Strategy

- December 2024
- Case
KLog.co – Charting the Course of its Future

By: Juan Alcacer, Jorge Tirado and Thomas Occhipinti
- December 2024
- Case
KLog.co – Charting the Course of its Future

By: Juan Alcacer, Jorge Tirado and Thomas Occhipinti
- December 2024
- Case
Tencent Games

By: Rebecca Karp, Billy Chan and Nancy Hua Dai

For years, Tencent Games, a division of China’s largest internet company, had taken the lion’s share of revenue in the global gaming market with blockbuster titles such as “League of Legends” and “PUBG: Battlegrounds.” These games defined the game genres that they belonged to with unique, innovative gameplays, and Tencent Games was able to seek out and partner with the creators behind these games because of successful execution of its investment strategy. But the competitive landscape of the gaming industry had changed, and the company was at a crossroads deciding whether to pursue an opportunity in a new, unproven game genre.
- December 2024
- Case
Tencent Games

By: Rebecca Karp, Billy Chan and Nancy Hua Dai

For years, Tencent Games, a division of China’s largest internet company, had taken the lion’s share of revenue in the global gaming market with blockbuster titles such as “League of Legends” and “PUBG: Battlegrounds.” These games defined the game genres that they belonged to with unique, innovative gameplays, and Tencent Games was able to seek...
- 2024
- Working Paper
Combining for Unconventionality: When Resource Constraints May Promote Innovation Capabilities

By: Harsh Ketkar and Maria Roche

The availability of financial resources significantly shapes firm innovation outcomes, especially for early-stage, innovation-focused technology startups. However, prior research has provided conflicting findings about this relationship: on the one hand, resource availability may boost innovation outcomes, but on the other hand, resource constraints may also do so. We hypothesize that the timing and size of resource availability in the early life stages of a startup may predict its propensity to generate more unique innovation compared to their competitors in terms of technological recombinations. Using a novel data set constructed from PitchBook and BuiltWith consisting of nearly 800,000 observations covering 11,853 firms founded and funded within 2010-2019, we find that early-stage startups that take longer to obtain first funding are more likely to use unique technological combinations to build their product after the funding event. However, startups that receive larger first funding experience a decline in uniqueness of their technology stack following the funding event. Thus, by focusing on timing and size of first funding, we offer a way to reconcile conflicting findings from prior literature.
- 2024
- Working Paper
Combining for Unconventionality: When Resource Constraints May Promote Innovation Capabilities

By: Harsh Ketkar and Maria Roche

The availability of financial resources significantly shapes firm innovation outcomes, especially for early-stage, innovation-focused technology startups. However, prior research has provided conflicting findings about this relationship: on the one hand, resource availability may boost innovation outcomes, but on the other hand, resource...

About the Unit

The Strategy unit studies firms as competitors in an economic landscape. Key issues include: the development and effectiveness of firm strategy at both a business and corporate level; the analysis of the competitive environment; and the sustainability of strategy over time.

Our research, course development, and teaching draws on multiple disciplines, including economics, sociology, and political science, and focuses on both domestic and global competition. The objective of the work is to generate findings and develop concepts that will help managers improve their strategic decisions while advancing the state of knowledge in the academic study of strategy and related disciplines.

Recent Publications

KLog.co – Charting the Course of its Future

By: Juan Alcacer, Jorge Tirado and Thomas Occhipinti

December 2024 |
Case |
Faculty Research

Keywords: Freighting; Logistics; Trade; Latin America; Chile

Citation

Educators

Tencent Games

By: Rebecca Karp, Billy Chan and Nancy Hua Dai

December 2024 |
Case |
Faculty Research

For years, Tencent Games, a division of China’s largest internet company, had taken the lion’s share of revenue in the global gaming market with blockbuster titles such as “League of Legends” and “PUBG: Battlegrounds.” These games defined the game genres that they belonged to with unique, innovative gameplays, and Tencent Games was able to seek out and partner with the creators behind these games because of successful execution of its investment strategy. But the competitive landscape of the gaming industry had changed, and the company was at a crossroads deciding whether to pursue an opportunity in a new, unproven game genre.

