Business Commons^™

Athleta B Corporation Case Study, Megan Chaffey, Vivian Jacobitz, Ariel Levi, Leah Olson, Nicole Serpico

B-Corp Case Studies by UNL Raikes Seniors

As a B Corporation, Athleta has the unique challenge of identifying a competitive strategy that will guide the company to success in the highly competitive athleisure market while also remaining consistent with its mission, vision, and values and supporting its parent company, Gap Inc. This case study was developed to evaluate this challenge through internal and external analysis of the company and to encourage readers to consider Athleta’s future priorities as the company undergoes changes in strategic leadership. The case study begins with a brief overview of the competitive landscape of the Athleisure market and a review of the history …

Portwest’S Future Strategy: Achieving €1billion Turnover – Portwest And The Global Workwear Market, Fiachra Coll, Damian O Reilly

Case Studies

Portwest is a global manufacturer and innovator of workwear, safetywear and PPE and one of the fastest growing workwear companies in the world. The company has pursed growth successfully for the last 20 years, successfully employing new market entry strategies along with strategic acquisitions to gain footholds in over 130 countries worldwide. The company has also maintained a vertically integrated supply chain, owning factories and distribution centres.

Growth can come at a cost- increasingly complex operations, a growing product portfolio and an increased exposure to risk in terms of business continuity. Should Portwest continue to aggressively target growth through new …

Portwest’S Future Strategy: Fashionising Workwear – Threading The Needle, Fiachra Coll, Damian O'Reilly

Case Studies

Portwest- should they further pursue the leisurewear / workwear market or should they focus on expanding the current range?

Portwest is a global manufacturer and innovator of workwear, safetywear and Personal protective equipment (PPE) and one of the fastest growing workwear companies in the world. Recently, the company launched an “Inspired Workwear” collection targeting the leisurewear/workwear market. It is a departure from their traditional markets where their acquisition strategy has seen Portwest rapidly gain market share. Management are concerned that this new departure may take resources from the core business of Workwear and dilute key resources.

Coinbase Global Inc. Strategic Audit, Decker Bobin

Honors Theses

Coinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange founded in the U.S during 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam. Coinbase’s application allows users to buy, sell, and exchange different cryptocurrencies on the open market. Cryptocurrencies are digital assets used as a medium to quickly transfer value, globally, without any middleman. Some cryptocurrencies have different technology than others, but all are based on blockchain, and cryptography. Blockchain technology allows transactions to be built into a chain that is forever accessible, hence the name “public ledger.” Cryptography is what ensures ultimate ownership, through seed phrases, and security through encryption. Coinbase has several large competitors …

Innovative Strategies To Grow Sales Of Women-Owned Smes In Emerging Countries, Adeola O. Ogunyemi, Gene E. Fusch

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

This paper is a discussion of a 2020 multiple case study research involving five female owners of retail small and medium enterprise (SME) companies in Lagos State, Nigeria. Multiple data collection methods employed included semistructured interviews, direct observations, review of company documents, and keeping a reflective journal. We established reliability, validity, and data saturation through triangulation. One major finding was that by deploying innovative ideas, business owners were able to overcome challenges and grow sales. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide both existing and emerging women owned SMEs with the strategies to increase patronage to …

The Real Winners : Aplikasi Knowledge Management Dalam Industri Perbankan Nasional, Heri Yuliyanto

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

Mastery of information technology is important for the banking industry has an oligopoly market structure, but does not guarantee a sustainable competitive advantage. To win the competition is not only determined by the technologically and price (interest given), but also factors mastery of knowledge and information currently an issue that is very strategic. If a bank uses technology as an advantage its competitiveness, then the advantage will be temporary, because the technology has the properties easily imitated. However, if the advantages of information technology along with the mastery of information and knowledge of quality management, the competitors require greater effort …

Selecting International Modes Of Entry And Expansion, Gregory E. Osland, Charles R. Taylor, Shaoming Zou

Gregory E. Osland

Selecting a mode for entering or expanding in a foreign market is a crucial strategic decision for an international firm. This article identifies and compares the most influential factors that affect the international modes of entry and expansion decisions of US and Japanese firms. Using mail surveys, this is one of the first studies on this subject to collect data from top executives in both Japan and the USA. Findings reveal that the Japanese are particularly sensitive to external risk and other target market factors. For Americans, company factors, such as international experience, appear to be most important when selecting …

