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Case Manzoor, S — Air University Rasheed, F — Air University Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 409-032-1 Language: English Category: Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour Data source: Field research Product Year: 2009 Geo location: Pakistan Industry: Education Size: 2,000 employees Timing: 2008 Topics: Turnover; Change in management policies; Organisational commitment; Job satisfaction Abstract: This case is about a private teaching institute which is enjoying a good reputation by maintaining a high standard in education. Frequent changes in the institution’s policies have disappointed the employees to a great extent resulting in an increase in turnover rate. Emerging policies and procedures have discouraged the employees and have decreased their commitment to the institution. This case focuses mainly on the issues of change in management and the problems faced by the employees due to those changes. Massive work loads and less encouragement by the new administration have not only affected the morale of the employees but have also increased the turnover rate.
Case Ramay, M I — MAJU - Mohammad Ali Jinnah University Bashir, S — MAJU - Mohammad Ali Jinnah University Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 407-008-1 Language: English Category: Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour Data source: Field research Product Year: 2007 Geo location: Pakistan Industry: Public Size: 2,000 employees Timing: 2001-2005 Topics: Bureaucratic structure; Change; Manual system; Computerised accounting system; Resistance; Rapid change; International accounting standards; Sophisticated technology Abstract: This case focuses on a multi-dimensional picture of change management. It is intended to describe to executives and graduate students the challenges and realities of leading and sustaining large scale organisational change in a public sector organisation. The consequences of the management’s decisions to impose a change without employee involvement, specifically focusing on its impact on their loyalty, have been discussed. It provides analysis and questions that are intended to present alternative approaches to deepen the students‘ comprehension of business issues and energise the classroom rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. It provides a good vehicle for teaching lessons about bureaucratic organisational structure leadership, change management and strategy development.
Case Eppler, M J — Universita Della Svizzera Italiana (USI) Mengis, J — Universita Della Svizzera Italiana (USI) Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 904-039-1 Language: English Category: Knowledge, Information and Communications Systems Management Data source: Field research Product Year: 2004 Geo location: Switzerland Industry: Insurance Size: 20,000 employees worldwide Timing: 2004 Topics: Knowledge management; Knowledge communication; Knowledge transfer; Project communication; Internal communication; Insurance; IT (information technology) Abstract: The case deals with the communication problems between IT (information technology) specialists and the business department of a large insurance company. Within the scope of a project, the IT specialists are asked to implement specific changes in an application that supports the business in completing its daily tasks. Even if the communication process along the project is already quite complex, various difficulties in the face-to- face and mediated communication lead to misunderstandings amongst the two groups so that the project falls more and more behind schedule. The case illustrates the challenges of the knowledge intensive communication between IT experts and the business line of an insurance company and fosters the reflection regarding possible solutions. The case is based on interviews and is intended for business and communication students interested in internal-functional communication.
Case Author(s): Abdelal, Rawi; Haddad, Kimberly A. Publication Date: 12/12/2002 Revision Date: 01/02/2003 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: By 2002, the euphoria that accompanied the grandest achievement to date of Europe’s 50-plus years of integration — full monetary union -- was fading fast. European policy makers completed the historically unprecedented monetary integration of 12 countries and then they turned their attention to an equally challenging issue: enlarging the European Union (EU). By the beginning of the 21st century, 13 countries clamored for membership in this most exclusive club of rich, democratic, European states. With so many prospective members knocking on the door, European policy makers were forced to decide quickly whom to let in and under what conditions. Teaching Purpose: The economic, political, and institutional challenges of EU enlargement. HBS Number: 9-703-021 Geographic Setting: EuropeIndustry Setting: government Event Year Start: 1989Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Business government relations; Country analysis; Eastern Europe; Emerging markets; Government policy Academic Discipline: Business & government
11. World Wrestling Entertainment Author(s): Shamsie, Jamal; Eisner, Alan B. Case Number: DLE5011 Publication Date: 2009 Revision Date: N/A Event Year Start: 1999 Event Year End: 2009 Geographic Setting: U.S. Industry Setting: Entertainment Courses: Business; Management and Organization; Strategic Management Course Sequence: Corporate-level Strategy; Internal Analysis; Managing Innovation; Intellectual Assets Subjects: Business Policy; Competitive Strategy; Asset Analysis; Leadership; Innovation; Marketing Management Supplements: Teaching Note; PowerPoint Notes; Online Web Links; Video; Excel Description: WWE’s potent mix of shaved, pierced, and pumped-up muscled hunks; buxom, scantily-clad, and sometimes cosmetically enhanced beauties; and body-bashing clashes of good versus evil had resulted in an empire that claimed over 35 million fans.
30. Weight Watchers International Inc. Author(s): Eisner, Alan B; Korn, Helaine J.; DiChiara, Jennifer M. Case Number: DLE5030 Publication Date: 2009 Revision Date: N/A Event Year Start: 2005 Event Year End: 2009 Geographic Setting: International Industry Setting: Weight Loss Courses: Business; Management and Organization; Strategic Management Course Sequence: External Environment; Internal Analysis; Business-level Strategy; Intellectual Assets; Subjects: Business Policy; Competitive Strategy; Product Development Supplements: Teaching Note; PowerPoint Notes; Online Web Links; Video; Excel Description: Weight Watchers, while the undeniable industry standard, had lost some of its luster as many potential consumers considered it the prior generation’s answer to weight loss.
31. World Wrestling Entertainment Author(s): Shamsie, Jamal Description: WWE’s potent mix of shaved, pierced, and pumped-up muscled hunks; buxom, scantily clad, and sometimes cosmetically enhanced beauties; and body-bashing clashes of good versus evil had resulted in an empire that claimed over 35 million fans; however, when CEO Linda McMahon decided to push for growth by moving the firm beyond its wrestling roots, WWE’s efforts led to significant losses. While not all students are fans of professional wrestling, it seems there is always at least one fan in a class. Therefore, the WWE case can be a versatile fit with discussions of internal environment, intellectual assets, corporate-level strategy, or entrepreneurial issues, especially how to manage innovation. Publication Date: 2005 Revision Date: N/A Event Year Start: 1999 Event Year End: 2005 Geographic Setting: U.S. Industry Setting: Entertainment Courses: Business/Management and Organization/Strategic Management Course Sequence: Corporate-level Strategy; Internal Analysis; Managing Innovation; Intellectual Assets Subjects: Business Policy; Competitive Strategy; Asset Analysis; Leadership; Innovation; Marketing Management Supplements: Teaching Note; Video; PowerPoint Notes; Online Web Links Case Number: DLE3031
Article Bleeke, Joel A.; Ernst, David War stories about failed alliances make executives wary of forging new joint ventures. However, the strategic benefits of cross-border alliances are compelling. A study of 49 cross-border alliances found several patterns that have managerial implications. For example, alliances must be free to evolve as the environment changes and opportunities arise. Contrary to conventional wisdom, fifty-fifty ownership of joint ventures improves decision making, and most alliances end with one parent acquiring the venture. HBS Number: 91602 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 11/1/1991 Subjects: Corporate strategy; International business; Joint ventures; Partnerships
Article Author(s): Farkas, Charles M.; Wetlaufer, Suzy Publication Date: 05/01/1996 Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article Product Description: CEOs inspire sentiments from awe to wrath, but there is little debate over their importance in the business world. Their decisions change companies and lives. But what do CEOs do all day? Where do they go? Charles Farkas and Suzy Wetlaufer analyzed interviews with 160 chief executives around the world and examined the attitudes, activities, and behaviors that shape the answers to these questions. At the outset, the authors thought they might find 160 approaches to leadership. Instead, they identified only five, each with a singular focus: strategy, people, expertise, controls, or change. HBS Number: 96303 Subjects: CEO; Executives; Leadership; Management styles Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
Case Roland B. CousinsThis case questions the ethics of putting a ’cap‘ on bonuses despite earlier promises. The question of how, when, or to whom it should be done arises when entrepreneur/boss, Harvey Finley, finds out the total earnings of his secretary/receptionist, Cathy Brennanrst. Source: North American Case Research Association, Case Research Journal, Spring 1992, Vol. 12 Issue 1. Copyright 1992. Courses: Organizational Behavior Topics:
Article Author(s): Sherman, Stratford; Freas, Alyssa Publication Date: 11/01/2004 Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article HBS Number: R0411E Subjects: Action planning; Coaching; Contracts; Corporate culture; Executive ability; Executives; Human resources management; Leadership; Performance appraisal; Performance effectiveness; Personal strategy & style Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Product Description: Annual spending on executive coaching in the United States is estimated at $1 billion. Yet, information about coaching’s effectiveness is scarce and unreliable. No one has yet demonstrated conclusively what qualifies an executive coach or what makes one approach to executive coaching better than another. Barriers to entry are nonexistent — many executive coaches know little about business, and some know little about coaching. The coaching certifications offered by various self-appointed bodies are difficult to assess, and methods of measuring return on investment are questionable. But strategic coaching can provide critical help both to individuals and to organizations. In this article, Stratford Sherman, a senior vice-president of Executive Coaching Network, and Alyssa Freas, the founder and CEO, explore the popularity of executive coaching and investigate ways to make the most of the experience. They argue that coaching is inevitably a triangular relationship between the client, the “coachee,” and the coach. Its purpose is to produce behavioral change and growth in the coachee for the economic benefit of the client. The best way to maximize the likelihood of good results is to qualify all the people involved. Even so, many triangular relationships continue to generate conflict among all three parties. At the most basic level, coaches serve as suppliers of candor, providing leaders with the objective feedback they need to nourish their growth. Coaching gets ex Source: Harvard
Case Author(s): Andrew Inkpen, Rod Phillips Abstract: This Wine Industry Note examines the wine industry as the basis for discussing how competitive advantage is created and how advantage can be lost when innovative strategies challenge the incumbent players. The wine industry in 2003 was in a state of transition. Historically, a plethora of products and fragmented international markets made it nearly impossible for a company to establish a dominant international position. In addition, because wine was an agricultural product and subject to the vagaries of the weather, reliability of supply was unpredictable. However, well-capitalized international winemakers were emphasizing global presence and brand recognition. The tremendous success New World producers had experienced in markets traditionally dominated by European winemakers was leading to increased emphasis on creating recognized brands, stable distribution arrangements, and focused advertising campaigns. Only time would tell if the wine industry remained one where terror and the mystery of the wine prevailed, or global brands displaced the local and regional winemakers. Teaching: The wine industry is an ancient industry, it is global, it involves a product that most people are familiar with and many are fanatical about, and it is undergoing significant structural change. The focus of the industry note is on the producers/winemakers and their position within the industry. The case can also be used in the industry analysis part of a competitive strategy class and can serve as a vehicle to explore the value chain concept. Thunderbird #: A09-03-0026 Setting: N/A Industry: Wine Industry Subjects: Industry and competitive strategy
Article Galbraith, John Kenneth John Kenneth Galbraith, economist and author of The Affluent Society, reviews Robert H. Frank and Philip J. Cook’s book The Winner-Take-All Society. Frank and Cook, professors at Cornell and Duke universities, study markets in which the winner‘s rewards far outstrip those of the other contestants. Galbraith takes exception to the authors' notion that the workings of sports markets are broadly applicable to all aspects of U.S. economic life. Sometimes it's apt, sometimes it isn't. Galbraith warns. "No wheat grower, no dentist, no housepainter has a dominant position in his industry," he maintains. Still, Galbraith does agree with the authors' conclusion that a winner-take-all mentality can misallocate economic resources, resulting in grave inequalities in the distribution of income. HBS Number: 95603 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 11/1/1995 Subjects: Business & society; Competition; Game theory; Market share
Article Author(s): Kern, Thomas; Willcocks, Leslie P.; Van He Publication Date: 01/01/2002 Product Type: CMR Article Publisher: California Management Review Product Description: Large international corporations commonly engage in IT outsourcing. However, the process of evaluating, selecting, and subsequently contracting out or selling the organization’s IT assets, people, and/or activities to a third-party supplier creates the possibility of a “Winner‘s Curse.” This occurs when the supplier overpromises on what can be delivered for the contract price. This article presents a longitudinal outsourcing case study that explicates the often abstruse Winner's Curse, its effect on post-contract management and the relationship, and how it was alleviated by a mutual renegotiation of the terms of the deal. Building on auction and IT outsourcing theory, the article provides both a model of IT outsourcing processes and a Winner's Curse typology for understanding IT outsourcing ventures. To avoid the experience of relational trauma as a consequence of a Winner's Curse, this article identifies six lessons that client and supplier companies should consider before signing IT outsourcing deals. HBS Number: CMR221 Subjects: Competitive bidding; Information technology; Outsourcing; Suppliers Academic Discipline: Negotiations
Case John Lawrence, University of IdahoWendy Lawrence, University of Idaho Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Summer-Winter 1997, Vol. 5, Issues 1 and 2. Copyright 2000. Topic: Non-Profit
Article Bartolome, Fernando Often an executive blames a stressful work situation and lack of time for his or her unsatisfactory home life. These can be the cause, but they are frequently alibis to cover up much more personal factors. To improve their situation, executives need to establish clear, concrete, and achievable goals and to monitor the achievement of these. Projects should be modest, yield results that are both measurable and fun, and involve another person to help the executive persist. Authentic behavior and clear communication, together with imagination and playfulness, are the keys to a satisfying life at home. HBS Number: 83204 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 3/1/1983 Subjects: Communication; Interpersonal relations; Values
Article Ronald A. Heifetz More and more companies today are facing adaptive challenges: changes in societies, markets, and technology around the globe are forcing them to clarify their values, develop new strategies, and learn new ways of operating. And the most important task for leaders in the face of such challenges is mobilizing people throughout the organization to do adaptive work. The authors offer six principles for leading adaptive work: "getting on the balcony," identifying the adaptive challenge, regulating distress, maintaining disciplined attention, giving the work back to people, and protecting voices of leadership from below. HBS Number: 97106 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 1/1/1997 Subjects: Corporate culture; Employee attitude; Employee empowerment; Human behavior; Human resources management; Management of change; Management styles; Organizational learning
Article Heifetz, Ronald A.; Laurie, Donald L. More and more companies today are facing adaptive challenges: changes in societies, markets, and technology around the globe are forcing them to clarify their values, develop new strategies, and learn new ways of operating. And the most important task for leaders in the face of such challenges is mobilizing people throughout the organization to do adaptive work. The authors offer six principles for leading adaptive work: "getting on the balcony," identifying the adaptive challenge, regulating distress, maintaining disciplined attention, giving the work back to people, and protecting voices of leadership from below. HBS Number: 97106 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 1/1/1997 Subjects: Corporate culture; Employee attitude; Employee empowerment; Human behavior; Human resources management; Management of change; Management styles; Organizational learning
Article Pagonis, William G. Lieutenant General William G. Pagonis led the 40,000 men and women who ran the theater logistics in the Persian Gulf War during its three phases of operation: Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Desert Farewell. His challenges included feeding, clothing, sheltering, and arming over 550,000 people. All of this was achieved in a hostile, desert region with a Muslim community distrustful of the "infidels" sent there to protect them. Pagonis built a leadership-supporting environment, combining centralized control with decentralized execution. He believes vision is defined by the leader, but the subordinates define the objectives that move the organization toward the desired outcome. HBS Number: 92607 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 11/1/1992 Subjects: Communication; Interpersonal relations; Leadership; Logistics; Management styles; Military R&D; Power & influence
Article Author(s): Prusak, Laurence Publication Date: 04/01/2006 Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article Product Description: It’s conventional wisdom that the Internet has made the world flatter. But we‘re not necessarily smarter, and many people have been left behind. HBS Number: F0604A Geographic Setting: China; India Subjects: Information age; Internet; Knowledge workers Academic Discipline: Management of information systems
Case Author(s): Moss, David A.; Bartlett, Nicholas Publication Date: 09/20/2002 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: Explores the origins and workings of the World Trade Organization (WTO), focusing particular attention on the special challenges of trade liberalization at the dawn of the 21st Century. Teaching Purpose: To improve students’ understanding of the WTO and the international trade regime. May be used with: (9-703-016) Note on WTO Disputes: Five Major Cases. HBS Number: 9-703-015 Event Year Start: 1995Event Year End: 2002 Subjects: Europe; Globalization; International trade; Trade policy Academic Discipline: Business & government
Case Ralinda Young Lurie, David B. Yoffie, Makoto Aoki, Katsuya DebariThis case looks at the evolution of the technology and competition in VCRs, the battles between VHS and Beta, and the emerging threats to Japanese dominance. Source: Harvard Business School. Copyright 1987, Revised January 23, 1990. Courses: International Trade; Technology Topics:
Case Yoffie, David B.; Aoki, Makoto; Debari, Katsuya In the 1980s Japan dominated the world industry for video cassette recorders. This case looks at the evolution of the technology and competition in VCRs, the battles between VHS and Beta, and the emerging threats to Japanese dominance. HBS Number: 9-387-098 Type: Case (Library) Publication Date: 1/5/1987 Revision Date: 1/23/1990 Geographic Setting: Japan Industry Setting: video cassette recorders Event Year Start: 1950 Event Year End: 1985 Subjects: Competition; Home entertainment equipment; International trade; Japan; Technology Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-389-086), 18p, by David B. Yoffie
Case Author(s): Austin, Robert D.; Rodd, Thomas Publication Date: 10/08/1997 Revision Date: 02/13/2003 Product Type: Note Product Description: Intended to provide background on the evolution of the Internet and the web, on characteristics of the supporting technology, and on current issues surrounding use of the technology. Designed for non-technical readers. Teaching Purpose: To familiarize non-technical readers with the essential aspects and concepts concerning Internet and web technologies and their uses. HBS Number: 9-198-020 Geographic Setting:Industry Setting: Subjects: Information technology; Internet; Software; Technology; Telecommunications; World Wide Web Academic Discipline: Management of information systems
Article Kao, John J. For generations, emigrant Chinese entrepreneurs have operated in a network of family and clan across many national borders. Chinese businesses in the Pacific Rim and beyond make up the world’s fourth economic power. The author calls this global network of entrepreneurial relationships the Chinese commonwealth. The author details the Confucian tradition and the values that have hindered so many Chinese businesses in the recent past, including Wang Laboratories. The sudden wealth of expatriate Chinese communities and the new possibilities for business still come down to a patchwork of many small enterprises that often have no respect for one another. But a new ideology of economic self-interest that transcends politics and the constraints on traditional Chinese business may lead to even greater integration of the commonwealth. HBS Number: 93206 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 3/1/1993 Subjects: China; Cross cultural relations; Entrepreneurship; International business; International finance; Southeast Asia Year New: 1993
Case H. Richard Eisenbeis; Sue Hanks; Bruce D. Barrett At 2:53 a.m. on September 22, 1993, the Sunset Limited, Amtrak’s only transcontinental passenger train, plunged inot Big Bayou Canot fourteen miles north of Mobile, Alabama, killing 47 passengers. Eight minutes earlier at 2:45 a.m., a towboat, pushing six barges and lost in a dense fog, unknowingly bumped into Big Bayou Canot Bridge, knocking the track out of alignment, causing the train to derail and plunge into the mucky waters of the bayou. Blame for the accident was attributed to negligence on the part of Amtrak, CSX, Warrior and Gulf Navigation, the United States Coast Guard, and the National Transportation Safety Board-all major players in a series of complex parallel organizational subsystems that suddenly interacted in unintended and unpredictable ways. The case illustrates the difficulty of assigning responsibility in situations that are managerially and technically complex, especially when these situations deal with highly emotional and sometimes disastrous events. Source: North American Case Research Association, Case Research Journal, Volume 19, Issue 3 Subjects: Business Ethics, Social Responsibility, Organizational Theory
Case Author(s): Higgins, Monica; Thomas, David A.; Zuboff, Shoshana Publication Date: 08/14/2002 Product Type: Exercise Product Description: Sets the stage for self-assessment as an integral component in the process of career development. HBS Number: 9-403-052 Subjects: Careers & career planning; Self evaluation Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
What Creates Energy in Organizations? Author(s): Rob Cross; Wayne Baker; Andrew Parker Reprint 444005; Summer 2003, Vol. 44, No. 4 Topics: Leadership and Organizational Studies; Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations Abstract: People in organizations commonly talk about the energy associated with a project, team or individual. But is energy related to performance or learning in organizations? And how is it created and transferred in groups? To answer those questions, the authors assessed energy within seven large groups in different organizations. They collected data that allowed them to map social networks and, more specifically, determine who the “energizers” and “de-energizers” were in those groups. Their analyses, supplemented by interviews with network members, also reveal why energy is important for performance and learning and how it is created (or destroyed) in organizations. And they gave rise to a set of questions that can help managers and the people they oversee increase the energy they generate in their interactions with colleagues. By mapping relationships, managers can see where energy is being created and where it is being depleted. They can then take action, encouraging simple changes in behavior to increase energy in places where its lack is hindering the progress of important organizational initiatives.
