Ice Fili Essay
Hult International Business School
MBA – Global Strategy
Spring 2015
CASE ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
Ice-Fili
Please prepare the following questions for the in-class case discussion (not to be turned in)
1.
2.
3.
What quantitative indicators can you find in the case that could capture the changing attractiveness of the Russian ice cream market between 1996 and
2001?
What explains this change in market attractiveness over these years?
What, in your opinion, should the Russian incumbent ice-cream makers consider to enhance the market attractiveness in a way that is favorable to themselves?
Note: (Note: In your answer, you can also include available information on actions that these incumbents have been taken to enhance that attractiveness).
Wal-Mart …show more content…
Stores, Inc.
Please prepare the following questions for the in-class case discussion (not to be turned in)
1.
Consider Walmart’s historic performance in the discount retail industry.
Did Walmart perform well, primarily because (1) it benefited from an overall attractive discount retailing industry when it entered the market, or (2) because of its superior competitive advantage/position within that discount retailing industry?
Explain the sources of superior performance.
2.
What sources of competitive advantage are most sustainable?
Wal-Mart Update 2011
Please prepare the following questions for the in-class case discussion (not to be turned in)
1
2.
3.
Which of Wal-Mart’s sources of competitive advantage are transferable to international markets?
In which markets has it not been successful? Why?
What international markets should Walmart have entered first after having been active in the US? Why?
Page 1 of 3
Google Inc. in 2014 (Abridged) (20%)
Deliverable 1: Please answer all 3 questions below for the group case write-up.
The write-up is limited to a maximum of three and a half (3.5) single-spaced pages
(font size 12 or larger) plus any supporting appendices. One copy per team must be uploaded under the assignment course page before the beginning of session 10.
1.
2.
3.
How did Google create a competitive advantage initially (before 2004)? (7 points max 1 page)
Do you expect search to become a winner-take-all business? (7 points - max 1 page) In addition to enhancing its core search businesses, please assess a number of options (you must answer all 3 questions below) (6 points - max 1.5 pages)
1. Can/should Google envelop eBay by adding an online platform?
2. Can/should Google envelop Microsoft thru cloud-based applications (Google
Docs and the
like)?
3. Which other option would make most sense to you?
Deliverable 2: Please summarize your answers above in .ppt (say, 1 slide per question) as support for a class presentation. Please bring your laptop/iPad to class.
Your team may be selected to present its answers to the class and to manage class discussion about these answers. Do NOT print out or turn in the .ppt document.
A few hints for question 1:
Was it a first-mover or capability based advantage?
If a first-mover advantage (pre-emption), what is the nature of the pre-emption?
Or did they identify unmet need(s) that they could meet given their capabilities? If so what capabilities or other internal factors allowed them Google to meet these needs?
How did they extract value?
Question 2 is straightforward
Hint for question 3:
Think along the same lines as in question 1 but going forward (to create future advantage) rather than to explain past success.
Page 2 of 3
Hong Kong Economic Times Group:
Diversification and Differentiation (25%)
Please answer both questions for the case write-up. The write-up is limited to a maximum of three (3) single-spaced pages (font size 12 or larger) plus any supporting appendices. An individual copy must be uploaded on the assignment course page before the beginning of session 15.
1.
Which factors have affected the profitability of the newspaper industry in general and in Hong Kong in particular over the last twenty years or so.
(Max 1.5 page; 10 points)
Note: This is an introductory question for you to understand the background in which the strategy of HKET Group took place (i.e. to prepare you for question 2). You are allowed to supplement the information available in the case with your own common sense knowledge about the newspaper industry in general (but you are not allowed to do any internet search) to answer this question. 2.
Please also read the Blue Ocean Strategy article
The HKET Group grew thru a strategy of diversification and differentiation. To what extent did the strategy of the Group follow the key ‘imperatives’ of a Blue
Ocean Strategy?
