Doing it our way now: the approach this company pioneered is becoming the market's way
The model's full reasoning — Q2 2017 call → NOWe need to determine if management describes that others are adopting or copying the company's way of doing things. The question asks: "On this call, does management describe that the WAY THIS COMPANY DOES THINGS — an approach, product design, technology, method, business model, or way of serving customers that the company pioneered, built, or is identified with — is NOW BEING ADOPTED, COPIED, OR MOVED TOWARD BY OTHERS IN ITS MARKET, so that the company's own way of doing things is becoming the market's way?" We need to look for management's own words indicating that others are following their lead, and that management treats this as validation. In the transcript, there are several mentions of the company's approach, but we need to see if there is any statement that others are adopting or copying. For example, the company talks about its VPN services, its network, its pricing model, etc. But does management say that competitors are now doing what they do? Or that the market is converging on their approach? Let's scan the transcript. The CEO, Dave Schaeffer, talks about the company's value proposition, its network, its focus on Internet and IP connectivity. He mentions that they are a world-class provider. But does he say that others are copying them? He talks about the market being concerned about net neutrality, but that's not about copying. He mentions that the company's VPN services are being used as a replacement for MPLS, and that the incumbents are stuck with high cost structures. He says "the incumbents can't compete" and that they are losing share. That is about the company taking share, not about others adopting their way. He also says "we have in fact as many connections sold per building, as we do and continue to see an accelerating rate of market share gain." That is about the company gaining share, not about others copying. There is no mention of competitors launching products that follow the company's model, or that the industry is converging on their approach. The company talks about its own growth and market share, but not about others imitating. The question specifically asks: "Answer YES when management's own words convey... ONE coherent phenomenon: others are now following the company's lead, and management treats that following as present-day validation of what the company built." There is no such statement.
| Ticker | Company | Call | Date | Call grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AES | The AES Corporation | Q1 2024 | 2024-05-03 | C+ |
| GGR | Gogoro Inc. | Q1 2023 | 2023-05-11 | D |
| TGT | Target Corporation | Q4 2022 | 2023-02-28 | C |
| ORAN | Orange SA | Q2 2018 | 2018-07-26 | B |
| USFD | US Foods Holding Corp. | Q1 2018 | 2018-05-12 | C |
| SHOO | Steven Madden, Ltd. | Q1 2017 | 2017-04-21 | C |
AES · Q1 2024 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that the WAY THIS COMPANY DOES THINGS is NOW BEING ADOPTED, COPIED, OR MOVED TOWARD BY OTHERS IN ITS MARKET, so that the company's own way of doing things is ...
GGR · Q1 2023 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that the way this company does things is now being adopted, copied, or moved toward by others in its market?
TGT · Q4 2022 → YESThe question is: Does management describe that the way this company does things is now being adopted, copied, or moved toward by others in its market?