Pricing Information Goods: A Strategic Analysis Of The Selling And Pay-Per-Use Mechanisms, Sridhar Balasubramanian, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Vish V. Krishnan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We analyze two pricing mechanisms for information goods. These mechanisms are selling, where up-front payment allows unrestricted use, and pay-per-use, where payments are tailored to use. We analytically model a market where consumers differ in use frequency and where use on a pay-per-use basis invokes a psychological cost associated with the well known "ticking meter" effect. We demonstrate that pay-per-use yields higher profits in a monopoly provided the associated psychological cost is low. In a duopoly, one firm uses selling and the other uses pay-per-use. Here, in contrast to the monopoly, selling yields higher profits than pay-per-use. We demonstrate that, …

Competition For Andersen's Clients, Mark Kohlbeck, Brain Mayhew, Pamela Murphy, Michael Wilkins

Michael S Wilkins

We examine competition for Andersen’s public clients during and after its failure in 2002. This setting provides a natural experiment to examine audit market dynamics at the local level. We construct a database documenting Big4 purchases of local Andersen offices. After exploring the factors associated with office purchases, we examine the impact of office purchases on public client market share gains and changes in audit fees. We find that three Big4 firms – Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG – purchased approximately 60% of Andersen’s offices while PricewaterhouseCoopers did not purchase any. The probability that a firm purchased a specific …

Salesforce.Com, Sean Bielawski, Charles Kempe, Austin Mcdaniel, Adam Tate, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Innovation! One of the most innovative companies, and also one of the best companies to work for, is losing money. This case traces the meteoric rise of the number one customer relationship management service provider against huge rivals such as Microsoft and Oracle. Detail regarding their highly innovative Scrum system is provided, along with detail regarding their marketing approach. How can Salesforce.com regain profitability while continuing to grow in a highly competitive industry?

Ryanair Holdings, Nicole Blake Tran, Jamie Perkinson, Caron Sinnenberg, Lionel Tarcia, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

The crass Irish CEO of Ryanair presides over a modern miracle. Ryanair, with its ridiculously low prices and poor reputation for service, has become one of Europe’s largest and most successful airlines. Employees pay for their own training, flights are cancelled if they won’t be full enough to be profitable, and the concept of “no frills” is heartily embraced. However, some new competitors have come on the scene, and Ryanair may be forced to improve its service and reputation to keep up.

Competitive Threats, Strategic Responses And Performance Of Brazilian B2b Firms, Syed Akhter, Paulo Barcellos

Syed H. Akhter

Purpose – The economic realignment in Latin America has created two clusters, one stagnant in the north and the other growth-bound in the south. This study aims to focus on Brazil, the key player in the growth-bound southern cluster, and address three fundamental questions: how Brazilian executives in four B2B sectors (telecommunications, business equipment, steel, and transportation) viewed the internal competitive developments, how they strategically responded to these developments, and what were the marketing and financial outcomes of these strategies. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained by interviewing top decision makers such as president, chief executive officer, and director of the …

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza: A Competitive Strategy Exercise, Norman T. Sheehan

Organization Management Journal

While business students are typically comfortable identifying and extrapolating trends uncovered during competitive analyses, they often fail to take the Red Queen Effect into account when formulating new competitive strategies. This competitive strategy exercise employs Kim and Mauborgne’s (2005) strategy canvas to help students to anticipate rivals’ potential reactions and then develop new competitive strategies for firms competing in highly competitive markets. The exercise concludes with key takeaways as to how students may best develop and evaluate new competitive strategies. Student feedback indicates that students found the exercise useful, as 97% of students (n = 69) recommended that instructors at …

Safaricom: Innovative Telecom Solutions To Empower Kenyans, Laura Beauchesne, Nick Dorion, Nathaniel Griggs, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Safaricom is thriving by selling what many would consider a luxury product in an impoverished country. Africa is a vast market for telecommunications, and Kenya is the third largest mobile market. It is also one of the fastest growing economies in the region. This case contains a fascinating perspective on Kenya, and on the range of services Safaricom provides to its citizens. It also contains excellent detail on Safaricom’s business and philanthropic strategies.