Keywords: Decisions; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Innovation and Management; Innovation Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Product Development; Organizational Culture; Business Strategy; Video Game Industry; Europe; China

Citation

Educators

Combining for Unconventionality: When Resource Constraints May Promote Innovation Capabilities

By: Harsh Ketkar and Maria Roche

2024 |
Working Paper |
Faculty Research

The availability of financial resources significantly shapes firm innovation outcomes, especially for early-stage, innovation-focused technology startups. However, prior research has provided conflicting findings about this relationship: on the one hand, resource availability may boost innovation outcomes, but on the other hand, resource constraints may also do so. We hypothesize that the timing and size of resource availability in the early life stages of a startup may predict its propensity to generate more unique innovation compared to their competitors in terms of technological recombinations. Using a novel data set constructed from PitchBook and BuiltWith consisting of nearly 800,000 observations covering 11,853 firms founded and funded within 2010-2019, we find that early-stage startups that take longer to obtain first funding are more likely to use unique technological combinations to build their product after the funding event. However, startups that receive larger first funding experience a decline in uniqueness of their technology stack following the funding event. Thus, by focusing on timing and size of first funding, we offer a way to reconcile conflicting findings from prior literature.

Keywords: Startups; Technology Strategy; Novelty; Unconventionality; Resource Constraints

Citation

Read Now

5G Networks (B)

By: Andy Wu, Levi Stroud and Ruth Page

December 2024 |
Supplement |
Faculty Research

Pre-Abstract: This multimedia case should be assigned to students in advance of class. Instructors should consider the timing of making the B and C video available to students, as they may reveal key case details. Abstract: Featuring Ajit Pai, Former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, this case explains the potential of 5G wireless networks. It illustrates how 5G works by examining its infrastructure and technological advancements. The case considers the specific advantages of 5G over existing telecommunication technology such as 4G or Wi-Fi, use cases for 5G and private 5G, whether the billions invested in 5G by U.S. cell carriers was a good investment, and who will be the likely winners and losers of the 5G market.

Keywords: Technology Industry; United States

Citation

Purchase

5G Networks

By: Andy Wu, Levi Stroud and Ruth Page

December 2024 |
Case |
Faculty Research

Pre-Abstract: This multimedia case should be assigned to students in advance of class. Instructors should consider the timing of making the B and C video available to students, as they may reveal key case details. Abstract: This case, featuring Ajit Pai, Former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, explores the potential of 5G wireless networks. It illustrates how 5G works by examining its infrastructure and technological advancements. The case considers the specific advantages of 5G over existing telecommunication technology such as 4G or Wi-Fi, use cases for 5G and private 5G, whether the billions invested in 5G by U.S. cell carriers was a good investment, and who will be the likely winners and losers of the 5G market.

Keywords: Technology Industry; United States

Citation

Educators

Purchase

FedEx Cyberattack (B): Reflections and Lessons

By: Hise Gibson, Frank Nagle, Alicia Dadlani and Martha Hostetter

November 2024 |
Case |
Faculty Research

Citation

Educators

FedEx Cyberattack (A): Navigating the NotPetya Storm

By: Hise Gibson, Frank Nagle, Alicia Dadlani and Martha Hostetter

November 2024 |
Case |
Faculty Research

In 2017, FedEx’s European division — acquired the year before for $5 billion — was hit by a devastating cyberattack that destroyed thousands of computers and business systems across several countries. Corporate Chief Information Officer Rob Carter put the company’s disaster recovery plans into action, sending teams from the Memphis headquarters to Europe to assess the damage and try to keep packages moving. Carter wondered how the company’s meticulous business continuity and disaster recovery planning would fare in the face of such an unprecedented crisis. In the wake of the attack, he and leaders reexamined their approach to cybersecurity, acquisitions, and business continuity.

Keywords: Cybersecurity; Transportation Industry; United States; Europe

Citation

Educators