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Alphabetically : A
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 ’ANTI-X SYSTEM ROLLOUT AND AWARENESS‘: A CASE OF JZ BANK LIMITED
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| 5 pp.
| Case
Mirza, J K — Air University
Shad, I U — Air University
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 909-012-1 Language: English
Category: Knowledge, Information and Communications Systems Management Data source: Field research
Product Year: 2009
Geo location: Pakistan Industry: Banking Size: 5,000 employees Timing: 2008
Topics: Project management; Change management; Information security; Control and awareness
Abstract: This case is about a semi-government bank where ICT (information and communication technology) is in its renaissance. Legacy banking applications with a limited compass ie; loan lending and loan recuperation. Computers are the surrogate of typewriters, they provide local and wide area network services, internet services and inter-branch connectivity via VPNs (virtual private networks). The absence of project management methodologies and information security controls causes network outage, formatting of computers, viruses all around the network, latency, corrupt data files from field formations and social engineering attacks. This is due to the lack of information security awareness among all tiers of management. Top management realises the need and importance of project management methodologies in their projects and information security controls to be placed in the bank. In the first phase, the PMO (project management office) was established and Anti-X software (antivirus, antimalware, antispyware, host intrusion prevention / detection, host firewall) is procured and rolled out across head office with more than 500 nodes network. Prior to this implementation, project management processes were decided and the test bed was prepared for two weeks in order to simulate the bank’s ICT operations and to circumvent the resistance by the computer user, whilst also blocking their software applications, software, games, blocking of their USB p
Source: ecch
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| (OP 6/2009 per HBS) (OP 3/2009 per HBS) AD Choices
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| 8 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Wheeler, Michael A.; Sebenius, James K.; Aaron, Marjorie C
Publication Date: 03/04/2008 Revision Date: 03/11/2009
Product Type: Note
Publisher: Harvard Business School
HBS Number: 908040
Subjects: Negotiations; Alternative dispute resolution; Arbitration; Business law
Academic Discipline: Negotiations
Supplementary Materials: Video Supplement, (910702), 36p, by Michael A. Wheeler,James K. Sebenius
Product Description: Six different business disputes, all in the shadow of pending litigation, are described. Students are asked to recommend the appropriate method of dispute resolution (mediation, arbitration, mini-trial, etc.) for each one, depending on the circumstances, especially to assess likely barriers to unassisted negotiation.
Source: Harvard
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| 8 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Wheeler, Michael A.; Sebenius, James K.; Aaron, Marjorie C
Publication Date: 03/04/2008 Revision Date: 03/11/2009
Product Type: Note
Publisher: Harvard Business School
HBS Number: 908040
Subjects: Negotiations; Alternative dispute resolution; Arbitration; Business law
Academic Discipline: Negotiations
Supplementary Materials: Video Supplement, (910702), 36p, by Michael A. Wheeler,James K. Sebenius
Product Description: Six different business disputes, all in the shadow of pending litigation, are described. Students are asked to recommend the appropriate method of dispute resolution (mediation, arbitration, mini-trial, etc.) for each one, depending on the circumstances, especially to assess likely barriers to unassisted negotiation.
Source: Harvard
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| A Cautionary Tale for Emerging Market Giants
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| 12 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Black, J. Stewart; Morrison, Allen J.
Publication Date: 09/01/2010
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: R1009J
Geographic Setting: Japan
Subjects: Global business; Emerging markets; Leadership
Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Product Description: Competitors from the developing world are rising fast. Will they come to rule the global economy? Not necessarily, say Insead’s Black and Morrison, who argue that today‘s emerging giants look an awful lot like Japanese corporations in the 1990s. Japan's star has since fallen, and the country no longer dominates the Global 500 as it once did. Drawing on 25 years of research, the authors found that four factors drove Japanese firms' early export growth: strong corporate models and cultures; a domestic market isolated from competition; an agreeable labor force; and cohesive, homogenous leadership. But when the firms moved into foreign markets, those strengths became downfalls. Entrenched in their corporate ways, they were too narrow-minded to look for local insights, and they lacked leaders who had international knowledge. They were also unprepared for contentious overseas labor relations and the sophistication and expertise of their global competitors. To avoid Japan's fate, emerging giants must change their business models, reduce their reliance on protected domestic markets, learn to cope with diverse labor, and shake up their leadership.
Source: Harvard
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| A Day in the Life
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| 11 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Steven Lance Popejoy
Source: Annual Advances — 2005
Subjects: Human resources; Legal; Ethics
Description: This is a case that concerns problems faced by Rob Peterson, Chief Operating Officer for the accounting firm of Hale, Price and Lancaster (HPL). On a day when human resource issues seemed to be dominating his time, Peterson had to deal with two potentially explosive issues that could have created legal liability exposure for his firm. In the first incident, he was faced with terminating an underperforming employee who could contest the decision by claiming discriminatory treatment based on any one, or all, of three areas: disability, gender, and age. The second incident resulted from a promising college recruit who, in an office interview with Peterson, told him that she had leukemia. Among other issues to be considered was the fact that by including her on the firm’s health insurance plan, HPL may have to be forced ultimately to drop health coverage for all of its employees. The case is designed to generate discussion on 1) how to handle various discrimination issues that often arise during the employment process, particularly those focusing on disability, gender, and age, and 2) how to deal with ethical issues that sometimes accompany legal problems. Additionally, the case will show students that critical incidents do not necessarily occur one at a time but may create simultaneous problems that must be dealt with immediately. It is appropriate for undergraduate courses in human resource management and business law, as well as master‘s level courses dealing with HRM, employment law, and business ethics issues.
Source: SOCCR
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| A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products
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| 11 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Collins, Elizabeth L.
Publication Date: 04/11/2008
Product Type: Case
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: 2177
Geographic Setting: United States
Subjects: Organizational behavior; Leadership; Personal strategy & style; Human resources management; Career advancement; Product management; 360-degree feedback; Relationship management; Managing difficult interactions; Top performers
Academic Discipline: General management
Supplementary Materials: Case Teaching Note, (2180), 7p, by Elizabeth L. Collins,Larry E. Greiner
Product Description: Alex Sander is a new product manager whose drive and talents are attractive to management, but whose intolerant style has alienated employees. This tension is presented against the backdrop of a 360 performance review process. Sander works in the Toiletries Division of Landon Care Products, which has recently been acquired by a European beauty company. Sander is leading the launch of a European skin care product into the U.S. market, which requires working with a multinational product development team. Sander’s interactions with peers and direct reports in the case paint a picture of a tough, inflexible high achiever who uses temper as a management tool. At the end of the day, Sander‘s supervisor Sam Glass will provide Sander with 360 performance feedback-the first time this process has been used at Landon. Sander remains skeptical about the value of the process and feedback, and of a long-term fit with the organization. On the other hand, Glass has a very high personal interest in keeping Sander at the company, but wonders how the organization can best develop and manage this star performer.
Source: Harvard
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| A FAILURE TO INTEGRATE: PHARMACIA & UPJOHN (B)
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| 4 pp.
| Case
Morosini, P — EPFL Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Coughlan, S — EPFL Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 307-197-1 Language: English
Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2007
Geo location: UK, Europe, USA Industry: Pharmaceuticals Size: US$7 billion sales Timing: November 1995 to April 2003
Topics: Merger; Acquisition; Integration; Corporate culture; National culture; Managerial trust; Negotiation; Cultural differences; Communications; Centralisation
Abstract: This is the second of a two-case series (307-196-1 and 307-197-1). November 1995. In the wake of the merger between Swedish Pharmacia and US-based Upjohn (P&U), a structure was rolled out that was designed to preserve the cultural identity of the main groups involved and to devolve decision making. This was the approach that had been successfully used when Pharmacia had acquired Farmitalia-Carlo Erba (FICE) in 1992. Within the new P&U structure, three regional pharmaceutical product centres (PPCs) were created, each with broad responsibility for: (1) discovery research; (2) product development; (3) strategic marketing; (4) manufacturing; and (5) support and administration. One PPC was located in the US, another in Sweden and the last in Italy. This previously successful approach proved less effective for this transatlantic ’merger of equals‘. Maintaining three separate regional PPCs failed to help create a single corporate culture in P&U. This lack of a common identity compounded the difficulty of co-ordinating across borders in vital areas such as R&D (research and development), manufacturing and logistics. In the two years following the merger, P&U experienced continuous decline in sales and earnings. In 1997, it was undeniable: the merger was failing badly, exceeding cost
Source: ecch
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| A Giant Among Women
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| 15 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Shih, Willy; Bernstein, Ethan S.; Bernstein, Maly Hout; Wang, Jyun-Cheng; Wei, Yi-Ling
Publication Date: 04/16/2010
Product Type: Case (Field)
Publisher: Harvard Business School
HBS Number: 610096
Geographic Setting: Asia Gross Revenue: US$350M
Event Year Start: 1971 Event Year End: 2009
Subjects: Operations; Consumer marketing; Product positioning; Test markets; Product introduction; Business to consumer
Academic Discipline: Operations management
Product Description: Few CEOs successfully manage the evolution of their companies from OEM outsourcer to branded manufacturer to expert consumer marketer as well as Tony Lo, CEO of Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., now the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. In the mid-1980s, Giant produced over a million bikes per year with the Giant brand on fewer than 15% of them; by 2008, Giant was producing 6.4 million bicycles with 70% carrying the Giant brand. And in 2010, the transition was still in-process as CEO Lo experimented with a new business model for women cyclists in Taiwan and globally — leveraging some of Giant’s lessons learned and challenging others. The case explores Giant‘s historical evolution from OEM outsourcer to branded manufacturer, which relied heavily on Giant's forward integration into the construction of a world-class, global retail organization. Giant's ability to understand the customer and move him/her up-market has driven both sales growth and profitability (e.g., average sales prices in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were $325, $345, and $360 respectively). That sets the stage for Lo's latest challenge: a realization that his products were not meeting the needs of women customers (including particularly his wife). As a result, Lo commissioned his CFO Bonnie Tu to open the first all-women's bicycle store in Taipei (owned by corporate, not the traditional retail organization), an
Source: Harvard
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| 15 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Shih, Willy; Bernstein, Ethan S.; Bernstein, Maly Hout; Wang, Jyun-Cheng; Wei, Yi-Ling
Publication Date: 04/16/2010
Product Type: Case (Field)
Publisher: Harvard Business School
HBS Number: 610096
Geographic Setting: Asia Gross Revenue: US$350M
Event Year Start: 1971 Event Year End: 2009
Subjects: Operations; Consumer marketing; Product positioning; Test markets; Product introduction; Business to consumer
Academic Discipline: Operations management
Product Description: Few CEOs successfully manage the evolution of their companies from OEM outsourcer to branded manufacturer to expert consumer marketer as well as Tony Lo, CEO of Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., now the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. In the mid-1980s, Giant produced over a million bikes per year with the Giant brand on fewer than 15% of them; by 2008, Giant was producing 6.4 million bicycles with 70% carrying the Giant brand. And in 2010, the transition was still in-process as CEO Lo experimented with a new business model for women cyclists in Taiwan and globally — leveraging some of Giant’s lessons learned and challenging others. The case explores Giant‘s historical evolution from OEM outsourcer to branded manufacturer, which relied heavily on Giant's forward integration into the construction of a world-class, global retail organization. Giant's ability to understand the customer and move him/her up-market has driven both sales growth and profitability (e.g., average sales prices in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were $325, $345, and $360 respectively). That sets the stage for Lo's latest challenge: a realization that his products were not meeting the needs of women customers (including particularly his wife). As a result, Lo commissioned his CFO Bonnie Tu to open the first all-women's bicycle store in Taipei (owned by corporate, not the traditional retail organization), an
Source: Harvard
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| A GIFT FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE
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| 14 pp.
