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Supplements the (A) case.

GOME, founded by Wong Kwongyu, had grown from merely a 100-square-metre store in Beijing in 1987 to the industry leader in electrical and home appliance retailing in China, with 259 traditional stores and 4 digital stores by 2006. Its success stemmed from its low-margin, high-volume strategy, which was complemented by its striving for service quality and innovation. In 2006, GOME faced the new challenge of tuangou, or group purchase. In order to amass bargaining power to demand discounts from retailers, consumers with similar needs in China united through the Internet and showed up en masse at retailers at pre-arranged times and dates. They would put relentless pressure on retailers and would press for greater discounts. This emerging consumer behavior had spread like wildfire in China and retailers had different reactions. Some yielded to the pressure and offered greater discounts, some only entertained tuangou that had been pre-arranged and/or pre-registered, while others refused to give in and maintained a fixed-price policy. It was up to GOME to determine how best it could deal with this new phenomenon.

Launched in early 2005, Zopa is a peer-to-peer online brokerage that couples British residents who want to lend with those who want to borrow. The company represents a new business model in the retail financial services industry, and since Zopa is not technically a bank and does not lend money itself, the capital requirements to run the business are relatively small. Compared to a traditional full service bank Zopa concentrates on only a few steps of the value chain. This case study provides an overview of the financial service industry, especially banks, in the UK in 2006 and how Zopa, a value innovator, has developed a unique position in the market through an innovative business model. Rich data especially on banking trends are given. Additional data on key players in the industry are supplied. This data will enable students to develop a good understanding of the elements of a value innovation and how technologies have the potential to shake up an established industry structure and its key players. A focus is on the concept of value innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. The case can also be used to address the topic of how incumbent firms should respond to innovative new business models.

Examines the structural determinants of industry attractiveness (the Five Forces framework) and the implications of industry structure for strategy.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service provider, Tecnovate eSolutions Pvt. Ltd, was set up in India as a captive to provide contact center services, BPO services, and IT services to its parent company in the travel services sector. Outsourcing is a complex phenomenon and involves formal evaluation and planning before companies can take the leap. Can be used as a vehicle for understanding the risks and challenges involved in a real life outsourcing scenario. Focuses on the critical transition sub-phase of the outsourcing lifecycle and the evolving growth strategies of business process outsourcing.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 807005

Supplements the (A) case.

The managing partners of two private equity firms are hoping to forestall a third bidding round for a target company, the European beverage division of Cadbury Schweppes. As they wait to meet with the CEO, they revisit their assumptions on the deal and review the insights that informed their valuation.

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, founders of Microsoft and Apple respectively, have revolutionized the relationship between the individual and computer technology. Once the exclusive domain of academia and research facilities, computers can now be found in every area of business, government, and personal entertainment. Gates and Jobs facilitated this revolution, introducing a generation to the practice of personal computing and laying the foundation for the Information Age. Gates and Jobs turned their curiosity about electronics into a multi-billion dollar industry. From early experiments like the Apple II and DOS to the X-box and the iPod, Gates and Jobs have been committed to pioneering all avenues of technology and distributing them to wide audiences. The journey wasn't without its trials for both CEOs. Gates' antitrust lawsuit of the mid-90s and Jobs' separation from Apple in the late 80s provided challenges to both companies. However, both leaders used these periods of uncertainty as motivation to innovate, taking digital technology into new territory. Pixar Studios, MSNBC, the Xbox, and the phenomena of "infotainment" all arose from the ashes of the corporate controversies. The stories of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are ultimately one story--it is the story of the personal computer, its software, and its impact upon society. From two college drop-outs based on the West Coast came a revolution which fundamentally influenced the global practice of business.

Multinationals often make judgmental errors regarding cross-cultural issues and the business environments prevailing in foreign countries. Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd. (HMSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Company Limited, Japan, established its plant in India in 1999 and made mistakes in handling people-management issues. It wanted to pursue a non-union model but failed to devise and implement an appropriate human resource management (HRM) strategy. Management was caught unaware when accumulated grievances led workers to turn hostile and form a union with the help of the trade union wing of a political party that was a partner in the ruling coalition at the federal level. The management failed to break workers' unity either by soliciting help from the state agencies or by using the legal system to their advantage. The subsequent power struggle led to violent clashes between the workers and the police, who had been called in for protection by HMSI management. The extensive media coverage not only tarnished the company's image, but also pressured the federal government to come to the rescue of the workers. This incompetent handling of HR issues by the company led to a long strike by the workers. The strike, besides causing substantial financial losses, also led to the emergence of a very strong union. In addition, production targets that were achieved on a daily basis before the union came into existence were seldom achieved after the conciliation came into effect. Provides insights into building and implementing a commitment model of HRM strategy, shows how employers should safeguard their interest by managing the countervailing power of workers in the Indian context, and discusses the dynamics of state power in Indian industrial relations and who can benefit from it in different contexts.

Chronicles the board game company's early formation and growth, and culminates in two issues often faced by business owners: (a) what to do about the over-dependence that the company has developed on its founder/CEO, and (b) what are the possible exit options worth pursuing. Describes University Games' founding by two friends after graduating, its internal and market-facing growing pains, periods in which each of the two founders left the company, a buy-back of shares from a VC investor, and culminates in the emergence of exit opportunities. Concludes with the CEO questioning whether he should court a financial investor or strategic acquirer, or even consider the options of a public offering and of a leveraged re-capitalization for the company.

Impenetrable strategy statements can't unite employees behind an organization's goals, but concrete language and stories can.

A study of executive life in one of history's great multinational enterprises--the British Empire--reveals that the leading workaday reality in foreign offices was boredom.

To reap the value of women's contributions, a board needs at least three female directors.

As a comparison of Costco and Sam's Club shows, stingy pay and benefits translate into higher costs in the long run.

Retailers are starting to place real products in virtual worlds. It's just a matter of time before virtual products make the leap into the real world.

Larry Winget, "The Pit Bull of Personal Development," uses irritation rather than motivation to get managers on the road to improvement.

Measuring the value of your knowledge-management program probably depends less on hard numbers than on soft indicators like anecdotes and employee surveys.

Cincinnati Works, a nonprofit employment agency in Ohio, provides an innovative business model for placing--and sustaining--unskilled entry-level workers.