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Product cover image for Aspetto: Innovation-Based Growth Strategy of a Ballistic Clothing Company

Aspetto: Innovation-Based Growth Strategy of a Ballistic Clothing Company

Arpita Agnihotri, Saurabh Bhattacharya

Product #:W25189
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:Strategy
Setting:United States, 2020
Details:Case (PDF) • 11 pages • 2021-11-15

Subjects:

Strategy

Industries:

Fabrication and manufacturing

Geography:

North AmericaUnited States
Your Price:$10.54

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Virginia-based Aspetto Inc. integrated fashion into its ballistic clothing, which was considered the lightest and strongest in the world. Its customers included the United States Air Force, the United States Marine Corps, the US Department of State, and various law enforcement agencies, as well as civilian consumers. By October 2020, demand for body armour in the civilian market in the United States was increasing, given the growing number of mass shootings in the country. Intending to grow the company through innovation, the two co-founders had to decide whether to prioritize the civilian market or the military market for body armour. How could they ensure growth through innovation? What strategic growth plan would allow them to do this?

Learning Objectives

The case is intended for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses on strategic management, creativity and innovation management, and strategic marketing. The case deals with a growing start-up leveraging innovation. It gives students the opportunity to understand the principles of cross-industry innovation and biomimicry. The case also encourages students to explore whether related or unrelated diversification is an appropriate strategy for a firm. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to
  • critically analyze whether a small firm should focus on business-to-business or business-to-consumer markets;
  • explore routes for growth through innovation;
  • examine the principles of cross-industry innovation and biomimicry;
  • use the strategy diamond framework to carve a growth plan for a firm; and
  • critically analyze the pursuit of related versus unrelated diversification from a core competency perspective.
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Case Study: Aspetto: Innovation-Based Growth Strategy of a Ballistic Clothing Company (English version) | Ivey Publishing