Any of the completed work from these activities can be converted to face-to-face discussion. Try adapting the content to your specific course format. Using your classroom teams in their online Wiki sites, have students conduct the following studies: Innovation disruption, as presented in the short case on Caretotell this month, often is a strategy alternative…
With the recent acquisition of the news app company, Summly, Yahoo continues its current trend to purchase innovative offers rather than design its own. Over the course of the last year, it acquired six start-up companies: Snip.It, OnTheAir, Jybe, Stamped, Alike, and Propeld. These companies add to Yahoo’s strategy to develop its mobile social marketing…
New consumers around the world want products. Companies need to figure out how to leverage their global footprint in order to capture new market shares. Foreign business in countries such as Denmark may be small, but their exporting activity is in excess of 40% of the country’s GDP. The US no longer dominates the world…
Iron ore mining costs rise beyond control for Anglo American’s Minas-Rio Brazil project. Permit and licensing difficulties with the Brazilian government led the company to write down $4 billion in the project value this month. This may be the first of other write downs, as costs continue to rise over three times beyond the original…
At this year’s Davos World Economic Forum, Nestlé CEO, Paul Bulcke, advises that government and government officials need to think longer-term. The policy-making activity appears to be disconnected from economic activity. Sustainability issues, such as water usage, are important to the Nestlé business model and for society in general. Through innovation and careful attention to…
Silicon Valley companies listen to Clayton Christensen, HBS professor, when he discusses his theories on disruptive innovation. The Health Trust, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to the protection of health in its community, centers its work on three initiatives: the healthy living initiative, the healthy aging initiative, and the healthy communities’ initiative. Through grants, it…
Using your classroom teams in their online Wiki sites, have students conduct the following studies: Using the short case this month on art auction houses, prepare an analysis of the four houses (Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Poly Auction, and China Guardian). Suggest the best competitive strategy for each of these houses in order to acquire the maximum…
Founded in Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, today Lego continues to be the family-owned business. It celebrates 80 years of existence this year. The trajectory from quality, wooden toys to the current Lego system based on Lego® bricks is an interesting story of entrepreneurial courage, innovative design and business creativity. From its beginning…
The US and China accuse each other of unfair trade practices. The US believes that China is unfairly subsidizing its auto manufacturing industry; China retaliates that the US is unfairly raising import duties on goods such as steel, tires, magnets, chemicals, kitchen appliances, wood flooring and wind towers in its efforts…
Gap Inc., through its store brand Athleta, and Lululemon Athletica compete head on in the yoga retail sportswear marketplace. Both companies operate storefronts in malls across the country. With over 3000 specialty stores covering its five brands, Gap Inc. competes with a variety of retail offers including clothing, accessories, and personal care products for all…