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How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleAwareness of these forces can help a company stake out a position in its industry that is less vulnerable to attack. -
Why the Apple Watch Is a Gift to the Swiss Watch Industry
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleIt’s the new Swatch. -
Creating Breakthroughs at 3M
Innovation Magazine ArticleCompanies say they want breakthrough products, but most are far more adept at making incremental improvements to existing lines. A pioneering division at 3M successfully navigated a process that leads to breakthrough thinking. -
Diversification via Acquisition: Creating Value
Mergers and acquisitions Magazine ArticleDuring the past 25 years an increasing proportion of U.S. companies have seen wisdom in pursuing a strategy of diversification. Between 1950 and 1970, for example, single-business companies comprising the Fortune “500” declined from 30% to 8% of the total. Acquisition has become a standard approach to diversification. In recent years the productivity of capital […] -
Washington Must Help the U.S. Regain the Lead in Manufacturing
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleThe federal government can and should play a much bigger role in helping American companies regain the lead in manufacturing. We need to invest a commensurate amount of federal R&D dollars in advanced manufacturing technologies as we do in other areas of science, technology, and engineering. The last administration created an assistant secretary for manufacturing […] -
The Risky Business of Diversification
Innovation Magazine ArticleOn the basis of a sample from the top 200 of the Fortune “500” and data from the PIMS (Profit Impact of Market Strategies) project, this author gives some guidelines for established companies on what to expect from new ventures. He points out that it takes an average of 10 to 12 years before the […] -
You Don’t Have to Be CEO to Be a Visionary Leader
Leadership vision Digital ArticlePeople want to know what they’re working toward and why. -
Competitiveness: Self-Help for a Worsening Problem
Government policy and regulation Magazine ArticleA country’s competitiveness, like a company’s, is not primarily a matter of sales: it is a matter of incomes, and incomes earned, not borrowed. To be competitive means to raise incomes as rapidly as competitors do and to make the investments necessary to keep up competitively in the future. From this perspective, U.S. competitiveness is […] -
Delta’s CEO on Using Innovative Thinking to Revive a Bankrupt Airline
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleAkio Kon/Getty Images The Idea: Unconventional moves—from employee profit-sharing to the purchase of an oil refinery—have made the U.S. carrier an industry leader again. At Delta we understand the perils of the traditional airline business model. The industry has in recent decades been known for short-term thinking, destructive decision making, and poor employee relations. However, […] -
Companyism and Do More Better
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleImagine yourself solving an arithmetic problem with the top managers of a leading Japanese automobile company. As a group, Japanese producers already export 2.3 million passenger vehicles a year to the United States. They are also building capacity for an additional 2.5 million vehicles in North America. You remind your friends across the table that […] -
What the Grocery Stores Holding Their Own Against Amazon Are Doing Right
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleThey know how to build customer loyalty. -
Marketers, Go Back to Basics
Marketing Digital ArticleInnovation is great, but don’t forget to make the most of the tried-and-true tactics. -
With Friends Like These: The Art of Managing Complementors
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleWhile in-depth analysis of competitors and suppliers is de rigueur in formulating strategy, surprisingly few companies pay much attention to firms that sell complementary products and services. -
Whiteboard Session: Bringing the Best Business Ideas to Healthcare
Strategy & Execution VideoThomas Lee, MD explains how ideas from Michael Porter and other business thinkers could fix healthcare. -
Capital Disadvantage: America's Failing Capital Investment System
Global Business Magazine ArticleThe U.S. system of allocating investment capital is failing, putting American companies at a serious disadvantage and threatening the long-term growth... -
Eliminate Strategic Overload
Strategy Magazine ArticleHow to select fewer initiatives with greater impact -
Understanding “New Power”
Business models Magazine ArticleThe crowd is challenging traditional leadership. Here’s how to harness its energy. -
Bringing the Environment Down to Earth
Finance and investing Magazine ArticleManagers should make environmental investments for the same reason they make other investments: because they expect them to deliver positive returns or to reduce risks. -
Heavy Machinery Meets AI
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleUntil recently most incumbent industrial companies didn't use highly advanced software in their products. But now the sector's leaders have begun applying... -
Strategy is Different in Service Businesses
Strategy Magazine ArticleMany managers of service businesses are aware that the strategic management (by which I mean the total process of selecting and implementing a corporate strategy) of service businesses is different from that of manufacturing businesses. This article discusses how pure service businesses are different from product-oriented businesses and why they require different strategic thinking. A […]
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Pluggin In the Consumer: The Adoption of Electrically Powered Vehicles in the U.S.
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details How will U.S. consumers respond to the proliferation of alternative-fuel vehicles, such as cars powered partially or completely by electricity, in the... -
Lenovo: Digital Transformation for Supply Chain Intelligence
Management Case Study11.95View Details Through the example of Lenovo Group Limited, this case provides students an opportunity to learn about emerging and advanced digital technologies for... -
Collaboration Wars: Slack vs. Microsoft Teams 2023
Management Case Study11.95View Details What's the future of corporate communications? Email? Corporate messaging? The battle for corporate messaging in 2023 was stacking up as a fight between... -
The Video-Streaming Wars in 2019: Can Disney Catch Netflix?
