Casos de Ensino/ Gest o: Webfilmes: Aluguel de Filmes em Tempos de Pipoca Virtual

The present teaching case deals with a critical strategic decision point in the life of Webfilmes, an important player in the Brazilian movie rental market. Motivated by a clear and gradual change in how consumers watch movies, its executives have to analyze the possible roads that lie ahead of them. New technologies can seriously affect the business model that Webfilmes has been working with recently, with relative success. The case affords students a more historical view on which to base their decisions, analyzing technological changes on the entertainment market since the early twentieth century from a dynamic understanding of this market’s forces; furthermore, the dependence and profile based on these technologies has a strong regulatory component. The type of discussion that is made possible by this case is believed to be of great benefit to students of disciplines related to strategic technology management since it focuses on non-technical business aspects. Moreover, it is recommended for post-graduate students as it has a medium level of difficulty.