| Case
Natarajan, R — T.A. Pai Management Institute
Banerjee, P — T.A. Pai Management Institute
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 506-082-1 Language: English
Category: Marketing Data source: Field research
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Bangalore, India Industry: FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) Timing: June 2004
Topics: Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF); Consumer behaviour; Distribution and promotion; Distribution network; Distribution management; Marketing and sales strategy; FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry in India; Amul Chocolates
Abstract: The case revolves around developing an effective localised strategy to increase the sales of Amul chocolates in Bangalore. Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) sells its chocolates under its brand name of Amul. Amul Chocolates’ sales were dipping over the last few months, with only a spurt for a few months in between, after the Cadbury‘s worms incident. This was after the recently developed corporate strategy to emphasise chocolate as a major product of GCMMF's portfolio. It attempts to demonstrate how the distribution of products is done in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry, and how organisation and market specific issues influence the development of an effective marketing and sales strategy. The case tries to develop a scene to compare competitors and benchmark against the market leader in terms of effective distribution to achieve a higher top line. It is structured to enhance the students awareness of the fundamentals of marketing and distribution management. The case can also be used to teach the conceptual framework of localised sales strategy. The inter-relationships of various independent factors, both internal and external, and the influence of the 4 P's of marketing (product, promotion, place, price) on intermediate factors like awaren
Source: ecch
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| A GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR LGBT INCLUSION AT HONEYWELL
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| 14 pp.
| Case
Leclerc, D; Hundley, M; Robinson, H; Sayno, J; McKibbon, A; Fennell, R
Publisher: Reaching Out MBA LGBT Case Collection
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 408-105-1 Language: English
Category: Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour Data source: Field research
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Glendale, AZ Industry: Aerospace Size: 116,000 employees Timing: 2006
Topics: LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues in the workplace; Employee resource groups; Mission statements; EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) statements; Communications strategy, planning; Strategy; Internal communication; Global issues; Global LGBT issues
Abstract: This case examines the challenges Honeywell faces in creating a supportive work environment for, and a cohesive community of, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) employees and their families. A global technology and manufacturing company, Honeywell has a presence in 100 countries and employees over 116,000 people worldwide. The firm values diversity and wants to build upon its current Honeywell Pride Employees Network (HPEN), a loosely organised employee group with outlets at several US office locations, to create the Honeywell Global Pride Council (HGPC). The proposed HGPC would link LGBT members and allies in all Honeywell offices worldwide; the organisation would reduce isolation, increase tolerance, and support the company’s commitment to diversity in the workplace. However, such a global network poses a number of challenges. Within US offices, organisers face infrastructural problems, such as inefficient communication systems, and legal issues, such as privacy protection. Outside of the United States, country-specific laws create additional legal and cultural challenges. This case study explores the multitude of challenges facing Honeywell as it works to implement company-wi
Source: ecch
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| A Glossary of “Lean” Terms
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| 6 pp.
| Technical Note
Author(s): Russell, Harry “Mac”
Darden ID: UVA-OM-1334
Published: 2/11/2008
Copyright Year: 2007
Subject Area: Operations Management
Keywords: Lean manufacturing, Lean implementation
Abstract: “Lean” has been defined as the “relentless pursuit of the elimination of waste.” This technical note provides a glossary of terms concerning Lean implementation, including muda, muri, nura, kanban, andon board, SMED, poka-yoke, 5S, gemba, takt time, heijunka, and kaizen.
Source: Darden
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| 6 pp.
| Technical Note
Author(s): Russell, Harry “Mac”
Darden ID: UVA-OM-1334
Published: 2/11/2008
Copyright Year: 2007
Subject Area: Operations Management
Keywords: Lean manufacturing, Lean implementation
Abstract: “Lean” has been defined as the “relentless pursuit of the elimination of waste.” This technical note provides a glossary of terms concerning Lean implementation, including muda, muri, nura, kanban, andon board, SMED, poka-yoke, 5S, gemba, takt time, heijunka, and kaizen.
Source: Darden
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| A Joint Venture of Two Giants: The case of BP-TNK
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| 4 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Dimitrios N. Koufopoulos and Evelyn Gullett, U21Global
U21 ID: AA-2009-029
Publication Date: 2009
Geographic Setting: United Kingdom, Russia Industry Setting: Oil and gas industry
Courses: Managing International Business
Subjects: International business, joint ventures, external environment, mergers and acquisitions, oil and gas industry, BP, TNK
Description: The assessment invites students to study and critically apply some of the tools, concepts and models discussed in managing international business. More specifically, students are asked to critically identify and apply the cultural dimension models and discuss some of the cultural characteristics of Russia and the United Kingdom. In addition, they are expected to explore the advantages and disadvantages of joint ventures versus mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and recommend actions for top management to ensure the long-term success of such decisions.
Source: U21Global
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| A JOURNEY TO SUCCESS
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| 4 pp.
| Case
Jain, S; Gautam, V K; Iyengar, V; Misra, A K; Dhar, U
Publisher: Prestige Institute of Management & Research
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 806-030-1 Language: English
Category: Entrepreneurship Data source: Field research
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Central India Industry: Automobile Size: Middle Timing: 2002
Topics: Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial skills; Leadership skills; Enterprise; Passion
Abstract: The case is about a successful entrepreneur, who came to Bombay as a migrant from Pakistan, and started his career by selling groceries from door to door. He had a brief tenure as a clerk in the railways, but due to his entrepreneurial drive he discontinued with railways and started selling balloons on a commission basis. However, this job also did not last long because his employer wanted him to work on a monthly salary in view of his huge earnings on commission. Soon he started a cycle repair shop and later switched over to trading in automobile a gearboxes. One day while addressing to the complaint of one of the customers, he felt curious to study the mechanics of gearbox and found it quite interesting. Soon he decided to start a manufacturing unit of his own. Being well versed with his entrepreneurial skills, eagerness and boldness, one of his friends helped him in acquiring a piece of land and also provided the initial support. Since then there was no looking back. His enterprise became the first industrial unit to manufacture gears in India. Now it was a conglomerate of eight companies including ancillary units and had a turnover of 300 crores rupee with 350 machines and 2,000 employees.
Source: ecch
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| A Learning Team Drama in One Act
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| 4 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Pohl, Jessica; Sinnarajah, Jason; Isabella, Lynn A.
Darden ID: UVA-OB-0896
Published: 5/24/2007
Copyright Year: 2007
Subject Area: Organizational Behavior and Human Resources
Keywords: Teamwork, conflict, cultural difference, diversity, multicultural teams, personality, personality conflicts, teams, managing teams, problems, problem solving.
Abstract: “Hee Soap, Hee Soap,” Timothy Jones sang out in a mocking fashion towards Hee Seop Choi, a fellow learning team member at a noted graduate school of business. Hoping to gain the benefits from a diversity of resources, knowledge, and ideas, MBA students at this school were assigned to learning teams. Each member was specifically chosen with an effort to mix up gender, nationalities, professional backgrounds, and interests. But those advantages may be outweighed by problems stemming from multicultural differences. This case offers a disguised, yet real, team experience that can be used in the classroom to unpack how this richly diverse group had trouble getting along and why their personality clashes intensified. The opportunity to discuss the challenges in light of culture, and the difference between that and problems stemming from personalities will help students reap the benefits intrinsic in multicultural teams.
Source: Darden
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| A Maverick CEO Explains How He Persuaded His Team to Leap into the Future
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| 8 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Nayar, Vineet
Publication Date: 06/01/2010
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: R1006J
Subjects: Work force management; Employee empowerment; Organizational transformations; Getting buy-in
Academic Discipline: Organizational Behavior & leadership
Product Description: India’s HCL Technologies has, according to Fortune, the world‘s most modern management. BusinessWeek says that HCL is one of the top five emerging companies in the world to watch. That's mainly because of a transformation effort that the author, who took over leadership of the $5 billion IT services company in 2005, launched. Nayar learned from talking with customers that what they valued most-above products, services, and technologies-was HCL's employees. So he came up with a radical idea, Employees First, Customers Second, to bring about organizational change. In this article, he explains how he got stakeholders-HCL's founder and chairman, the board of directors, senior executives, managers, and employees-to back his campaign for radical change.
Source: Harvard
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| A More Rational Approach to New-Product Development
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| 12 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Bonabeau, Eric; Bodick, Neil; Armstrong, Robert W.
