Case Studies
Participate.com
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 6-0002
Participate.com views itself as a leader in the provision of outsourced community management services. Their CEO, Alan Warms, believes they have gained leadership position because they are number one in market revenues, they service a set of prestigious customers, they have the most experience in the community space, and they have intellectual capital and proprietary research. He knows too, that the difference between success and failure in online communities is about management and process, not just good technology. Now they are entering a phase in which they have to prove that their business model will sustain the high growth and profitability expected by investors. Can they add enough value to existing services and create new ones to reach their all-important revenue goals?
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Topics: Innovation, Services
Industry: Consulting
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Experience.com, Inc.
Alva H. Taylor, Phil Anderson, Lloyd Baskin T'01
Length: 18 pages
Publication date: 2001
Case#: 6-0001
The cornerstone of the recruiting solutions company Experience.com, Inc. had always been its relationships with college career centers: they worked with over 500 schools and 150 of these relationships were exclusive. In 2001, with the Monster/Jobtrak merger stepping up the competition, Experience.com began looking for a partner, primarily to leverage another firms' resources, including established sales forces and connections with employers.
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Topics: Innovation, Services
Industry: Career Consulting
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Mattel, Inc: Vendor Operations in Asia
M. Eric Johnson, Tom Clock
Length: 22 pages
Publication date: 2000
Case#: 1-0013
After the announcement of the merger between Mattel, Inc. and its second largest rival, Tyco Toys, SVP Ron Montalto was embroiled in a debate over the sourcing strategy for the existing Hot Wheels product line and newly added Matchbox cars. Montalto had to decide whether Mattel should go forward with a new China plant, build a plant in Malaysia or Indonesia, expand one of the existing facilities, or outsource the surplus die-cast volume.
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Topics: Manufacturing, Marketing, Supply Chain
Industry: Toys/Video Games
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