion
Chamber (CVCC) engines; US Clean Air
Act; Saturn ION; Safety cars; Hybrid cars.

Although Gillette, in its 102-year corporate
history, had been a dominant player in the
razor and blade market, competition
loomed in the form of Schick’s ‘Quattro’
in late 2003. The Quattro, with its superior
technology was a direct attack on the most
successful razor line of Gillette – the
Mach3. Though Gillette, with its research
and development muscle, could quickly
improvise Mach3, to a battery powered
M3Power, much was still to be seen as to
whether Gillette’s move could help it to
retain the coveted position in the razor
and blade market.

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Entertainment and Games
Software
COM0028
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Atari; Electronic Arts; Competitive
strategies; Sony; Strategic alliance;
Microsoft; Market share of Sports
videogames; Low cost strategy; Top sports
licenses in US; ESPN (Entertainment and
Sports Programming Network); Sega;
Diversification strategies of Take-Two;
FIFA Soccer; Video game industry’s value
chain.


Google: Challenges Ahead
Established in 1998, Google is perceived
as one of the most successful Internet startups Silicon Valley had ever seen. In its
initial years, Google virtually had no
competition and hence became the ‘chosen
search engine’ among the Internet users.
The success of Google prompted the likes
of Yahoo! and Microsoft to launch their
own search engines, thereby intensifying
the competition. Many more search
engines followed suit as they saw an
opportunity to generate revenues through
the search results. Whether Google can
weather the competition and still remain
dominant is a question that is of interest
to many, especially in the wake of its plans
for an Initial Public Offering.
• To discuss how Google and the search
engine industry have evolved over the
years
• To discuss the revenue generation model
adopted by the search engines like the
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising that
provided better returns on advertising
expenditure compared to other forms
of on-line advertisements
• To discuss how PPC has attracted
competition to the search engine space.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0030
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Google; Search engines; Overture; Yahoo!;
Microsoft; Pay-Per-Click; (PPC); How
pay-per-click works; Google; Overture and
PPC; Competition in search engine
market; Traditional view; Distribution for
search engines; Google’s Initial Public
Offering (IPO); Google’s acquisitions.

38

Gillette’s Challenges and
Strategic Responses

www.ibscdc.org

• To understand the strategic attack of
Schick on Gillette and Gillette’s counter
defensive strategies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Cosmetic and Skin Care
COM0029
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Gillette; Energizer Holdings Incorporated;
Schick; M3Power; Quattro; Oral-B;
Gillette Sensor; Duracell; Refillable razor
business; Gillette Mach3; Gillette Safety
Razor Company; Gillette altra shaving
system; Shaving products; Revlon;
Progressive blade geometry.

EADS in America: The
EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and
Space company) North America Inc., the
US subsidiary of EADS the world’s second
largest aerospace and defence company,
operates through its 12 subsidiaries in 21
states of the US. Since its formation in
2003, EADS North America has opened
new aircraft manufacturing plants, formed
partnerships with US defence companies
like Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, to
fend off competition from Boeing and
Lockheed Martin, and has also acquired
companies like Racal Instruments, which
specialises in testing aerospace and defence
equipment.

Electronic Arts vs Take-Two: The
Competitive Strategies in the US
Videogame Market
In 2004, Electronic Arts, United States’
leading videogame software publisher and
manufacturer, started witnessing stiff
competition from Take-Two Interactive,
which ventured into the sports videogame
market with a low-priced football
videogame, ESPN NFL2K5, competing
directly with Madden NFL, the high-priced
football game from Electronic Arts. To
fend off competition, Electronic Arts
reduced prices of its products and also signed
exclusive deals with some of the major
sports leagues in the US. In response, TakeTwo also signed a semi-exclusive deal with
Major League Baseball (MLB) to produce
baseball videogames as well as acquiring a
videogame development studio.

• To highlight the competitive strategies
of EADS
• To discuss the strategies of EADS to
foray into the US defence market, the
largest in the world.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Commercial Aircraft
Manufacturing
COM0027
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Global aerospace and defence industry;
World’s biggest defence market; Strategic
partnerships in the defence industry;
Acquisitions in the defence industry; Global
industrial strategy; Greater European
Solution; Transatlantic co-operation;
European Union; Lobbying for military
activities; US Department of Homeland
Security; Deepwater programme.

• To provide a landscape of the videogame
industry in the US
adopted by Electronic Arts and TakeTwo Interactive to establish their
supremacy in the industry.

Dr. Reddy’s Tussles with Pfizer
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories are a leading
Indian pharmaceutical company and a wellestablished player in the global generics

• To discuss Dr Reddy’s defense against
Pfizer’s challenges.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Pharmaceutical
COM0026
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited; Pfizer
Inc; US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA); Branded generics; Abbreviated New
Drug Application (ANDA); Patent
challenges; Indian pharmaceutical industry;
United States Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit; 505 (b) (2) application
process, paragraph IV filing; American
pharmaceutical industry; Exclusive
marketing
rights;
Generic
drug
manufacturers; Business strategy; Norvasc;
Amlodipine Besylate; Amlodipine Maleate;
Off-patent drugs.

Disney Channel’s Competitive
Strategies
Disney Channel was one of the earliest
channels for kids to appear on American
television. The channel originally started
as a pay channel in 1983 and catered to a
comparatively small segment of the
market. It was not until 1993 that the
channel started transforming itself into a
basic cable network. However, the
transformation had its own challenges in
terms of programming and distribution
strategies. Besides, the channel was free
from commercials and the only revenue it
generated was from cable operators.
• To understand the Disney channel’s
transformation under the stewardship of
its president, Anne Sweeney
• To discuss the channel’s unique
segmentation strategy and the revenues
the channel generated through
merchandising its shows like ‘Lizzie
McGuire’ and ‘That’s So Raven’
• To highlight how Disney Channel
acquired a distinct status in the Walt
Disney Group.

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Television Cable and
Broadcasting
COM0025
2003
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Disney Channel; Walt Disney; Tween; Kids
channels; Basic cable; Programming
strategy; Anne Sweeney; Lizzie McGuire;
Raven; Hilary Duff; Commercial-free;
Child stars; ABC Cable Networks; Cable
operators; Pay channel.

DHL in USA: The Competitive
Strategies
By the end of 2004, DHL (Dalsey, Hillblom
and Lynn) had a 40% market share in both
Europe and Asia and only 7% in the US, its
single largest market for express
distribution. It invested $1.2 billion in the
US to set up new sort centres and drop
boxes and take on its rivals FedEx (Federal
Express Corporation) and UPS (United
Parcel Service), which together held 78%
of the US parcel market.
• To highlight DHL’s expansion plans in
US
• To discuss the competitive strategies of
DHL to fend off its rivals.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0024
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
DHL (Dalsey Hillblom Lynn); US parcel
market; FedEx (Federal Express
Corporation); UPS (United Parcel Service);
Express delivery; Logistics; Deutsche Post;
Airborne Express; Danzas Group; Freightforwarder; Strategic parts centres; Express
logistics centres; Drop-boxes; Regional sort
centres; New DHL

DHL in India: The Competitive
Strategies
Since its entry into India in 1979, DHL
(Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) has studied
the industry requirements in India and was
aware of the growth potential of the
logistics industry. Despite being the market
leader in the INR 800 crore Indian express
and logistic industry with a market share
of 65%, due to increased competition, DHL
is trying to grow further to consolidate its
leading position in the industry by
exploring new niche markets.

• To discuss the strategies adopted by DHL
to increase its market share in India by
repositioning itself as a niche, industry
specific, solutions provider.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0023
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Global logistics service providers; Logistics
service providers in India; International
air express service providers; Deutsche Post
AG; History of express industry in India;
Courier industry in India; Competitive
strategies of DHL India (Dalsey, Hillblom
and Lynn); Companies in the express and
logistics industry in India; DHLs
international operations; Services provided
by DHL in India apart from global services.


and bulk drug manufacturing business. It
was the first Indian pharmaceutical
company that received approval from the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
to market a generic version of Eli Lilly’s
drug, Prozac, under a 180-day marketing
exclusivity. However, in 2002, Pfizer
challenged Dr Reddy’s intentions to market
its yet-to-launch branded generic version
of Norvasc (for example AmVaz of Dr
Reddy’s) in US courts.

Dell vs Gateway
Dell Computers Limited, in its 20 years of
its existence, is considered as a pioneer in
direct marketing. The company has always
focused on improving its supply chain by
reducing costs through direct selling. Dell’s
mission is focused on the concept of the
direct-to-market strategy. The company’s
direct model has become a global
benchmark in supply chain management,
and many other organisations worldwide
have incorporated it to improve their
supply chains. Gateway Incorporated also
started its business as a direct seller of
computer systems. However, by the year
2000, the focus of the company shifted
from ‘direct marketing’ to ‘research and
development’.
• To discuss the growth strategies of Dell
and Gateway over time
• To discuss how Dell’s efficient and
responsive supply chain enabled it to
lead the market without spending too
much on research and development and
how weaknesses in Gateway’s supply
chain made it lag behind, in spite of
launching numerous new products in
various categories.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Computer Hardware
COM0022
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Dell Computers Limited; Michael Dell;
Supply chain management; Direct
marketing;
Disintermediation;
eCommerce; Just-in-time; Quick ship
programme; Tedd Waitt; Gateway
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39


Computers; Cow-spotted boxes; Beyond
the box; Gateway Country Stores; Research
and development; Rolls Royce of laptops.

Daiei vs Aeon: Contrasting
Retailing Strategies of the
Japanese Retailers
Daiei, which had been the largest retailer
in Japan since 1972, lost its number one
position to Ito-Yokado in 1999 and had
accumulated debts to the tune of ¥2.4
trillion by 2000 due to the collapse of the
bubble economy. Since then, it has been
implementing various restructuring
strategies and has been bailed out twice,
receiving ¥640 billion of assistance from
the banks. It still carried a debt of over 1
trillion yen in 2004 with UFJ (a Japanese
bank) being the major creditor providing
¥400 billion. On the other hand, Aeon had
emerged as the largest retailer in Japan with
total revenues of ¥3.5 trillion in February
2004. It had become the leading contender
for sponsorship in Daiei’s rehabilitation
programme undertaken by the Industrial
Revitalisation Corporation of Japan and
aims to become one of the world’s top 10
retailers by 2010.
• To discuss the contrasting growth
strategies of Daiei and Aeon, with Aeon
gaining a strong foothold in the highly
competitive Japanese retail market that
was once dominated by Daiei.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing
COM0021
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Retailing strategies; Daiei; Aeon; Japanese
retailing industry; Bubble economy;
Speciality store operations; Supply chain
management; General merchandising;
Distribution
efficiency;
Price
competitiveness; Product differentiation;
Japan’s Wal-Mart; Industrial Revitalisation
Corporation of Japan; Rehabilitation
programme; Worldwide Retail Exchange
(WWRE).

car market in China. By 2004, major
carmakers like Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford,
GM, and Mercedes-Benz were operating in
China. Even Italy’s Ferrari and Maserati
expanded their operations. What once was
an unexplored market soon became
competition-frenzy and model-conscious.
Added to this, in 2004, the Chinese
government increased the import quota of
cars and decreased the permit fee on
imported cars. This came as a shot-in-thearm to many more carmakers who were
planning to foray into China.
• To trace the various factors that
contributed to the increase in
competition in the China’s luxury car
market
• To discuss how the luxury carmakers are
vying to attract the new generation
Chinese.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0020
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
China’s luxury car market; Competition
in China’s luxury car market; China’s
booming car market; Luxury cars in China;
China’s economic landscape; China’s rich
class; GM (General Motors); BMW;
Toyota; Ford; GM and DaimlerChrysler;
Nissan; Ferrari; Rolls Royce; Maybach;
Bentley Motors.

Coke’s Changing Fortunes: The
Need for Change
The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s
leading soft drink company, is engaged in
changing its leadership, strategies, and
molding its culture. After a slew of
controversies due to strained relations with
its bottlers, contamination scares and legal
battles since the 1990s, the company’s
performance took a severe beating. CocaCola is now trying to change its structural
‘hardware’ as well as its behavioural
‘software’ to regain its past glory.

Competition in China’s Luxury
Car Market
With the arrival of new generation
Chinese, who are more enterprising and
ambitious, the pattern of expenditure on
luxury goods has changed. By early 2004,
the country emerged as the world’s fastestgrowing and third-largest car market after
the US and Japan. Even the government
policy of fixed permit fee on all imported
cars has encouraged the growth of luxury

40

www.ibscdc.org

• To discuss the company’s efforts to learn
from its mistakes and cope with the
changing contexts
• To
discuss
the
contemporary
management models like ‘learning
organisation’,
‘individualised
corporation’ and ‘change masters’, in
the 21st century global economy.
Industry
Reference No.

Carbonated Beverages
COM0019

Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

2004
Not Available
Not Available

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 Noncarbonated Front
In the light of the increase in public’s health
consciousness in the 1990s, coupled with
the mounting concerns regarding the
harmful effects of carbonated soft drinks,
non-carbonated beverages and bottled
water markets grew in leaps and bounds.
Coca-Cola was a mute witness to the
stagnating growth of its carbonated
beverages market while its non-carbonated
segment started contributing significantly
to its growth.
Coca-Cola to move into the noncarbonated arena after decades of
focusing exclusively on carbonated
drinks.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0018
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Global beverage market; Carbonated
beverages market; Growth of noncarbonated beverages market; Diet drinks;
Coca-Cola’s strategies for non-carbonated
brands; Bottled water market; Pepsi’s noncarbonated brands; Dasani; Coca-Cola’s
‘project
mother ’;
Coca-Cola’s
promotional efforts of non-carbonated
brands; Coca-Cola’s challenges in the noncarbonated market; Top non-alcoholic
beverage makers in the world; Coca-Cola’s
future plan for growth.

Coach Inc.: Lew Frankfort’s
Since 2000, Coach Inc., which has been
synonymous in the US with heavy, tough
unlined leather bags, has been posting an
average 12% growth rate in net income.
In 2003, Coach was the largest maker and
retailer of leather accessories in the US
and was creating waves in the global
market for luxury leather goods and
accessories. The man behind the rapid

Lew Frankfort to transform Coach from
a staid maker of leather handbags into a
fashion brand selling the latest designed
multistyled bags, clothes, shoes, jewellery
and leather accessories.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Accessories
COM0017
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Coach Inc.; Lew Frankfort; Louis Vuitton;
Gucci; Leather accessories; Tommy
Hilfiger; Hamptons flap satchel; Brand
building strategies; Competitive strategies
of Coach Incorporated; Brand image
transformation; Sara Lee; Women’s
fashion accessories; Prada; Fashion
retailing; Luxury brands in leather
accessories.

Christie’s: The 240 Year-old
Auction House’s Competitive
Strategies
Christie’s, along with Sotheby’s, has
dominated the auction industry since its
inception. However, the emergence and
increasing popularity of on-line auctions
is posing a serious challenge to the
traditional auction firms. To counter the
competition from on-line auctioneers, as
well as regain the top slot in the auction
industry from Sotheby’s, Christie’s has
adopted several strategies.

Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Charles Schwab competitive strategy;
Investment banking; Discount broker;
Commissions on brokerage; Brokerage
trade; No-fee mutual fund supermarket;
Schwablink; e-Commerce; E*Trade;
Ameritrade; David Pottruck; On-line
broking service; Schwab equity rating;
Securities and Exchange Commission;
Internet Brokerage Company; E.Schwab.

• To highlight the evolution of Christie’s
as an iconic auction house
Christie’s to fend off increasing
competition
from
the
on-line
auctioneers and regain the top slot from
Sotheby’s in the auction industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Auction
COM0015
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Carrefour: Competitive
Strategies During Challenging
Times
France-based Carrefour is by far the largest
retailer in Europe. With its hypermarket
chain established in 30 countries, Carrefour
is the world’s second-largest retailer after
Wal-Mart. However, economic recession
in its home-market of Europe has caused
Carrefour’s sales to decline, while the
market share of its rival discount chains
continues to grow.

Keywords

Cisco vs Juniper: Router Wars
In May 2004, Cisco Networks (Cisco)
launched its much awaited top-of-the-line,
high-end router code-named ‘Huge Fast
Router’ (HFR). Cisco dominated the
Internet router business as the primary
supplier of routing technology to Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) and large
companies. HFR was launched at a time
when Cisco was facing intense competition
from a much smaller company named
Juniper Networks (Juniper). Though Cisco
remained a dominant force in the overall
networking market, it was losing ground
to Juniper in the most expensive, highend router segment – core routers.
• To discuss how Juniper became a major
competitor to Cisco
• To discuss how Cisco planned to regain
the lost market share.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Networking Industry
COM0016
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Cisco and Juniper; Core and edge routers;
John Chambers; Carrier routing system 1; Huge fast router; Routing architecture;
Networking industry; Junos.


growth of Coach has been its CEO, Lew
Frankfort, who put the company back on
track after its sales started plummeting in
the mid-1990s.


Christie’s; Auction industry; Sotheby’s;
Competitive strategies; Art market
recession; Differentiation strategies; Online auctioneers; eBay; Price fixing; Ed
Dolman.

• To focus on the competitive strategies
employed by Carrefour in trying to retain
and enhance its market share

Charles Schwab’s Competitive
Strategies
The deregulation of the US fixed rate
brokerage system in 1975 saw the birth of
Charles Schwab, one of the world’s largest
discount-brokerage houses. It was
considered a pioneer in implementing the
latest technologies in the field of financial
services. Charles Schwab was set up on the
fundamental principle of offering a high
quality service at an affordable price, which
revolutionised the brokerage business.
Leveraging on its innovative services, it
became the number one on-line brokerage
house. In its journey, the company had to
adopt some key strategies, which re-defined
its basic values.
• To discuss the soundness of the
competitive strategies adopted by
Charles Schwab
• To understand the innovative services
that enabled Charles Schwab to become
the leading on-line brokerage firm.
Industry
Reference No.

Banking and Financial
Services
COM0014

• To discuss the competence of Carrefour
to wade through challenging times.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing
COM0013
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Carrefour; French retail market; Europe’s
largest retailer; Wal-Mart; Hypermarket;
French government regulations; Galland
Law; Discount chains; European retail
rankings; Carrefour Japan; Pricing strategy;
Produits Carrefour Internationaux; Ed;
hard discounter chain; Competitive
strategies; Turnaround.

Boston Scientific vs Johnson &
Johnson: Battle for the Stent
Market
First-mover advantage in a virgin market
is crucial for a pharmaceutical company as
it invests billions of dollars on research.
Introducing a new product first would result
in a quicker financial break-even and even
profit for the company. Stent, a medical
device that obviated open-heart surgeries,
turned out to be one of the hottest products
for the pharma and medical device
companies in the US. Though Johnson &

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41


Johnson pioneered the stent market and
dominated it, the company lost its lead to
other players such as Guidant, Medtronic
and Boston Scientific. Just when the
industry was on the point of oblivion,
Johnson & Johnson came back with
‘cypher’ in 2003 – a drug-coated stent. It
instantly became a leader, surpassing
Boston Scientific and other players. In
record time, Boston Scientific responded
with its own drug-coated stent, ‘taxus’ in
March 2004 and displaced Johnson &
Johnson from its leading position.
• To discuss the market forces that operate
in the stent market
• To discuss the battle for dominance
between Boston Scientific and Johnson
& Johnson and the factors that shape
the competitive positions of the
incumbent companies
• To discuss the critical factors that help
companies to wade through a volatile
industry
• To discuss the importance of first-mover
advantage in the pharmaceutical
industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Video Rental and Sales
COM0012
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Coronary stent; Boston Scientific; Johnson
& Johnson; Palmaz-Schatz stent; Drug
coated stents; Bare metal stents; The NIR
stent; The cypher launch; The taxus
launch; Medinol’s Kobi Richter; Guidant;
Medtronic; Role of Federal Drug
Administration (FDA); Clandestine
facility; Patent infringements and lawsuits.