When Crisis Crosses Borders Author(s): Deborah Hicks Midanek Reprint 451006; Fall 2003, Vol. 45, No. 1 Topics: International Business; Financial Management Abstract: Evolving a global approach to corporate distress is a difficult challenge, says the author, in part because codes vary internationally, reflecting fundamental differences in approaches to bankruptcy and attitudes about financial recovery. The U.S. approach favors rehabilitation as the way to serve creditors and restore value, whereas European nations lean toward liquidation. The author, who has worked with troubled companies in a variety of roles, describes how practitioners abroad are developing new, integrated approaches.
When CEOs Step Up To Fail Author(s): Jay A. Conger; David A. Nadler Reprint 453010; Spring 2004, Vol. 45, No. 3 Topics: Leadership and Organizational Studies; Corporate Strategy Abstract: In recent years, leaders at such high-profile companies as Xerox, Procter & Gamble, Lucent, Coca-Cola and Mattel have flamed out early in their tenures. Why did such promising and previously successful individuals fail so quickly in the CEO role? And why is such failure happening today with relatively high frequency? The individuals in charge bear some of the responsibility, of course. But the authors’ research also uncovered other major forces at play. First is the impact of the predecessor CEO‘s actions on his or her successor's performance. While outgoing CEOs do not intend to contribute to the failure of their successors, their personal needs and actions can lay the groundwork for derailment. A second force is often the succession process itself. Once again, the outgoing CEO may be responsible, having failed to prepare a successor adequately; and the board is also often guilty of lack of oversight. A third reason for failure by new CEOs is their often narrow expertise and inability to set a proper context as a leader. The authors explore these issues and then offer advice to outgoing CEOs, directors and incoming leaders that may help them avoid the troubles that some companies have faced in making a leadership transition.
Why Don’t We Know More About Knowledge? Author(s): Michael Hammer; Dorothy Leonard; Thomas Davenport Reprint 454002; Summer 2004, Vol. 45, No. 4 Topics: Leadership and Organizational Studies; Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations Abstract: More than 15 years ago, Peter Drucker heralded the beginning of the knowledge era. Since then, companies have made many attempts to leverage what they know and to increase their workers’ productivity. To bring together vast amounts of explicit knowledge, they have invested large sums in content repositories; to help people track down others with tacit expertise, they have experimented with open offices, mobile technologies and online directories. Much of this has been a waste of resources. In fact, five years ago Drucker likened our current understanding of knowledge- worker productivity to our understanding of manual-labor productivity in 1900. Translation: We‘ve got a long way to go. To reorient managers more fruitfully, SMR asked three leading management thinkers to explain what we've learned and how we can do better in the future. For Hammer, the focus should be not on the worker but on work processes and eliminating non-value-adding work. Leonard contends that companies should foster master-apprentice relationships to get the most out of their knowledge. And Davenport urges companies not just to experiment with ways of improving knowledge-worker productivity (as many already do), but to carefully measure the results of their experiments in order to learn what works and what doesn't.
What Are Brands Good For? Author(s): Niraj Dawar Reprint 461006; Fall 2004, Vol. 46, No. 1 Topics: Marketing; Corporate Strategy Abstract: Brands are an indispensable part of modern business. That is true in large measure because of a brand’s remarkable efficiency in “aggregating” consumers — reaching large numbers of people with a promise to deliver a clearly stated benefit that sets it apart from competitors. But the information revolution is undermining the logic of aggregation, the very source of brand power. In fact, it is becoming evident that in an information-rich environment, consumer disaggregation is vastly more efficient and profitable than aggregation. Using customized publications, e-mail, direct mail, Web sites and call centers that are based on a common platform of consumer information, companies are demonstrating that they can effectively and efficiently drive consumer behavior through two-way communications. Common underlying databases ensure that each interaction is personalized, regardless of the channel through which it occurs. And each interaction with the consumer builds the consumer database further, making future interactions even richer. The implications of the information revolution for the role of brands in business are far-reaching. Many of the strategic and tactical tasks entrusted to brands can now be performed better, less expensively and more profitably at the level of consumer segments. And companies’ brand-centric structures are not suited to marketing initiatives that are based on reaching segments or individuals. Given this changed environment, the author calls on companies to rethink three core areas of brand management: the consumer relationship, the channel relationship and the organization of brand management. To support his case, he draws on detailed examples involving Kraft, Procter & Gamble and Tesco.
What Quality Means Today Author(s): Armand V. Feigenbaum; Donald S. Feigenbaum Reprint 462018; Winter 2005, Vol. 46, No. 2 Topics: Service and Quality; Leadership and Organizational Studies Abstract: Leadership and management innovation must be the leading drivers of a comprehensive ethos of excellence.
Will Web Services Really Transform Collaboration? Author(s): Andrew McAfee Reprint 462016; Winter 2005, Vol. 46, No. 2 Topics: Management of Information Systems; Leadership and Organizational Studies Abstract: Just as the Internet and the World Wide Web led to a huge change in how people interact with distant applications, so the Internet and Web services hold out the promise of drastically changing how distant applications interact with each other. But how real is this promise? If information systems could look for and find each other, share data and execute business processes, all with no (or very little) human involvement, the business world would likely be quite transformed. The author concludes, however, that Web services will not create this world, nor will any technology on the horizon. Web services, he argues, will be highly useful, but not quickly or obviously disruptive; in fact, they will reinforce existing relationships rather than catalyze new ones. What’s more, the application-integration challenges that remain unaddressed by Web services are the really difficult ones that can only be overcome by the work of managers and leaders, not technologists or consortia. The author‘s themes are illustrated by an extended example drawn from his case study of IBM's EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) organization, which has been working with independent distributors in several countries to automate the ordering of midrange computing systems. The case provides a close look at an effort to go beyond the capabilities of previous B2B technologies to build agreements and standards for application-application interactions where none previously had existed.
When Marketing Practices Raise Antitrust Concerns Author(s): Darren Bush; Betsy D. Gelb Reprint 464013; Summer 2005, Vol. 46, No. 4 Topics: Marketing; Business Ethics and Public Policy Abstract: Although most U.S. businesspeople know better than to sit down with competitors to fix prices or divide markets, they can still violate antitrust rulings. Increasingly, the government agencies that enforce antitrust laws are scrutinizing organizations’ marketing, and shifts in practices in the early 2000s have reinvigorated enforcement activity. Understanding what behavior raises antitrust flags is critical for companies with dominant market share in one or more product categories. There has been increasing scrutiny of shelf-slotting practices and category management in the retail sector, for example. In this article, the authors take managers through the process of determining antitrust violation and then lay out five important cases in which practices that seemed to fit with competitive norms or with good citizenship, in fact, were ruled to be breaches of antitrust law — in some cases, with momentous penalties. The article goes on to describe a sampling of the tactics that can help to temper competitiveness with caution. It concludes that a fundamental requirement is for managers to begin looking at their competitive tactics — and at the business strategies and processes that support those tactics — through the eyes of antitrust regulators.
What Really Drives the Market? Author(s): Marc H. Goedhart; Timothy M. Koller; David Wessels Reprint 471007; Fall 2005, Vol. 47, No. 1 Topics: Financial Management; Corporate Strategy Abstract: The principle that financial markets accurately reflect the underlying value of traded stocks has been widely accepted in the investment world since the 1960s. It is predicated on the assumption that investors make buy or sell decisions based on a rational view of a company’s future cash flow, after considering all the relevant information. The role of the markets is to allocate capital to companies efficiently. Recently, however, this rational view has been under attack from adherents of behavioral finance, who argue that stock markets do not reflect economic fundamentals as well as people think they do. The authors maintain that there are instances when stock market valuations can and do make significant and lasting deviations from a company’s intrinsic value. However, according to the authors’ analysis, the significant discrepancies between market value and intrinsic value are both rare and short-lived. The article cites several examples, including the late 1970s, when inflation-conscious investors pushed stock valuations too low, and the “Internet bubble” of the late 1990s. On the whole, the authors argue, financial markets value investments efficiently — even if some people invest irrationally some of the time. Although managers may occasionally find ways to take advantage of short-term discrepancies, the authors say the only way they will be able to do so is by understanding the real underlying values.
When Manufacturers Go Retail Author(s): Kyle Cattani; Hans Sebastian Heese; Wendell Gilland; Jayashankar Swaminathan Reprint 472004; Winter 2006, Vol. 47, No. 2 Topics: Marketing; Service and Quality Abstract: Selling direct via the Internet can help or hurt traditional retail partners.
Why Do Good? Author(s): William F. Pounds Reprint 473004; Spring 2006, Vol. 47, No. 3 Topics: Business Ethics and Public Policy; Leadership and Organizational Studies Abstract: The author examines the questions of why individuals behave the way they do and if there is a natural impulse to do good. This article discusses such issues as whether an individual, pursuing his or her own self-interest, can improve the general welfare and whether people have an innate intuition that leads them to do good. In coming to the conclusion that the pursuit of self-interest can produce a lot of good if it is balanced with a bit of societal guidance, the author brings to light issues of corporate governance, performance pay, legal and monetary incentives, and other forms of regulation. It is in these arenas, the author points out, that intuition, rather than a more empirical approach, can best be put to good use. He argues that intuition has been lacking from the more utilitarian view of economics and management and that, generally speaking, a blend of both approaches is optimal.
When Consumers Go to Extremes Author(s): Larry Yu Reprint 49103; Fall 2007, Vol. 49, No. 1 Topics: Marketing; Service and Quality Abstract: Consumer preference is determined by how their options are presented.
What Makes Information Workers Productive Author(s): Martha E. Mangelsdorf Reprint 49212; Winter 2008, Vol. 49, No. 2 Topics: Management of Technology and Innovation; Leadership and Organizational Studies Abstract: Technology use, diverse networks and access to new information all enhance productivity.
What Strategy Is Not Author(s): John G. Singer Reprint 49221; Winter 2008, Vol. 49, No. 2 Topics: Corporate Strategy; Leadership and Organizational Studies Abstract: Technology- or platform-driven strategy is a fast track to commoditization.
What Was Obvious No Longer Is Author(s): William Barrett Reprint 49211; Winter 2008, Vol. 49, No. 2 Topics: Management of Technology and Innovation; Corporate Strategy Abstract: Recent Supreme Court rulings have changed IP protections.
When Bad People Rise to the Top Author(s): Terry Leap Reprint 49214; Winter 2008, Vol. 49, No. 2 Topics: Leadership and Organizational Studies; Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations Abstract: Observers are often amazed when executives with impressive track records are mysteriously transformed into corrupt and tyrannical monsters once they become chief executive officers. In truth, these executives often had serious character flaws that were either hidden or ignored for years. Corporate boards and search committees are not likely to detect personality problems of promising CEO candidates simply by examining their resumes or by conducting standard job interviews. This raises the question of how corporate boards or CEO search committees can penetrate the facade of an upwardly mobile executive who is, in reality, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. What danger signals do these individuals exhibit and what measures can be taken to reduce the likelihood of hiring a dysfunctional CEO? The author identifies eight potential danger signals including: an obsession with acquiring prestige, power, and wealth; a proclivity for developing grandiose strategies with little thought toward their implementation; and a fondness for a data-driven management style that overshadows or ignores a broader vision. Even sterling CEOs occasionally exhibit one or more of the danger signals described here. Potentially bad CEOs, however, usually possess several of these characteristics, and they exhibit them repeatedly. There is no ideal method for selecting a CEO, and there may be no executive position that provides a true test of a person‘s fitness to assume the top job, but there are several ways that a company can limit its risks when deciding on a CEO. Boards are usually cautious when looking at CEO candidates from outside the organization. They are more likely to be lulled into a sense of complacency, however, when considering an internal candidate. Some suggestions for screening prospecti Source: MIT Sloan Management Review
When Supplier Partnerships Aren’t Author(s): Brian Slobodow; Omer Abdullah; William C. Babuschak Reprint 49219; Winter 2008, Vol. 49, No. 2 Topics: Operations Management and Research; Financial Management Abstract: Ask any executive to describe how their company interacts with others in their supply chain, and it isn’t long before words such as “marriage,” “partnership” or “relationship” come up. However, if there is one truism at all about relationships today, it is that of constant communication. Yet in some of the most “strategic” supplier relationships, this simple concept is almost never deployed. The literature on supply chain management offers a range of metrics for suppliers, including “hard” metrics such as cost and quality and “soft” metrics such as service and innovation and the need for sophisticated models to evaluate supplier performance. But where is the discussion of holding the buyer company accountable for its end of the bargain? In very few cases do buyers adhere to supply chain metrics for themselves. Nonetheless, buyers have as much influence as suppliers on the success or failure of a supply chain relationship. Some companies are addressing this notion with mechanisms that emphasize dual accountability. Dual accountability requires a fundamental shift in the psychology of buyer-supplier relationships. Not only is tangible accountability demanded from both partners, but suppliers and buyers also must show greater communication, openness and trust. The article explores the genesis of the dual accountability concept, outlines the benefits — which range from decreased risk to improved reputation to lower total cost — and illustrates how dual accountability can be profitably applied by suppliers and buyers working together. One means of achieving dual accountability is the Two-Way Scorecard, a performance tool that measures supplier and buyer results across a balanced set of categ Source: MIT Sloan Management Review
Why VIPs Shouldn’t Get the Best Tech Support Author(s): Joe Hogan Reprint 49203; Winter 2008, Vol. 49, No. 2 Topics: Management of Information Systems; Operations Management and Research Abstract: Two Unisys studies indicate there’s a wiser use of your IT resources.
What the Media Is Really Telling You About Your Brand Author(s): Grahame Dowling; Warren Weeks Reprint 49311; Spring 2008, Vol. 49, No. 3 Topics: Marketing; Corporate Strategy Abstract: Media coverage is a key factor in creating a company’s reputation, which has been shown to influence both operational and financial performance. Scorecard rankings are a popular form of determining corporate reputations vis — vis competitors, yet many executives justifiably consider opinion-poll-style scorecards to be little more than beauty contests.
This article discusses two techniques for assessing media coverage in a way that can inform management action: profiling media communication about a company‘s actions and its products and services, and then examining the various facets of an organization's media reputation profile. Media profiling is an analysis of the specific words and phrases that people and journalists use to describe and evaluate a company. The authors illustrate the use of media profiling results in three exhibits that visually reflect important aspects of corporate reputation at a glance: “media salience,” which shows the prominence of a company's media image, and “media tone” and “coverage breakout,” which outline different aspects of company reputation.
Using the example of Apple Inc., the authors show how media profiling immediately creates a discussion that informs management action. It does so by unpacking “message macrothemes,” such as profitability or service, into microthemes that a journalist uses to discuss them. Focusing on microthemes quickly moves the discussion to an expansive language about corporate reputation. Executives and public relations managers can then prioritize their responses to various reputation scenarios. First, they should try to protect and enhance the company's good message themes, then address negative message themes head-on. For mixed message themes, managers should seek to understand both sides of the sto Source: MIT Sloan Management Review
Where the Best — and Worst — Ideas Come From Author(s): Josh Hyatt Reprint 49408; Summer 2008, Vol. 49, No. 4 Topics: Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations; Management of Technology and Innovation Abstract: Group brainstorming sessions excel at generating both very good and very bad ideas.
Case Friel, T — Butler University King, B E — Butler University Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 603-007-1 Language: English Category: Production and Operations Management Data source: Published sources Product Year: 2003 Geo location: US company sourcing from Asia Industry: Electric wire (extension cords) Size: Approximately 1,000 employees Timing: 2002 Topics: International make or buy; Inventory control; Outsourcing; Operations strategy; Forecasting; Linear programming; Economic order quantity Abstract: This case presents the problem of whether or not a small manufacturer should continue to produce domestically or close and source internationally. The case has information for simple analyses such as EOQ (economic order quantity) and breakeven analyses as well as for a rather complex linear programming model. The outcome of the actual situation is included for students to compare their recommendation with what the company eventually did. This case was sponsored by the Indiana University CIBER Case Collection.
Case A Author(s): Werhane, Patricia H.; Severance, Kristi Darden ID: UVA-E-0157 Published: 6/10/1999 Copyright Year: 1999 Subject Area: Ethics Keywords: environmental issues; ethical issues; ethics, medical Teaching Note: UVA-E-0157TN Abstract: Neemix is a natural biopesticide developed by W. R. Grace from the neem tree, which is indigenous to rural India. Because of its medicinal and religious use by rural Indians for more than 1,000 years, the Foundation on Economic Trends is protesting Grace’s patenting of Neemix. The A case raises questions concerning international intellectual-property rights and how American companies such as Grace should deal with these issues. See also the B case (UVA-E-0158).
Case A Author(s): Werhane, Patricia H.; Severance, Kristi Darden ID: UVA-E-0157 Published: 6/10/1999 Copyright Year: 1999 Subject Area: Ethics Keywords: environmental issues; ethical issues; ethics, medical Teaching Note: UVA-E-0157TN Abstract: Neemix is a natural biopesticide developed by W. R. Grace from the neem tree, which is indigenous to rural India. Because of its medicinal and religious use by rural Indians for more than 1,000 years, the Foundation on Economic Trends is protesting Grace’s patenting of Neemix. The A case raises questions concerning international intellectual-property rights and how American companies such as Grace should deal with these issues. See also the B case (UVA-E-0158).
Case B Author(s): Werhane, Patricia H.; Severance, Kristi Darden ID: UVA-E-0158 Published: 3/22/1999 Copyright Year: 1999 Subject Area: Ethics Keywords: environmental issues; ethical issues; ethics, medical Teaching Note: UVA-E-0157TN Abstract: The B case describes W. R. Grace’s sale of the Neemix Division to Ecotek and the continuing activist movement that questions the patentability of indigenous products such as Neemix. See also the A case (UVA-E-0157).
Case B Author(s): Werhane, Patricia H.; Severance, Kristi Darden ID: UVA-E-0158 Published: 3/22/1999 Copyright Year: 1999 Subject Area: Ethics Keywords: environmental issues; ethical issues; ethics, medical Teaching Note: UVA-E-0157TN Abstract: The B case describes W. R. Grace’s sale of the Neemix Division to Ecotek and the continuing activist movement that questions the patentability of indigenous products such as Neemix. See also the A case (UVA-E-0157).
Case Author(s): Parry, Mark E.; Sato, Yoshinobu Darden ID: UVA-M-0465 Published: 2/21/1996 Copyright Year: 1995 Subject Area: Marketing Keywords: advertising strategy, brand management, pricing, promotion Teaching Note: UVA-M-0465TN Abstract: On April 4, 1994, General Mills, the number-two cereal manufacturer in the United States, announced a per-box price reduction between $0.30 and $0.70 on eight brands that accounted for 40% of its cereal volume. The case focuses on Kellogg’s possible responses to the General Mills price cut, providing opportunities to discuss various strategies for responding to private-label and store-brand competition. Specific responses discussed in the case include price cuts, couponing, other promotional vehicles, and advertising. Of particular interest is Kellogg‘s use of advertising to shift consumer attention from the per-box price of cereal to the per-bowl price of cereal. Also see the B case (UVA-M-0472).
