Problem 1. Hypothetically, if the Cheesecake Factory did not have any international operations and only their 165 stateside locations, how would the Cheesecake Factory go international? What are the various options they have and ways they could become successful internationally?
Problem 2. Blockbuster was a chain of video rental physical stores, with more than 9,000 stores at its peak. It lost in the strategic competition to Netflix and in September, 2010 the chain filed for bankruptcy Dish Network bought the remaining 1,700 Blockbuster stores. In November 2013 Dish announced they are shutting the remaining 300 stores. Why did they pay $300 million for the firm and why are they closing it now?
Problem 3. Ford offers many different versions of its full-sized, F-150 truck, to meet the needs and price point of many different consumer segments. What is another product and firm that shows how a single product can be adapted to meet the needs of different market segments including issues of price, product features, positioning and perceived quality? How do these different segments have different consumer needs? Is this a strategy that should be more broadly used, or is it one that only applies in a few, limited circumstances?