Blu-ray vs HD-DVD: The Format
War Between Sony and Toshiba
The ‘War of Standards’, considered, as the
battle for dominance between two noncompatible technologies is not new to the
American entertainment industry. The
most prominent one happened in the
1970s, when Sony Corporation’s Betamax
videotape format competed with VHS
(Video Home System), which was promoted
by Victor Company of Japan Limited
(JVC). In 2005, a new format war between
two non-compatible types of highdefinition videodisc, hit the consumer
electronics industry. This time, the
competing companies are again the
consumer electronic giants from Japan –
Sony and Toshiba, who want their own
standards to be the default standards for
the high definition DVD. The high

42

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definition variants of the standards
definition DVDs – Blu-ray and HD-DVD
from Sony and Toshiba respectively, claim
high-end performance and a major up-grade
from the standard definition DVD.
• To understand the origins of the present
standards war in the videodisc market,
the comparison of the formats, and the
strategic positioning of the two
companies – Sony and Toshiba
• To discuss whether cost competitiveness
and ease of up-gradation of Toshiba’s
technology can overpower the
technological edge of Sony
• To analyse the influence of the hardware
manufacturers and the Hollywood
studios, on the possible outcome of the
standards war.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COM0011
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
The standards war; High Definition-DVD
(HD-DVD); Sony’s Blu-ray disc; Toshiba’s
HD-DVD; World standard for the high
definition DVD; Lack of intercompatibility; Battle for dominance;
Entertainment industry; Hollywood
studios’ stake; India health; National health
policy; Technological superiority; Lowcost advantage.

Blockbuster Corp. in a Mature
Video-Store Industry: Options
and Strategies
Blockbuster was one of the strongest
entertainment brands in the US and a
leading global provider of in-house videos,
DVDs and video games on rent, with more
than 9,000 stores across North and South
America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Over
the past few years, new technology such as
Video On Demand (VOD) and the
availability of movies for purchase at low
prices on-line and at discount stores such
as Wal-Mart and Best Buy had sapped some
of the demand for rentals. Blockbuster saw
its business model coming under heavy
pressure and found its business labelled as
an industry in decline by experts.
• To enable the reader understand the DVD
rental market in the US
• To discuss the options and strategies for
Blockbuster, as it still puts its future at
stake on traditional DVD rentals instores and on-line, while rivals like

Netflix has embraced the VOD
technology to counter to fend off
declining sales.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Video Rental and Sales
COM0010
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Blockbuster Corp.; Product life cycle;
Industry life cycle; Video store industry;
Video rentals and video on demand; Mature
industry; Business model; Strong consumerfocus; Declining industry; Consumer and
buyer behaviour; Innovative alternative
technological threat; On-line stores for
video sales and rentals; Life cycle
extension; Viacom split-off; Growth
options and strategies.

Best Buy and Circuit City’s
Revenue Models: Threat from
Wal-Mart?
Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Circuit City are
the top three consumer electronics retailers
in the US. Over the years, Best Buy and
Circuit City have built a reputation for
selling quality goods along with high value
customer assistance at the point of sale.
However, due to commoditisation, profits
at the retailers are fed not by the low
margins on electronics goods but by
commissions earned on warranties sold
along with the goods. Wal-Mart, although
a leading electronics retailer, only started
selling warranties in October 2005.
• To highlight the importance of warranty
revenues to the bottom lines of Best
Buy and Circuit City
• To discuss the threat posed by Wal-Mart
to the revenue models of Best Buy and
Circuit City.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Appliances Retail
COM0009
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Best Buy; Circuit City; Wal-Mart; Revenue
model; Consumer electronics retailer;
Sound of Music; Extended warranties;
Warranty sales commission; Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC); Warranty
week; Upscale image; Product care plan;
Down-market image; Concept I store.

Traditionally the BBC has dominated the
radio-broadcasting sector in the UK. The
publicly funded BBC dwarfed commercial
radio stations, which intended to challenge
the BBC in the wake of the success of the
digital radio broadcasting. The BBC has
also invested heavily in digital radio. The
advent of digital radio has fragmented the
radio audience, adversely affecting the
advertisement revenue of the commercial
radio stations. Analysts opine that only
those media groups, which have crossselling ability and adequate scale to
negotiate good deals with the advertisers,
would survive these challenging times or
will be lost in the consolidation wave that
is sweeping the British radio-broadcasting
sector. In this aspect, East Midlands Allied
Press (Emap) plc., a leading radio and
magazine group, has an edge over its
competitors. It is believed that Emap would
challenge the BBC in digital radio
broadcasting.
• To study the trends in the UK radio
sector
• To discuss the strengths of Emap to
challenge the mighty BBC.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Radio Broadcasting and
Programming
COM0008
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Radio broadcasting in Britain; Profile of
BBC (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 domestic
market.

Barbie vs Bratz: Competition in
the Tween Girl Market
Barbie, introduced by toymaker Mattel in
1959, has been the most popular fashion
doll ever created. Barbie fascinated
generations of little girls and Mattel has
sold over a billion Barbies since its
inception. However, its undisputed
leadership in the fashion doll market has
been facing a challenge since January 2002
from Bratz, a rival fashion doll from MGA
Entertainment. MGA Entertainment
successfully marketed its Bratz to the tween
girls, a marketing niche that Mattel has
been struggling for years to target. The

continued success of Bratz has been sending
shockwaves through Mattel.

share; New product
Challenges for AvtoVAZ.

development;

• To discuss the challenge for Barbie from
Bratz, in the tween segment
• To discuss if Barbie can ward off the
Bratz challenge and remain relevant to
the tween girl market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Toys and Games
COM0007
2003
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Barbie; Bratz; Tween; Mattel; US toy
industry;
Fashion
dolls;
MGA
Entertainment; NPD Group; Best-selling
toys; Barbie Rapunzel; Robert A Eckert;
Isaac Larian; Age compression; My Scene
Barbie; Flavas.

AvtoVAZ, the Russian Car Maker:
Facing Up the Foreign
Competition
AvtoVAZ is the largest passenger carmaker
in Russia having one of the biggest
production lines (144 km) in the world.
Till the end of the 20th century, AvtoVAZ
dominated the Russian market with 90%
market share. By the turn of the 21 st
century, Russia’s car market began booming
due to a healthy economy and high export
revenues, triggering off high purchasing
power and the demand for new lifestyles.
Due to huge demand for cars, many foreign
carmakers started foraying into Russia, and
with customer preference shifting to
foreign cars AvtoVAZ started losing market
share.
• To highlight the growth of AvtoVAZ in
the protected centrally planned Russian
economy
the company to fend off foreign
competitors in its domestic market and
to regain it’s lost market share.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Auto Manufacturing
COM0006
2005
Not Available
Available

Keywords
AvtoVAZ, the Russian car maker;
Expansion strategies; Growth strategies;
Competition; Lada car models; Russian car
industry; CITIC Prudential; General
Motors; Ford; Cost reduction; Acquisitions
and partnerships; Import tariffs; Market

Apple’s ‘Low-end’ Strategy: The
Payoffs
In early 2005, for the first time in its
history, Apple Inc. entered the low-end
market by introducing its cheapest digital
music player, iPod Shuffle at $99 and a
‘headless’ Mac Mini at $499. However,
analysts observe that with these new
products Apple is likely to run the risk of
cannibalisation and might also face severe
competition from established players like
Dell, HP (Hewlett-Packard) and Sony in
the low-end market.


BBC vs Emap: The Commercial
Radio Battle

• To describe Apple’s product strategy
• To discuss the payoffs of Apple’s entry
into the low-end market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Personal Computers
COM0005
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
Apple’s low-end strategy; Apple’s product
strategy; Apple product matrix; Apple’s
iPod Shuffle; Mac Mini; Mac’s market
share; Apple’s Internet strategy; Apple’s
digital hub strategy; Sales of iPod Shuffle;
Mac Mini’s major competitors; Apple’s
sweet spot; MP3 market; Apple’s
challenges in the low-end market; Global
PC (Personal Computer) market

Aldi: The German Wal-Mart?
Selling what customers want is different
from selling what retailers want their
customers to buy. Keeping the offering
simple and satisfying the customers’ basic
necessities has gone a long way in Aldi’s
success. The hard discounter with a powerful
business model is threatening to change
the global retailing landscape.
• To discuss the business model of Aldi
from the perspective of the 4Ps
(Product, Place, Price and Promotion).
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Grocery Retail
COM0004
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Grocery retailers; Hard discounting;
Characteristics of a hard discounter;

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43

Core Competency and Competitive Advantage

McCarthy’s 4P (Product, Place, Price and
Promotion) model; Zone model of
differentiation; Private labels of discount
stores; Radio frequency identification
(RFID) chips; Aldi’s strategies to keep its
prices low; Aldi Sud; Aldi Nord; Kelloggs;
Discount retailers.

Albertsons’ Competitive
Strategies
Albertsons, the second-largest supermarket
chain and the fifth-largest drugstore in the
US, is among those that pioneered the ‘dual
branding concept’ by transforming its food
stores to ‘food and drug’ combination
stores. Stiff competition from domestic
and foreign players and lower profit
margins, prompted the company to focus
on its dual branding concept, apart from
adopting other strategic measures.
• To discuss the methods adopted by
Albertsons to differentiate itself from
its competitors
• To discuss Albertsons’ business strategies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Grocery Retail
COM0003
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Albertsons; Jewel-Osco; Dual branding;
Sav-on; Super Saver; Neighbourhood
marketing; Unicru; Shaw and Star; Six sigma
quality programme; Supermarket chain;
American Stores Company; Personal
shopper system; Shop ‘n’ scan; Preferred
savings card; Food and drug store.

Airbus and Boeing: Divergent
Growth Plans
Since its inception, Boeing enjoyed a virtual
monopoly in the commercial aircraft
industry. But the advent of the European
aerospace firm, ‘Airbus Industrie’, in 1970,
posed a major threat to Boeing’s
dominance in the commercial aircraft
market. Over the years, Airbus gradually
made its ground riding on government
funding and innovative technologies. For
the first time in 2003, Airbus became the
world’s largest manufacturer of commercial
aircrafts by surpassing Boeing in market
share. Competition among the two reached
a new dimension when Airbus announced
the A380 Superjumbo. Airbus touted the
A380 as the future of commercial aviation,
as it saw a huge demand for larger aircrafts.
In contrast, Boeing asserted that smaller
and faster aircrafts would rule the market
and announced its plans to build the 7E7
Dreamliner.

44

www.ibscdc.org

• To discuss the dynamics of the
commercial aircraft industry
• To understand the market factors that
have driven Boeing and Airbus to adopt
different approaches

Nintendo’s Innovation Strategies:
A Sustainable Competitive
Advantage?

• To understand the resulting shift in the
manufacturing practices at both the
companies.

The history of the video game industry
belongs to Nintendo, a Japan-based
hardware and software manufacturer.
Through a series of hit products that
established many memorable characters
like Mario and Donkey Kong, Nintendo
garnered almost 90% market share.
However, when Sony entered the industry
in the 1990s, Nintendo’s position started
to dwindle. Nintendo’s market share
plunged drastically as the preferences of
gamers shifted from simple fun games to
technically superior gamers offered by
Sony and Microsoft, which entered the
market in 2001. Why did Nintendo, which,
at one point of time was almost
synonymous with video games, fail to
protect its territory? Moreover, all the
defence strategies of the Japanese player
continuously flopped in front of the
technological prowess of its competitors.
When the company was almost falling like
a house of cards, it launched Wii, a console
with an unconventional design. Though Wii
was not directly competing with Sony’s
PlayStation or Microsoft's Xbox, it
managed to steal substantial market share
and fans of both the players. What was so
unique about Wii? How did it impact the
industry? Can Nintendo sit back and relax
while its competitors are strategising to
win back their customers? Besides all this,
the case delves into the sustainability of
Nintendo’s new found competitive
advantage, considering the fact that the
life span of a console is short.

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Aerospace Industry
COM0002
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Boeing; Airbus; A380 SuperJumbo; 7E7
Dreamliner; Two philosophies; McDonnell
Douglas; European Aeronautic Defense and
Space Company; SARS (Severe acute
respiratory syndrome); Unfair trade
practices; Government subsidies; Rise of
Airbus; Risk sharing partners; Financing
the A380.

Adidas vs PUMA: Marketing War
for Football World Cup 2006
The Football World Cup has become a
mega event watched by viewers from across
the globe. As a result, the event offers
excellent marketing opportunities for
global sportswear manufacturers. The two
German sportswear manufacturers, Adidas
and PUMA, have been fine tuning their
marketing strategies for Football World
Cup 2006 and are confident that the mega
event will bring them opportunities to
fulfill their strategic objectives. However,
critics are sceptical about the companies’
success of their endeavour.
• To enable understanding the profile of
Adidas and PUMA, the competitive
landscape in the sportswear industry and
the marketing strategies that the two
companies have adopted for Football
World Cup 2006
• To discuss whether the two companies
would be able to achieve their objectives.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Sportswear
COM0001
2005
Not Available
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.

• To understand the nature of the video
game industry
• To analyse the sources of competitive
advantage in this industry
• To understand Nintendo’s strategy
behind launching Wii
• To analyse the sustainability of
Nintendo’s strategy.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Video Games
CCA0041
2009
Available
Available

Keywords
Nintendo, Video games industry,
Innovation, Competition, Sony, Microsoft,
Value Chain, Business model, Consumer
behaviour,
Industry
Dynamics,
PlayStation, Competitive Strategy,
Technology, Critical success factors

This case, set in 2008 end, attempts to
explore a debate on whether China is losing
its competitive edge as a preferred
manufacturing destination. Since China’s
transition from a planned economy under
the leadership of Deng Xiaoping into a
market economy in 1978, there was a rapid
growth in the Chinese economy. Leveraging
on its strength of 1.3 billion people,
including 100 million cheap labours, China
promoted
labour-intensive
mass
manufacturing. Coupled with the open door
policy, China’s strategy of becoming the
world’s factory floor was quiet successful.
Within 20 years, China became the
seventh-largest economy in terms of GDP,
the most favoured nation for FDI and
emerged as the world’s superpower in
manufacturing.
With
competitive
advantages in labour, raw material and supply
chain, China was ranked 40th in Global
Competitiveness Index, an index that ranks
countries based on their competitiveness.
However, how sustainable is China's
competitiveness? By 2003, China was
finding it hard to retain MNCs. Rising labour
costs, spiralling raw material prices and
appreciating Yuan, is forcing many
companies to shut down their branches in
China and move out for better alternatives.
Can China remain globally competitive
while other low-cost countries like India
and Vietnam are offering better
manufacturing advantages to MNCs? Some
of the companies, however, still prefer China
as the destination of choice owing to factors
like large consumer market, supply chain
advantages and relatively low raw material
prices. Moreover, to avoid the challenge of
rising cost, companies are changing their
strategies, investing on higher technology
and training employees. Even China is
shifting from mass manufacturing labourintensive industries to high-tech industries.
The case explores the opportunities and
challenges that China would face as its
competitive equation is shifting.
• To understand the factors that make a
country economically competitive
globally
• To understand the factors that made
China competitive
• To analyse the economic benefit and
social cost to china’s economic
development and the sustainability of
China’s competitive advantage
• To analyse whether China is losing its
competitive edge and measures that
China should take to regain/retain its
competitive edge.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.

Manufacturing
CCA0040
2009

Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Available
Available

Keywords
China, MNCs, Yuan, GCI, Competitive
Advantage, Comparative Advantage, Deng
Xiapong, China's Competitiveness, GDP,
PPP, Manufacturing Sector

eBay in China: Strategies and
Challenges

Nokia vs. Motorola (A): Fight for
Market Share – Flight of Margins?
In a short span of time the mobile handset
industry has seen phenomenal growth and
a paradigm shift. The success parameters
have changed and the incumbent handset
makers have to adjust to still be in the
reckoning. The growth rate is however
forecast to slow down and there is fierce
battle among the players to gain a bigger
market share, even if that means sacrificing
profit margins.

eBay a world leader in the online auction
industry entered China in 2002. It faced
severe competition in the Chinese market
from a local player- Taobao.com operated
by Alibaba.com, China’s largest B2B
operator. eBay also faced restrictions in
the operation of its payment service, Pay
Pal. The Chinese Government imposed
regulations requiring domestic control over
financial services companies like Pay Pal.
After nearly five years of operation in
China, eBay was left with only 29% market
share as against Taobao’s 67%. eBay tried
to adopt its US model in its Chinese
operations, although with some alterations
to suit local needs.

Nokia, the market leader has seen its market
share fall due to lack of foresight. Through
product innovation, Motorola wants to
reclaim the top position it lost to Nokia.
Asian handset makers too want and are
becoming stronger. Quickest adjustment to
market needs is all that matters.
Meticulously surveying the industry, this
case discusses the much-needed strategies.

In December 2006, eBay announced a joint
venture with TOM Online, China’s popular
wireless operator and looked forward to a
revival in its Chinese operations. The case
facilitates discussion on whether eBay
would be able to establish itself in the
Chinese market. The case can be used to
teach courses on Strategy and to
specifically discuss challenges faced by
global players in China.


China’s Manufacturing Edge: Is it
Losing?

• To understand the concept of value chain

• To analyse the business model of eBay
• To analyse the dynamics of online
auction industry in china
• To understand the factors behind eBay's
failure in capturing substantial market
share in china
• To analyse whether eBay would be able
to establish itself in the chinese market
after its joint venture with TOM online.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

E Commerce
CCA0039C
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
eBay; Business Strategies; Online Auction
Industry; Chinese Internet Market; E
Commerce Market; Re entry Strategies;
Strategy Management; eBayEachNet;
PayPal; eBay's Stragegy; Core Competency
& Competitive Advantage Case Study;
TOM Online; Alibaba; Meg Whitman;
Taobao

• To understand the trends and the critical
success factors in the global mobile
handset industry, and how did this change
their strategies

• To do the scenario analysis for the
mobile handset industry
• To analyse the standing of Nokia vis-àvis Motorola.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Telecommunication
CCA0038
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Trends in the Global Mobile Handset
Industry; Critical Success Factors in Mobile
Handset Industry; Basis for Industry
Segmentation; Value Chain Analysis; Total
Product Concept; Core Competency &
Competitive Advantage Case Study; VRIO
framework; Relevance of concept of
market share; market share vs.
profitability; Nokia vs. Motorola; telecom
operators; Samsung; LG Electronics; Sony
Ericsson

Nokia vs Motorola (B): Fight for
Market Share – Flight of Margins?
Motorola, ranked second in the mobile
handset industry, launches its fashionable
ultra-slim phone, RAZR. It is a terrific hit
and becomes iconic. Motorola inches
closer to Nokia, to topple it from the top
position. Both slog it out for market share,
at the cost of their average selling prices
and operating margins. Debating
Motorola’s strategy, this case discusses
whether it can beat Nokia.

www.ibscdc.org

45


• To understand product innovation and
growth strategies with respect to the
MOTO RAZR
• To analyse the parameters of
competition in the mobile handset
industry, and see the standing of Nokia
and Motorola with regard to them
• Understand the concept of market share
and profitability.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Telecommunication
CCA0037
2007
Available
Available

Keywords
Product innovation; mobile handset
industry; MOTO RAZR; growth Strategies;
concept of market share and profitability;
operating margins; Core Competency &
Competitive Advantage Case Study;
average selling price; Nokia vis-à-vis
Motorola

eBay's Competitive Strategies in
China
$4.5 billion-eBay.com (eBay) is one of the
largest online auctionand shopping website
where people and businessman buy and sell
goods and services worldwide. eBay also
own PayPal, Skype, and Eachnet. eBay
has a global customer base of 181 million.
The company has 31 websites across the
globe, from Brazil to Germany to China.
eBay was losing market share in China. To
boost traffic in the world's second-biggest
Internet market, the company decided to
form a partnership with Beijing-based Tom
Online Inc. With the deal, eBay sought to
establish its leadership in ecommerce
market in China. The case discusses the
initiative taken by the company to regain
its market share.
• The online auction market in China
• eBay’s localisation strategy
• Challenges faced by eBay in China
• eBay’s venture strategy to establish its
leadership in e-commerce market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Service Industry
CCA0036P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Online Auction; shopping website;
EachNet; PayPal; Skype; Taobao; China;
Market Share; Virtual Feedback forum; Core