Publication Date: 03/01/2008
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
HBS Number: R0803G
Industry Setting: Pharmaceutical industry
Subjects: Process improvement; Product development; R&D; Risk mitigation
Academic Discipline: General management
Product Description: Companies often treat new-product development as a monolithic process, but it can be more rationally divided into two parts: an early stage that focuses on evaluating prospects and eliminating bad bets, and a late stage that maximizes the remaining candidates’ market potential. Recognizing the value of this approach, Eli Lilly designed and piloted Chorus, an autonomous unit dedicated solely to the early stage. This article demonstrates how segmenting development in this way can speed it up and make it more cost-effective. Two classes of decision-making errors can impede NPD, the authors say. First, managers often ignore evidence challenging their assumptions that projects will succeed. As a result, many projects go forward despite multiple red flags; some even reach the market, only to fail dramatically after their introduction. Second, companies sometimes terminate projects prematurely because people fail to conduct the right experiments to reveal products‘ potential. Most companies promote both kinds of errors by focusing disproportionately on late-stage development; they lack the early, truth-seeking functions that would head such errors off. In segmented NPD, however, the early-stage organization maintains loyalty to the experiment rather than the product, whereas the late-stage organization pursues commercial success. Chorus has significantly improved NPD efficiency and productivity at Lilly. Although the unit absorbs just one-tenth of Lilly's investment in early-stage development, it delivers a substantially greater fraction of the molecules slated f
Source: Harvard
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| A New Alliance for Global Change
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| 12 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Drayton, Bill; Budinich, Valeria
Publication Date: 09/01/2010
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: R1009C
Subjects: Developing countries; Entrepreneurs; Social enterprise; Strategic alliances; Social responsibility
Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship
Product Description: The citizen sector, composed of millions of groups worldwide that are attempting to address critical social needs, has long been regarded as understaffed and inefficient. But it has grown and matured over the past three decades, say the authors, both of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. Citizen sector organizations (CSOs) are attracting talented and creative leaders, and their work is changing the game in critical industries such as energy and health care. For-profit companies now have an opportunity to collaborate with CSOs to create new markets for reaching the four billion people who are not yet part of the world’s formal economy. The power of such collaborations lies in the complementary strengths of the partners: Business offers scale, expertise in manufacturing and operations, and financing. Social entrepreneurs offer lower costs, strong social networks, and deep insights into potential customers and communities. The authors call this framework the hybrid value chain. In one example, Colceramica, a Colombian manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom tile, collaborated with the human-rights organization Kairos, which recruited and managed a sales force of previously unemployed women, to reach a low-income market. Within three years sales had grown to nearly $12 million; the living conditions of more than 28,000 families had been improved; and 179 saleswomen were each earning $230 a month.
Source: Harvard
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| A NEW CHAPTER FOR ABEBOOKS: ESCAPING A SATURATED MARKET
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| 13 pp.
| Case
Kaufmann, L; Reimann, F; Heider, R; Schmitz, S
Publisher: WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 309-052-1 Language: English
Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Field research
Product Year: 2008
Version Date: 1 December 2008
Geo location: USA Industry: Bookselling Size: 125 employees Timing: 2007
Topics: Internet; Market entry; Growth strategy; Books; Web services; Internationalisation; Strategy; Bookseller; Entry strategy; e-Commerce; On-line
Abstract: This case study deals with the current problem of e-commerce companies which are beginning to reach saturation points in core markets. Focusing on the facilitation of links between book buyers and booksellers, AbeBooks presents a showcase example of the problem many e-commerce businesses face. After having realised astonishing growth rates for years, the North American home market begins to reach saturation. The example of AbeBooks operating in the used book industry can easily be transferred to other e-commerce industries such as jewellery, travel, tourism and so forth. The story focuses on Hannes Blum, President and CEO of Victoria BC based AbeBooks. Hannes is the Co-founder of Justbooks.de which operated the same business model as AbeBooks and was acquired by AbeBooks in 2001. Although the company demonstrated excellent growth since its foundation, it has become more and more difficult to maintain these rates. In order to generate a sound understanding of both, a typical e-commerce business model and the current challenges of e-commerce enterprises, the case study offers insights into AbeBooks and the on-line book selling industry. The actuality of the topic is underlined by a management meeting AbeBooks held in February 2007. The entire senior management was looking into further opportunities to grow the company: both, t
Source: ecch
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| A NEW CONCEPT IN PSYCHIATRY
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| 2 pp.
| Case
Kopelman, R — Baruch College, City University of New York
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 401-006-1 Language: English
Category: Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour Data source: Generalised experience
Product Year: 2001
Industry: Health care Size: 250 employees
Topics: Communication; Human resource management; Organisational behaviour; Health care; Management of service; Bureaucracy; Management
Abstract: This is the second of a two-case series (401-005-1 and 401-006-1). A prominent psychiatrist requests an office re-design using the proper work order form (239B) and voluntarily submits a detailed sketch drawn to scale on graph paper. Because the work order is viewed as a high profile assignment, one emanating from the office of the hospital’s Director, all levels of the hierarchy give the work special attention. The job is completed promptly, exactly as requested, and all involved award themselves plaudits for their success. The sequel tells another story, though. Upon returning from his vacation, the prominent psychiatrist is astounded to find that his new office has been laid out exactly backwards. His treatment room is located in front of the reception area. In fact, patients must walk through the treatment room to get to the waiting area with a receptionist, the one room with a window. Furious telephone calls are made from the top of the organization down, trying to identify who is to blame for this fiasco. Ultimately, the maintenance department supervisors who oversaw the work are confronted. When asked about the reverse-oriented layout, the construction supervisors merely pointed to the sketch. They built it exactly as the psychiatrist wanted; they thought it must be ‘a new concept in psychiatry'.
Source: ecch
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| A NEW FLAG
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| 9 pp.
| Case
Romero Jimenez, J R
Publisher: Tecnologico de Monterrey
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: C46-14-001 Language: Spanish
Category: Economics, Politics and Business Environment Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2006
Version Date: 06.09.2007
Topics: Private international law
Abstract: Naomi Martin, a French economist, had the dream of getting married in Paris. She considered it the city of love and the most cultured. She married Miguel Armendariz. The reception was held in the Ritz Hotel and as witness, the famous Eiffel Tower. Five years later, they decided to move to Mexico because the company Miguel worked at offered him work in Tlaxcala, a 40 minute drive away from Mexico City. Everything was going fine, they even got married again under the Mexican law. In this city, they had their second child. After the birth of the third, Naomi decided to end the marriage and asked for a divorce. However, she faced two problems; she wished to stay in Mexico but Mexican law stated that she could be deported if she divorced. Second, she had two marriage certificates and she did not know which one was valid.
Source: ecch
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| A New Season Begins: The Royal New Zealand Ballet
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| 17 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Kate Daellenbach
Source: Business Case Journal — 2006
Subjects: Marketing
Description: Kirsten Dennis, Marketing and Development Manager of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, has been given the list of repertoire to be performed for the upcoming year. The company has a standard procedure for planning the seasons, and has well-researched and proven marketing strategies. The company has also built a reputation and strong following over time through many classical, full-length works. The repertoire for the upcoming year includes two classical, full-length works that Kirsten anticipates will be relatively easy to market, Madame Butterfly and Coppelia. The repertoire also includes a triple bill program (three shorter, more contemporary ballets in one evening’s performance). Historically, triple bill programs are more difficult to sell and, as Kirsten notes, it is almost a test for the company to see if the audiences will put their trust in the company.
Source: SOCCR
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| A New Team Face
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| 4 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Davidson, Martin N.; Yemen, Gerry; Magnuson, Erin
Darden ID: UVA-OB-0920
Published: 11/12/2007
Copyright Year: 2007
Subject Area: Organizational Behavior and Human Resources
Keywords: team dynamics, diversity, integration
Abstract: A marketing team, asked to compile a marketing deck in response to an urgent request by the head of a business, has completed the task. Still the team leader is concerned about the dynamics he observed during the meeting of his marketing group team. He has noticed that a recent recruit to the team, an African American, is being ignored when he contributes to the discussion although his ideas are solid ones. The leader is left with some nagging questions: What happened to this recruit in the meeting? Why wasn’t he more integrated into the team? How was he feeling about the meeting? And most important, was there any way to make the collaborative process more effective the next time around?
Source: Darden
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| A Not So Rosy Situation
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| 30 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Mary M. Crossan; Gerard Seijts; Ken Mark
Publication Date: 8/30/2007 Revision Date: 10/23/2007
Product Type: Case
Ivey ID: 9B07M053
Geographic Setting: Canada Industry Setting: Bldg. Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply Size: Medium
Year of Event: 2002 Level of Difficulty: 5 — MBA/Postgraduate
Subjects: Crisis management; Human resources management
Major Disciplines: Entrepreneurship; General Management
Product Description: In late November 2002, halfway through the vital Christmas selling season, William E. Aziz, hired to turn around White Rose Crafts and Nursery Sales Limited (White Rose), has to decide what to do. White Rose is under Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) protection, having breached its debt covenants. The company‘s upper and middle management is frustrated that their efforts since 1999 have not turned the firm around. The remaining employees blame the firms' situation on the change in strategy that occurred in 1999. The changes led many of White Rose's original employees to leave. At least partly due to an attempt to compete head-on with new U.S. entrants into the garden and crafts industry, the company endured three straight years of losses. In November 2002, White Rose launched a strategic review of its operations and asked its chief executive officer of three years, Dave Symons, to resign.
Source: Ivey
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| 30 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Mary M. Crossan; Gerard Seijts; Ken Mark
Publication Date: 8/30/2007 Revision Date: 10/23/2007
Product Type: Case
Ivey ID: 9B07M053
Geographic Setting: Canada Industry Setting: Bldg. Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply Size: Medium
Year of Event: 2002 Level of Difficulty: 5 — MBA/Postgraduate
Subjects: Crisis management; Human resources management
Major Disciplines: Entrepreneurship; General Management
Product Description: In late November 2002, halfway through the vital Christmas selling season, William E. Aziz, hired to turn around White Rose Crafts and Nursery Sales Limited (White Rose), has to decide what to do. White Rose is under Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) protection, having breached its debt covenants. The company‘s upper and middle management is frustrated that their efforts since 1999 have not turned the firm around. The remaining employees blame the firms' situation on the change in strategy that occurred in 1999. The changes led many of White Rose's original employees to leave. At least partly due to an attempt to compete head-on with new U.S. entrants into the garden and crafts industry, the company endured three straight years of losses. In November 2002, White Rose launched a strategic review of its operations and asked its chief executive officer of three years, Dave Symons, to resign.
Source: Ivey
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| A NOTE ON DEVOLUTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS: AN OPPORTUNITY AVAILED OR LOST?
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| 15 pp.
| Note
Warraich, A N
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 20-008-2006-2 Language: English
Category: Economics, Politics and Business Environment Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Pakistan Industry: Human rights Timing: 2001
Topics: Sociological; Institutional; Development; United declaration of human rights; World Bank; Women empowerment; District management group; Local government order; United Nations
Abstract: This note focuses on the relationship between the ongoing devolution process in Pakistan and human rights. It is divided into four sections. Firstly, it looks at the rationale of devolution, which is essentially the empowerment of the people and their elected representatives at the local level, through improved institutional and legal mechanisms, and administrative accountability. In the second part, various political rights conferred by the new local government ordinance and the Police Order are enumerated and an assessment is made of their adequacy to achieve the objectives of devolution. It is argued that the focus of the new institutional framework is somewhat restricted, as it does not encompass all those categories of human rights, which could have been achieved through a process like this. In the third part, an analysis of human rights is done in a sociological, cultural and economic perspective, to ascertain the success or failure of devolution. Elements of tension and discord which underpin the new governance paradigm and the social and political structures in traditional local politics are highlighted, along with their effect on fundamental human rights. Finally, a list of interventions has been developed to improve the processes to achieve the primary goal of devolution: the empowerment of citizens.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON FOCUS HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE PAKISTAN: AFGHAN REFUGEES
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| 19 pp.
| Note
Rana, A I; Mohammad, H
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 03-828-2004-2 Language: English
Category: Production and Operations Management Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2004
Geo location: Lahore, Pakistan Industry: Operations management Timing: 2000
Topics: Repatriation of Afghan refugees; Humanitarian; Europe / North America / South Asia; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Aga Khan Development Network
Abstract: Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FHA), an international group of agencies was established in Europe, North America and South Asia for emergency relief, principally in the developing world. It helped people in need to reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid and to facilitate their transition to sustainable, self-reliant, long-term development. FHA was affiliated with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of institutions working to improve opportunities and living conditions for people of all faiths and origins, in specific regions of the developing world.
