INSEAD Archives - Page 2 of 5

The Whistle InterJet: The First Internet Appliance for Small-to-Medium Size Businesses (A, B & C)

To overcome sales growth problems in the US, California-based, venture capital-backed start-up Whistle Communications looks at developing a number of strategic partnerships in Asia. While the product (the first Internet appliance for small-to-medium size businesses) attracts interest from numerous high-profile companies, Whistle must weigh the short-term gains against its long-term goals. Professor Ha Hoang and Michel Darnaud explain more in this new Case Study … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Ha Hoang, Michel Darnaud | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, International | Industry: Telecommunications

Tata Tea Limited (A, B, & C)

Tata Tea is one of the largest tea companies in the world. Sheltered from competition by a protectionist Indian government for most of its history, the company in 1999 faced several new challenges: upcoming deregulation and changing consumer tastes. How should the company react? Research Associate Ulrike Wiehr and Professor Amitava Chattopadhyay review potential strategies.

Customer Relationship Management at Capital One (UK)

In the beginning, all credit cards were the same. Same interest rates, same annual fee, same processes for deciding who to lend to and how much to lend. Then, as in all industries, an innovator came along and determined that a one-size-fits-all approach left room for improvement. In this Case Study by Professor Werner J. Reinartz and Ulrike Wiehr, Capital One is … [ Read more ]

Anatomy of a Deal: Microsoft’s Acquisition of Sweden’s Sendit

Microsoft’s acquisition of Sweden-based software firm Sendit in 1999 is a classic example of the complexities of mergers and acquisitions. In this five-part Case Study series, authors Robert J. Crawford, Research Associate at INSEAD, and Maurizio Zollo, Associate Professor of Strategy and Management at INSEAD, take readers through each phase of the acquisition and integration process.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Maurizio Zollo, Robert Crawford | Source: INSEAD | Subject: Change Management | Companies: Microsoft, Sendit

Airpork – From Zero to Hero: What Next?

A 1998 livestock virus in Malaysia left a gaping hole in the pork market in Singapore, a country that relies solely on imports for its pork consumption. Into the gap stepped Australia, one of the world’s largest exports of meat and livestock. Intent on being more than just a short-term solution, Australia’s pig farmers took the opportunity to brand its product and succeeded … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Paddy Padmanabhan, Ulla Fionna | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: International – Asia, Marketing / Sales | Company: Airpork

Zantac (A&B)

The anti-ulcer market is one of the largest categories of prescription drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Its history dates to 1976, when a US based pharmaceutical company SmithKline launched Tagamet. This Nobel prize-winning breakthrough drug quickly rose to become the largest-selling pharmaceutical product. As the incumbent, Tagamet seemed unshakeable, but with the introduction of its ‘me-too’ product Zantac, UK-based Glaxo managed to … [ Read more ]

INSEAD: One School, Two Campuses – Going to Asia

In the late 1990s, INSEAD stood at a crossroads: to one side was the status quo, a continuation of its expansion on the Fontainebleau campus; to the other was a bold step, a further commitment to the Asian market by opening a second campus in the region. Professors Lasserre and De Meyer, and Sam Garg provide an analysis and chronology of the decision-making process. … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Arnoud De Meyer, Philippe Lasserre, Sam Garg | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Industry Specific, MBA Related | Industry: Education / Training

CP Group: From Seeds to Â‘Kitchen of the World’

Thailand’s CP Group became Asia’s largest agro-industrial company through the development and geographic expansion of its vertically integrated system. In this new Case Study, Professor Peter Williamson and Keeley Wilson explain how CP build the capabilities required for success and used alliances and joint ventures to expand beyond its core business and into processed foods.

Marketing Strategies in the Competition Between Branded and Generic Antibiotics (A): Clamoxyl in 1996, (B): Augmentin in 2002

The high cost of pharmaceuticals is a serious concern for government officials trying to reduce health care expenditures. In this new Case Study, Professor Chandon and Research Associate Sarah Spargo, look at the battle between branded and generic prescription drugs, and explain how SmithKline Beecham reacted to a direct attack on one of their ‘jewel’ drugs.

ARM Holdings Plc

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”.

Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. – Honda’s Entry into the Chinese Car Market

When Peugeot pulled out of its partnership with the Guangzhou Automobile Group in 1997, it left behind slow sales, a decrepit factory filled with 20-year-old equipment, and 1,600 exasperated employees. In this new Case Study, Professors Philippe Lasserre and Ming Zeng, and Hiromi Hinata tell how Honda turned this picture around.