46

www.ibscdc.org

Competency & Competitive Advantage
Case Study; Meg Whitmen

3M : Cultivating Core
Competency
In 2006, the $ 21.2 billion 3M is the
epitome
of
high-technology/lowtechnology business with over 50,000
products ranging from Post-it Notes and
Scotch tape to transdermal patches of
nitroglycerin and optical films. 3M owes
its formidable strength to its unusual
corporate culture, which has comfortably
fostered innovation and interdepartmental
cooperation, backed by a massive research
and development budget.
When George Buckley (Buckley) joins as
the CEO of 3M in December 2005, the
company is facing criticism from analysts
and investors over anemic revenue growth
that has slowed to between 1 and 5 %
through parts of 2004 and 2005, even
while the broader markets have been
expanding. Buckley realises that he needs
to generate growth, maintain premium
margins and strategically manage the
company’s portfolio – all without driving
out 3M’s culture of innovation on which
both the company’s fame and its long
history of success rests. He plans to develop
a growth strategy which is based on and
enhances 3M’s core competency.
Buckley realises that there is a need to
demystify 3M and understand the workings
of the ‘3M Lattice’. 3M’s technology
portfolio and process capability are at the
core of its unique business model. These
technology platforms are the threads that
weave together the company’s diverse
businesses. According to Buckley, 3M’s
fundamental core competency lies in
applying coatings to backings. To grow its
core business, the company intends to build
on 3M’s strengths through constant
reinvention, even stronger key customer
partnerships, customisation, solving
customers needs, entering niche segments
and capturing new segments.Buckley intends
to build scale increase market share,
emphasize localisation and build long term
competency. The idea is to defend created
markets against new entrants, using dual
branding in the upper middle market;
emphasize product localisation using a
mixture of brands and local acquisitions;
thoughtfully extend private labeling and
accurate capacity planning. He has identified
core product categories for building scale.
• To examine the working of 3M, a
company with diversified business
presence
• To study how the company used its
technological prowess to enhance
business opportunities

• To learn from the company’s growth
strategy how it generated growth,
maintained margins and managed the
product portfolio
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Electronics
CCA0035P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
3M; innovation; core competancy; intersegmnet technology sharing; intellectual
property; 3M Lttice; technology sharing;
Core Competency & Competitive
Advantage Case Study; Scotch brand tape;
extending technology; post it notes;
market
architecture;
competitive
platform; Scotch Brite; 3M Scotchshield;
six Sigma

Battle of the Titans: Lowe's vs
Home Depot
The do-it-yourself market was beginning
to take shape after the Second World War.
The post-war economy also gave rise to
another form of competition: large, chainowned hardware stores known as home
centers and resulted in an upsurge of the
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) market. Lowe’s was
a dominating player in the home
improvement market. When Home Depot
opened its warehouse stores, it was an
instant hit and other companies copied the
format. Lowe’s also tried copying the
format in order to prevent downfall of its
business. Lowe’s effort paid off. In 2000,
Home Depot’s glory started fading and
Lowe’s was gaining momentum especially
in the American home improvement
market. To revamp itself, Home Depot
was investing on store modernization and
also in attracting women customers. On
the other hand, Lowe’s was expanding
aggressively into new markets and the
company also had plans to enter Canada.
With the home improvement market
reaching its saturation, analysts wondered
who would sustain. Stiff competition was
another major challenge, so the question
was who would succeed?
• To discuss about the retailing industry
and housing market in the US
• To provide an overview of the various
strategies adopted Home Depot and
Lowe’s
• To analyse the competition between
Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Home Improvement
CCA0034B
2006
Available
Available

Keywords

Internal Branding and HRM at
Virgin
The case covers Virgin’s innovative human
resource (HR) practices and internal
branding exercise. A diversified group,
Virgin has over 200 privately held
companies. Founder promoter Richard
Branson (Branson) has extended the Virgin
brand to diverse and distinct businesses such
as airline, cola, mobile phone, bridal wear,
retail chain, financial services, cars, jeans,
trains, and books amongst others. As
Branson extends brand Virgin to new and
unrelated area, Virgin’s human resource
management, leadership and brand values
play a key role in maintaining its core brand
values. The case enables students to discuss
Virgin’s innovative HR practices and
internal branding strategy, evaluate its
HRM model with reference to recruitment,
work culture and role of leadership and
spread of core brand values.
• Understand the dynamics of the Virgin
Group
• Discuss its innovative HR practices and
internal branding strategy
• Evaluate Virgin’s HRM model with
reference to recruitment, work culture
and role of leadership and spread of core
brand values
• Discuss the future prospects of Virgin’s
HRM model and its internal branding
exercise.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Service Industry
CCA0033P
2006
Available
Not Available

• Understand the dynamics of the Virgin
Group
• Discuss the brand extension strategies
adopted by Virgin and the role played by
Richard Branson, its promoter
• Evaluate Virgin’s business model with
reference to core brand values,
management
practices,
factors
contributing to its failures or success and
the financial ramification of its strategy
• Discuss the future prospects of Virgin’s
brand extension, its new foray’s and the
future role of its promoter – Branson.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Service Industry
CCA0032P
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Virgin Atlantic; Virgin retail; Virgin Rail;
Virgin Direct; Virgin Lightships; Stagecoach
Group; T-Mobile network; Core
Case Study; Virgin Mobile; NTL-Telewest;
Virgin Cola

Keywords
Richard Branson; Virgin Atlantic; Core
Case Study; Virgin retail; Virgin Rail; Virgin
Direct; Virgin People; Virgin blue; Virgin
Village

Virgin in 2006: Managing Brand
Extensions
The case covers Virgin’s brand extension
strategies across the globe. In 2004, the
$8.1 billion Virgin Group is a diversified

Microsoft – Novell Alignment:
The Future of Linux
Microsoft entered into a working
agreement with Novell on November 2nd
2006 to build, market and support a series
of new solutions to make both their
products to work together. Both had their
versions of OS and other server software,
but Microsoft was proprietary software
whereas Novell dealt with Linux, free
software developed over years of research
and contributions by millions of software
enthusiasts. As they were principally

opposing each other, the alignment to copromote their software was intriguing to
many.
The case describes how free software
movement evolved over years and how
Linus Torvalds developed Linux, a Unixlike OS on Linux Kernel which was freely
available and openly editable. The well
documented rivalry between Microsoft and
Open Source software was presented by the
case and it compares both Linux and
Windows – as operating software. The
efficiency derived by the Microsoft-Novell
alignment by way of virtualization,
interoperability, patent coverage and web
services for managing physical and virtual
servers for the users of Microsoft Windows
and Novell’s Linux seemed to be immense.
The case also outlines the possibility of
Novell being dissolved into the Microsoft
amalgam, as many industry analysts have
pointed to such earlier partnerships and
deals.


Home Improvement market; Core
Case Study; Home centers; Home Depot;
Lowe’s; US retailer; Home Depot vs
Lowe’s; HR initiatives; Technology enabled
supply chain; International Expansion;
Frontrunner; data warehousing

group of over 200 privately held
companies. It has been involved in more
brand extensions than any other major
brand in the past 20 years. Founder
promoter Richard Branson has extended
the Virgin brand to diverse and distinct
businesses such as airline, cola, mobile
phone, retail chain, financial services, cars,
and trains, amongst others. According to
analysts, the resulting portfolio of
different corporate entities breaks every
established strategic guideline for brand
extension. The case enables students to
discuss the brand extension strategies
adopted by Virgin and the role played by
Branson, evaluate Virgin’s business model
with reference to core brand values,
management
practices,
factors
contributing to its failures or success and
the financial ramification of its strategy;
and discuss the future prospects of Virgin’s
brand extension, its new foray’s and the
future role of its promoter.

• Competitive strategies in software
industry
• Dynamics in Operating and Server
network software Industry
• Ethics in software industry
• Development of Proprietary and Free
operating software.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Software
CCA0031C
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
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: Facing
New Challenges
The Indian steel industry was the third
fastest growing steel industry in the world
next only to China. The demand for Indian
steel was growing at 8-9 % as against a
global average of 5-6 %. By 2006, with a
current capacity of 38 million tonnes per
annum (MTA) the Indian Steel Industry
was the 8th largest producer of steel in the
world. With capital investments of over
Rs. 100,000 crore, the Indian steel industry
provided direct/indirect employment to
over 2 million people. Over the years, India
produced international quality steel of
almost all grades/varieties and had also been
a net exporter of steel, though in smaller
quantities.

www.ibscdc.org

47


On November 4 2005, the Indian
Government gave its approval for the
National Steel Policy (NSP), which aimed
at hiking production to over 100 Million
Tonnes Per Annum (MTA) to make the
Indian steel industry globally competitive
in terms of cost, quality and product mix.
The NSP anticipated achieving 100 MTA
by 2019-20 from 38 MTA in 2004-05. On
the demand side, the strategy was to create
additional demand for steel through
promotional efforts, awareness creation
and strengthening the delivery chain,
especially in rural areas. On the supply side,
the strategy was to create additional
capacity, remove procedural and policy
bottlenecks in the availability of inputs
such as iron ore and coal, make higher
investments in R&D and human resource
development and improvise infrastructure
such as roads, railways and ports. The core
of this vision was Steel Authority of India
Ltd. (SAIL), one of Indian government’s
‘Navratna’ public sector undertakings
(PSU). SAIL’s impeccable record in
supporting the country’s infrastructural
growth by innovative metallurgical
products like special alloy steels, was being
challenged by its own ageing plants and
increasing competition. S.K. Roongta,
CMD affirmed that by going the merger
and acquisition way that other steel
manufacturers preferred, SAIL would also
look for steel plants to acquire. Expressing
confidence about SAIL’s opportunities in
facing up to the new challenges, the SAIL
CMD confirmed,"We are able to maintain
our market share despite new producers
coming up in nineties and we shall continue
to do so.”
• The case anticipates familiarizing the
students on
• Steel Industry in India and SAIL’s stature
in it
• The evolution of SAIL over the years
• The dynamics of Indian and Chinese
Steel industries

India Limited – SAIL; National Steel Policy
S.K. Roongta; Tata Steel; Mittal-Arcelor’
plans for India; Joint ventures of SAIL;
Natsteel; SAIL’s growth by expansion;
SAIL’s growth by consolidation; Coking
coal requirement; SAIL’s Joint development
of coal mines; Essar Steel; Cost cutting at
SAIL’s manufacturing; Foreign acquisitions
of SAIL; SAIL’s short term strategies

Coca-Cola Sticks to Carbonated
Beverages
In December 2005, for the first time in
history, Coca-Cola had a market
capitalisation which was lower than that
of its arch-rival Pepsi. The company’s
market value was $97.9 billion, compared
to $98.4 billion of Pepsi. This sparked a
debate among the analysts about the future
of the world’s largest beverage company.
Only five years back, the market value of
Coke was three times that of Pepsi. Since
the mid-1980s, Coke concentrated on its
core business of carbonated soft drinks,
which generated huge profits for the
company. However, in the mid-1990s,
carbonated drinks witnessed slow growth
as the consumers’ preference shifted to
sports and energy drinks. Realising the
changing trend, Pepsi quickly expanded
into non-carbonated drinks, snack foods
and restaurant businesses, while Coke stuck
to its cola business. By 2000, Pepsi had a
diverse product portfolio which reduced its
reliance on cola business. The case attempts
to highlight Coke’s dependence on
carbonated drinks and elaborates on Pepsi’s
gradual expansion into other businesses.
The case also discusses the trends in the
snack and soft drink industries and raises a
question regarding how Coke would
reinforce its leadership position in a slow
growth market.
• To discuss Coke’s strategies to reduce its
reliance on beverages

• The growth route adopted by other
Indian steel makers

• To analyse Pepsi’s strategy of
diversifying into non-carbonated drinks
and snacks

• SAIL’s short term and long term
strategies

• To understand the repercussions of
relying on a single product

• Challenges for SAIL

• To understand the benefits of an
extensive product portfolio

• SAIL’s growth and consolidations plans
to reach the targets set by NSP.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Steel
CCA0030C
2007
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Core Competency & Competitive
Advantage Case Study; Steel Authority of

48

www.ibscdc.org

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

CCA0029K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Coke; Pepsi; carbonated beverages.

The Great ‘Wal’ of China: Strong
Enough?
Wal-Mart, the Bentonville, Arkansas based
US Corporation expanded into China in
1996. On entry Wal-Mart not only faced
intense competition from other foreign
retailers such as Carrefour and Metro, but
also from domestic players like China
Resources Enterprise, Hualian and the
Bailian Group. Even while making the
Chinese adapt to American kind of stores,
Wal-Mart built a strong vendor base
localising most of its offerings. Wal-Mart
also extended its low pricing strategy to
China.
The case while detailing the expansion of
Wal-Mart to China provides a scope for
discussion on the strategies adopted by it
and its rivals in the competitive Chinese
retail industry. The case also discusses the
challenges faced by Wal-Mart.
• Analyse Wal-Mart’s strategy vis-à-vis
local retailers in China
• Understand the initiatives taken by WalMart to tackle competition and generate
business volumes for compounded
growth.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
CCA0028C
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Wal-Mart; China; Retail Industry;
Logistics; Sourcing; Infrastructure;
Market
Competitive
Advantage;
Environment; Carrefour; Metro; US
Model; Globalisation; Localisation WTO;
Shenzhen.

Tata Motors’ Rs. One - Lakh Car
Project: Opportunities &
Challenges
In May 2006, Tata Motors, India’s largest
automobile company, announced its first
plant to manufacture a small car costing
approximately Rs.1 lakh, causing uproar
in the Indian automobile industry. Ratan
Tata said that the car would create a new
paradigm in low-cost personal transport,
carve out a new market segment and reach
the broader base of the pyramid.
Apart from kindling the interests of millions
of future car owners in India, the Rs.1 lakh
car project of Tata Motors initiated debates
in the industry about the feasibility of such
a low priced car and its conformity to the
safety and emission standards. Established
auto manufacturers felt that Tata Motors’
project was too ambitious when viewed
against the inevitable price increase of steel

The engine for the small car project
codenamed Project X3, was likely to be a
Euro IV compliant, 30-35 bhp, 700cc
petrol engine, The car would have
‘continuously variable transmission (CVT)
technology. Italian design house, IDEA,
which worked with Tata Motors on Indica
will be designing the aesthetic and
aerodynamic model. The other costcutting measure related to the intensive
use of plastics on the body of the car.
Developers for the project were
experimenting on carbon-fiber composites
from renewable resources which would offer
a strong but incredibly lightweight
alternative. The company was considering
3-4 sites to produce the ‘people’s car’,
whose engines and power-train would be
developed in-house. Tata was also reported
to be in talks with the TVS, the Hero and
the Kinetic Motor groups to co-invest in
the assembly facilities in other locations.
Tata Motors reasoned that by 2008, the
launch year of small car, the top-end price
for motorcycles would be Rs. 70,000 to
Rs. 80,000. Hence, a car priced at Rs. 1
lakh would be a perfect and safer
alternative. Tata also eyed the possibilities
of exporting to south East Asian countries
like Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
As of 2006, the annual size of the global
car market was around 50 million units, of
which the Asian numbers, excluding Japan
and Korea, might be under three million
indicating the unsaturated nature of the
car market in Asia. Added to this would be
the market of the high priced two wheelers.
A perfect entry price for these populous
countries would be in the range of $2,0003,000 which would open up these markets
and buildup unprecedented volumes. While
India had the engineering skills and
innovative industry leadership, China could
be a source for mass manufacturing. An
alliance which synergizes these abilities
could create opportunities dethroning
Japan and Korea as automobile leaders in
Asia. A huge market thus developed would
have scope for not only Tata Motors, but
other players from both the nations.
The case anticipates familiarising the
students on:
• The Indian automobile industry

• Tata Motors and its various products
• Possibilities for a Rs. One lakh car in
India
• Various challenges such a car would face
in the Indian market
• Opportunities available for the car in
India and markets abroad
• Technologies and components going
into car making.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile Industry in India
CCA0027C
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Tata Motors; Rs. One lakh Car; Project
X3; Indian Automobile Industry; Growth
strategy of Carrefour in China; IDEA
Designer for Tata Motors’ cars;
Reengineered Plastics for interiors; Tata
Motors plant; Singur; West Bengal; Two
wheeler and Four wheeler Industry in India;
Export possibilities for small cars; Small
cars; Tata Ryerson and Tata Motorfinance;
Quadricycles; Aerodynamics and aesthetics
in small car; Automobile consortium in
India.

Yahoo! – Eyeing the Next Big
Thing on Internet
After the dismal financial performance in
the early 2000s, Yahoo! (Yahoo) is on its
way back to profitability in 2003. Under
the guidance of Terry Semel (Semel) CEO
Yahoo, the portal is on the way to becoming
the largest media company in the world.
With the spread of broadband, brand
advertising is steadily becoming the largest
source of revenue for online companies. As
advertisers flock to Yahoo, Semel has a tough
task of convincing traditional media, which
is responsible for most of its content, to
continue their relationship with Yahoo.
Semel believes that “Social media” where
content is generated by users themselves,
through their photo and video blogs,
podcasts and hyperlinks, is the “next big
thing” on the internet both for the user
and the advertiser. As Semel makes
investments to make social media a reality,
he wonders if his bet will pay off. With so
much content being generated in Yahoo,
will Yahoo be able to maintain the fine
balance between guiding the user to the
most relevant content and its own content?

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Online Company
CCA0026P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Yahoo!; Terry Semel; Online brand
advertising; 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 only
one of the first toy supermarkets in the
world but also the No.1 toy retailer in US.
The company was known as a category
killer and had ruled the market for years.
In the late 1990s though, when discount
giants Wal-Mart and Target entered the
market, TRU started facing problems. The
company tried to compete with discounters
but its strategies did not work favourably
and it faced financial problems. The
situation was so severe that the company
was considering completely selling off its
toys business. The case details the
circumstances that led TRU into problems
and forced the company to take some
major decisions. Finally, the case discusses
the actions taken by the company and its
plans for the future.


and other raw materials in future. They also
opined that it would be very challenging for
the Tatas to retain the price tag. But Ratan
Tata went ahead with the strategic alliance
with Fiat Auto SpA, constructing an
assembly plant in West Bengal and looking
for never-before moves like using
reengineered plastics and adhesives instead
of welding metal components to keep the
car light and affordable. Tata was confident
that his one-lakh car would appeal to the
masses, as did his Indica, and would sell in
sufficient volumes.

• To discuss the way TRU revolutionised
the toy retail industry by selling a wide
range of toys in one place and becoming
a category killer, thereby literally wiping
of small toy stores and department
stores.
• To discuss the concept of specialty
retailing, get an overview of the US toy
market and competition in the market.
• To discuss the factors that led to a
downfall in the company’s fortunes.
Industry
Reference No.
Year Of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Toy Retail Industry
CCA0025P
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Toys R Us; Specialty toy retail; Toy
industry; toysrus.com; Online toy sellers;
Category killer; Big box stores.

• To discuss Yahoo’s growth
• To discuss the competition and changing
markets
• To discuss Yahoo’s new growth Strategy
in changing environments.

McDonald’s in 2005: Sustaining
the Growth Momentum
When James R. Cantalupo (Cantalupo) dies
unexpectedly, the McDonald’s board acts
swiftly to execute a succession plan that
www.ibscdc.org

49


Cantalupo himself has put into place.
However, within months of assuming
office, Charlie Bell (Bell) discovers he is
terminally ill and the board offers the job
to James A. Skinner (Skinner), the person
being groomed by Bell for the job. The
strategy launched by Cantalupo to turn
around McDonald’s, which has been
struggling in the 1990s, is smoothly
implemented and even carried forward by
his successors. Despite tZZZZhe
unexpected departures of its CEOs, four
CEOs in as many years, McDonald’s
continues to flourish. The case discusses
McDonald’s
succession
strategy.
McDonald’s prefers to recruit its CEOs
from within the organisation rather than
from outside. All the McDonald’s CEOs
have been company veterans, working their
way to the top. The case also traces
McDonald’s growth strategies under its
various CEOs.
• The case discusses McDonald’s succession
strategy. McDonald’s prefers to recruit
its CEOs from within the organisation
rather than from outside. All the
McDonald’s CEOs have been company
veterans, working their way to the top
• The case also traces McDonald’s growth
strategies under its various CEOs.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail-Food
CCA0024P
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
James Cantalupo; Charlie Bell; James
Skinner; Ray Kroc; Fred Turner; Michael
Quinlan; Jack Greenberg; Growth;
Competition.

Aging Microsoft?
Microsoft, the largest technology company
in the world, has become bigger, slower
and less profitable than it was five years
ago. The company relies on Windows and
a suite of desktop applications for 80% of
sales and 140% of profits. Newer products
– the Xbox videogame machine, the MSN
online service, the wireless and smallbusiness software, have collectively
accumulated losses worth $7 billion in four
years. Analysts point out that Microsoft,
with $40 billion in sales and 60,000
employees, had grown multi-layered and
bureaucratic. Despite the restructuring
exercise undertaken by Steve Ballmer
(Ballmer), Microsoft seems to be steeped
in bureaucracy. Ballmer plans to launch
several new products and upgrade the
existing ones. Will Ballmer’s plan succeed
in rejuvenating Microsoft’s fortunes and
boosting employee morale?

