As one of the largest insurance and reinsurance companies in the world, the Gerling Group - Germany - has traditionally been an innovator in the strategic use of state-of-the-art information and communication technologies to enhance customer services. This case study illustrates Gerling's...

The authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of traditional store-based and online retailing. To minimise the drawbacks, the emerging trend in retailing is a covergence of the two business models of retailing. Several examples of major companies in 'bricks-and-mortar' and 'online...

This case describes the strategic challenges faced by CompuNet AG in 1995. After a phenomenal expansion from being a small IBM reseller to becoming a leading multi-vendor systems integrator in Germany, the company suffered, in the 1994/95 fiscal year, a dramatic decrease in profits. After a...

The Internet offers manufacturers a new way to market their products and interact with end-consumers. For the first time, manufacturers can, through the Internet, dis-intermediate traditional players in the distribution chain and in addition to selling products, provide services to online...

Otis Elevator, France, a leader in the sale and service of elevators and related products in the French market, started reviewing the managerial and operational procedures surrounding the processing of a customer order in 1986. The resulting 'Master Plan' project aimed at simplifying these...