...Running head: HASBRO INTERACTIVE CASE 1 Diego Hidalgo Ottawa University Planning and Budgeting Dr. Kayong Holston Hasbro Interactive case February 8th, 2016 HASBRO INTERACTIVE CASE 2 Introduction In 1995, chief executive of toy and game company Hasbro, Alan Hassenfeld, decided to take a risk on interactive games. During this time, it was believed that interactive games had a brilliant future given the improving multimedia capabilities of a personal computer. Soon after, Tom Dusenberry was charged with building the new division for Hasbro, to be named Hasbro Interactive (Anthony, 2007). This essay analyzes the evolution of Hasbro Interactive, its strategy compared to the traditional businesses, and its success as a division of the company. Hasbro Interactive Case During the developing stages of Hasbro Interactive, many outside experts (software developers) were consulted and hired in order to meet this division's specific demands. Under Dusenberry, Hasbro Interactive saw early revenues generated; these early revenues allowed for early growth and success. After a successful start, the division started acquiring firms that specialized in software development. Therefore, Hasbro Interactive needed to earn revenue from more sales. After the division failed to meet the high target sales, and its departments became over budgeted, it began to lose money. Besides acquiring the software firms...
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...Hasbro, Inc Strategic Management Project MBA 670 Executive Summary & Introduction Corporate Description Company & Industry Description History of the Firm In 1923, two brothers who migrated from Poland started a small business by selling textile remnants. In 1926, the Hassenfeld’s officially organized what is known today as Hasbro Inc. In the 1940’s, the brother duo expanded by offering pencil boxes and school supplies. By 1950, they were ready to leap into another market by introducing its novelty toy, “Mr. Potato Head”. GI Joe was introduced in 1963 producing revenue sells in excess of 28 million dollars the next two years after Hasbro spent nearly 2 million in TV ads (Miller 1998). In addition to toys, Hasbro develops games most notably Monopoly which was first introduced in 1935. Decades later, Hasbro continues to be innovative with product design, introduction of new products, developing brand recognition to maintain being a leader in the game and toy industry. Ownership Characteristics Hasbro Inc is a publicly traded company in the NYSE. Alan Hassenfeld, Chairman of the Board of Hasbro Inc., owns about 4% in shares of the company; while other corporations such as The State Street Corporation and Barkley’s Global Investors UK Holding LTD are the major institutional stockholders and each own approximately 6% of the company. While there are other private stockholders owning significant amount of shares in the company, most of the...
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...Hasbro: An Excellent Employer Hasbro has been rated one of Fortune’s top 100 companies to work for in 2011. “This honor puts the focus on our organization’s greatest assets – our people, our culture, and our commitment to innovating in everything we do,” said Hasbro President and CEO Brian Goldner. “FORTUNE’s “100 Best” selection of Hasbro is a great honor and it is particularly gratifying to see and hear about the tremendous pride employees feel about working at Hasbro” ("Hasbro recognized as," 2011). According to the company’s website, some of their employees’ benefits include: “half-day Fridays all year long, tuition reimbursement, discount toys and games at in-house stores, adoption and foster-care assistance, employee assistance program (EAP), health an dependent-care flexible spending accounts, auto-insurance and home-insurance discounts, Hasbro Employees Federal Credit Union, and Team Hasbro Employee Volunteer Program” ("Making you smile:," ). “Hasbro has long been a leader in toys and games and its transformation into a branded play company has been attributed to the company’s ability to innovate and re-invent, re-imagine and re-ignite its world-class portfolio of brands” ("Hasbro recognized as," 2011). “Hasbro was founded in 1923 by Henry and Merrill Hassenfeld. The company originally sold textile remnants. It soon moved into manufacturing pencils and other school supplies; the first toy manufactured by the company was Mr. Potato Head in the late 1940s. Today...
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...Jefferson Megan Martin Derron Jones Dr. Igewe Udeh BADM 490 November 22, 2010 Hasbro, Inc. Hasbro, Inc.’s focal point is on building a strong global business and further growth of its presence in children and family’s free time, and also the entertainment industry. Hasbro is well balanced to power its incredible portfolio of classic brands globally, regionally, and locally. It aims to achieve these goals with an increased emphasis on global brand marketing and product development, complemented by synchronized regional and local marketing sales activity. Hasbro, Inc. is the second largest toy company in the world behind Mattel, Inc. The company not only produces toys, but also popular culture. From America’s Action Hero to a plastic human sized potato head to vehicles that transform into robots to the largest bird in the world, Hasbro toys are instantly known by millions of Americans. Hasbro makes G. I. Joe, Mr. Potato Head, and Transformers, and owns licenses for Sesame Street characters. Due to an abundance of company take-over in the 1980s and 1990s, it also makes Playskool and Romper Room preschool toys, Tonka trucks, Kenner’s Nerf toys, and Cabbage Patch Kids. Hasbro has become the leading company in the area of board games and puzzles through its ownership of Milton Bradley (maker of Scrabble and Parcheesi) and Parker Brothers (maker of Monopoly). Into the late 1990s and early 21st century, Hasbro has continued to obtain popular brands, such as Pokéman game cards with their...
