Case Study

K'NEX (B): 1991-1994 USA - entering a market dominated by giants

14 pages
June 1997
Reference: IMD-3-0700

The K’NEX cases (A,B,C) focus on entrepreneurship–both in setting up a new business and in keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive in large established organizations–and on internationalization. Case B describes how toy manufacturer Hasbro and other large toy manufacturers turned Glickman’s idea down and how he started to market the toy (‘K’NEX’) himself. Even though K’NEX competed in a market dominated by powerful construction toy maker–Lego–, it became a success in the USA. The immediate issue in case B is how Glickman could take his product international. The basic issue is to discuss the timing and the different strategies for going international. Case B is accompanied by video B, showing an interview with Joel Glickman.

Keywords
New Product Launch, Toy
Settings
United States of America
1991-1994
Type
Field Research
Copyright
© 1997
Available Languages
English
Related material
Teaching note, Video
Case clearing houses
IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Discover our latest research
IMD's faculty and research teams publish articles, case studies, books and reports on a wide range of topics