Intel: Strategic Decisions in Locating a New Assembly and Test Plant (A) and (B)

The case is used in Harvard Business School's (HBS) elective course "Competing Globally" as the first case in the third module (see "Competing Globally: Course Note for Instructors," HBS No. 713-422). As the first case in the module, it introduces the framework to analyze individual location choices that weave into a location strategy that ultimately creates and sustains value globally. Specifically, Intel allows instructors to introduce a comprehensive framework to analyze location decisions, illustrate how to evaluate, rank and aggregate location traits to make a location choice that contributes to create and sustain value globally, identify the difference between location choice and location strategy, and explore the benefits and drawbacks of agglomeration economies that emerge from locating in clusters.