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...6 REPORT CASE 8.2 “Hasbro Interactive” By : Group 1 Nadya Azahra Rangkuti (023100004) Hanna Dwina Putri (023100066) Fahrina Trinandasari (023100117) Felisitas Yola (023100184) Gabriella Rahajeng Putri (023100208) Trisakti University 2013 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of company In 1923, three brothers, Henry, Hilal, and Herman Hassenfeld, founded Hassenfeld Brothers, a company selling textile remnants, in Providence, Rhode Island. Over the next two decades, the company expanded to produce pencil cases and school supplies. In 1926, Hassenfeld Brothers was incorporated with Hilal leaving for another textile business while Henry took charge of the corporation. With cost of pencils rising and their pencil supplier making pencil cases, Hassenfelds began making their own pencils becoming a source of funding for future lines. In the 1940s, Hassenfeld Brothers produced doctor and nurse kits, its first toys and modeling clay becoming a primarily toy company by 1942. In 1960, Henry died and Merrill took over the parent company and his older brother, Harold, ran the pencil-making business, Empire Pencil. Hassenfeld Brothers expanded to Canada with Hassenfeld Brothers (Canada) Ltd. in 1961. Having previously sold toys under the Hasbro trade name, the company shortened its name to Hasbro Industries in 1968 and sold a minor stake in the corporation to the public. Between 1978 and 1981, Stephen reduced the Hasbro product line by one-third...
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...Individual Assignment (#2) “Hasbro Interactive, Case Study” Strategic Marketing Management (MKT 600) Done By: Dima El Jalbout ID#: 23406 Submitted to: Dr. Elie Asmar Academic Year: Spring 2015-2016 Date: Monday, March 14, 2016 Long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away families had a game night—once a week they'd pull out a stack of boxes from a closet and everyone would flex their knowledge of trivia (Trivial Pursuit), vocabulary (Scrabble), or even their real-estate management skills (Monopoly). All these childhood memories, the related games and much more were created by “Hasbro, Inc”. Unfortunately the company end up being sold to another French company due to many failures discussed below. After Hasbro Inc and Hasbro Interactive and all the rapid growth and success the company has had, it began acquiring software firms and became separate divisions instead of one united entity. The owner was over optimistic; he set very high target sales and revenues which led to lots of missed targets and caused Hasbro interactive to start losing money. Structural challenges were many from which we can mention: * Hasbro’s related companies departments didn’t report to the main division, * No strategic plans for the company (other than acquiring as many companies with no consideration of the prices), * Main division set very aggressive sales expectations due to overconfidence, * Huge revenues gained by Hasbro interactive were spent on large employees’...
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...G.I. Joe has been a brand in the market for toys since its launch in 1964 with $3 billion in sales over the last 20 years, with 16% of the market share. Despite the brands success the GI Joe is positioned as a physical product, as appose to an all-encompassing brand and the toy market has volatile sales depending upon trends created by consumer demand. Hasbro is now challenged to take the G.I. Joe brand to the next level and market it in such a way that will allow the brand continues to thrive while preserving the brands legacy. One major issue facing G.I. Joe besides their competitor Barbie (Mattel) is that the industry has changed drastically in the last decade. The target customer for G.I. Joe is a shrinking market due to technologically savvy youths who prefer playing electronic games as opposed to playing with action figures. In addition, lifecycles within the industry are also getting weak, with 70% of sales belonging to toys released within the last 3 to 4 years. Manufacturers have also adopted a more short-term goal oriented strategy based on the creation of the “instant gratification” attitude among their target market. Retailers have joined manufacturers in shifting their strategies to focus on multipurpose department stores as the primary location to purchase toys, with the top five players comprising 75% of sales of toys in 2003. This has a major effect on one of Hasbro’s core strengths (see appendix) a unique relationship with retailers which is a key asset to...
