2. The House of Cortez This case study has been prepared by Lee Lagdameo as a basis for class discussion. C 2002 All Rights Reserved.

3. Chris Cortez looked out the window of the House of Cortez penthouse office. As president and CEO of the highly successful line of men’s intimate apparel, Cortez must now decide the long-term strategy of his company.

4. HISTORY: Chris Cortez was the most boisterous student of AIM’s MBM2002. He wouldn’t hesitate to accuse fellow casemates of nocturnal inebriation just to defend his point in class.

5. After hours, however, Chris would lounge around in his dorm room wearing only his boxers. He always wondered why his dorm mates would ogle at him for hours in this state when they wouldn’t give him the time of day outside the dorm.

6. After graduation, Chris served a short stint in the banking industry. Bored, he tried a hand as a player in the emerging sumo industry. His outrageous thong outfits, however, proved disastrous with the conservative Japanese audience. Nevertheless, his fashion sense would serve him well.

7. Returning to the banking sector, Chris wore bras of his own design to support his sagging male breasts. Since the material showed through the sheer barong tagalog, male co-workers were wowed by his bold statement (as well as his pro-active body care).

8. When orders started coming in, Chris decided to leave corporate life once more & enter the bra-making industry. His biggest break came when FHM made him the first male model ever to grace it’s cover. Chris became an overweight--err, overnight sensation.

9. Chris turned to his AIM training every step of the way, using child labor to address production issues (never mind that it was a DM case and not OM ). Chris also hired that master of amorality, his old roommate Benjie Go, to supervise plant production.

10. When rival firms started coming out with their own versions of men’s bras (Triumph for Him, Victor’s Secret), Chris innovated in design. The LiBra, Bra-zil, & PenumBra were early successes. He also rode on the popularity of the Harry Potter movies by promoting the ABracadaBra.

11. With worldwide sales hitting $1 Billion, Chris could hardly rest on his laurels. Critics were accusing him of having implants, while Benjie Go has already started an copycat plant in China. What should Chris Cortez do to secure the success of the House of Cortez in the future?