Authors of our own misfortune?: Crandall University Bookstore writes its future

Abstract

In 2014 the eponymous campus bookstore is in a tenuous position – increasing textbook prices and new competitors who are leveraging technology to capture their traditional market (students) have served to deplete revenues and shake the very foundations of an established business model. Authors of Our Own Misfortune? traces the experience of the Crandall University Bookstore – an independent campus bookstore at a small university in Moncton, NB, Canada – as its manager seeks to plan for its future. Principal issues explored in the case surround how to respond to new entrants who are exploiting innovation to change industry fundamentals and product diversification in an environment characterized by dominant and powerful suppliers who are moving to become competitors.