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Supplement for case UV6481

The purpose of the case is to help students understand the complex nature of a visible and expensive organizational buying process. The goal is to help students appreciate the nature of the selling task, the complex interplay of different decision-making-unit members, and both the political and economic factors that often permeate such purchasing decisions. The A case (see also the B case, UVA-M-0471) documents the procurement-decision process used by Los Angeles to purchase light-rail cars for its subway system. The A case traces the bidding process and ends with the final award.

Allows students to observe two competing businesses transform themselves over time. By following the competitive actions and reactions over more than 10 years, students gain an appreciation of how rivals raise the competitive ante, search for new ways to add customer value, and come to realize that sustaining a competitive advantage is difficult.