INSEAD Archives - Page 3 of 5

The World Wrestling Federation: Vince McMahon vs. Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart

Professional wrestling has been popular in North American for over a century, though mostly limited to small arenas and controlled by local promoters. It was Vince McMahon, head of an East Coast operation, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), who made the sport a national enthusiasm in the 1980s.

This was all to change in 1988, when Ted Turner and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) arrived on … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Christopher Baty, Thomas Mannarelli | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Industry Specific, Miscellaneous | Company: World Wrestling Federation (WWF)

IFRC – Choreographer of Disaster Management: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Disasters

Disaster response organizations like the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) act as choreographers in a huge show involving countless characters (government, media, NGOs, donor National Societies, affected communities) and materials (food, clothing, medicine, trucks, tents, blankets). When done well, the right aid gets to the right people at the right time. When done poorly, confusion and chaos prevail. … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Irma Becerra-Fernandez, Kuldeep Kumar, Luk N. Van Wassenhove, Ramina Samii | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Nonprofit, Organizational Behavior | Industry: Non-Profit | Company: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent

NTT DoCoMo i-mode: Creating a solution for the masses

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 ]

Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products, NV: Financing from Start-up through IPO

In 1995, Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products (L&H) was poised for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ, home to industry heavyweights like Microsoft and Intel. If the IPO were to be successful, L&H would be the first Belgian company ever to list on the venerable stock exchange. For L&H, the IPO was a key milestone in its remarkable history. Since … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Benoit Leleux, Danny Lein, Herwig Langohr | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Finance | Company: Lernout & Hauspie

Vedior International’s European strategy: the French revolution

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

Procter and Gamble Europe: Ariel Ultra’s Eurobrand Strategy

It’s a critical time for Procter and Gamble – no fun or games. The company is planning product development through a major pan-European project. It must consider intricacies such as cross-border processes and interaction between strategic and organisational developments. Read why Professor Paul Verdin, Professor Christopher A. Bartlett and co-author Alice De Koning propose a bit of “play time” at this juncture – role-playing time, … [ Read more ]

Reuters’ Internet Strategy (A) (B)

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?

Great Eastern Toys (D) Case

Great Eastern Toys dolled up its management plan in 1996, to focus on expanding sales. Its plan, however, didn’t face up to the potential problem of working with other currencies, which is was forced to do in 1998. Its banker pointed out that the depreciation of the European currencies during the previous two years had resulted in substantial lost income. Although this is a ficticious … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Authors: Gabriel Hawawini, Lee Remmers | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Finance, International | Company: Great Eastern Toys

DCF Versus Real Options, How Best to Value Online Financial Companies (with an Application to Egg)

How do you value an Internet company? With stormy weather now rocking the Internet world, dot-com investments are no longer the watertight bets they used to be. It now makes sense to forecast the value of the company you are thinking of investing in. Jean Dermine, INSEAD Professor of Banking and Finance and INSEAD MBA alumni K. Wildberger and H. Georgeson use this case study … [ Read more ]

UBS Private Banking

Your idea of private banking might begin and end with your ATM PIN, but UBS has a better idea of what it entails. Thanks to its expansive reach, UBS has a presence in every major capital-market around the world. In this case study, the first modern one written about international private banking, Professor Ingo Walter shows how UBS created its global strategy and made it … [ Read more ]

Monsanto and Genetically Modified Organisms

Not long ago, Monsanto offered a host of attractive products to agriculturists and multinational companies. But in the space of two years, those products became much less tempting. A surprisingly virulent anti-genetically modified organisms (GMO) campaign in Europe and the EU’s new and restrictive regulatory policy on GMOs presented Monsanto with a bleak future. Professors Olivier Cadot, Landis H. Gabel and Daniel TraÃ§a ask where … [ Read more ]

Virtual Partnerships in Support of Electronic Commerce: the Case of TCIS

Even the smallest companies can seem much larger through the virtual looking glass of the Internet. Dorothy Leidner, INSEAD Associate Professor of Information Systems, presents the case of Traitment Coopératif et Intégration de SystÃ¨mes (TCIS), a young, small, Paris-based firm that sells software products to about 700 businesses, half of which are outside France. She outlines the major obstacles facing a firm engaging … [ Read more ]

Content: Case Study | Author: Dorothy Leidner | Source: INSEAD | Subject: IT / Technology / E-Business | Company: TCIS

BIS Banking Systems (A & B)

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 ]

Renault and Nissan – A Marriage of Reason

The automotive industry has changed radically in the past twenty years. In the 1980s, Japanese firms dominated, but today they’ve lost ground to multi-nationals. The new shape of the industry brings difficulties and opportunities alike. Using the 1999 Renault-Nissan union as their example, the authors ask you to consider the challenges of cross-border acquisitions and alliances.

AmBev, The Dream Project (A & B) – A Brazilian-Based Multinational Beverage Company with Global Scale

It took just one merger, and literally overnight, a new multinational shuffled the ranks of the drinks industry. Two large beverage companies, Brahma and Antarctica, formed AmBev, instantly claiming the number three spot on the list of the largest beer companies in the world. Professor Lourdes Casanova explains in this case study what’s even more surprising to the drinks industry – this new multinational was … [ Read more ]

SingTel (A): Newfound Status; SingTel (B): Taking Control

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.

Asiaweek: Positioning a Regional Magazine

Consider a magazine’s positioning – it needs to lie somewhere between global and local, between hard news and soft news, and in the right place to deal with the competition. Professor Hellmut SchÃ¼tte and Jocelyn Probert examine Asiaweek’s positioning, its history and how it struggled to strike a balance in its Asian market.

The Evolution of the Circus Industry (A); Even a Clown Can Do It: Cirque de Soleil Recreates Live Entertainment (B)

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

BASF in China: the Marketing of Styropor®

BASF is a multi-national producer of petro-chemicals that has enjoyed a comfortable, well-padded history of success in the packaging industry. The company’s product Styropor®, one of the few branded chemicals on the market, is a commodity – somewhat like Lycra®. The authors explain BASF’s problem in this case study: since Styropor®, by nature, costs more than similar products produced locally in China, it needs to … [ Read more ]

Ducati Motorcycle (Italy): Riding Traditional Business Channels or Racing through the Internet

This case discusses the e-business strategy of Ducati, an Italian manufacturer of high-performance motorcycles. Ducati became the first firm to sell a new-model motorcycle over the Internet, its MH900e motorcycle (15,000 Euros each). Professor Tawfik Jelassi and Stefanie Leenen discuss the company’s Internet venture from creation to launch, raising issues about how to handle and integrate an online operation.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Stefanie Leenen, Tawfik Jelassi | Source: INSEAD | Subject: IT / Technology / E-Business | Company: Ducati Motorcycle