Case Study on FedEx – HR Practices
Over the years, FedEx had established its reputation as being one of the most employee-friendly companies in the world and is also credited for introducing many innovative HR practices. The...
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Lenovo in India
Lenovo, the world’s fourth-largest PC maker, has long dominated the Chinese market, the world’s second-largest. Lenovo had its worst year in FY 2009 globally and India was no different. Will Lenovo be...
View ArticleMichael Dell – Leadership Case study
Case contents Introduction A Direct Approach Dell’s Leadership Style No excuses – quick and effective decisions First step in a marathon – No victory laps Watch each dime and turn it into at least a...
View ArticleDell in India
Case Contents Introduction Manufacturing – The first Dell ‘Made in India’ desktop Dell’s Market Share in India The Indian consumer and Local competition in India DELL – Key Facts about the company Dell...
View ArticleIntel’s Go-to-market Strategy – Tick Tock
What is ‘Tick Tock’? The term ‘Tick Tock’ has been referred to a music group from Puerto Rico, a novel by Dean Koontz, a fictional character in Marvel Comics Universe and even a dance step, but did you...
View ArticleP&G’s Connect and Develop Strategy for Innovation
Reinventing P&G’s innovation business model P&G’s old strategy for innovation was based on the invention model where innovation comes from within the company – ‘invent it ourselves’ model....
View ArticleReverse Innovation – Definition and Examples
What is Reverse Innovation? Reverse Innovation is the strategy of innovating in emerging (or developing) markets and then distributing/marketing these innovations in developed markets. Many companies...
View ArticleFord – Global Mindset and Risk Assessment
Case Description This case study analyzes the global mindset at Ford Motor Company, a leading multinational manufacturer of cars and trucks. The case also discusses a number of potential risks and...
View ArticleWhirlpool’s Problems in China
Case Description This case highlights Whirlpool’s problems in China during the 1990s and contrasts competitive advantage between global firms and local competition in the appliance industry. The case...
View ArticleITC’s Wealth out of Waste (WOW) Initiative
This case study highlights ITC’s Wealth out of Waste (WOW) Initiative launched in 2007. The ‘WOW program’ – (Wealth out of Waste) was an initiative in 2007 by ITC’s paperboard and specialty papers...
View ArticleNandan Nilekani From Infosys to Politics
This case was selected to be used for the 2010 International Leadership Association (ILA) Student Case Competition (ILA Conference events, ILA Boston – 4th Annual ILA Student Case Competition) Nilekani...
View ArticleMercadona – Innovative HR Practices for better store performance
Mercadona, a Spanish supermarket chain is not only committed to offering the lowest prices but also personalized customer service. For over a decade, Mercadona has had steady profits and do so for more...
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Rise Mahindra Rise – Brand Makeover and Positioning
Re-branding Mahindra with a New tag-line Around 13 years ago, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) defined its core purpose inspired by Akio Morita, founder of Sony Corporation. Its tag-line read –...
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McDonald’s versus Subway – The Sandwich Hamburger battle
In March 2011, sandwich chain Subway surpassed the world’s largest hamburger chain, Mcdonald’s in terms of the number of stores globally. In 2002, around nine years ago, Subway had already surpassed...
View ArticleTesco’s mistakes in US – Not understanding the American Customer
In early 2006, Tesco plc decided to enter the US market with convenience stores (Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets) to be launched by 2007. Tesco had been studying the American market for two...
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How are successful innovators different?
A recent study (400 companies) on global innovation by Booz & Company found that the most innovative companies (seven out of 10 top innovators) were not necessarily the biggest spenders on...
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Hiring at McDonald’s – 50,000 McJobs in a day
McDonald’s announced April 19, 2011 as National Hiring Day in the U.S. McDonald’s has 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. and has 650,000 employees. On April 19, this figure will be 700,000 employees i.e....
View ArticleApple’s Mindshare to Marketshare Retail strategy
Sony vs Apple Almost a decade ago, Sony’s market value was seven times more than Apple’s market share. Today, the tables have turned and Apple’s market value is eleven times more than Sony’s market...
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Why online business in China will become the world’s largest by 2015?
A Boston Consulting Group report stated that by 2015, the yearly value of China’s e-commerce market would grow by four times to $305 billion to become the world’s largest. Many e-commerce enterprises...
View ArticleTesco – Entry and Exit from Japan
Case Description In September 2011, Tesco, the British supermarket group and the world’s third-biggest retailer announced its exit from Japan after eight years in the country. In the event, Tesco...
View ArticleCo-opetition – When Apple and Microsoft struck a deal
Sleeping With the Enemy On Aug. 6, 1997, at the Macworld conference in Boston Steve Jobs announced the unthinkable. He announced a strategic partnership with rival Microsoft. The surprised audience...
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Japanese M&A in foreign markets – second-largest acquirers in the world in 2011
Importance of expanding overseas and competing on a global scale In 2010, China had overtaken Japan as the as the world’s second-largest economy as Japan struggled with a stagnant economy. In March...
View ArticleDell – From Direct Sales to Channel Strategy
This management case study briefly discusses Dell’s channel strategy and partner program introduced to recapture its lost market leader position. The case further highlights how Dell has successfully...