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Bob Iger, chief executive officer of entertainment conglomerate Disney, thrilled investors with details about Disney's upcoming foray into video streaming... -
Enpara.com: Digital Bank at a Crossroad
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details In March 2017, Elsa Pekmez Atan (MBA 2004), was wondering about the future of Enpara.com, a digital-only banking platform of QNB Finansbank. Since its... -
Loblaw Companies Limited
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details The president of Loblaw Companies Ltd. must decide what to do in response to the rumored introduction of Wal-Mart's SuperCenters (combining grocery and... -
Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi-Cola (B)
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Supplements Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi-Cola (A). -
Skype in the Voice-over-IP Industry: A Commercially Viable Blue Ocean?
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case focuses on Skype in the voice-over-IP (VoIP) industry. Its offering created such exceptional utility for users around the world that Skype has... -
Ant Group: How the Largest IPO in History Came to a Halt
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details Ant Group (螞蟻集團) was on course to raise HKD273bn in a dual offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK) and the Shanghai Stock Exchange's (SSE) STAR... -
Preferred Networks: A Deep Learning Startup Powers the Internet of Things
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Preferred Networks, Inc. (PFN), a start-up specialized in deep learning technologies, a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) research, differentiated... -
Kunshan, Incorporated: The Making of China's Richest Town
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details In 1980, the city of Kunshan was mere countryside, registering neither on the Chinese government's nor the international business community's radar. By... -
Hoag Orthopedic Institute
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details Two groups of orthopedic surgeons form a joint venture with a community hospital to establish Hoag Orthopedic Institute, a for-profit hospital and two... -
Electrohome (A): Projection Systems Division
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details The management team at Electrohome's Projection Systems Division must decide what to do in response to a surprise new product introduction by Sony Projection... -
Backchannelmedia: Making Television 'Clickable'
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Backchannelmedia (BCM), a three year old start-up, intended to completely disrupt the world of advertising by transforming the way Americans watched television.... -
Sierra Log Homes, Inc. (A)
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Describes the history and evolution of the log home manufacturing industry, a rapidly growing embryonic industry capitalizing on the back-to-basics lifestyle... -
Hudepohl Brewing Co.
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Presents the problem of how an established regional brewer can survive the onslaught of national breweries, some of which are being cross-subsidized by... -
Microsoft's Search
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details In 2008, executives at Microsoft must decide how to compete against Google in the market for Internet search and advertising. The case describes how Microsoft... -
Metro Cash & Carry
Global Business Case Study11.95View Details Analyzes the globalization of Metro Cash & Carry, a German wholesaler, which has flourished in many foreign markets but struggled to gain traction in... -
Coffee Wars in India: Café Coffee Day 2015
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details This case is an update of "Coffee Wars in India: Café Coffee Day 2013." It explores Café Coffee Day's progress after Starbuck's entry into India and the... -
Maersk Group: Sailing in a Market Downturn
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View Details Shipping conglomerate and industry leader Maersk Group has to figure out a strategy to remain competitive in the struggling shipping industry. In the...
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Pluggin In the Consumer: The Adoption of Electrically Powered Vehicles in the U.S.
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details How will U.S. consumers respond to the proliferation of alternative-fuel vehicles, such as cars powered partially or completely by electricity, in the... -
Lenovo: Digital Transformation for Supply Chain Intelligence
Management Case Study11.95View Details Through the example of Lenovo Group Limited, this case provides students an opportunity to learn about emerging and advanced digital technologies for... -
How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleAwareness of these forces can help a company stake out a position in its industry that is less vulnerable to attack. -
Why the Apple Watch Is a Gift to the Swiss Watch Industry
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleIt’s the new Swatch. -
Collaboration Wars: Slack vs. Microsoft Teams 2023
Management Case Study11.95View Details What's the future of corporate communications? Email? Corporate messaging? The battle for corporate messaging in 2023 was stacking up as a fight between... -
Creating Breakthroughs at 3M
Innovation Magazine ArticleCompanies say they want breakthrough products, but most are far more adept at making incremental improvements to existing lines. A pioneering division at 3M successfully navigated a process that leads to breakthrough thinking. -
Diversification via Acquisition: Creating Value
Mergers and acquisitions Magazine ArticleDuring the past 25 years an increasing proportion of U.S. companies have seen wisdom in pursuing a strategy of diversification. Between 1950 and 1970, for example, single-business companies comprising the Fortune “500” declined from 30% to 8% of the total. Acquisition has become a standard approach to diversification. In recent years the productivity of capital […] -
Washington Must Help the U.S. Regain the Lead in Manufacturing
Competitive strategy Digital ArticleThe federal government can and should play a much bigger role in helping American companies regain the lead in manufacturing. We need to invest a commensurate amount of federal R&D dollars in advanced manufacturing technologies as we do in other areas of science, technology, and engineering. The last administration created an assistant secretary for manufacturing […] -
The Risky Business of Diversification
Innovation Magazine ArticleOn the basis of a sample from the top 200 of the Fortune “500” and data from the PIMS (Profit Impact of Market Strategies) project, this author gives some guidelines for established companies on what to expect from new ventures. He points out that it takes an average of 10 to 12 years before the […] -
You Don’t Have to Be CEO to Be a Visionary Leader
Leadership vision Digital ArticlePeople want to know what they’re working toward and why.