by jim muehlhausen | Jul 25, 2011 | Business Model Innovation, Business Model Trends, Groupon, Public Companies, Web Business Models
Is Groupon “wildly profitable”? That’s how Groupon co-founder Eric Lefkofsky described his company in an interview with Bloomberg in early June 2011. But now Groupon is singing a different tune. Groupon Inc. has filed an amended document for its planned initial public...
by jim muehlhausen | Jul 19, 2011 | Bankruptcy, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Failure Stories, Public Companies
It looks like the Barnes and Noble business model has caught a break. We suggested that B&N could profit significantly by simply buying the faltering Borders in our column Is Barnes & Noble’s Business Model in Trouble. Evidently, good things come to those...
by jim muehlhausen | May 3, 2011 | Business Model Tips, Business Model Trends, Environmentalism, Failure Stories, Public Companies, Sears, Web Business Models, Yellow Pages
It seems that the green movement is now focused on the Yellow Pages. The city council of San Francisco recently passed an ordinance banning the distribution of Yellow Page books within the city. Whether the San Francisco ordinance holds up or not, the direction is...
by jim muehlhausen | Apr 19, 2011 | Business Model Innovation, Business Model Trends, Hollywood, movie business model, Netflix, Public Companies, Success Stories
Starz and Showtime recently announced that several hit shows such as Dexter would not be available for instant download on Netflix due to fears of declining DVD revenues. Whether it makes sense or not, physical products, like DVDs, can command higher prices than...
by jim muehlhausen | Apr 7, 2011 | Apple, AT&T, Business Model Innovation, Business Model Trends, iPhone, Public Companies, Verizon
As Verizon rolls out its own version of the iPhone, the AT&T business model is being tested. AT&T’s market share growth was largely dependent upon exclusive availability of the iPhone. iPhones went from 0% market share in late 2007 to 25% of all U.S....
by jim muehlhausen | Mar 14, 2011 | Branding, Business Model Innovation, Failure Stories, Playboy, Private Companies, Public Companies
Hugh Heffner started Playboy with a $1000 loan from his mother and turned it into a publishing empire. However, as Mr. Heffner prepares to take Playboy private, one has to ask whether Playboy’s business model is broken? Today, Playboy’s total revenue is around $350...
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