A multi-issue 1-on-1 internal negotiation between a manager (Sebastian) and his employee (Diane). Diane wants Sebastian's feedback on her recent performance on X-Caliber as this will have a significant impact on if and when she will be promoted, but it's not all good news.
The case describes how Justin Trudeau came from a seemingly hopeless third place (in the party rankings) to win a stunning majority and become Canada's 23rd prime minister. Trudeau's win is analysed through a Blue Ocean lens, showing how his campaign broke with the traditional rules of engagement by reaching out to non-voters, and increasing willingness-to-vote while lowering the cost-of-voter acquisition.
The case describes how Justin Trudeau came from a seemingly hopeless third place (in the party rankings) to win a stunning majority and become Canada's 23rd prime minister. Trudeau's win is analysed through a Blue Ocean lens, showing how his campaign broke with the traditional rules of engagement by reaching out to non-voters, and increasing willingness-to-vote while lowering the cost-of-voter acquisition. Video and Lecture Slides can be obtained from https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/teaching-materials/blue-ocean-politics/
In April 2013, Colgate-Palmolive, a long-term front runner in a consumer goods business that specialized in oral care products, lost its dominance for the sensitive teeth toothpaste market in India. It was a dominance that Colgate-Palmolive had managed to build over the years by being a first mover and by leveraging its reputation as a leader in oral care products. However, new global and local competitors entered the market with diverse product variants and aggressive marketing campaigns, and started to erode the company's market share. By mid-2013, the fight for market share was fierce and on the verge of becoming even more intense. Could Colgate-Palmolive regain its dominance? How should the company navigate these extremely competitive tides to regain its lost market share?
In March 2015, Huayi Brothers Media Corporation is China's most influential entertainment company, accounting for one-fifth of the country's total yearly box office revenues. In recent years, in an effort to leverage its movie content and copyrights, the company has expanded into developing and distributing games on the Internet as well as building entertainment theme parks in Asia. Now, the chairman and co-founder is considering a partnership with Hollywood's STX Entertainment to jointly invest in and co-produce 18 films and distribute them worldwide within two years. Should the company enter into this partnership or not? What is the best strategy to move forward and grow internationally outside of China? Or should the company concentrate on bettering its competition by concentrating on its core business portfolio in visual (both movies and television), live (musical performances and theme parks) and Internet gaming in China and Asia?
An HBS student is asked to misrepresent himself during the course of his summer internship by his employer in order to obtain data from industry competitors.
An HBS student is asked to misrepresent himself during the course of his student internship by his employer in order to obtain data from a competitor. This case describes how the student handled the situation and what he learned about himself from it.
Atmel Corporation is a manufacturer of semiconductors (chips). It is an engineering-driven business-to-business company, and prior to 2012 its marketing was largely limited to preparation of specifications, launching new products, and trade shows. In 2012, it hired Sander Arts as Vice President of Marketing. Arts was not an engineer, and had very different ideas about how marketing could add value to the company. For instance, he believed that social media could be used to create active user communities for a company that makes commodity products. He also believed that the company was missing important opportunities in long-tail markets, and the Maker movement. He wanted to humanize the brand and create imaginative marketing solutions. This "case" is a series of videos - one to prepare students for the class session, and two to be shown after the class discussion. The 15-minute preparation video is a series of interviews in which the perspectives of different stakeholders (engineering, marketing, customer, etc.) are presented prior to the arrival of Arts. The challenges facing Arts are clearly demonstrated. Following class discussion, a nine-minute video interview with Arts can be used to show how he approached the challenges. The third video was prepared by Atmel, and shows the company's view of its success in developing marketing as an important part of the organization.
The general manager of a resort was considering completely renovating the resort’s suites for the upcoming season. He would need to submit a proposal to the resort owners for funding approval. Although he knew the renovation would increase customer satisfaction, he would need to justify the significant upfront investment from a financial perspective.
The general manager of a resort was considering completely renovating the resort's suites for the upcoming season. He would need to submit a proposal to the resort owners for funding approval. Although he knew the renovation would increase customer satisfaction, he would need to justify the significant up-front investment from a financial perspective.
This case examines Project Salta (Salta) a multi-year collaborative experiment among financial institutions, a foreign government aid agency, and a global management school. Binding goals of Salta were to provide practical business information in sessions of short duration to micro-entrepreneurs operating at or near the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, while keeping sponsors' costs exceptionally low. Salta serves as a test case and potential template for organizations investing in educating micro-entrepreneurs via lessons that are information, engaging, memorable and affordable. Details are provided regarding the origins and setting of the Salta program, its targeted participants, and parameters for the roll-out of the program. Students using the case are challenged to think creatively about how they would translate their understanding of basic business knowledge into the fundamentals needed to thrive as a micro-entrepreneur in a developing country. The case is especially relevant to individuals or organizations considering or engaging in corporate social responsibility opportunities. It is also highly relevant to empowerment of women at or near the base of the socio-economic pyramid, as well as micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries. Lessons center on challenges and advantages of educational philanthropy for these populations.
Micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries often lack basic business knowledge and personal confidence needed to make the leap that will take their businesses beyond subsistence. In many of these countries, little or no business training is available to women micro-entrepreneurs. In some developing countries, tradition and social convention about gender-determined roles and responsibilities lead women to stay in the home. Those who become micro-entrepreneurs are often driven to the choice by financial need and lack of job alternatives. This case describes the business challenges facing a female micro-entrepreneur who worked from home and who participated in a large-scale, collaborative business education program set in Peru called Proyecto Salta (or, Salta, which means leap in Spanish).