Case Author(s): Parry, Mark E.; Sato, Yoshinobu Darden ID: UVA-M-0465 Published: 2/21/1996 Copyright Year: 1995 Subject Area: Marketing Keywords: advertising strategy, brand management, pricing, promotion Teaching Note: UVA-M-0465TN Abstract: On April 4, 1994, General Mills, the number-two cereal manufacturer in the United States, announced a per-box price reduction between $0.30 and $0.70 on eight brands that accounted for 40% of its cereal volume. The case focuses on Kellogg’s possible responses to the General Mills price cut, providing opportunities to discuss various strategies for responding to private-label and store-brand competition. Specific responses discussed in the case include price cuts, couponing, other promotional vehicles, and advertising. Of particular interest is Kellogg‘s use of advertising to shift consumer attention from the per-box price of cereal to the per-bowl price of cereal. Also see the B case (UVA-M-0472).
Case Author(s): Parry, Mark E.; Sato, Yoshinobu Darden ID: UVA-M-0472 Published: 2/19/1996 Copyright Year: 1996 Subject Area: Marketing Keywords: advertising strategy, brand management, pricing, promotion Teaching Note: UVA-M-0465TN Abstract: This case supplements the A case (UVA-M-0465) by describing important events in the U.S. cereal market from June 1994 to November 1994.
Case Author(s): Parry, Mark E.; Sato, Yoshinobu Darden ID: UVA-M-0472 Published: 2/19/1996 Copyright Year: 1996 Subject Area: Marketing Keywords: advertising strategy, brand management, pricing, promotion Teaching Note: UVA-M-0465TN Abstract: This case supplements the A case (UVA-M-0465) by describing important events in the U.S. cereal market from June 1994 to November 1994.
Case Author(s): Harder, Joseph W.; Townsend, D. Reid; Darden ID: UVA-OB-0700 Published: 5/1/2000 Copyright Year: 2000 Subject Area: Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Keywords: inovation management; Leadership; Organizational structure; Teams Abstract: Bob Gore, son of the founder of a privately held company (the inventor of Gore-Tex) is debating the pros and cons of going public, the main challenge of which will be the effect on a company that has developed a successful and innovative culture.
Case Author(s): Harder, Joseph W.; Townsend, D. Reid; Darden ID: UVA-OB-0700 Published: 5/1/2000 Copyright Year: 2000 Subject Area: Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Keywords: inovation management; Leadership; Organizational structure; Teams Abstract: Bob Gore, son of the founder of a privately held company (the inventor of Gore-Tex) is debating the pros and cons of going public, the main challenge of which will be the effect on a company that has developed a successful and innovative culture.
Case Frank Shipper, Charles C. ManzThis case covers the history of the company and its unique culture. An issue is whether this radically managed and structured corporation can stand the test of time and growth. It has gone from a small entrepreneurial firm to a multinational corporation while remaining private with little or no debt. The founder took radical steps to preserve the Gore system of “unmanagement.” Source: Submitted by authors and selected for use by Pinnacle Editorial Board. Topics: Business Policy/Strategy
Case Shipper, Frank; Manz, Charles C. This unconventionally organized company (whose best-known product is Gore-Tex) has some intriguing approaches to empowering, compensating, and motivating its employees and has been quite successful in championing the efforts of enterprising employees to come up with innovative new products. Publication Date: 1999 Geographic Setting: U.S. Industry Setting: Consumer Goods Event Year Start: 1976 Event Year End: 1998 Courses: Business Policy; Entrepreneurship Course Sequence: Implementation Subjects: Business Policy; Implementation; Leadership; Corporate Culture Supplementary Material: Teaching Note
Case Perold, Andre F.; Bhow, Gunjan OpenIPO is a new mechanism for pricing and distributing initial public offerings. The system, which is based on a Dutch auction, represents an attempt by the investment bank W.R. Hambrecht + Co. to change the manner in which IPOs are underwritten. The case provides a setting in which to discuss the existing set of institutional arrangements relating to the underwriting of IPOs, including the well-known phenomenon of the initial-day spike in price. Also provides a vehicle for discussing the informational efficiency of stock prices and the role of intermediaries and markets in providing investors with company-specific information. Can be used to talk about the issues raised by electronic trading and the distribution of securities over the Internet to relatively uninformed individuals. HBS Number: 9-200-019 Type: Case (Field) Publication Date: 10/20/1999 Revision Date: 1/18/2000 Geographic Setting: San Francisco, CA Industry Setting: finance Number of Employees: :100 Event Year Start: 1999 Event Year End: 1999 Subjects: Capital markets; Electronic commerce; IPO; Investment banking; Investment management; Stock exchanges; Stock offerings; Underwriting
Article Author(s): Alston, John P. Publication Date: 03/15/1989 Product Type: Business Horizons Article Publisher: Business Horizons/Indiana University Product Description: Western observers of global business, impressed with how much Asian cultures differ from those of North America and Europe, tend to think of Japan, China, and Korea as practicing much the same forms of business relationships. But although East Asian cultures have in common an emphasis on personal relationships as the foundation of business practices, the forms and values of these relationships differ markedly among the Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. For the Japanese, the important concept is wa, or the emphasis on group loyalty, harmony, and consensus; emotional support and a long-term perspective are important. The Chinese, on the other hand, think in terms of guanxi, the special arrangements of favor-sharing that an individual has with other individuals; personal loyalties within such arrangements are more important than loyalty to an organization. Koreans emphasize inhwa, which relates to harmony between unequals and derives from the Confucian ideal of loyalty to parents, elders, and authority figures. Non-Asians hoping to do business effectively in East Asia need to understand how these concepts all translate into quite different norms of business practice. HBS Number: BH015 Geographic Setting: Asia; China; Japan Subjects: Business etiquette; Cross cultural relations; Developing countries; Foreign investment; International business Academic Discipline: Business & government
Case Author(s): Luehrman, Timothy A. Publication Date: 03/29/2005 Revision Date: 01/16/2008 Product Type: Case (Gen Exp) HBS Number: 205088 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Entertainment industry Number of Employees: 6 Gross Revenues: $2 million revenues Event Year Start: 1974 Event Year End: 1974 Subjects: Acquisitions; Diversification; Leveraged buyouts; Valuation Academic Discipline: Finance Product Description: Wabash Music, Inc. is contemplating an acquisition outside its core music business as a way of diversifying and developing cash for unexpected commercial success.
Case Author(s): Luehrman, Timothy A. Publication Date: 03/29/2005 Revision Date: 02/15/2007 Product Type: Case (Gen Exp) HBS Number: 9-205-088 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Entertainment industry Number of Employees: 6 Gross Revenues: $2 million revenues Event Year Start: 1974 Event Year End: 1974 Subjects: Acquisitions; Diversification; Leveraged buyouts; Valuation Academic Discipline: Finance Product Description: Wabash Music, Inc. is contemplating an acquisition outside its core music business as a way of diversifying and developing cash for unexpected commercial success.
Case Author(s): Bodily, Samuel E.; Weatherford, Larry Darden ID: UVA-OM-0664 Published: 4/10/1991 Revised: 4/1/1994 Copyright Year: 1989 Subject Area: Operations Management Keywords: bank management; cost analysis; decision theory; forecasting; scheduling; service operations, management of Teaching Note: UVA-OM-0664TN Abstract: The manager of the bank’s proof department has to decide how many part-time hours to schedule for the upcoming week. To do this, he must develop a forecast of the number of checks to be processed based on historical data, and then he must take into account the costs of under/overscheduling hours. The case is used to introduce exponential smoothing.
Case Author(s): Bodily, Samuel E.; Weatherford, Larry Darden ID: UVA-OM-0664 Published: 4/10/1991 Revised: 4/1/1994 Copyright Year: 1989 Subject Area: Operations Management Keywords: bank management; cost analysis; decision theory; forecasting; scheduling; service operations, management of Teaching Note: UVA-OM-0664TN Abstract: The manager of the bank’s proof department has to decide how many part-time hours to schedule for the upcoming week. To do this, he must develop a forecast of the number of checks to be processed based on historical data, and then he must take into account the costs of under/overscheduling hours. The case is used to introduce exponential smoothing.
Case Author(s): Pfeifer, Phillip E.; Bodily, Samuel E. Darden ID: UVA-QA-0342 Published: 4/5/1991 Revised: 5/1/1994 Copyright Year: 1989 Subject Area: Quantitative Analysis Keywords: bank management cost analysis theory decison forecasting Teaching Note: UVA-QA-0342TN Abstract: This material is an explanation of a LOTUS worksheet built to implement exponential smoothing for the data in “Wachovia Bank and Trust Company N.A. (B)” (OM-0664).
Case Author(s): Pfeifer, Phillip E.; Bodily, Samuel E. Darden ID: UVA-QA-0342 Published: 4/5/1991 Revised: 5/1/1994 Copyright Year: 1989 Subject Area: Quantitative Analysis Keywords: bank management cost analysis theory decison forecasting Teaching Note: UVA-QA-0342TN Abstract: This material is an explanation of a LOTUS worksheet built to implement exponential smoothing for the data in “Wachovia Bank and Trust Company N.A. (B)” (OM-0664).
Article Ninomiya, J.S. Companies must learn to recognize what makes a good manager and begin selecting for those qualities. Most managers are selected on the basis of business expertise or success in nonsupervisory positions. The styles they develop are inadequate. Here are sketches of seven of the most common breeds of inadequate managers, ranging from the Godfather to the Ostrich to the Eager Beaver. There is also the paragon of managers, the Wagon Master. Good supervisors understand that they have two jobs - reach the goal and maintain morale along the way. HBS Number: 88209 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 3/1/1988 Subjects: Employee promotions; Leadership; Management development; Management styles; Managerial selection; Managerial skills; Supervision
Case Author(s): Dunn, Wendell E. III; Darden ID: UVA-ENT-0004 Published: 9/23/1998 Copyright Year: 1998 Subject Area: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Keywords: management communications; Entrepreneurship; Personal selling; Venture capital; Business plan; Examination; Class exercise Teaching Note: UVA-ENT-0004TN Abstract: A time-limited encounter with a busy venture capitalist offers the reader, as entrepreneur, the opportunity to “pitch” an idea to a noted dealmaker. Designed for use as a management-communications or personal-selling exercise for students and others who believe they possess an entrepreneurial opportunity requiring early-stage financing, this case may be used to explore investor networks and expectations, business-plan ‘’executive summaries,’‘ and the role of venture
Case Author(s): Dunn, Wendell E. III; Darden ID: UVA-ENT-0004 Published: 9/23/1998 Copyright Year: 1998 Subject Area: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Keywords: management communications; Entrepreneurship; Personal selling; Venture capital; Business plan; Examination; Class exercise Teaching Note: UVA-ENT-0004TN Abstract: A time-limited encounter with a busy venture capitalist offers the reader, as entrepreneur, the opportunity to “pitch” an idea to a noted dealmaker. Designed for use as a management-communications or personal-selling exercise for students and others who believe they possess an entrepreneurial opportunity requiring early-stage financing, this case may be used to explore investor networks and expectations, business-plan ‘’executive summaries,’‘ and the role of venture
Case Author(s): Kanter, Rosabeth Moss; Klein, Norman Publication Date: 02/14/1996 Revision Date: 11/18/1996 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: Traces the growth of Wainwright, a small automotive supply company, focusing on its commitment to quality in 1981 and the evolution of its quality culture. Breakthrough programs that stress “trust and belief” in the workforce and commitment to customers result in Wainwright winning the Malcolm Baldrige Award in 1994. HBS Number: 9-396-219 Geographic Setting: Missouri Industry Setting: Automotive supplies Number of Employees: 300 Gross Revenues: $28 million revenues Event Year Start: 1979 Event Year End: 1996 Subjects: Corporate culture; Organizational change; Reengineering; Total quality Academic Discipline: General management Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Field), (9-396-220), 5p, by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Norman Klein
Case Author(s): Bodily, Samuel E. Darden ID: UVA-QA-0453 Published: 1/31/1995 Revised: 12/28/2005 Copyright Year: 1994 Subject Area: Quantitative Analysis Keywords: portfolio management; Regression analysis; Risk analysis; Security analysis; Statistics; Female protagonist Teaching Note: UVA-QA-0453TN Student Spreadsheet: UVA-S-QA-0453 Abstract: An account executive has the task of calculating a beta value for three stocks of interest to an important client, based on five years of monthly total returns. The client is interested in these beta values as measures of the riskiness of the three investments. This case is best used near the beginning of a module on regression. It focuses on the simple linear regression model relating equity returns to market returns. This use of regression (to calculate a stock’s beta) is very common in financial analyses and will be seen by the students in other courses. The case serves to clarify the distinction between systematic and unsystematic risk and between R-squared and the standard deviation of residuals as measures of forecasting uncertainty.
Case Author(s): Bodily, Samuel E. Darden ID: UVA-QA-0453 Published: 1/31/1995 Revised: 12/28/2005 Copyright Year: 1994 Subject Area: Quantitative Analysis Keywords: portfolio management; Regression analysis; Risk analysis; Security analysis; Statistics; Female protagonist Teaching Note: UVA-QA-0453TN Student Spreadsheet: UVA-S-QA-0453 Abstract: An account executive has the task of calculating a beta value for three stocks of interest to an important client, based on five years of monthly total returns. The client is interested in these beta values as measures of the riskiness of the three investments. This case is best used near the beginning of a module on regression. It focuses on the simple linear regression model relating equity returns to market returns. This use of regression (to calculate a stock’s beta) is very common in financial analyses and will be seen by the students in other courses. The case serves to clarify the distinction between systematic and unsystematic risk and between R-squared and the standard deviation of residuals as measures of forecasting uncertainty.
Article Author(s): Hamel, Gary Publication Date: 04/01/2001 Product Type: HBR OnPoint Article Product Description: HBR OnPoint Articles save you time by enhancing an original Harvard Business Review article with an overview that draws out the main points and an annotated bibliography that points you to related resources. This enables you to scan, absorb, and share the management insights with others. In the early 1990s, IBM was a has-been. Fujitsu, Digital Equipment, and Compaq were hammering down its hardware margins. EDS and Andersen Consulting were stealing the hearts of CIOs. Intel and Microsoft were running away with PC profits. Today, Big Blue is back on top, a leader in e-business services. This is the story of how the company, which had lagged behind every computer trend since the mainframe, caught the Internet wave. Much of the credit for the turnaround goes to a small band of activists who built a bonfire under IBM’s rather broad behind. Together, building simultaneously from the top and the bottom of the organization through an ever-widening grassroots coalition of technicians and executives, they put IBM on the Web and morphed it into an e-business powerhouse. People who want to foment similarly successful insurrections can learn a lot from their example. HBS Number: 648X Subjects: Computer industry; Electronic commerce; Information economy; Information technology; Innovation; Internet; Organizational change; Teams; World Wide Web Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
Article Hamel, Gary In the early 1990s, IBM was a has-been. Fujitsu, Digital Equipment, and Compaq were hammering down its hardware margins. EDS and Andersen Consulting were stealing the hearts of CIOs. Intel and Microsoft were running away with PC profits. Today, Big Blue is back on top, a leader in e-business services. This is the story of how the company, which had lagged behind every computer trend since the mainframe, caught the Internet wave. Much of the credit for the turnaround goes to a small band of activists who built a bonfire under IBM’s rather broad behind. Together, building simultaneously from the top and the bottom of the organization through an ever-widening grassroots coalition of technicians and executives, they put IBM on the Web and morphed it into an e-business powerhouse. People who want to foment similarly successful insurrections can learn a lot from their example. HBS Number: R00406 Type: Harvard Business Review Article Publication Date: 7/1/2000 Subjects: Computer industry; Electronic commerce; Information economy; Information technology; Innovation; Internet; Organizational change; Teams; World Wide Web
Case Author(s): Yoffie, David B.; St. George, Anthony Publication Date: 02/13/1997 Revision Date: 11/13/1998 Product Type: Supplement (Library) Product Description: Supplements Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Must be used with: (9-794-024) Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. HBS Number: 9-797-099 Subjects: Competition; Discount department stores; Industry structure; Retailing; Strategy formulation; Strategy implementation Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-798-110), 3p, by David B. Yoffie
Teaching Note For use with 9-797-099 HBS Number: 5-798-110 Subjects: Competition; Discount department stores; Industry structure; Retailing; Strategy formulation; Strategy implementation
Case Author(s): Karen Berger Source: Business Case Journal — 2007 Subjects: Marketing management; Supply chaion management; Management Description: Things had gone terribly wrong. Sales in supermarkets and other outlets were way below a year ago. Factories were operating above capacity breaking from the strain of keeping up with production. Steve Young, Vice President of grocery marketing, was hot under the collar. Patrick Hunn, Team Leader of Wal-Mart Sales, for Vlasic Foods International, had made a deal with Wal-Mart that resulted in selling more pickles than Vlasic had ever sold to any one account. Wal-Mart was an important customer accounting for 30 percent of Vlasic Foods sales. By negotiating a deal with Wal-Mart to offer a gallon jar of Vlasic pickles for $2.97 at the front of the store, Hunn had given Wal-Mart its “customer stopper.” In addition, Hunn had secured an agreement that Wal-Mart would buy record numbers of cases of grocery-size pickles, relishes and peppers with each order of the gallon jar. The gallon jar of Vlasic pickles was available in over 3,000 Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. It had been the deal of a lifetime, Hunn had thought at the time. Very soon it became apparent that there were far-reaching effects in every part of Vlasic’s operations, from raw material sources to manufacturing and distribution. The expected profit of a few cents per jar was not sustained due to unplanned production expenses and serious losses on the supermarket side of the business. The ultimate effect was that the bottom line at Vlasic had plummeted. The company, already compromised by the debt acquired in the spin off, was on the brink of bankruptcy. Why did marketing conclude that the deal had contributed to the shortfalls? Why did some managers, like Steve Young, believe that the gallon jar deal was an enormous mistake even though Wal-Mart purchased both gallon jars and grocery stock (less than 46 oz.) in record number Source: SOCCR
Case Author(s): David Robb; Ben Hopwood; Lei Wang; Jun Cheng Publication Date: 5/5/2009 Product Type: Case (Field) Teaching Note: 8B08D09 Ivey ID: 9B08D009 Geographic Setting: China Industry Setting: Apparel and Accessory Stores Size: Large Year of Event: 2008 Level of Difficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA Subjects: Sustainability; Supply chain management; Logistics; Purchasing; Distribution Major Disciplines: General Management; International; Production and Operations Management Product Description: A German expatriate had moved to China in 2005 to take up a merchandizing position at the Wal-Mart China headquarters in Shenzen. By 2008 he had been promoted to the new position of senior director for sustainability for Wal-Mart China (retail) and Global Procurement. His new position required that he lead the rapidly-approaching inaugural Wal-Mart Sustainability Summit. The senior director must ensure that Wal-Mart China’s five Strategic Value Networks (SVNs), which were tasked with leading sustainability change within the organization, continued to engage stakeholders by implementing innovative solutions that not only cut costs but also lead to more sustainable operations. The case describes Wal-Mart China‘s operations (including purchasing, distribution and retail) in the context of the company's desire to improve sustainability in a manner appropriate to China. The immediate issue is to identify opportunities to improve the sustainability of Wal-Mart China's distribution systems and retail operations.
Case Author(s): Yoffie, David B.; Wang, Yusi Publication Date: 03/22/2002 Revision Date: 10/20/2005 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 702466 Geographic Setting: Global Industry Setting: Retail industry Number of Employees: 1.4 million Gross Revenues: $220 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1988 Event Year End: 2002 Subjects: Corporate strategy; Expansion; Globalization; International business Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (702472), 3p, by David B. Yoffie Product Description: In its first quarter of 2002, Wal-Mart became the largest company on the globe (by sales) and expanded into Japan. Was the giant retailer unstoppable? This case explores Wal-Mart’s top issues in fueling top- and bottom-line growth: diversification into groceries, new retail channels such as the Neighborhood Markets, and continued international expansion.
