OverviewTopicsThe AOL/TimeWarner MergerDeBeers and the Diamond IndustryGE and WestinghousePepsi and CokeThe Video Game IndustryInternet BankingThe Superjumbo Entry GameWireless TelecommunicationsMicrosoftNapsterGroup Presentations Overview Each group will be asked to prepare a class presentation on one of the topics listed below. The presentations are intended to relate the material in the course to some important real-world firms and industries and to give you practice with presentation skills. Presentations should last for about 10 minutes, leaving 5 minutes for questions and answers. Normally, the presentation will take place at the end of the class in the date specified below; the particular timing may however change. Each group’s presentation will be graded on the following criteria: •= Informativeness: How much did we learn? •= Analysis: How much insight did we gain? Were lessons from the course applied effectively? •= Style: Was the presentation clear and compelling? Topics Each group will choose a topic from the list below. Topics will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. To request a topic, send an email to the teaching assistant, perhaps including a second or third choice. Each topic comes with a date, a series of leading questions, a file of newspaper clips, and an audience to whom the presentation is to be addressed. The list of questions, while indicative, does not need to be followed to the letter. The file will get you started, but you are expected do additional research. Some online resources are listed on the course web site. The AOL/TimeWarner Merger Date: November 8 Topics/questions: Relate this case to the discussion on the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the firm. What is the logic for this merger? The challenges? Is it part of a trend in the media industry? Antitrust: How was the merger reviewed in Europe and in the U.S.? What issues were raised? Audience: Disney’s Board. DeBeers and the Diamond Industry Date: November 13 Firms and MarketsPresentations Page 2 Topics/questions: What were/are the main threats to cartel stability? How has DeBeers maintained control? How does this relate to the class discussion on cartel stability? Recent events in the industry. What is likely to happen next? Audience: CEO of Canada’s new Diavik mine. GE and Westinghouse Date: November 15 Topics/questions: Collusion in the market for turbine generators. Compare the 1950s system to that of the 1960s and 1970s: Which one is closer to full collusion? Which one is most effective? Why? Was GE's behavior illegal? Audience: US DOJ. Pepsi and Coke Date: November 20 Topics/questions: How the firms have used different strategic weapons to increase demand and market share. The role played by vertical restraints: Are they effective? Legal? The case of Venezuela 1996. Audience: CEO of Pepsi (a post-mortem on what went wrong, lessons for the future). The Video Game Industry Date: November 20 Topics/questions: The relative importance of platform and software: Who has the most leverage? The Sony-Nintendo-Sega triopoly: How have positions changed over time? Microsoft replaces Sega; what will happen next? The role of product pre-announcements, vaporware, capacity constraints. Audience: Investment Manager of Fidelity’s Magellan Fund. Internet Banking Date: November 27 Topics/questions: Who are the market leaders in this market segment? Is IB a substitute or a complement to traditional banking? What does the future look like? How would you advise a current retail bank or a new entrant? Audience: CEO of Chase. The Superjumbo Entry Game Date: November 29 Topics/questions: Credible commitments and cheap talk. What strategies have Airbus and Boeing played so far? How successful have they been? What will happen next? Audience: CEO of Pratt & Whitney. Intel and AMD Date: November 29 Topics/questions: How did Intel get to where it is now? What allows Intel’s dominance to persist? What are the main threats to its lead position? How might other firms position themselves to succeed in the microprocessor business?Presentations Page 3 Audience: CEO of IBM. Electronic Communications Networks (ECNs) Date: December 4 Topics/questions: Are ECNs a real challenge to the established markets such as the Nasdaq? Are they different? Parallels with other online market makers, eg, eBay. Audience: Directors of NASDAQ. Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs) Date: December 4 Topics/questions: What has happened and what is going on in this industry as regards standardization? What parallels can you draw with respect to other new technologies? Readable vs rewritable DVDs. Strategic product pre-announcements: the case of DVIX. Audience: CEO of Blockbuster. Wireless Telecommunications Date: December 6 Topics/questions: Spectrum auctions: relate the recent experience from Europe to the discussion on auctions and auction theory. What are the pros and cons of each of systems used in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland? Audience: Government of Belgium. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) Date: December 6 Topics/questions: Competition within standards and across standards. What kind of strategy advice would you give to Palm, Handspring, and Hewlett Packard? Audience: CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Microsoft Date: December 11 Topics/questions: The events leading up to Judge Jackson’s decision. What will happen next? How would you advise Microsoft? How would you advise Microsoft’s competitors? Should the states now drop their cases? Audience: Attorney General of the State of New York. Napster Date: December 11 Topics/questions: What are the main facts regarding the litigation against Napster? What does this case say about the broader issue of intellectual property rights in the Internet age? What is Siemen’s strategy? Audience: CEO of Sony Music