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Case Author(s): Cara Peters, Marilyn Okleshen Source: Annual Advances — 2003 Subjects: Marketing research; E-commerce; CRM Description: Byte Masters, a small software development company specializing in customer relationship management (CRM) applications, was founded in 1989. After achieving initial success in selling computer solutions to American casinos, Byte Masters' CEO, David Griffeth, decided to enter the CRM industry. The company's most recent development, Contact Master II, was CRM software positioned in the market as reasonably-priced, rich in features, available in a modular format, easy to implement, and maintenance free. However, Contact Master II suffered because it was not as user friendly as Griffeth originally envisioned. Griffeth asked his marketing team, composed of Dax Tacey and Chris Carney, to discover the source of the Contact Master II's problems and generate ideas for its improvement. Unfortunately, the information obtained from the firm's marketing research did not provide them with the insight they needed to achieve those ends.
Case Craig Tunwall, Donald Eckrich, Mohamed Youssef.Bruce Naylor, Jim Johnson, and Larry Moore have identified what they believe is a ''can't miss'' business opportunity. The future of American industry depends on applications of technology like computer-aided drafting, and the three see their idea as an immediate success. In short, this case illustrates that there are several obstacles in the way of this ''sure thing''. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 2. Copyright 1995. Courses: Entrepreneurship Topics:
Case Author(s): Daniel James; Joe G. Thomas Publication Date: 2008 Subjects: Human Resource Management Courses: Human Resource Management Description: Erik Balodis had been with Pep Boys for eight years, working his way up to district manager. He was also a Seabee Petty Officer 2nd Class with the United States Naval Reserve. As with many reservists, Balodis was soon placed into periodic training in preparation for full-time activation and ultimate deployment following 9-11. Balodis was demoted to store manager and ultimately terminated for — “job abandonment” before he was deployed. He is now trying to decide if his termination constituted discrimination because of his military status, and what action, if any, to take. This case gives students an in-depth look at what has happened to thousands of reservists and their employers during the recent war in the Middle East. Consequences of activation are discussed for the reservists, their families, and their employers. The case also reviews some of the legislation concerning the rights of reservists. The primary legislation protecting these rights is contained in the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of1994. The case is primarily designed for use in undergraduate classes in human resource management. It also has potential applications in social issues/responsibility and military science classes. The case facilitates discussion of issues associated with the fair treatment of military personnel and the impact activation has on reservists, their families, and employers. It fits most logically with discussions of discrimination, being an application of one of the newer pieces of legislation pertaining to employee rights.
Case William Ortega, Western Washington University Julie A. Lockhart, Western Washington University Stephen V. Senge, Simmons Graduate School of Management Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 2000 Copyright 2002
Case J. David Hunger, Phanos Pitiris The founder and CEO was optimistic about his goals to reach 1000 stores and $1 billion in sales by 1996. Analysts were pessimistic about the industry and Casey's position. Large oil companies with competitive advantages were dominating the industry. How could a mid-size chain with no ties to an oil company and operating in locations of low population density continue to be successful? Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Summer 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Topics: Business Policy/Strategy
Case Author(s): Gary W. Clendenen, Gary B. Franko, Elizabeth Duran Source: Annual Advances — 2005 Subjects: Operations management; Inventory Description: Sheila Plantt managed the tellers, the vault and cash at Federal Credit Union. The credit union had many blue-collar members who preferred cash to checks, debit cards or credit cards. Weekly demand for cash averaged $390,076 (over $20,000,000 per year), but demand varied widely. Using trial and error, Plantt had developed a system that had resulted in good service to the members wanting cash. She placed one order for cash every week. Intuitively, she made a decision each week about how much cash to order that week based on the amount of cash used the previous week and the amount used during the same week of the previous year. Plantt also adjusted cash levels based on any special events that were occurring in the area, such as a fair or a holiday. Service to members had been excellent. However, Plantt's boss noted that they had nearly 1,100,000 cash in the vault, and he had challenged her to provide the same service with less cash. Plantt needed to find a policy that would determine: 1) how often to order cash, 2) when to place an order, and 3) how much cash to order for each bill type ($1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills). She also knew how important it was to maintain enough cash to give credit union members the service they expected and demanded.
