Focuses on the efforts of Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) to grow the tiny island almost wholly through an expansion of its service economy. Between 1965 and 1990, Singapore achieved a remarkable rate of growth, largely by opening its economy to foreign investment and by providing these investors with a full range of business and infrastructural services. By 1990, however, the island is running out of room for expansion. To keep the economy expanding at its customary pace, the EDB crafts an ambitious strategy of regionalization. Under this strategy, Singapore plans to export its service economy, developing a string of overseas enclaves to replicate the business environment that, physically, can no longer expand in Singapore. In these enclaves, designed to rim the Southeast Asian region, foreign investors could enjoy the full range of services they had come to enjoy in Singapore. And, by providing investors in these parks with a full range of business, administrative, and infrastructural services, Singapore would become the ultimate service economy.
In April 1995, the Japanese yen hit a post-World War II high against the U.S. dollar. The yen's relentless ascent affected firms on both sides of the Pacific, but fell particularly hard on Japan's big four automakers. This case explores how endaka--or"high yen"--changes the competitive environment for the automakers and how they respond to the change. Examines how macroeconomic and political shifts can dramatically affect the competitive position of firms operating in a global economy. Also describes how firms can reshape their strategies to compete even in starkly different domestic environments.
Describes structural conditions in the American baseball industry in 1995. Although this case covers conditions leading to the 1994-95 strike, it is designed primarily for analysis of the structural tensions that arise between suppliers, buyers, and rivals as industry revenues diminish.
In the latter half of the 1980s, the collapse of the Soviet empire created an unprecedented opportunity for Western businesses. Among those most attracted were the oil firms, who rushed to investigate Russia's vast petroleum reserves. But, as they soon discovered, investing in Russia still entailed tremendous risks--commercial, legal, and political. The case examines how three companies (Phibro, Mobil, and Conoco) have evaluated the risks of Russia and formulated a strategy for investment.
In December 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, sprung a leak, releasing thousands of gallons of highly toxic gas into the atmosphere. By the time the leak was sealed, over 2,000 people had died. In a series of three excerpts from published accounts, the case covers the events that led up to the tragedy and the aftermath--financial, legal, and emotional--for Union Carbide's management. The case is designed to allow students to explore the complex set of responsibilities that surround foreign direct investment. It enables them to discuss the extent to which Union Carbide's U.S.-based management was responsible for actions undertaken by Indians in India, and then to think of this responsibility in terms of its various components--financial, commercial, and moral.
Describes strategic acquisitions by Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola in the late 1980s. The context allows students to evaluate the implications of the mergers for the competitiveness of the industry.
Describes the economic logic leading to the deregulation of the U.S. airline industry in 1978 and subsequent competitive developments. The roles of computerized reservation systems, airport hubs, route strategies, and fleet management are raised as unanticipated tactical responses. The decision focus of the case emphasizes the prospect of regulation. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
The home video-game industry began in 1972 with the founding of Atari. After riding a dramatic boom and bust in the early 1980s, most players left the business. Nintendo of Japan then rebuilt the industry--establishing a commanding worldwide position by the end of the decade. By 1990, Nintendo game systems could be found in one out of every three households--in both Japan and the United States. The company's stock market value exceeded that of Sony or Nissan. The case describes the steps Nintendo took to achieve this success. Also covers the U.S. antitrust investigation of Nintendo.
Between 1985 and 1990, the global economy witnessed an unprecedented surge in flows of foreign direct investment (FDI). This sudden increase called back into prominence the range of questions that have long surrounded FDI. What causes firms to expand or contract their purchase of foreign assets? How do patterns of investment affect trade and development? What is the impact of FDI on host countries? This note explores these questions in some detail and includes data summarizing recent trends in FDI flows.
The early 1990s saw a new wave of start-ups in the U.S. airline business. One entrant, Kiwi International Air Lines, took to the skies in September 1992 with a strategy of attracting small-business travelers looking to save money but lacking the flexibility to book in advance. Fares were to be pegged to the lowest restricted fares in the market, but offered on an unrestricted basis. Another setting in which entrants have recently sought to capture market share from large, established players is the U.S. credit card industry. In the early 1990s, the industry witnessed an onslaught of new players wooing customers with offers of low interest rates and small or nonexistent fees. This case explores some aspects of the game between small-scale entrants and large-scale incumbents.
The NutraSweet Co. has very successfully marketed aspartame, a low-calorie, high-intensity sweetener, around the world. NutraSweet's position was protected by patents until 1987 in Europe, Canada, and Japan, and until the end of 1992 in the United States. The case series describes the competition that ensued between NutraSweet and the Holland Sweetener Co. (HSC) following HSC's entry into the aspartame market in 1987. Describes the subsequent move and countermove in both the marketplace and the courts. Also, discusses the business "game" that takes place at both the tactical and value levels. Ends with the final countdown to the expiration of NutraSweet's U.S. patent.