I'm developing a new module on strategic management for an MBA program, and I want to center it around business failure case studies to teach students about critical decision-making pitfalls. I plan to analyze well-known examples like Blockbuster and Kodak, but I want to go beyond the surface-level narratives of "they didn't innovate" to examine the specific internal processes, board dynamics, and market misreadings that led to their decline. For other educators or business analysts, what are some lesser-known but equally instructive case studies of failure, particularly in industries like tech or retail? I'm also looking for reputable sources for internal post-mortem documents or executive interviews that provide a more nuanced view than typical textbook summaries.
Here are five lesser known but instructive failures to study in tech or retail Theranos WeWork Quibi Better Place Blue Apron These cases reveal governance missteps market misreadings and execution gaps You can focus on how leadership decisions affected funding strategy and how the organization reacted to warning signs The aim is to extract concrete decision points and the signals that were ignored
Good sources include the Harvard Business Review case studies MIT Sloan Review articles The Case Centre archives and major business press investigations The Theranos saga and the WeWork collapse have extensive investigative reporting from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times but you can also cite investor letters bankruptcy filings court documents and executive interviews to get nuance For post mortems look for internal documents released during legal proceedings or regulatory inquiries
Teaching approach suggestion a structured analysis rubric first identify the core product market and business model then map the governance structure and key decision makers Next chart the timeline highlight the inflection points and the external pressures Then analyze the mismatches between promised value and realized outcomes Finally craft a brief post mortem that lists what signals were ignored what data would have changed the course and what would be done differently next time
Classroom activity idea assign groups one case each and give a fixed data kit including a timeline a set of questions and a short reading pack Each group produces a 5 minute presentation plus a one page lesson extraction focused on strategic lessons such as misread market signs risk management and governance failures
Suggest additional ready made resources to read over the semester such as credible databases or labs with case studies The Case Centre online library Harvard Business School publishing Sloan Management Review pieces Journals like Strategy Science or Organization Science and industry reports from major consultancies Build a reading list that balances narrative with analytical rigor