Case Author(s): Yoffie, David B.; Wang, Yusi Publication Date: 03/22/2002 Revision Date: 10/20/2005 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: In its first quarter of 2002, Wal-Mart became the largest company on the globe (by sales) and expanded into Japan. Was the giant retailer unstoppable? This case explores Wal-Mart’s top issues in fueling top- and bottom-line growth: diversification into groceries, new retail channels such as the Neighborhood Markets, and continued international expansion. HBS Number: 9-702-466 Geographic Setting: Global Industry Setting: Retail industry Number of Employees: 1.4 million Gross Revenues: $220 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1988 Event Year End: 2002 Subjects: Corporate strategy; Expansion; International business Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-702-472), 3p, by David B. Yoffie
Case Author(s): Mead, Jenny Darden ID: UVA-E-0282 Published: 1/18/2006 Copyright Year: 2006 Subject Area: Ethics Keywords: ethics, ethical issues, management, public relations, publicity, leadership, diversity, strategy Abstract: As 2004 came to a close, Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, found itself facing a variety of stakeholder issues. The largest company in the world, which had ranked number one on the Fortune 500 for several years, was accused of, among other things, sending jobs overseas, destroying small-town America, paying its workers substandard wages and providing abysmal healthcare coverage, and discriminating against women and minorities. Many outsiders accused the retailer of circumventing or ignoring the principles upon which the legendary Sam Walton founded the company: respect for the individual, service to customers, and constant striving for excellence. As 2005 began, Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott and other Wal-Mart executives had to address the various issues. This case details not only the rise of Wal-Mart and its notable capabilities and strategies, but also how the retailer had inadvertantly found itself with such a negative reputation.
Case Author(s): Mead, Jenny; Freeman, R. Edward Darden ID: UVA-E-0332 Published: 12/31/2008 Copyright Year: 2008 Subject Area: Ethics Keywords: ethics; Ethical issues; Retail; Corporate social responsibility; Stakeholder issues; Union; Environmental; Hot-topic issues. Teaching Note: UVA-E-0282TN Abstract: As it headed into 2005, Wal-Mart faced an array of difficult stakeholder issues, bad publicity, and a stagnating stock price. Despite good 2004 financials, fundamental issues assailed the company. More than anything, Wal-Mart needed to address the issues that had arisen over the years, and hopefully in so doing, stanch the flow of negative publicity by obliterating its reputation as the “neighborhood bully” and dropping its perennial cloak of ‘’corporate isolationism.’‘ Its future as the largest retailer in the world depended on it. This case is a follow-up to the previous ``Wal-Mart in 2005 (A)'' (UVA-E-0282) case, which gives the history of Wal-Mart and describes the various difficulties and issues it faced as 2005 began.
Teaching Note For use with 9-795-188 HBS Number: 5-798-110 Subjects: Asia; Competition; Discount department stores; International business; Market entry; Retailing
Case Author(s): Gay, Louisa; Trumbull, Gunnar Publication Date: 04/14/2004 Revision Date: 07/20/2004 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-704-027 Geographic Setting: Europe Industry Setting: Retail industry Number of Employees: 1.2 million Gross Revenues: $250 billion dollars Event Year Start: 1997 Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Expansion; Globalization; International business Academic Discipline: Business & government Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-706-049), 19p, by Gunnar Trumbull Product Description: Presents challenges facing Wal-Mart during its move into Germany. Explores the dynamics of the German retail market.
Case Author(s): Mead, Jenny; Freeman, R. Edward; Teisberg, Elizabeth; Darden ID: UVA-S-0100 Published: 4/1/2003 Copyright Year: 2003 Subject Area: Quantitative Analysis Keywords: cultural conflict; International operations; International strategy; Strategic market planning; Strategic planning; Strategy formulation; Strategy formulation Abstract: Although more consumers are answering questions about where they purchased merchandise in the United States with “I got it at Wal-Mart,” the retail behemoth has questions it needs answered about the current, international issues it faces. Where, when, and how can it use its capabilities in other countries? And how can capabilities and knowledge developed in one part of the globe be used in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe to repeat its success? The case provides a strategic analysis of the problems of international expansion as Wal-Mart dreams of hearing the I-got-it-at-Wal-Mart answer spoken in many languages.
Case Author(s): Mead, Jenny; Freeman, R. Edward; Teisberg, Elizabeth; Darden ID: UVA-S-0100 Published: 4/1/2003 Copyright Year: 2003 Subject Area: Quantitative Analysis Keywords: cultural conflict; International operations; International strategy; Strategic market planning; Strategic planning; Strategy formulation; Strategy formulation Abstract: Although more consumers are answering questions about where they purchased merchandise in the United States with “I got it at Wal-Mart,” the retail behemoth has questions it needs answered about the current, international issues it faces. Where, when, and how can it use its capabilities in other countries? And how can capabilities and knowledge developed in one part of the globe be used in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe to repeat its success? The case provides a strategic analysis of the problems of international expansion as Wal-Mart dreams of hearing the I-got-it-at-Wal-Mart answer spoken in many languages.
Case Author(s): Bell, David E.; Li, Iris T.; Feiner, Jeffrey M. Publication Date: 10/04/2002 Revision Date: 11/22/2003 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: Wal-Mart has been growing at 15% per year for the last 10 years. Can it keep growing at that rate for the next 10 years? CEO Lee Scott reflects on his strategy for achieving such growth, relying on a combination of supercenters, neighborhood markets, and international. Teaching Purpose: Understanding the future of United States retailing. HBS Number: 9-503-034 Geographic Setting: United StatesIndustry Setting: retailGross Revenues: $220 billion revenues Event Year Start: 2002Event Year End: 2002 Subjects: Brands; Growth strategy; Market analysis; Retailing; Sales forecasting Academic Discipline: Marketing Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-503-056), 5p, by David E. Bell
Case Author(s): Ghemawat, Pankaj; Bradley, Stephen P.; Mark, Ken Publication Date: 09/18/2003 Revision Date: 01/30/2004 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-704-430 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Retail industry Gross Revenues: $245 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1965 Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Competitive advantage; Corporate strategy; Discount department stores; Distribution planning; Information technology; International business; Management controls; Mass merchandising Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Product Description: Examine’s Wal-Mart‘s development over three decades and provides financial and descriptive detail of its domestic operations. In 2003, Wal-Mart's Supercenter business has surpassed its domestic business as the largest generator of revenues. Its international operation seems poised to become the next growth driver for the company as it marches toward the trillion dollar sales mark. But problems are starting to surface even as the company is winning recognition as the number one company in the Fortune 500 — unions keep pressuring its minimum-wage employees and allegations of gender discrimination are alleged. Teaching purpose: To introduce students to creating a competitive advantage.
Case Author(s): Cespedes, Frank V. Publication Date: 12/15/2008 Revision Date: 10/30/2009 Product Type: Case (Library) Publisher: Harvard Business School HBS Number: 709423 Geographic Setting: United States Gross Revenue: $245 billion Event Year Start: 1965 Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Global business; Entrepreneurship; Distribution; Distribution planning; Competitive advantage; Corporate strategy; Information & technology; Growth strategy Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Product Description: Examines Wal-Mart’s development over three decades and provides financial and descriptive detail of its domestic operations. In 2003, Wal-Mart‘s Supercenter business has surpassed its domestic business as the largest generator of revenues. Its international operation seems poised to become the next growth driver for the company as it marches toward the trillion dollar sales mark. But problems are starting to surface even as the company is winning recognition as the number one company in the Fortune 500 — unions keep pressuring Its minimum-wage employees and allegations of gender discrimination are alleged.
Case Author(s): Cespedes, Frank V. Publication Date: 12/15/2008 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-709-423 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Discount retail; Retail industry Gross Revenues: $245 billion Event Year Start: 1965 Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Competitive advantage; Corporate strategy; Distribution; Distribution planning; Entrepreneurship; Global business; Growth strategy; Information management; Technology management Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Product Description: Examines Wal-Mart’s development over three decades and provides financial and descriptive detail of its domestic operations. In 2003, Wal-Mart‘s Supercenter business has surpassed its domestic business as the largest generator of revenues. Its international operation seems poised to become the next growth driver for the company as it marches toward the trillion dollar sales mark. But problems are starting to surface even as the company is winning recognition as the number one company in the Fortune 500 — unions keep pressuring Its minimum-wage employees and allegations of gender discrimination are alleged.
Case Author(s): Cespedes, Frank V. Publication Date: 12/15/2008 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-709-423 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Discount retail; Retail industry Gross Revenues: $245 billion Event Year Start: 1965 Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Competitive advantage; Corporate strategy; Distribution; Distribution planning; Entrepreneurship; Global business; Growth strategy; Information management; Technology management Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Product Description: Examines Wal-Mart’s development over three decades and provides financial and descriptive detail of its domestic operations. In 2003, Wal-Mart‘s Supercenter business has surpassed its domestic business as the largest generator of revenues. Its international operation seems poised to become the next growth driver for the company as it marches toward the trillion dollar sales mark. But problems are starting to surface even as the company is winning recognition as the number one company in the Fortune 500 — unions keep pressuring Its minimum-wage employees and allegations of gender discrimination are alleged.
Case Arthur A. Thompson, University of Alabama Publication Date: 2009 Geographic Setting: International Industry Setting: Discount Retailing Event Year Start: 1962 Event Year End: 2008 Course Sequence: Business Strategy; Implementation Subjects: Business policy/strategy; Implementation; Marketing management; Marketing strategy; Retail stores; Retailing; Distribution; Culture; Social responsibility Supplements: Teaching Note/Video Description: In June 2008, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott presented a glowing report to the estimated 16,000 shareholders attending the company’s annual shareholder meeting and explained why he was quite pleased with the results of the transformation process that top management had initiated in 2006 to provide customers with a more satisfying shopping experience, better fulfill the company‘s new mission of “Saving People Money So They Can Live Better”, become an advocate and practitioner of environmental sustainability, and do a better job of getting Wal-Mart's 2.1 million employees worldwide to understand and practice the cultural values and business principles espoused by Sam Walton. Class members will be surprised at some of the things Wal-Mart is doing to be a model steward of the environment. A superb case for examining what Wal-Mart has done to execute its low-cost strategy so successfully. Very suitable for an oral team presentation. Has an accompanying video.
Case Author(s): Kannan Ramaswamy Abstract: The case explores the fundamental features of the business model that Wal-Mart has been adopting, both in the U.S. and abroad. It places particular emphasis on the company’s supplier management approaches, supplier strategies in doing business with Wal-Mart, and the company‘s track record in international operations. It offers insights into the ways in which Wal-Mart's suppliers can design their own strategies to ensure continued viability amidst significant pricing pressure from the retail giant. It closes with important questions about the continued success of the company in the face of allegations of labor violations, increasing competition in foreign markets, and the likelihood of a supplier push-back against Wal-Mart's continued pressure to bring down their prices. Teaching: The major objectives of this case are: 1. To illustrate the fundamental concepts of competitive advantage and how it is built and nurtured. 2. To explore issues of sustainability. 3. To look at Wal-Mart's strategies of supplier relationship management and the consequences of its restrictive practices in managing its supplier network. 4. To examine the transferability of homegrown sources of competitive advantage to foreign locations. Thunderbird #: A09-04-0012 Setting: Global, 2004 Industry: Retailing Subjects: Industry and competitive strategy; general management
Case Pankaj GhemawatThis case facilitates a discussion of the sources of Wal-Mart Stores’ competitive advantage in discount retailing, and the future sustainability of that advantage. Source: Harvard Business School. Copyright 1986. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Retail Management Topics:
Case Author(s): Ghemawat, Pankaj Publication Date: 08/19/1986 Revision Date: 04/12/2007 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-387-018 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Retail industry Company Size: large Gross Revenues: $10 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1976 Event Year End: 1985 Subjects: Competition; Cost analysis; Department stores; Discount department stores; Diversification; Expansion Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Library), (9-793-070), 2p, by David B. Yoffie, Jonathan J. Ginns; Supplement (Library), (9-793-071), 2p, by David B. Yoffie, Jonathan J. Ginns; Teaching Note, (5-387-127), 11p, by Pankaj Ghemawat Product Description: Facilitates a discussion of the sources of Wal-Mart Stores’ competitive advantage in discount retailing, and the future sustainability of that advantage. Also profiles the company‘s major diversification move in the early 1980s.
Teaching Note For use with 9-387-018 HBS Number: 5-387-127 Subjects: Competition; Cost analysis; Department stores; Discount department stores; Diversification; Expansion; Retailing
Case (Library) Author(s): Mary M. Crossan Ivey ID: 9B06M068 Publication Date: 8/28/2006 Revision Date: 6/4/2008 Product Type: Case (Library) Teaching Note: 8B06M68 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: General Merchandise Stores Year of Event: 2006 Level of Difficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA Subjects: Operations Management; Strategic Positioning; Financial Analysis Major Disciplines: General Management Product Description: A Wal-mart vice-president is preparing to meet with her new colleagues from a Brazilian company Wal-mart had just acquired. She thinks about how she should explain how Wal-mart operates, how it competes and what role its international operations will play in its future. The case describes several aspects of Wal-mart?s operations in the context of the U.S. retail industry. Several items are described including employee wages and benefits, merchandise assortment, the Retail Link database, and the supply chain. The retailer?s financial position is also depicted. The case notes Wal-mart?s public relations woes as well as its international ventures and its competitors.
Case Author(s): Bradley, Stephen P.; Ghemawat, Pankaj; Fol Publication Date: 01/20/1994 Revision Date: 11/06/2002 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: Focuses on the evolution of Wal-Mart’s remarkably successful discount operations and describes the company‘s more recent attempts to diversify into other businesses. The company has entered the warehouse club industry with its Sam's Clubs and the grocery business with its Supercenters, a combination supermarket and discount store. Wal-Mart experienced a drop in the value of its stock price in early 1993, which it still has not made up. Teaching Purpose: Explores the issue of sustaining competitive advantage. Wal-Mart has advantages over its competitors in areas such as distribution, information technology, and merchandising, to name a few. How sustainable are these, and what are the threats to Wal-Mart's continued success? HBS Number: 9-794-024 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: retail Company Size: large Number of Employees: 440,000 Gross Revenues: $68 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1994 Event Year End: 1994 Subjects: Competition; Discount department stores; Industry structure; Retailing; Strategy formulation; Strategy implementation Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Library), (9-797-099), 5p, by David B. Yoffie, Anthony St. George; Teaching Note, (5-395-225), 7p, by Stephen P. Bradley; Supplement (Library), (9-799-118), 5p, by Pankaj Ghemawat, Gregg Friedman
Teaching Note For use with 9-794-024 HBS Number: 5-395-225 Subjects: Competition; Discount department stores; Industry structure; Retailing; Strategy formulation; Strategy implementation
Case Author(s): Thompson, A.A., Jr. Publication Date: 2006 Case Description: A superb case for illustrating all that needs to be done to successfully execute a low-cost leadership strategy. The case lays out the strategy that Sam Walton fashioned and Wal-Mart’s phenomenal growth record. Then the focus shifts to a detailed rundown on all the things that Wal-Mart has done to implement its strategy under CEO David Glass and, most recently, his successor H. Lee Scott. The case concludes with a section on how recent events and Wal-Mart‘s growing dominance in retailing have combined to tarnish the company's image and pose some formidable problems to Wal-Mart's strategy and growth prospects. Geographic Setting: U.S. Industry Setting: Retailing Courses: Business Policy/Marketing Course Sequence: Business Strategy/Implementation Event Year Start: 1962 Event Year End: 2004 Subjects: Business Policy; Implementation; Marketing Management; Marketing Strategy; Retail Stores; Retailing; Distribution; Culture Supplements: Teaching Note/Video Source: Thompson-Gamble-Strickland: Strategy: Winning in the Marketplace: Core Concepts, Analytical Tools, Cases, Second Edition
Case Thompson, A.A., Jr. A superb case for illustrating all that needs to be done to successfully execute a low-cost leadership strategy. The case lays out the strategy that Sam Walton fashioned and Wal-Mart’s phenomenal growth record. Then the focus shifts to a detailed rundown on all the things that Wal-Mart has done to implement its strategy under CEO David Glass and, most recently, his successor H. Lee Scott. The case concludes with a section on how recent events and Wal-Mart‘s growing dominance in retailing have combined to tarnish the company's image and pose some formidable problems to Wal-Mart's strategy and growth prospects. Publication Date: 2004 Geographic Setting: U.S. Industry Setting: Retailing Event Year Start: 1962 Event Year End: 2004 Courses: Business Policy; Marketing Course Sequence: Business Strategy/Implementation Subjects: Business Policy; Implementation; Marketing Management; Marketing Strategy; Retail Stores; Retailing; Distribution; Culture Supplements: Teaching Note
Case Author(s): Farhoomand, Ali F.; Wang, Iris Publication Date: 09/11/2006 Revision Date: 09/30/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) Publisher: University of Hong Kong HBS Number: HKU590 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Government & regulatory; Retail industry Subjects: Business & government; Competitive advantage; Competitive strategy; Consumer behavior; Expansion; Localization; Multinational corporations; Retail stores; Standardization; Supermarkets Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (HKU591), 5p, by Ali F. Farhoomand, Iris Wang Product Description: Although Wal-Mart, the world’s largest company by revenue, was into its 9th year of operations in China, its stores were still losing money. It had created a miracle in the U.S. retail industry by revolutionizing the sector‘s business model and successfully implementing its model through innovative practices that enabled it to sell national brands at “Every Day Low Prices”. The challenge Wal-Mart faced was whether it could transport its successful model to win in a market with many differing characteristics which threatened its low-cost structure and which could nullify its competitive advantage. Concerned with the application of established domestic business models in international expansion. Also sheds light on other globalization issues such as market entry strategy, localization vs. standardization, the effect of regulation changes on the competitive landscape, and firm performance.
Case Author(s): Farhoomand, Ali F.; Wang, Iris Publication Date: 09/11/2006 Revision Date: 09/30/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) Publisher: University of Hong Kong HBS Number: HKU590 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Government & regulatory; Retail industry Subjects: Business & government; Competitive advantage; Competitive strategy; Consumer behavior; Expansion; Localization; Multinational corporations; Retail stores; Standardization; Supermarkets Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (HKU591), 5p, by Ali F. Farhoomand, Iris Wang Product Description: Although Wal-Mart, the world’s largest company by revenue, was into its 9th year of operations in China, its stores were still losing money. It had created a miracle in the U.S. retail industry by revolutionizing the sector‘s business model and successfully implementing its model through innovative practices that enabled it to sell national brands at “Every Day Low Prices”. The challenge Wal-Mart faced was whether it could transport its successful model to win in a market with many differing characteristics which threatened its low-cost structure and which could nullify its competitive advantage. Concerned with the application of established domestic business models in international expansion. Also sheds light on other globalization issues such as market entry strategy, localization vs. standardization, the effect of regulation changes on the competitive landscape, and firm performance.
Case Author(s): Kumar, Ria Darden ID: UVA-OB-0802 Published: 3/15/2004 Revised: 11/3/2005 Copyright Year: 2004 Subject Area: Accounting and Control Keywords: Career; strategy; early; career; internships; summer; internships; leadership; mentoring; supervisors; job; offers; work; force; management; worker; satisfaction; Wal-Mart.; Teaching Note: UVA-OB-0802TN Abstract: Choosing the right summer internship can often mean landing a plum position in the company after graduation. Ria Kumar arrived fully prepped for the summer slot interview having studied industry reports, research articles, and analyst reports. She talked to alumni and even spent time at the local Wal-Mart studying the merchandising assortment and product placement. Not surprisingly, she was offered the 12-week internship.
The disguised (A) case describes Kumar’s 12 weeks and allows students to think about the issues her experience brings forth. Were there red flags? Was her supervision appropriate? Would she be offered a position post graduation? Would she want it?
