CASE ANALYSIS

Case Analysis

Case Analysis

1- Overview and Abstract

Acer is a computer company with strong International sales and has seen tremendous growth over the past 20 years. They operate in more than 38 countries, and each business unit is operated as a decentralized strategic business unit. Acer's Canadian business had in the past served as an intermediation between Acer America to deliver products to Canadian distributors, but in 1996 Anthony Lin was chosen as general manager of Acer's operation in Canada, and his vision was to have a line of products sold to three different target groups - Business, Home, and non-profit. Previously the Canadian operation was selling no products directly to consumers in Canada, but Lin saw this as an opportunity to use local distributors and assemble the computers in Canada, "to order," and sell directly to consumers.

2- Clear Statement of the Problem

The opportunities for the Canadian operation are numerous. Anthony Lin set a goal to double the revenue by the end of 1996. Within 2 years, the goal was to be in the top 10 Canadian market share, and do that through Government sales, which would make the profile of the company look good and also by selling direct to consumers, and assembling the computers, "to order, which offers many benefits, such as a lower transportation cost, and a shortened delivery time. This would also help to control inventory. However, there were some threats, such as high cost involved with Canadian production and competitors like AST, who has developed a strong market position and became a significant player with a strong reputation. Furthermore, Low priced consumer products are dominating the market. These products are sold at mass merchandising stores. A continuous rise in distributor sales is hurting the traditional retail outlets that cannot compete with the low cost of mass ...