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...Hasbro Games – POX (A) Situational Analysis * The industry relied on the increased volume for market growth. * “Kids getting older younger.” * Children were losing interests in traditional toys by age 8 and they’re getting more interested in electronics. * Holidays and the forth quarters churned out 70% annual sales. * Cemented its marketer leader position in 1990s. * Three main components for games – fantasy, competition, and collecting. * Hasbro was a leader in the stand-alone category. * It was geared for boys (and girls) aging from 8 to 12. * The target customers were Tweens who were “mature, brand loyal and technologically proficient.” * The life expectancy of grandparents. * Household income was increasing. POX’s SWOT Analysis Strengths | Weaknesses | * Targeting retail price $25 * The game is less confrontational * RF wireless technology * Multi-players at any time anywhere * Small handheld | * Black-and-white display * Delayed action * 1-hour waiting period * Playing as an individual instead of a team | Opportunities | Threats | * Target customer number is over 12 million * Target customers are loyal to brands * Growth of household’s income * Children were spending less time with their parents * Tweens are on to electronics | * Competition from Tamagotchi, Hangman, Radica, etc. * Potential competition from PS2, computer, Internet, etc. * Toy industry is shrinking * Parents are...
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...no. 2-0021 Hasbro Interactive In 1995 at the Tokyo Toy Fair, Alan Hassenfeld, chief executive of toy and game company Hasbro, decided it was time once again for his company to take a risk on interactive games. The company had been stung when betting on the notion that consumers would spurn traditional board games in favor of the electronic variety. However, the personal computer, with its improving multimedia capabilities, looked to be the future of gaming. Mr. Hassenfeld spoke with Tom Dusenberry, an ambitious rising star from Parker Brothers, a game company that Hasbro had acquired in 1991. Familiar with Mr. Dusenberry’s work, Mr. Hassenfeld admired his creativity and capability. Mr. Dusenberry believed that interactive games had a brilliant future. He was also a talented visionary, proficient at activating others’ enthusiasm for futuristic ideas. His effusiveness accelerated Mr. Hassenfeld’s interest, and soon Mr. Hassenfeld charged Mr. Dusenberry with building a new division, to be named Hasbro Interactive. He was to write a business plan, form a team, and go to market, starting with a handful of existing CD-ROM products that Hasbro’s long-standing toy and game divisions had developed in a decentralized fashion. Over the course of his career at Parker Brothers, Mr. Dusenberry gained direct experience in most aspects of the game business. He had started working on a loading dock and had been promoted several times through positions in manufacturing, marketing, and sales...
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...no. 2-0021 Hasbro Interactive In 1995 at the Tokyo Toy Fair, Alan Hassenfeld, chief executive of toy and game company Hasbro, decided it was time once again for his company to take a risk on interactive games. The company had been stung when betting on the notion that consumers would spurn traditional board games in favor of the electronic variety. However, the personal computer, with its improving multimedia capabilities, looked to be the future of gaming. Mr. Hassenfeld spoke with Tom Dusenberry, an ambitious rising star from Parker Brothers, a game company that Hasbro had acquired in 1991. Familiar with Mr. Dusenberry’s work, Mr. Hassenfeld admired his creativity and capability. Mr. Dusenberry believed that interactive games had a brilliant future. He was also a talented visionary, proficient at activating others’ enthusiasm for futuristic ideas. His effusiveness accelerated Mr. Hassenfeld’s interest, and soon Mr. Hassenfeld charged Mr. Dusenberry with building a new division, to be named Hasbro Interactive. He was to write a business plan, form a team, and go to market, starting with a handful of existing CD-ROM products that Hasbro’s long-standing toy and game divisions had developed in a decentralized fashion. Over the course of his career at Parker Brothers, Mr. Dusenberry gained direct experience in most aspects of the game business. He had started working on a loading dock and had been promoted several times through positions in manufacturing, marketing, and sales...
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...Assignment 2: Hasbro Case Analysis Due Friday May 31 by 5PM (on Assignment Tool) 30% Final Mark Complete Assignment in a team of Three (3 or 4) Imagine you are a consultant who has come to the Hasbro Office to discuss moving on from the debacle of Hasbro Interactive. You need to show that you understand the problem, understand the causes of the debacle, and have some recommendations for what HR practices may mitigate these problems happening in the future. Your task is to create 10 minute presentation to the management team which will be delivered electronically. Step 1: Read the Hasbro Case available on LMS under the Assessment button. Step 2: Lots of potential problems potentially contributed to the downfall of Hasbro interactive. Choose what you think are the most important factors in the failure of the business. Below are a number of quotes from the case that identify possible issues for you to focus on. Innovation/Conflict Issue: Ms. Daya’s changes were not welcomed at Hasbro Interactive, where employees bristled at anything that they perceived could dampen innovation and creativity Communication Issue: “We have Hasbro personnel at Hasbro Interactive. They do not feel the need to consult with us because they believe that they know what is going on with the brand. But they can’t do the research that we do and they don’t have the consumer insights that we use to manage our business.” Ethics/Risk Issue: “I learned that there is a fine line between investment...