In the (B) case, Kumar decides to work part-time in the local Wal-Mart to gain an “in-store” perspective. Again, she behaved proactively as part of her strategy to get the job offer. The in-store-experience, however, left an unfavorable view of the organization in Kumar‘s mind. What had her expectations been when she started the part-time job? What did this suggest about corporate management practices?
Case Author(s): Kumar, Ria Darden ID: UVA-OB-0802 Published: 3/15/2004 Revised: 11/3/2005 Copyright Year: 2004 Subject Area: Accounting and Control Keywords: Career; strategy; early; career; internships; summer; internships; leadership; mentoring; supervisors; job; offers; work; force; management; worker; satisfaction; Wal-Mart.; Teaching Note: UVA-OB-0802TN Abstract: Choosing the right summer internship can often mean landing a plum position in the company after graduation. Ria Kumar arrived fully prepped for the summer slot interview having studied industry reports, research articles, and analyst reports. She talked to alumni and even spent time at the local Wal-Mart studying the merchandising assortment and product placement. Not surprisingly, she was offered the 12-week internship.
The disguised (A) case describes Kumar’s 12 weeks and allows students to think about the issues her experience brings forth. Were there red flags? Was her supervision appropriate? Would she be offered a position post graduation? Would she want it?
In the (B) case, Kumar decides to work part-time in the local Wal-Mart to gain an “in-store” perspective. Again, she behaved proactively as part of her strategy to get the job offer. The in-store-experience, however, left an unfavorable view of the organization in Kumar‘s mind. What had her expectations been when she started the part-time job? What did this suggest about corporate management practices?
Case Author(s): Kumar, Ria Darden ID: UVA-OB-0803 Published: 3/15/2004 Revised: 11/3/2005 Copyright Year: 2004 Subject Area: Accounting and Control Keywords: Career strategy early career internships summer internships leadership mentoring supervisors job offers work force management worker satisfaction Wal-Mart.; Abstract: Choosing the right summer internship can often mean landing a plum position in the company after graduation. Ria Kumar arrived fully prepped for the summer slot interview having studied industry reports, research articles, and analyst reports. She talked
Case Author(s): Kumar, Ria Darden ID: UVA-OB-0803 Published: 3/15/2004 Revised: 11/3/2005 Copyright Year: 2004 Subject Area: Accounting and Control Keywords: Career strategy early career internships summer internships leadership mentoring supervisors job offers work force management worker satisfaction Wal-Mart.; Abstract: Choosing the right summer internship can often mean landing a plum position in the company after graduation. Ria Kumar arrived fully prepped for the summer slot interview having studied industry reports, research articles, and analyst reports. She talked
Case Author(s): Yoffie, David B.; Ginns, Jonathan J. Publication Date: 12/17/1992 Revision Date: 07/14/1993 Product Type: Supplement (Library) Product Description: Updates Wal-Mart Stores’ Discount Operations case from 1985 to 1992. Must be used with: (9-387-018) Wal-Mart Stores‘ Discount Operations. HBS Number: 9-793-070 Subjects: Competition; Cost analysis; Department stores; Diversification; Expansion; Retailing Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Case Author(s): Yoffie, David B.; Ginns, Jonathan J. Publication Date: 12/16/1992 Product Type: Supplement (Library) Product Description: Introduces Wal-Mart’s initial plans to enter the Mexican retail market. Designed for use with Wal-Mart Stores‘ Discount Operations. Must be used with: (9-387-018) Wal-Mart Stores' Discount Operations. HBS Number: 9-793-071 Subjects: Competition; Cost analysis; Department stores; Discount department stores; Diversification; Expansion; Retailing Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-798-110), 3p, by David B. Yoffie
Teaching Note For use with 9-793-071 HBS Number: 5-798-110 Subjects: Competition; Cost analysis; Department stores; Discount department stores; Diversification; Expansion; Retailing
Case Author(s): Oberholzer-Gee, Felix Publication Date: 01/05/2006 Revision Date: 12/12/2006 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-706-453 Geographic Setting: Los Angeles, CA; United States Industry Setting: Discount retail Gross Revenues: $256 billion revenues Event Year Start: 2004 Event Year End: 2004 Subjects: Business & government; Expansion; Retailing; Strategy; Strategy formulation; Unionization Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Product Description: In 2004, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. proposed to build a new supercenter in Inglewood, a low-income community near Los Angeles. The proposal was a part of Wal-Mart’s strategy to bring its supercenter format to California. Introduced in the late 1980s, supercenters added a full line of groceries and specialty departments to Wal-Mart‘s traditional assortment of general merchandise. Wal-Mart's planned entry into California caused problems even before the discounter opened a single supercenter. To compete with Wal-Mart, supermarkets in California cut grocery workers' health benefits and wages. The unions ordered a strike against the supermarkets. The labor unrest lasted five months and involved 70,000 workers. In the meantime, Inglewood's city council rejected Wal-Mart's request to build a supercenter. The retailer took its expansion plans directly to the voters of Inglewood. With the help of the California initiative process, Wal-Mart forced a public vote on the proposed 60-acre development. Will Inglewood's voters dampen the shine of “America's most admired company?”
Case Author(s): Plambeck, Erica; Denend, Lyn Publication Date: 04/17/2007 Revision Date: 09/30/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) Publisher: Stanford University HBS Number: OIT71 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Retail industry Subjects: Corporate responsibility; Corporate strategy; Entrepreneurship; Environmental protection; Operations management; Strategy implementation; Suppliers; Supply chains Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (OIT71T), 15p, by Erica Plambeck, Lyn Denend Product Description: In October 2005, in an auditorium filled to capacity in Bentonville, Arkansas, Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s president and CEO, made the first speech in the history of Wal-Mart to be broadcast to the company‘s 1.6 million associates (employees) in all of its 6,000+ stores worldwide and shared with its 60,000+ suppliers. Scott announced that Wal-Mart was launching a sweeping business sustainability strategy to dramatically reduce the company's impact on the global environment and thus become “the most competitive and innovative company in the world.” He argued that, “Being a good steward of the environment and being profitable are not mutually exclusive. They are one and the same.” He also committed Wal-Mart to three aspirational goals: “To be supplied 100% by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that sustain our resources and the environment.” Against this backdrop, introduces Andrew Ruben, vice president of corporate strategy and business sustainability, and Tyler Elm, senior director of the same group. Ruben and Elm, who were chosen by Scott to lead the sustainability strategy, recognized that they needed to keep environmental improvement tightly coupled with business value and profitability for the strategy to succeed. Describes Wal Source: Harvard
Case Author(s): Plambeck, Erica; Denend, Lyn Publication Date: 04/17/2007 Revision Date: 09/30/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) Publisher: Stanford University HBS Number: OIT71 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Retail industry Subjects: Corporate responsibility; Corporate strategy; Entrepreneurship; Environmental protection; Operations management; Strategy implementation; Suppliers; Supply chains Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (OIT71T), 15p, by Erica Plambeck, Lyn Denend Product Description: In October 2005, in an auditorium filled to capacity in Bentonville, Arkansas, Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s president and CEO, made the first speech in the history of Wal-Mart to be broadcast to the company‘s 1.6 million associates (employees) in all of its 6,000+ stores worldwide and shared with its 60,000+ suppliers. Scott announced that Wal-Mart was launching a sweeping business sustainability strategy to dramatically reduce the company's impact on the global environment and thus become “the most competitive and innovative company in the world.” He argued that, “Being a good steward of the environment and being profitable are not mutually exclusive. They are one and the same.” He also committed Wal-Mart to three aspirational goals: “To be supplied 100% by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that sustain our resources and the environment.” Against this backdrop, introduces Andrew Ruben, vice president of corporate strategy and business sustainability, and Tyler Elm, senior director of the same group. Ruben and Elm, who were chosen by Scott to lead the sustainability strategy, recognized that they needed to keep environmental improvement tightly coupled with business value and profitability for the strategy to succeed. Describes Wal Source: Harvard
Case Author(s): Kimbrough, Michael D.; Gordon, Rachel; Faulkender, Michael; Jenkins, Nicole Thorne Publication Date: 01/17/2008 Product Type: Case HBS Number: 108038 Gross Revenues: $285 billion revenues Event Year Start: 2000 Event Year End: 2005 Subjects: Accounting standards; Capital structure; Derivatives; Financial strategy; Hedging Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Product Description: “Wal-Mart’s Use of Interest Rate Swaps” recounts Wal-Mart‘s use of interest rate swaps to hedge the fair value of its fixed-rate debt against changing interest rates. This case provides students with a foundation for understanding the use of and accounting for more complex derivatives. Specific issues raised include: (1) the financial statement impact of hedge accounting, (2) motivations for using derivatives, including the potential role of accounting standards, and (3) the degree to which financial statement and MD&A disclosures are sufficiently informative about the risks associated with financial instruments. May be used with: (108061) Accounting for Interest Rate Derivatives.
Case Author(s): Yoffie, David B.; Mack, Barbara J. Publication Date: 01/04/2005 Revision Date: 04/14/2005 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: Wal-Mart has been expanding, both domestically and internationally. Covers recent developments at Wal-Mart, including new stores, new store formats, and international expansion. Teaching Purpose: To look at strategy and competition in the discount retail environment. HBS Number: 9-705-460 Geographic Setting: Global Industry Setting: discount retail Number of Employees: 1.4 million Gross Revenues: $258 billion revenues Event Year Start: 2004 Event Year End: 2005 Subjects: Corporate strategy; Discount department stores; Expansion; Globalization; International business; Retailing Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-705-472), 3p, by David B. Yoffie
Teaching Note For use with 9-705-460 HBS Number: 5-705-472 Subjects: Corporate strategy; Discount department stores; Expansion; Globalization; International business; Retailing
Case Author(s): Yoffie, David B.; Slind, Michael Publication Date: 03/01/2007 Revision Date: 06/25/2007 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-707-517 Geographic Setting: Global Industry Setting: Retail industry Number of Employees: 289,500Number of Employees: 1.8 million Gross Revenues: $312 billion Event Year Start: 2007 Event Year End: 2007 Subjects: Competition; Human resources management; International business; Labor relations; Merchandising; Strategy Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Product Description: In 2007, Wal-Mart faced challenges to its historically high growth rate. Lagging same-store sales and setbacks overseas led the company to consider strategic shifts. Wal-Mart was the world’s largest retailer, but competition had become particularly acute as the company expanded from rural markets, which it had long dominated, into urban and suburban areas. Covers developments in Wal-Mart‘s merchandising strategy and its approach to store formats; its sometimes controversial human resources practices; its efforts to improve its image through a public relations campaign; its aggressive, though occasionally problematic, move into international markets; and its leading competitors, especially Target. Exhibits provide data (current as of February 2007) on Wal-Mart's financial performance, its stock-price performance, its international operations, and its store formats, as well as on Target's financial performance.
Case Author(s): Baron, David P. Publication Date: 05/31/2006 Revision Date: 07/29/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) Publisher: Stanford University HBS Number: P52A Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Grocery stores; Retail industry Subjects: Media relations; Public relations; Retailers; Strategy formulation; Unfair labor practices; Unionization Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Field), (P52B), 5p, by David P. Baron Product Description: In 2002, when Wal-Mart became the largest U.S. company in sales, it began to attract considerable attention. Its expansion into the grocery business seemed to ignite a firestorm of contention and bad press. Wal-Mart was criticized for providing low wages and inadequate health care benefits, driving small merchants out of business, damaging the culture in small towns, harming the environment, and violating workers rights. The company realized that its practice of focusing solely on customers and employees was no longer sufficient — it needed a nonmarket strategy to address the criticism and repair its deteriorating reputation. This case explores the opposition that organized around Wal-Mart’s practices and the issues raised. It sets the stage for developing and analyzing a successful nonmarket strategy for Wal-Mart.
Case Author(s): Baron, David P. Publication Date: 05/15/2006 Revision Date: 07/29/2008 Product Type: Supplement (Field) Publisher: Stanford University HBS Number: P52B Subjects: Media relations; Public relations; Retailers; Strategy formulation; Unfair labor practices; Unionization Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Product Description: In 2004 and 2005, Wal-Mart began to implement a nonmarket strategy to respond to detractors and improve its image. This case details the many steps that Wal-Mart took, from becoming politically involved to creating community relations offices to working with special interest groups. Wal-Mart ran ads in various newspapers, launched a major environmental initiative, extended health care benefits, set up a diversity task force, and announced support for local businesses in communities in which it planned to open new stores. Study questions set up a discussion of Wal-Mart’s actions. Must be used with: (P52A) Wal-Mart: Nonmarket Pressure and Reputation Risk (A).
Case Author(s): Larson, Andrea Darden ID: UVA-ENT-0027 Published: 3/4/1997 Revised: 1/15/1999 Copyright Year: 1997 Subject Area: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Keywords: environment; start-up; customer relations; entrepreneurial finance; entrepreneurial management; entrepreneurship; small business; supplier relations; alliances Teaching Note: UVA-ENT-0027TN Abstract: This case describes the process that entrepreneur Paul Farrow went through to establish his kayak company between 1992 and 1996. After being laid off from a more traditional corporate position, Farrow came across an idea that suited his business skills, experience, and values. The case chronicles the steps he took to be the first in the industry to design and produce an inexpensive, high-performance recreational kayak from recycled plastic materials. Key to Walden Paddlers’ $1-million sales in 1995 was the company‘s ability to forge close alliances with key suppliers and customers while keeping fixed costs down by managing a virtual corporation.
Case Author(s): Larson, Andrea Darden ID: UVA-ENT-0027 Published: 3/4/1997 Revised: 1/15/1999 Copyright Year: 1997 Subject Area: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Keywords: environment; start-up; customer relations; entrepreneurial finance; entrepreneurial management; entrepreneurship; small business; supplier relations; alliances Teaching Note: UVA-ENT-0027TN Abstract: This case describes the process that entrepreneur Paul Farrow went through to establish his kayak company between 1992 and 1996. After being laid off from a more traditional corporate position, Farrow came across an idea that suited his business skills, experience, and values. The case chronicles the steps he took to be the first in the industry to design and produce an inexpensive, high-performance recreational kayak from recycled plastic materials. Key to Walden Paddlers’ $1-million sales in 1995 was the company‘s ability to forge close alliances with key suppliers and customers while keeping fixed costs down by managing a virtual corporation.
Case Author(s): Poorvu, William J.; Segel, Arthur I. Publication Date: 02/24/1997 Revision Date: 07/26/2004 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: In 1984, Mortimer Zuckerman and Ed Linde, through their firm, Boston Properties (BP), acquired land in Concord, MA to build a 147,000-square-foot, first-class suburban office building. BP proceeded to go through the permitting and approval process with the town and was ready to commence construction when in August 1988, the state, after considerable lobbying from historic and environmental groups, delayed the project by requiring an environmental impact statement. Environmental groups from around the country continued to organize against BP’s development along with a nearby affordable housing development. While the project was delayed, the real estate market collapsed. But by the spring of 1993, the market was beginning to recover and BP had received all necessary permits. Zuckerman and Linde had to decide whether to proceed with the development or sell to the environmental group opposing them, and if they were to sell, at what price. HBS Number: 9-897-070 Geographic Setting: Concord, MA Industry Setting: real estate Event Year Start: 1993 Event Year End: 1993 Subjects: Environmental protection; Political risk; Real estate Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-804-125), 10p, by Arthur I. Segel
Case Rosenfeld, R — Warwick Business School McLean, M — Warwick Business School Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 308-004-1 Language: English Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Field research Product Year: 2008 Geo location: UK Industry: Transportation Size: 33,000 employees Timing: 1996-1998 Topics: Industry restructuring; Privatisation; Flotation; British rail industry Abstract: This is the first of a five-case series (308-004-1 to 308-008-1). This case presents the rationale for the privatisation of the British rail industry leading to the creation of Railtrack. It charts the progress of Railtrack from flotation in 1996 to the significant rise in share price in 1998. The case illustrates the process of privatising an industry and how Railtrack’s management balanced running the rail infrastructure with addressing shareholder value. It puts students in the position of an operations manager, and asks them to assess the long-term future and stability of the company, and how the changes within the industry effect day-to-day operations. A video ‘308-004-3' is available to accompany this case.
Article Author(s): Barrows, Edward Publication Date: 09/15/2005 Product Type: Balanced Scorecard Report Article Product Description: It takes more than an effective management tool and a well-honed execution plan to achieve strategic success. To move your organization from the comfort of the status quo to the discomfort of an uncertain future takes strong leadership — and the right behavior. And it all starts with the Balanced Scorecard review meeting. HBS Number: B0509E Subjects: Balanced scorecard; Behavior; Leadership; Meetings; Personal strategy & style; Reviews; Strategic planning Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
Case Simons, Robert L.; Walker, Ramsey Ramsey Walker, a second-year MBA student, must decide how to control a family business as an absentee owner. After providing background details on the publishing industry, the case requires the reader to: 1) make a product segmentation decision; 2) prepare a profit plan; 3) calculate free cash flow effects; 4) determine key accounting performance measures; and 5) assess new control systems and their implementation. HBS Number: 9-197-084 Type: Case (Field) Publication Date: 6/20/1997 Revision Date: 2/9/2000 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: publishing Number of Employees: 35 Gross Revenues: $6 million revenues Event Year Start: 1997 Event Year End: 1997 Subjects: Control systems; Market segmentation; Profit planning; Profitability analysis; Publishing industry; Return on investment Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-100-005), 14p, by Robert L. Simons, Indra A. Reinbergs
Teaching Note For use with 9-197-084 HBS Number: 5-100-005 Subjects: Control systems; Market segmentation; Profit planning; Profitability analysis; Publishing industry; Return on investment
Case Author(s): Jones, Geoffrey G.; Gallagher-Kernstine M, Meghan; Gallagher-Kernstine, Meghan Publication Date: 11/12/2003 Revision Date: 07/02/2009 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 804081 Geographic Setting: London Industry Setting: Banking industry Event Year Start: 1600 Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Business history; Comparative advantage; Eurodollars; Location of industry Academic Discipline: Business & government Product Description: Focuses on the development of London as a leading international financial center and the difficulties it faces maintaining its status. Examines London’s history as a financial center from Roman times to the present day. London‘s position in the 19th century rested on the great importance of Britain in the world economy and the role of sterling as the major international currency. By the mid-20th century both of these factors were much reduced in importance, but London was renewed as the physical home of the Euromarkets. Explores regulatory and other factors, including economies of agglomeration, which contribute to making a financial center.
Case Author(s): Jones, Geoffrey G.; Gallagher-Kernstine M, Meghan; Gallagher-Kernstine, Meghan Publication Date: 11/12/2003 Revision Date: 12/12/2005 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: Focuses on the development of London as a leading international financial center and the difficulties it faces maintaining its status. Examines London’s history as a financial center from Roman times to the present day. London‘s position in the 19th century rested on the great importance of Britain in the world economy and the role of sterling as the major international currency. By the mid-20th century both of these factors were much reduced in importance, but London was renewed as the physical home of the Euromarkets. Explores regulatory and other factors, including economies of agglomeration, which contribute to making a financial center. HBS Number: 9-804-081 Geographic Setting: London Industry Setting: Banking industry Event Year Start: 1600 Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Business history; Comparative advantage; Eurodollars; Location of industry Academic Discipline: Business & government
Article Author(s): Gerard Seijts Publication Date: 01/11/2004 Product Type: Article Ivey ID: 9B04TF05 Subjects: Leadership Major Disciplines: Human Resource Management Product Description: Strong leadership is a critical determinant of success in times of crisis. Most businesses operate in a complex and uncertain environment in which strategies that were successful in the past quickly become redundant in the face of change. Unless mitigated by a decisive leader, problems that ill-prepared organizations face are likely to evolve into a full-fledged crisis. This article identifies six behaviours or mindsets that are critical for leaders in crisis situations. While no one can be prepared for all possible crises, leaders have to use foresight to anticipate the worst and have a general idea about how they are going to respond if they face a crisis. A contingency plan should be created and existing response plans should be tested to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various people on the crisis management team before a real crisis hits. While leaders have to be decisive and confront facts rather than try to explain them away, they also have to be exceptional communicators, making people feel informed, safe and connected. Leaders have to be visible and connect with the people on the shop floor as in the boardroom. Lastly, leaders must be prepared to take risks and make quick decisions in the face of uncertainty. They must have the courage to make the best possible decision with the set of all available facts, coupled with a solid professional background and instinct. The leader must then communicate that they have knowledge and control of the solution, and full confidence in the chosen course of action. Anything less and they will lose the confidence of the people and worsen the level of uncertainty and tension in a crisis situation.
