HTC Corp. in 2009.
Students will have to analyse the case study given to them and prepare a business report for 6000 words. Students are required to undertake the tasks given below.
Contents TASKS
Executive Summary A short summary of the entire work 600 words
Chapter One Explain the background of the study, the statement of the problem, research questions and aims and objectives . 900 words
Chapter Two Analyse the case and examine the problems and issues from the case 900 words
Chapter Three Students to explain the models/ theories /planning tools to be used to analyse the case. 1000 words
Chapter Four Findings from the analysis (using the tools) 1400 words
Chapter Five Solutions to the problem and issues. Recommendations and students to come out with a business plan. 1200 words
Learning Outcome
Upon successful completion of this module students will be able to:
• define the problem/issues to be addressed precisely
• outline the objectives: the desirable outcomes
• identify resources/techniques helpful to opening up the case study
• generate ideas or alternative solutions
• choose a “best fit” solution from the options
• decide on an action plan
GRADING CRITERIA
MARK 29 or less 30 – 39 40 – 49 50 – 59 60 – 69 70 +
CONTENT:
Has the question been answered?
Vague, random, unrelated material Some mention of the issue, but a collection of disparate points Barely answers the question – just reproduces what
knows about the topic Some looseness/
digressions Well focused Highly focused
TOPIC
KNOWLEDGE
Is there evidence of having read widely
and use of appropriate and up to date material to make a case? No evidence of reading.
No use of theory – not even hinted at implicitly. No evidence of reading.
An implicit hint at some knowledge of theory, etc. No evidence of reading. Very basic theories mentioned but not developed or well used. Some reading evident,
but confined to core texts. Good reading.
Good range of theories included. Excellent reading.
Well chosen theories.
UNDERSTANDING & SYNTHESIS
Are ideas summarized rather than being reproduced, and are they inter-related with other ideas?
No theory included. Vague assertions/poor explanations. Long winded descriptions of theory.
Some long winded sections.
Some quotations, but stand alone.
Some inter- connections. Good summary of theory.
Good use of quotations that flow with narrative.
Good inter-connections. Succinct, effective summaries of theory. Excellent choice and threading of quotations into argument. Good counterpoising of a range of
perspectives.
APPLICATION
Does it show appropriate use of theory in a
practical situation? No examples No/limited/
inappropriate examples Few examples Uneven examples Good examples Excellent range of examples.
ANALYSIS
Does it identify the key issues, etc in a given scenario, proposal or argument? Vague assertions about issues. Largely descriptive with no identification and analysis
of central issues. Limited insight into issues. Some good observations. Good, detailed analysis. Comprehensive range of issues identified and discussed
fully.
EVALUATION & CONCLUSION
Does it critically assess material?
Are there a workable and imaginative solutions? No evaluation. Uncritical acceptance of material. Some evaluation but weak. Little insight. Good
interpretation. Some but limited sophistication in argument.
Good critical assessment. Independent thought displayed. Full critical assessment and substantial individual insight.
REFERENCING
Thorough and accurate citation and referencing No referencing No referencing Limited/poor referencing Some inconsistencies in referencing
Appropriate referencing Appropriate referencing
PRESENTATION
Logical and coherent structure to argument and effective presentation
No structure apparent.
Poor presentation.
Poor structure.
Poor presentation. Acceptable, but uneven structure.
Reasonable presentation. Reasonable structure.
Good presentation. Good argument.
Well presented material. Excellent argument.
Very effective presentation format.
Structure of the Integrated Case Study report
Contents Word count
Executive Summary (background, brief statement of the problem, aims of the analysis, approach adopted for analysis, findings)
600 words
Acknowledgements
Chapter
1 Introduction to the case study Statement of the problem
Research aims and objectives
Structure of the rest of the report 900 words
2 Case brief: Description of the situation
Is the situation described and Background of the study define the problem/issues to be addressed precisely and relevantly? 900 words
3 Problem statement, plan of analysis Statement of the problems in the case
Relevant literature review-Identify resources/ techniques helpful for analyzing the case study.
(the concepts, theories, models, research relevant to the case)
Proposed plan of analysis
Sources of data
1000 words
4 Analysis & Findings An assessment of the current position: follows
(derived from the concepts, theories, models referred and discussed in chapter3) 1,400 words
5 Proposed solution to problem Integrated assessment of the analysis – generate ideas or alternative solutions
Choose a “best fit” solution from the options
Recommendations
Decide on an action plan of
Limitations of the study, scope for further research 1200 words
References
Appendices This section will contain all the documentation, data ,financial reports etc used in the case analysis
Total 6000 words
Notes: References are expected in chapter 3-4 which have an academic content.
