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Part 1. Case Studies: Case Study 1: The Apache Helicopter Program and A Bet The Company Strategy

This document uses three case studies to illustrate strategic portfolio management: the Apache helicopter, Yellow Roadway Corporation, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The first case study discusses the Apache helicopter program, which employed a "Less is More" design philosophy. It highlights how the winning Apache design helped Hughes Helicopter Company sell for $500 million after previous failed attempts. The case studies are presented to examine the impact of high-quality, low-cost internet collaboration tools on passenger aircraft demand.

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80 views2 pages

Part 1. Case Studies: Case Study 1: The Apache Helicopter Program and A Bet The Company Strategy

This document uses three case studies to illustrate strategic portfolio management: the Apache helicopter, Yellow Roadway Corporation, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The first case study discusses the Apache helicopter program, which employed a "Less is More" design philosophy. It highlights how the winning Apache design helped Hughes Helicopter Company sell for $500 million after previous failed attempts. The case studies are presented to examine the impact of high-quality, low-cost internet collaboration tools on passenger aircraft demand.

Uploaded by

naser shams
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Part 1.

Case Studies

This paper uses three brief case studies to illustrate the application of
Strategic Portfolio Management. The three examples are: 1) the Apache
Helicopter, 2) Yellow Roadway Corporation, and 3) the new Boeing 787
Dreamliner (Exhibit 3) and will ask the question: What will be impact of high-
quality, low-cost, Internet-based collaboration tools on the demand for
passenger aircraft?
The Apache was designed, developed and marketed using the concept of
“Less is More.” But more on that later. As this paper was written, it became
clear the Less Is More model also applied to the other two case studies – just
an interesting coincidence or a useful strategic concept?

Exhibit 3. Three case studies: The Apache Helicopter, Yellow Roadway, and
the Boeing 787

Case Study 1: The Apache Helicopter Program and a Bet the Company
Strategy

The Apache helicopter was designed and built by what was then Howard
Hughes’ Helicopter Company. It is a breathtaking example of wildly successful
strategic decision-making. Before the Apache, Howard Hughes (and his heirs,
after his death in 1976) had tried to give away the Helicopter Company to
other aerospace companies. There were no takers. After winning the Apache
production contract in 1984, Hughes’ heirs were able to sell the company for
half a billion dollars.
The winning Apache design by Hughes Helicopter Company employed a
design philosophy of “Less Is More.” Bell Helicopter was significantly heavier
and slower. Exhibit 4 contrasts the two-rotor blade, heavy, slow design flown
by Bell Helicopter (top) with the four-blade, agile design by Hughes that
ultimately won the flyoff competition.
Exhibit 5 portrays the competitive environment at the time. The Apache had
two types of competition: The first from other branches of the military for the
basic mission, and the second from other Army programs; all competing for a
finite development budget. (Here there were two portfolios operating: the
Army's development portfolio had to fit within the overall DoD portfolio.)
Exhibit 6 provides a model showing some of the external and internal factors
impacting product design acting on the Apache helicopter program. The
Apache was the largest component in the Helicopter Company's strategic
portfolio, but as shown in Exhibit 7 there were a number of other important
components in the portfolio. Lastly Exhibit 7 also looks at the Apache as one
component in the comp
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