Article Author(s): Pfeffer, Jeffrey; Brown, Tom Publication Date: 02/01/1998 Product Type: Harvard Management Update Article Product Description: The author of The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First, Stanford Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, discusses why he believes all of today’s workers are knowledge workers, and how focusing on reinforcing that belief can yield real competitive advantage. Included with the interview are Pfeffer‘s "Seven Practices of Successful Organizations." HBS Number: U9802C Geographic Setting:Industry Setting: Subjects: Human resources management; Interviews Academic Discipline: Human resources management
Case Author(s): Diane Phillips; Jason Phillips Publication Date: 10/24/2007 Product Type: Case (Field) Ivey ID: 9B07M049 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Eating and Drinking Places Size: Small Year of Event: 2007 Level of Difficulty: 4 — Undergraduate/MBA Subjects: Corporate culture; Entrepreneurial business growth; Ethical issues; Social marketing Major Disciplines: Entrepreneurship; General Management Product Description: This case is designed to examine the issue of corporate social responsibility in a small firm. The key issue is how a small organization can maintain its strong social responsibility philosophy when (a) the organization is growing, (b) the environment in which the organization exists is extremely competitive, and (c) the entrepreneurial visionary who started the firm is getting ready to step down. The case describes the dilemma the owner of White Dog Cafe has regarding the transition of current management to the new management team and the development of the White Dog Cafe’s social responsibility philosophy, the challenges that other socially responsible organizations have had as they have grown, and the strategies that the company has used to successfully keep its philosophies and goals at the forefront of its business operations.
Case Donald B. BoldtThis case follows a public company taken private in a leveraged buyout in the late 1970s, the successful revamp of its strategy by broadening the product line, increasing acquisitions, product development, and customer base; and the offer by the current shareholders to sell the company. Source: Submitted by authors and selected by Pinnacle II Editorial Board. Copyright 1996. Courses: Product Design Topics:
Article Author(s): Phil Hodgson Publication Date: 01/05/2004 Product Type: Article Ivey ID: 9B04TC06 Subjects: Executive stock options; Compensation Major Disciplines: Human Resource Management Product Description: The market is up, and the CEO is rewarded with a huge compensation package. The market is down, and the CEO is rewarded with a huge compensation package. There’s plenty wrong with this picture, not the least of which is the lack of any link between pay and performance, and the absence of any long-term performance measures. This author, a recognized expert in executive compensation, has several excellent suggestions for changing the picture.
Case Hillman AJ One of Dow Jones & Company’s most respected brands, The Wall Street Journal, is threatened by Internet news providers, including their own Interactive Edition. The company is unsure whether the Interactive Edition will be a substitute or acomplement to the Print Edition. The case focuses on changing industry boundaries, new technology, potential cannibalization, and a threat to the company‘s traditional business model. Industry analysis of both print and interactive publishing isdiscussed, as is resource leveraging across the two formats. Ivey Number: 9A99M030 Publication Date: 28/10/1999 Revision Date: 4/10/2001 Geographic Setting: USA Industry Setting: Printing, Publishing & Allied Industries Company Size: Large organization Event Year Start: 1999 Subjects: Industry Analysis, Business Policy, Product Strategy, Internet Functional Area: General Management
Case Author(s): Moss, David A.; Bolton, Cole Publication Date: 12/20/2007 Revision Date: 09/10/2009 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 708002 Subjects: Business government relations; Business history; Securities markets; Stock exchanges Academic Discipline: Finance Product Description: In the early 1790’s, a flood of newly issued public and private securities sparked an investment boom in the nascent United States. In New York, the bustling commercial district along Wall Street emerged as the center of the city‘s securities trade. One of the many Americans drawn into the frenetic and largely unregulated securities market was William Duer, who ultimately became a major player on the Street. As it turned out, however, Duer's financial dealings proved unsustainable, and his financial collapse helped to bring the securities boom to a halt. Shocked by the widespread devastation wrought by Wall Street's first panic, the New York legislature acted quickly to ban outdoor securities auctions and a popular class of financial instruments known as “time bargains,” both of which were thought to have contributed to the boom and bust on Wall Street. Facing public outrage along with the new legal restrictions, New York's top brokers had to decide whether a new system for securities trading was needed and, if so, what it should look like.
Case Author(s): Udell, Gregory F. Publication Date: 03/15/2009 Product Type: Case (Field) Publisher: Business Horizons/Indiana University HBS Number: BH315 Geographic Setting: Japan; United States Industry Setting: Credit industry Subjects: Crisis management; Deregulation; Finance; Investments; Stocks Academic Discipline: Finance Product Description: Writing about this financial crisis in real-time is very much like trying to hit the proverbial moving target — and one moving at warp speed. Herein, the motivating factors behind the credit crunch are explored. Too, this event is compared in contrast to credit crunches of the past, in this and other countries, namely Japan.
Case Author(s): Larson, Andrea; Archer, Geoffrey Darden ID: UVA-ENT-0084 Published: 9/16/2006 Copyright Year: 2006 Subject Area: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Keywords: green chemistry, innovation, carpet tiles, carpeting, EcoWorx, sustainable business, environmental, natural environment, triple bottom line Abstract: This minicase is one of 10 in a set of short cases written to illustrate the business benefits companies realize through adopting sustainable business strategies. This one features Shaw Industries, a leading U.S. global manufacturer of floor coverings, which developed EcoWorx technology to create a carpet tile that is PVC-free and able to be recycled, upon return to the company, as a carpet tile of equal quality and performance. Using green chemistry, the company has created a sustainable business innovation that cut costs, improves revenues, positively influences health and the environment, improves the brand, and enhances Shaw’s strategic positioning going forward.
Case Paul Reed, Ted Legatski, R. Dean LewisLocated in the Houston area, Walnut’s membership, attendance, and revenues have all fallen within the 1985 to 1990 period. At the same time demand for programs and services has increased. Several major decisions must be made immediately concerning these issues and the encroachment of a new service road for the nearby interstate highway. Source: Submitted by authors and selected for use by Pinnacle Editorial Board. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Consumer Behavior; Not-for-Profit Topics:
Case Author(s): Roberts, Michael J. Publication Date: 09/21/1998 Revision Date: 12/07/1998 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: Describes the Walnut Group’s investigation of the RBS Group, a young software company. Includes the RBS business plan and asks students to analyze which issues/assumptions are critical, and how they can be resolved. Teaching Purpose: To analyze new ventures and due diligence. HBS Number: 9-899-062 Geographic Setting: Massachusetts Industry Setting: software Number of Employees: 10 Gross Revenues: $5 million revenues Event Year Start: 1998 Event Year End: 1998 Subjects: Business plans; Entrepreneurial finance; Entrepreneurial management; Software; Venture capital Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Field), (9-899-063), 6p, by Michael J. Roberts; Supplement (Field), (9-899-064), 2p, by Michael J. Roberts; Supplement (Field), (9-899-097), 13p, by Michael J. Roberts; Teaching Note, (5-899-240), 14p, by Michael J. Roberts
Teaching Note For use with 9-899-062 HBS Number: 5-899-240 Subjects: Business plans; Entrepreneurial finance; Entrepreneurial management; Software; Venture capital
Case Author(s): Roberts, Michael J. Publication Date: 09/21/1998 Revision Date: 08/23/1999 Product Type: Supplement (Field) Product Description: Supplements the (A) case. Must be used with: (9-899-062) Walnut Venture Associates (A): RBS Group Investment Memorandum. HBS Number: 9-899-063 Geographic Setting:Industry Setting: Subjects: Entrepreneurial finance; Entrepreneurial management; Software; Venture capital Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-899-240), 14p, by Michael J. Roberts
Case Author(s): Roberts, Michael J. Publication Date: 09/21/1998 Revision Date: 05/28/1999 Product Type: Supplement (Field) Product Description: Supplements the (A) case. Must be used with: (9-899-062) Walnut Venture Associates (A): RBS Group Investment Memorandum. HBS Number: 9-899-064 Geographic Setting:Industry Setting: Subjects: Entrepreneurial finance; Entrepreneurial management; Software; Venture capital Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-899-240), 14p, by Michael J. Roberts
Case Author(s): Roberts, Michael J. Publication Date: 09/20/1998 Revision Date: 11/19/1998 Product Type: Supplement (Field) HBS Number: 899097 Subjects: Entrepreneurial finance; Entrepreneurial management; Software; Venture capital Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (899240), 14p, by Michael J. Roberts Product Description: Supplements the (A) case. Must be used with: (899062) Walnut Venture Associates (A): RBS Group Investment Memorandum.
Case Author(s): Roberts, Michael J. Publication Date: 09/20/1998 Revision Date: 11/19/1998 Product Type: Supplement (Field) Product Description: Supplements the (A) case. Must be used with: (9-899-062) Walnut Venture Associates (A): RBS Group Investment Memorandum. HBS Number: 9-899-097 Geographic Setting:Industry Setting: Subjects: Entrepreneurial finance; Entrepreneurial management; Software; Venture capital Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-899-240), 14p, by Michael J. Roberts
Case Author(s): Lynch, Luann J. Darden ID: UVA-C-2244 Published: 6/6/2006 Copyright Year: 2006 Subject Area: Accounting and Control Keywords: Revenue recognition Teaching Note: UVA-C-2244TN Abstract: Students are presented with excerpts from the significant-accounting-policies footnote in Walt Disney’s 2003 Annual Report, and are asked to respond to several questions regarding information in the footnote. Questions center around Disney‘s revenue-recognition practices for various lines of business and the rationale for those practices.
Case Author(s): Nohria, Nitin; Mayo, Anthony J.; Gurtler, Bridget Publication Date: 12/13/2005 Revision Date: 01/29/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 406076 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Film industry Gross Revenues: $2-$8 million in revenues Event Year Start: 1910 Event Year End: 1960 Subjects: Business history; Creativity; Cultural intelligence; Disruptive technologies; Entrepreneurship; Human resources management; Intellectual property; Labor relations; Strikes; Unfair labor practices Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Product Description: Focuses on the leadership lessons drawn from the events precipitating the Animator’s Strike of 1941, depicting the growing pains of a company that was as much formed and changed by American culture as American culture was formed and changed by it. The tale of Walt Disney‘s roller-coaster journey from small-town paperboy to underage ambulance-driving serviceman to amateur animator and thrice-failed businessman to iconic leader is told against the backdrop of swift and sweeping change in the beginning of the 20th century. An ambitious creative genius, he masterfully pursued emerging technological advantage and uniquely grasped and personified American social mores, but was reckless and naive about strategic business issues, especially concerning intellectual property and human resources management.
Case Author(s): Nohria, Nitin; Mayo, Anthony J.; Gurtler, Bridget Publication Date: 12/13/2005 Revision Date: 01/29/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 406076 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Film industry Gross Revenues: $2-$8 million in revenues Event Year Start: 1910 Event Year End: 1960 Subjects: Business history; Creativity; Cultural intelligence; Disruptive technologies; Entrepreneurship; Human resources management; Intellectual property; Labor relations; Strikes; Unfair labor practices Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Product Description: Focuses on the leadership lessons drawn from the events precipitating the Animator’s Strike of 1941, depicting the growing pains of a company that was as much formed and changed by American culture as American culture was formed and changed by it. The tale of Walt Disney‘s roller-coaster journey from small-town paperboy to underage ambulance-driving serviceman to amateur animator and thrice-failed businessman to iconic leader is told against the backdrop of swift and sweeping change in the beginning of the 20th century. An ambitious creative genius, he masterfully pursued emerging technological advantage and uniquely grasped and personified American social mores, but was reckless and naive about strategic business issues, especially concerning intellectual property and human resources management.
Case Author(s): Nohria, Nitin; Mayo, Anthony J.; Gurtler, Bridget Publication Date: 12/13/2005 Revision Date: 01/29/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 406076 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Film industry Gross Revenues: $2-$8 million in revenues Event Year Start: 1910 Event Year End: 1960 Subjects: Business history; Creativity; Cultural intelligence; Disruptive technologies; Entrepreneurship; Human resources management; Intellectual property; Labor relations; Strikes; Unfair labor practices Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Product Description: Focuses on the leadership lessons drawn from the events precipitating the Animator’s Strike of 1941, depicting the growing pains of a company that was as much formed and changed by American culture as American culture was formed and changed by it. The tale of Walt Disney‘s roller-coaster journey from small-town paperboy to underage ambulance-driving serviceman to amateur animator and thrice-failed businessman to iconic leader is told against the backdrop of swift and sweeping change in the beginning of the 20th century. An ambitious creative genius, he masterfully pursued emerging technological advantage and uniquely grasped and personified American social mores, but was reckless and naive about strategic business issues, especially concerning intellectual property and human resources management.
Case Author(s): Nohria, Nitin; Mayo, Anthony J.; Gurtler, Bridget Publication Date: 12/13/2005 Revision Date: 03/19/2007 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 9-406-076 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Film industry Gross Revenues: $2-$8 million in revenues Event Year Start: 1910 Event Year End: 1960 Subjects: Business history; Creativity; Cultural intelligence; Disruptive technologies; Entrepreneurship; Human resources management; Intellectual property; Labor relations; Strikes; Unfair labor practices Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership Product Description: Focuses on the leadership lessons drawn from the events precipitating the Animator’s Strike of 1941, depicting the growing pains of a company that was as much formed and changed by American culture as American culture was formed and changed by it. The tale of Walt Disney‘s roller-coaster journey from small-town paperboy to underage ambulance-driving serviceman to amateur animator and thrice-failed businessman to iconic leader is told against the backdrop of swift and sweeping change in the beginning of the 20th century. An ambitious creative genius, he masterfully pursued emerging technological advantage and uniquely grasped and personified American social mores, but was reckless and naive about strategic business issues, especially concerning intellectual property and human resources management.
Case Collis, David J.; Johnson, Elizabeth Focuses on a six-month period in 1994, during which the company experienced a series of dramatic upheavals. The events described include: 1) the sudden death of company president Frank Wells; 2) a health crisis facing Chairman Michael Eisner; 3) the "departure" of filmed entertainment division chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg; 4) the creation of a new corporate unit; 5) network acquisition rumors; and 6) the cancellation of plans for "Disney America." HBS Number: 9-395-109 Type: Case (Library) Publication Date: 1/1/1995 Revision Date: 6/19/1997 Geographic Setting: United States, France, & Asia Industry Setting: entertainment Company Size: large Gross Revenues: $8.5 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1994 Event Year End: 1994 Subjects: Corporate strategy; Diversification; Entertainment industry; Industry analysis; MIS; Strategic planning Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Library), (9-796-149), 7p, by David J. Collis, Jennifer Montana
Case Author(s): Collis, David J.; Montana, Jennifer Publication Date: 04/02/1996 Revision Date: 06/27/1997 Product Type: Supplement (Library) Product Description: Updates Walt Disney Co.—1994: A Tumultuous Year. Must be used with: (9-395-109) Walt Disney Co.--1994: A Tumultuous Year. HBS Number: 9-796-149 Subjects: Corporate strategy; Diversification; Entertainment industry; Industry analysis; Strategic planning Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy
Case Author(s): Kester, W. Carl; Allen, William B. Publication Date: 01/09/1987 Revision Date: 09/05/1991 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: Walt Disney is considering hedging future yen inflows from Disney Tokyo. It is evaluating techniques using FX Forwards, swaps, and Yen term borrowings. Goldman Sachs presents a rather unusual but potentially attractive solution: Disney could issue ECU Eurobonds and swap into a Yen liability. The case explains how this alternative would work and suggests to the students ways to evaluate the hedging choices. HBS Number: 9-287-058 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: consumer/entertainment Company Size: large Gross Revenues: $1.7 billion sales Event Year Start: 1985 Event Year End: 1985 Subjects: Bonds; Capital markets; Currency; Hedging; International finance Academic Discipline: Finance Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-290-009), 12p, by W. Carl Kester
Article Baldwin, Carliss Y. Walt Disney Co. issues a 100-year bond. This exercise describes the terms of the bond and immediate capital market reaction. Teaching Purpose: The questions (and associated spreadsheet model) lead students through an analysis of bond cash flow, present value, and interest rate sensitivity of bonds of different maturities. Suitable as an introduction to bond valuation and fixed income securities. May be used with: (9-294-038) Walt Disney Co.’s Sleeping Beauty Bonds, Duration Analysis. HBS Number: 9-294-034 Type: Exercise Publication Date: 1/31/1994 Subjects: Bonds; Capital markets; Entertainment industry; Hedging; Present value; Valuation
Article Baldwin, Carliss Y. Walt Disney Co. issues a 100-year bond. This exercise describes the terms of the bond and immediate capital market reaction. Teaching Purpose: The questions (and associated spreadsheet model) lead students through an analysis of bond cash flow, present value, interest rate sensitivity, and duration. Suitable as an introduction to bond valuation and duration-based hedging. May be used with: (9-294-034) Walt Disney Co.’s Sleeping Beauty Bonds. HBS Number: 9-294-038 Type: Exercise Publication Date: 1/31/1994 Revision Date: 7/13/2000 Subjects: Bonds; Capital markets; Entertainment industry; Hedging; Present value; Valuation
Case Author(s): Rukstad, Michael G.; Collis, David J.; Levine, Tyrrell Publication Date: 03/09/2001 Revision Date: 01/05/2009 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 701035 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Entertainment industry Number of Employees: 110,000 Gross Revenues: $25.4 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1923 Event Year End: 2000 Subjects: Competitive advantage; Corporate strategy; Diversification; Strategy formulation; Strategy implementation Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (705495), 12p, by David J. Collis Product Description: The first ten pages of this case are comprised of the company’s history, from 1923 to 2001. The Walt years are described, as is the company‘s decline after his death and its resurgence under Eisner. The last five pages are devoted to Eisner's strategic challenges in 2001: managing synergy, managing the brand, and managing creativity. Students are asked to think about the keys to Disney's mid-1980s turnaround, about the proper boundaries of the firm, and about what Disney's strategy should be beyond 2001.
Case Author(s): Rukstad, Michael G.; Collis, David J.; Levine, Tyrrell Publication Date: 03/09/2001 Revision Date: 09/01/2005 Product Type: Case (Library) HBS Number: 9-701-035 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Entertainment industry Number of Employees: 110,000 Gross Revenues: $25.4 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1923 Event Year End: 2000 Subjects: Competitive advantage; Corporate strategy; Diversification; Strategy formulation; Strategy implementation Academic Discipline: Competitive strategy Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-705-495), 12p, by David J. Collis Product Description: The first ten pages of this case are comprised of the company’s history, from 1923 to 2001. The Walt years are described, as is the company‘s decline after his death and its resurgence under Eisner. The last five pages are devoted to Eisner's strategic challenges in 2001: managing synergy, managing the brand, and managing creativity. Students are asked to think about the keys to Disney's mid-1980s turnaround, about the proper boundaries of the firm, and about what Disney's strategy should be beyond 2001.