Managing Product Returns at Hewlett Packard

Product returns have existed since the first time anyone manufactured a product. In the ‘customer-is-always-right’ culture of the US, product returns are increasingly eating into profits, leading manufacturers to develop a returns strategy. In this new Case Study, Professors Van Wassenhove and Guide, and Neeraj Kumar look at the issue within HP’s inkjet product line.

Opening the Gate on gatetrade.net: The Making of the First Nordic B2B Marketplace (A), Building Critical Mass (B1), To Be or

In early 2000, four of the largest companies in Denmark began to explore an alliance aimed at the New Economy. Within months they designed a business, set strategy, and launched the first Nordic B2B e-marketplace. But they couldn’t predict how events would affect their strategies, individually or as a group.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Mark Hunter, Yves Doz | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Management | Company: gatetrade.net

The HP-Compaq Merger: A Battle for the Heart and Soul of a Company

The HP-Compaq merger in 2001 was a knock-down-drag-out fight to the end, with a ‘new’ HP emerging as victor. But who really won and what have we learned? ask Professor Randel Carlock and Elizabeth Florent-Treacy, who review the human side of the battle in this new case study.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Elizabeth Florent-Treacy, Randel S. Carlock | Source: INSEAD | Companies: Compaq, Hewlett Packard (HP)

Larry Ellison: A Samurai Warrior in Silicon Valley

Sex, death and dominance. One may say that these are the major themes of Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s life. But the headline-grabbing bad-boy image often overshadows a stark reality: the man is a brilliant entrepreneur, who created the world’s second-largest software company. Professor Manfred Kets de Vries and Elizabeth Florent-Treacy pick up the story in this new case.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Elizabeth Florent-Treacy, Manfred Kets de Vries | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, People

Manulife in Indonesia (A, B & Background Note)

Doing business in a country known for corruption? Be prepared for anything, say Professor Douglas Webber and Ulla Fionna, who recount the bizarre and frightening experience of Canadian insurance company, Manulife, in Indonesia.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Douglas Webber, Ulla Fionna | Source: INSEAD | Subject: International | Company: Manulife

CargoExchange.Net Pte Ltd

Nearly every entrepreneur faces this dilemma at one point or another: continue borrowing to keep the company afloat or face reality, pay out creditors, and call it a day. For Singaporean serial entrepreneur, Marianna Tan, the day of reckoning came in February 2001. As Professor Michael Pich and Mei Qi explain in this recent case, Tan’s company, CargoExchange.Net Pte Ltd, had just enough … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Mei Qi, Michael Pich | Source: INSEAD | Subject: Entrepreneurship | Company: CargoExchange.Net Pte Ltd

Russian Standard Vodka: Strategies for Global Branding and Expansion into the US Market

Russian Standard may not be a household name in trendy New York bars yet, but Roustam Tariko would like it to be. When Tariko introduced Russian Standard Vodka in 1998, he wasn’t interested in just vodka. The young entrepreneur established Russian Standard to become a high-quality international multi-category icon of the new Russia, the “Virgin” of Russia. As a result, Russian Standard … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Pierre Chandon, Vadim Grigorian | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: International, Marketing / Sales | Company: Russian Standard Vodka

StreamLine: The ABC of a Merger (A) Story of the Merger, (B) Building the New Organization, (C) The Bumpy Road of Transformat

The actual facts are hard to come by. A figure often cited in the press states that roughly two-thirds of all mergers and acquisitions do not pay off. A less pessimistic figure, attributed to Mercer Management Consulting, reveals that of 152 M&As that took place between 1994 and 1999, 70 under-performed while the remaining 82 outperformed. Still, the odds of success are … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Quy N. Huy, Ramina Samii | Source: INSEAD | Subject: Change Management | Company: StreamLine

The Scotts Company: (A) Transforming the European Supply Chain, (B) Developing a Supply Chain Balanced Scorecard

From its humble start in 1868 in Marysville, Ohio, as a seller of hardware and seeds, the Scotts Company has grown into the world’s number one marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products. Its expansion into Europe in the 1990s marked the company’s first foray into the region, an area US managers felt was ripe for growth. But after buying five businesses … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Luk N. Van Wassenhove, Margaret Vaysman, Regine Slagmulder | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Management, Operations | Company: The Scotts Company