Blog

By Alick Gordon, Arvind Deshmukh, Deviki Gupta, Sam Hung and Chul Won Baek

Like many young men his age, Rohan was a bit nervous about his first date with Neha. They had been friends for many years, but this was the first time they had been out on their own together. After ordering their food, the waitress responded with the ubiquitous question, “Would you like fries with that?” “Yes please,” responded Rohan before paying and carrying his and Neha’s trays of food back to their table.

Unlike in the United States, where most young adults would never think of going on a date to McDonald’s, in India it is a widely accepted and welcomed destination. McDonald’s India has carved a niche for itself in an increasingly competitive Indian fast food market by adapting itself in ways uncommon for the company in other parts of the globe. Through the company’s focus on teenagers and young adults as well as a highly specialized menu, McDonald’s has found success in India when many people said it could not be done.

What do you do when your best friend meets the new kid on the block who happens to be cooler than you and has better toys? You can pick up new toys, find a more loyal friend, or move to a new block. To be safe, you should try all three.

For most kids, where our parents settle down is rarely a function of our popularity, but in this particular case, we’re not talking about Johnny losing Sally to Tommy. We’re talking about Dell. The block is the U.S. market. The best friend is the domestic consumer. And the new kid? Well, kids is more appropriate, but the coolest one on the street is the guitar playing, cigarette smoking, surf board riding Apple, which has resumed its role as a harbinger of counter-culture radicalization of the PC marketplace.

"The whole problem that we all have, and Louis Vuitton is the leader of the industry – is to manage what I call the 'paradox of luxury.' How can you grow year after year, and give the satisfaction to many more customers, in many more countries, and at the same time keep this sort of exclusivity of luxury?" -- Yves Carcelle, February 2008

By Swecha Bhavana, Rodrigo Castillo, Sampad Das, Noah Emery, Estella He and Ho Young Kim

Maybe Disney has just spoiled me. All I know is that from the moment I make my reservation with Disney to the moment I step off their ship, I am treated like royalty. As I was walking off the [Norwegian] ship this morning,the last thing I heard was a man scream at the top of his lungs, “I will NEVER sail this cruise line EVER again.” I was not surprised when the woman at Guest Services yelled equally as loud back, “Good, I hope you never do!” I think it is fair to say that exchange would have NEVER have happened on a Disney ship. -- Nickelodeon Norwegian Cruise passenger

By Rodrigo Quezada, Munish Jhavri, Stephanie Snyder, Nick Ford, Lauren Sanne and Riley Roberts

By Amanda Roberson, Amy Zelezen, Ankush Brahmavar, Boris Pilipenko, Kinjal Gandhi and Matt Werner

By Matthew Blong, Richard Kim, Rebecca Knowles, Wei Li, Eri Miyagi and Ryan Scalise

Stephen Lindner’s eyes lit up as he pulled a hefty burrito wrapped in foil out of a brown bag covered with the catch phrases “I think about Chipotle every time my stomach growls” and “one delicious bite left in the bottom!”

When asked what he liked so much about Chipotle, the graduate student at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ – famished as he began to devour his burrito – immediately responded, “because it tastes good!”

Without knowing it, Lindner exemplifies the effect that Chipotle’s strategic advantage has on its customers.  Namely, that Chipotle tastes great because it serves classic Mexican entrees made from organic and locally sourced meats and produce, all under the banner of the company’s motto, “Food with Integrity.”  And like Lindner, few Chipotle customers realize that good taste is, in fact, a direct result of organic ingredients.