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Do You Really Want to Be an eBay
Hagiu, Andrei; Wright, JulianArticle HBS-R1303J-EStrategyLured by the success of marketplaces such as eBay, many companies have tried operating as multisided platforms, which let buyers and sellers transact directly with one another. But resellers--which acquire and then resell products and services--often fare better. To determine the right position on the continuum between pure reseller and pure multisided platform, companies must consider four factors: 1) Scale effects. Amazon draws on its formidabl...Starting at €8.20
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BCE Inc.: World's Largest LBO Deal in Jeopardy
Stephen R. FoersterCase IVEY-9B09N029-EFinanceIn November 2008, Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE) appeared to be on track to meet a December 2008 deadline to complete a $52-billion privatization deal. A consortium had previously submitted a winning leveraged buyout (LBO) bid that was estimated to add around $32 billion in debt to the company. Mere days before the deal’s termination date, BCE executives were stunned to hear that KPMG auditors advised that the deal was in jeopardy of collapse...Starting at €8.20
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Estimating Walmart's Cost of Capital
Stephen R. FoersterCase IVEY-9B19N011-EFinanceIn March 2019, two senior managers attending an executive education program had been assigned the task of applying their learnings from readings in order to estimate the costs of capital for Walmart Inc. (Walmart). They also needed to discuss why the cost of capital was such an important topic. The managers had with them background information, including a recent Walmart balance sheet and income statement; a U.S. Department of Treasury yield curv...Starting at €8.20
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Staged Solution to the Catch-22
Hagiu, Andrei; Eisenmann, Thomas R.Article HBS-F0711B-EStrategyCompanies looking to launch a two-sided platform--between, for example, credit card users and merchants or search engine users and advertisers--must overcome the reluctance of one side to sign on until it's confident the other side will be well populated. It's a common business quandary, but Google and Charles Schwab both found a way around it.Starting at €8.20
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Finding the Platform in Your Product
Hagiu, Andrei; Altman, Elizabeth J.Article HBS-R1704G-EStrategyFive of the 10 most valuable companies in the world today--Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft--derive much of their worth from their multisided platforms, which facilitate interactions or transactions between parties. Many MSPs are more valuable than companies in the same industries that provide only products or services: For instance, Airbnb is now worth more than Marriott, the world's largest hotel chain. However, companies that w...Starting at €8.20
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When Data Creates Competitive Advantage...And When It Doesn't
Hagiu, Andrei; Wright, JulianArticle HBS-R2001G-EStrategyMany executives assume that customer data can give you an unbeatable competitive edge. The more customers you have, the more data you can gather, and that data, when analyzed, allows you to offer a better product that attracts more customers. You can then collect even more data, repeating the cycle until you eventually marginalize your competitors. But this thinking is usually wrong. Though the virtuous cycles of data-enabled learning may look si...Starting at €8.20
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Unlocking Value At CSX: Responding to Requests from Mantle Ridge
Stephen R. Foerster; Ken MarkCase IVEY-9B18N002-EFinanceIn 2017, hedge fund Mantle Ridge acquired less than 5 per cent of the stock of CSX Corporation (CSX) and made demands for board representation as well as the installation of a new chief executive officer (CEO) of CSX. This new CEO had abruptly resigned from Canadian Pacific (CP) and joined forces with Mantle Ridge at the time the fund announced its activist position in CSX. On February 14, 2017, CSX management announced a special meeting and shar...Starting at €8.20
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Qualcomm Incorporated 2009
Yoffie, David B.; Hagiu, Andrei; Kind, LizCase HBS-710433-EStrategyPaul Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated, smiled as he reflected on the success of Qualcomm's code division multiple access (CDMA) technology. By the summer of 2009, CDMA was the basis for all third generation technologies available for cellular transmissions. However, while Qualcomm seemed poised for growth, Jacobs wondered how successful the company's contributions to new generation technologies would be and if they should aggress...Starting at €8.20
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PlaNet Finance: Broad Scope in Microfinance
Hagiu, Andrei; Corsi, ElenaCase HBS-708441-EPlaNet Finance was a French NGO providing technical support and training services to microfinance institutions (i.e., institutions providing financial services to the poor) and other microfinance actors, rating of microfinance institutions and management, and advisory services to microfinance investors and investment funds. Furthermore, it was creating a network of microfinance banks through a microfinance holding company. However, in a context o...Starting at €8.20
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Lenovo Group Limited - A Good Investment for the Fund
Craig Dunbar; Stephen R. Foerster; Ken MarkCase IVEY-9B13N017-EFinance, StrategyA portfolio manager for Penhall Investment Funds was reviewing the financial data his team had prepared on Lenovo Group Limited (Lenovo), one of the major holdings in Penhall’s Global fund. Lenovo wanted to become more than just the largest manufacturer of PCs by volume. It aimed to become a leader in other devices, such as smartphones and tablets, and it was focusing on innovation as a key capability. The portfolio manager was impressed by Lenov...Starting at €8.20