In October 2000 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that the Afghan Border had been reopened for repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Dr Behroze Ross Sharif, one of the founders of Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FHA) in Washington, accompanied by Dr Fariyal Ross Sharif came to Pakistan to work on the repatriation project for AKDN. This case discusses how AKDN facilitated the repatriation process with specific reference to Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON PATIENT WELFARE ORGANIZATION, HUNZA
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| 4 pp.
| Note
Rana, A I; Ali, Z
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 03-831-2004-2 Language: English
Category: Production and Operations Management Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2004
Geo location: Hunza, Pakistan Industry: Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Timing: 1970-2003
Topics: Social mobiliser; Lady health visitor
Abstract: The report by a group of lady health visitors from Karachi, who visited the northern areas of Pakistan, provided the background for operating a services agency in the health sector of Aga Khan health services. The patient welfare organisation, Hunza was set up in the early nineties to provide health facilities to the deprived and poor people of the region. The initial response of the people was very poor, and the resources and facilities at the centres were not utilised by the villagers. The managing director, therefore, called a meeting of the heads of all the departments to discuss the issue of service delivery to the target audience. A new strategy was adopted for service delivery which consisted of providing food items as an incentive. This note assesses the viability of the new strategy in the long run.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON PLANNING FOR DELIVERY OF PRO-POOR HEALTH SERVICES IN PUNJAB
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| 14 pp.
| Note
Sumbal, A K
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 20-010-2006-2 Language: English
Category: Economics, Politics and Business Environment Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Punjab, Pakistan Industry: NGO (non-governmental organisation), health Timing: 2006
Topics: Social indicators; Health; District; Basic health units; Poverty; Micro level; Pro-poor; Community
Abstract: Good health is a prerequisite for social and economic development. Poor health contributes to declines in per capita incomes and productivity, ultimately undermining efforts to reduce poverty. The economic, social and cultural costs of illness are enormous, especially for the poor. It has been known to push people into poverty, and deplete family resources. It could lead to malnourishment, low school enrolment and the long-term impact of illiteracy and ignorance. ’Health is an issue that can strike the poor very hard, causing them to fall deeper into poverty. A more preventative approach rather than just emphasising treatment of illness will be essential to overcome rampant malnutrition among the poor in Pakistan‘ (ADB 2003). While better health improves the situation for households at the micro level, it stimulates and strengthens the economic growth at the macro level. Carefully planned investments in the health sector can improve the condition of the poor, expand human capabilities and opportunities and safeguard livelihoods. Needless to say the economic situation and policies of the government play an important role in addressing issues of poverty and equity in the health sector. Today, there are major disparities in provision of health services to the poor. Poor health is very closely associated with poverty. The poor are the most vulnerable to ill-health and have the least means to combat it.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON POLICE ORDER 2002 AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO POLICE REFORM IN PAKISTAN
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| 14 pp.
| Note
Shah, S A; Cheema, M; Khalid, W
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 20-009-2006-2 Language: English
Category: Economics, Politics and Business Environment Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Pakistan Industry: Politics, law Size: 393 employees Timing: 2002
Topics: Police; Organisation; Bureaucracy; District police officer; Islamabad; National Police Management Board
Abstract: Along with the local government reforms introduced in Pakistan in 2001 came the much awaited Police Order 2002, which came into force on 14 August 2002. This order was part of the seven point reform agenda of General Pervez Musharraf to address the institutional crisis in Pakistan. Commissions and committees have been set up since the creation of Pakistan to recommend changes in the police laws. The common theme in their recommendations aimed at bringing about structural changes in the existing police set up, and to transform it from a police force to a police service. Finally, the Police Order was promulgated with the stated aim to ’redefine police role, its duties and responsibilities‘ and to 'reconstruct the police for efficient prevention and detection of crime and maintenance of public order'. Among its major opponents were the bureaucracy, and the political elements that later formed the national and provincial governments following the October 2002 elections.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON PROGRESSION OF WOMEN MANAGERS IN NGOs
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| 9 pp.
| Note
Shah, S A
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 17-005-2005-2 Language: English
Category: Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2005
Industry: NGOs (non-governmental organisations) / gender Timing: 1990-2005
Topics: Employer of educated population; Career progression of women; Developing countries; Typologise NGOs by size
Abstract: In the 1990s, with an exponential increase in the number of non-government organisations in the developing world, NGOs (non-governmental organisations) were acclaimed as the new bandwagon of development. Though an extensive body of critical literature is now available which assesses and questions the role of NGOs as the main executors of a developmentalist agenda, little has been written on the institutional and governing structures of these NGOs. These NGOs form a sizeable and growing employer of the educated population in the developing world. Consequently, it is important to analyse them, particularly in terms of the employment and career progression opportunities that they provide for women in developing countries. Given the ideological drive and interest most NGOs have in including women in the development process, as well as positively impacting them through it, it becomes crucial for NGOs to provide a welcoming space for women in which they can work and progress professionally. This paper aims to typologise by size the different organisational structures within the NGO sector and to assess their impact upon female employees. The first part of the paper illustrates large, medium and small NGOs. It then moves on to assess how each structure affects the career progression of women, and the possible synergistic relations between NGO size and career progression. Based on this analysis, the last part of the pa
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON SEXISM AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION AT WORK IN PAKISTAN: RHETORIC OR REALITY
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| 21 pp.
| Note
Zaman, N; Shah, G H
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 17-004-2005-2 Language: English
Category: Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2005
Geo location: Lahore, Pakistan Industry: Non-governmental organisation (NGO), education Timing: 2005
Topics: Perceptions of working women and men; Gender bias; Sexual segregation; Differences in promotion, earnings, training; Interviews
Abstract: This note examines the perceptions of working women and men about gender bias against both genders in the work environment, through several in-depth interviews and 155 quantitative surveys of working women and men. Gender discrimination at work can take several forms, including: (1) sex segregation, and gender driven differences in promotion; (2) authority; (3) respect; (4) earnings; and (5) benefits, including training. The results of our study, though the sample is small, indicate that gender discrimination at work may be more than just rhetoric for a number of women in Pakistan. The note also gives recommendations to address gender discrimination at work.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON SUNGI
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| 8 pp.
| Note
Khan, J H; Anjum, F
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 03-832-2004-2 Language: English
Category: Production and Operations Management Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2004
Geo location: Hazara, Pakistan Industry: NGO (non-governmental organisation) Timing: 1999
Topics: Social mobilisation; Advocacy; Deprivation; NGO (non-governmental organisation)
Abstract: Sungi, a non-profit organisation based in Hazara, in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan was established in 1989. Sungi grew rapidly under the guidance of its founder, Omar Asghar Khan; by 1999 it had extended its advocacy program to the whole of Pakistan. Sungi soon felt that unless the advocacy was combined with development initiatives, the results would always be misleading and the development would not benefit the people. Therefore it undertook a unique and rare approach of combining advocacy strategy with the strategy of development. Sungi’s mission was ‘To bring about policy and institutional changes by mobilising deprived and marginalised communities, with a view to creating an environment in which the communities at the local level may be able to transform their lives through equitable use of resources'. Sungi's senior staff felt that there was an urgent need for an overall program review because Sungi had reached a size where it had become essential to establish some long-term policies for the security, motivation and retention of staff. They felt that all the programmes, procedures and their impact had to be reviewed critically and the lessons learnt from the exercise implemented.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON THE AWARD OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT TO JUVENILES IN PAKISTAN
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| 18 pp.
| Note
Shah, S A
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 10-006-2006-2 Language: English
Category: Miscellaneous Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Pakistan Industry: Law Timing: 1955-2004
Topics: UN (United Nations) convention; Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JISO); Sindh Children Act; Presidential order
Abstract: The Federal Juvenile Justice System Ordinance was promulgated in 2000, which interdicted the award of the death penalty to juveniles. Antecedent to the passage of this Ordinance were various laws, which deal with the treatment of minor offenders. The Pakistan Penal Code deals with different treatment of minors for criminal violation at different ages; a Court’s jurisdiction in juvenile cases; the grant of bail to minors for non-bailable offences; and the confinement of youthful offenders in reformatories. In addition, Punjab and Sindh have in place provincial Juvenile Justice Laws. Punjab Youthful Offenders Ordinance was promulgated in 1983, but the Ordinance remained inoperative until 1994. On 11 November 1998, the Lahore High Court designated all Sessions Courts Judges in the province as Juvenile Courts Judges. Under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000, any individual under the age of 18 years was defined as a child. However, it was not until the promulgation by the President of Pakistan of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2002, that capital punishment to juveniles was abolished. However, on 6 December 2004, the Lahore High Court in the case of Farooq Ahmed v Federation of Pakistan declared that the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2002 was void, as it was inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution guaranteeing the right to life and equal treatment before the Law. The Court held that capital punishment could be awarded to an individua
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON THE GLOBAL LUXURY GOODS INDUSTRY IN 2000
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| 33 pp.
| Background note
O’Higgins, E — University College Dublin (UCD)
Duggan, S — University College Dublin (UCD)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 301-025-5 Language: English
Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2001
Geo location: Global Industry: Luxury goods Size: Large Timing: 2000
Topics: Industry analysis; Luxury goods industry; Competitive analysis; Scenario and risk analysis; Gucci, LVMH, Richemont
Abstract: The objective of the note is to provide the basis for an analysis of an industry. The note reviews one of the strongest performing consumer sectors, the global luxury goods industry in 2000. It presents an economic backdrop to the growth in the luxury sector and illustrates the emergence of global luxury conglomerates. The note discusses various trends in the industry and their implications. These trends are: acrimonious and highly expensive takeover battles, vertical integration, the impact of the Internet on luxury distribution, the decisions facing smaller companies as they attempt to compete against the global giants, and the spectre of powerful potential new entrants, eager to participate in the sector‘s rich profit margins. The note can be used separately as the basis of an industry analysis, or as a background to company specific case studies in the luxury sector.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR IN PAKISTAN: AN OVERVIEW
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| 19 pp.
| Note
Rana, M A
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 20-003-2006-2 Language: English
Category: Economics, Politics and Business Environment Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Pakistan Industry: NGO (non-governmental organisation) sector Timing: 2006
Topics: Ganga Ram Hospital; NPOs (non-profit organisations); Sir Syed Ahmed Khan; Private sector; The Social Welfare Agencies; Community Organisations (COs); Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs); Karachi; Lahore; Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC); Johns Hopkins University (USA)
Abstract: The non-profit sector in Pakistan has grown considerably in size and scope of work in the recent past. Rooted in a rich tradition of philanthropy and charitable work, the sector comprises more than 100,000 organisations working in diverse spheres of public service, ranging from establishing schools and hospitals to articulating the views of the poor and the marginalised. The sector is also a significant economic force in terms of the resources it commands and the employment it offers. There are four major laws under which a non-profit can register. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The multiplicity of registration laws creates unnecessary dichotomy in reporting and auditing requirements, besides producing variable governance and financial management structures. The recent reform efforts, from within the sector and from the government, indicate growing maturity and responsibility. Despite the important role the sector plays as a partner in social development, it continues to struggle with issues of legitimacy, governance, transparency and accountability.