Layout: 4 cm left margin, 3cm-top, bottom and right margin; 1.5 line spacing; Times New Roman size 12;
This approximates to about 250-300 wds/page: page limit chapters 1-6; 40-45 pages
1
Statement of the problem
Research aims and objectives
Structure of the rest of the report 15
2 Case brief: Description of the situation
Is the situation described and Background of the study define the problem/issues to be addressed precisely and relevantly?
15
3 Problem statement and plan of analysis
Statement of the problems in the case
Relevant literature review-Identify resources/ techniques helpful for analyzing the case study.
(the concepts, theories, models, research relevant to the case)
Proposed plan of analysis
Sources of data
10
4 Analysis and findings
An assessment of the current position: follows
(derived from the concepts, theories, models referred and discussed in chapter3) 30
5 Proposed solution to problem
Integrated assessment of the analysis – generate ideas or alternative solutions
Choose a “best fit” solution from the options
Recommendations
Decide on an action plan of
Limitations of the study, scope for further research 20
Good clear writing, adequate appendices, reference list, Overall Presentation 10
Total 100
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this module students will be able to:
• Define the problem/issues to be addressed precisely
• Identify resources/techniques helpful to opening up the case study
• Enhance their critical assessment
• Enhance their explicit knowledge through a critical review of the literatures
• Generate ideas or alternative solutions
• Choose a “best fit” solution from the options
• Decide on an action plan
• Outline how to implement it consider what might go wrong and how to monitor the success of the action plan
Requirement for Case Study
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• CHAPTER 1: Introduction (900 words)
– Background of case
– Problem statements: find out 3 – 4 problems in different areas.
For example,
– Research questions
– Research aim and objectives: 1 research aim, objectives which corresponds to research questions
– Significance of the study
– Structure of the report
• CHAPTER 2: Case brief (900 words)
• CHAPTER 3: Problems and plan of analysis (1000 words)
– Each problem will come with a model. So that, 3 problems – 3 models.
– In each model, point out 2-3 authors, sources, and reason why choose this model.
• CHAPTER 4: Analysis and Findings. (1400 words)
– An assessment of the current position follows (derived from the concepts, theories, models referred and discussed in chapter 3)
• CHAPTER 5: Proposed solution to problem. (1200 words)
– Integrated assessment of the analysis – generate ideas or alternative solutions.
– Choose a ‘’best fit’’ solution from the options
– Recommendations
– Decide on an action plan of
– Limitations of the study, scope for further research.
• REFERENCES
• APPENDICES:
This section will contain all the documentation, data, financial reports etc used in the case analysis.
HTC Corp. in 2009
Peter Chou, HTC Corp.’s chief executive officer, re
turned to Taiwan with a sense of exhilaration
and pride from Mobile World Congress 2009, the world’s leading exhibition for mobile phones. HTC
had generated a buzz for revealing two new handsets, as well as surprising the world with the
announcement of HTC Magic, the second phone that
ran on Google’s new mobile platform, Android.
As Chou claimed, “We got lots of press exposure, hi
gh visibility, and the response was very positive.
It was the best show we had ever attended.”
1
Indeed, Chou felt that HTC was gaining more respect
as a leading manufacturer of mobile phones. Twelve years ago, the company started out as a
relatively obscure Taiwanese firm that made personal digital assistants (PDAs) for other companies.
HTC then transitioned into the fast-growing sm
artphone category—high-end mobile phones that
could do everything from e-mail to Internet surfing
to playing digita
l video. Dedicati
on to innovation
and perseverance had helped make HTC the world’
s leading manufacturer of smartphones that ran
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. Revenu
e had surged to $4.5 billion, with sales in
more than 70 countries.
Historically, HTC had stayed in the shadows by selling high-quality, unbranded phones to
cellular phone manufacturers and wireless networ
k operators. Then, in 2006, HTC made the risky
decision to start branding phones under its own label, a path that many Taiwanese manufacturers
had tried without success. So far, the new strategy se
emed to have paid off. However, the HTC brand
name still had a long way to go. Chou now wondered: “What should we do to become a powerful,
global brand like Nokia or
Samsung Electronics?”
