Publications
Publications
- October 1986 (Revised November 1988)
- HBS Case Collection
B-W Footwear
By: David B. Yoffie
Abstract
As import penetration into the American footwear market reached 81% in 1986, B-W Footwear, along with all of its American competitors, was struggling. Supply lines were deteriorating, retailers and importers were gaining power, and the government had rejected two consecutive petitions for protection. Like all industries faced with comparative cost disadvantages in international competition, footwear firms such as B-W have to find new ways to compete. This case explores different survival strategies for managing comparative disadvantage.
Keywords
Competitive Strategy; Management; Globalization; Government and Politics; Business Strategy; Trade; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States
Citation
Yoffie, David B. "B-W Footwear." Harvard Business School Case 387-022, October 1986. (Revised November 1988.)