Finance and Accounting
Innovation
Project description
CASE#1 3 PAGES. Use the source below to answer the following questions in 3 pages.
Source: Case: “Intel Corporation: 1968-2003,” HBSP, 2002 (#9-703-427).
1. What was Intel’s strategy in DRAMs, and why did the business decline so rapidly between
1974 and 1984?
2. What did Intel do differently to make its EPROM program a success?
3. What strategy did Intel use to gain a competitive advantage in microprocessors?
4. What threats has Intel faced to its microprocessor dominance and what strategies has it used to deal with each?
5. What lessons about business strategy and market dynamics does Intel’s rise to domination
in PC microprocessors illustrate that could be applied to other industries?
CASE#2 3 PAGES. USE THE SOURCE BELOW TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Case: “FedEx Corp: Structural Transformation through e-Business,” University of Hong
Kong, 2000 (#HKU098).
1. How did FedEx use technology to improve its competitive market position up to its first
Internet application in 1996?
2. Since 1996, how effective has the company been in building its e-business capability, and
what are the main components of that strategy?
3. How has IT changed the definition of “logistics” over the last 25 years, judging by the
services FedEx now offers its customers?
4. What is a “virtual supply chain” and what capabilities are prerequisites for it? How would
utilizing FedEx to implement a virtual supply chain work for a retail clothing chain that
sources internationally, such as The Gap or Banana Republic?
5. What were the factors that put pressure on FedEx to consolidate its operations in January,
2000? Where did the push for this change come from within the organization? Will this
move be successful?
6. What are the lessons learned from FedEx in how to keep your company ahead of the
competition through continuous business process innovation?
CASE#3 3 PAGES. USE THE SOURCE BELOW TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Case: “We’ve Got Rhythm! Medtronic Corporation’s Cardiac Pacemaker Business,”
HBSP, 1997 (#9-698-004).
1. Why did Medtronic nearly lose its position as market leader in the 1970s and early 1980s?
2. What improvements in the new product development process were instituted under Stevens and which were most crucial to company success?
3. What do the concepts of “product line architecture” and “train schedule” mean in the
pacemaker business? What have been the costs and benefits of implementing these at
Medtronic?
4. What threats faced the Medtronic Pacemaker Business Unit in 1996 and what actions
should management take to counter these?
5. What are the lessons to be learned from Medtronic’s approach to new product development
that could be applied to any business?
CASE#4 3 PAGES. USE THE SOURCE BELOW TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Case: “Polycom, Inc.: Visualizing Culture,” HBSP, 2001 (#9-601-073).
1. Was the founding of Polycom a good example of blue ocean strategy? Why? What were
the distinctive elements of its strategy?
2. What were the most important aspects of Polycom’s culture from the standpoint of
fostering innovation?
3. What elements of their culture imposed some constraints and kept it from tending toward
chaos?
4. What cultural challenges arose with the acquisition of ViaVideo in Austin and how did
the Polycom management team handle these?
5. Why has Polycom been effective in its acquisition strategy? What has it done well?
6. What lessons can be learned from Polycom in how it extended its culture of product
innovation to newly acquired businesses?
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