35 Case Studys found

This Case Study examines how ChateauOnline took its wine e-tailing model from promising and well-publicized beginnings in cyberspace and then met the challenge of negotiating the complexities of a less propitious climate in a highly fragmented market. It explains how this young company developed a viable, sustainable and profitable business at a time when other start up competitors were collapsing as a result of financing … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: David Midgley, Matti Snall, Timothy Devinney | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Strategy | Industry: Food Products/Service | Company: ChateauOnline

In just ten years, ARM transformed itself from beleaguered computer company to designer of RISC chips that are today the de facto standard for mobile phones, storage devices, automotive computing, and others. In this Case Study, Eleanor O’Keeffe and Professor Peter Williamson present the company’s innovative business model based on partnerships that give it unrivalled capability to “learn from the world”.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Eleanor O’Keeffe, Peter Williamson | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Management, Strategy | Industry: Semiconductor | Company: ARM Holdings Plc

The Internet: wow, what a great concept! And wouldn’t it be even better if you could access it from your mobile phone? Kouiji Ohboshi, chairman of the Japanese telephone giant, NTT DoCoMo, thought so. But back in the early days of 1999, it seemed that few others agreed. In this story of a contrarian business leader, Professors W. Chan Kim, Renée … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Ben M. Bensaou, Renée Mauborgne, W. Chan Kim, Yasushi Shiina | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Industry Specific, Strategy | Industry: Telecommunications | Company: NTT DoCoMo

Critics say Microsoft’s incredible two-decade run at the top of the computer industry has less to do with innovation than it does with bully tactics. But new research from Harvard Business School professors Marco Iansiti and Alan MacCormack suggest a different reason: the company’s ability to spot technological trends and exploit key software technologies.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Alan MacCormack, Marco Iansiti, Sean Silverthorne | Source: “Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge” | Subjects: Industry Specific, Strategy | Industry: Software | Company: Microsoft

In 1984, a small band of Canadian street performers set out to breathe life back into the tired circus industry. In creating Cirque de Soleil, a unique amalgam of circus, opera, theater, and spectacle, founders Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier turned what used to be traditional circus shows for kids into unconventional entertainment, primarily targeted to adults. This case explores how this troupe went … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Ben Bensaou, Chan Kim, Matt Williamson, Renée Mauborgne | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Miscellaneous, Strategy | Company: Cirque de Soleil

MobilCom has an ear for its business – the reselling of mobile phones – and its sharp senses have also picked up on a diversification opportunity in Germany. Should this young, successful company plunge into the action, or is the deal too much to handle too fast? In their case studies, Erol Ali Dervis and Professor Laurence Capron explain how this company handled those questions. … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Erol Ali Dervis, Laurence Capron | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Industry Specific, Strategy | Industry: Telecommunications | Company: MobilCom AG

What motives propel international expansion? It seems like it’s a trend for so many businesses, but in the case of Vedior, Professor Paul Verdin and Nick Van Heck query the real benefits and the classic expansion dichotomy of Europeanisation versus localisation.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Nick Van Heck, Paul Verdin | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: International, Strategy | Company: Vedior International

INSEAD Professor Subramanian Rangan and Brian Coleman explain that through more than 100 successful years in business, Reuters advanced through countless communication strategies – from carrier pigeons to an Internet portal. So how did Reuters manage its development, from flying through the air to flying through fibre-optic cables?

Content: Case Study | Authors: Brian Coleman, Subramanian Rangan | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Strategy | Industry: Publishing | Company: Reuters

BIS Banking systems had the “Midas touch,” literally. During the 1980s, the company journeyed to the number one position in the world of the specialized financial (banking) software industry. MIDAS, its flagship software package, became the installed system for more than 400 banks around the world. But in April 1990, the company somewhat lost that touch, because despite its diffusion and success, BIS missed the … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Paul Verdin, Van Heck | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Industry Specific, Strategy | Industry: Finance / Banking | Company: BIS Banking Systems

From state-regulated monopoly to pan-Asian powerhouse, the Singaporean telecom SingTel has come a long way. In this two-part case study, Research Fellow Sarah Meegan and Professor Peter Williamson focus on SingTel’s mobile operations, asking you to consider the firm’s history, its acquisition of Optus, and the challenges it faces in managing its network of partnerships and executing its regional strategy.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Peter Williamson, Sarah Meegan | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Industry Specific, Strategy | Industry: Telecommunications | Company: SingTel

iMotors offers customers the chance to custom-order used cars online, all for low, low prices. But can its business plan deliver profitability? And how will it sustain its advantages in the face of growing competition? Professor Ron Adner and Charles Nunn ask you to consider the management’s next steps in this case study.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Charles Nunn, Ron Adner | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Industry Specific, Strategy | Industry: Automotive | Company: iMotors

The fast paced Internet environment provides opportunities to those nimble firms that are capable of revising their business model in real time. Professors Jochen Wirtz and Jill Klein present the case of Spacedisk, Inc. in an effort to demonstrate the power of adaptability and collaboration in e-space.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Jill Klein, Jochen Wirtz | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Marketing / Sales, Strategy | Company: Spacedisk Inc.

Rhodex-Puguet has long been a leader in the specialty chemicals market. Its success has been attributed to heavy investment in R&D, but lately, instead of producing innovative, new products, it’s having problems with missed deadlines, overworked staff and unclear expectations. So what does a firm do when it finds its R&D suddenly stands for Returns Declining? Professor Arnoud De Meyer challenges you to find the … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Author: Arnoud De Meyer | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: Industry Specific, Strategy | Industry: Pharmaceutical | Company: Rhodex-Puguet S.A.

Beginning with $60,000 and a dream, Alibaba.com shot to the top in less than two years and is now the world’s largest online marketplace for international trade among small- and medium-sized enterprises. But just like the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, making it inside the cave is only the beginning of the adventure. Professor Ming Zeng describes Alibaba.com’s rise, explains the challenges … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Author: Ming Zeng | Source: “INSEAD” | Subjects: International – Asia, Strategy | Company: Alibaba.com

This series of four cases detail DBS’s growth strategy to transform itself from a large local player to a significant regional player. Beginning with the much-publicised problems DBS faced with its first major overseas acquisition at the outset of the Asian Crisis, through the process of building the capability to become a successful acquirer, Keeley Wilson, Professor Peter Williamson and Chua Chei Hwee trace DBS’s … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Chua Chei Hwee, Keeley Wilson, Peter Williamson | Source: “INSEAD” | Subject: Strategy | Company: DBS