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...Hasbro Shawna Wells BUSI 544 – Marketing Strategy April 22, 2014 Confidentiality Agreement The undersigned reader acknowledges that the information provided by _______________ in this marketing plan is confidential; therefore, reader agrees not to disclose it without the express written permission of _______________. It is acknowledged by reader that information to be furnished in this marketing plan is in all respects confidential in nature, other than information which is in the public domain through other means and that any disclosure or use of same by reader, may cause serious harm or damage to _______________. Upon request, this document is to be immediately returned to _______________. ___________________ Signature ___________________ Name (typed or printed) ___________________ Date This is a marketing plan. It does not imply an offering of securities. Table of Contents 1.0 Executive Summary 4 2.0 Situation Analysis 5 2.1. Market Summary……………………………………………………………..………………………………..5 2.1.1 Market Analysis………………………………………………………….……………………………5 2.1.2 Market Needs 7 2.1.3 Market Trends 8 2.2 SWOT Analysis 10 2.2.1 Strengths………………………………………………………………………………………………...10 2.2.2 Weaknesses 10 2.2.3 Opportunities 10 2.2.4 Threats 10 2.3 Competition………………………………………………………………………………..…………………….11 2.4 Keys to Success………………………………………………………………………………...
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...Situational Analysis Hasbro Inc. owns the very successful brand, G.I. Joe that is an icon in the toy industry. G.I. Joe has been a dominate factor in the market for toys since its launch in 1964. The brand has been able to stand the test of time and its creators have successfully preserved the brand throughout the years. Hasbro’s challenge is to market the G.I. Joe brand in such a way, so that it can become a mega brand like its competitor Mattel with its mega brand Barbie. The toy market has volatile sales depending upon trends created by consumer demand. The market is also very seasonal in which sales are typically best during the Christmas shopping season. The target customer for Hasbro Inc. is a shrinking market due to technologically savvy youths who prefer to graduate to playing electronic games as opposed to playing with action figures. The target customer is now very segmented to young boys and older collectors that are loyal to the brand. Hasbro Inc. has to discern how to use the strong brand G.I. Joe to thrive while preserving the brand. Formulation of Options Hasbro Inc has the optional of using a traditional approach to marketing the G.I. Joe brand, which has proven successful historically in the toy business. Hasbro Inc. can also choose to market the line with additional media included as an added feature to the purchase. Hasbro Inc. can also do nothing, G.I. Joe’s brand is recognizable to most America families, and the product dominates the aisle in the toy stores...
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...Gevork Sarkisyan Executive Summary Tonka Corporation The name Tonka brings back many childhood memories for a vast majority of people in this class. The word has become synonymous with its signature yellow trucks. Nevertheless, Tonka is much more than the toy truck that we all grew to love. Mound Metalcraft was created in 1946 in the small town of Mound, Minnesota by Lynne E. Bake, Avery F. Crouse and Alvin F. Tesch. The first products produced by the young company were two versions of a metal tie rack, and the founders had originally planned on manufacturing garden equipment. The former occupant of their building, Streater Company, had made and patented several toys. Mr. Streater was not interested in the toy business and approached the three men at Mound Metalcraft. The three men at Mound Metalcraft thought they might make a good side business to complement their other products. After some slight modifications to the design by Alvin Tesch and the addition of a new logo, the word Tonka, which means “great” or “big”, was born and the company began selling metal toys. Soon enough, this became their primary business and in 1955 the company changed their name from Mound Metalcraft to Tonka Incorporated. Fast-forward 30-years, Tonka had become the 5th largest toy company in the United States with sales exceeding 293 million a year and net profit of 22 million, which was unprecedented in the toy industry at the time. In 1983, the top five toy companies in...
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...#1 Free Legal Website FindLaw.com is the leading and largest online resource for legal information. For basic legal issues to more complex ones, you’ll find thousands of helpful articles, a legal community to get answers to your specific questions, an attorney directory, blogs, news, DIY forms, and much more. Illegal Interview Questions and Female Applicants Unfor tunately, women are often subject to certain forms of employment discrimination -- even before being hired for a job. Despite warnings to the contrar y, some employers ask inappropriate questions during the job interview process that border on illegality including questions about a female applicant’s family life, marital status, and child rearing plans. Employers often ask questions of this nature due to the assumption that female employees are not as committed to their work, or will be absent and less productive than their male counterpar ts. When these assumptions surface during the job interview and later in the hiring and firing process employers face the potential for violating laws aimed at preventing employment discrimination . Anti-Discrimination Laws Relating to Female Applicants Both federal and state laws prohibit employment discrimination of many kinds. For instance, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Similarly, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discriminations in the workplace...
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