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INSEAD European Competitiveness Initiative
Case Study collection
As our intended impact, we aim to create a sustained research-based platform to
understand and contribute to the long-term global competitiveness of Europe-based
companies. The following case studies are featured, among others, in the initiative case
collection:
Understanding top-performing European companies
 Renova Toilet Paper: Avant-garde Marketing in a Commoditized
Category
BART Yakov, CHANDON Pierre, SWELDENS Steven, SEABRA DE SOUSA Raquel ; 2012
Thinking about design and marketing creativity is more likely to
evoke images of the San Francisco Bay Area than of the green
hills of Torres Novas (population: 15,000), about one hour north of
Lisbon, Portugal. Yet, Torres Novas is the hometown of Renova, a
small paper company which has attracted global attention with a
groundbreaking innovation: black toilet paper. At no additional
cost (white paper is also colored) Renova’s now patented black
toilet paper has been talked about by all major media (from the
New York Times to Cosmopolitan), has won the loyalty of stars
like Beyoncé and Simon Cowell, and is now sold around the world, from design stores
to the Louvre museum and Wal-Mart. Renova has proven that it is possible to
transform a boring non-choice commodity into a premium decoration object.
This inspirational case, which won the Case Centre global case award, shows the best
of European innovation and creativity—a blend of artistic sensitivity and sharp
customer insights.
 LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton: The Rise of Talentism
LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton: A Personal Career Destination
GODART Frederic, SHIPILOV Andrew, LEUNG Nancy; 2014
European companies are particularly strong competitors in the
creative industries, especially in fashion and luxury goods. This
case examines how one of the most well-known and influential
European luxury groups – Paris-based LVMH Moët Hennessy
Louis Vuitton – achieved its competitive advantage on the global
arena. We also examine the challenges of sustaining this
advantage in the age of globally mobile creative talent and digital
technologies that can disrupt traditional distribution channels.
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 Tupperware Nordic (A&B): Challenges to Direct Selling in the Web 2.0
Era
SHIPILOV Andrew, NILL Christian, PAGARIA Sourabh; 2012
This case examines the direct selling industry in the Northern
Europe. It shows how a Northern European region of Tupperware
effectively leveraged social media to improve communication
among thousands of employees working across different national
borders. This helped leverage diverse experiences and ideas
across different European companies.
 INGLOT: Conquering the World
HUY Quy, NECAS Zdenek; 2014
In a highly competitive cosmetics market with many dominant
global players with deep pockets, how could a small company
from Poland manage to become a fast expanding global player?
What lessons can be learned for the fostering of innovation and
entrepreneurship in Europe?
 IKEA: A Furniture Dealer
HUY Quy, JARRETT Michael, DUKE Lisa ; 2011
IKEA has managed to remain globally competitive in a relatively
low tech-business and where the risk of commoditization from low
cost producers from emerging economies is likely to be high.
How has the company managed to be on top of the world?
 How IKEA's Strategy Was Formed
HUY Quy, JARRETT Michael, DUKE Lisa; 2011
IKEA was created in an environment where the furniture industry in Scandinavian
countries was already highly competitive. How did the company manage to
overcome the multitude of industry barriers that prevailed? What lessons can we
learn for the formation of innovative and agile organizations?
 Pfizer and the Distribution of Pharmaceuticals in Europe in 2009
COOL Karel; ZEMSKY Peter, BUTLER Charlotte; 2011
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the traditional strengths of
European business. This case examines key dynamics and the
attractiveness of European champions home markets, especially
around the organization of distribution. This is a key driver of
attractiveness of the European market for pharmaceuticals given
the continued heterogeneity in European national markets.
 AXA and the Non-Life Insurance Industry in Europe in 2010
COOL Karel; DE CLARA Laurent; ANGOULVANT Christophe; 2010
The case describes the challenges of AXA in the non-life
insurance industry in Europe in 2010 in the wake of the global
economic crisis. It provides an overview of the non-life insurance
industry, describes the new competitive landscape with the many
new arrivals such as Admiral, and the challenges and
opportunities created by the internet for established players and
new entrants. The case chronicles the growth and actions of AXA,
and the strategic issues that CEO de Castries must address in his
third mandate at the helm of AXA.
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The challenge of change and renewal in European firms
 Octapharma (A&B): Crisis and Leadership
GALUNIC D. Charles, OMBREGT Philippe; 2014
Europe is diverse. Compared to other global economic
superpowers, such as the USA or China, Europe has tremendous
internal diversity. For companies to remain strong and
competitive, they must be especially good at managing change
across such diversity and complexity. This case, while focused on
a specific crisis response and leadership challenge, sheds some
light on navigating such complexity.
 Nokia and the New Mobile Ecosystem: Competing in the Age of Internet
Mobile Convergence
CHEN Wei-Ru, GIMENO Javier, WORKIEWICZ Maciej, DE LA TORE Juan Jose; 2012
Nokia has dominated the mobile handset business for over 20
years. But as mobile technologies evolves and the consumer focus
shifts from handset design towards software and content
platforms, it creates an opportunity for new players, such as RIM,
Apple and Google, to enter the market and challenge Nokia’s
position. This case examines the competitive situation in the
mobile ecosystem and Nokia’s attempt to redefine itself as an
'internet company' in 2008.
 Mobile Internet in Europe (A)
Mobile Internet in Europe (B): i-mode and Vodafone Live! in 2006
GIMENO Javier, LIOTTA Stefano; 2012
The case describes the adoption of two competing mobile
internet services in Europe: i-mode (which was very successful in
Japan) and Vodafone live!, as well as the players in the mobile
internet ecosystem (operators, handset manufacturers, content
providers) in Europe, and describes the competing offerings
(technology, marketing, relationships with complementors). The
challenge for these platforms in 2003 was to achieve mass market
adoption of their services.