50

www.ibscdc.org

• The case outlines Microsoft’s rise, its
product portfolio and its growth strategy
• The case discusses Microsoft’s new
product launches and comparative
performance of these products against
the market rivals
• It discusses the reasons behind
Microsoft’s declining profitability.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

IT(Information Technology)
CCA0023P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

that Diamonds and De Beers had become
synonymous with each other. But events
in the early half of 2000s the monopoly
was displaying signs of cracking up. There
were new sources coming up, it was difficult
to control the supplies, the industry was
getting integrated vertically, new men like
Lev Leviev were taking De Beers on their
own turf and worse the African nations for
the producers of diamonds were playing
hardball with De Beers. The case examines
how De Beers built up the monopoly, the
challenges it was facing in 2004 and whether
it could overcome those challenges. It also
examines whether these emerging cracks
indicated decrease in prices of diamonds.

Keywords


Microsoft; Bureaucratic; Multi-layered; Bill
Gates; Ballmer; Operating System; X-Box;
Small business accounting ; Longhorn; MSN
Search; Digital TV; Microsoft Windows;
Microsoft Office; Revenue; Technology.

• Can discuss the Monopoly in the
diamond industry

Sirius Satellite Radio: Catching
Up in US Satellite Radio Market
Sirius Satellite radio Inc., was one of the
two satellite radio providers in the US
market. The company had better financial
and technical backing as compared to its
only competitor XM Radio. Certain
decisions taken up by the company was
the cause of its setback, which allowed its
competitor to gain a lead in the US market.
Further, the competition for the company
compounded with the entry of new
technologies such as HD Radios,
Podcasting, internet radios. Sirius made
efforts to catch up with competition in
the US market, with better marketing
strategies and innovative contents.
• To discuss about the US satellite radio
era and the radio architecture in Sirius.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Radio Broadcasting &
Programming
CCA0022B
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.; Satellite Radio
Technology; XM Satellite Radio Inc.; US
Satellite Radio Market; Agere; David
Margolese; Joseph P Clayton; Mel
Karmazin; Recapitalisation at Sirius; AM;
FM Radio; HD Radios; Pod Casting;
Internet planning at Sirius; Sirius’s alliance
with automakers.

De Beers: End of Monopoly?
De Beers for long had enjoyed a monopoly
in the diamond industry. It was to the extent

• Can take a look at the Marketing
strategies of De Beers
• Take a look at how politics and industry
interact with each other.
• Role of Governments in fostering cartels
• Can examine the economics of the
industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Diamond Industry
CCA0021B
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Diamond Industry; De Beers in Soviet
Union; DeBeers in US; Diamonds Forever;
Monopoly and Competition; Central
Selling Organization (CSO); Lev Veviev;
Investment Diamonds; Blood Diamonds;
Artificial/Synthetic Diamonds; Diamond
Cartels; Integration in Diamond Industry;
Diamond Retailing.

BPO: Will India sustain its
advantage?
By the end of 1990s, India was looked upon
as a prominent outsourcing destination for
IT projects. The availability of sufficient
IT resources, quality manpower at cheap
cost and the key geographical location
benefited India.
The seeds of Business Process Outsourcing
Industry were sown in India, by British
Airways, HSBC and GE in 1990s. Gradually
the industry grew, as many MNCs
outsourced their IT related lower end jobs
to India. With the growing hype of job
attractiveness in the industry, the salary
levels of employees increased, which was
considered to be a hurdle for the prospects
of country. Also, India had to face
competition
from
countries
like
Philippines, South Africa and China who
were growing fast. What steps would Indian

The case discusses the various parameters
on which India had gained competitive
advantage in past. Further, it explains
factors on which the competing countries
were trying to turn the trend towards them.
• To study the various parameters that
resulted in the success of BPO industry
in India
• To study the emerging threats to the
BPO industry in India
• To analyse the competitive advantage
of other countries, that competed with
India for their share in the industry
• To analyse the future prospects of the
India in the global BPO industry arena.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

CCA0020A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Business Process Outsourcing; IT; ITES;
India; Outsourcing; High talent pool; Value
chain; Cost advantages; IT infrastructure;
NASSCOM.

Yum Brands in China
In 2005, Kentucky, US based YUM!
Brands, Inc. was the world’s largest quick
service restaurant (QSR) company based
on the number of system units. Yum
developed, operated, franchised and
licensed nearly 34,000 restaurants in more
than 100 countries. Four of its restaurant
brands KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long
John Silver’s were the global leaders of the
chicken, pizza, Mexican food, and quickservice seafood categories, respectively.
Outside the US, Yum opened three new
restaurants every day including one
restaurant per day in China where it was
the market leader.
The case provides the basis for analysing
the sunrise Chinese fast food industry with
Yum as the focus. The successful strategies
adopted by Yum such as localization,
owning its supply chain management,
effective human resource management etc
contributed to its evolution as the market
leader in China. The challenges Yum faced
in China were stiff competition from
McDonald’s and other international and
local players, growing concerns related to
lack of healthy nutrition values of fast food
and outbreak of bird flu epidemics. Yum
had plans to introduce its two other fast
food brands, Long John Silver’s and A&W
All American Food in China. How
successful would these be with Chinese

consumers and would Yum be successful in
sustaining its competitive position remains
to be seen.



• To discuss the competitive growth
strategies followed by the market leader
Google and the market challenger Yahoo

• To analyse the Chinese fast food industry
• To discuss the growth strategies and
competitive strategies adopted by Yum
Brands in China in evolving as the
market leader
• To identify the challenges that Yum
Brands needs to overcome to continue
its dominance and stay ahead of
competitors like McDonald’s and other
local favorites.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Fast Food Industry
CCA0019A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

• To understand the search engine industry
structure

• To analyse the business models followed
by both competitors and their core
competencies
• To discuss the competitive advantages
Google and Yahoo had over each other
• To debate on who will dominate the
industry in future and what shape will
the industry take.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

CCA0018A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords

Keywords

Yum; China; KFC; Pizza Hut; Taco Bells;
Long John Silver’s; A&W All-American
foods; McDonald’s; Quick Service
Restaurants; franchisees; strategy;
localization; supply chain management;
human resource management; competitive
strategy; market leader; new product
introduction; healthy nutrition value;
multi-branding; bird-flu.

Innovation;
Peripheral
Vision;
Diversification in related Industries;
Challenging the Leader; Growth Strategies
of an Innovator; Competitive Advantage;
Search Engine Industry; Yahoo; Google;
Search Engine Industry.

Yahoo and Google: Fight for
Dominance


companies take to revive India’s future in
BPO industry was to be seen.

Asia had emerged as the destination for
medical (healthcare) tourism capitalising
on advantages of “lower cost skilled
personnel, cultural factors, natural
endowments and unique forms of medicine.”
The targeted consumers were patients
from developed nations where medical
treatments were expensive and the waiting
lists long. By providing medical services
to foreign customers, these countries were
not only generating valuable foreign
exchange, but were also creating
employment opportunities. Thailand was
the leader in the region, followed by
Singapore and Malaysia and India as the
preferred destinations for medical
treatment.

In July 2005, the search engine industry
ratings showed that the number of searches
on Google, the industry leader, had
increased by 6%; where as that of Yahoo’s
had increased by 9% on Q-to-Q basis.
Though Google had 36% market share in
Web search in 2004, Yahoo was catching
up fast with 27% market share.
Till 2004, Google had been the undisputed
leader in the search engine industry. A wave
of mergers, acquisitions, and personnel
changes shook up this ever-volatile
industry and Yahoo emerged as a threat to
Google’s dominance. Yahoo was a full
fledged media and information company
whereas Google was technology savvy and
was known for its innovation led growth.
With different strengths and philosophies,
the two companies were competing
aggressively in the same market.
The case describes the growth strategies
followed by both players. Google’s
innovation driven growth strategy and
Yahoo’s diversified business model to
dominate the industry has been compared
and contrasted. The case highlights the
competitive advantages Yahoo and Google
have in their respective areas. The case
ends with a debate on who would rule the
search industry.

Asia: The Destination for Medical
Tourism

The benefits of foreign exchange,
employment and growth in national
income, which extended well beyond the
medical, travel and tourism sectors
attracted government interest across Asia,
and efforts to attract medical tourists added
to the growth of the industry.
Though Asian countries provided cheaper
medical services, they were also perceived
by some as being manned by low quality
doctors who provided poor quality
treatment. Pricing of the treatments and
packages across the region varied. Experts
opined that the over emphasis on the
foreign patients who offered higher
revenue compared to domestic patients can

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51


be detrimental to public healthcare services
in the home country. Despite the issues
and challenges, the region had vast
opportunity for growth.
The case describes the growth and reasons
of the Asian region as a preferred
destination for Medical/Healthcare
Tourism and the importance of the
healthcare tourism industry in the Asian
economies. The case details the issues and
challenges for the countries in servicing
the patients. The case ends on the
discussion whether such emphasis on
healthcare tourism was diverting the
attention and resources of the government
from the domestic healthcare needs,
especially public health. With such
competition and challenges, would Asian
countries be able to capitalize on the
opportunity and at the same time fulfill
the social obligation of healthcare at home?
• To discuss the growth and reasons of the
Asian region as a preferred destination
for Medical/Healthcare Tourism and the
importance of the healthcare tourism
industry in the Asian economies
• To analyse the issues and challenges for
the countries in servicing the medical
tourist patients
• To debate whether such emphasis on
healthcare tourism was diverting the
attention and resources of the
government from the domestic
healthcare needs, especially public health
• To debate whether with such
competition and challenges, Asian
countries will be able to capitalise on
the opportunity and at the same time
fulfill the social obligation of healthcare
at home?
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Medical Tourism/ Healthcare
Tourism
CCA0017A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Marketing; Destination marketing;
Marketing strategy; Market positioning;
Niche market; Public and private sector
involvement; Business strategy; Strategic
management; Core competence; First
mover advantage; Cost advantage; Service;
Hospitality;
Patient
feedback;
Competition; Asian economies; India;
Singapore; Malaysia; Thailand.

Google- Emerging Threat to
Microsoft Monopoly
Google Inc. started as a research project by
Larry Page and Sergey Brin was converted

52

www.ibscdc.org

to commercial venture in 1998. The user
friendly simplicity and innovative image of
Google was a phenomenal success. By 2005,
Google was a search engine industry leader
and with its innovations in technology and
new software products, it posed a threat to
the software giant, Microsoft.
The case talks about the competitive
advantage Google had in terms of
Innovation and technology. The Case
focuses on the strategies Google used to
become the market leader in Search Engine
Industry and how it is becoming a threat
for the market leader (Microsoft) in
Software Industry. It highlights the
challenges faced by Microsoft due to its
lack of peripheral vision.
• To discuss and discover the core
competency and competitive advantage
of Google over its rivals
• To understand the strategies followed by
the market leader and the market
challenger of the industry
• To confer the peripheral vision Google
displayed by venturing into related
industry (software development)
• To analyse and debate on the outcome
of such rivalry in the industry and in
related industries.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

CCA0016A
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Innovation;
Peripheral
Vision;
Diversification in related Industries;
Challenging the Leader; Growth Strategies
of an Innovator; Competitive Advantage;
Core competency

AMD’s Technological
Innovations: Converting
Capabilities into Competitive
Advantages
AMD always remained in the shadow of
Intel until the launch of its Athlon and
Opteron processors. Although AMD holds
less than 20% of the global microprocessor
market vis-à-vis Intels’s 80%, the technical
superiority of its products has been accepted
by the industry. With Hector Ruiz at the
helm, the company has initiated renewed
effort in continuing its commitment to
customer-centric innovation.
• To highlight the changing competitive
dynamics of the global microprocessor
market

• To understand how a newcomer can
challenge and unsettle an established
player.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Microprocessors,
Microcontrollers & DSPs
CCA0015
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Advanced micro devices; Global
microprocessor industry; Intel; AMD’s
customer 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 ‘Performancedriven’ Organisational Culture:
Employee-driven Competitive
Advantage?
The ninth-largest steel producer in the
world, Nucor, began life as a car
manufacturer later diversifying into
manufacturing nuclear testing and
electronics equipment and ultimately steel
joist manufacturing. The success of the joist
manufacturing business led the company
to invest in a new experimental mini-mill
technology that used scrap steel to produce
steel. With the help of the new technology
and a unique organisational culture, the
company became the second largest
producer of steel in the US. The
organisational culture encompassed an
egalitarian workplace and a decentralised
organisational structure. The company’s
compensation system is strictly based on
performance, which helped keep
productivity levels high in addition to
boosting employee morale. The company’s
culture has helped increase net income
from $311 million in 2000 to $1.3 billion
in 2005. But the company’s expansion
plans overseas and a rigid work culture are
raising doubts about its sustainability.
• To discuss the role of mini-mill
technology in the success of Nucor
• To discuss how Nucor created a unique
organisational culture that fostered
equality
• To discuss how Nucor developed a
competitive advantage by adopting a
performance-based
compensation
system
• To discuss the challenges that Nucor
might face in an ever-competitive steel
industry.
Industry
Reference No.

Steel Industry
CCA0014

2006
Available
Available

Keywords
Nucor; Organisational culture; Kenneth
Iverson;
Daniel
DiMicco;
Lean
management structure and decentralised
management structure; Bonus and
performance-based
compensation;
Integrated mills and mini-mills; chief
executive officer (CEO) compensation;
Share the pain; No-layoff policy;
Competitive advantage; Core competency
and strategic intent.

Mittal Steel’s Knowledge
Management Strategy: Giving it
a Competitive Edge
Starting from the late 1980s, Mittal Steel
has acquired and turned many steel plants
around, across the globe. Through its
knowledge management program, which
was established in the mid-1990s, the best
practices across the group are shared among
its various plants for improvisation of
manufacturing processes for cost
reduction. Mittal Steel, whose turnover was
$22 billion in 2004, increased its
production capacity from 20 million tons
to 70 million tons between 2002 and 2005
and became the biggest steel company in
the world.
• To highlight the importance of
knowledge management program and its
contribution towards the success of
Mittal Steel.
Industry
Reference No.
Year Of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Steel Production
CCA0013
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Mittal Steel; Laxmi Nivas Mittal; Growth
strategies; Ispat International; Knowledge
management; Turnaround strategies; Cost
cutting; Largest steel producer; Low cost
steel producer; Mittal Steel’s business
model; Acquisitions; Family business;
Competitive advantage; Operations;
Knowledge integration.

Sharp: Building Competitive
Advantage Through Innovation
Since its inception in 1912, Sharp
Corporation has traditionally been known
for its new categories of ‘never seen before’
products. The latest in its innovations was
unveiled in July 2005, when the company
started the mass production of the world’s
first ‘dual-function LCD’ (liquid crystal

display), which displays information in right
and left viewing directions. Being a global
leader in LCD technology, Sharp has also
developed another variety of LCD, which
can be switched between wide and narrow
viewing angles. With a turnover of 2,539
billion yen by March 2005, Sharp expects
additional revenue of about 10 billion yen
from these two innovations by 2006.
• To discuss growth
innovations of Sharp.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

strategy

and

CCA0012
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
Competitive advantage; LCD (liquid crystal
display); Integrated circuits; Consumer
electronics; Optoelectronics; Competitive
edge; Texas Instruments; Component
technologies; High density television
(HDTV);
Microelectronics;
Semiconductors; Optical communication
system.

Using Online Presence to Gain
Competitive Advantage: The
BBC Way
Since its on-line foray in 1998, British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has over
the years transformed its on-line venture
from a news and programme support
service to UK’s leading-content based
website. By 2004, it had 525 websites with
over two million pages of content. Its
contents span society and culture, soaps
and teen chat to science and nature. With
its broader news content enhanced by audio
and visual aids, BBC attracts a majority of
newspaper readers, both online and offline.
The viewership of BBC’s news website
increased from 1.6 million weekly users in
2000 to 7.8 million users in 2005. This
has led to a 30% decline in total newspaper
readership since 1990 and their on-line sites
are believed to face extinction due to the
rapid decline in advertising revenues.

Keywords
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC);
Internet content provider; On-line content
market; 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; Market
operations of BBC Online; Interactive
technology in BBC.

Apple’s New Operating System,
‘Tiger’: Riding on The Success of
iPod?


Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

On April 29th 2005, Apple launched Tiger,
its latest operating system. With 200
features, Tiger is the most advanced,
powerful and user-friendly operating
system for the Apple’s Mac users to date.
With innovative features like Spotlight and
Dashboard, Tiger is poised to change the
way people use computers across the world.
While some opine that Apple has launched
Tiger ‘about time’ when the company is
basking in the success of iPod, others are
sceptical whether the company can make
Tiger as successful as iPod. Besides, Apple
is also expected to face competition from
Microsoft, which is expected to come out
with ‘Longhorn’, an advanced version of
its operating system Microsoft XP.
• To discuss the product innovative
strategies of Apple
• To discuss the possible competition from
Microsoft.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Personal Computers
CCA0010
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Apple; Tiger; iPod; Operating system;
Technology; Innovation; USA; Strategy;
Windows; Longhorn; Macintosh; Personal
computer; Digital music; Steve Jobs; iTunes.

BBC
• To discuss the potential challenges that
BBC On-line might face due to rapid
increase in various content service
providers.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Television and Internet
Content Poviders
CCA0011
2005
Not Available
Not Available

North America’s Largest
Independent Oil & Gas
Company, EnCana: Building
Competitive Advantage through
‘Unconventional’ Means
EnCana Corporation (EnCana) evolved
from being a virtually unknown entity to
North America’s largest independent oil
and gas company. Under the leadership of
chief executive officer, Gwyn Morgan,
EnCana developed a strategy of focusing
exclusively
on
extraction
of
www.ibscdc.org

53


‘unconventional’ or difficult to bring out
oil and gas at a time when 90% of the
world’s hydrocarbon needs were being met
by conventional sources. Over the years,
EnCana obtained the technology and
expertise necessary to profitably develop
unconventional sources of energy. The
company also acquired substantial land
resources making it the largest holder of
land in the North American region. With
the existing reserves of unconventional oil
and gas estimated to be more than twice
the amount of conventional sources,
EnCana was poised to achieve Morgan’s
vision of becoming a ‘global superindependent’ oil major.

2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Audi AG; Mercedes Benz; Bayerische
Motoren Werke (BMW); Marketing
network problems; High profile customers;
German high-end car manufacturer;
Volkswagen; August Horch; Sports utility
vehicles (SUV); Big Hairy and Audacious
Goal (BHAG); Martin Winterkorn;
Structural problems and cultural clashes;
Premium automobile brand; High
performance luxury cars; JD Power &
Associates Inc’s rankings.

• To highlight the evolution of EnCana
by building competitive advantage.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Oil, Gas & Energy
CCA0009
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
EnCana Corporation; Largest independent
energy company; Alberta Energy
Company; Growth expansion and
reorganisation plan; Unconventional oil
exploration and discovery; PanCanadian
Energy Corporation; Unconventional oil
and gas energy resources; Acquisition and
merger divestment sell-off; Proven oil and
gas reserves; Competitive advantage; Focus
on core operations; Global superindependent oil major; Oil and gas
exploration rights; Takeover target and
challenges; Rising oil prices OPEC resources.

Audi is the high-end German automobile
manufacturer and one of the world’s
premium automotive brands. It is a 99%
subsidiary of Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest
car maker. The ‘Big Hairy and Audacious
Goal’ (BHAG) of Audi is to match the
image of the mighty Benz and BMW. To
achieve its goal, the company has adopted
several growth strategies expanding its
products and markets. Though Audi has
been successful to a certain extent in
achieving its goal, according to analysts, it
has yet to overcome several other
challenges.
• To discuss the transformation of Audi
from an ordinary brand to a luxury brand
• To discuss the challenges for Audi.
Industry
Reference No.

CCA0008

www.ibscdc.org

create a digital hub. In the fourth quarter
of 2004, Apple released its third generation
iMAC - the iMAC G5 that resembled the
iPod in aesthetics and endorsed it with a
tagline ‘From the makers of iPod.’
• To discuss the pros and cons of Apple’s
strategy of leveraging iMAC G5 on the
halo effect of the iPod.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Personal Computers
CCA0006
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords


Audi’s BHAG: To Match the
Exclusive Image of Mighty Benz
and BMW – Can it Achieve?

