MySpace Makes Space to Change

This story is a must to use with A2 students looking for a relevant, topical strategy case…

Former darling of the social networking market, MySpace has suffered terribly from the rise of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  Substantial organisational and cultural change is on the Board agenda - so 30% of the staff are to leave.

The aim, according to the CEO, is to make MySpace “an efficient and nimble team-oriented company”.

This super, short article in the Guardian is packed with points that A2 students could consider:

- Why is structural and financial change so important for MySpace?
- Why has MySpace lost market share to Facebook, Twitter and others?
- Will new leadership necessarily improve the fortunes of the business?
- To what extent might MySpace’s ownership by global media giant News Corp have been a factor in the decline of the business? Might it have been more successful if it had maintained its independence?

Should you buy Facebook shares? [17 May 2012]
Competitiveness and organisational structure - a great example of delayering [20 Apr 2012]
Takeovers and Mergers: Facebook & Instagram in News Clips [14 Apr 2012]
Instagram - the business with no revenues, worth $1bn [9 Apr 2012]
ResearchBuster: Retrenchment [4 Apr 2012]
BUSS4 2012 - Keeping in Touch using the #BUSS4 Hashtag [19 Mar 2012]
Mark Zuckerberg - the richest person in the world! [11 Feb 2012]
Buying-in to the Facebook culture [5 Feb 2012]
Strategic choice: What should Facebook do with cash from the IPO? [30 Jan 2012]
Business Studies Teachers on Twitter (updated 15 September 2011) [15 Sep 2011]
Rupert Murdoch and Leadership - Should a CEO Know What’s Going On? [20 Jul 2011]
Corporate longevity: the lessons from IBM’s 100th birthday [14 Jun 2011]
MySpace and the product life cycle [27 Mar 2011]
Dont make a hash of it! Using hash tags on Twitter [15 Feb 2011]
How two Econ/Business departments are using Facebook with students [14 Feb 2011]
Why Should Business & Economics Teachers Use Twitter? [6 Feb 2011]
Is Facebook worth $50bn? [4 Jan 2011]
MySpace v Facebook - Can the MySpace CEO really change strategy successfully? [3 Dec 2010]
Aims & Objectives: Twitter and Facebook both aim to reach 1 billion users [12 Oct 2010]
The Social Network - the Facebook Business Story [30 Aug 2010]
Tutor2u on Facebook [24 Aug 2010]
Tracking the popularity of global brands on social networks [13 Jul 2010]
AQA BUSS4 Section B Practice Question - ITV & News Corp [7 Feb 2010]
Business teachers on Twitter [29 Oct 2009]
Is Friends Reunited in freefall? [2 Aug 2009]
Corporate culture - inside the HQ of Twitter [15 Jul 2009]
Social networking and the product life cycle [5 Mar 2009]
Twitter - the alternative view [3 Mar 2009]
Fraser’s Jam unlikely to get stuck in 2009 [28 Dec 2008]
8megapixel cameraphones threaten the digital camera market [27 Aug 2008]
Protecting a business idea - Scrabulous under fire [2 Aug 2008]
Cash flow problems could mean its a wrap… [26 Jul 2008]
Bill Gates knocked off the top spot in the ‘World’s Richest’ rankings [6 Mar 2008]
The Social Network that Friends Forgot [27 Feb 2008]

BUSINESS TEACHER RESOURCE NEWSLETTER
Get first news of business teaching resources, ideas and other materials from tutor2u. Over 9,400 business teachers from the UK and around the world receive our regular teacher email newsletters. Sign up for free here!