E-Book’s Case

Table of Content
Introduction ..……………………………………………………………………………… 2
Crafting a Strategy………………………………………………………………………... 3
The Business Model ………………………………………………………………………. 3
The Platform ……………………………………………………………………………… 4
Key Success Factors (KSF) ………..……………………………………………………… 4
Evaluating a Company’s External Environment ……………………………………….. 6
The Five Forces Model of Competition ………………………………………………….. 6
The Industry ………………………………………………………………....……………. 7
The Four Test of Resources Competitor Power ………………………………………… 8
SWOT Analysis …………………………………………………………………………… 9
Product Attributes …………………………………………………………...…………… 11

Introduction
The case begins with
Companies began experimenting with online homework capabilities with tutorials and study guides to increase their customer appeal. Platforms like Learnsmart provided flexibility for professors to analyze students grades which completely changed the way publishers interacted with professors. Now acquisition agents could point to features of their online platforms rather than just the original sales pitch for a standard hard copy book. In the following report of this case, we will discuss several managerial strategies involved.
The Business Model
There are only a few large-scale textbook publishing companies such as McGraw-Hill and Pearson, who have already established themselves and have deep pockets. The textbook publishers’ business model was the use of acquisition editors who specifically recruited professors to write textbook for their publishing company. The acquisition editors were paid on a commission basis, specifically for the editors and textbooks they brought into the company. The more the textbooks sold, the larger the bonus for the acquisition editor. This lead to a large cost for the publishing companies because they had to pay for salaries, traveling expenses, entertainment etc. This business model worked well, but publishers started to come up with ways to differentiate themselves from other competitors.
The Platform
When publishers realized that the internet became popular