Case Author(s): Deborah Walker; Simon Walls Publication Date: 2008 Subjects: Public Sector Economics; Public Finance Courses: Public Sector Economics; Public Finance Description: This case is designed to encourage students to think critically through a series of issues dealing with government tax policy and how it can affect both private business and the community at large. The concepts of tax incidence, the tax base, tax revenue generation, tax fairness theory and other public finance issues are presented; along with the unintended consequences of public tax policy on the local business environment. This is a challenging case to conceptualize. There are many layers as one considers the ramifications of the policymaker`s vote. Once students have identified the issues presented in the case, it is necessary for them to make decisions and defend the rationale for their decisions. In this case, they are figuratively placed in the shoes of City Councilor Joe Colgan who is faced with the dilemma of how to cast the deciding vote on a controversial public policy(tax)issue. The case will cause students to consider this dilemma from a public policy position while considering the economic consequences of their “vote.? Perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of this case is that there is really no right or wrong “decision? (vote) and that any “decision? that is made will please some and disappoint others, creating the potential for both positive and negative outcomes. The issues presented in this case are significant and suitable for students in both undergraduate and graduate classes where topics of public policy, decision-making, public finance, public choice, competition, free enterprise, and economics are being investigated. Specific undergraduate courses where instructors might find this case to be beneficial include, but are not limited to: Public Sector Economics, Public Finance, and Public Choice. A Public
Case Dale Caudill, Michael HarfordThis case attempts to raise issues related to a small tire retailer and wholesaler. The case presents a history of a family firm advancing on the personal characteristics of the owner. The firm operates in a traditionally male industry, and faces a gender issue concerning continuation of the family business in that the sole child of the owner is female. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Small Business Topics:
Lynda L. Goulet, Peter G. Goulet Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1997, Copyright 1998. Topics: Business Policy/Strategy; Marketing
Case Roy A. Cook, Jeryl L. NelsonThis case explores several issues including control procedures, power, politics, communication, organizational structure, and change. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Ethics; Organizational Behavior Topics:
Case Author(s): Eric Nelson, Vera Mikhailova Source: Annual Advances — 2003 Subjects: Change implementation; Technology; Goal-setting Description: PayData Payroll Services, Inc., is located in Northern Vermont. It provides flexible advanced payroll and employee benefit management services. PayData's goals are established in attentive, professional, and personalized customer service. PayData is not a franchise, division, or satellite office; it is a small, privately owned company. The company's growth has averaged more than 10% during the past ten years, making PayData, Vermont's leading payroll service bureau. PayData has more than 800 clients throughout New England and New York and has several major local and national competitors. In 2001, the company went through major changes including corporate restructuring and a company-wide software conversion processes. These changes caused many problems for the company such as workplace stress, high employee turnover, and low morale. All these problems affected customer retention and company profits. In February of 2001, PayData's top management team headed by CEO Michael Trahan decided to take action and created a change management strategy with a goal to eliminate these problems. All top management team steps that were taken during 2001 are presented in this case. Despite a great response to the first several actions the top management team took, the company still faced many issues. The case ends with CEO Michael Trahan wondering how and if the change strategy can be sustained.
Case Thomas C. Leach Chipco International, the real name of this company, had become a profitable small manufacturer of chips for the worldwide gaming (casino) industry for the past several years. The company had a strong relationship with its customers by providing them with reliable and technologically advanced products. Without warning, Chipco's CEO, John Kendall, found himself in a crisis situation that put the future existence of the company in question with company wide repercussions. The company's resin supplier had changed a grade level of one of the raw materials of the formula, given to them by Chipco, as a cost savings without telling Kendall. The specially formulated resin was used in manufacturing the company's chips and the change of the ingredient resulted in chips that broke and faded prematurely. These product flaws caused Kendall to initially recall 750,000 chips that sold for approximately $.65 each, from around the world. For a company of $3 million in annual sales, the recall was threatening. Kendall had to respond effectively to keep his company from toppling over the ``financial cliff'', as he referred to the position that the company was in because of the resin ingredient change. Industry Setting: Manufacturing Subjects: Small Business Management; Entreprenuership; Business Ethics