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON THE TELEMATICS INDUSTRY
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| 33 pp.
| Technical note
Henderson, J; Carey, P; Cerfolio, L; Poole, J
Publisher: Babson College
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: BAB077 Language: English
Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2002
Version Date: 14 April 2004
Geo location: Global, USA Industry: Telematics Timing: 1999
Topics: Scenario planning; Telematics; Automobile industry; Industry analysis; Strategy; New technology; Value chain; Telecommunications; Industry visioning
Abstract: This note provides an overview of the telematics industry in 2002. It may be used with to stimulate a discussion on the industry, as a vehicle for industry analysis, or as an adjunct to other cases about companies within the telematics industry. Would cars in the future be part of an integral information portal in a wireless world? The technology that would enable this revolution was called telematics, which was defined as ’mobile services delivered wirelessly to in-vehicle devices‘. Was the next step into full-scale wireless services obtainable or desirable? Certainly the financial potential for telematics was creating excitement amongst automakers that competed in an industry plagued by steep competition and razor thin margins. If the automakers could successfully capture some of the financial value expected from the nascent telematics market, their profit margins would improve. However, telematics was also creating anxiety in Detroit, as auto manufacturers would be leaping into an uncharted world of wireless communications and services, far removed from their core competencies in automobile manufacturing, design and marketing. The automakers still faced a number of unanswered questions regarding this exciting new territory as they were making their decisions on their new product models that were to be launched in two to three years time. This case was previously nu
Source: ecch
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| A NOTE ON WOMEN AND PARTITION
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| 5 pp.
| Note
Khan, F A; Zubair, S
Publisher: Lahore University of Management Sciences (SEDC)
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 17-006-2006-2 Language: English
Category: Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2006
Geo location: Lahore, Pakistan Industry: NGOs (non-governmental organisations), gender Timing: 1947-2006
Topics: Events related to partition; Violence; Communal soul searching; Moral and ethical dilemmas; Personal and collective lives
Abstract: Since the fiftieth year of the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1997, there has been a resurgence of popular as well as academic interest in understanding the events related to partition. Partition of a country, like other man-made catastrophes, compels the victims, perpetuators of violence, and the general community to re-examine their actions and roles in the course of events. It demands complex answers that require individual and communal soul searching. This crucial event continues to raise questions regarding the moral and ethical dilemmas of mankind as well as the need for frank and direct examination of issues such as representation, memory, violence, dislocation and time. Time has increased the distance between our own self, our worlds, and the events of the partition of the Indian subcontinent. Many survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators, are no longer alive; memories, archives and private histories comprise the scant information available. The intensified pursuit of memory, in its many possible forms, appears to be the ultimate way of relating to that event whose shadow continues to arouse impassioned emotions in the personal and collective lives of both countries.
Source: ecch
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| A Perishable Coup D’Etat: Webvan and the Online Grocery Industry
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| 29 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Cara Peters, Marilyn Okleshen, Dinesh D’Costa
Source: Business Case Journal — 2005
Subjects: E-commerce; Marketing; Business strategy; Entrepreneurship; Dot-com business start-up; Mergers and acquisitions
Description: In 1996 Louis Borders, a former bookstore owner, conceived of revolutionizing the grocery industry. Because grocery shopping was time consuming and inconvenient for many people, Borders envisioned an Internet business, Webvan.com, capable of delivering groceries to consumers‘ front doors within thirty minutes of placing an order. Webvan raised substantial venture capital and issued an IPO in November 1999. The firm equipped an automated distribution center in Oakland, California, and began selling grocery products online in April 1999. Borders hired a big name management team to lead the company. This case study addresses the online grocery industry, its primary competitors, and Webvan's strategies for distribution, marketing communication, and a subsequent merger. The company's financial statements, ensuing legal entanglements, and bankruptcy are also presented.
Source: SOCCR
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| A Platform for Strategy Management
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| 8 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Norton, David P.
Publication Date: 07/15/2010
Product Type: Balanced Scorecard Report Article
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: B1007A
Subjects: Operations; Strategy management; Execution; Systems theory
Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Product Description: Systems consist of people, structures, technologies, and processes that work together to make organizations viable. Systems thinking, a part of operations research, essentially looks at the whole as a basis for understanding, designing, and managing its component parts. Used in organizational management for decades, it has usually been applied only to operations. If strategy management is a system, as David Norton asserts, why not apply systems thinking to it as well?
Source: Harvard
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| A Practical Guide to Combining Products and Services
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| 12 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Shankar, Venkatesh; Berry, Leonard L.; Dotzel, Thomas
Publication Date: 11/01/2009
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: R0911H
Subjects: Value creation; Product bundling
Academic Discipline: General management
Product Description: Most firms are trying to combine products and services into innovative offerings in an effort to boost revenue and profit streams and balance cash flows. These hybrid solutions can help companies attract new customers and increase demand among existing ones by offering them superior value. Such offerings are commonplace - think Apple (the iPod product combined with the iTunes service). While the promise of combined offerings is great, it’s easy to get them wrong. The problem is that too many companies, expecting to catch the brass ring, don‘t think through exactly how to structure, market, and sell their combined offerings. Over the past three years, the authors have analyzed more than 100 winning hybrid offerings from a variety of B2B and B2C companies. Their research shows that most companies stumble in at least one of four ways: failure to differentiate, failure to scale, failure to assess markets and prices appropriately, and failure to invest in the brand. The authors identify common types of hybrids: A flexible product-and-service combination allows buyers to customize their purchase. A “peace-of-mind” bundle offers the best of breed in both product and service. A multibenefit bundle offers customers an increasing number of add-on features or benefits. A “one-stop” bundle focuses on convenience shopping. The authors also offer a practical set of guidelines for identifying the opportunities to create a successful hybrid offering in your own company.
Source: Harvard
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| A Practical Guide to Social Networks
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| 16 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Cross, Rob ; Liedtka, Jeanne M.; Weiss, Leigh
Publication Date: 03/01/2005
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: R0503H
Subjects: Organizational behavior; Communication in organizations; Operations; Knowledge transfer; Networks
Academic Discipline: Organizational Behavior & leadership
Product Description: Saying that networks are important is stating the obvious. But harnessing the power of these seemingly invisible groups to achieve organizational goals is an elusive undertaking. Most efforts to promote collaboration are haphazard and built on the implicit philosophy that more connectivity is better. In truth, networks create relational demands that sap people’s time and energy and can bog down entire organizations. It‘s crucial for executives to learn how to promote connectivity only where it benefits an organization or individual and to decrease unnecessary connections. In this article, the authors introduce three types of social networks, each of which delivers unique value. The customized response network excels at framing the ambiguous problems involved in innovation. Strategy consulting firms and new-product development groups rely on this format. By contrast, surgical teams and law firms rely mostly on the modular response network, which works best when components of the problem are known but the sequence of those components in the solution is unknown. And the routine response network is best suited for organizations like call centers, where the problems and solutions are fairly predictable but collaboration is still needed. Executives shouldn't simply hope that collaboration will spontaneously occur in the right places at the right times in their organizations. They need to develop a strategic, nuanced view of collaboration, and they must take steps to ensure that their companies support the types of soci
Source: Harvard
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| 16 pp.
| Article
Author(s): Cross, Rob ; Liedtka, Jeanne M.; Weiss, Leigh
Publication Date: 03/01/2005
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
Publisher: Harvard Business School Publishing
HBS Number: R0503H
Subjects: Organizational behavior; Communication in organizations; Operations; Knowledge transfer; Networks
Academic Discipline: Organizational Behavior & leadership
Product Description: Saying that networks are important is stating the obvious. But harnessing the power of these seemingly invisible groups to achieve organizational goals is an elusive undertaking. Most efforts to promote collaboration are haphazard and built on the implicit philosophy that more connectivity is better. In truth, networks create relational demands that sap people’s time and energy and can bog down entire organizations. It‘s crucial for executives to learn how to promote connectivity only where it benefits an organization or individual and to decrease unnecessary connections. In this article, the authors introduce three types of social networks, each of which delivers unique value. The customized response network excels at framing the ambiguous problems involved in innovation. Strategy consulting firms and new-product development groups rely on this format. By contrast, surgical teams and law firms rely mostly on the modular response network, which works best when components of the problem are known but the sequence of those components in the solution is unknown. And the routine response network is best suited for organizations like call centers, where the problems and solutions are fairly predictable but collaboration is still needed. Executives shouldn't simply hope that collaboration will spontaneously occur in the right places at the right times in their organizations. They need to develop a strategic, nuanced view of collaboration, and they must take steps to ensure that their companies support the types of soci
Source: Harvard
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| A Rose by Any Other Name
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| 6 pp.
| HBR Case Study
Author(s): Stone, Daniel B.
Publication Date: 03/01/2003
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
HBS Number: R0303X
Subjects: Brand management; Brands; HBR case discussions; Marketing planning; Marketing strategy
Academic Discipline: Marketing
Product Description: Tom Rose was about to listen to his marketing head, Cassie Martin, make a major presentation on the biggest strategic initiative in Rose Partyware’s history: the launch of a branded line of party ware. Rose had manufactured paper goods for parties and other social events for many years. But Tom had recently spotted an opportunity to break out of the pack: a new printing technology that would improve quality and reduce costs. When Rose test-marketed the new line, consumers loved it, and retailers pledged their support. Tom felt that the new technology would give Rose the edge it needed to establish its own brand, which would, in turn, allow the company to stay ahead of its rivals. In her presentation, Cassie reported that customers loved the brand concept. However, it was going to be more expensive than she had originally thought. And Hank Lewis, Rose‘s national accounts manager, further complicated matters when he told Tom that one of Rose's biggest customers, Party!, had just decided to offer customers a complete line of party goods under its own name and wanted Rose to manufacture it. The management team is split on whether Rose should launch its own line. Tom needs to decide: What's the best marketing strategy for Rose Partyware?