Case Author(s): McNichols, Maureen; Tayan, Brian Publication Date: 09/01/2007 Product Type: Case (Field) Publisher: Stanford University HBS Number: A195 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Entertainment industry Subjects: Annual reports; Communication strategy; Financial reporting Academic Discipline: Finance Product Description: As the chief financial officer of The Walt Disney Company, Tom Staggs was responsible not only for the financial management of the company, but also for the communication of the company’s financial and strategic objectives to its investor base. Because of Disney‘s stature as the world's most iconic entertainment brand, the company had a particularly broad investor base: over 991,000 common shareholders in fiscal year 2006 compared with 51,400 for Time Warner. Staggs had to develop and implement a communication strategy that was appropriate for the diversity of this investor base, which included individual, institutional, brokerage house, and mutual fund investors. In doing so, he had to be mindful of the fact that these constituencies often had different time horizons and investment perspectives. In addition, Staggs had to bear in mind several other factors. First, he had to consider that any message delivered was perceived by investors as a direct reflection of management's capability and credibility. Second, he had to consider how the company's stated objectives influenced the behavior of its employees. Third, he had to decide how to implement the communication strategy across a wide array of channels, keeping in mind the purpose of the forum, regulatory requirements, and investor expectations.
Case Author(s): Liedtka, Jeanne M. Darden ID: UVA-BP-0339 Published: 8/27/1993 Copyright Year: 1993 Subject Area: Operations Management Keywords: change; Management of; Diversification; Leadership; Strategic formulation Abstract: This case begins in mid-1984 with the arrival of the Eisner-Wells team to head Disney Productions. It lays out the specific actions taken by the new management team in each area of Disney’s business, and contains excerpts from Eisner and Wells‘s first letter to shareholders. See also “Disney Productions: The Walt Years” (BP-0332).
Case Author(s): Liedtka, Jeanne M. Darden ID: UVA-BP-0339 Published: 8/27/1993 Copyright Year: 1993 Subject Area: Operations Management Keywords: change; Management of; Diversification; Leadership; Strategic formulation Abstract: This case begins in mid-1984 with the arrival of the Eisner-Wells team to head Disney Productions. It lays out the specific actions taken by the new management team in each area of Disney’s business, and contains excerpts from Eisner and Wells‘s first letter to shareholders. See also “Disney Productions: The Walt Years” (BP-0332).
Case Author(s): Sugai P Publication Date: 11/23/2004 Industry: Business Services Abstract: The Walt Disney Internet Group Japan has recently launched an entirely new set of interactive mobile character/agents for the NTT DoCoMo iMode platform, called Dimo. Having built Japan’s most successful mobile entertainment business usingtraditional Disney-branded characters and related content, these Dimo characters have been designed to go well beyond entertainment and become valuable guides, assistants and friends for users of the continuously evolving Mobile Internet and theincreasingly complex tasks enabled by this platform. Although the Walt Disney Internet Group Japan team feels strongly that these types of character/agents will be the future of human-device interactions, subscription figures six months after Dimo‘slaunch suggest that Japan's mobile consumers may not share this belief. Ivey Number: 9B04A026 Geographic Location: Japan Company Size: Large organization Year of Event: 2004 Level of Difficulty: Undergraduate/MBA Functional Area: Marketing Subjects: Brand Management; Consumer Behaviour; E-Business; Competitive Advantage
Case Author(s): Bruner, Robert F. Darden ID: UVA-F-0676 Published: 3/28/1991 Revised: 1/11/2002 Copyright Year: 1985 Subject Area: Finance Keywords: competitive analysis; ethical issues; mergers; performance evaluation; takeover defense; valuation Teaching Note: UVA-F-0676TN Student Spreadsheet: UVA-S-F-0676 Abstract: This case is set in the midst of the attempted takeover of Walt Disney Productions by the raider Saul Steinberg in June 1984. Disney’s chief executive officer ponders whether to fight the takeover or to pay “greenmail.” One significant influence on the decision is the ‘’true‘' value of the firm. The case offers, either directly or through analysis of it, several estimates of value. The valuation question invites a review of Disney's past performance and current competitive position. Other significant influences on the decision are the ethics and economics of paying greenmail. The rich range of issues raised in the case (strategy, valuation, performance measurement, and ethics) makes it an effective first case, review case, or final exam in a corporate-finance course. A student worksheet file is available for use with this case.
Case Author(s): Bruner, Robert F. Darden ID: UVA-F-0676 Published: 3/28/1991 Revised: 1/11/2002 Copyright Year: 1985 Subject Area: Finance Keywords: competitive analysis; ethical issues; mergers; performance evaluation; takeover defense; valuation Teaching Note: UVA-F-0676TN Student Spreadsheet: UVA-S-F-0676 Abstract: This case is set in the midst of the attempted takeover of Walt Disney Productions by the raider Saul Steinberg in June 1984. Disney’s chief executive officer ponders whether to fight the takeover or to pay “greenmail.” One significant influence on the decision is the ‘’true‘' value of the firm. The case offers, either directly or through analysis of it, several estimates of value. The valuation question invites a review of Disney's past performance and current competitive position. Other significant influences on the decision are the ethics and economics of paying greenmail. The rich range of issues raised in the case (strategy, valuation, performance measurement, and ethics) makes it an effective first case, review case, or final exam in a corporate-finance course. A student worksheet file is available for use with this case.
Case Author(s): Asquith, Paul Publication Date: 03/18/1988 Revision Date: 07/02/1990 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: Considers a firm whose investment strategies have essentially run out. Walt Disney’s original visions and goals have all been fulfilled and after his death no new ones are forthcoming. Disney faces repeated takeover attacks and is forced to either set new corporate goals and formulate a financing strategy or to slowly liquidate the firm‘s remaining value through expensive merger defenses. The case concentrates on the use of greenmail, a much criticized defensive tactic which Disney uses trying to buy enough time to fix its investment and financial strategies. The firm's independence is retained and value is enhanced although current management is replaced. HBS Number: 9-288-045 Geographic Setting: United StatesIndustry Setting: entertainmentCompany Size: largeGross Revenues: $1 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1982Event Year End: 1984 Subjects: Acquisitions; Corporate strategy; Entertainment industry; Tender offers Academic Discipline: Finance
Case Author(s): Nanda, Ashish Publication Date: 11/11/1994 Revision Date: 05/06/1996 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: Describes the challenge facing Dennis Hightower in 1987. He has been recruited from outside for a newly created position as head of Disney Consumer Products European operations. Hightower has to win initial acceptance of entrenched country managers, integrate the company’s diverse subsidiaries closer together, and revitalize European operations. Teaching Purpose: Students are asked to develop an action plan that Dennis Hightower should follow over the next three months. This helps them explore the key strategic and organizational challenges facing Hightower, what pace of change is appropriate for the situation, and how he should try to build credibility and support within the organization. May be used with: (9-395-056) Dennis Hightower: Walt Disney‘s Transnational Manager; (9-396-316) Dennis Hightower: New Horizons. HBS Number: 9-395-055 Geographic Setting: Global Gross Revenues: $50 million revenues Event Year Start: 1987 Event Year End: 1987 Subjects: Business policy; Corporate strategy; Entertainment industry; Europe; International business; Management of change; Marketing organization; Organizational change Academic Discipline: General management Supplementary Materials: Supplement, (9-395-149), 3p, by Ashish Nanda; Teaching Note, (5-395-201), 26p, by Ashish Nanda; Case Video, (9-396-512), 8 min, by Ashish Nanda
Case Nanda, Ashish Describes the actions taken by Dennis Hightower as president of Disney Consumer Products in Europe and the Middle East from 1988 to 1994. Focuses on how he has gone about establishing a regional office and knitting local operations clo HBS Number: 9-898-026 Type: Case (Field) Publication Date: 7/29/97 Geographic Setting: Europe/multinational Industry Setting: franchising and publishing Number of Employees: 500 Gross Revenues: $300 million revenues Event Year Start: 1988 Event Year End: 1994 Subjects: Business policy; Corporate strategy; Entertainment industry; Europe; International business; Management of change; Marketing organization; Organizational change
Teaching Note For use with 9-395-055 HBS Number: 5-395-201 Subjects: Business policy; Corporate strategy; Entertainment industry; Europe; International business; Management of change; Marketing organization; Organizational change
Case Harling, K — GISMA Business School Achenbach, U — GISMA Business School Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 307-230-1 Language: English Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Field research Product Year: 2007 Geo location: Germany Industry: Foundry Size: 650 employees Timing: 2004 Topics: Germany; Foundry industry; Restructuring; Fixed cost; Flexibility; Production; Strategic change; Labour union; Production and operations management Abstract: In 2004, management at Walter Hundhausen GmbH, Germany (WH) anticipated that the company would lose 6 million euros on sales of 118 million euros. Management had to decide how to address the situation: whether it would continue radical marketing, make a strategic change, sell the business or close it down. WH sold high-performance castings made from ductile iron mostly to the motor vehicle and mechanical engineering industries. The company was bought from Thyssen-Krupp Automotive by Georgsmarienhutte Holding GmbH (GMH) in 2000 and was the largest company in a group it was building to make parts for the motor vehicle industry. WH had been losing money when it was purchased by GMH. The case describes how management worked to turn around the company during the four years under GMH’s ownership. Initial efforts were successful, in part because of commitments made by the management of GMH and WH and with the support of workers through their Work Council. But costs rose dramatically in 2003 and 2004, undoing the early success and putting WH back into losses. Management was then faced with what should be done with the business. Significant issues in finding a solution, were the labour institutions in Germany and the changing nature of the foundry industry. The decision was further complicated by the earlier commitments made by management, including the decision to continue to employ over Source: ecch
Case Author(s): Right, Jonathan M. Darden ID: UVA-F-1461 Published: 12/9/2004 Copyright Year: 2004 Subject Area: Finance Keywords: Capital Markets, Investments, Arbitrage, Convertible Securities, Hedge Funds Abstract: Walter Industries is issuing convertible bonds at an attractive rate to the issuer. Given the relatively fragile condition of Walter, it is not immediately apparent why the market is so receptive.
Case Author(s): Right, Jonathan M. Darden ID: UVA-F-1461 Published: 12/9/2004 Copyright Year: 2004 Subject Area: Finance Keywords: Capital Markets, Investments, Arbitrage, Convertible Securities, Hedge Funds Abstract: Walter Industries is issuing convertible bonds at an attractive rate to the issuer. Given the relatively fragile condition of Walter, it is not immediately apparent why the market is so receptive.
Case Author(s): Bruns, William J., Jr. Publication Date: 04/13/1984 Revision Date: 05/14/2004 Product Type: Case (Gen Exp) Product Description: Loss of a major contract has reduced production volume below the level expected when budget and standard costs were determined. Apparently favorable results for monthly operations result from reduced volume rather than operating efficiency. Rewritten version of a case by the same author. HBS Number: 9-184-169 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: electric motors Company Size: small Event Year Start: 1984 Event Year End: 1984 Subjects: Budgeting; Cost accounting; Cost analysis; Electric industries; Management accounting; Variance analysis Academic Discipline: Accounting & control Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-185-060), 8p, by William J. Bruns Jr.
Case Donald D. White; John Todd The Walton Arts Center (WAC) experienced significant growth in revenues during its five-year life. The president who guided the WAC through its formation, facility construction, and growth was challenged by the WAC Council (its governing board) to stop operating losses. His response had been to cut selected expenses, but a broader search for new income sources appeared to be necessary. This, in turn, led to an examination of the WAC’s leadership team, organizational structure, strategic planning process, stakeholder analysis, financial status, and marketing strategy. WAC‘s evolution from start-up through its early growth and development was used to plan its future. Source: North American Case Research Association, Case Research Journal, Volume 20, Issue 3 Subjects: Strategic Management, Not-for-Profit Organizations, Organizational Growth, Marketing Strategy, Leadership
Case John Todd; Donald D. White The Walton Arts Center is an organization in transition. Its fast growth in its first 5 years of existence has created a need for new leadership, and the Center’s first president has been succeeded by his top assistant, Anita Scism. She is faced with issues of leadership style, unstable finances, events programming, and strategic planning. How these issues are resolved will be critical for the future of the organization. Source: North American Case Research Association, Case Research Journal, Volume 22, Issue 1 Subjects: Leadership; Not-for-Profit Organizations; Organizational Growth; Strategic Planning; Financial Analysis
Case Author(s): Jaikumar, Ramchandran Publication Date: 10/01/1981 Revision Date: 06/18/1985 Product Type: Case (Gen Exp) Product Description: Provides an opportunity for students to examine the impact of different manufacturing control methods on the manufacturing infrastructure. Information flow, inventory control, quality control and process flows interact and different trade-offs are examined. Introduces concepts of inventory control and notions of quality control. Based on an earlier case by R.H. Hayes, R.T. Lund, and W.E. Sasser, Jr. HBS Number: 9-682-027 Geographic Setting: Unspecified Industry Setting: test instruments, medical electronics Gross Revenues: $3.6 million net sales Event Year Start: 1970 Event Year End: 1970 Subjects: Electronics; Inventory management; Medical supplies; Process flow; Production controls; Quality control Academic Discipline: Operations management Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-685-030), 13p, by Ramchandran Jaikumar
Teaching Note For use with 9-682-027 HBS Number: 5-685-030 Subjects: Electronics; Inventory management; Medical supplies; Process flow; Production controls; Quality control
Case Author(s): Segel, Arthur I.; Dessain, Vincent; Loizillon, Anais Publication Date: 07/25/2003 Revision Date: 03/10/2004 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: Describes the intricate parts of an early real estate deal from the standpoint of the developer: feasibility analysis, choosing a market, acquisition of land, project development, design and construction issues, investment returns, and equity financing issues. Thirty-two year-old Dr. Philipp von Wilmowsky is director of Hungarian operations for ECE Projektmanagement, a German real estate development conglomerate. He has been working for two years on the development of a 30,300 square meter (m2), 75 million Eurodollar shopping project located in the city of Gyor, Hungary. The case allows students to analyze the viability and attractiveness of the project and perform calculations on project returns (including co-investor returns), cost analysis, sensitivity analysis, composition of leasing revenues, and loan structuring. Teaching Purpose: To look at the role of the real estate developer or project manager, characteristics of retail properties, and the structuring of joint ventures in the real estate industry. HBS Number: 9-804-021 Geographic Setting: HungaryIndustry Setting: real estate Event Year Start: 2003Event Year End: 2003 Subjects: Eastern Europe; Equity financing; Europe; Joint ventures; Project finance; Project management; Real estate; Retailing Academic Discipline: Finance Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-804-159), 8p, by Arthur I. Segel
Case Jenster, P V; Yiting, C Publisher: China Europe International Business School Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 107-037-1 Language: English Category: Finance, Accounting and Control Data source: Field research Product Year: 2007 Geo location: Beijing, China Industry: Distribution, IT (information technology) components Size: 50 employees Timing: January 2007 Topics: Distributor; Growth; Strategy; Finance; HR (human resources) management; IT (information technology) components; Entrepreneurship Abstract: Headquartered in Beijing, Wanbo is a distributor of computer components in Northern China. It supplies a variety of products to computer assemblers and retailers in small and medium-sized cities. Wanbo had been growing rapidly, from RMB3 million annual sales in 2001 to RMB100 million in 2006. It projected another 50% growth rate in 2007, but the high growth rate had left little time for the management to properly develop the organisation and formulate policies. The incapacity of the finance department and HR (human resources) management were the major issues hindering Wanbo’s long-term growth. The case poses questions about the strategy and the financial viability of the future growth plans.
Case Chen, G Z Publisher: China Europe International Business School Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 805-030-1 Language: English Category: Entrepreneurship Data source: Generalised experience Product Year: 2005 Geo location: China Industry: Footwear Size: 1,000 employees Timing: 2002 Topics: Footwear industry; Entrepreneur management; China Abstract: Star Leather Product Co, Ltd is a private-owned shoemaking company with a staff of over 1,000 people and a factory of 8,800 square meters. It developed from a family-based shoemaking workshop, and expanded its business to the international market within a short period of 6 years. The quick expansion of this company was mainly benefited from the blossom of the shoemaking industry in China. With the increasing competition and a saturated market, the problems of management and quality-control floated up to the surface. Ms Wang Wenying, the founder and General Manager of Star Company, was actively seeking for the help from consultants.
Case Author(s): Chen GZ Publication Date: 4/28/2006 Product Type: Case Ivey ID: 9B06M053 Geographic Setting: China Industry Setting: Apparel and Accessory Stores Size: Medium organization Year of Event: 2002 Level of Difficulty: Undergraduate/MBA Subjects: Retailing, Entrepreneurship Functional Area: General Management Product Description: Star Leather Product Co., Ltd. is a private-owned shoemaking company with staff of more than 1,000 people and a factory of 8,800 square metres. It developed from a family-based shoemaking workshop, and expanded its business to the internationalmarket within a short period of six years. The quick expansion of this company was mainly benefited from the blossom of the shoemaking industry in China. With increasing competition and a saturated market, the problems of management andquality-control floated up to the surface. The founder and general manager of the company was actively seeking help from consultants.
Case Liu, S; Li, L; Zeng, H Publisher: China Europe International Business School Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 807-037-1 Language: English Category: Entrepreneurship Data source: Field research Product Year: 2007 Geo location: China Industry: Internet Size: 120 employees Timing: 2006 Topics: China; Internet start-ups; Culture conflict; Growth stage; Leadership; HRM (human resources management) Abstract: In 2005, Buddy and several partners created WangYou.com to capture the booming opportunity in user-generated contents, which have created several miracles like Youtube and My Space. WangYou is a ’lifestyle media‘ company providing users a combination of a personalised media experience with a social context for participation. Besides the fierce competition, WangYou also faces some internal challenges. Most of its initial staff were recruited among users, who are very young, less educated and less experienced. Buddy recruited some professional managers in order to help improve the management of the business. However, the conflicts between newcomers and old staff brought big trouble to the company. In the end, he had to let the newcomers go. Is that the right decision?
