個案總覽

Unlike traditional market segmentations that are based on a correlation of product sales or service with the attributes of the purchaser (such as age, gender, income level, and education level), jobs-based segmentation seeks to understand the causal roots of purchase-when a buyer needs to "hire" a product or service to get a "job" done. This note details the thought process and the methodology behind a jobs-based segmentation and provides numerous examples. It highlights three levels in the architecture of a job: 1) What is the fundamental job or problem the customer is facing? This includes political, functional, emotional, and social dimensions; 2) What are the experiences in purchase and use that, if all provided, would sum up to nailing the job perfectly? (The "hiring criteria"); and 3) What do we need to integrate, and how must we knit those things together, so that we can provide these experiences?

Patagonia was deeply committed to the environment. This commitment, at times, conflicted with the company's goal to create the most innovative products in its industry. Patagonia's founder and executives welcomed imitation of both its environmental commitment and its culture. The question remained whether Patagonia's model would work well for a wide range of companies. In 2003, Patagonia executives were considering which products and markets would fit best into their portfolio of product lines, which included alpine, skiing, snowboarding, fishing, paddling, rock climbing, surfing, kayaking, and mountain biking. There was a tradeoff between alienating its core customers and achieving growth via entry into new product markets.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 101010.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 101011.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 101019.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 101072.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 101092.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 102030.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 102070.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 104073.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 104086.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 105010.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 189084.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 801458.

Spreadsheet for case UV6277

The case focuses on the housewares subgroup within the overall retail sector. During the period considered by the case (1970s to 2006), housewares in North America saw the emergence of two "big-box" retailers - Linens 'n Things (LNT) and Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY). LNT and BBBY were founded within four years of each other and their corporate headquarters were just 16 miles apart. Despite this remarkable similarity in starting conditions, their performance outcomes diverged sharply. On the surface, both companies were pursuing a similar business-level strategy of cost leadership, but key strategic decisions led them down quite different evolutionary paths. Both companies focused on providing consumers with high-quality houseware goods in a no-frills, value-priced environment, but LNT's decision to build centralized warehouses - seemingly consistent with a cost leadership strategy - ended up bringing it into direct competition with Target and Walmart. In contrast, BBBY allowed for greater decentralization in decision making, thereby allowing more store-level decision making and greater customization to local consumers' tastes. As a result, BBBY was able to better differentiate itself from Walmart and Target. The case allows instructors to introduce basic strategy concepts, such as industry and environmental analysis, business-level strategies, core competencies and administrative heritage. At the time of the case (February 2006), BBBY's market capitalization was approximately $10.7 billion, while LNT had just been acquired for $1.3 billion by a private equity firm. The case begins right after the acquisition and takes the perspective of the new CEO of LNT, who is tasked with devising a turnaround plan.

This note complements Note on Logistic Regression, product #9B10E005 and Note on Logistic Regression - The Binomial Case, product #9B10E012. The focus of this note is to show how to calculate the associated p-values of the estimated beta coefficients using Microsoft Excel. It also illustrates the procedure based on the example from the Note on Logistic Regression - The Binomial Case.

Recent dramatic global events suggest that the future financial landscape will be much different than what we see today. In a world where money, people and ideas can move faster than ever before, even the smallest events can have a tremendous impact on the entire world. The report outlines key categories that will have significant impact on tomorrow's world in order to better inform today's investor. Topics of the discussion include new financial regulations; emerging markets; challenges in the developed world; new technologies; socially responsible investing; and social media and the speed of information dissemination.

This note discusses how social media marketing can be used to influence the consumer decision process for goods and services. It links social media's influence to the different stages of the purchase process for high-involvement items. The material is suitable for MBA, undergraduate, and executive education students.

Spreadsheet supplement for case number 100027.