Surveys Microsoft's expansion into new businesses, such as mobile and embedded devices, home and entertainment, and business solutions, as it faces challenges due to size and maturity and outside threats from Linux and Google. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
Examines the role of technology licensing in strategies for high-technology companies. In the 1990s, Rambus developed a revolutionary memory technology that would improve the ability of DRAMs to keep pace with ever-faster microprocessors. To commercialize the technology, Rambus licensed the technology to several DRAM vendors, who had to agree to allow Rambus to cross-license any improvements a licensee made to all other licensees. In its attempt to set the standard for the industry, Rambus faced competition from higher frequency versions of standard DRAMs; a consortium of DRAM manufacturers and systems companies, known as the SyncLink Consortium; and an alternative DRAM technology known as Double Data Rate SDRAM. Rambus' relationship with Intel, the dominant producer of microprocessors, didn't prove as successful as either party would have liked. Even more devastating to Rambus was its litigation with several of its customers, the DRAM vendors, and a suit by the Federal Trade Commission. Although most of the lawsuits against Rambus had been dropped in 2004, Rambus needed a new strategy to rebuild its business for the future.
Explores the role of intellectual property in firms' strategies. Explains the legal and strategic differences between patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets and explores the multiple ways firms use these different legal protections to gain competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Describes the evolution of the handheld operating system market. Describes the rise to dominance of Palm's operating system and the significant challenge to that dominance posed by Microsoft's Windows CE.
Contains four short stories about small firms challenging large firms. Illustrates some of the ideas that have been termed "judo strategy." In each case, one can argue that the small firm attempts to use the large firm's size and incumbency to constrain the large firm and provide an opportunity for the small firm. The four vignettes are: (1) Softsoap pioneers the liquid soap market with little competition, at least initially, from the incumbent bar soap manufacturers; (2) Red Bull creates and dominates the energy drink market with little early competition from incumbent beverage companies; (3) U.K. supermarket chains attempt to enter the retail gasoline market but trigger an aggressive price response from the integrated majors; and (4) Freeserve makes large inroads in the U.K. ISP market against dominant incumbent AOL. Each occurrence demonstrates ideas considered "judo strategy"--situations in which small competitors exploit the size and incumbency of a larger firm to find opportunities to make inroads against the large firm without effective retaliation or defense (just as, some authors argue, a small person can throw a large person with judo techniques by using the larger person's weight and inertia against him).
Recounts the history of the evolution of browser market shares from 1994 forward. Netscape's Navigator establishes a huge early lead, but is then displaced by an equally dominant offering from Microsoft. Highlights the role of Microsoft's dominance in desktop operating systems and Microsoft's bundling of the browser with the operating system.
Outlines the events leading up to 3DO's exit from the home video game licensing business. 3DO's business model is considered flawed because of its incompatibility with industry structure and economics.
Before taking competitive action, managers must anticipate the actions of their competitors. This can only be accomplished by performing thorough competitor analysis.
Tells the story of the rise and fall of Atari Corp., the dominant player in arcade and home video games in the 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, Atari grew from a $500 initial investment into a $2 billion in revenues per year enterprise, becoming the fastest growing company in the history of the United States. The wild ride came to a crashing halt in 1983, however, when the bottom dropped out of the video game market, partly as a result of Atari's actions (or inaction). This is part of a case series examining the competitive dynamics in the home video game industry from 1970 into the new millennium. A rewritten version of an earlier case.