Source: Harvard
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| 10 pp.
| HBR Case Study and Commentary
Author(s): Stone, Daniel B.; Weise , Frank E., III; Pant, Micky; Hoch, Stephen J.; Corstjens, Judith; Corstjens, Marcel
Publication Date: 03/01/2003
Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article
HBS Number: R0303A
Subjects: Brand management; Brands; HBR case discussions; Marketing planning; Marketing strategy
Academic Discipline: Marketing
Product Description: Tom Rose was about to listen to his marketing head, Cassie Martin, make a major presentation on the biggest strategic initiative in Rose Partyware’s history: the launch of a branded line of party ware. Rose had manufactured paper goods for parties and other social events for many years. But Tom had recently spotted an opportunity to break out of the pack: a new printing technology that would improve quality and reduce costs. When Rose test-marketed the new line, consumers loved it, and retailers pledged their support. Tom felt that the new technology would give Rose the edge it needed to establish its own brand, which would, in turn, allow the company to stay ahead of its rivals. In her presentation, Cassie reported that customers loved the brand concept. However, it was going to be more expensive than she had originally thought. And Hank Lewis, Rose‘s national accounts manager, further complicated matters when he told Tom that one of Rose's biggest customers, Party!, had just decided to offer customers a complete line of party goods under its own name and wanted Rose to manufacture it. The management team is split on whether Rose should launch its own line. Tom needs to decide: What's the best marketing strategy for Rose Partyware?
Source: Harvard
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| A Tale of Two Hedge Funds: Magnetar and Peloton
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| 23 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Stowell, David P.; Carlson, Stephen
Publication Date: 06/01/2009
Product Type: Case
Publisher: Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern Univ.
HBS Number: KEL402
Subjects: Finance; Investments; Global business
Academic Discipline: Finance
Supplementary Materials: Case Teaching Note, (KEL462), 6p, by David P. Stowell
Product Description: Hedge fund Magnetar Capital had returned 25 percent in 2007 with a strategy that posed significantly lower risk to investors than the S&P 500. Magnetar had made more than $1 billion in profit by noticing that the equity tranche of CDOs and CDO-derivative instruments were relatively mispriced. It took advantage of this anomaly by purchasing CDO equity and buying credit default swap (CDS) protection on tranches that were considered less risky. Now it was the job of Alec Litowitz, chairman and chief investment officer, to provide guidance to his team as they planned next year’s strategy, evaluate and prioritize their ideas, and generate new ideas of his own. An ocean away, Ron Beller was contemplating some very different issues. Beller‘s firm, Peloton Partners LLP, had been one of the top-performing hedge funds in 2007, returning in excess of 80 percent. In late January 2008 Beller accepted two prestigious awards at a black-tie EuroHedge ceremony. A month later, his firm was bankrupt. Beller shorted the U.S. housing market before the subprime crisis hit, and was paid handsomely for his bet. After the crisis began, however, he believed that prices for highly rated mortgage securities were being unfairly punished, so he decided to go long AAA-rated securities backed by Alt-A mortgage loans (between prime and subprime), levered 9x. The trade moved against Peloton in a big way on February 14, 2008, causing $17 billion in losses and closure of the firm.
Source: Harvard
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| A Tale of Two Turnarounds at EDS: The Jordan Rules
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| 24 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Shein, James; Frazzano, Rebecca; Meagher, Evan
Publication Date: 03/08/2010
Product Type: Case
Publisher: Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern Univ.
HBS Number: KEL425
Geographic Setting: United States; Texas
Subjects: Organizational behavior; Cash flow; Finance; Economics; Bankruptcy; Technology; Operations; Strategy management; Outsourcing; Turnarounds
Academic Discipline: General management
Supplementary Materials: Case Teaching Note, (KEL426), 7p, by James Shein, Rebecca Frazzano, Evan Meagher; Spreadsheet Supplement, (KEL427), 0p, by James Shein, Rebecca Frazzano, Evan Meagher
Product Description: The case briefly describes the history of Electronic Data Systems (EDS) under Ross Perot and GM before turning to the beginning of a tumultuous decade in the late 1990s. As the turn of the century approached, EDS made critical strategic missteps such as missing opportunities in the Internet space, overlooking the onset of client-server computing, and failing to obtain major Y2K-related projects. The company attempted a turnaround by replacing the CEO with Dick Brown, whose leadership helped streamline the sprawling company. Despite initial successes, Brown’s tenure ultimately ended in failure, due largely to his failure to recognize the growing Indian market and his willingness to buy business at the expense of the company‘s margin. The disastrous multibillion-dollar Navy & Marine Corp Intranet contract typified the type of high-profile transactions that Brown pursued, often boosting EDS's stock price in the short term while eroding its cash flow short term and its profitability over the long term. EDS management went through several stages of the turnaround process: the blinded phase, the inactive phase, and the faulty action phase, until Michael Jordan replaced Brown as CEO and enacted a three-tiered operational, strategic, and financial turnaround
Source: Harvard
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| A Tattle Tale?
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| 2 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Wee Ling Loo
Publication Date: 3/31/2009
Product Type: Case (Field)
Teaching Note: 8B09C07
Ivey ID: 9B09C007
Geographic Setting: Singapore Industry Setting: Educational Services Size: Not Applicable Year of Event: 2008 Level of Difficulty: 2 - Intro/Undergraduate
Subjects: Whistleblower; Plagiarism; Group Behaviour; Ethical Issues
Major Disciplines: Human Resource Management
Product Description: T.J., an undergraduate at a business school, was upset to find a group mate?s contribution to his group project containing plagiarized and poorly paraphrased content (also without any citation as to source in some instances). T.J. and four others had to work with K.C., the errant group member, on three group projects that together made up 30 per cent of the final mark for the course. In particular, T.J. was upset by the shoddy corrections provided by K.C. when his error was highlighted. T.J. was also appalled at K.C.’s nonchalant attitude towards plagiarism and the group projects, especially after discovering that K.C. had done the same on their first group project. T.J. felt strongly that the matter should be brought up to the course professor but two of his group mates disagreed, fearing that the group harmony would be adversely affected, thus jeopardizing their last group project, which carried significantly higher weight at 20 per cent. The remaining two group mates did not seem to consider the matter a serious one. T.J. wondered what the right thing to do would be. This case was written for use in the introductory class to a business ethics course. However, it has potential for use in lessons on negotiation, conflict resolution and team dynamics. The case is based on an actual occurrence but names have been changed to provide anonymity. The subject of plagiarism and a poorly contributing group member to group assignments is one that resonates de
Source: Ivey
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| 14 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Rodriguez, Peter L.
Darden ID: UVA-BP-0503
Published: 8/3/2006
Copyright Year: 2006
Subject Area: Global Economics
Keywords: Angel Investing, Venture Capital, Emerging Markets, entrepreneurshp, Latin America, Economic Growth
Abstract: This technical note discusses the practice of angel investing, particularly its meaning and suitability to emerging markets. Adapted from a chapter in An Executive Briefing on Angel Investing in Latin America (Batten Institute), this note focuses on business in Latin America, but the discussion and the relationships discussed are relevant and perfectly suitable to discussions of early-stage finance and entrepreneurship in all emerging economies. Additionally, the note explores the role of angel investors and venture capitalists on entrepreneurial activity and economic development.
Source: Darden
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| A Tough Sell in Sales Management (A)
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| 3 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Grenblad, Daniel; Yemen, Gerry
Darden ID: UVA-M-0739
Published: 4/7/2006
Copyright Year: 2006
Subject Area: Marketing
Keywords: As a manager of a global subsidiary, how skilled should you be in predicting a customer’s behavior? Larry Swartz, country manager at Genua in Sweden AB, an IT services company, and one of his sales people were awaiting a promised fax about a sweet deal he
Abstract: As a manager of a local subsidiary, how skilled should you be in understanding a customer‘s behavior? Lars Falk, country manager at Genupay in Sweden AB, an IT software company, and one of his sales people were awaiting a promised fax about a sweet deal he had landed with a Swedish casino company. The timing of this contract could not have been better. The CEO of Genupay Inc., the parent company in London, United Kingdom, was putting the pressure on Falk to address some financial shortcomings. The local company was, so far, a loss-making subsidiary. In the (A) case, Falk senses a problem when the promised contract fails to appear. The (B) case, 24 hours later, reveals that the customer is canceling its purchase. The (C) case reveals that the purchasing contract signatory left the casino company, which has Falk wondering about the potential fallout of taking legal action. This case set is intended to be read and taught in a single 90-minute class. It allows for the application of frameworks on mapping functional and legal roles of actors in the buying decision and the personal selling processes. The main events of the case are actual occurrences; all actors are disguised.
Source: Darden
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| A TRANS-ATLANTIC MERGER OF EQUALS: PHARMACIA & UPJOHN (A)
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| 9 pp.
| Case
Morosini, P — EPFL Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Coughlan, S — EPFL Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 307-196-1 Language: English
Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2007
Geo location: Sweden, USA, Europe Industry: Pharmaceuticals Size: US$7 billion sales Timing: 1995
Topics: Merger; Acquisition; Integration; Corporate culture; National culture; Managerial trust; Negotiation; Cultural differences; Communications
Abstract: This is the first of a two-case series (307-196-1 and 307-197-1). In November 1995, Swedish pharmaceutical Pharmacia and American Upjohn Co merged in a transatlantic ’merger of equals‘. The deal was valued at close to US$6 billion. The merger was motivated by Pharmacia's strong distribution network in Europe, an attractive draw for Upjohn. Upjohn's access to a relatively large sales force and widespread distribution channels in the US were the principal attractions for Pharmacia. The merged pharmaceutical was the ninth largest drug maker globally, and had annual sales of US$7 billion. Since Upjohn was a well-established brand in its North American base and Pharmacia held a strong position on the Scandinavian market, both companies decided to keep the two names, rather than rebranding the new company; the merged company was known as Pharmacia & Upjohn (P&U). It aimed to be well placed to sell large quantities of drugs to HMOs (health management organisations) and similar organisations, and would also have significant resources (US$1 billion) for creating new drugs. The headquarters of the new company would be neither in the US nor Sweden, but somewhere in between: in Windsor, near London in the UK. The two parties went through an intensive pre-merger integration process two months before the deal went public on 20
Source: ecch
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| A TROUBLED TIME IN THE COURTYARD
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| 20 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Arthur Sharplin and John A. Seeger (Bentley College)
Publication Date: Spring 2007
TCJ ID: TCJ 030203
Geographic Setting: Austin, Texas Industry Setting: property management, real estate, land development, housing Event Year Start: 1983 Event Year End: 2001 Courses: Business ethics; corporate culture; non-profit organization management; strategic management; public policy; law; real estate
Subjects: Real estate; law; business ethics; property management; public policy; corporate culture; non-profit management; not-for-profit management; managing volunteers; corporation structure; non-profit organizations; social responsibility; stakeholder analysis.