 Launching 3G Mobile Services in Finland: War or Peace?
GIMENO Javier, KIVERLA Santeri; 2012
The mobile industry in Finland in 2005 was facing a price war,
which hurt not only the profitability of operators but also their
incentives to adopt new technologies (3G). In 2005, the Finnish
mobile telecom regulator decided to allow handset bundling and
subscription plans for 3G services. This was an opportunity for
incumbents to reshape the competitive context in the industry.
Case Study Collection
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 Santander (A): Forging a Global Bank
Santander (B): The Acquisition of Abbey
Santander (C): The Integration of Abbey
Santander (D): Transformation and Growth in the U.K.
Santander (E): The Acquisition of Alliance & Leicester and Bradford &
Bingley
Santander (F): Rebranding the Business
CASANOVA Lourdes; HOEBER Henning; 2010
The case analyses the success story of Santander which has
become a global bank in a short period of time; Santander's
international development and its approach to global growth,
acquisitions and post-merger integration. After having first grown
in its natural market, Latin America and then in Europe, the bank
is at a crossroads in terms of where to expand next.
Governmental and policy implications for European
businesses
businesses
The European Commission vs. Microsoft
WEBBER Douglas, BARTHON DE MONTBAS Alexandre; 2010
The case describes a protracted conflict between the Competition
Directorate-General of the European Commission, the executive
body of the European Union, and the giant American computer
software company Microsoft, which resulted in the Commission
imposing heavy fines on Microsoft for anti-competitive behaviour
for tying its own Windows Media Player to its PC software and for
refusing to disclose information required by other providers for
them to be able to link their software to Microsoft's.
 Making and Managing the Euro: France and Germany in the Birth and
Life of Europe’s Single Currency
WEBBER Douglas, BARTHON DE MONTBAS Alexandre; 2010
The case describes the roles played by the French and German
governments and the Franco-German relationship in shaping the
evolution of European monetary cooperation and integration over
the last four decades, against the background of the Greek debt
crisis; it highlights the divergent stances of Paris and Berlin on
issues of monetary and fiscal policy in the Eurozone.
 Daewoo´s French Affair
SCHÜTTE Hellmut, WITHELL Elizabeth; SIEGEL Jordan; XI Mimi; 2013
Daewoo Group companies run a distant third or fourth in their respective industries in
Korea, but they are rapidly expanding their presence, mainly through acquisitions, in
foreign markets. In this context, Daewoo Electronics makes a bid in 1996 for the
heavily indebted French electronics manufacturer Thomson Multimedia, which is
being privatised. The French government's October announcement of its preference
for Daewoo's bid unleashes a storm of criticism in France, and the French Privatisation
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Commission's subsequent refusal to endorse the government's
decision creates a major diplomatic incident between France and
Korea. The case exposes the complexity of the issues, which can
surround cross-border, cross-cultural acquisitions and contrasts
Korean and French industrial policies.
 Irish Schools: Sovereign Risk in Social Infrastructure PPP
HILLION Pierre; WEE Jean, PAUL Louis; 2012
In 2009, a Macquarie consortium won the tender to build six Irish
schools under a public-private partnership programme. The work
was financed mainly with debt, with only €50,000 of straight
equity injected into the project.
Payments from the Irish
government were the sole source of revenue. However, the
advent of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe put the
government's ability to pay in doubt.
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Global competitiveness and strategy in Europe
 Building Cost Competitiveness at the New Philips: The Need for
Collaborative Leadership
RANGAN Subramanian, WEIDINGER Matthias; 2012
Philips remains a rare consumer electronics firm in the West, and
the largest European firm in this industry. The case explores the
issues of global competition, configuration, coordination, and
collaboration. In particular, it explores the relationship between
competitiveness and the enterprise strategies of outlocating and
outsourcing (i.e., global configuration and coordination). The
case develops the challenge for large enterprises in maintaining
accountability while achieving synergy (i.e., collaboration). The case illustrates the
motivations and evolution of a traditional horizontal multinational to a becoming a
more globally integrated enterprise.
 Infineon Technologies: Time to Cash-in your Chips?
Denis GROMB, Joel PERESS; 2014
In late 2011, Infineon (IFX), a German semiconductor company, is
sitting on a €2.4bn cash balance representing 40% of its assets. As
part of a financial policy review, management is receiving
conflicting advice from different quarters as to whether to pay out
some of the cash holdings, how much and by which methods.
 Michelin in China in 2011
Hankook and the Global Tire Industry in 2011
Bridgestone and the Global Tire Industry in 2011
Continental and the Global Tire Industry in 2011
GiTi Tire and the Global Tire Industry in 2011
Goodyear and the Global Tire Industry in 2011
Hangzhou Zhongce and the Global Tire Industry in 2011
COOL Karel, DE CLARA Laurent; 2012
The "Michelin and the Global Tire Industry in 2011" case series
focuses on the strategic challenges Michelin faces as it seeks to
regain global leadership in the tire industry. Following a
description of the global industry dynamics, the segmentation of
the tire markets and the economics of the industry, the case
reviews the competitive position of the key competitors.
Michelin’s challenges in China are getting particular attention.
More case studies are featured at the initiative website at
http://centres.insead.edu/eu-competitivenessinitiative/research/INSEAD-european-competitiveness-casecollection.cfm
Case Study Collection