54

Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Toyota in China: Selling at ‘China
Price’
Toyota has always strived to be a cost and
quality leader. In 2005, Toyota’s new costcutting initiative comes from China and
its ‘China Price’ has become its new
benchmark to cut the cost of its auto
components further. For this, Toyota has
planned certain cost-cutting strategies that
are likely to come across certain
hindrances.
• To discuss Toyota’s cost management
strategies
• To discuss the challenges for Toyota’s
new initiatives.
Industry
Reference No.
Year Of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign

CCA0007
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Toyota production system; Benefits of lean
CCC21
manufacturing;
Toyota’s
(Construction of CostCompetitiveness for
the 21st century); Keiretsu; The Single
Minute Exchange of Die; Toyota’s costcutting strategies; Global Body Line;
Toyota’s
component
suppliers;
Competition in China’s automobile
industry; Sourcing and manufacturing auto
parts in China; Toyota’s purchasing
philosophy.

iMAC G5’s Success: iPod’s Halo
Effect
In the first quarter of 2004, the sales of
iPod, Apple Computer Inc.’s most popular
digital music player, exceeded that of its
unique Macintosh desktops. The increase
in total revenues of Apple and the steady
sales of iMAC, introduced in the late 1990s
during company’s restructuring, was
attributed to iPod, which had been an
important spoke in Apple’s strategy to

Apple Computer Inc.; Microsoft Windows;
iPod flat panel iMAC’s; iTools; PowerMac;
Halo effect; PC clones; Cross-licensing;
Digital hub and digital lifestyles; Retail
store productivity; Portable music device
market; Bundled software package; Steve
Jobs.

Digital Animation: India’s
Competitive Advantage
Although computer graphics had been used
in Hollywood motion pictures since the
late 1970s, it was only towards the end of
the 1990s that the animation industry
entered Indian markets. With the growing
popularity of India as an outsourcing
destination for technology orientated
work, the US and European animation
studios found it profitable to outsource lowend work to Indian animation studios like
‘Jadoo Works’, ‘Toonz India’ and ‘Maya
Entertainment
Limited’.
Despite
increasing competition from its southeast
Asian rivals like Taiwan, The Philippines
and China, India’s animation industry is
expected to grow by 30% to $1.5 billion
by 2008.
• To discuss how India emerged as a
favorite destination for companies
outsourcing animation and digital
content creation work.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Motion Picture Production
and Distribution
CCA0005
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Indian animation; SFX (special effects);
Computer graphics; Jadoo Works; Maya
Entertainment; Outsourcing to India;
India’s competitive advantage; 2D
animation; 3D animation; Pentamedia
Graphics; Toonz Animation; Cartoon
Network; Padmalaya Films; Global

Building Competencies: The
Korean Way
‘The East Asian Miracle’, that is how
Korea’s impressive growth performance
over the last four decades is usually
described. The case study focuses on the
conditions of dynamic industrial changes
that helped Korea to catch up with the
industrialised nations in the world.
• To discuss the development of
innovation in a changing environment;
from dependence upon knowledge
developed abroad, to research as a
foundation for innovation
• To discuss how the developing countries
can use the model that Korea followed
(the government policies and foreign
technology transfer) to catch up with
the developing world.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

CCA0004
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Building competencies; South Korea’s
chaebols; Duplicative and creative
imitation; Technology transfer; Reverse
engineering; Research and development;
Hyundai; Samsung; LG; Automobile
industry; Semi-conductor industry;
Imitation to innovation; Learning by
doing; learning by research; South Korean
exports; Investment driven state; Low cost
investments; Technology assimilation;
building.

Competitive Advantages of
Japanese Automobile
Manufacturers
Despite a late entry in the global automobile
industry and the devastation caused by the
two World Wars, Japan’s automobile
industry witnessed a rapid growth that
transformed the country into the world’s
leading automobile manufacturer by the turn
of the 21st century. One of the major reasons
behind this success had been the radical
Japanese production system, devised by
Taiichi Ohno of the Toyota Motor
Company. The ‘Toyota Production System’
or the ‘Lean Production System’, as it was
called, focused on the elimination of waste
at every step of the manufacturing process,
empowered employees to take decisions for
solving problems and helped to build
conducive
relations
between
the
manufacturers and their suppliers. This

resulted in a slew of high quality, low cost
cars from Japan that put enormous
competitive pressures on carmakers from
other nations, especially the ‘Big Three’
(GM, Ford and Chrysler) of the US.
• To discuss the competitive advantages
of the Japanese Lean production system,
which resulted in the production of high
quality, low cost cars
• To discuss how Japanese manufactures
gave competition to the ‘Big Three’ of
US.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

CCA0003
2004
Available
Available

KEYWORDS
Toyota production system; Lean
production; Toyota; Honda; Nissan;
Japanese automobile industry; Kanban; Big
three; Mass production; Lean supply chain;
Benefits of lean production; Philosophy
behind Toyota production system (TPS);
Lean design and development; Kaizen; Justin-time.

Cipla ‘s Generic Competence
Thanks to the Indian Patents Act 1970,
Indian pharmaceutical companies became
adept at reverse engineering. Minimal
expenditure on R&D, low labour costs and
low input costs due to availability of cheap
indigenous raw materials contributed to
lower production costs. These factors
contributed to the Indian pharma industry
becoming ‘generics’ driven. The growing
problem of AIDS across the world,
especially in poor countries of Africa, called
for an urgent need of producing affordable
drugs to combat the disease. Chemical
Industrial and Pharmaceutical Laboratories
(CIPLA), the third largest pharmaceutical
company in India and one of the leading
generics producers, offered to supply certain
AIDS drugs to these countries, at about a
tenth of the price offered by
multinationals. This move by CIPLA sent
the big pharma players across the world
scurrying to lower their prices and to stop
generic versions of their drugs being sold.
• To discuss the factors that made Indian
Pharmaceutical industry generic driven
• To discuss how CIPLA utilized Indian
Patents Act 1970 to offer drugs at lower
prices and thereby challenging the big
pharma companies of the world.
Industry
Reference No.

Pharmaceutical Industry
CCA0002

Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc. Assign.

2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Chemical Industrial and Pharmaceutical
Laboratories; CIPLA; Generic drugs and
patented drugs; Medecins Sans Frontieres;
World Health Organisation; World Trade
Organisation; Yusuf Hamied; Indian
Patents Act 1970; General Agreement on
Trade and Tariffs (GATT); Abbreviated new
drug application; Zidovudine; Product
patents and process patents; Doctors
Without Borders; Pharmaceutical value
chain; European Commission.

Taiwan’s Competitive
Advantage in Liquid Crystal
Displays (LCDs)


animation industry; IFC (International
Finance Corporation).

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology
first hit the consumer market in the 1960s
in the form of watches, calculators etc. By
the late 1990s, it was widely used in
notebooks, PCs, cell phones, personal
digital devices and so on. LCD TVs with
their premium price tag represented a
relatively small segment of the overall
television market even in 2003. However,
LCD TV production was expected to go up
in 2004. Consequently, prices were likely
to drop to levels affordable to the average
customer by 2005. Since the late 1990s, a
vast majority of LCD products such as
notebook PCs, cell phones, personal digital
devices were made in Asia. As in 2003
Taiwanese manufacturers dominated the
notebook computer industry. This gave
Taiwanese LCD-makers a competitive
advantage in the booming LCD TV
business. However, Korea and Japan
dominated the LCD business. Taiwan trailed
Japan in LCD technologies. Besides
Taiwan, with its high cost of land and labour
was losing its competitive advantage as a
manufacturing base to China.
• To discuss the competitive landscape in
Asia in the LCD business, with specific
references to the competitive advantage
of Taiwan in the technology.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

CCA0001
2003
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Taiwan; Taiwan’s competitive advantage;
Taiwan and LCD; Small and medium
enterprises; Cluster; Liquid crystal display;
Thin film transistor; Plasma display;
Samsung; LG Philips; AU Optronics; Sharp;
Korea; Volatility; OBM.

www.ibscdc.org

55

Corporate Strategy


FOPP, UK's Music Retailer (B): The
Costs of Overexposure?
This case is a very good illustration of
what competition does to even an
established company. While Case A deeply
dwells on the effectiveness of Fopp's target
market selection and its positioning
strategy thereafter, Case B helps discuss
how valid was Fopp's decision to go out
of business. This case is an antithesis to
the analysis carried out in Case A. While
Case A stimulates discussion on Fopp's
positioning to reach a particular
community, Case B helps in critically
examining the reasons for the music
chain's closure. Students are also
encouraged to choose among the three
available exit options.
• To analyse the reasons for Fopp's
business model failure
• To debate and evaluate the surviving
options available for Fopp.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Entertainment
COS0066
2007
Available
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 in
Printing Business
Hewlett-Packard (HP) based in California,
US is a global technology solutions
provider serving individual consumers,
businesses and institutions. The company
followed a strategy of innovating and
upgrading its products to increase its
market share. It provided a full range of
high-tech equipment, including personal
computers, servers, storage devices,
printers, and networking equipment. HP
sold over 10,000 different products in the
electronics and computer field. Since the
1980s, HP’s imaging and printing business
had been a major contributor to its
profitability. But as competition increased
with the entry of new manufacturers and
price undercutting HP had to revamp its
printers with affordable technologies. The
case study discusses HP’s strategy to
innovate in order to maintain its market
leadership.

56

www.ibscdc.org

• The case discusses the key factors
driving the printer industry
• The case analyses the competitors move
vis-à-vis HP in the printer industry
• The case also evaluates the strategies
adopted by HP to stay ahead in the highly
competitive market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Electronic Industry
COS0065P
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Hewlett- Packard; HP Laset jet printer;
Corporate Strategies Case Study; HP
Thinkjet; HP Desk Jet; HP officeJet;
Xerox printers; Lexmark printers; All-inone printers; multi function printers; HP
edgeline; Hp inkjet printers; HP
photosmart; Total print management; HP
Web JetAdmin; HP OpenView

Salesforce.com’s Million
Subscriber Dream
The case study is about a US based ondemand CRM (Customer Relationship
Management) solution provider company
– Salesforce.com. The company’s flagship
offering is Salesforce automation suite
(SFA) which enables customers to manage
their sales function.
The case study is about the competitive
strategy of Salesforce.com, which is based
on the concept of SaaS (Software As a
Service). SaaS meant offering software as
a service on subscription basis and not as a
product like a software package.
The case study discusses the ERP industry
to which Salesforce.com’s competitors
originally belonged to and who have entered
CRM arena also. The case analyses
Salesforce.com vis –a –vis its competitors
and discusses the initiatives launched by
the company to grow beyond CRM to enter
other business domains and achieve its
million subscriber dream and achieve
revenues of $1 billion by 2007.The case
also discusses about the future potential of
CRM and ERP industries.
• To discuss strategies adopted by
Salesforce.com vis-à-vis its competitors
• Discuss the initiatives launched by the
company to grow beyond CRM and enter
other business domains
• To discuss the future potential of CRM
and ERP industries.
Industry
Reference No.

COS0064P

Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Salesforce.com-on demand provider; s/w
as a service; end-of s/w slogan; CRM amd
ERP industry; packaged player-SAP;
oracle; Corporate Strategies Case Study;
on demand players-sieble; netsuite; open
source players-sugarCRM; business modelteam edition; professional edition;
enterprise edition; Appexchange platform;
salesfroce.com extension beyond CRM;
AppExchnage mobile; launch of unlimited
edition; pertner edition; mashup with
google; salesforce.com's geographical
extention

Managing Product Recall: The
Dell Way
In August 2006, Dell announced a recall of
4.1 million laptop batteries made by Sony
and fitted in its laptop computers. Dell
said that the faulty batteries might, in rare
cases, overheat and ignite. The recall was
termed as the largest in the history of
consumer electronics and raised fears about
the safety of laptop computers. The
incident also raised questions about Dell’s
product quality and came as a blow to its
efforts to refresh its image and customer
service. In such a scenario, analysts
wondered how Dell was planning to deal
with the problem and save its reputation.
The case primarily discusses how Dell plans
to manage the entire recall process. It also
discusses the battery overheating problem
and the recalls announced due to the
problem.
• To discuss the impacts of battery recall
on Dell
• To understand the strategies adopted by
Dell to recall the batteries
• To analyse how Dell handled the entire
recall process
• To debate whether Dell would be able to
win back the goodwill of the customers
or not.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Personal Computers
COS0063K
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Dell; Laptop computer; Battery recall;
Lithium-ion battery; Sony; Apple
Computer; Notebook battery; Battery
overheating; CPSC (Consumer Product
Safety Commission); Rechargeable lithium
battery; Notebook market share; Corporate

Wal-Mart’s Exit from South Korea
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer was
growing at a rapid pace with more than
6100 stores world wide, their net sales
reached to more than US $312.4 billion
(bn) for the year ended in Jan 31, 2006.
Wal-Mart was pursuing aggressive
international expansion since 1990, but
this strategy was apparently not applicable
to the country of South Korea. The world
largest retailer was pulling out of the
peninsula-where it’s wholly owned “WalMart Korea” arm had struggled since 1998
as they failed to attract the local customers.
The management said that it had agreed to
sell its 16 South Korean outlets to Shinsegae,
a local retailer, for $882 million after WalMart incurred a loss of US $10.58 million
in the year 2005, on sales of US $ 802
million. Shinsegae was South Korea's largest
discount store chain and also used to run
the country's third-ranked department
store chain E-Mart. This case gives an idea
about the failed strategy of Wal-Mart,
globally the largest retailer.
• To understand the global retail market
• To discuss about Wal-Mart’s strategic
initiatives in South Korea
• To analyse Wal-Mart’s failure in South
Korea
• To argue on its decision to exit from
South Korea.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Retail
COS0062K
2006
Not Available
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 Case
Study; Strategy; Everyday low prices;
Korea Makro; Dry goods

Wal-Mart’s Exit from Germany
The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart was
growing at a rapid pace with more than
6100 stores world wide, with the net sales
reached to more than US 312.4 billion for
the year ended in Jan 31, 2006. Since 1990,
Wal-Mart was pursuing aggressive
international expansion, but the strategy
was apparently failed in the country of
Germany. Wal-Mart was about to take the
reverse turn in July, 2006 by selling its

underperforming German stores to the
county’s leading retail chain Metro AG.
Wal-Mart which used to operate 85
hypermarkets across Germany by, admitted
that it would incur a roughly US $1 billion
pretax loss on the deal of its 2007 fiscal
year. Ever since entering the US retail giant
had struggled to capture the cut-throat
German retail market. Analysts perceived
that US Model of business was not effective
in Germany besides that they failed to
understand the customer want, and also
German labor law. Analysts also thought
that limited critical mass, insufficient square
meter productivity and too aggressive
pricing policy and above all cut throat
competition from the local competitors
like Aldi, Metro AG might cause Wal-Mart’s
downfall in Germany.
This case deals with the detail analysis why
Wal-Mart failed in Germany and its decision
to exit from Germany was strategically
correct or not.
• To understand the global retail market

core part of its identity and re-branded
itself as ‘Beyond Petroleum’ suffered from
the worst oil spill. It was later revealed
that to put more and more emphasis on
cost competitiveness the company failed
to take proper preventive measures to
check the corrosion of the oil field.
Analysts opined that though the company
still believed about its ‘green’ ethos and
values, it needs to be aligned with the
business philosophy that the company
practiced in the field.
This case gives in detail about Prudhoe Bay
incidence, its impact on BP’s ‘green’
positioning and environment friendly
image, strategy taken by BP to win back
its ‘green’ image and how the company
planned to prevent similar incidents in
future without affecting its cost
competitiveness.


Strategies Case Study; Dell customer
service; Dell battery programme; PC
(personal computer) market share

• To discuss the importance of integrated
strategy in the context of Prudhoe Bay
incidence

• To discuss about Wal-Mart’s initiatives
in Germany

• To analyse the implication of the
Prudhoe Bay disaster in BP’s corporate
image

• To analyse Wal-Mart’s failure in
Germany

• To discuss the importance of damage
control initiatives in the context of BP.

• To argue on its decision to exit from
Germany.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Retail
COS0061K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Wal-Mart; Retailer; Hypermarket; Aldi;
Metro AG; Wertkauf; Corporate Strategies
Case Study; Interspar; Arkansas; Germany;
Western Europe; Acquisition; Discount
food retail; Pricing policy; German antitrust
law; 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 biggest
oilfield of US) and Trans Alaskan Pipelines
was virtually collapsed. Surveillance team
jointly operated by BP and government
officials revealed that the six miles long
pipeline connecting the oilfield and the
Trans Alaskan pipeline was severely
corroded. This led to the decision to close
down the oilfield. This incident reduced oil
transportation through the pipeline to one
fourth, affected BP’s top-line and bottomline and led to a severe PR disaster for the
company. Analysts often wondered how a
company like BP, which made ‘green’ a

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Oil and Gas
COS0060K
2007
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Corporate Strategies Case Study; British
Petroleum (BP); Alaska Tundra region;
Trans Alaskan pipelines; Prudhoe Bay;
Atlantic Richfield Company; Castrol;
Conoco Phillips; Pigging; Ultra sounding;
Couponing;
Corrosion;
'Beyond
Petroleum'; BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc;
North Slope

BAE Systems Exits Commercial
Aircraft Manufacturing
Hampshire, UK-based fourth largest
defense and aerospace company, BAE
Systems decided to sell its 20% Airbus stake
for £1.87 billion to EADS. Airbus was going
through crisis due to the delivery delays of
super jumbo A380. Moreover, the valuation
of 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 by
funding the projects or also at times being
the major customer. BAE’s sale of Airbus’
stake marked an end of Britain’s
contribution in European commercial
aircraft manufacturing and thereby led to
pressure from the government. In addition,
BAE was considering focusing on American
www.ibscdc.org

57

Corporate Strategy

defense market. The proceeds from the
sale of its Airbus stake were expected to be
invested in developing its American
business. Many analysts viewed BAE’s step
a wrong move. BAE’s decision to quit
commercial aircraft market altered its
relations with the home government.
The case aims to discuss the corporate goals
and steps taken by the company in line
with its strategy.
• To understand defense and aerospace
industry and factors affecting it
• To understand the markets for military
aircrafts and challenges
• To understand Corporate strategies and
Strategic Planning process.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Defense and Commercial
Aerospace
COS0059A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
BAE Systems; Airbus SAS; Boeing co.;
EADS;
Commercial
Aircraft
Manufacturing;
Defense
industry;
Commercial Aerospace Industry; Corporate
Strategies Case Study; Markets; US and UK
markets; Other markets; Industry Exit;
British Government; MoD; Strategic
Decision Making; American Defense
Industry; Transatlantic strategy; Sale of
Airbus stake; Commercial aircraft projects;
Britain’s Future in commercial aircrafts

YouTube versus MySpace Google's Dilemma
Both, MySpace.com and YouTube.com
were the front-runners in the ‘user
generated content’ Web site category,
which witnessed a significant growth in the
year 2005-06. Google, the Web search
giant, signed a revenue sharing deal with
MySpace in August 2006. MySpace owned
by News Corp, was the number one among
social networking Web sites. In October
2006, Google announced acquisition of
YouTube, the leader in free video hosting
and sharing Web sites, in a $1.65 billion
stock deal.
Google also had presence in social
networking Web site category through
Orkut.com and shared a small market share
in the free video hosting and sharing Web
site category throughVideo.Google.com
The race to gain maximum number of
eyeballs had brought MySpace and YouTube
into competition with each other. Analysts
wondered whether Google’s deal with
YouTube would lead to conflict with
MySpace and intensify business rivalry.

58

www.ibscdc.org

With interests in both the Web properties,
how would Google strike a balance of
interests to leverage significant returns, or
keep the conflict of interests away?
• To discuss the Corporate Strategy and
Conflict Management
• To analyse the impact of Business
Rivalry and Emergence of a New Business
Model.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Digital Media & Entertainment
COS0058A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Google; You Tube; MySpace; News
Corporation; Video Sharing and Hosting
Web site; Corporate Strategies Case Study;
User Generated Content; Social Networking
Web site; Web Search Engine; Internet
Advertising; Emerging Media Opportunity;
Corporate Strategy; Conflict Management;
Game Theory; Competitive Strategies;
Diversification Strategy; Mergers and
Acquisition

Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Available
Not Available

Keywords
Hot rolled coils; Ruias; Hazaria; Corporate
Strategies Case Study; Floating rate notes;
DR grade pallets

BharatMatrimony.com: Fixing
Indian Marriages Online
In the traditional Indian society, marriage
was considered as a relationship between
families rather than just two individuals
and the society did not prefer dating or
free mixing of the sexes. Marriages arranged
by families were thus the preferred form
of
marriage
in
the
society.
BharatMatrimony.com (BMC) whereas,
was an Indian online marriage portal trying
to preserve the sanctity of the institution
of marriage while leveraging the power of
technology and the Internet. The case
discusses the Indian set-up, norms of the
society, BMC’s business model and its
growth strategies. It also focuses on the
rising competition, changing Indian
scenario and the scope of online portals.

