Case Scenario 1: B.B. Mangler B.B. Mangler is a top U.S.business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair, and service equipment, components, and supplies such as compressors, motors, signs,...

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Q U E S TI O N 1
1. Case Scenario 1: B.B. Mangler

B.B. Mangler is a top U.S. business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair, and service
equipment, components, and supplies such as compressors, motors, signs, lighting and welding
equipment, and hand and power tools. Customers include contractors, service and maintenance
shops, manufacturers, hotels, government, and health care and educational facilities. Mangler's
industry is typically referred to as MRO, which is an acronym for maintenance, repair, and supplies.
Mangler states its strategy as having the "capacity to quickly offer an unmatched breadth of lowest
total cost MRO solutions to business." Mangler's GoMRO sourcing center for indirect spot buys
locates products through its unique database of 8,000 suppliers and 5 million products. Mangler
also dominates the North American market in terms of its sheer local physical presence. It has 388
physical branches in the U.S. largest cities, including Puerto Rico (90% of sales), 184 in Canada, and
five in Mexico. This physical presence also has garnered them a reputation for excellent,
dependable service in their target markets, which in turn translates into a vast and loyal clientele.

1. Question: Mangler's physical locations are best an example of:


a core competency

a capability

an intangible resource

a tangible resource
5 points
Q U E S TI O N 2
1. Mangler's reputation among its customers is an example of:

a core competency

a capability

an intangible resource

a tangible resource
5 points
Q U E S TI O N 3
1. The Internet threatens to displace physical locations as a basis for competitive advantage. If
Mangler's vast network of branch offices were an integral part of its core competencies, what might
the branches become if the basis for competitive advantage in the MRO industry moves to the
Internet?

a core rigidity

a capability

a valuable capability

an internal strength
5 points
Q U E S TI O N 4
1. Case Scenario 2: Abrahamson's Jewelers
Through its sole location in an affluent suburb of San Francisco, Abrahamson's Jewelers has
established a strong niche market in the upscale jewelry store segment. Abrahamson's was founded
in 1871 and is currently owned and operated by John Wickersham, who bought the firm from its
namesake founders in 1985. Wickersham joined the firm as a trainee out of high school, completed
his gemology training, and several years later took ownership with the...