Case David C. Snook-Luther,Grant Lindstrom,Irene Archibald,Vern McAdamsAlthough Choate Timber and Big Valley Fertilizer are separate legal entities, John Choate has developed considerable synergy in their operations. Most of the synergism results from sharing resources that would be idle during the off seasons. The rest comes from use of the combined cash flows to reduce the amount of low yield, liquid assets, since internal cash flows follow almost exactly opposite patterns. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case A.J. Almaney et al.Wracked by woes, Chrysler's management must reverse its fortunes and improve its battered public image, while smoothly transferring power to a new CEO. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Frank FishClearly Canadian (CC) faces the challenge of maintaining and growing in market leadership position in the “new age'' category. CC must develop a packaging strategy to make its bottled product compatible with vending machines and fast food formulations. CC also must determine how to increase production capacity and distribution networks to improve profitability. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Retail Management; Small Business Topics:
Case Sarah W. Jacobson, Harriette S. McCaul Communications, Inc. has contracted two management consultants to help with analysis and response to an employee attitude survey. The consultants have conducted focus group interviews with supervisors and employees and uncovered several problems. They have developed recommendations for the Board to consider. The feasibility of these recommendations is explored along with other issues such as changing the organizational culture and structure. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Organizational Behavior; Organizational Theory Topics:
Case James W. Lawson, Charles ConnantXYZ Hospital mandated that the interpretation of EKG readings be computerized and farmed-out to a diagnostic service. The policy change resulted in a hospital physician being fired. A major intra-organizational conflict developed pitting hospital management against physicians. Both parties were intransigent. The physicians were so incensed that they threatened to admit their patients to other hospitals. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994. Copyright 1995. Courses: Healthcare; Management; Organizational Behavior Topics:
Case Elinor RahmCooper's suggestion was returned by the suggestion committee with the notation “duplicate suggestion submitted by another suggestor on the same day.'' Cooper learned who had made the duplicate suggestion when Monroe, a co-worker in his department, was awarded $12,800 for his suggestion. The chairperson of the suggestion committee defended its decision stating that since Monroe's suggestion had “probed the action (change in procedure),'' he was selected to receive the award. The suggestion plan rules stated that the decisions of the suggestion committee were final. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993m, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Ethics; Business Law and Legal Environment of Business Topics:
Case C.M. WheatThe Associated Employees Benefit Plan was created in 1990 for the employees of two companies. Costs of the plan were to be shared between the employers and the employees on a 75/25 percentage basis. Total costs of the plan were below the costs of the previous program, but higher than had been forecasted and required supplemental contributions by the employers. The employers must make several decisions, including the selection of various reinsurance options, reconsideration of the formula for allocation of plan costs, and an acceptable forecast of plan costs for the next year. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Ethics; Healthcare Topics:
Case Author(s): Wolfgang Jenewein, Christian Schmitz Source: Business Case Journal — 2007 Subjects: MBA Description: On March 2, 2003, Team Alinghi achieved a resounding 5: 0 victory against the defending champion, Team New Zealand, in the America's Cup, the most prestigious award in the sport of sailing and one of the oldest in sports per se. The campaign of the Swiss biotech-billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli was graced with firsts. For the first time, a land-locked country had won the America's Cup. For the first time, a team had won the “Auld Mug,” the most famous sailing trophy, on its first attempt. And for the first time in the Cup's history, a team had brought the trophy back to Europe, the continent on which the first America's Cup had been held 152 years earlier. All of this was achieved by a team that was the last challenger to be registered for the regatta and had begun the race with the 4th largest budget and a completely new crew. That victory was a unique team achievement. The foundation for success was a first-class international team which lived and breathed unqualified enthusiasm and passion for a common vision. While the team was being put together, a commitment to a policy of no compromising had already been instituted. Following the principle of “the best at each position,” the team leadership, with Ernesto Bertarelli at its heart, built upon the absolute excellence of each and every member — both in terms of technical expertise as well as in the interpersonal sphere. It was imperative not only to bring superior sailors and designers on board, but also to find individuals who would bring with them initiative, organizational talent and unlimited passion for the campaign. That formula for success in establishing cooperation among all the professionals involved was embodied in the philosophy “The freedom to act.” employing this directive, the leaders were able to create from a