Financial Re-engineering at
Essar Steel
Essar Steel Ltd. (Essar Steel) is the largest
integrated producer of steel in Western
India with a capacity of 4.6 million tonnes
per annum (mtpa). Essar diversified its
business by expanding into various sectors.
The simultaneous launch of several
projects during the 1990s pushed the group
towards a liquidity crunch. To tide over
the financial crisis, Essar Steel decided to
avail the option of CDR to get out of the
debt trap and strengthen its balance sheet.
The case discusses Essar Steel’s financial
crises and its reengineering. It also discusses
how financial problems affected the
liquidity of Essar Steel and the several
financial strategies formulated by Essar
Steel to tide over the problems. It also
helps to evaluate the reengineering strategy
undertaken by Essar Steel to repay the debt
and expansion of related projects.
• To discuss the expansion strategy of
Essar Steel
• To understand the factors lead the Essar
Steel towards financial crises
• To evaluate the re-engineering Strategy
adopted by Essar Steel to overcome its
problems.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.

Steel Industry
COS0057P
2006

• To understand the cultural environment
of India with respect to Marriages
• To discuss the Business Model of
BharatMatrimony.com
• To discuss the growth strategy of
BharatMatrimony.com
• To discuss rising competition amongst
various online Indian portals engaged in
the business of Fixing Marriages Online.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

E-commerce Industry
COS0056P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Indian Matrimonial market; Corporate
Strategies Case Study; Marriages in India;
desi match maker; Swayamvar; Veri profile;
iRishta.com

Foster’s Group – A New product
Portfolio
Foster’s Group is a leading manufacturer
of internationally acclaimed brands Foster’s
Lager, Victoria Bitter and Crown Lager and
wine brands like Penfolds, Rosemount and
Wolf Blass. It was the world’s third most
widely distributed brand. Since 2000, sales
of international brands had fallen. In a bid
to increase its sales revenue and market
share, Foster’s decided to consolidate its
beer and wine business. This case study
discusses the reasons behind the fall in sales,

• To discuss the changing characteristics
of the global wine industry
• To discuss Foster’s Groups strategy to
consolidate the beer business
• To discuss Foster’s Groups strategy to
enter the premium wine segment.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Beverege Industry
COS0055P
2006
Available
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 Marketing
The $57 billion - Procter & Gamble (P&G)
was the world's No.1 maker of household
products. It had always been a frontrunner
in marketing. It had invented the concepts
of brand, brand management and the ‘Soap
Opera’. The company had recently
resorted
to
‘Buzz/Word-of-mouth
marketing’ as its latest experiment to
attract consumers. P&G had set up Tremor
and Vocal point wherein it encouraged
teens and moms respectively to talk to
people, about everything - from the
products to anything under the sun. The
initiative was turning out to be a huge
success, once again making P&G the
pioneer for moving away from traditional
mediums of marketing and opening up new
avenues. The case discusses P&G’s previous
marketing innovations, the business
models of Tremor and Vocal point and the
oppositions that it faced from certain
segments.
• To understand the concept of Buzz
marketing
• To discuss various marketing initiatives
by P&G
• To discuss the business model of Tremor
and Vocalpoint
• To evaluate the factors behind the
success of Tremor and Vocalpoint.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

FMCG Industry
COS0054P
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Buzz marketing; Viral marketing; tremor;
Corporate Strategies Case Study;
vocalpoint; Steve knox

Lenovo-IBM – Managing
Transition
In December 2004, Lenovo, China’s
leading personal computer manufacturer
acquired IBM’s PC division for $1.75
billion. The deal created a $13 billion
company with 8% share of the worldwide
PC market. The take over involved the
integration of IBM’s operations and
employees by Lenovo. This case study
discusses how Lenovo has managed the
integration and the strategies it is adopting
to compete in the global market.
• To understand the Chinese personal
computer industry scenario
• To discuss the Lenovo-IBM merger and
its implications on the global personal
computer industry
• To discuss Lenovo’s strategy to make a
comeback.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

COS0053P
2006
Available
Not Available

Keywords
Legend Computers; Think Vision; Think
Pad; Corporate Strategies Case Study; Think
Vantage; Think centre; Aptiva; Netvista;
Lenovo 3000 series; Think centre E series;
V series

Poste Italiane: A Story of
Corporate Metamorphosis
In 1990s, Poste Italiane, the largest
company of Italy, was facing huge financial
losses. It was one of Europe's most inefficient
companies and was synonymous with long
queues at the post offices, not so polite
clerks at the customer interaction help desks
and late delivery of mails. However, efforts
directed towards financial and operational
revival of the company started in 1998 when
Corrado Passera (Passera) took over as the
CEO of the company. Passera undertook a
number of strategies to restructure the
organization and diversified into financial
services. In 2002, Massimo Sarmi (Sarmi)
succeeded Passera as the next CEO. He
further strengthened the company’s
operation by
reinforcing the financial
division and upgrading the information
technology infrastructure. From 2003, such
corporate makeover strategies had started
delivering results, when it attained its first

break even. In 2005, Poste Italiane had
revenue of US$20,485.2 million and a profit
of US$433.5 million. In recognition of its
exemplary turnover, the company was
placed in the list of Fortune 500 companies
for the first time in 2006. The case details
the various restructuring strategies of the
two CEO’s. It also provides a brief
description of the postal service sector of
the European Union.
• To discuss the company's poor financial
position in the 1990's and the reasons
behind them
• To discuss the corporate restructuring
strategies of its CEOs, Corrado Passera
and Massimo Sarmi


its consolidation strategies and its attempts
to become a major player in the wine
segment.

• To discuss the company's diversification
into financial services
• To discuss the HR strategies pertaining
to such restructuring.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Financial services
COS0052K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Post Italiane; Corporate restructuring;
Mission; Vision; Banking Industry; Parcel
Delivery.

Posco: Moving Towards Raw
Material
South Korea based POSCO, the fifth largest
steel producer of the world, planned to set
up a steel plant of 12 million tonnes per
annum (mtpa) at Paradeep, India. This U$
12 bn investment is POSCO's first
investment outside its home country,
Korea. The company chose India as its
raw-material source due to her high quality
iron-ore reserves. The company planned
to produce primary steel in India and
transport the semi-finished steel to its
manufacturing facility in Korea. Analysts
opine that the new initiatives will help
POSCO to compete more effectively with
BaoSteel, Mittal Steel and Arcelor in the
South-East Asian market. But a group of
analysts are skeptical whether POSCO can
successfully leverage its U$12 billion
investment as it envisaged. The case
provides a scope to students for discussing
the recent trends in the global steel industry.
It also analyzes how POSCO plans to
leverage its investment and the challenges
it might face to accomplishing its
objectives.
• To discuss the trends and pattern of
global steel industry
www.ibscdc.org

59

Corporate Strategy

• To discuss how control over raw material
act as a key growth driver in global steel
industry
• To discuss the value chain of the global
steel industry
• To discuss the key growth factor in global
steel industry
• To discuss how steel companies plan to
integrate backward
• To discuss the key factors that a steel
company judge before investing and plan
to leverage it.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assig.

Steel
COS0051K
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
POSCO; primary steel making; secondary
steel making; value chain analysis; slab.

Indian Textile Industry:
Implications After MFA Phase out
In January 2005, with the phase out of the
Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA), the quota
system in the world textile market came
to an end. In the post quota era, Indian
textile exports were expected to increase
from US$15 billion in 2005 to US$50
billion by 2010. India had the advantage
of low cost labour, availability of raw
materials
in
abundance,
and
encouragement by the government. India
also had a significant presence in the global
textile market. However, India lacked
infrastructure and modern technology. The
case discusses the opportunities and
challenges for the Indian textile industry
in the post quota era. It also throws light
on the strategy adopted by Indian textile
majors and small and medium enterprises
and discusses whether the removal of the
MFA will be a gain or a loss for the Indian
textile industry.
• The case discusses the opportunities and
challenges for the Indian textile industry
in the post quota era
• It also enlightens on the strategy adopted
by Indian textile industry
• The case also discusses whether the
removal of the MFA will be a gain or a
loss for the Indian textile industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

60

Textile
COS0050P
2005
Not Available
Not Available

www.ibscdc.org

Keywords


Multi-fibre arrangement; Exports; Quota.

• The case traces the growth of Canon,
discusses its innovations and success
strategy. It outlines why the deal is
important to all the players, and what is
at stake for them

EDS in 2005: Jordan’s Challenge
EDS, the second largest global technology
services company in the world has been in
a financial mess since 2001. After three
years of putting out fires, Michael Jordan
(Jordan) CEO EDS, who had been brought
in two years ago to turn EDS around, has
finally unveiled a plan to revive growth.
He has cut costs and streamlined processes,
but the changes have not been visible in
the firm’s balance sheet.
In 2005, Jordan has come up with a novel
idea of selling EDS as the leader of a
federation dubbed the Agility Alliance. The
10 key partners in the group push each
others’ products. Jordan hopes his new
initiatives would succeed in reviving growth
otherwise EDS may enter a “downward
spiral”. Can Jordan turn around EDS by
2006?
• The case traces EDS’ growth, its decline
and Jordan’s turnaround strategy of
cutting costs and streamlining processes
– (but the changes have not been visible
in the firm’s balance sheet.)
• It also discusses EDS’ new strategy, the
advantages of the agility alliance and
persisting challenges before the company.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0049P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
EDS;Michael Jordan; Strategy; Growth.

Canon in 2006 – At Crossroads?
In 2006, Canon is the world’s largest selling
digital camera company. Fujio Mitarai
(Mitarai) Canon’s CEO since 1997 has
single-handedly transformed the unwieldy
debt-laden company into one of Japan’s
most profitable companies. However,
Mitarai’s success has brought him new
challenges. It needs to maintain its lead in
existing product categories and look for
new areas of growth. To address the latter,
Mitarai has made heavy investment in a
new technology called surface-conduction
electron-emitter display, or SED, which he
believes will enable Canon to carve a place
for itself in the flat-screen-TV market. To
maintain market leadership in existing
product categories, Canon is focusing on
enhancing each business’s product
development capabilities and product price
competitiveness.

• The case also discusses the Canon’s
efforts to maintain market leadership
in existing product categories, through
enhancement of product development
capabilities and product price
competitiveness. It also discusses
Canon’s efforts to carve a place for itself
in the flat-screen-TV market.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Digital camers,TV, Photocopier
COS0048P
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Canon; Fujio Mitarai; digital camera;
excellent global corporation; three
regional headquarter system; SED
technology; photocopiers; TV; Japan;
optics; strategy; call system of production;
Join Logistics System.

Infosys Foundation: In For a
Systematic Service
Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm
of Infosys Technologies Ltd. (Infosys), was
founded in 1996 with an aim to serve the
society it operates in. The primary focus
areas of the Foundation were health care,
social rehabilitation and rural uplift,
learning and education, and preservation
of art and culture in India. The case study
tries to give a holistic account of the
specific efforts made by the Foundation in
this direction. The case also discuses the
philanthropic nature of Infosys’ social
initiatives and exemplify them from a wider
perspective.
• The areas in which the Foundation
works
• The potential areas in which the focus
of the Foundation can be concentrated.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Not Applicable
COS0047B
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Corporate Philanthropy; Philanthropy in
India; Health care; Social; rehabilitation;
Rural uplift; Learning and education in
India; Preservation of Indian art and
culture; Systematic service; Foundation;
Infosys Technology; Sudha Murthy.

Warehouse clubs in the US

• The state of wholesale club industry in
the US
• Business strategy of warehouse clubs.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retail
COS0046B
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Warehouse clubs; Costco; Sam’s Club; BJ’s;
Merchandising; Business Model; Wholesale
club industry; Discounting; No-frills; Selfservice formats; Membership; Distribution;
supply chain; Retail in the US; Same store
sales.

LGEIL in the Indian Handset
Market
In 2003-2004, the Indian mobile handset
industry with a growth of 568% was the
second largest market after China. There
were around 20 handset companies in the
GSM segment and around 10 players in the
CDMA segment. LG, a Korean player
entered the Indian market with the CDMA
segment in collaboration with the service
operators, Reliance Infocomm and Tata
Teleservices. LG Electronics India Ltd.,
(LGEIL) captured 66% market share in the
CDMA segment compared to Samsung who
had a market share of only 15.2%. Having
tasted the initial success in the CDMA
market, LGEIL entered the GSM market.
The case gives in-depth information on the
telecom environment in India, and the
growth of the handset market in India. The
case discusses on the various initiatives taken
by LG in the GSM market.
• The nature and characteristics of the
Indian mobile handset market
• LG’s strategy to retain its position in
the CDMA market

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Mobile Handset
COS0045B
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
LG; Indian Telecom; LG Electronics India
Ltd; GSM Segment; CDMA Segment;
Nokia; Samsung; Indian mobile Handset
Industry; Benq Reliance Infocomm; Tata
Teleservices; Chinese Handset Market;
Global Player in India.

McDonald’s Localization
Strategy:Brand Unification, Menu
Diversification?
McDonald’s, the world’s leading fast-food
retailer with 30,000 restaurants in 119
countries, has successfully maintained its
global brand identity by standardizing its
principles and service quality but customizing
its offerings across the globe. The highlight
of McDonald’s localization strategy has been
its foray into Asia where it has survived and
has repeatedly proved itself vis-à-vis other
big food retailers who have failed due to
their inability to adapt to Asia’s diverse
cultures, tastes and temperaments.

Master Card in 2005
MasterCard, the world’s second largest
credit card association announced plans for
its IPO by early 2006. It faced stiff
competition from the market leader Visa
and other rivals. The IPO was announced
at a time when various lawsuits filed by its
rivals and its merchants were ongoing. Also
the US credit card industry was going
through a wave of consolidation.
The case describes the industry structure
of the credit cards, the present organization
structure of MasterCard and the proposed
one after the IPO. The case also describes
the competitive landscape of the industry
and the critical factors affecting it. The
core of the case is the proposed IPO of
MasterCard which is looked upon by
analysts as a move by MasterCard to regain
its dominance, insulate itself against the
lawsuits and evolve with a new organization
structure.
• To understand how card credit industry
operates
• To understand survival strategies
• To understand brand management


Warehouse clubs in the US registered a
phenomenal growth during the last decade
of 20th century and the early decade of
the 21st century. Costco, Sam’s club and
Berkley and Jansen (BJ’s) were the three
leading warehouse clubs in the US.
Warehouse clubs operated as no-frills, selfservice format which offered lower prices
as compared to other retailers. It offered a
narrow assortment of branded food and
general merchandise items within a wide
range of product categories. Customers
were limited to members who paid an
annual fee. Warehouse clubs redefined
discounting and many retailers were
interested in its business model.

• Having been successful in the CDMA
market, would LG be able to compete
effectively in the GSM market?

• To understand the importance of
adaptation to local culture, tastes and
preferences for global food retailers
• To understand how McDonald’s has
maintained uniform brand identity across
the globe while customizing its menu to
suit local tastes
• To analyse whether McDonald’s
localization strategy would prove to be
a disadvantage in case the brand loses its
unique American appeal.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Restaurants
COS0043
2006
Available
Available

Keywords
‘I’m lovin’ it’; Balanced and active
lifestyles; Localisation strategies of
McDonalds’s in Asia; McDonald’s ‘Happy
Price Menu’ in India; Food studios;
McDonald’s on the move; Localising the
on-line world; The McDonald’s way; The
5P’s (product, price, promotion, place,
people) of McDonald’s; The QSCV (quality,
service, cleanliness and value) Principle;
Menu customisation; Flexible operating
platform.

• To debate issue related to corporate
governance.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Credit Card Industry
COS0044A
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
MasterCard; Visa; Initial Public Offering
(IPO); credit cards; competition; industry
structure;
consolidation;
financial
institutions; restructuring; organization
structure; debit cards; corporate
governance; electronic payment systems;
credit card history; Discover.

Philips Electronics NV: Weighing
the Strategic Options for
Semiconductor Division
The semiconductor industry is considered
a highly volatile industry. There are
frequent changes in technology, which
constantly influence demand and supply.
Philips failed to sustain its semiconductor
division in the light of these fluctuations.
The huge investment requirement and the
volatile earnings further compounded their
problems. In 2005, Philips Electronics
decided to separate its chip division as an
independent legal entity. The company has
the options to go for an IPO, merger or a
spin off. Analysts speculate that a merger
might be the one chosen in the end.
www.ibscdc.org

61

Corporate Strategy

• To understand the reasons underlying
Philips’ decision to divest its
semiconductor division
• To discuss the different strategic options
available to Philips for consideration.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Semiconductors
COS0042
2006
Not Available
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.

• To highlight the changing trends in the
global express parcel delivery industry

Porsche’s Investment in
Volkswagen: Moving Away from
911?
In October 2005, German luxury sportscar maker Porsche, increased its stake in
mass-market car maker Volkswagen to
18.53%, with an option to acquire an
additional 3.4%. Porsche’s chief executive
officer Wendelin Wiedeking maintained
that the move was to protect its business
model and to give the company long-term
stability. Analysts were sceptical about the
profitability of this venture and more about
the risk that Porsche’s image could suffer
from close association with Volkswagen.
That voiced diversification meant that
Porsche faced the same threats of brand
dilution, rising costs and lower margins as
bigger car makers.
• To discuss the future of the PorscheVolkswagen alliance and the challenges
faced by Porsche as it moves away from
its ‘911’ (luxury sports car) image.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Automobile
COS0041
2006
Available
Available

Keywords
Porsche; Volkswagen; Automobile; Luxury
sports car maker; Mass-market car maker;
Diversification; Diversification risk; Brand
management; Positioning; Alliance.

FedEx, The US Express Parcel
Carrier: Rationale Behind its
Strategic (Non) Expansion
Since its inception in 1971, FedEx, the
world’s leading express transportation

62

company, has focused on its core business
of express delivery. Although, the growing
international trade and increasing demand
for custom-made services have driven
various dominant players like DHL, UPS
and TNT to establish themselves as a
‘one-stop shop’ for all the logistics
requirements of their customers, FedEx
has limited itself to the small package and
light freight markets. This policy of the
company has raised doubts about the
prudence of its decision.

www.ibscdc.org

• To discuss the rationale behind FedEx’s
decision to stay tuned only to its core
business.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0040
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Federal Express; Global express delivery
industry; Transportation services; Onestop shop for all logistics services; Supply
chain and warehouse management; Role
of express delivery service; United Parcel
Service; DHL and TNT; Frederick Smith;
International trade and globalisation; Hub
and spoke model; Third party logistics
providers; Key stages in express delivery;
Federal ground; Competitive strategies.

Honda: As Acura in USA and as
Legend in Japan?
In late 2005, Honda announced that in
2008, it would launch Acura, its highly
successful brand in the US market, in Japan.
By launching Acura, Honda plans to foray
into the Japanese luxury car market that
has been dominated by the US and
European carmakers. However, analysts are
sceptical about the success of Acura amidst
intense competition in the Japanese car
market and Japanese loyalty to imported
brands like BMW, Mercedes and Audi .
• To highlight the competitive landscape
of the luxury car market in Japan
• To discuss Honda’s strategy to win a share
in the domestic luxury car market of
Japan.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0039
2006
Not Available
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 that
television networks used to earn came from
commercials. However, with the
fragmentation of the market, advertisers
were growing reluctant to pay for a general
audience who were tuning out from their
messages. As a result, top US television
networks like NBC Universal, CBS
Broadcasting and ABC had abandoned their
age-old policies and practices of
broadcasting, to make available their top
shows via video on demand (VOD) services.
At the end of 2004, there were 7.5 million
cable-based VOD users worldwide, and the
number was expected to grow to 13 million
by the end of 2005 and 34 million in 2009.
But one thing was missing – the business
model.
• To highlight the trend of on-demand
entertainment and the challenges faced
by the industry in the absence of a
business model
• To discuss the feasibility of a business
model for the on-demand service
companies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Broadcasting
COS0038
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
On-demand entertainment; Video on
Demand (VoD); Business model; Revenue
model;
Market
fragmentation;
Cannibalisation; Customer retention;
Distribution network; 20-120 rule; Free on
Demand (FoD).

