IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sajbmc/v10y2021i2p167-179.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Repelolicer: A Reality or Snake Oil

Author

Listed:
  • Umer Hussain
  • Bo Yu

Abstract

While head lice continue to be a worldwide health issue, there remains a dearth of scholarship detailing how various organizations are developing different products to deal with this problem. In this case study, the authors ponder upon a novel entrepreneurial idea developed by the students to tackle the lice issue in Pakistan. A team of students developed Repelolicer, an ultrasonic wave-emitting hairband to stop lice infestation among younger-aged girls. The Repelolicer team developed various strategies to target the Pakistani market. However, due to inadequate knowledge of the external market, the entrepreneurial idea failed to succeed. Research Objective: This case study aimed to explore challenges faced by an entrepreneurial venture using the first-mover strategy while penetrating the lower strata market via a product, which had a stigmatized effect. Link to Theory: In the extant scholarship, first-movers are considered to have strategic advantages against new rivals. In this study, we explore the disadvantages of first-mover in a complex Pakistani market situation through the lens of the resource-based view (RBV) and industrial organization (IO) perspective. Phenomenon Studied: This case study focuses on exploring the reasons behind the failure of tech-based first-movers (i.e., Repelolicer) in the Pakistani market scenario. The study also elucidates various external factors—a new venture should explore before launching a product in a Pakistani market situation. Case Context: The context in this case study is the lice problem among younger-aged girls in Pakistan’s lower strata market. Findings: The study participants unveiled that despite Repelolicer having competitive advantages because of internal factors, the Repelolicer team could not fully understand invisible forces in the external market. This lack of understanding led to their product failure. The Repelolicer team was also unable to comprehend how the product design might have further escalated the stigma attached to lice in society. Lastly, their pricing and promotion strategy was incompatible with the complex market situation. Discussions: This study adds to the limited knowledge about first-movers’ disadvantages in developing countries, such as Pakistan. The study results revealed that being a first-mover, even with all the adequate resources, is not always advantageous. The new ventures can especially face disastrous consequences for being the first-mover due to their lack of experience and knowledge of the local market. The study results also showed that new ventures should take the IO perspective with the RBV approach to succeed in a complicated market situation. The theoretical and practical implications of the case study have been outlined.

