Books without borders
: Borders Group Inc.

  • Ana Sofia Miranda Graça (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

The dynamic capabilities theory has attracted increasing attention within the management literature. The abundant research generated disparate definitions of the dynamic capability concept, but a recent attempt was made to consolidate such efforts into a single, robust definition. This thesis provides an analysis of how the distinct dimensions of the dynamic capability concept are performed in real-­‐world situations. To do so, I chose Borders Group Inc., a company that during decades was known as the second largest American bookseller, but in July 2011 announced its liquidation. The teaching case was designed to clearly illustrate the dynamic capabilities theory, demonstrating the usefulness and applicability of the concept. Specifically, the case shows that the dramatic failure of Borders was due to its low levels in all the four dimensions of the dynamic capabilities concept: sensing opportunities and threats, making timely decisions, making market-­‐oriented decisions, and changing the firm's resource base.
Date of AwardJun 2012
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorIlídio Barreto (Supervisor)

Designation

  • Mestrado em Gestão

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