Case Description: The Courtyard Homeowners Association, Inc. (CHAI) was the governing corporation for a 315-home development in Austin, Texas. In early 2001 Earline Wakefield took over as president and resolved to “restore the spirit” of the neighborhood. Two of her directors, both lawyers, had a history of success in expanding neighborhood rights to so-called “Common Area,” especially that along picturesque Lake Austin. But when they collaborated in 1998 to construct a walkway along the lakefront behind the twelve lots they met stern resistance from those wealthy, sophisticated owners. An intense political and legal contest ensued. The case was referred to arbitration, culminating in enjoinment of the walkway and costing CHAI and its errors and omissions (E&O) insurer an estimated $350,000. One of the lawyers, then president, immediately promised to extend the decision to the other six families, but not to pay their legal costs. Taking office soon afterwards, Wakefield signs a document she thinks will carry out this promise. But two of the six families affected object to the document and hire a prominent Austin attorney, who contacts Wakefield. As she prepares for the August 2001 board meeting, Wakefield
Source: The CASE Association
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| A TUTORIAL ON STRATEGIC REAL OPTIONS: TOURIST/RECREATIONAL FISHING IN TAIWAN
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| 14 pp.
| Case
Lin, J B — University of South Florida
Herbst, A F — University of Texas at El Paso
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 102-031-1 Language: English
Category: Finance, Accounting and Control Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2002
Geo location: Asia, Taiwan Industry: Tourism and recreational fishing Size: Small to medium Timing: 2002
Topics: Real options; Strategic flexibility; Capital investment; Discounted cash flow (DCF); Contingency planning
Abstract: This case analyses tourist and recreational fishing as an exercise in strategic real options. It analyses several types of commonly observed real options and provides numerical examples as illustration of how these embedded real options enhance project value and when it is optimal for managers to exercise these options and to effect strategic changes. Managers respond to changing market conditions with decisions that reflect both short-term and long-term adjustments to their businesses. To determine the viability of a particular new project, or a new mode of operation, conventional finance textbooks prescribe the Net Present Value (NPV) based on Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis. Recent advances in the theory of real options, however, point to the serious shortcoming of DCF analysis in the presence of operational flexibility. Operational flexibility is widely observable in many business situations. By ignoring strategic flexibility in a project, conventional NPV can lead to erroneous conclusions, under investment, and lost opportunities. This case was sponsored by the Indiana University CIBER Case Collection. There is a Chinese translation available ’C102-031-1‘.
Source: ecch
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| 11 pp.
| Case
Lin, J B — University of South Florida
Herbst, A F — University of Texas at El Paso
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: C102-031-1 Language: Simplified Chinese
Category: Finance, Accounting and Control Data source: Published sources
Product Year: 2002
Geo location: Asia, Taiwan Industry: Tourism and recreational fishing Size: Small to medium Timing: 2002
Topics: Real options; Strategic flexibility; Capital investment; Discounted cash flow (DCF); Contingency planning
Abstract: This is a Chinese translation of the case ’102-031-1‘. The abstract of the case is as follows: This case analyses tourist and recreational fishing as an exercise in strategic real options. It analyses several types of commonly observed real options and provides numerical examples as illustration of how these embedded real options enhance project value and when it is optimal for managers to exercise these options and to effect strategic changes. Managers respond to changing market conditions with decisions that reflect both short-term and long-term adjustments to their businesses. To determine the viability of a particular new project, or a new mode of operation, conventional finance textbooks prescribe the Net Present Value (NPV) based on Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis. Recent advances in the theory of real options, however, point to the serious shortcoming of DCF analysis in the presence of operational flexibility. Operational flexibility is widely observable in many business situations. By ignoring strategic flexibility in a project, conventional NPV can lead to erroneous conclusions, under investment, and lost opportunities. This case was sponsored by the Indiana University CIBER Case Collection.
Source: ecch
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| A&D High Tech (A): Managing Projects for Success
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| 20 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Jeffery, Mark; Yung, Derek; Gershbeyn, Alex
Publication Date: 01/01/2006 Revision Date: 03/01/2008
Product Type: Case (Field)
HBS Number: KEL156
Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Electronic instruments & controls
Subjects: Internet; Marketing; Operations management; Outsourcing; Project management; Risk management; Technology
Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (KEL157), 14p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung, Alex Gershbeyn; Teaching Note, (KEL207), 15p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung
Product Description: Based on a real $25 million project at a major U.S.-based computer manufacturer. For confidentiality reasons the company has been disguised as A&D High Tech. The Web-based online ordering system project is required by sales and marketing for the fall holiday season. If the project misses this window, the firm will lose substantial market share to competitors. Examines how to create and analyze a project plan in Microsoft Project. Specifically, data is given to build the project plan step-by-step and then analyze the plan using the Microsoft Project management tool. In order to make manageable for students, we reduced the size of the project, and the corresponding number of resources, to approximately $1 million, but retained all of the features of the original project. The project plan that students construct from the data given in the case is fraught with risks, and students must apply risk management techniques to diagnose the plan. Ultimately, students must answer the management question: Will the project be completed for the holiday shopping season? May be used with: (KEL158) A&D High Tech (B): Managing Scope Change.
Source: Harvard
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| 20 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Jeffery, Mark; Yung, Derek; Gershbeyn, Alex
Publication Date: 01/01/2006 Revision Date: 03/01/2008
Product Type: Case (Field)
HBS Number: KEL156
Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Electronic instruments & controls
Subjects: Internet; Marketing; Operations management; Outsourcing; Project management; Risk management; Technology
Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (KEL157), 14p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung, Alex Gershbeyn; Teaching Note, (KEL207), 15p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung
Product Description: Based on a real $25 million project at a major U.S.-based computer manufacturer. For confidentiality reasons the company has been disguised as A&D High Tech. The Web-based online ordering system project is required by sales and marketing for the fall holiday season. If the project misses this window, the firm will lose substantial market share to competitors. Examines how to create and analyze a project plan in Microsoft Project. Specifically, data is given to build the project plan step-by-step and then analyze the plan using the Microsoft Project management tool. In order to make manageable for students, we reduced the size of the project, and the corresponding number of resources, to approximately $1 million, but retained all of the features of the original project. The project plan that students construct from the data given in the case is fraught with risks, and students must apply risk management techniques to diagnose the plan. Ultimately, students must answer the management question: Will the project be completed for the holiday shopping season? May be used with: (KEL158) A&D High Tech (B): Managing Scope Change.
Source: Harvard
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| A&D High Tech (B): Managing Scope Change
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| 7 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Jeffery, Mark; Yung, Derek; Gershbeyn, Alex
Publication Date: 01/01/2006 Revision Date: 03/01/2008
Product Type: Case (Field)
HBS Number: KEL158
Geographic Setting: Midwestern United States Industry Setting: Electronic instruments & controls; IT industry
Subjects: IT management; Marketing; Operations management; Outsourcing; Project management; Technology
Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (KEL159), 12p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung, Alex Gershbeyn; Teaching Note, (KEL207), 15p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung
Product Description: Based on a real $25 million project at a major U.S.-based computer manufacturer. For confidentiality reasons the company has been disguised as A&D High Tech. The Web-based online ordering system project is required by sales and marketing for the fall holiday season. If the project misses this window, the firm will lose substantial market share to competitors. Part (B) takes place three months into the original project plan. The project manager has just been fired and the management challenge is to find out what is wrong with the project and recommend fixes. In addition, the scope of the project has changed: the VP of marketing has an additional promotional bundle requirement. A&D High Tech (A) examines how to create and analyze a project plan in Microsoft Project. In order to make manageable for students we reduced the size of the project, and the corresponding number of resources, to approximately $1 million, but retained all of the features of the original project. Part (B) gives actual work done on each task three months into the project. Students must answer the management questions: Can the project be fixed and completed in time for the holiday season? Can the additional requirements be incorporated, and if so, what is the best approach? In order to answer these questions, e
Source: Harvard
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| 7 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Jeffery, Mark; Yung, Derek; Gershbeyn, Alex
Publication Date: 01/01/2006 Revision Date: 03/01/2008
Product Type: Case (Field)
HBS Number: KEL158
Geographic Setting: Midwestern United States Industry Setting: Electronic instruments & controls; IT industry
Subjects: IT management; Marketing; Operations management; Outsourcing; Project management; Technology
Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (KEL159), 12p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung, Alex Gershbeyn; Teaching Note, (KEL207), 15p, by Mark Jeffery, Derek Yung
Product Description: Based on a real $25 million project at a major U.S.-based computer manufacturer. For confidentiality reasons the company has been disguised as A&D High Tech. The Web-based online ordering system project is required by sales and marketing for the fall holiday season. If the project misses this window, the firm will lose substantial market share to competitors. Part (B) takes place three months into the original project plan. The project manager has just been fired and the management challenge is to find out what is wrong with the project and recommend fixes. In addition, the scope of the project has changed: the VP of marketing has an additional promotional bundle requirement. A&D High Tech (A) examines how to create and analyze a project plan in Microsoft Project. In order to make manageable for students we reduced the size of the project, and the corresponding number of resources, to approximately $1 million, but retained all of the features of the original project. Part (B) gives actual work done on each task three months into the project. Students must answer the management questions: Can the project be fixed and completed in time for the holiday season? Can the additional requirements be incorporated, and if so, what is the best approach? In order to answer these questions, e
Source: Harvard
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| a-connect: In Search of Talent Partners
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| 22 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Eccles, Robert G.; Karadzhova, Dilyana
Publication Date: 11/23/2008 Revision Date: 08/06/2009
Product Type: Case (Field)
Publisher: Harvard Business School
HBS Number: 409036
Geographic Setting: Switzerland Number of Employees: 30 Gross Revenue: CHF 30 million
Event Year Start: 2002 Event Year End: 2008
Subjects: Global business; Entrepreneurs; Career planning; Motivation; Business models; Strategic positioning; Networks
Academic Discipline: Organizational Behavior & leadership
Product Description: a-connect was started in 2002 by three former McKinsey partners who wanted to develop an alternative business model consulting firm which they have positioned as a high-end staffing company. The company has been very successful, growing to revenues of CHF 30 million with offices in Zurich, Dusseldorf, Boston, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Instead of hiring full-time employees, the company uses a pool of 700 independent professionals (IP) who are typically former consultants from firms like Bain, BCG, and McKinsey. These professionals are managed by Talent Partners who match up IPs with client needs. One of the biggest challenges the firm faces is finding people who can fill this Talent Partner role since it requires a wide range of interpersonal and business development skills. As a way of instilling discipline in processes and procedures, from the very beginning the company set the objective of doing an IPO as a staffing company, thereby hoping to get the multiple of that category. Achieving this will require substantial growth in order to get to revenues of CHF 100 million, which they think is the size they need to be. Through the “Crystal Initiative” the company reviewed the three strategic choices of leveraging the operating platform, expanding the service portfolio, and focusing on the Global Sliver. They chose t
Source: Harvard
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| 22 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Eccles, Robert G.; Karadzhova, Dilyana
Publication Date: 11/23/2008 Revision Date: 08/06/2009
Product Type: Case (Field)
Publisher: Harvard Business School
HBS Number: 409036
Geographic Setting: Switzerland Number of Employees: 30 Gross Revenue: CHF 30 million
Event Year Start: 2002 Event Year End: 2008
Subjects: Global business; Entrepreneurs; Career planning; Motivation; Business models; Strategic positioning; Networks
Academic Discipline: Organizational Behavior & leadership
Product Description: a-connect was started in 2002 by three former McKinsey partners who wanted to develop an alternative business model consulting firm which they have positioned as a high-end staffing company. The company has been very successful, growing to revenues of CHF 30 million with offices in Zurich, Dusseldorf, Boston, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Instead of hiring full-time employees, the company uses a pool of 700 independent professionals (IP) who are typically former consultants from firms like Bain, BCG, and McKinsey. These professionals are managed by Talent Partners who match up IPs with client needs. One of the biggest challenges the firm faces is finding people who can fill this Talent Partner role since it requires a wide range of interpersonal and business development skills. As a way of instilling discipline in processes and procedures, from the very beginning the company set the objective of doing an IPO as a staffing company, thereby hoping to get the multiple of that category. Achieving this will require substantial growth in order to get to revenues of CHF 100 million, which they think is the size they need to be. Through the “Crystal Initiative” the company reviewed the three strategic choices of leveraging the operating platform, expanding the service portfolio, and focusing on the Global Sliver. They chose t
Source: Harvard
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| A-LIVE: START-UP AND GROWTH IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
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| 9 pp.