Editorial For Dynamics Of Innovation And Competitive Strategy In Transportation Research, Janet K. Tinoco

Janet K. Tinoco

No abstract provided.

How Do Firms Become Different? A Dynamic Model, Matthew Selove

Business Faculty Articles and Research

This paper presents a dynamic investment game in which firms that are initially identical develop assets that are specialized to different market segments. The model assumes that there are increasing returns to investment in a segment, for example, as a result of word-of-mouth or learning curve effects. I derive three key results: (1) Under certain conditions there is a unique equilibrium in which firms that are only slightly different focus all of their investment in different segments, causing small random differences to expand into large permanent differences. (2) If, on the other hand, sufficiently large random shocks are possible, firms …

Tqm, Strategy, And Performance: A Firm‐Level Analysis, Manal M. Yunis, Joo Y. Jung, Shouming Chen

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

The purpose is to examine the role of TQM in a strategy‐TQM‐performance model. More specifically, it seeks to investigate whether TQM has a driving role in the formation of strategy or has a mediating effect in the strategy‐performance relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was used to collect data. The instrument was assessed for its validity and reliability. Structural equation modelling was employed.

Findings

TQM influences strategy formulation process and it is a dynamic resource that contributes to the achievement of a sustainable competitive advantage. In addition, soft TQM has a higher impact than hard TQM on competitive strategy formulation and …

Competitive Threats, Strategic Responses And Performance Of Brazilian B2b Firms, Syed H. Akhter, Paulo Fernando Pinto Barcellos

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose – The economic realignment in Latin America has created two clusters, one stagnant in the north and the other growth-bound in the south. This study aims to focus on Brazil, the key player in the growth-bound southern cluster, and address three fundamental questions: how Brazilian executives in four B2B sectors (telecommunications, business equipment, steel, and transportation) viewed the internal competitive developments, how they strategically responded to these developments, and what were the marketing and financial outcomes of these strategies.

Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained by interviewing top decision makers such as president, chief executive officer, and director of the …

Pay-What-You-Want Pricing And Competition: Breaking The Bertand Trap, Yong Chao, Jose Fernandez, Babu Nahata

Yong Chao

Pay-What-You-Want (PWYW) pricing is a recent participative pricing strategy where a seller offers a good or service for any price consumers want to pay, including zero or some minimum payment. This paper provides a theoretical framework to study strategic effects of the PWYW pricing under duopoly by incorporating behavioral considerations of consumers in making voluntary payments when they could be freeloaders. Without identifying any particular behavioral factor, we assume that consumers feel a sense of guilt when they pay less than their reference points. It is shown that the PWYW pricing can be a profitable marketing strategy than the conventional …

Pricing Online Subscription Services Under Competition, Ram Bala

Information Systems and Analytics

In recent times, rapid advances in the field of information technology have enabled firms selling information products (for example, in the form of a CD) to provide subscription services using remote servers. Making the product versus service decision involves a trade-off. Online subscription offerings are perceived to be of lower quality because of data security and network reliability issues but can reduce or even eliminate the credible commitment (of prices) problem typically faced by firms selling durable products. We model an infinite horizon game between two symmetric firms that choose the design architecture, that is, product or service (and consequent …

Business Schools In Transition? Issues Of Impact, Legitimacy, Capabilities And Re-Invention, Howard Thomas, Eric Cornuel

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the set of papers which comprise this issue of the journal, and to provide an interpretation of the current strategic debates about the future evolution of business school paradigms and, hence, identify possible strategic options. The papers can be categorized into three broad themes: first, the impacts and environmental influences on management education including issues of globalization, global sustainability and advances in digital and social media. Second, challenges and criticisms of management education covering issues of legitimacy, business model sustainability and the need for change in business models. Third, the re-invention of …

Strategies Used To Defend Pharmaceutical Brands From Generics, Dean C.H. Wilkie, Lester Johnson, Lesley White

Lester Johnson

This research aims to provide an empirical comparison of the results of three brands' marketing defence strategies used in advance of generic brands entering the market. By reviewing the effectiveness of these strategies, this research looks to extend the research on marketing defence strategies into the importance of anticipating competitor launches.