HTC had also benefited enormously from its long,
close relationship with
Microsoft. However, the
landscape for phone software was changing. Apple, Research In Motion (RIM), Palm, Nokia, and
Google were flooding the market with new, gr
oundbreaking products. Moreover, every major
vendor was launching an app store or related se
rvices, such as music or GPS. Chou openly
questioned, “Where should HTC participate in this
expanding value chain? What should we do to
make HTC unique in one of the most exciting, inno
vative categories in the technology world?”
History
HTC was founded in May 1997 by HT Cho and Cher Wang in a windowless office located in
Taoyuan County, Taiwan. Cho, a soft-spoken,
seasoned Taiwanese engineer, had devoted the
majority of his career to working for Digital
Equipment Corp. (DEC), an industry leader in
minicomputers. As one of DEC’s to
p engineers, Cho had built a solid
reputation for himself for his
quality consciousness, passion for excellence, and
keen attention to detail
s. The two founders had
first met when Cho was searching for a motherbo
ard vendor to manufacture a new PC at DEC’s
709-466
HTC Corp. in 2009
2
Taiwan plant. He ended up selecting First International Computer, Inc., a company run by Cher
Wang’s older sister, Charlene Wang. Cher Wang, wh
o was overseeing the PC division’s international
accounts, became impressed with Cho’s techni
cal competence and skills over the years.
Cher Wang was part of the legendary Wang family
in Taiwan. The late Yung-Ching Wang, one of
the richest men in Taiwan, made a fortune for himsel
f as the founder of Formosa Plastics Group. As
one of his nine children, Cher Wang was sent to th
e United States for high school; during that time
she was required to write letters to her father ev
ery week detailing her daily life and expenditures.
Through their correspondence, Cher Wang gained
an insight into her father’s management
philosophy and skills over his massive business empi
re. Wang took her first step toward running her
own company by purchasing VIA Technologies in 1984, a chipset maker based in California, with a
NT$5 million bank loan (about US$180,000 at the time) guaranteed by a house she received from her
mother as a gift.
2
With fewer than 10 engineers, VIA was relo
cated to a small apartment in Taipei. By
2001, VIA had become the world’s second-large
st supplier of chipsets, a key component for
computers.
Vision for HTC
Cher Wang’s vision to develop a small, handheld
, computer-like device first came when she was
still working at First International Computer. One
morning, she arrived at a remote French train
station, tired and weary from lugging her heavy computer equipment all around Europe. As Wang
paused to rest, she fantasized that maybe, someda
y, she could carry a sma
ll device that performed
everything from computer-based functions to phone ca
lls. After all, she claimed, “as a woman, it is
very important that you carry things light. Ev
erything has to be put inside [the device].”
3
Then, two years later, in 1997, an opportunity
arose over a luncheon Wang had with Philip On, a
general manger at Microsoft. The company ha
d developed Windows CE, a new Windows-based
platform that could operate on smaller PC devices.
However, it was grappling to gain acceptance in
the market and On was wondering what could be done. Cher Wang said she would use Windows CE
to try to make a handheld PC-like device. She approached HT Cho to start a company and
subsequently made an initial investment of NT$5 million.
Despite Wang’s original vision, HTC initially focused on notebooks. As she recalled, “It was
difficult to find engineers who were skilled or willing to make handheld devices at that time because
it was such a distant concept.” Only a small team led by Peter Chou, a talented engineer who also
joined from DEC, worked on handheld products. Chou’s team succeeded in creating the world’s first
pocket-size PC with Microsoft a ye
ar later. In the meantime, HTC’s main notebook business struggled
with high production costs, tec
hnical glitches, and lack of brand recognition. By 1999, losses had
ballooned to $18 million. Cho asked Wang for an additional investment, even offering his own home
as collateral. She willingly agreed
—on the condition that the company exit the notebook business and
focus on handheld devices instead.
Wang had an unwavering belief: “With a vision, we will not get
lost.”
4
From PDAs to Wireless Devices
HTC’s major breakthrough came in 2000 when it
manufactured a PDA, the iPAQ, for Compaq
Computer.
5
HTC was commissioned to be an original design manufacturer (ODM), in charge of
engineering and designing the product for Compaq, which would sell the product under Compaq’s
brand name. The product was Compaq’s attempt to
challenge the Palm Pilot, the revolutionary
product that had defined the market for PDAs. The
iPAQ was the first color-screened PDA that ran
on Microsoft Windows’ CE platform. Users could ru
n Microsoft Office applic
ations, handle e-mail,
and perform other media functions. The iPAQ was
an immediate hit among bu
siness professionals;
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