| Case
Wustmann, A; Venzin, M
Publisher: SDA Bocconi
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 805-040-1 Language: English
Category: Entrepreneurship Data source: Field research
Product Year: 2005
Geo location: Switzerland Industry: Entertainment Size: Less than 20 employees Timing: 2000-2003
Topics: Career choices; Entrepreneurship; Business planning; Start-up company
Abstract: The case illustrates how a start-up can survive and thrive in the turbulent and fragmented entertainment market. A-live Music Company (AMC) entered the entertainment market in 2000 by combining ?acappella? live performances with a franchise system, and building additional products (CDs, custom-written songs) and services around its competencies. The case can be used to discuss critical issues in start-up management, such as how to enter a new market with limited resources, how to build a brand by applying alternative marketing techniques, how to cross-sell products or generate efficiencies in a corporate structure, etc. Strategic decisions faced by AMC, selecting a growth path, internationalising its activity, allocating resources, selecting target groups and business models etc, can be compared to similar issues faced by larger organisations.
Source: ecch
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| A-Rod: Signing the Best Player in Baseball
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| 14 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Cohen, Randolph B.; Wallace, Jason
Publication Date: 09/23/2002 Revision Date: 01/27/2003
Product Type: Case (Field)
Product Description: Analyzes a large investment decision considered by the Texas Rangers in 2000: whether to spend $252 million for the services of shortstop Alex Rodriguez. The signing was probably the most controversial sports contract of the past decade. Teaching Purpose: 1) To teach students to evaluate a complex investment decision — the signing of the largest player contract in baseball history (was $252 million too high a price to pay?) -- as well as to look at regression analysis, complex conditional cash flows, and discounting; and 2) to consider the difference between correlation and causation, the nature of insurance, and the long-run benefits of brand improvement.
HBS Number: 9-203-047
Geographic Setting: TexasIndustry Setting: sports/entertainmentNumber of Employees: 200Gross Revenues: $126.5 million revenues
Event Year Start: 2000Event Year End: 2000
Subjects: Brand management; Cash flow; Insurance; Investments; Present value; Regression analysis; Sports
Academic Discipline: Finance
Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-203-091), 18p, by Randolph B. Cohen, Joyce Chi
Source: Harvard
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| A.1. Steak Sauce: Lawry’s Defense
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| 8 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Calkins, Timothy
Publication Date: 01/01/2004
Product Type: Case (Pub Mat)
HBS Number: KEL010
Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Food industry Gross Revenues: $100 million annual sales
Event Year Start: 2003 Event Year End: 2003
Subjects: Competition, Competitive strategy, Marketing, New product marketing, Product introduction
Academic Discipline: Marketing
Product Description: Chuck Smith, senior brand manager of A.1. Steak Sauce, learns that Lawry’s will soon be launching a steak sauce product. He has to determine whether A.1. should defend its business and, if so, what A.1. should do. In formulating the recommendation, he has to consider competitive dynamics and work through the financial implications.
Source: Harvard
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| A.T. KEARNEY AND THE NEW "DEFINING ENTITY"
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| 19 pp.
| Case
Barclay DW; Carter M
The acquisition of A.T. Kearney Ltd., an international management consulting firm, by Electronic Data Systems (EDS), an information systems company, raised many issues. Among these was the issue of how to leverage the merger in terms of providingstrategic consulting and information systems solutions to clients. Should the two firms cross-sell each other’s services? Should A.T. Kearney call on existing EDS clients and vice-versa? Should the two firms work together to secure new clients?The case focuses on the chairman of A.T. Kearney Ltd. in Canada as he prepares to deal with the above issue. Once this issue has been worked through, there is an opportunity to deal with sales management issues arising from this decision. Forexample, if cross-selling is to be encouraged, what incentive scheme might be appropriate? The purpose of the case is to show how sales management decisions must be driven by marketing strategy and the desired customer interface that marketingstrategy implies.
Ivey Number: 9A98A002
Publication Date: 2/2/1998 Revision Date: 30/09/1998
Geographic Setting: Canada Industry Setting: Business Services
Company Size: Large organization
Event Year Start: 1996
Subjects: Relationship Management, Sales Strategy, Consulting, Consolidations and Mergers
Functional Area: Marketing
Source: Ivey
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| A123Systems
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| 15 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Bowen, H. Kent; Morse, Kenneth P.; Cannon, Douglas
Publication Date: 05/08/2006
Product Type: Case (Field)
HBS Number: 9-606-114
Industry Setting: Battery; High technology Number of Employees: 20
Event Year Start: 2002 Event Year End: 2003
Subjects: Breakthrough innovation; Commercialization; Decision making; Entrepreneurship; Intellectual property; Licensing; Technology
Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Product Description: A 123Systems was a young company that was founded on basic materials science research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A co-founder of the company, Yet-Ming Chiang, was a full professor at MIT and served as scientific adviser. Intellectual property based on the science, which offered a radical way to construct lithium-ion batteries that promised higher energy densities, was licensed from MIT. The concept for the company was based on laboratory demonstrations that the three components of battery cells could be selected and treated so that they would self-assemble (due to intrinsic molecular forces). This resulted in finer battery structures and better performance. Following 14 months of research and development, the company found that it required more time and resources than originally anticipated to take the self-assembled battery to market. However, additional IP for a new cathode material, which presented an intermediate market opportunity, had also been licensed from Chiang’s lab at MIT. The new material had advantages over the incumbent electrode material: It met the criteria for self-assembly, and it could replace the electrode in the millions of lithium-ion batteries currently in production. The management team needed to decide whether to pursue the breakthrough self-assembly technology or move resources to commercialize the new electrode material and then return to the original breakthrough technology.
Source: Harvard
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| AAP KI PANCHAYAT
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| 10 pp.
| Case
Dhar, S — Nirma University
Jain, R K — Nirma University
Barad, K B — Nirma University
Mehta, M — Nirma University
Choksi, N A — Nirma University
Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 809-016-1 Language: English
Category: Entrepreneurship Data source: Field research
Product Year: 2009
Geo location: Western India Industry: Retail Size: Small Timing: 2007
Topics: Entrepreneurship; Target segment; Brand positioning; Perceptual mapping
Abstract: For ages, the paan business in India has been in vogue. The traditional paan shops were located in remote corners of cities and would always have a shabby look. Paan shop owners did not enjoy much social recognition and appreciation in society. Therefore, this business in India was run mostly by those who did not have any other option of earning their livelihood. Although people from higher economic and social strata of the country loved to chew sweet paan and mouth fresheners, they were reluctant to take their families to such paan shops because of the social stigma prevalent in the country. The case depicts how, Shyam and his daughter Kavita dared to transform this unorganised and non-branded paan business into an organised and branded one. Moreover they as promoters show how innovation and entrepreneurial skills can be unleashed to show to the world that successful people don’t do different things but do things differently. Even a paan business could be worth a million dollars and can create wealth for themselves and other stakeholders, and in a manner that was acceptable to society.
Source: ecch
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| ABB (A): The Barnevik Era (1988-2001)
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| 15 pp.
| Case
Author(s): Strebel, Paul; Govinder, Nanci
Publication Date: 01/01/2003 Revision Date: 08/06/2004
Product Type: Case (Field)
Publisher: IMD - International Institute for Management Development
Product Description: Examines the evolution of ABB under its four leaders, from the merger to 2002. Describes the history of both companies — Asea AB and Brown Boveri et Cie -- the rationale for the merger, the merger process, and the integration and restructuring of the company under Percy Barnevik, the first CEO of ABB. Why was the merger so successful? What were the advantages and disadvantages of Barnevik’s management system, especially the highly decentralized matrix structure? How did this structure serve ABB? At the end of 1996, Barnevik decided to step down as CEO. Who would succeed him? What challenges would the new CEO face?
HBS Number: IMD172
Gross Revenues: $30 billion revenues
Event Year Start: 1988Event Year End: 1996
Subjects: Decentralization; Engineering; Leadership; Mergers & acquisitions; Negotiations; Restructuring; Scandinavia; Switzerland
Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Field), (IMD174), 7p, by Paul Strebel, Nanci Govinder; Supplement (Field), (IMD175), 6p, by Paul Strebel, Nanci Govinder; Supplement (Field), (IMD176), 5p, by Paul Strebel, Nanci Govinder; Teaching Note, (IMD173), 18p, by Paul Strebel, Nanci Govinder
Source: Harvard
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