Case Barbara Nemecek, Kay HodgeCreative Care revolves around a go/no-go decision on starting a community day care center. The entrepreneur (Ann) feels strongly that she wants to start a day care center and preschool as current resources of this type do not meet the needs of the community. Ann has researched what she believes are the three viable alternatives available to her, and she must make a decision regarding which is the “best'' alternative for her. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Copyright 1995. Courses: Entrepreneurship; Small Business Topics:
Case Author(s): Jamshed Hasan Khan Source: Business Case Journal — 2004 Subjects: Production/operations management; Quality certification; Customer focus; Software industry; ISO certification; CMM certification Description: In April 2001, Hamayun Mazhar, the CEO of CresSoft was faced with the dilemma to either pursue his original strategy to counter Indian competition at the high-end software development business by obtaining Capability Maturity Model (CMM) certification or to abandon the idea to focus on a new, cost and time conscious Dot-com segment. CresSoft Plc. based in Lahore, Pakistan, served the high end US market, which was very quality conscious. Indian companies like Wipro and HCL had started to bid for CresSoft's customers. These Indian competitors had obtained CMM certification, giving them an edge over CresSoft in the US market. In an effort to keep the competition at bay Quality Excellence Program was initiated by late 1990s to pursue CMM certification. CresSoft found that most of the Indian software firms had first obtained ISO 9001/TickIT certification before pursuing CMM certification. CresSoft followed the same path and its Lahore center was certified for ISO 9000/TickIT in 1999 and the Karachi center was certified in 2000. The QEP team had set a target date of December 2002 for CMM certification. However, the customer profile for CresSoft was changing gradually due to the global IT industry slowdown. CresSoft was getting increasing orders from Dot-com companies, which demanded low cost and extremely fast turn around time, and did not ask for any certifications. Due to this change in the customer profile several people at CresSoft wanted to abandon the CMM initiative.
Case Chetan S. Sankar, Auburn UniversityP.K. Raju, Auburn UniversityMichael F. Kler, Superior Telecommunications Inc. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Summer-Winter 1997, Vol. 5, Issues 1 and 2. Copyright 2000. Topics: Project Management, Decision Making
Case Author(s): Brian Gnauck; Bruce Sherony; Claudia Orr Publication Date: 2008 Subjects: Family Business Courses: Strategic Management Description: A small lumber company in Crystal Falls, Michigan, had been in business since 1953. In 1991, Karen Willman took over the business from her father and in 2007 the business was in a slow transition from Karen to her son, Chris Willman. Crystal Lumber faced a host of problems including a dilapidated building that was in need of being torn down, a building that needed a new roof and general repairs, a retail sales area that lacked security due to the many doors and lack of organizational display, inappropriate accounting controls, inadequate pricing systems, questions about the product line, bookkeeping in general, inadequacy of cash flow, and the overlap of job descriptions, just to name a few. Chris Willman understood many of these issues and as of May 2007,was in the process of trying to secure a $400,000 loan as a means of solving some of these problems. The types, timing, and sequencing of decisions Chris and his mother made would be critical for the future success of Crystal Lumber for the next 3 to 5 years.
Case Joseph B. Mosca, Paul E. Bierly, John E. Bolton Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1995, Vol. 3, Issue 3. Copyright 1996.
Case Tom Cook, University of DenverHugh D. Grove, University of DenverSteve Coburn, Customer Service Technologies Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Summer-Winter 1997, Vol. 5, Issues 1 and 2. Copyright 2000. Topics: Finance, Valuation
Case Author(s): Timothy Brotherton Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Marketing strategy; Marketing policy; Brand positioning; Product life cycle Description: The case follows discussions with three officials of the Dairyland Greyhound Park, Inc. as they struggle with a strategic dilemma. How does one design a strategy for a firm facing a steady 15-year decline in a declining industry? The case presents opportunities to discuss a firm's brand positioning strategies (issues of competing/overlapping target markets), its position in the product life cycle (PLC) stage (issues of firms in declining industries), its coping with tough environmental conditions, and its submersion in ethical issues (gambling or dog use/abuse issues). The case was written primarily for undergraduate marketing strategy courses (marketing strategy, marketing management, strategic management, etc.) However, it could be used in a marketing principles or consumer behavior class to discuss the challenges of targeting multiple marketing segments or it could also be used as part of a brand positioning, product life cycle, or ethics discussion in any marketing class. Students are asked to identify the causes of the firm's declining attendance and propose methods to stop or reverse the trend.
