Reference no: EM133948886
eHarmony Case Study
Questions:
1. Evaluate the external environment AND the structure of eHarmony's industry using Porter's Five Forces. How structurally attractive is the on-line personals industry?
2. Are there different segments in the industry? How is competition different in the different segments?
3. Do first mover advantages exist in platform industries? What are some of the sources of first mover advantage in that type of industry? If first-mover advantages do not exist in platform industries, why not?
4. What competitive advantages does eHarmony have (if any)? Why is eHarmony so selective about who is allowed to join their platform?
5. What generic strategy did eHarmony use when they entered the market? Did this generic strategy fit E-harmony's resources and capabilities?
6. Who are eHarmony's competitors? How serious is the competitive threat to eHarmony? What strategic resources or capabilities would a competitor need to overtake eHarmony?
7. By the end of the case, eHarmony is presented with four options to deal with the increasing competition. Which option(s) should they choose given their resource constraints? Please explain why.
8. Based on your own speculation, how do you think COVID19 and the era post COVID19 would affect the online personals industry? If you think there is an effect, please explain why. Please also explain why if you think there is no effect.