Suggested Citation

  • Umer Hussain & Bo Yu, 2021. "Repelolicer: A Reality or Snake Oil," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 10(2), pages 167-179, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sajbmc:v:10:y:2021:i:2:p:167-179
    DOI: 10.1177/22779779211014635
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/22779779211014635
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/22779779211014635?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chakravarthi Narasimhan & Özge Turut, 2013. "Differentiate or Imitate? The Role of Context-Dependent Preferences," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(3), pages 393-410, May.
    2. Uşar, Damla Durak & Denizel, Meltem & Soytaş, Mehmet Ali, 2019. "Corporate sustainability interactions: A game theoretical approach to sustainability actions," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 196-211.
    3. Finney, R. Zachary & Lueg, Jason E. & Campbell, Noel D., 2008. "Market pioneers, late movers, and the resource-based view (RBV): A conceptual model," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(9), pages 925-932, September.
    4. Sabatier, Mareva & Chollet, Barthélemy, 2017. "Is there a first mover advantage in science? Pioneering behavior and scientific production in nanotechnology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 522-533.
    5. Marvin B. Lieberman & David B. Montgomery, 1988. "First‐mover advantages," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(S1), pages 41-58, June.
    6. Gary L. Lilien & Eunsang Yoon, 1990. "The Timing of Competitive Market Entry: An Exploratory Study of New Industrial Products," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(5), pages 568-585, May.
    7. Agarwal, Rajshree & Gort, Michael, 2001. "First-Mover Advantage and the Speed of Competitive Entry, 1887-1986," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 44(1), pages 161-177, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Agam Gupta & Arqum Mateen & Divya Sharma & Uttam K. Sarkar & Vinu Cheruvil Thomas, 2019. "Combating incumbency advantage of network effects: The role of entrant’s decisions and consumer preferences," Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, , vol. 20(1), pages 3-32, March.
    2. Savastano Marco & Anagnoste Sorin, 2020. "Pioneering Strategies in Retail Settings: An Empirical Study of Successful Practices," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 15(4), pages 643-663, December.
    3. April M. Franco & MB Sarkar & Rajshree Agarwal & Raj Echambadi, 2009. "Swift and Smart: The Moderating Effects of Technological Capabilities on the Market Pioneering-Firm Survival Relationship," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(11), pages 1842-1860, November.
    4. Vareska Van de Vrande & Wim Vanhaverbeke, 2013. "How Prior Corporate Venture Capital Investments Shape Technological Alliances: A Real Options Approach," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 37(5), pages 1019-1043, September.
    5. Park, Gunno & Shin, Seungryul Ryan & Choy, Minkyung, 2020. "Early mover (dis)advantages and knowledge spillover effects on blockchain startups’ funding and innovation performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 64-75.
    6. Yao, Xinlin & Zhang, Peiran & Lu, Xianghua & Huang, Lihua, 2020. "Early or Late? Entry timing in online IT service markets and the moderating effects of market characteristics," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 265-277.
    7. Sabatier, Mareva & Chollet, Barthélemy, 2017. "Is there a first mover advantage in science? Pioneering behavior and scientific production in nanotechnology," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 522-533.
    8. Gianluigi Giustiziero & Aseem Kaul & Brian Wu, 2019. "The Dynamics of Learning and Competition in Schumpeterian Environments," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 668-693, July.
    9. Chen, Chia-Hui & Ishida, Junichiro & Mukherjee, Arijit, 2023. "Pioneer, early follower or late entrant: Entry dynamics with learning and market competition," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    10. García-Villaverde, Pedro M. & Ruiz-Ortega, María J. & Parra-Requena, Gloria, 2012. "Towards a comprehensive model of entry timing in the ICT industry: Direct and indirect effects," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 297-310.
    11. Brett W. Cantrell & Victoria Dickinson, 2020. "Conditional Life Cycle: An Examination of Operating Performance for Leaders and Laggards," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(1), pages 433-451, January.
    12. Kendall, Ryan, 2021. "Sequential competitions with a middle-mover advantage," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Oscar Gutiérrez & Francisco Ruiz-Aliseda, 2011. "Real options with unknown-date events," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 171-198, May.
    14. Manrique Hernández-Ramírez & Ronald Mora-Esquivel & Juan Carlos Leiva, 2022. "Orientación emprendedora y desempeno innovador en mipymes. El rol moderador de la orientación estratégica," Estudios Gerenciales, Universidad Icesi, vol. 38(162), pages 95-108, March.
    15. Nicodemus M. Mutinda & James M. Kilika, 2019. "TMT Cognitive Capability and Organizational Outcomes: A Theoretical Review," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(8), pages 31-52, August.
    16. Wilhelm, Wilbert E. & Xu, Kaihong, 2002. "Prescribing product upgrades, prices and production levels over time in a stochastic environment," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 138(3), pages 601-621, May.
    17. Javier Garcia-Sanchez & Luiz F. Mesquita & Roberto S. Vassolo, 2014. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger: The evolution of competition and entry-order advantages in economically turbulent contexts," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(13), pages 1972-1992, December.
    18. Lee, Kyungyul & Kwon, Youngsun, 2018. "How does the competitive intensity affect the firm's product strategies?," 22nd ITS Biennial Conference, Seoul 2018. Beyond the boundaries: Challenges for business, policy and society 190406, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    19. Frank Daumann & Florian Follert & Daniel Hamacher & Lasse Plöhn, 2021. "First Mover Advantage in Team Sports," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 41(4), pages 2393-2400.
    20. Armstrong, Michael J & Levesque, Moren, 2002. "Timing and quality decisions for entrepreneurial product development," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 88-106, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:sajbmc:v:10:y:2021:i:2:p:167-179. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.