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American Airlines is pursuing a growth strategy through international and domestic route expansion. At the same time, the airline is working hard to cut costs while trying to provide the best customer service possible. Is this strategy achievable given the recent surge in jet fuel prices and the competitive framework of the industry?

Describes James Houghton's actions in assuming the role of CEO at Corning in the midst of a recession. Not only must he turn around operating performance, he must also revitalize a demoralized organization and set a new, clear strategic direction. In doing so, the case focuses on the changing role of alliances and partnerships in Corning operations. Increasingly, they are moving from a peripheral role in providing market access interchange for technology, to a more central role at the core of Corning's business. The strategic and organizational challenges this presents are highlighted through some specific decision issues facing Houghton.

Looks at the magazine development at Time Inc. in light of the growing dominance of the video group and the modern management of the 1980s. Highlights the firm's magazine development during 1989.

Describes the problems facing De Beers at the start of 1983. De Beers had, since its formation in 1888, exercised a large measure of control over the world supply of diamonds. In 1983, the company itself mined over 40% of the world's natural diamonds and, through marketing arrangements with other producers, distributed over 70%. For 50 years up to 1983 the company had never lowered its prices and, overall, had raised them significantly ahead of the rate of inflation. However, in 1983 the company was faced with a series of problems that threatened the structure it had so carefully built. First, a large producing nation had stopped selling through De Beers. Second, new discoveries meant that the annual supply of mined diamonds would double by 1986. Finally, the industry was experiencing its worst slump since the 1930s, resulting in a significant deterioration in the company's financial position. Describes the structure and economics of the diamond industry and asks the student to decide whether or not De Beers should abandon the business strategy it had pursued for nearly a century.

The desktop printer industry in 1990 is characterized by significant uncertainty about new technologies and about the types of features customers may demand in the next decade. The case looks at the positions of Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Kodak, Xerox, and IBM enabling students to consider different approaches competing firms may take to manage strategic risks in a rapidly changing, high technology industry.

Chairman and CEO Alain Gomez discusses Thomson, the French leader in TVs and related products since its 1987 acquisition of the GE/RCA consumer electronics business. In order to overtake Asian competitors European companies must consolidate through acquisitions or ventures. Thomson has expanded market share through acquisitions and has backed joint ventures with competitors to gain access to critical technologies; invested heavily in its own R&D; and participated in European R&D consortia. Cultural diversity is one asset that both Europe and the U.S. must learn to leverage more aggressively. It is also time to rethink old assumptions about markets, states, and economic success.

The ability to commercialize technology is linked to competitive leadership in a variety of markets, such as copiers, computers, automobiles, and pharmaceuticals. Leaders like Canon, Xerox, and Hewlett-Packard describe their approaches to commercialization in similar terms: they treat commercialization as a system and apply to it the same discipline they use in manufacturing; they make it a priority, state it in terms of measurable goals, build cross-functional skills, and encourage aggressive action.

A company's competitiveness derives from its core competencies and core products. Core competence is the collective learning in the organization, especially the capacity to coordinate diverse production skills and integrate streams of technologies. First companies must identify core competencies, which provide potential access to a wide variety of markets, make a contribution to the customer benefits of the product, and are difficult for competitors to imitate. Next companies must reorganize to learn from alliances and focus on internal development. McKinsey Award Winner.

Strategy making has changed. No longer is the carefully conducted industry analysis or deliberate strategic plan a guarantee of success. Speed matters. A strategy that takes too long to formulate is at least as ineffective as the wrong strategy. But how do decision makers, make fast, yet high-quality, strategic choices? This article describes the powerful tactics that fast decision makers use. They maintain constant watch over real-time operating information and rely on quick, comparative analysis to speed cognitive processing. They favor approaches to conflict resolution that are rapid and yet maintain group cohesion. Finally, their reliance on the private advice of experienced counselors and on integration with other decisions bolster their confidence to decide quickly in the face of big stakes and high uncertainty.

Focuses on Pennzoil's motor oil business. Designed to address the business strategy issues of how a firm chooses its scope to create competitive advantage in its core business. "Scope" can be broadly defined to include vertical scope (forward and backward integration), horizontal scope (multiple related products), and geographic scope (multiple market locations).

A four-year, ten-nation study of the patterns of competitive success in leading countries concludes that companies achieve competitive advantage through acts of innovation. A nation's capacity to innovate is affected by four broad attributes, the "diamond" of national advantage: 1) factor conditions; 2) demand conditions; 3) related and supporting industries; and 4) firm strategy, structure, and rivalry. Based on this analysis, government and companies should act as catalysts and challengers, but not get directly involved in competition.

All forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) are designed to save time and money and to soften the sharp edges of the adversarial system. Variations and hybrids of ADR are limitless. In picking the method best suited to your circumstances, consider: the extent to which both disputants are committed to ADR, the closeness of the business relationship between the two parties, the need for privacy, the urgency of reaching a settlement, the absolute and relative financial health of both parties, the importance of the principles involved, the complexity of the case, the size of the stakes, and the ability and willingness of company executives to get involved.

The dramatic story of how the Japanese American community successfully lobbied Congress and the White House for legislation mandating financial compensation for those of their number sent to detention camps in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The case not only tells the inside story of a decade-long lobbying campaign-including a carefully-researched personal approach which changed Ronald Reagan's mind on the subject-but serves as a model of how bills really become laws. Aspects of this process explored in the narrative include internal legislative strategy, the role of the press, the role of grassroots organization, and the structure and nature of coalitions. HKS Case Number 1006.0

This is a case which might inspire discussion both about political strategy and the relation of marginalized cultural groups to the mainstream. It tells the story of a 1988 attempt via referendum to declare English to be the official language of the state of Florida-an attempt, in part, inspired by tension and jealousy surrounding the arrival and relative affluence of the large Spanish-speaking population of South Florida. The alternative strategies which they conceive reflect both their views about the likely nature of the campaign and their views about how a minority relates to the majority. HKS Case Number 990.0

Provides students with the opportunity to track industry evolution over time, to explore the role that signaling may play in such evolution, and to construct and validate industry scenarios.

Provides students the opportunity to track industry evolution over time, to explore the role that signaling may play in such evolution, and to construct and validate industry scenarios.

Provides students the opportunity to track industry evolution over time, to explore the role that signaling may play in such evolution, and to construct and validate industry scenarios.

Provides students the opportunity to track industry evolution over time, to explore the role that signaling may play in such evolution, and to construct and validate industry scenarios.

This case series is a vehicle for examining the strategic logic and risks of preemption. Rewritten versions of earlier cases.