Launch has developed an entertainment publication on CD-ROM with 240,000 subscribers and has recently introduced an on-line entertainment product (www.mylaunch.com) to complement the CD-ROM. Deals with multiple-channel delivery and platform selection and branding on the Web.

Transitional Infant Care Specialty Hospital (TIC) addresses the question of whether and how to maintain strategic focus in an industry that is calling increasingly for integrated service delivery. Despite providing high-quality, cost-effective care relative to competitors in its market, TIC is in trouble. Full-service hospitals in its market area are adopting some of its innovative practices and are beginning to provide similar services. Worse, the local health care system in Pittsburgh is shaping up into two large integrated delivery systems, in neither of which TIC is a strong player. TIC has neglected marketing and strategy issues in favor of "caring for babies." How can they position themselves in an increasingly integrated local health care delivery system, without losing the focus that has been the source of their operational and service excellence?