Infineon, The German
Chipmaker’s Troubles: The
Strategy Dilemma
Uncertainty loomed over the German
chipmaker Infineon, as the market for
DRAM (Dynamic Random Access
Memory) chips were on a long-term
decline. Squeezed by tough competition
from Asian competitors and declining prices
of memory chips, Infineon decided to
withdraw from the memory chip business,
which contributed 40% of its revenues.


Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Semiconductors
COS0037
2005
Not Available
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.

• To highlight the growth strategies of
Best Buy
• To discuss the ‘customer centricity’
model of Best Buy as a tool to sustain its
future growth.
Industry

Cartridge World, The Australian
Cartridge Refilling Company’s
Business Model: Can it Sustain?
Digital-based inkjet and laser printing is being
done at an increasing rate worldwide. Coupled
with the high cost of ink cartridges,
manufacturing inkjet cartridges has become
an extremely profitable business for printer
manufacturers. However, the exorbitantly
high cost of ink cartridges has resulted in
customers shifting to the concept of
refilling ink cartridges that are done at half
the cost of a new cartridge. Cartridge World,
an Australian company that operates in
many countries through franchise stores,
leads this business model.
• To discuss the new business model
adopted by Cartridge World
• To discuss whether Cartridge World,
leveraging on its new business model,
can compete with big printer
manufacturers like Hewlett Packard.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Printing Imaging Equipment
COS0036
2006
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Brick and mortar concept; Competitive
advantage; Cash cow; Low cost strategy;
Quality; Competition; Franchising;
Business model; Customer service; Business
ethics; Hewlett-Packard (HP); Canon;
Competitive strategy.

Best Buy’s ‘Customer Centricity’
Model: The Segmented Stores
Minneapolis-based Best Buy is a leading
consumer electronics retailer in the US and

Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Electronics and Appliances
Retail
COS0035
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Best Buy; Customer centricity model;
Growth strategies; The segmented stores;
Customer focus; Concept stores; Super
store format; Speciality retailers; Discount
retailers; Competition; Acquisitions;
Competitive
advantage;
Customer
orientation; Brad Anderson; Service
innovation.

Dell’s Dilemma: Corporates or
Consumers?
Since its inception in 1984, Dell has been
a pioneer of direct selling of computers to
large enterprises on a global scale. While
large enterprises contributed 85% to its
revenue, retail consumers contributed the
rest. However, since late 2005, with the
personal computer (PC) consumer market
outpacing the corporate market in growth,
Dell is striving to focus more on the
consumer markets through innovative
product offerings.
• To highlight the growing importance of
the consumer markets for the global PC
industry
• To discuss the strategies of Dell to
balance between its traditional enterprise
market and the new technology savvy
consumers.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0034
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
Global personal computer PC (personal
computer) industry; US PC industry; Direct
marketing at Dell; Virtual integration at
Dell; Competitors of Dell; Converging
digital technologies; Price competition for
Dell; Product differentiation at Dell; Global
expansion at Dell; Hewlett and Packard;
Apple; Dell’s kiosks in US malls; Supply
chain management at Dell; Dell’s customer
satisfaction.

Interpublic (USA), the World’s
Third Biggest Marketing Services
Group: The Perils of Reckless
Global Expansion


• To discuss the concern of Infineon’s
stakeholders and the strategic dilemma
facing the company, as withdrawal from
the memory product business would
reduce Infineon to a much smaller
company manufacturing logic chips.

Canada. Since its inception in 1966, Best
Buy has grown through customer
orientation by developing many concept
stores. However, due to competition from
specialty retailers and discount retailers in
the US, Best Buy’s market share started
eroding. To fend off competition, in 2004,
Best Buy developed a new customer centric
segmented stores model in selected
markets, which were designed to target
specific consumer segments like women
and urban youth.

Since 2002, after the class action lawsuits
against it and the investigation by US
Securities and Exchange Commission on
its accounting irregularities, Interpublic
Group, the world’s third largest marketing
services company, has been struggling to
make its records consistent with the US
GAAP. In September 2005, Interpublic
restated its earnings for the period 20002004, which led to the reduction of $514
million in its earnings. The accounting woes
stemmed from reckless global expansion
initiatives of Interpublic in countries like
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine
and Uzbekistan, where accounting
practices are different from those in the
US. The company lost clients like GM,
Unilever and Bank of America, which
affected its brand equity and increased its
debt burden.
• To discuss the negatives of reckless global
expansion by a corporate and the
resulting factors which could affect a
corporate’s brand image.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Advertising and Marketing
COS0033
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Interpublic; Global expansion; Marketing
services; 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’s
Veracity?
Founded in 1978 as a small boutique in
Milan, Versace grew over the years through
Gianni’s ‘daring design innovations and
clever publicity’, clocking revenues of

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63

Corporate Strategy

$533.8 million by 1997. However, with
the murder of Gianni Versace in 1997, the
company started witnessing declining sales,
accumulating debts that touched £83
million by the end of 2003. However, under
Giancarlo Di Risio, who was appointed as
the new chief executive officer (CEO) in
September 2004, Versace witnessed a 21%
increase in retail sales in the first quarter
of 2005. The company expects to break
even by 2007.
• To understand the growth of Versace
under Gianni
• To discuss the restructuring strategies
adopted by his sister Donatella and the
new CEO to revive Versace after the
death of its founder.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Apparel
COS0032
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Gianni Versace; Donatella; Restructuring
strategies; Italian fashion industry; Medusa
logo; Apparel market; Family-run businesses;
Design innovations; Advertising strategies;
Richard Avedon; Competitive strategies of
Versace; Entrepreneurship; Giancarlo Di
Risio; Divestments of Versace products lines;
Importance of customer research.

John Browne; Russian oil industry; Chinese
oil industry; Indian oil industry; Sinopec;
Hindusthan Petroleum Corporation Ltd;
Government subsidy; Mergers.

Google’s Grand Moves: Are they
Strategic?
To widen its revenue base, Google has
recently diversified into a variety of
businesses ranging from wireless Internet
access and mobile devices to operating
systems and e-commerce. However, despite
having the highest brand recognition, with
300 million users worldwide, Google is facing
stiff competition from other search giants
like Microsoft and Yahoo!. Additionally, the
maturing of the paid search listings market
might prove to be a limiting factor for the
future growth of the company.
• To highlight the expansion strategies of
Google
• To discuss the potential benefits that
Google might accrue from its expansion
initiatives in the future and its imminent
challenges.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Internet Search and Navigation
COS0030
2005
Available
Available

Keywords

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 China
and India. BP entered into joint venture
deals in the downstream sector, with local
companies in both these countries.
However, BP was not granted significant
access in the domestic oil industry in these
countries, especially in the upstream sector.
Also, the margins on the downstream
operations were lower than the upstream
operations.
• To explore the strategic logic behind BP’s
expansion into Asia
• To discuss the potential of such an
expansion and the future of BP in Asia.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Energy
COS0031
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Global search engine industry; Yahoo!;
Microsoft; eBay PayPal; Expansion
strategies of search engines; Business
strategies of search engines; Market entry
strategies; Services and products;
Acquisitions; Diversification; Froogle;
Revenue model; Competitive strategies;
Search engine war; Google IPO (Initial
Public Offering).

Starbucks’ Music
(Mis?)Adventure
During the 1990s, due to customer demand,
Starbucks started selling compilation CDs
of the music that it played in its stores. By
the turn of the 21st century, Starbucks
acquired a CD catalogue company, launched
an FM music channel, opened music media
bars in 45 of its stores in Seattle and Austin
and successfully released and marketed new
albums of established as well as aspiring
artists. However, Starbucks faced stiff
competition from music and non-music
retailers who offered on-line music at lower
prices and user-friendly technology.

BP (British Petroleum); Downstream
operations; Upstream operations; Lord

• To understand the strategies adopted by
Starbucks to foray into music retailing

www.ibscdc.org

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Retailing
COS0029
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
US coffee retail market; US music industry;
Global
expansion
of
Starbucks;
Competitive advantage of Starbucks;
Product lines of Starbucks; Starbucks’ brand
extension; Music record labels; Breakeven
of revenues at media bars; Third place
experience at Starbucks; Starbucks’
customers; Starbucks Hear Music coffee
houses; Starbucks Hear Music media bars;
Antigone Rising; Genius Loves Company

Dell’s Service Business:
Duplicating the Low-Cost PC
Model
By following its Dell Direct or Low-Cost
PC Model, Dell became the number one
seller of personal computers. For its
services business, Dell went on to duplicate
the model and the business posted a profit
of $3.7 billion with a 30% growth rate in
2005. The company was confident that
the model was successful for its services
business and analysts expected this business
to double in size by 2010. However, critics
were sceptical about the future of Dell’s
services business and the applicability of
the model.
• To enable understanding the intricacies
of the Dell Direct Model and the way
Dell was duplicating it in the services
business
• To highlight the challenges that lay
ahead for Dell’s services business

Keywords

64

• To discuss the challenges that it might
face in a highly competitive industry in
transition.

• To discuss whether Dell’s services
business would be as successful as its
hardware business and the appropriate
of its business model.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

IT Services
COS0028
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Dell’s service business; Dell Direct; Dell’s
low-cost PC model; Dell effect; Dell’s buildto-order system; Michael Dell; Managed
services; Support services; Professional
services; Deployment services; Financial
services; Training and certification
services.

The mobile phone division of Siemens AG,
the German electronics major, is the fourth
largest producer of mobile handsets in the
world. But since 2001 it has been constantly
reporting losses quarter after quarter. The
company’s efforts to revive the division’s
fortunes failed to yield any substantial result
and the division has grown to be the
‘Achilles heel’ for the European giant.
With the appointment of the new Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), Klaus Kleinfeld,
a decision on the mobile division has become
the top priority. The troubled unit poses
four possible options for the new CEO –
sale, closure, joint venture or a turnaround.
• To understand the growth of Siemens’
mobile phone division, the factors
responsible for its decline and the
strategies adopted during the troubled
times
• To discuss the various options available
for the CEO to make a decision on the
future of the loss-making mobile unit.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Mobile Electronics,
Communications
COS0027
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Siemens
Information
and
Communications; Mobile electronics
products and services; Information and
Communication
Mobile
(ICM);
Turnaround and survival strategies;
Restructuring plan; cost-cutting efforts;
Heinrich von Pierer and Klaus Kleinfeld;
Siemens Communications Group; Siemens
AG mobile division; Loss-making division;
EU economic recession; overcapacity;
Nokia; Sony Ericsson; Motorola; BenQ;
Revival options and strategies; Telecom
equipment and services; Turnaround
specialist; Divestments and spin-offs.

Sanyo’s founder and son of the current
chairman Satoshi Iue was appointed as the
president. The new appointments came as
a surprise to many’.
• To discuss the revival prospects of Sanyo,
with an inexperienced CEO at the helm.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0026
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Sanyo Electrical Company; Consumer
electronics; Corporate governance; Chief
executive office (CEO); Management
reshuffle; Leadership; Tomoyo Nonaka;
Toshimasa Lue; Succession planning;
Change management; Turnaround;
Restructuring strategies; Sales decline;
Original equipment manufacturer; Sluggish
economic conditions.

VW’s and GM’s Loss in China: First
Mover’s Disadvantage?
During the 1960s and the 1970s, China
lacked the technical expertise to facilitate
mass production of automobiles. The
Government of China made a policy of
encouraging foreign car makers through
50-50 joint ventures with the indigenous
producers. Among the first to enter into
the Chinese market through this mode
were Volkswagen (VW), in 1984, and
General Motors (GM), in 1995. Though
VW and GM made huge profits and large
market shares in China in their early years,
they lost out eventually to new entrants
like Hyundai and a Chinese company
named Chery. Despite their position as the
incumbents, they failed to customise their
cars according to the shift in their customer
segment, from the government-owned
institutions to individuals. It was opined
that GM and VW have procrastinated costcutting and other measures for too long.

Reviving Sanyo: Experimenting
with an Inexperienced CEO
Sanyo Electric Company, Japan’s thirdlargest consumer electronics maker
witnessed the company’s biggest financial
decline in its 58-years of history for the
year ended March 31 st 2005, as it reported
a loss of $1.1 billion. The grave financial
position in turn spurred a change in the
top management. Tomoyo Nonaka, a
former TV journalist, with little knowledge
about electronics and no management
experience was appointed as the new
chairman and chief executive officer
(CEO), while Toshimasa Iue, grandson of

• To discuss how complacency can tumble
the fortunes of a company and dampen
the first mover’s advantage
• To discuss whether it proves beneficial
to be a forerunner or a follower in the
new markets.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0025
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Volkswagen; General Motors; First mover’s
advantage; Customisation; Competitive

pricing strategy; New market entrants;
Chery; Global automobile industry; Joint
venture; Shanghai Automotive Corporation
First Auto Works (FAW); Flexible tooling
and lean manufacturing; Operational
flexibility; 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’s
challenges included the Internet bubble
burst, rival AMD outperforming Intel and
various product delays and cancellations.
Amidst these challenges, Paul Otellini in
November 2004 was appointed as fifth
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intel.
Otellini shifted Intel’s focus from speed of
microprocessors to its performance using
dual core processors indicating a ‘right hand
turn’ for Intel. With the introduction of
dual core chips and Paul Otellini as the
new CEO, in May 2005, Intel attempts to
take on rival AMD and steer itself as a
‘growth company’.


Siemens’ Troubled Mobile Phone
Business: Options and Strategies

• To understand Intel’s challenges in the
21st century
• To discuss Intel’s new strategy for growth
in 2005, under the leadership of Paul
Otellini, against the backdrop of the
competitive semiconductor industry.
Industry

Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Microprocessors,
Microcontrollers, Digital
Signal Processing
COS0024
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Intel’s product launch strategy; Paul
Otellini at Intel; Intel-AMD price war;
Global semiconductor industry; Heat
generated by Intel’s processors; AMD’s
technological advantages over Intel; Intel’s
dual core processors; Otellini’s ‘two-in-abox’ management strategy; Paul Otellini’s
‘right hand turn’ strategy; Reorganisation
at 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’s
most innovative company and the world’s
most valuable consumer electronics
company, was in a crisis. Its foray into
music, motion pictures, and financial
services, had left the company facing a
diverse spectrum of increasingly
competitive rivals. Sony’s brand value was
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65

Corporate Strategy

on the decline as products like Apple’s iPod
(portable digital music player) and
Samsung’s LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs
leaped ahead in terms of quality and demand
in an industry, which had been dominated
by Sony for almost half a century. A
restructuring plan, ‘Transformation 60’,
was implemented by the then chief
executive officer Nobiyuki Idei to revive
Sony’s flagging business by 2006, the year
of Sony’s 60th anniversary. However, in
2004, Sony’s core electronics business,
which constituted almost two-thirds of the
company sales, incurred losses. Nobiyuki
Idei resigned from his post and for the first
time in the history of Sony, a non-Japanese,
non-engineer, Sir Howard Stringer was
appointed the head of Sony.
• To understand the problems at Sony, the
rise of Sir Howard within Sony, the
reasons for Sir Howard’s appointment
as the head of Sony and the challenges
facing Sir Howard and Sony
• To discuss whether Sir Howard will be
able to revive Sony’s fortunes.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Electronics and Entertainment
COS0023
2005
Available
Available

Keywords
Sony Corporation; Masaru Ibuka and Akio
Morita Leadership; Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo
Totsuko; Global consumer electronics
industry; Audio and video electronic
devices; Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc; 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 restructuring
plan.

AOL’s Ad Revenues: A New
Business Model
By the end of September 2004, the
subscriber base of AOL (America Online
Inc), the world’s largest Internet access
provider, had reduced from 26 million to
22.7 million. AOL began to lose the
industry leadership to Yahoo!, MSN and
Google; its ad revenue for the second quarter
of 2004 being $221 million against Yahoo’s
$467 million.
• To highlight the troubles faced by AOL

66

www.ibscdc.org

• To discuss the potential of the new
advertisement model of AOL to boost
its revenues.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Telecommunications and Media
COS0022
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
AOL (America Online Inc); On-line
subscription; Ad revenues; Yahoo; MSN;
Google; On-line ad industry; Pay-per-click;
Adwords; Cost-per-click; Advertising.com;
Video on demand; AIM (AOL Instant
Messenger) video; AOL Instant Messenger;
Clickthrough rates.

Accenture’s Grand Vision:
‘Corporate America’s Superstar
Maker’
Accenture is a leading management
consulting, technology services and
outsourcing firm. While traditional
management consulting was the main
business for Accenture, areas like systems
integration and outsourcing became the key
growth sectors for the company. However,
its broad geographic and market
diversification increased competition. To
become the industry leader, the new chief
executive officer, William Green
developed a grand vision for Accenture,
‘Corporate America’s Superstar Maker’.

The New York Times: Balancing
Profitability And Traditional
Journalism
The New York Times (Times), which has
been credited with one hundred and eleven
Pulitzer prizes and revered for its authentic
journalism, is faced with several challenges.
Arthur Sulzberger Jr, publisher of the Times,
is faced with the challenge of justifying
huge investments made for revamping the
printed editions, and the expenses incurred
from investigative reporting and finding
new revenue streams for the company.
The solution for increasing profitability
might lie in its on-line version and the
company is debating on the issue of levying
a subscription fee for viewing its on-line
content.
• To understand the viability of authentic
journalism while pursuing the objective
of increasing profit margins
• To discuss whether The New York Times
should be charging its on-line visitors
for both its current and archive sections.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Newspaper Publishing
COS0021
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
The New York Times; Printing and
publishing industry; Competition in the
newspaper industry; Strategic partnerships
between companies; Strategic decision
making by management; On-line news
channels; On-line subscription fees; Online advertising; Print edition and on-line
versions of newspapers; Significance of
advertisement revenues; Nytimes.com;
The New York Times Digital Company;
Strategic investments in print and on-line
editions; Business models of The New York
Times; The Washington Post.

• To discuss Accenture’s grand vision, its
competitive advantages, its strategies
and the future challenges
• To discuss whether Accenture would be
able to achieve its grand vision.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Management Consulting and.
Outsourcing
COS0020
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Accenture; Grand vision; William Green;
Management consultancy; Business process
outsourcing (BPO); Systems integration;
Leadership development programme;
Arthur Andersen & Co; Consulting business;
Competitive advantage; Business and
services portfolio; Diversification; Most
Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE)
Awards; Strategy; Accenture Sensor
Telemetry Rapid Deployment Toolkit.

Building Business in China: The
Shui On Way
The rapid growth in China’s construction
industry since the late 1990s provided
several opportunities for construction
firms to expand their operations in the
country. Vincent Lo, the chairman of Shui
On Group, a Hong Kong based construction
enterprise, first entered the Chinese market
during the mid-1980s. Over the next few
years, he began to invest on the Chinese
Mainland, buying cement plants and
developing high-end commercial and
residential centers. He spent a lot of time
building relationships with Chinese
officials, which earned him the nickname,
‘King of guanxi’. Vincent Lo’s most
successful venture in China has been the
development of Shanghai’s premier
entertainment district, Xintiandi.

Keywords

• To highlight the realities of doing
business in China

Nike; Onitsuka Tiger Company; Blue
Ribbon Sports; Bill Bowerman and Phil
Knight; Jogging wave; Performance shoes;
Sports celebrities; Adidas and soccer;
Acquisitions; R&D centre (research and
development); Air Jordan; The ‘just do it’
campaign; Footlocker.

• To discuss how Vincent Lo has capitalised
on his knowledge of the country’s
customs and traditions to build his
business in the country.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Construction Industry
COS0019
2005
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Mainland China; Regulatory framework;
China’s construction industry; Building
relationships; Shui on Group; Chinese
Ministry of Construction; Ministry of
Urban and Rural Construction; Stateowned enterprises; Foreign construction
firms; Business opportunities; Xintiandi
Entertainment District; Vincent Lo;
Engineering design and consulting firms;
Commercial housing projects; Chinese real
estate.

Nike’s New Discipline:Balancing
Creativity and Business Sense
Beaverton, Oregon-based Nike Inc, has
achieved what most brands in the world
have failed. As an athletic footwear and
sports apparel manufacturer, Nike’s brand
has spread through generations of sport
and leisure activity. Over the years, the
brand had become synonymous with sport
celebrities like Michael Jordan and Tiger
Woods. Nike’s belief in a performance shoe
backed by high-value advertising enabled
it to gain an edge over competitors like
Adidas and Reebok. But the company had
its share of ups and downs due to supply
chain failure and outmoded designs. Added
to this were the allegations of labour
exploitation in its Asian factories. But the
company rebutted its critics by emerging
as the leader in the athletic footwear
segment. In the fiscal year that ended May
31 st 2004, the company posted a 15%
rise in sales reaching $12.3 billion.