The Upstart's Assault, Marco Bertini, Nirmalya Kumar

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The article presents a fictional case study that focuses on how to manage competition in the telecommunication services industry. The issue is that one company could lose customers and market share because another company is offering free broadband. Georg Tacke, co-chief executive officer of Simon-Kucher & Partners company, and Anne Gro Gulla, a branding director at Telenor Group company, offer their views on how to respond to a competitive attack without causing a price war.

Usage-Based Pricing Of Software Services Under Competition, Ram Bala, Scott Carr

Information Systems and Analytics

With the emergence of high speed networks, software firms have the ability to deploy ‘software as a service' and measure resource usage at the level of individual customers. This enables the implementation of usage-based pricing. We study both fixed and usage-based pricing schemes in a competitive setting where the firm incurs a transaction cost of monitoring usage if it implements usage-based pricing. Offering different pricing schemes helps to differentiate the firms and relax price competition, particularly at higher monitoring costs, even when competing firms offer the same service quality. However, the low usage customers acquired by offering usage-based pricing are …

Does Co-Opetition Change The Game? A Bayesian Analysis Of Participation Strategy In An Industry Standard-Setting Organization, Robert J. Kauffman, Benjamin B. M. Shao, Juliana Y. Tsai

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Across different industries, we observe the emergence of industry standard-setting organizations (SSO) that focus on the creation of industry-specific process standards. Firms adopt a strategy of co-opetition, the combination of cooperation and competition, during standards development. We propose that a firm's co-opetition strategy is revealed to some extent by when it elects to participate in an industry SSO. Bayesian information updating offers an effective empirical modeling perspective for studying firms' participation strategies when managers' beliefs and uncertainties are factored into their decision-making. We analyze a panel data set of 73 U.S. public firms over a 20-year period. These firms are …

Competitive Priorities And Strategic Consensus In Emerging Economies: Evidence From India, Ravi Kathuria, Stephen J. Porth, N. N. Kathuria, T. K. Kohli

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the competitive priorities of manufacturers in India, and examine the level of agreement or strategic consensus between senior executives and manufacturing managers on manufacturing competitive priorities in light of the prevalent culture.

Design/methodology/approach

– Survey data collected from 156 respondents from 78 manufacturing units based on a national sample in India are used to test the hypotheses using the paired samples t‐tests and multivariate analysis of variance.

Findings

– A relatively high emphasis by both levels of managers on quality, compared to the other three competitive priorities, is noteworthy and …

Editorial For Dynamics Of Innovation And Competitive Strategy In Transportation Research, Janet K. Tinoco

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

No abstract provided.

International Strategies And Ethics: Exploring The Tensions Between Head Office And Subsidiaries, Josie Fisher, Ingrid Bonn

Ingrid Bonn

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the complexities and tensions that international organisations face in managing ethics.

Design/methodology/approach – Three levels of ethics are identified and discussed in the paper in the context of three international strategies.

Findings – The study finds that an organisation’s approach to ethics depends on its level of ethics and the type of international strategy adopted. These two dimensions have the potential to create identifiable tensions between head office and subsidiaries that will need to be understood and managed.

Practical implications – The paper offers practical guidance to managers by providing …

Tuning Into The Digital Channel: Evaluating Business Model Fit For Internet Firm Survival, Robert J. Kauffman, Bin Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

More than 5,000 Internet firms have failed since the beginning of 2000. One common perception is that the downturn in the economy drove many firms out of business. But then, why have some firms survived? In this research, we provide an empirical analysis by examining how the business model characteristics of an Internet firm affect its survival. We analyze a panel data set of 130 public Internet firms using two different techniques: non-parametric survival analysis, and the semiparametric Cox proportional hazards model. We characterize the survival rates throughout the lifetimes of the public Internet firms in our sample. Our results …

Competition For Andersen's Clients, Mark Kohlbeck, Brain W. Mayhew, Pamela Murphy, Michael S. Wilkins

School of Business Faculty Research

We examine competition for Andersen’s public clients during and after its failure in 2002. This setting provides a natural experiment to examine audit market dynamics at the local level. We construct a database documenting Big4 purchases of local Andersen offices. After exploring the factors associated with office purchases, we examine the impact of office purchases on public client market share gains and changes in audit fees. We find that three Big4 firms – Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG – purchased approximately 60% of Andersen’s offices while PricewaterhouseCoopers did not purchase any. The probability that a firm purchased a specific …