On 15 May 2001, the first Apple retail store was opened to the public at Tysons Corner, Virginia, and the same day a second store was opened in Glendale, California. With retail branded experiences virtually unknown in the industry at the time, the decision to launch the Apple retail programme was greeted with scepticism.

This case introduces the application of blue ocean strategy in the context of managing a business portfolio at the corporate level. Apple created future profits and growth not by exploiting existing demand, but by reconstructing industry boundaries to create new market space and unlock latent demand.

Delta Electronics, an automotive supplier, moves from delivering components to integrated systems of hardware and software. The company is facing the entry of Sun's Java and Microsoft's Windows CE into automotive electronics. Delta must decide which of the two possible standards to follow, and understand how the entry of these software platforms changes its own competitive position.

In February 1996, Merton Electronics was reviewing its currency risk position. Its principal foreign suppliers were Japanese and fluctuations of the dollar/yen exchange rate during the past 2-3 years seemed to have had a serious impact on costs and earnings.