This website uses technical, customisation and analytical cookies, both first-party and third-party, to anonymously facilitate browsing and analyse statistics on use of the website. Learn more
Search results
-
Don't Be Undersold!
Steenkamp, Jan-Benedict E.M.; Kumar, NirmalyaArticle HBS-R0912K-EMarketing"Aldi" is a word that strikes fear in the hearts of brand managers across Europe. A chain of low-budget retail stores with sales of $73.5 billion in 2008, Aldi invented what is commonly referred to as the hard-discount store, a format that is destroying between a quarter and a half trillion dollars in brand sales annually. Brand executives at major consumer packaged goods companies have mostly been caught off guard by this success. The authors' r...Starting at €8.20
-
Google's Way - Don't Be Evil
Pratima Bansal; Marlene J. Le BerCase IVEY-9B07M067-EStrategyWall Street's darling, Google Inc., offered more than a pretty financial picture. Poverty, communicable diseases and climate change - some of the world's largest problems - were also key interests of Google's cofounders. By applying innovation and significant resources, Google's cofounders hoped that their efforts in these areas would one day eclipse Google itself in worldwide impact. On February 22, 2006, Google Inc. announced the appointment of...Starting at €8.20
-
It's Hard to Be Good (Spanish version)
Beard, Alison; Hornik, RichardArticle HBS-R1111EStrategyExcellence in community engagement, labor relations, environmental protection, corporate governance, and supply chain accountability isn't easy to achieve. But in the long run, top performance in those areas strengthens an organization, as the five companies profiled in this article demonstrate. They prove that doing the right thing isn't at odds at all with building the bottom line, and in fact it can be integral to a firm's economic logic. Dutc...Starting at €8.20
-
Little Short Stop: Creating Strategy for a Shifting Industry
Meredith Woodwark; Karin Schnarr; Gerry BesCase IVEY-9B20M076-EEntrepreneurship, StrategyIn early 2019, the general manager of Little Short Stop Stores, a chain of local, family-owned convenience stores in southwestern Ontario, Canada, was projecting a loss for that year. The loss was due in part to a provincial minimum wage increase to CA$14.00 that came into effect on January 1, 2018, increased from $11.60 in 2017 and $11.40 in 2016. Before this change, the store chain had been exceeding the average industry growth rate by 5 per ce...Starting at €8.20
-
Netflix: Will Content be Enough? (Spanish version)
Mary Kelly; Christopher SwannCase IVEY-W28188StrategyIn 2019, Netflix had 167 million subscribers globally and offered thousands of television shows and movies on its streaming application, a growing proportion of which it produced itself. Media giants, who for years had valued the relationship with Netflix because it provided an additional outlet, began to re-evaluate their own (make) versus contract (buy) distribution decision. Leveraging acquisitions, technology investments, and vast content lib...Starting at €8.20
-
Sustainable Growth at TerraCycle: Should Manufacturing Be Moved
Diane M. Phillips; Jason Keith PhillipsCase IVEY-9B16A010-EEntrepreneurship, Marketing, StrategyAs of April 2012, TerraCycle had witnessed exponential growth over the past few years due to its unique value proposition of creating a line of consumer products out of trash. With continued global expansion, the firm’s biggest challenge was how to move forward while staying true to its mission to eliminate as much waste as possible from landfills, make fun products that consumers liked, and turn a profit. Operationally, TerraCycle was losing mon...Starting at €8.20
-
How Can This Business Be Saved? (Spanish version)
Hamermesh, Richard G.; Zalosh, AlisaCase HBS-413S10StrategyShelby Givens, a new MBA, is the general manager of Westlake Lanes, a near-bankrupt bowling alley that her grandfather founded decades earlier. Givens has been given one year to turn a profit; if the goal is not met Westlake will close. During the first few days on the job, Givens learns that the business is in worse shape financially than she - or the board - thought. She also finds that Westlake's employees exhibit minimal productivity. Givens ...Starting at €8.20
-
Abercrombie & Fitch: Is It Unethical To Be Exclusive
Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee; June Cotte; Danae BlanchardCase IVEY-9B14A009-EMarketingThe CEO of clothing manufacturer and retailer Abercrombie and Fitch defends his decision that the company will not offer plus sizes for women, although extra large sizes are available for men, because average- to large-sized female consumers do not fit the company’s target market. This insistence on a standard of female beauty as young, svelte and tall has enraged consumers who have criticized the company, and the CEO in particular, in both the t...Starting at €8.20
-
Michael Phelps: "It's Okay to Not Be Okay"
Groysberg, Boris; Knoop, Carin-Isabel; Norris, MichaelCase HBS-421044-ELeadership and People ManagementIn 2020, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals in various swimming events, was now retired. As he looked back on his 20+ year athletic career, he considered what had gone into making him the greatest of all time-the highs and lows, successes and struggles. He had lived with mental health issues for much of his life, going public with his struggles in 2015, when he talked about his depression and suicidal thoughts...Starting at €8.20
-
RONA Inc.: Was Being Bought Out the Best Option
Normand Turgeon; JoAnne LabrecqueCase IVEY-9B18A053-EMarketingRONA Inc. (RONA), a Canadian giant in home improvement retail, received an unsolicited offer of CA$1.76 billion from Lowe’s Companies, Inc., (Lowe’s) in 2012. Lowe’s, a U.S. company, was already operating in the Canadian market through a subsidiary, and its goal in acquiring RONA was to rapidly upscale its operations. RONA’s board of directors declined the offer. Lowe’s came back in February 2016 with a second offer worth $3.2 billion. Negotiatio...Starting at €8.20