Case Brian G. Gnauck, Linda O. ClearyThe owner of Dana's Lakeside Resort was faced with alternate choices for the sale of his resort as he approached retirement. He had analyzed several options for the sale, but only two seemed worthwhile. One was the sale of the resort as a business, and the other was its sale as an association. He favored the association option because Dana's Lakeside Resort had established a core of repeat users. Some of the same families had been visiting the resort for three generations and had expressed an interest in purchasing cottages. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 1995. Copyright 1996. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Small Business Topics:
Case J.Daniel Sherman, Theresa MaxwellThis case uses job design research to allow students to analyze why some crew members complain about the current scheduling methods, and what this implies for the Space Station. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Summer 1994. Vol. 2, Issue 1, Copyright 1994. Courses: Organizational Behavior; Organizational Theory Topics:
Case Author(s): Craig Sasse, Gerry Williams Source: Annual Advances — 2004 Subjects: Information systems; Performance management; Strategy; MBA level case
Case Don M. Parks, Grant L. Lindstrom, Oyvind Simonsen As of May 1992, Delta is confronted with strategic issues. It must decide on a strategy that makes it profitable in a difficult and competitive environment. Acquisition of Pan Am made Delta a major player in the international market and it needs to analyze its current strategy to determine how best to compete in an ever-changing market. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Ram Subramanian, Jaideep Motwani, Earl HarperIn 1988, Roger Penske acquired General Motor's ailing AC Rochester facility in Michigan. This case describes the strategic reasons for Penske's acquisition of the company as well as the efforts of the company's president and his management team to change the company's culture and employee morale. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 2. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Author(s): Kiran J. Desai; Harsha Desai Publication Date: 2007 Geographic Setting: India Subjects: Operations Strategy; International Business; Business Strategy Product Description: Dilip's Gemstone Business provides an opportunity to explore and examine a growth issue confronting a small Indian multinational organization competing in the international gemstone market. The teaching objectives of the case include performing a brief industry analysis, designing an operations-manufacturing strategy, and linking this strategy to the business growth strategy of the firm.
Case Author(s): Kelley A. Still and Clifton D. Petty, Drury University Source: Business Case Journal — 2006 Subjects: Strategy; Marketing; Entertainment management Description: In the spring of 2003, the Dixie Chicks were riding high as one of the most successful country music groups in recent history. The band had appeared at the Super Bowl in January. The band's Home album had generated platinum sales. But during a London concert on March 10, 2003, lead singer Natalie Maines made the comment: “Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” An immediate backlash among country music fans caused a swift decline in both radio airplay and CD sales. The band's market leadership was lost in a matter of months. After the controversy, the Dixie Chicks faced much more daunting strategic challenges.
Case Author(s): Tim Redmer Publication Date: 2008 Subjects: Financial Accounting; Managerial Accounting; Budgeting Courses: Financial Accounting; Managerial Accounting; Budgeting Description: Dollywood: Great Place to Work Committee is a critical decision case involving Morgan Duckworth, the Champion of the Great Place to Work: Work Satisfaction and Environment Committee at Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This case accurately reflects dilemmas frequently faced by the committee in identifying worthy projects but having to deal with limited financial resources. Dollywood, as a corporation, is greatly interested in providing a supportive environment for its employees (hosts). Actions like the Great Place to Work Committee along with additional benefits and perks offered to employees are evidence of this policy. Hosts universally have expressed their loyalty and support to Dollywood and are satisfied employees. The case identified many situations where employees expressed their complete support of actions taken by the company to enhance the quality of the work environment. Morgan has identified several capital projects which would continue to provide for an improved working environment, but he and the committee maybe limited by a finite level of financial resources. His dilemma is how to convince top management to approve all of the proposed capital projects. If he is not successful, Morgan will probably be required to somehow rank the projects and determine which will provide the greatest possible boost to host feelings of good will toward the park and top management.
