World Wrestling Entertainment

CASE STUDY 1

Case 7:

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT

Case Objectives

1.        To discuss corporate strategy choices and how to apply the concepts of innovation to a firm in the entertainment industry.

2.        To examine how tangible and intangible resources are tied to a firm’s success.

Icebreaking questions:

Which statement is most true?

a.        WWE used to own a football team.

b.        WWE has a line of toys.

c.        CEO Vince McMahon was a juvenile delinquent.

d.        Each WWE “performance” is scripted, and sometimes the script changes in the middle of the show.

e.        All these statements are true.

Discussion Questions:

1.        What corporate innovation strategies did Vince McMahon use to grow World Wrestling Entertainment?

2.        What resources does WWE have and how valuable are they?

3.        What are the future prospects for WWE? What should be done to expand or grow the business?

Additional Materials:

http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/

http://www.youtube.com/user/WWEFanNation 

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/07/business/la-fi-ct-wwe-20110407

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9gIyjo8HNA

http://corporate.wwe.com/who-we-are/company-overview

http://corporate.wwe.com/investors/corporate-governance/board-committees-and-charters

http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/johncena/

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-03-12-pro-wrestling_x.htm

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2998062 

http://corporate.wwe.com/governance/code-of-business-conduct http://corporate.wwe.com/wellness/substance-abuse-drug-testing-policy

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/7/11/wwe_opens_training_c.html

CASE STUDY 2

Case 3:

McDONALD’S IN 2017

Case Objectives

1.        To investigate the key external environmental issues that can affect a firm’s strategy.

2.        To examine how a re-evaluation of strategy involves assessment of internal activities and resources.

Icebreaking questions:

Which of these statements is the truest?

a.        Millennials are defecting from McDonald’s to traditional competitors like Burger King and Wendy’s.

b.        McDonalds’s dollar menu has worked well.

c.        McDonald’s doesn’t have to worry about restaurants like Panera Bread, since these kinds of fast-casual dining destinations don’t draw the same customers as McDonald’s does.

d.        Because of its bulk purchasing agreements, McDonald’s never has to worry about running out of French fries.

Discussion Questions:

1.        What are the current forces in the external environment that might affect McDonald’s strategy?

2.        What source of competitive advantage does McDonald’s have, and is that position supported by its value chain and other internal resources?

3.        OPTIONAL QUESTION: What other strategies could McDonald’s formulate to achieve a competitive advantage?

Additional Materials:

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=MCD 

  http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2007/08/22/monsieur-mcdonald-charms-the-continent.aspx

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122506692561270623.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/business/11burger.html?_r=1

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/01/10/business/20090111_BURGER_GRAPHIC.html

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/mcdonalds_corporation/index.html

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-predicts-tough-despite-items-132325729.html