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Case Study

Hewlett-Packard Europe: Rapid development of a retail planning system with Cambridge Technology Partners

By Donald A. Marchand and David Oliver

19 pages

October 1996

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Reference: IMD-3-0652

The case follows Hewlett-Packard Europe (H-P)’s effort to target the new and fast-growing retail distribution channel for its PCs, printers, and other computer peripherals. To succeed in the fast-moving consumer goods marketplace, H-P must build relationships with retailers, requiring a rethink of many of its existing “business-to-business” processes and information systems (IS). H-P asks Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP), a leader in systems integration with an unusual operating methodology, to build a new IS system for its retail account managers. CTP works on a multi-stage, fixed price, fixed schedule basis which allows it to routinely complete projects in months on which most competitors would spend years. CTP finishes the retail account planning system for H-P (named “RAPID”) after minor delays. The case closes in June 1996 with H-P starting to build internal consensus on the need for RAPID, and putting in place related changes to its people, processes, and structures.

Keywords

Retail

Settings

Europe
June 1996

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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Teaching note

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