Case Ram Subramanian, Mary McKendallThe case examines the involvement of Dow Corning in the silicone gel breast implant market. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, 1992, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Ethics; Business Law and Legal Environment of Business Topics:
Case Louise SellaroDue to the enormous changes that have taken place in the health care industry and extensively changed the process of providing patient care, Dr. Mickael is forced to address this dilemma by evaluating available strategic directions. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Healthcare; Human Resources Topics:
Case Jerry Sheppard, Sharon SheppardThis case reviews the history of a small, family-owned firm principally involved in an odd collection of services. However, the firm's recent strategic moves have been into domains which are far removed from the firm's original business. Consequently, the workload related to the growth of the business is leading to conflicts in the organization. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Small Business Topics:
Case Author(s): Anthony F. Jurkus, Michel Kalika, Edward O'Boyle Source: Business Case Journal — 2006 Subjects: Strategic management; International business Description: The case begins with EADS co-chairman, Noel Forgeard ruminating about the political challenges of his job. Forgeard, Charles Champion, head of the A380 program, and John Leahy were all described as facing the challenge and opportunity of their careers: to market, launch, and develop the world's largest commercial airliner. Forgeard had the additional tasks of crafting the proper strategy to compete against Boeing with a midsize aircraft. At the same time, Forgeard had to negotiate the pitfalls of national sensitivities in power sharing, particularly between France and Germany. Merger and consolidation characterized the history of the commercial aircraft manufacturing segment of the aerospace industry in the second half of the 20th Century, with Boeing emerging as the last U.S. company standing. Its 747 became the undeniable champion of global air travel in the large aircraft segment. European governments determined to compete against the Boeing, initially succeeding in the design, development and manufacture of a supersonic transport, an Anglo-French effort beginning in the 1960's. The Airbus consortium was also created in 1971 to compete with Boeing. EADS is presently an 80% owner of Airbus, and BAE of the U.K. is a 20% owner. The consortium began selling among European states and finally beyond, eventually surpassing Boeing in aircraft sold and delivered for some years at the turn of the 20th Century. Airbus's success can be attributed to strategic vision, entrepreneurial spirit, world-class design and manufacture and, quite obviously, extraordinary human capital. But its success can also be attributed, in large part, to generous governmental sponsorship called launch aid and infrastructure support. After Airbus's dramatic success in recent years, launch ai
Case Anthony L. Tocco, Thomas L. LyonThis case has three major issues:(1)steps needed to get approval of Economic Value Added, (2) information needed to calculate a simple EVA, (3) evaluation process of performance measures. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 1995. Copyright 1996. Courses: Managerial Accounting Topics:
Case Author(s): Kenneth S. Rhee Source: Annual Advances — 2003 Subjects: Internships; Organizational behavior; Decision making Description: This case describes the summer internship adventure of John Chase, first-year MBA student. John had high expectations for his summer internship, but he landed a temporary supervisor's position in the Consumer Affairs Department. In the beginning of his internship, he had a couple of run-ins with his immediate supervisor and found himself in an awkward situation. When John was asked to work on a confidential study of his own department by top management executives, he enthusiastically accepted the assignment. However, as the summer progressed, John found the whole project troublesome as he started to build relationship with others in the department. He found himself facing a dilemma of whether to write an unfavorable report about his coworkers and management.
Case Author(s): Jeff Totten, Don Pope Source: Business Case Journal — 2004 Subjects: Marketing; Customer retention; Media management Description: Empower MediaMarketingSM (EM2) is a media management company that is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was founded in 1985 as Media That WorksSM by Mary Beth Price, a media manager formerly employed with Procter & Gamble. On February 13, 2001, the Prices were at a basketball game when Mary Beth's husband, Bill, chairman of the board of EM2, received a cell phone call from Brian McHale, president of EM2. Brian told Bill that they were losing a major client - the Wagner's account. After a review of background information on the company's history, structure and plans, Mary Beth Price herself, and the advertising industry, the case ends with the Prices and McHale meeting an hour later on the issue, and then on February 15th with Wagner's President. Students are thus presented with the task of determining what the company should do after an accumulation of a 25% loss in business, given major shifts in the economy and the advertising industry.