Explain and use examples to illustrate your points. (Max 1.5 page; 15 points)
Page 3 of 3
MBA – Global Strategy
Spring 2015
CASE ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
Ice-Fili
Please prepare the following questions for the in-class case discussion (not to be turned in)
1.
2.
3.
What quantitative indicators can you find in the case that could capture the changing attractiveness of the Russian ice cream market between 1996 and
2001?
What explains this change in market attractiveness over these years?
What, in your opinion, should the Russian incumbent ice-cream makers consider to enhance the market attractiveness in a way that is favorable to themselves?
Note: (Note: In your answer, you can also include available information on actions that these incumbents have been taken to enhance that attractiveness).
Wal-Mart …show more content…
Stores, Inc.
Please prepare the following questions for the in-class case discussion (not to be turned in)
1.
Consider Walmart’s historic performance in the discount retail industry.
Did Walmart perform well, primarily because (1) it benefited from an overall attractive discount retailing industry when it entered the market, or (2) because of its superior competitive advantage/position within that discount retailing industry?
Explain the sources of superior performance.
2.
What sources of competitive advantage are most sustainable?
Wal-Mart Update 2011
Please prepare the following questions for the in-class case discussion (not to be turned in)
1
2.
3.
Which of Wal-Mart’s sources of competitive advantage are transferable to international markets?
In which markets has it not been successful? Why?
What international markets should Walmart have entered first after having been active in the US? Why?
Page 1 of 3
Google Inc. in 2014 (Abridged) (20%)
Deliverable 1: Please answer all 3 questions below for the group case write-up.
The write-up is limited to a maximum of three and a half (3.5) single-spaced pages
(font size 12 or larger) plus any supporting appendices. One copy per team must be uploaded under the assignment course page before the beginning of session 10.
1.
2.
3.
How did Google create a competitive advantage initially (before 2004)? (7 points max 1 page)
Do you expect search to become a winner-take-all business? (7 points - max 1 page) In addition to enhancing its core search businesses, please assess a number of options (you must answer all 3 questions below) (6 points - max 1.5 pages)
1. Can/should Google envelop eBay by adding an online platform?
2. Can/should Google envelop Microsoft thru cloud-based applications (Google
Docs and the
like)?
3. Which other option would make most sense to you?
Deliverable 2: Please summarize your answers above in .ppt (say, 1 slide per question) as support for a class presentation. Please bring your laptop/iPad to class.
Your team may be selected to present its answers to the class and to manage class discussion about these answers. Do NOT print out or turn in the .ppt document.
A few hints for question 1:
Was it a first-mover or capability based advantage?
If a first-mover advantage (pre-emption), what is the nature of the pre-emption?
Or did they identify unmet need(s) that they could meet given their capabilities? If so what capabilities or other internal factors allowed them Google to meet these needs?
How did they extract value?
Question 2 is straightforward
Hint for question 3:
Think along the same lines as in question 1 but going forward (to create future advantage) rather than to explain past success.
Page 2 of 3
Hong Kong Economic Times Group:
Diversification and Differentiation (25%)
Please answer both questions for the case write-up. The write-up is limited to a maximum of three (3) single-spaced pages (font size 12 or larger) plus any supporting appendices. An individual copy must be uploaded on the assignment course page before the beginning of session 15.
1.
Which factors have affected the profitability of the newspaper industry in general and in Hong Kong in particular over the last twenty years or so.
(Max 1.5 page; 10 points)
Note: This is an introductory question for you to understand the background in which the strategy of HKET Group took place (i.e. to prepare you for question 2). You are allowed to supplement the information available in the case with your own common sense knowledge about the newspaper industry in general (but you are not allowed to do any internet search) to answer this question. 2.
Please also read the Blue Ocean Strategy article
The HKET Group grew thru a strategy of diversification and differentiation. To what extent did the strategy of the Group follow the key ‘imperatives’ of a Blue
Ocean Strategy?
Explain and use examples to illustrate your points. (Max 1.5 page; 15 points)
Page 3 of 3