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Background Note | HBS Case Collection | March 2007 (Revised February 2009)

How to Crack a Strategy Case

by Stephen P. Bradley, David J. Collis, Kevin P. Coyne, Andrei Hagiu, Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, Jan W. Rivkin and John R. Wells

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Abstract

Addresses a common concern among strategy students: "How should I tackle this case?" Describes a process for diagnosing a strategic situation, then generating, evaluating, and choosing among strategic options.

Keywords: Decisions; Management Practices and Processes; Situation or Environment; Strategy; Valuation;

Format: Print 8 pages Educators

Citation:

Bradley, Stephen P., David J. Collis, Kevin P. Coyne, Andrei Hagiu, Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, Jan W. Rivkin, and John R. Wells. "How to Crack a Strategy Case." Harvard Business School Background Note 707-549, March 2007. (Revised February 2009.)

About the Authors

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Stephen P. Bradley
William Ziegler Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus

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David J. Collis
Adjunct Professor
Strategy

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Jan W. Rivkin
C. Roland Christensen Professor of Business Administration
Senior Associate Dean, Chair, MBA Program
Strategy

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John R. Wells
Professor of Management Practice
Strategy

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More from these Authors

  • Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2019

    Rechargeable Batteries, 2017: Gigafactory Wars in the Offing?

    John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

    In 2017, the global market for rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries was 126 gigawatt-hours (GWh) valued at $37 billion, growing by $10 billion in two years. Once confined largely to consumer electronics and appliances, the rapid increase in demand was spurred by the adoption of electric cars and buses. Moreover, the falling cost of batteries was sparking interest in another potential huge market – the electrical utility sector. Batteries could be used to store electricity in periods of low demand and release it when demand was high, significantly reducing the need for peak generation capacity. However, historically, the costs of doing this had been prohibitively high.
    In response to the expected demand, several companies had announced “gigafactories,” plants that, combined, could produce many times more output than total global demand in 2017. Tesla, Inc., the electric car maker, was the first. In 2014, it announced a 35 GWh battery plant, costing $5 billion, to be built in Nevada, enough capacity to fulfil global demand in 2013. In 2017, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he would announce an additional four gigafactory locations to supply the global market.
    Tesla was not alone in its battery ambitions. In late 2016, start-up Alevo began delivery of its new “GridBank” batteries from a 3.5 million square-foot facility in North Carolina, with the potential to scale to 60 GWh. Alevo claimed its batteries lasted four times longer and were safer than the conventional Li-ion batteries used by Tesla. Anxious not to be reliant on third parties, in 2017, several automakers had announced plans to build battery capacity, including General Motors and Daimler. Indeed, Daimler announced two plants for its Mercedes brand cars, one in Germany and one in China. New start-ups were also entering the fray, with Northvolt AB of Sweden partnering with ABB of Switzerland to build a 32 GWh facility. Ten new gigafactories were announced in the first six months of 2017, although not all were Li-ion. For instance, Toyota announced it was to invest in a new solid state technology that would reduce weight and lengthen battery life. Meanwhile, industry global leaders in China and Korea such as CATL, BYD, Samsung and LG Chem were planning their own gigafactory expansions. Whether the market would develop fast enough to absorb this supply, and which technologies would finally win, was unclear in 2017.

    Keywords: batteries; rechargeable batteries; lithium-ion; lithium-ion batteries; electric vehicle; electric vehicles; Energy Entrepreneurship; energy markets; energy storage; Battery; demand uncertainty; demand forecasting; Supply & demand; supply and demand; capacity planning; Tesla; China; Technological and Scientific Innovation; technological change; technology change; technology commercialization; policy; policy change; subsidies; Power/Energy; power grid; energy policy; developing markets; alevo; Samsung; LG Chem; CATL; Northvolt; General Motors; Energy; Entrepreneurship; Technological Innovation; Policy; Demand and Consumers; Forecasting and Prediction; Supply and Industry; Emerging Markets; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Competitive Strategy;

    Citation:

    Wells, John R., and Benjamin Weinstock. "Rechargeable Batteries, 2017: Gigafactory Wars in the Offing?" Harvard Business School Case 720-371, November 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducators Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2015 (Revised October 2019)

    Amazon.com, 2019

    John R. Wells, Benjamin Weinstock, Gabriel Ellsworth and Galen Danskin

    In January 2019, Amazon.com Inc (Amazon) became the most valuable company in the world, above Microsoft, Apple, and Alphabet (Google). Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO was now the world’s richest man. On January 31st, 2019, Amazon announced 2018 operating profits of $12.4 billion, up from $178 million in 2014, on sales of $232 billion, up from $89 billion four years earlier. The shareholders expressed their satisfaction, but not all were happy with Amazon’s meteoric rise. Many traditional retailers in the United States were going bankrupt, while major competitors such as Walmart and Best Buy were forced to invest aggressively in online retailing to prevent their market share from eroding. Every retail sector appeared to be under threat, fueling anxieties that Amazon and America’s other tech giants were becoming too big and powerful. In the United States, Amazon was drawing criticism from across the political spectrum, with calls for it to be broken up. Meanwhile, the European Union was also investigating its practices. Did Amazon’s success threaten its very existence?

    Keywords: Strategic Analysis; retail; e-commerce; Amazon; internet; Amazon.com; AmazonFresh; Jeff Bezos; Cloud Computing; marketplaces; streaming; e-reader market; digital media; mobile app; online retail; shipping; database; Tablet; Kindle; Kindle Fire; smartphone; delivery; Market Platforms; Two-Sided Platforms; Competition; Internet; Corporate Strategy; Online Advertising; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Business Organization; For-Profit Firms; Film Entertainment; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Music Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Profit; Revenue; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Taxation; Business History; Human Resources; Resignation and Termination; Books; Human Capital; Working Conditions; Business or Company Management; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Practices and Processes; Industry Growth; Industry Structures; Media; Distribution; Distribution Channels; Order Taking and Fulfillment; Infrastructure; Logistics; Product Development; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Organizational Culture; Public Ownership; Work-Life Balance; Problems and Challenges; Labor and Management Relations; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Integration; Horizontal Integration; Vertical Integration; Hardware; Information Technology; Mobile Technology; Online Technology; Technology Networks; Technology Platform; Web; Web Sites; Price; Software; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Working Capital; Customer Focus and Relationships; Customer Value and Value Chain; Retail Industry; Advertising Industry; Distribution Industry; Electronics Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Information Technology Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; Music Industry; Publishing Industry; Shipping Industry; Technology Industry; Video Game Industry; Web Services Industry; United States; Washington (state, US); Seattle;

    Citation:

    Wells, John R., Benjamin Weinstock, Gabriel Ellsworth, and Galen Danskin. "Amazon.com, 2019." Harvard Business School Case 716-402, August 2015. (Revised October 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019 (Revised October 2019)

    The Walt Disney Company: The 21st Century Fox Acquisition and Digital Distribution

    David J. Collis

    case describes the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Co. and the subsequent launch by DIsney of three streaming channels to compete with Netflix..

    Keywords: corporate strategy; mergers and acquisitions; Disney; Corporate Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Media and Broadcasting Industry;

    Citation:

    Collis, David J. "The Walt Disney Company: The 21st Century Fox Acquisition and Digital Distribution." Harvard Business School Case 719-445, January 2019. (Revised October 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducators Related
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