Article Author(s): Gary, Loren Publication Date: 10/01/2004 Product Type: Harvard Management Update Article Product Description: As more and more firms begin to recognize that problem-solving skills form the invisible structure that undergirds high performance, they also realize that there’s no such thing as a quick fix — no intensive program that can give organizations rock-hard, problem-solving muscles in six weeks. Improvement occurs one manager at a time. Today, firms across a broad range of industries are seeking to supply their managers with the tools and training to excel in problem solving. In doing so, they aim to embed problem-solving proficiency in the organizational fabric so that it becomes a competitive differentiator. Read about the three things organizations must do well if they wish to succeed in this endeavor. HBS Number: U0410A Subjects: Competitive advantage; Education; Management development; Managerial skills; Problem solving Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
Article Author(s): Weiss, Jeff; Hughes, Jonathan Publication Date: 03/01/2005 Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article Product Description: Companies try all kinds of ways to improve collaboration among different parts of the organization: cross-unit incentive systems, organizational restructuring, teamwork training. Although these initiatives produce occasional success stories, most have only a limited impact on dismantling organizational silos and fostering collaboration. The problem? Most companies focus on the symptoms (“Sales and delivery do not work together as closely as they should”) rather than on the root cause of failures in cooperation: conflict. The fact is, you can’t improve collaboration until you‘ve addressed the issue of conflict. The authors offer six strategies for effectively managing conflict: Devise and implement a common method for resolving conflict; provide people with criteria for making trade-offs; use the escalation of conflict as an opportunity for coaching; establish and enforce a requirement of joint escalation; ensure that managers resolve escalated conflicts directly with their counterparts; and make the process for escalated conflict-resolution transparent. The first three strategies focus on the point of conflict; the second three focus on escalation of conflict up the management chain. Together they constitute a framework for effectively managing discord, one that integrates conflict resolution into day-to-day decision-making processes, thereby removing a barrier to cross-organizational collaboration. HBS Number: R0503F Subjects: Communication in organizations; Conflict; Constructive conflict; Corporate culture; Group behavior; Group decision making; Management communication; Teams Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
Article Author(s): Blattberg, Robert C.; Getz, Gary; Pelofsky Publication Date: 08/01/2001 Product Type: Harvard Management Update Article Product Description: Most companies would say they’re working hard to become more customer-centric, but very few are actually taking an asset-management approach to their customer relationships. There is hope, however. Companies can create and use real financial measures of customer value to help them make better decisions on everything from where to spend marketing dollars to choosing which prospects to target, which customers to retain, and which existing relationships to end. HBS Number: U0108B Subjects: Accounting & control; Asset management; Customer retention; Financial management Academic Discipline: General management
Article Author(s): Kling, Jim Publication Date: 03/01/2000 Product Type: Harvard Management Communication Letter Article Product Description: The best communication happens when each person understands the other’s perceptions and biases. And a great way to get inside other people‘s heads is through role playing, a technique borrowed from the theater that allows participants to act out situations from various perspectives. Here are some tips on using role play—with others and by yourself--to become a better communicator. Includes a sidebar entitled "Learning to Stay in the Moment." HBS Number: C0003A Subjects: Communication; Communication in organizations; Interpersonal behavior; Interpersonal relations; Management communication Academic Discipline: Organizational behavior & leadership
Article Author(s): Chase, Richard B.; Dasu, Sriram Publication Date: 06/01/2001 Product Type: Harvard Business Review Article Product Description: It may seem like the topic of service management has been exhausted. Legions of scholars and practitioners have applied queuing theory to bank lines, measured response times to the millisecond, and created cults around "delighting the customer." But practitioners haven’t carefully considered the underlying psychology of service encounters—the feelings that customers experience during these encounters, feelings often so subtle they probably couldn‘t be put into words. Fortunately, behavioral science offers new insights into better service management. In this article, the authors translate findings from behavioral-science research into five operating principles: 1) finish strong; 2) get the bad experiences out of the way early; 3) segment the pleasure, combine the pain; 4) build commitment through choice; and 5) give people rituals and stick to them. Ultimately, only one thing really matters in a service encounter--the customer's perception of what occurred. This article will help you engineer your service encounters to enhance your customers' experiences during the process as well as their recollections of the process after it is completed. Subjects: Behavioral sciences; Customer relations; Customer retention; Customer service; Psychology; Service industries; Service management Academic Discipline: Service management
Article Author(s): Chase, Richard B.; Dasu, Sriram Publication Date: 06/01/2001 Product Type: HBR OnPoint Article Product Description: HBR OnPoint Articles save you time by enhancing an original Harvard Business Review article with an overview that draws out the main points and an annotated bibliography that points you to related resources. This enables you to scan, absorb, and share the management insights with others. It may seem like the topic of service management has been exhausted. Legions of scholars and practitioners have applied queuing theory to bank lines, measured response times to the millisecond, and created cults around "delighting the customer." But practitioners haven’t carefully considered the underlying psychology of service encounters—the feelings that customers experience during these encounters, feelings often so subtle they probably couldn‘t be put into words. Fortunately, behavioral science offers new insights into better service management. In this article, the authors translate findings from behavioral-science research into five operating principles: 1) finish strong; 2) get the bad experiences out of the way early; 3) segment the pleasure, combine the pain; 4) build commitment through choice; and 5) give people rituals and stick to them. Ultimately, only one thing really matters in a service encounter--the customer's perception of what occurred. This article will help you engineer your service encounters to enhance your customers' experiences during the process as well as their recollections of the process after it is completed. HBS Number: 682X Subjects: Behavioral sciences; Customer relations; Customer retention; Customer service; Psychology; Service industries; Service management Academic Discipline: Service management
Article Author(s): Wheeler, Michael Publication Date: 10/01/2005 Product Type: Negotiation Article Product Description: Negotiation is a breeze if you’re selling a unique product or service that others desperately need: just sit back and let the bidding begin. Likewise, if you‘re a buyer in a buyer's market, getting a bargain is a snap. But what happens when lots of other people are selling what you've got, or many others are bidding for what you want? One way to distinguish yourself in competitive environments is to build your bargaining endowment — storing up credibility and resources by developing relationships, burnishing your reputation, and controlling key assets. Read three stories that illustrate different elements of the process of building your bargaining endowment. HBS Number: N0510D Subjects: Competitive advantage; Competitive bidding; Interpersonal relations; Negotiations; Power & influence; Reputations Academic Discipline: Negotiations
Case Author(s): Abrami, Regina; Kirby, William; McFarlan, F. Warren; Manty, Tracy Yuen; Wong, Keith Publication Date: 02/26/2008 Revision Date: 07/09/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 308058 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Auto repair; Automotive industry Gross Revenues: $7 billion (US) Event Year Start: 2007 Event Year End: 2007 Subjects: Business history; Foreign investment; Globalization Academic Discipline: General management Product Description: With an almost forty-year history as a business in China, the Wanxiang Group has navigated through the significantly different political and economic changes in China to succeed as a global leader in the auto parts industry, and to develop into a broad business conglomerate. Beginning in 1994, when it first began its operations in the United States, Wanxiang started to expand its role as a parts supplier into a discerning acquirer of distressed companies in the U.S. While it saw acquisition as an exciting means for growth, company strategy at its Hangzhou, China headquarters also included vertical integration with a goal of developing a full-on electric car. Were these two goals divergent or complementary: mutually supportive or exclusive?
Case Author(s): Abrami, Regina; Kirby, William; McFarlan, F. Warren; Manty, Tracy Yuen; Wong, Keith Publication Date: 02/26/2008 Revision Date: 07/09/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 308058 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Auto repair; Automotive industry Gross Revenues: $7 billion (US) Event Year Start: 2007 Event Year End: 2007 Subjects: Business history; Foreign investment; Globalization Academic Discipline: General management Product Description: With an almost forty-year history as a business in China, the Wanxiang Group has navigated through the significantly different political and economic changes in China to succeed as a global leader in the auto parts industry, and to develop into a broad business conglomerate. Beginning in 1994, when it first began its operations in the United States, Wanxiang started to expand its role as a parts supplier into a discerning acquirer of distressed companies in the U.S. While it saw acquisition as an exciting means for growth, company strategy at its Hangzhou, China headquarters also included vertical integration with a goal of developing a full-on electric car. Were these two goals divergent or complementary: mutually supportive or exclusive?
Case Author(s): Abrami, Regina; Kirby, William; McFarlan, F. Warren; Manty, Tracy Yuen; Wong, Keith Publication Date: 02/26/2008 Revision Date: 07/09/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 308058 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Auto repair; Automotive industry Gross Revenues: $7 billion (US) Event Year Start: 2007 Event Year End: 2007 Subjects: Business history; Foreign investment; Globalization Academic Discipline: General management Product Description: With an almost forty-year history as a business in China, the Wanxiang Group has navigated through the significantly different political and economic changes in China to succeed as a global leader in the auto parts industry, and to develop into a broad business conglomerate. Beginning in 1994, when it first began its operations in the United States, Wanxiang started to expand its role as a parts supplier into a discerning acquirer of distressed companies in the U.S. While it saw acquisition as an exciting means for growth, company strategy at its Hangzhou, China headquarters also included vertical integration with a goal of developing a full-on electric car. Were these two goals divergent or complementary: mutually supportive or exclusive?
Case Author(s): Abrami, Regina; Kirby, William; McFarlan, F. Warren; Manty, Tracy Yuen; Wong, Keith Publication Date: 02/26/2008 Revision Date: 07/09/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 308058 Geographic Setting: China; United States Industry Setting: Auto repair; Automotive industry Gross Revenues: $7 billion (US) Event Year Start: 2007 Event Year End: 2007 Subjects: Business history; Foreign investment; Globalization Academic Discipline: General management Product Description: With an almost forty-year history as a business in China, the Wanxiang Group has navigated through the significantly different political and economic changes in China to succeed as a global leader in the auto parts industry, and to develop into a broad business conglomerate. Beginning in 1994, when it first began its operations in the United States, Wanxiang started to expand its role as a parts supplier into a discerning acquirer of distressed companies in the U.S. While it saw acquisition as an exciting means for growth, company strategy at its Hangzhou, China headquarters also included vertical integration with a goal of developing a full-on electric car. Were these two goals divergent or complementary: mutually supportive or exclusive?
Case Wang, J; Shu, J Publisher: China Europe International Business School Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 306-089-1 Language: English Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Field research Product Year: 2006 Geo location: China Industry: Automotive Size: Large Timing: 2000-2003 Topics: Automotive; Parts and components; Mergers and acquisitions; International acquisitions; Export; Corporate strategy; Overseas expansion; Chinese private company Abstract: Twenty years ago in 1984, when it was a small factory in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, Wanxiang signed its first export contract. Ten years after in 1994, when Wanxiang America Inc was just registered, the company was headed only by a Chinese overseas student. In 2003, Wanxiang sold its products all around the world, and had acquired dozens of companies in the US and Europe, becoming a true multinational corporation. Lu Guanqiu, Chairman of the Board, and Wei Ding, President of Wanxiang, were full of confidence. Wei Ding said, ?Wanxiang will become a large multinational company in the foreseeable future, with its unique core values and core competence. It will be named China Wanxiang Holding.? This case mainly discusses the process of Wanxiang?s overseas expansion, tracing its development at different stages and presenting how the success had been achieved. It can be used in corporate strategy and international business courses.
Case Author(s): Wang Jianmao; Shu Jinsi Publication Date: 9/27/2006 Product Type: Case Ivey ID: 9B06M091 Geographic Setting: China Industry Setting: Transportation Equipment Size: Large Year of Event: 2003 Level of Difficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA Subjects: Corporate Strategy; Expansion; Exports; Mergers & Acquisitions Major Disciplines: General Management; International Product Description: Twenty years ago in 1984, when it was a small factory in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, Wanxiang signed its first export contract. Ten years later in 1994, when Wanxiang America Inc was just registered, the company was headed only by a Chinese overseas student. In 2003, Wanxiang sold its products all around the world, and had acquired dozens of companies in the United States and Europe, becoming a true multinational corporation. The chairman of the board and the president were full of confidence, "Wanxiang will become a large multinational company in the foreseeable future, with its unique core values and core competence. It will be named China Wanxiang Holdings." This case mainly discusses the process of Wanxiang’s overseas expansion, tracing its development at different stages and presenting how the success had been achieved.
Article Publication Date: 03/01/2001 Product Type: Harvard Management Update Article Product Description: Today’s workforce calls for managers who can handle the demands of large, fluid talent pools—a real departure from the traditional long-term model of employment. Experts predict that the winners of the war for talent will be those companies that successfully implement this sizable shift in thinking. This article offers advice on how to pull it off. HBS Number: U0103B Subjects: Human resources management; Labor market; Recruitment; Work force management Academic Discipline: Human resources management
Case Author(s): Bruner, Robert F.; Hodrick, Laurie Simon; Carr, Sean Darden ID: UVA-F-1473 Published: 8/11/2005 Copyright Year: 2005 Subject Area: Finance Keywords: securities analysis; mergers acquisitions; discounted cash flow; Risk Return; Arbitrage analysis; stock dividends; stockholder relations; firm valuation Teaching Note: UVA-F-1473TN Student Spreadsheet: UVA-S-F-1473 Faculty Spreadsheet: UVA-S-F-1473TN Abstract: At three o’clock in the morning on September 10, 2001, Thierry Hautillac, a risk arbitrageur, learns of the final agreement between Pinault-Printemps-Redoute SA (“PPR”) and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA (“LVMH”). After a contest for control of Gucci lasting over two years, PPR has emerged as the winner. PPR and LVMH have agreed for PPR to buy about half of LVMH‘s stock in Gucci for $94 per share, for Gucci to pay an extraordinary dividend of $7 per share, and for PPR to give a two and a half year put option with a strike price of $101.50 to the public shareholders in Gucci.
The primary task for the student in this case is to recommend a course of action for Hautillac: should he sell his 2% holding of Gucci shares when the market opens, continue to hold his shares, or buy more shares? The student must estimate the risky arbitrage returns from each of these choices. As a basis for this decision, the student must value the terms of payment and consider what the Gucci stock price will do upon the market's open. The student must determine the intrinsic value of Gucci using a DCF model as well as information on peer firms and transactions. The student must consider potential synergies between Gucci and PPR and between Gucci and LVMH. The student must assess the likelihood of a higher bid, using analysis of price changes at earlier events in the contest for clues.
Case Sprague, C; Thomas, A Publisher: Wits Business School - University of the Witwatersrand Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 301-180-1 Language: English Category: Strategy and General Management Data source: Published sources Product Year: 2001 Geo location: South Africa Timing: 2000 Topics: HIV/AIDS management; Business and government relations; Community and public health; Ethics and law; Corporate social responsibility; Leadership Abstract: By December 2000, 4.2 million South Africans were infected with HIV. New infections - numbering 1,700 - occurred daily. South Africa had the most rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world by 2001. The most prominent ’scenario planner‘ in South Africa, Clem Sunter, and co-author, Alan Whiteside, Director of HIV/AIDS Research at the University of Natal, held the view that action could and should be taken against AIDS and towards the development of a country-wide response. President Mbeki's stated uncertainty of a link between HIV and AIDS had resulted in a furious debate, which distracted South Africans to the point of paralysis. Meanwhile, the country lost precious time. The development of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS policy that encompassed prevention and treatment for the population remained conspicuously absent. The subsequent failure to act quickly to save lives called into question the South African government's capacity to protect its citizens. In this context, a critical role had emerged for business to provide education, prevention and health care to employees. Ultimately, business was going to bear many of the costs associated with an infected workforce. The architect of the 'high road, low road' scenarios for South Africa, Chairman of the Anglo American Chairman's Fund, and a well-respected figure, Clem Sunter was in a unique position to advocate the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS within companies. H Source: ecch
Case Author(s): Hardymon, G. Felda; Leamon, Ann Publication Date: 05/29/2007 Revision Date: 04/02/2008 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 807092 Geographic Setting: London; Norway Industry Setting: Private equity Number of Employees: 250 Event Year Start: 2006 Event Year End: 2006 Subjects: Finance; Globalization; IPO; Organizations; Private equity; Stock exchanges Academic Discipline: Finance Supplementary Materials: Supplement, (808046), 1p, by G. Felda Hardymon, Ann Leamon, Josh Lerner Product Description: Two partners of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm, are trying to decide whether to take a portfolio company public, and on what exchange. The company, Norway-based ElectroMagnetic GeoServices (emgs), has developed a market-leading technology that determines whether an undersea rock formation contains oil — prior to the oil company drilling a hole. With its high-growth characteristics, emgs is very different from the typical oilfield services company, and would be more suitable for floating on the NYSE or LSE, where liquidity and valuations would also be greater than on the Oslo Bors, the other possibility. Yet floating in the U.S. would involve greater compliance expense and might also require the management team to move to New York or Houston, something the team is reluctant to do. The partners need to decide what to do before the IPO window for energy-related companies closes.
Case Author(s): Hardymon, G. Felda; Leamon, Ann Publication Date: 05/29/2007 Revision Date: 08/10/2007 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 9-807-092 Geographic Setting: London; Norway Industry Setting: Private equity Number of Employees: 250 Event Year Start: 2006 Event Year End: 2006 Subjects: Finance; Globalization; IPO; Organizations; Private equity; Stock exchanges Academic Discipline: Finance Supplementary Materials: Supplement, (9-808-046), 1p, by G. Felda Hardymon, Ann Leamon, Josh Lerner Product Description: Two partners of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm, are trying to decide whether to take a portfolio company public, and on what exchange. The company, Norway-based ElectroMagnetic GeoServices (emgs), has developed a market-leading technology that determines whether an undersea rock formation contains oil — prior to the oil company drilling a hole. With its high-growth characteristics, emgs is very different from the typical oilfield services company, and would be more suitable for floating on the NYSE or LSE, where liquidity and valuations would also be greater than on the Oslo Bors, the other possibility. Yet floating in the U.S. would involve greater compliance expense and might also require the management team to move to New York or Houston, something the team is reluctant to do. The partners need to decide what to do before the IPO window for energy-related companies closes.
Case Author(s): Hardymon, G. Felda; Leamon, Ann; Lerner, Josh Publication Date: 08/10/2007 Product Type: Supplement HBS Number: 9-808-046 Subjects: Finance; Globalization; IPO; Organizations; Private equity; Stock exchanges Academic Discipline: Finance Product Description: An abstract is not available for this product. Must be used with: (9-807-092) Warburg Pincus and emgs: The IPO Decision (A).
Case Author(s): Goldberg, Ray A.; Knoop, Carin-Isabel; Rea Publication Date: 11/09/2000 Product Type: Case (Field) Product Description: The West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA), along with various national and international partners, was developing and transferring new rice technologies to farmers throughout West and Central Africa. While production in West Africa was growing faster than any other part of the world, the region did not produce enough rice to meet local demand. As director general of WARDA, Kanayo Nwanze believed that West African governments in general did not give enough attention to agricultural research because its impact was too difficult to measure. Nwanze had to figure out how to change the mindset of national policy makers and put agricultural research on the front burner. Teaching Purpose: To highlight the challenges a nonprofit agricultural research association faces in generating attention from national policy makers and the private sector for its efforts in technology development and transfer. HBS Number: 9-901-001 Geographic Setting: Cote d’Ivoire, West AfricaIndustry Setting: agribusinessNumber of Employees: 350 Event Year Start: 2000Event Year End: 2000 Subjects: Africa; Agribusiness; Business government relations; Global Research Group; Nonprofit organizations; Research & development; Social change; Technology transfer Academic Discipline: Social enterprise & ethics
Case Blois, K — Egrove Park Distributor: ecch (www.ecch.com) Reference: 592-029-1 Language: English Category: Marketing Data source: Generalised experience Product Year: 1992 Geo location: Great Britain Industry: Industrial distribution Size: Small Timing: 1991 Topics: Industrial marketing; Segmentation; Pricing; Communication; Elementary cost and financial analysis Abstract: Warland is a specialist industrial distributor who, although working with capacity constraints, is quite profitable. However, its owners believe it could make higher profits. Like many small firms it has limited knowledge of its customers and its competitors. Warland must therefore seek to understand its competences and seek markets which value them.
Case Author(s): Hawkins, David F. Publication Date: 02/13/2001 Revision Date: 04/12/2001 Product Type: Case (Library) Product Description: Warnaco’s history of nonrecurring charges is traced from 1990 through 2000 along with the stock market and security analysts‘ response to these charges. Teaching Purpose: To expose students to the accounting for a variety of new recurring accounting items. HBS Number: 9-101-068 Geographic Setting: GlobalIndustry Setting: retailGross Revenues: $1.5 billion revenues Event Year Start: 1990Event Year End: 2000 Subjects: Accounting standards; Financial accounting; Financial reporting; Restructuring; Retailing Academic Discipline: Accounting & control Supplementary Materials: Supplement (Library), (9-101-069), 5p, by David F. Hawkins; Teaching Note, (5-101-074), 14p, by David F. Hawkins; Supplement (Library), (9-102-049), 6p, by David F. Hawkins
Case Author(s): Hawkins, David F. Publication Date: 02/07/2001 Revision Date: 04/20/2001 Product Type: Supplement (Library) Product Description: Supplements the (A) case. Must be used with: (9-101-068) Warnaco Group, Inc. (A). HBS Number: 9-101-069 Subjects: Accounting standards; Financial accounting; Financial reporting; Restructuring; Retailing Academic Discipline: Accounting & control Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-101-074), 14p, by David F. Hawkins
Case Author(s): Bagley, Constance E.; Martin, Reed Publication Date: 09/22/2006 Revision Date: 08/14/2007 Product Type: Case (Field) HBS Number: 9-807-012 Geographic Setting: United States Industry Setting: Communications industry Number of Employees: 15 Event Year Start: 2005 Event Year End: 2005 Subjects: Copyright; Corporate law; Intellectual property; Litigation; Risk management; Software Academic Discipline: Entrepreneurship Supplementary Materials: Teaching Note, (5-807-108), 13p, by Constance E. Bagley, Reed Martin Product Description: Involves the copyright issues associated with Bram Cohen’s revolutionary program BitTorrent, which makes it possible to transfer very large files, such as movies, at a high speed over the Internet. The program, which is available for free over the Internet, is used for peer-to-peer sharing of movies and music and for the legitimate distribution of licensed software, including games. Discusses Warner Bros.‘ online distribution strategy as well as the negotiations between BitTorrent and the Movie Picture Association of America and Warner Bros. that ultimately led to Warner Bros.' agreement to make Bi