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The Nissan Way – Power from within
Nissan, the Japanese automaker has a very simple management thinking known as the ‘The Nissan Way’. According to the Nissan way, the customer is prime focus, value creation provides the impetus and...
View ArticleNokia’s shadow program
Shadowing by colleagues Colleagues follow every move of around 30 of Nokia India’s top management leaders for about a week. They observe what they do, how they do and learn from them. The management...
View ArticleTwittering Profits – Transformational business impact
Low-cost customer service In 2008, Gartner identified Twitter as a disruptive technology that would change business in the coming years. According to some estimates, there are around 3 million users on...
View ArticleAmazon – Amazing Facts
Amazon’s original name was Cadabra. In the 1990s Amazon’s slogan was “Earth’s largest bookstore”. In 2006, the company introduced an online TV and movie store. Kindle e- book store was launched in...
View ArticleCompanies and the Rural Push
With a faltering economy, many companies are sending their sales force into rural areas to increase sales and market share. MNCs like P&G, Unilever and Nestle are not only targeting the tier-1 rich...
View ArticleNissan Production Way
Toyota invented the Toyota Production System (TPS) and in 1994, Nissan developed the Nissan Production Way or NPW to outline its synchronized production philosophy. The idea was to improve the...
View ArticleInnovation Dilemma – 10 recommendations
Many global companies suffer from the absence of strong innovation. Here are ten recommendations on how to innovate to create competitive advantage for managers seeking to build products and services...
View ArticleHow companies differentiate from competitors?
The goal of any company selling a product or service is differentiation. A company pitches its unique selling proposition that is going to be most advantageous for it. Successful differentiation...
View ArticleReinventing jcpenney
No deep discounts Revitalizing stores with increased emphasis on interiors, product display and merchandising is a common strategy to lure shoppers. Many retail stores focus on expanding the range and...
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Apple’s Four Quadrant product grid
Complexity distorts information flow and decelerates clear decision-making. Any decision made in the face of complex operations, unnecessary product types or models are increasingly incoherent....
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Repeatability model for success
In their book, Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change authors Chris Zook and James Allen, outline design principles of successful businesses. These principles were...
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To create or compete
To create or to compete. Many companies mistake one for the other. When a company creates, it implies it has found new products/services or new methods of buying/selling. These new products or methods...
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Pepsi’s Crystal Fiasco
Clear = Purity and health In 1992, Pepsi launched a new colorless soda called “Crystal Pepsi”. Consumers wanted purity and Pepsi believed a clear soda without color was the answer as it signified...
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A brand extension mistake by Harley Davidson
An iconic cult brand Harley Davidson (H-D), the American motorcycle manufacturer has a loyal brand following not only in the U.S. but also in many countries across the globe. The motorcycle’s...
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Changing company culture – Examples on cultural transformation movements
How do you change the culture of a company? The answer seems simple – Start a movement within the company, restructure the company or start a revolutionary campaign for a new product. Often the change...
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Best Buy’s radical experiment (ROWE) in workplace flexibility
ROWE your own boat – Work from anywhere In 2005/6, Best Buy, the leading electronics retailer introduced a unique program developed by its employees called ROWE. ROWE stands for “results-only work...
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The TOP program at Philips
Trouble at Philips In the 1990s, Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) was performing poorly. By the end of the 90s decade Philips was nearly bankrupt with record losses. Innovations...
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The Business Model A/B Test
Will the business idea work? A business idea has to be viable to succeed. It has to pass both the logic test (does it make sense, add unique value?) and the economic test (can it work profitably?). If...
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Pricing Strategy – A few pointers
Is The Price Right? Many companies face this question – What should they charge for their products? Right pricing has always been a tussle between the seller and buyer. Traditionally, brands set the...
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Ticket pricing strategy at the London 2012 Olympic Games
The organizing committee (London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games – “Locog”) of the London 2012 Olympic Games had a unique challenge before them. They had to price over...
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Nike – ERP Implementation Saga
In June 2000, Nike’s new supply-and-demand software planning system implementation from i2 Technologies had hiccups and led to losses of $400 million. This case study highlights the failure and...
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Apple’s Innovation Strategy
Case Description Apple is perhaps the most innovative company in the world, but how has it achieved such success and what is its approach to design thinking and innovation? This case study highlights...
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Management Gurus and what they are known for
There are many business leaders and management thinkers who have contributed and introduced various management theories or terms over the years. Here is a partial list of Business Strategy gurus or...
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Developers as Happiness Engineers
It is in my genes to code A majority of software developers take pride in the software they code. Put them in a support job function and they seem lost and highly disinterested. They believe, it is in...
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How companies listen to their customers
Using market input Any company that uses market input to tweak its product offerings is making a wise decision. In other words, being committed to solve the customers’ problems and customizing product...
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Boomerang CEOs aka Founder Recall
I’ll be back You have heard about product recalls. Every company (from toy manufacturers like Mattel to automobile companies like Toyota to food product manufacturers) recalls its product or takes...
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Operational Secrecy – Innovating in “secret”
“Well, that is a part of the magic of Apple. And I don’t want to let anybody know our magic because I don’t want anybody copying it.” – Apple’s Tim Cook in 2011 in reply to a question on how Apple does...
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