Domotec was a small company devoted to home automation in Montevideo, Uruguay. Building automation involves a set of control and automation systems that can be used in homes, buildings, offices, etc. providing services related to energy, safety, security, comfort and communications. Case A describes Domotec's history from its creation in 1994 by three partners until a day in 1999 when the partners would meet to formally make the decision to shut down. One of them, Norberto Zejerman, the case protagonist, wondered whether to keep the company and run it alone. A description of the most salient features of the industry at the time in Uruguay, as well as at regional and world levels, is also provided. Case B gives an account of industry and company performance during the 2000-2005 period, when Domotec survived the difficult 2002 crisis but failed to rake in enough sales volume. Finally, case C depicts the growth of the automation market from 2006 to 2011 and presents the dilemma faced by Zejerman presented by the fact that in 2011 alone it sold one third of the total installations the company had carried out during its 15-year history. This case series has been designed to ensure that students understand the complexity of the challenge involved in creating a venture that includes both product and market innovation, exploring the strategic decisions required. In this context, customers still have no clear understanding of the scope of the value proposition, the market gives no hint of potential meaningful segments and the company perceives that it must educate consumers in addition to selling its products.
Domotec was a small company devoted to home automation in Montevideo, Uruguay. Building automation involves a set of control and automation systems that can be used in homes, buildings, offices, etc. providing services related to energy, safety, security, comfort and communications. Case A describes Domotec's history from its creation in 1994 by three partners until a day in 1999 when the partners would meet to formally make the decision to shut down. One of them, Norberto Zejerman, the case protagonist, wondered whether to keep the company and run it alone. A description of the most salient features of the industry at the time in Uruguay, as well as at regional and world levels, is also provided. Case B gives an account of industry and company performance during the 2000-2005 period, when Domotec survived the difficult 2002 crisis but failed to rake in enough sales volume. Finally, case C depicts the growth of the automation market from 2006 to 2011 and presents the dilemma faced by Zejerman presented by the fact that in 2011 alone it sold one third of the total installations the company had carried out during its 15-year history. This case series has been designed to ensure that students understand the complexity of the challenge involved in creating a venture that includes both product and market innovation, exploring the strategic decisions required. In this context, customers still have no clear understanding of the scope of the value proposition, the market gives no hint of potential meaningful segments and the company perceives that it must educate consumers in addition to selling its products.
Domotec was a small company devoted to home automation in Montevideo, Uruguay. Building automation involves a set of control and automation systems that can be used in homes, buildings, offices, etc. providing services related to energy, safety, security, comfort and communications. Case A describes Domotec's history from its creation in 1994 by three partners until a day in 1999 when the partners would meet to formally make the decision to shut down. One of them, Norberto Zejerman, the case protagonist, wondered whether to keep the company and run it alone. A description of the most salient features of the industry at the time in Uruguay, as well as at regional and world levels, is also provided. Case B gives an account of industry and company performance during the 2000-2005 period, when Domotec survived the difficult 2002 crisis but failed to rake in enough sales volume. Finally, case C depicts the growth of the automation market from 2006 to 2011 and presents the dilemma faced by Zejerman presented by the fact that in 2011 alone it sold one third of the total installations the company had carried out during its 15-year history. This case series has been designed to ensure that students understand the complexity of the challenge involved in creating a venture that includes both product and market innovation, exploring the strategic decisions required. In this context, customers still have no clear understanding of the scope of the value proposition, the market gives no hint of potential meaningful segments and the company perceives that it must educate consumers in addition to selling its products.
In 2015, Burger King, one of America's oldest fast-food chains, continues to face fierce competition from McDonald's, Wendy's and the emerging fast-casual restaurant chains. As a result, Burger King needs to develop a marketing mix that will distance it from its competitors and narrow the gap with McDonald's, the industry leader. The marketing mix will also influence Burger King's allocation of resources between domestic and international markets.
In 2015, U.K.-based Ocado was the world's largest pure player in the online home-delivery grocery business and was gaining a growing share of the highly competitive U.K. grocery market. Ocado had made heavy investments in technology, including a highly automated warehouse operation, intelligent software for efficient order delivery, and a customer-friendly online interface. Ocado's customer base had expanded beyond the wealthy to include middle-income consumers; even with a delivery charge, grocery shopping through Ocado was, in many cases, as affordable as shopping in a retail stores. In 2015 the company was developing a strategy for its Smart Platform, a model in which Ocado would lease its software, hardware, and integration services to brick-and-mortar grocery retailers seeking to build online businesses. Ocado's management believed the Smart Platform, which they planned to market internationally, had the potential to disrupt the global grocery retail market.
Raju Omlet is a restaurant in Dubai that is famous for making egg preparations that appeal to the Indian expatriate population. A father and his son jointly manage the venture, and they are both very happy with the way the business has shaped up in the last two years. An expansion is inevitable, but how should it be carried out? The partners are also exploring the option of offering home delivery service. A meeting has been called to try to find answers to two questions: Would it be possible to sustain the expansion with a single product offering, and would diversifying the product range kill the restaurant’s unique competitive advantage?