Week 4 Case Study

This HBR article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas behind a blue ocean strategy and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading and study.

Overview: In studying more than 150 blue ocean creations in over 30 industries, the authors observed that the traditional units of strategic analysis (company and industry) are of limited use in explaining how and why blue oceans are created. The most appropriate unit of analysis is the strategic move, the set of managerial actions and decisions involved in making a major market-creating business offering. Creating blue oceans builds brands. So powerful is blue ocean strategy, in fact, that a blue ocean strategic move can create brand equity that lasts for decades. In order to make a significant strategic move, it is theorized that a managerial team must be skilled in systems thinking or systems theory.

Step 1: Research the concept of systems or systematic thinking (sometimes referred to as systems theory) and write down for yourself a brief explanation of how systems thinking relates to this case article and how it relates to both the StratSim game and the proper execution of overall marketing strategy.

Step 2: Read the Blue Ocean article/case study and write a brief reaction paper (2–3 pages) explaining Cirque de Soleil’s successful blue ocean marketing strategy from the perspective of the five key components of a blue ocean strategy listed below.
1. Create uncontested market space
2. Make the competition irrelevant
3. Create and capture new demand
4. Break the value / cost tradeoff
5. Align the whole system of a company’s activities in pursuit of differentiation and low cost

Step 3: Answer this question. Does your research or discovery from the case analysis (Step 2) have anything to do with your research in Step 1 in terms of creating a successful business or marketing career in the emerging 21st century “knowledge economy?” Explain in one to two double-spaced pages.

Your complete analysis should contain 2-3 pages for step 2 and 1-2 pages for step 2 (3-5 pages total). Use 12 point font, standard margins. Submit as a Word document through the Turnitin dropbox below by Sunday at 11:59pm.