The case looks at Maxium’s drive for sustainable competitive advantage to fight margin deterioration in the highly competitive leasing industry. Many changes in the external environment–increasing power of bank’s as well as manufacturer’s own leasing divisions, industry consolidation, e-commerce for example–meant that in order to differentiate its services and protect its margins, Maxium was forced to consider several options. These included refining their current strategy or considering various alternatives ranging from focusing more on their core competencies, segmenting the market differently, developing strategic partnerships, and more intimate customer relations, for example. The B case looks at the strategic plans Maxium implemented over subsequent years.
