Steve Case - The Story of AOL's Architect
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Case Details:
Case Code : LDEN017
Case Length : 14 Pages
Period : 1992-2002
Pub Date : 2002
Teaching Note :Not Available
Organization : AOL TW
Industry : Media and Entertainment Countries : USA
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Please note:
This case study was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion. It is not intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Nor is it a primary information source.
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Excerpts Contd...
Taking AOL from Strength to Strength
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According to reports, Case was willing to do anything that
kept customers coming and revenues flowing. According to an April 22, 1997, Wall
Street Journal article, "He woke up one day and decided his business was not
about rationing access to a scarce resource, his business was about attracting
as many eyeballs as possible to his bill-board-lined shopping mall cum singles
bar cum newsstand cum mailbox cum anything else the AOL universe wants it to be.
Mr. Case's plan has always been to capture the biggest online audience any way
he can". Instead of focusing on the competition, Case gave priority to the
customer's needs and desires. According to Case, "The center of gravity has to
be the consumer, what consumers want and how they want it"...
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Case as a Leader
Case, who was a shy guy from his childhood, was more comfortable working on his
computer than interacting with people. Commenting on this, Kimsey said,
"Case is much more at home behind a keyboard than a podium." But Case
admired forceful and charismatic CEOs who became a source of inspiration for
employees...
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Case Steps Down
The attitude of AOL employees towards others was cited as one of the major
reasons for the failure of cultural integration of AOL and TW.
An article
described AOL as, "A fascinating, seductive place with strange language
patterns, curious rituals.
Its inhabitants, AOLiens, dwell on an isolated planet where the Sun never
rises and seasons pass unnoticed. For them, life online is the only way to
live." Analysts attributed this style of work to Case's mission-driven
management style... |
Exhibits
Exhibit I: AOL - Major Acquisitions
Exhibit II: Ten Secrets of Steve Case's Success
Exhibit III: AOL - Financial Highlights
Exhibit IV: Financial Statements of AOL Time Warner (Segment-Wise)
Exhibit V: Share Price Movements after the Merger
Exhibit VI: Salary and Stock Option Gains of Case (1996 - 2001)
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