Bloomberg’s Dilemma: Growth
or Sale?
In November 2001, after Bloomberg’s
founder Michael Rubens Bloomberg left the
company to become the New York City
Mayor, a new management team took over
the reins of the media and financialinformation conglomerate. By all
accounts, Michael Bloomberg had placed
his firm in the hands of a management
team that did not seem to be inclined to
change much or take big risks, in marked
contrast to the situation when Michael
Bloomberg was at the helm. Also the
competition increased from other players
in the industry such as Reuters, Thomson
Corporation and Dow Jones.
• To discuss the challenges faced by
Bloomberg after Michael Bloomberg left
the company
• To discuss the initiatives taken by the
company to counter the measures taken
by its competitors.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Information Collection and
Delivery
COS0017
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Bloomberg; Michael Bloomberg; Market
data industry; Reuters; Tom Glocer;
Thomson Financial; Dow Jones; The
Bloomberg Professional; Terminals; Peter
T Grauer; Reuters’ 3000; Bloomberg-lite;
Lex Fenwick; Bloomberg law; Bloomberg
anywhere.

• To discuss Nike’s marketing and
advertising practices in the light of
customers’ fast changing preferences

McDonald’s Menu: Makeover or
Make-up?

• To discuss how the company has, over
the years, produced some of the best
shoe technologies.

By the turn of the 21st century, obesity had
been categorised as a global epidemic and
studies conducted by the ‘Centre for Disease
Control and Prevention’ of the US showed
that nearly 30% of the American
population was suffering from obesity and
related health problems. Weight Watchers
and other social groups blamed the calorierich food as the prime cause of obesity and
began to target fast-food companies like

Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Footwear
COS0018
2004
Available
Available

the McDonald’s Corporation. McDonald’s
became the focal point for a number of
anti-obesity lawsuits and controversial
documentaries. In response to this
backlash, McDonald’s embarked on a
mission to change its menu offerings to
include a range of ‘healthy’ food items like
salads and juices. Despite such efforts,
sceptics raised serious concerns about the
genuineness of the health benefits of the
new additions and on the sincerity of the
company’s commitment to the cause of
promoting a healthy lifestyle.
• To discuss the issue of corporate social
responsibility among fast food
companies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.



Restaurants
COS0016
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
McDonald’s; Go active; Obesity; Super size
me; McLibel trial; McSalad Shakers;
Premium salads; McDonald’s calories;
Subway; Panera bread; Schlotzsky’s; Happy
Meals; 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 Company
Limited (IHCL), India’s largest luxury hotel
chain launched its first ‘no-frill’ hotel
named indiOne in Bangalore. indiOne, a
stand-alone brand created without the Tajtag, aimed to provide a comfortable, clean,
and safe stay at an affordable price for the
middle-class traveler. The hotel provided
single and double rooms just for INR 900
and INR 950 ($19.45 and $20.54)
respectively. This was considered to be a
landmark innovation in the traditional
Indian hospitality industry that had been
over the years targeting foreign tourists
and had ignored the huge potential of its
domestic tourists, who were predominately
from the middle-class segment. Moreover,
the industry faced the brunt of low
occupancies and declining average room
rates (ARRs) as Indian tourism went
through a bad phase due to September 11
terrorist attacks, the attack on the Indian
Parliament House and escalating tension
in the Indo-Pak relations. So when the
majority of the luxury hotels were trying
to boost their occupancy rates and ARRs
by introducing discount schemes and
loyalty programmes, IHCL launched a
budget hotel, which was affordable to the
Indian middle-class traveler.

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67

Corporate Strategy

• To discuss how IHCL has positioned
itself in the budget category without
diluting the image of its flagship Taj
brand
• To discuss the potential opportunities
that companies have in serving the
population at ‘the bottom of the
pyramid’.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Leisure
COS0015
2004
Not Available
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 the
European 3G Cellular Market
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the
European telecom companies had invested
$250 billion in licence fees and
infrastructural development to offer 3G
(third generation) cellular services. They
were betting on a technology that had not
been developed to an extent where the
operators could provide full-fledged 3G
services to their customers. Consequently,
most of these companies got into huge
debts and write offs. Under such
circumstances, Hutch started its 3G services
in Europe.
• To discuss the factors which prompted
Hutch to make huge investments in the
3G service in Europe and what is at stake
for its first commercial 3G service in
the continent.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Appliances
COS0014
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Hutchinson Whampoa Limited; Third
generation (3G) cellular services; European
telecommunication industry; Mobile
telephony in Europe; NTT DoCoMo;
Generations of mobile telephony; 3G
mobile
telephony
in
Europe;
Telecommunication license fees in Europe;
Losses of European telecom companies;
Hutchinson’s telecom services in Europe;
Telecom tariff war in Europe.

68

www.ibscdc.org

Whole Foods Markets: Growth
Dilemmas
Whole Foods Markets Inc (Whole Foods),
started in 1980 in Texas, US, successfully
tapped the growing interest of American
consumers in ‘organic foods’, and went on
to emerge as the world’s largest organic
foods retailing chain by 2000. With
operations spread across North America
and the UK, the chain is popular for its
products, philosophy and growth. But
competition is increasing from similar store
chains, regional food retail chains and also
the world’s leading retail chains. Whole
Foods’ growth is credited to its founder
John Mackey, who is now facing the
challenges of withstanding the growing
competition from global giants and
retaining the good show of the company
in terms of growth and profits. There are
other challenges in the form of employee
unrest, sourcing bottlenecks, and protests
from consumer interest organisations.

• To discuss the growth dilemmas faced
by Imagi International and its endeavour
to prove to its shareholders that show
business was more fun and profitable than
making Christmas trees.
Industry
Reference No.
Year Of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Multimedia and Entertainment
COS0012
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Imagi International Holdings Limited;
Hong Kong animation industry; Zentrix;
Father of the Pride; Computer graphics
animation; Christmas tree business;
Greenland Investment Holdings Limited;
Carlyle Group; DreamWorks SKG; Francis
KAO; Boto International Holdings
Limited; Growth strategies; Siegfried and
Roy’s show; Media and entertainment
industry.

• To discuss the inception and growth story
of Whole Foods from a single store to a
market leading chain of stores
• To discuss the profile of the organic
foods market and the industry dynamics,
along with the competitive scenario for
Whole Foods.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Food Retailing, Grocery
COS0013
2004
Not Available
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 States
Department of Agriculture) organic
labeling; National organic standards; Wild
oats markets; Growth challenges.

Imagi International Holdings Ltd
(HK): The Growth Dilemmas
Boto International, a Hong Kong-based
company was the largest manufacturer of
artificial Christmas trees and festive
products and supplied its products to stores
like Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target. In 2002,
Boto’s management sold the profitable
Christmas tree business to finance its
animation
start-up
called
Imagi
International. With no experience in the
field of animation, it was a challenge for
Imagi’s management to make it one of the
top players in the Hong Kong animation
industry.

Bikram Yoga: Doing Yoga the
McDonald’s Way?
Yoga, a traditional Indian approach to
physical fitness, mental peace and spiritual
bliss, has been in the public domain for
more than five thousand years. The 20th
century witnessed the rise and spread of
Yoga in several forms and styles, around
the world. Especially in the US, the
popularity of Yoga turned it into a
multimillion dollar business. It raised
concern when one such style - Bikram
Yoga - sought copyrights and set forth a
franchising business model.
• To discuss the controversy about Bikram
Yoga in the wake of its protection as an
intellectual property
• To discuss the issue of commodification
and commercialisation of Yoga.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Not Applicable
COS0011
2004
Available
Available

Keywords
Bikram Yoga; Bikram Choudhury; Yoga in
America; Intellectual property rights; Sun
Valley conference; Copyright protection;
McDonald’s
franchising
model;
Commodification; Commercialisation;
Brand strength; Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga;
Alternative health treatment; Patents and
trademarks

During the period 2001-2003, when the
six major network carriers in the US had
collectively lost $21 billion, the low cost
airline JetBlue had managed to increase its
profits from $38 million to $103 million.
In spite of the overall industry malaise,
Neeleman, the airline’s founder made an
aggressive plan to increase the fleet size
from 57 Airbus A320s to 290 and the
employee strength to 25,000 by 2010
(from 6,000 in 2003).
JetBlue to keep costs low and compare
them with other low cost carriers such
as Southwest Airlines
• To discuss the development of the work
culture at JetBlue and its significance in
differentiating the airline from its other
competitors
• To discuss the challenges the airline might
face due to the rapid expansion and its
comparison with People Express Airlines
• To discuss the challenges the airline
might face by diversifying its fleet with
the Embraer jets and the probable
unionisation threats it might face due to
this strategy
• To discuss the challenges it might face
from the other major airlines once the
industry becomes more stable.
Industry
Reference No.
Year Of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Airlines
COS0010
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
JetBlue Airways; Low cost airlines in the
US; Cost management by low cost carriers;
US airlines industry after September 11,
2001; Brand building by JetBlue Airways;
Operations of JetBlue airways; HR (human
resource) practices at JetBlue Airways; Core
values of JetBlue Airways; Low cost versus
traditional airlines in the US; Growth plans
of JetBlue Airways; The challenges ahead
for JetBlue Airways.

Kodak: Betting on Digital
Imaging
Eastman Kodak, a 130 year old company
is undergoing a radical transformation due
to the rapid convergence of traditional
photography with consumer electronics.
Faced with the threat of worldwide decline
in photographic film sales, as well as the
growing popularity of digital cameras,
Daniel Carp, the chairman and CEO of
Kodak, had announced a new growth

strategy. His focus was in the digital trinity
of image capture (cameras), services (online photofinishing sites, kiosks and
minilabs) and image output (printing
paper).
• To discuss the growth strategies adopted
by its current chairman and CEO Daniel
Carp for its digital imaging business
• To discuss Kodak’s future outlook
• To discuss the threat posed by camera
phones to the digital still camera
industry in the short and long-term.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Photographic and Optical
Equipment Manufacturers
COS0009
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Kodak; Digital imaging; Daniel Carp;
Traditional film business; Digital service;
Competitive
scenario;
On-line
photofinishing sites; Kodak’s new
initiatives; Entertainment imaging group.

Nicholas Piramal India: Survival
Strategies for International Patent
Law Regime
The Indian pharmaceutical industry is on
the verge of a major turnaround with the
proposed implementation of International
Patent Law (IPL) from January 2005
onwards. This means that India’s
pharmaceutical companies will have to
strictly adhere to product patent laws and
not the process patent laws that it has
followed to date. Indian companies were
reverse engineering the patented drugs and,
with minor changes in the process, launched
them in the domestic markets at cheaper
rates. The enforcement of the law would
necessiate the Indian companies to
complete with global pharma majors to
stay in business. Thus, Indian companies
have increased investments in research and
development (R&D), joint ventures and
also have elaborated their marketing
efforts.
• To discuss the impact of international
patent law on the Indian pharmaceutical
industry and how NPIL planned to meet
the product patent challenge

competitive market and the company’s
focus on joint ventures more than on
R&D
• To discuss the multiprolonged strategic
approach for growth
• To discuss the multifaceted strategies
adopted by Nicholas Piramal India
Limited to cope with the on-coming
implementation of international patent
law from January 1st 2005
• To discuss the problems that NPIL would
have to face in the future with its adopted
strategies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0008
2004
Not Available
Not Available


JetBlue Airways: Neeleman’s
Future Bet

Keywords
Survival strategy - Nicholas Piramal India
Limited (NPIL); Indian pharmaceutical
industry; Generic drugs; Drug price controls;
Business strategy; Joint ventures; alliances
and partnerships; International patent law;
Indian Patent Act, 1976; Product, process
patents; Mergers and acquisitions; Organic,
inorganic growth strategy; Research and
development; New chemical entities
(NCE); Marketing and branding; Trade
related aspects of intellectual property
rights; General agreement on trade and
tariffs (GATT).

Expedia: The Changing Business
Model
Having started as an on-line travel agent
for the airline companies in 1994, Expedia
increased its offerings and became the
world’s leading on-line travel agent in
2002. The success of Expedia was
attributed to the shift in its business model
from ‘commission model’ to ‘merchant
model’.
• To discuss how Expedia reinvented its
business by creating multiple profit
centers like hotel bookings, car rentals,
etc.
• To discuss the unique concepts that the
company has innovated to help it to
come out from the travel slump after
the September 11 downturn.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Travel Agencies and Services
COS0007
2004
Not Available
Not Available

• To discuss the various efforts taken by
Nicholas Piramal India Limited (NPIL)
to stay competitive in the post-2005
period

Keywords

• To discuss the strategic approaches
followed by NPIL to face the global

Expedia; Business model; Commission
model; Merchant model; On-line travel

www.ibscdc.org

69

Corporate Strategy

agent; Travel business; Dynamic
packaging; Business travel industry; Richard
Barton; Travelocity; Metropolitan Travel;
InterActiveCorp;
USA
Networks
Incorporated; Newtrade Technologies;
Expert searching and pricing.

one electric utility company. In 2002 and
2003, the company was listed on the
BusinessWeek’s tally of 50 best performing
companies in the Standard and Poor’s
stock index.

Coke’s Relationship with Bottlers:
To ‘Revive and Sustain’
The Coca-Cola Company (Coke), the
world’s leading soft drink company, has its
success tied to its global bottling system.
As the company’s executives wielded more
power and control over their bottling
partners and neglected the partners’
interests, their relationships strained and
the company’s performance got affected.
On introspection, the company realised
the need to revive its relationship with its
bottlers and government regulators
worldwide to sustain its success.
• To discuss some of the changes Coke
made in rebuilding the strained
relationships with its bottlers
• To discuss the importance of maintaining
good relationships with partners, and
taking their interests into account while
designing policies.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Beverages
COS0006
2004
Not Available
Not Available

• To discuss the strategy a company could
follow in a mature industry
• To enable discussion as to how a
company can leverage on its core
competency in its endeavor to become
the number one company in its industryl.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Utility and Energy
COS0005
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Exelon Corporation; Peco Energy
Company; Unicom Corporation; John W
Rowe; Corbin A McNeill Jr; Utility
companies; Nuclear fleet; Cost cutting;
Mergers and acquisitions; Purchasing
method of accounting; Sithe Energies;
American Energy Company; Wholesale
market and retail market; Dynegy
Incorporated; Rate freeze.

ICICI: Too Big to Fail?

Keywords
Industrial Credit and Investment
Corporation of India (ICICI); ICICI Bank;
Reverse merger; Largest private sector
bank; Retail banking; Retail portfolio;
Expansion; Consolidation.

Merck: The Cost of Going Alone
For generations, Merck & Co was
considered the jewel of the pharmaceutical
industry. However, it was under Roy
Vagelos, who became the CEO in 1985,
that the company produced many
breakthrough drugs. While the company
emerged as the icon of consumer
healthcare, Vagelos was dubbed as the ‘Jack
Welch of the pharmaceutical industry’.
Particularly, Merck’s overwhelming
research power left many rival companies
struggling. However, the mid-1990s sent
most of the pharma majors in the US into
a dry spell due to expirations of patents.
Even for Merck, the year 2000 meant the
expiration of five of its blockbuster drugs
and the company had no new drugs in its
research pipeline. While most of the
pharma companies either merged or bought
ideas from small biotech firms to fill their
pipeline, Merck remained stuck to its ideal
of developing its drugs in-house.

Coke’s bottling operation; Consolidation
of 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; The
Coca-Cola Company (Coke); Hellenic
Bottling Company; Restructuring; 49%
solution.

Exelon’s Business Strategy:John
W Rowe’s Way
When the going gets easy every company
gets going and dares to venture into
unrelated businesses. Growth charts, easy
money and stock market bubbles make the
executives at many companies think that
nothing could go wrong with them. This
case provides insights into the strategy of
an electric utility Exelon, which did not
fall into herd mentality, stuck to its basics
and went from strength to strength. Exelon
Corporation, one of the largest electric
utility companies in the United States has
been implementing its cost cutting and
acquisition strategy, to become the number

70

www.ibscdc.org

• To facilitate discussion on how Merck,
under Vagelos, became the world-leader
in consumer healthcare


Keywords

Into the fifth decade of its existence, the
Industrial Credit & Investment Corporation
of India (ICICI) had evolved to become a
behemoth in the Indian financial system.
With a presence in almost every financial
market segment and numerous subsidiaries,
it is the bank with the second-largest asset
base in India. Expansions and
diversifications had however raised
questions about the rationale behind the
expansion. When a simple rumour of a
cash crunch could cause panic withdrawals
running into one and a half crores in just
three days, it was time to stop and
consolidate their position, thought experts.

Ray Gilmartin; Roy Vagelos; Zocor;
Patent-expiration;
Streptomycin;
Schering-Plough; Vioxx; Mevacor; Pfizer;
Vasotec; Pharma mergers.

• To discuss the meteoric rise of ICICI in
India
• To discuss whether the company should
strive for better results in the markets it
operates in or should go for newer
opportunities as and when they present
themselves
• To discuss the possible problems because
of bringing all the subsidiaries under one
umbrella organisation.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Banking & Financial Services
COS0004
2004
Not Available
Not Available

• To discuss why Merck was reluctance to
look for a merger partner, when most
of the pharma majors have benefited
from the synergies of mergers.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

Pharmaceutical
COS0003
2004
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords

Genentech’s Business Strategy
Genentech, the pioneer of the
biotechnology industry and one of the
world’s leading biotech companies, was
founded in 1976. The company in its early
years, aspired to become a blockbusterproducing giant but was unsuccessful. When
Arthur D Levinson took over as the CEO
in 1995, he shifted Genentech’s focus to
targeted therapies from blockbusters. In
2002, it was the top US seller of branded
anti-tumor drugs. It outperformed big

• To discuss Genentech’s business strategy
of shifting its focus to targeted therapy
drugs unlike the big pharmaceutical
companies and how it paid off to
transform it into a behemoth in the
global pharmaceutical industry.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.

COS0002
2004
Not Available
Not Available

cross-selling its products through its
various companies, each selling some
specialized products.
Industry
Reference No.
Year of Pub.
Teaching Note
Struc.Assign.


pharma companies such as Novartis and
AstraZeneca in this segment. In 2003, the
company’s market cap of about $30
billion was bigger than most big pharma
players. According to analysts, the exciting
thing about the company was not its stock
price or its growing supremacy in the cancer
segment; rather it was the company’s
unique strategy unlike other players in the
industry.

Banking & Financial Services
COS0001
2003
Not Available
Not Available

Keywords
Housing Development and Finance
Corporation; HDFC; Development
financial institution; Indian housing
scenario; Universal banking; Interest and
interest rate; Industrial Credit and
Investment Corporation of India Ltd;
ICICI; Subsidiaries; mergers and
acquisitions; Core competencies; Credit
Information Bureau (India) Ltd; CIBIL;
Mutual fund; Statutory liquid and cash
reserve ratios; Cross-selling.

Keywords
Genentech;
Business
strategy;
Biotechnology industry; Research and
development;
United
States
pharmaceutical industry; Avastin; Arthur
D Levinson; Big pharma; Targeted
therapies; Rituxan; Herceptin; Food and
drug administration; United States Food and
Drug Administration; Blockbuster drugs;
Biologics license application.

HDFC’s Business Model
In the late 1990s, to exploit the synergies
brought by universal banking, major banks
in Europe and America merged to form
leading banks in the world. The trend of
consolidation hit even the Indian markets.
In 2002, Industrial Credit and Investment
Corporation of India Ltd (ICICI), one of
the leading development financial
institutions in India, reverse merged with
its subsidiary ICICI Bank, to become the
second largest bank in India. However,
Housing Development and Finance
Corporation (HDFC), India’s leading
housing finance company in terms of
deposits and loan disbursements, positioned
itself as a group of companies with each
subsidiary offering specialised products. It
focused on generating synergies of universal
banking by cross-selling its products across
its subsidiaries without actually merging
into a single entity.
• To highlight the emerging trend of
universal banking in Europe and America
and the rise of consolidation in the
Indian banking industry
• To discuss HDFC’s strategy to generate
the synergies of universal banking by

www.ibscdc.org

71

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