Case Studies
Polaroid: The i-Zone Brand
Richard A. D'Aveni, W. Andrew Mims T'02, assisted by Alison Corcoran T'86 and Jeff Walker T'98
Length: 26 pages
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 6-0007
To alleviate the strain that digital photography was putting on film sales, Polaroid began focusing on digital output, partnering with companies, such as Olympus, to produce digital/instant hybrids that create digital images and print instant photos. Polaroid was also working on a wireless, mobile device that would print digital photographs onto film, which, although similar to instant film in some respects, was a much higher-performance medium.
Preview copy in PDF format (1415K)
Topics: Innovation
Industry: Consumer Electronics
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Do You Yahoo?
Jamie A. Neidig T'02, Professor Richard A. D'Aveni
Length: 24 pages
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 6-0005
Two recent changes in the competitive landscape, AOL's merger with Time Warner and Terra's acquisition of Lycos, were pitting Yahoo against 500-pound gorillas for both eyeballs and advertising dollars. Formidable competition was coming from small niche sites as well as large, traditional communications and media companies, including phone and cable companies.
Yahoo was not considering mergers, but did make moves into new product lines ranging from e-commerce, to movies, Internet phone services, and intranet development. Considering Yahoo's expansion into so many new diverse product lines, Matt worried Yahoo was set to become the jack of all trades and the master of none. On the other hand, perhaps Yahoo was simply casting a wide net to become the portal with everything -- the portal of choice. Matt knew that Yahoo's historical strength was as a content aggregator, but he wondered if that model would sustain future success.
Topics: Internet / Connectivity, Media, Product Development
Industry: Internet
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Stora Enso North America
Jesse Johnson, Chris Trimble
Length: 23 pages
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 2-0001
Robert Leach, VP of information technology for SENA had a vision of building an IT infrastructure that connected all of the participants in the paper supply chain and launching new service businesses enabled by the new infrastructure. Through a detailed description of the first two years of this effort, this case highlights many internal and external barriers. A good case to illustrate the specific operational reasons why some expectations formed in the dot.com bubble were unrealistic.
Preview Copy in pdf format (25K)
Topics: Manufacturing, Supply Chain
Industry: Paper
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Participate.com
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 6-0002
Participate.com views itself as a leader in the provision of outsourced community management services. Their CEO, Alan Warms, believes they have gained leadership position because they are number one in market revenues, they service a set of prestigious customers, they have the most experience in the community space, and they have intellectual capital and proprietary research. He knows too, that the difference between success and failure in online communities is about management and process, not just good technology. Now they are entering a phase in which they have to prove that their business model will sustain the high growth and profitability expected by investors. Can they add enough value to existing services and create new ones to reach their all-important revenue goals?
Preview copy in PDF Format (23K)
Topics: Innovation, Services
Industry: Consulting
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Experience.com, Inc.
Alva H. Taylor, Phil Anderson, Lloyd Baskin T'01
Length: 18 pages
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 6-0001
The cornerstone of the recruiting solutions company Experience.com, Inc. had always been its relationships with college career centers: they worked with over 500 schools and 150 of these relationships were exclusive. In 2001, with the Monster/Jobtrak merger stepping up the competition, Experience.com began looking for a partner, primarily to leverage another firms' resources, including established sales forces and connections with employers.
Preview copy in PDF format (126K)
Topics: Innovation, Services
Industry: Career Consulting
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study
Mattel, Inc: Vendor Operations in Asia
M. Eric Johnson, Tom Clock
Length: 22 pages
Publication date: 2000
Case#: 1-0013
After the announcement of the merger between Mattel, Inc. and its second largest rival, Tyco Toys, SVP Ron Montalto was embroiled in a debate over the sourcing strategy for the existing Hot Wheels product line and newly added Matchbox cars. Montalto had to decide whether Mattel should go forward with a new China plant, build a plant in Malaysia or Indonesia, expand one of the existing facilities, or outsource the surplus die-cast volume.
Preview copy in PDF format (1415K)
Topics: Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain
Industry: Toys/Video Games
Request Teaching Note (if available), for professors only | Order a Copy of this Case Study