Publications
Publications
Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,078)
- Faculty Publications (256)
Threats
→
- September 2003 (Revised May 2009)
- Case
CCBN.com - 2002
Describes some important issues confronting the management of a successful information company in 2002, competitive threat from a larger firm that is also a strategic investor. Management must decide how to respond to the. View Details
- February 2003 (Revised December 2006)
- Case
Toys "R" Us (A)
By: Michael G. Rukstad, Dennis A. Yao and Cate Reavis
In 1992, Toys "R" Us, the pioneer of the "category killer" retail format, faced significant competitive threats from mass discounters and warehouse clubs and was losing market share. This case explores the dynamic sustainability of Toys "R" Us's retailing model, its... View Details
- February 2003 (Revised April 2004)
- Case
Pharmaceutical Industry, The: Challenges in the New Century
By: Stephen P. Bradley and James Weber
Provides a broad overview of the numerous internal and external forces that were driving change in the global pharmaceutical industry in 2003. These forces--including downward price pressures, political and social pressures, increased development costs, new... View Details
- January 2001
- Background Note
Online Brokers
By: Thomas R. Eisenmann and Alastair Brown
Describes online brokers, companies that use the Internet to help clients identify prospective trading partners and sometimes help their clients complete transactions. First, summarizes the various ways that online brokers create value for their clients. Then analyzes... View Details
- September 2000 (Revised February 2001)
- Case
CBS MarketWatch
Larry Kramer, the chairman and CEO of MarketWatch.com, is faced with a dilemma. In April 2000, his company--a joint venture of CBS and Data Broadcasting Corp.--has emerged as the leading financial information and data provider online. Yet, because of the downturn in... View Details
- August 2000
- Case
AMVESCAP in 1999
By: Stephen P. Bradley and Kathleen E. E Danoher
Deals with the problems faced by a major mutual fund company as it attempts to respond to the threats and opportunities posed by the explosion of the Internet and the changing landscape of retail financial services. View Details
- July 2000
- Background Note
Industry Transformation
By: Michael E. Porter and Jan W. Rivkin
One of the steepest challenges a strategist faces is to navigate his or her company through a period of industry transformation--an era of rapid and wholesale changes in industry structure. This note considers how periods of transformation typically unfold. It then... View Details
- February 2000 (Revised April 2000)
- Case
Microsoft, 2000
By: Michael G. Rukstad, David B. Yoffie and Carl Johnston
Surveys five threats to the sustainability of Microsoft's strategy (imitation, substitution, hold-up, slack, and saturation) and examines Microsoft's response to these threats. Teaching purpose: To evaluate the sustainability of Microsoft's competitive advantage. View Details
- December 1999 (Revised February 2001)
- Case
CVS: The Web Strategy
By: John A. Deighton and Anjali C. Shah
How should America's second-largest pharmacy chain respond to the challenge from online drugstores? What threat does the web pose to bricks and mortar distribution of prescription drugs and the other items that make up 50% of a drugstore's sales? This case describes... View Details
- September 1999 (Revised September 1999)
- Case
Convergys Corporation
By: Stephen P. Bradley and Kelley Porter
Focuses on the important issue of capturing the synergies between the two sides of the business, Information Management Group (IMG) and Customer Management Group (CMG). In addition, the case also addresses strategic issues from each of the individual businesses. For... View Details
- August 1999 (Revised May 2001)
- Case
Catanese and Vulcan (A)
By: V.G. Narayanan and Sanjay Pothen
A small CPA firm puts in a new performance measurement system, and profits increase by 350% in less than a year. This case illustrates the reasons for improved profitability as well as the sustainability of levels of growth, the opportunities, and the threats that... View Details
- July 1999 (Revised June 2000)
- Case
Edward Jones
By: Michael E. Porter and Gregory C. Bond
Edward Jones is a leading, highly profitable retail brokerage firm with a unique strategy very different from those of its rivals. The case describes Jones's activities and allows a rich discussion of its positioning choices, supporting activities, and tradeoffs. Jones... View Details
- April 1999
- Article
Diversification Strategies of British Trading Companies: Harrisons & Crosfield c1900-c1980
By: G. Jones and Judith Wale
This article examines the diversification strategies and organisational competencies of Harrisons & Crosfield, a British-based multinational, between 1900 and 1980. There is an accumulating body of case study evidence on the historical evolution of British... View Details
- December 1998 (Revised February 1999)
- Case
i2 Technologies, Inc.
By: Ananth Raman and Jasjit Singh
Describes the emergence and growth of i2 Technologies and the supply chain planning software industry. In December 1998, i2's market capitalization was in excess of $2 billion; the supply chain planning software industry had annual sales of approximately $1 billion and... View Details
- April 1998 (Revised February 2001)
- Case
Amazon.com (B)
Discusses Amazon.com's newest and biggest challenge: The threat of Barnes & Noble's entrance into the on-line bookselling industry with its new site--barnesandnoble.com. View Details
- September 1997 (Revised August 2007)
- Case
Bankruptcy and Restructuring at Marvel Entertainment Group
By: Benjamin C. Esty and Jason Auerbach
Marvel Entertainment Group is the leading comic book publisher in the United States, with superheros like Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and Captain America. It is also one of the leading manufacturers of sports and entertainment trading cards under the... View Details
- July 1997
- Background Note
Sustaining Superior Performance: Commitments and Capabilities
By: Pankaj Ghemawat and Gary P. Pisano
Presents evidence on the unsustainability of many competitive advantages, reviews the typical threats to the sustainability, and discusses ways in which those threats can be combatted. View Details
Keywords: Competitive Advantage
- May 1997 (Revised May 2008)
- Case
Intel Corporation: 1968-1997
By: Gary P. Pisano, David J. Collis and Peter K. Botticelli
Traces Intel's history and strategy from 1968 to 1997. Examines the company's decision to exit DRAMS and its entry into microprocessors. Focuses on how the company managed to achieve and sustain its competitive advantage in microprocessors, and the threats it faces in... View Details
- January 1997 (Revised June 1997)
- Case
Southwire: Beyond 2000
By: F. Warren McFarlan and Melissa Dailey
Southwire, based in Carrollton, GA, was the leading producer of aluminum and copper rod, wire, and cable for the transmission and distribution of electricity. In one decade, CEO Roy Richards, Jr. grew annual sales from $500 million in 1985 to $1.9 billion in 1995, an... View Details