Case Author(s): Keith Perry; George Whaley Publication Date: 2008 Subjects: Entrepreneurship; Small Business Management Courses: Entrepreneurship; Small Business Management Description: This decision case is the first of three disguised cases about Mark Betters and the organizations where he worked. This case started with Better's reflections about a gold mining analogy for the 3XTech strategic planning process that he developed while climbing the software management ladder at 3XTech. The mother lode in his analogy referred to the focus of 3XTech on strategic software products and the gold nuggets that fell off the mining cart referred to missed business opportunities. He understood why large organizations such as 3XTech often focused their resources on large strategic projects; however, this strategy created many lost opportunities for making a profit in other product market spaces. In the summer of 1992, Betters already had two decades at 3XTech and had recently completed a Masters of Sciences degree in Management of Technology at MIT. The information technology industry and 3XTech alike faced declining profitability forecasts for 1992. Betters discussed his vision to add significant 3XTech profits by enhancing their approach on small software product opportunities in the strategic and non-strategic product spaces with his sponsor and personal mentor. His sponsor gave Betters the challenge to return from his east coast job assignment to develop in 30 days his vision for a viable new venture on the west coast that could not exceed $500,000 and three people. Betters faced many of the same challenges managers of new ventures in an industry experienced over time while developing his recommendation. However, there were some unique challenges Betters faced in the product innovation, finance, marketing and organizational culture areas related to a go or no go decision by his sponsor. The case concluded later in 1992 with Betters'
Case Author(s): William R. Ortega Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Managerial accounting; Incremental cost analysis; Cost-volume-profit analysis; Spreadsheet models Description: Ray Wadsworth, president of TBRS Technology and the Wild Alaskan Seafood House, is facing bankruptcy and must make some short-term operating decisions to revive cash flow to his ailing companies. Ray's problems began soon after he invented the only machine that de-bones fresh-caught salmon in 2002. At the time, many thought the machine would revitalize the sagging Alaskan wild-salmon industry. In the process of doing this, Ray would become rich. The only problem is that no Alaskan salmon processors are interested in buying his machine. To help stimulate market acceptance for his machine, Ray went into the salmon-processing business himself. He bought the hull of a military landing craft and converted it into an 80-foot floating processor, which he named the Wild Salmon. In both 2003 and 2004, Ray took the Wild Salmon to the waters off of Kodiak Island, Alaska and processed fresh-caught salmon right on the fishing grounds. Unfortunately, Ray had not developed any distribution channels for his boneless salmon fillets, and it had been difficult to sell them. The prices on the fillets had been slashed and yet some fillets remained in cold storage almost two years after being processed. In hindsight, Ray realized that many of his past decisions had been based on unrealistic assumptions and an incomplete analysis of the business situation. When the assumptions failed to materialize, the financial ramifications had been severe. The past few years had taken a financial toll on Ray's companies. He was thousands of dollars in debt, employees had been laid off, and there appeared to be no market for his salmon de-boning machine. As the 2005 salmon season approached, Ray was faced with several opportunities that might be profitable. Each opportunity had diffe
Case Robert Ross, Esther Headley, Frederic KraftThe vice-president of Marketing for Excel spent four years attempting to introduce branded beef to U.S. consumers. Chicken producers had been successful in branding and promoting a higher-priced pre-cut and packaged chicken to consumers, but both consumers and retailers were skeptical of branded, case-ready beef. Furthermore, butchers acted as negative opinion leaders for consumers since they viewed packaged beef as a threat to their jobs. A method of improving consumer acceptance of branded beef was needed. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Marketing Topics:
Case Author(s): Eric Nelson, Kim Marshall Source: Annual Advances — 2005 Subjects: International human resource management; Cross-cultural management; International business Description: Tom Bellinger is the man in charge of expatriates sent abroad for the Salvation Army's “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the estitute” campaign. He is currently looking for new ideas on how to improve the expatriate system that this organization utilizes worldwide. He is investigating the problems John Mowers and Robert C. Duskin (R.C.) encountered when they were on assignment in Costa Rica and Finland, respectively. Tom was concerned by the complaints and suggestions given to him by both R.C. and John and realized that many changes were necessary to improve the system. Tom realized that in order to have successful missions and increase employee retention in the future, there was a need to invest more time, energy, and money into his current system. This case details an informal lunch meeting among these three men, and focuses on the positive/negative issues the two expatriates had during their assignments abroad. R.C. and John give specific examples as to what went wrong, as well as suggestions for future improvement. The teaching note on this case focuses on what improvements need to be made, and what could have been handled differently during both R.C. and John's time abroad.
Case Author(s): Hugh Grove, Tom Cook, Steve Coburn Source: Business Case Journal — 2005 Subjects: Managerial accounting; Technology; Financial accounting; Benchmarking; Competition; Business strategy Description: F5 Networks' Chief Financial Officer (CFO) focused on what types and amounts of information he should present for the upcoming road shows to potential investors. From his prior experience with initial and secondary public offerings, he knew that potential investors normally have benchmarking, budgeting, and business valuation questions for him and ask about future trends for F5's revenues, earnings, cash flows, and stock price. The CFO needed to make decisions concerning these information issues quickly since F5's road shows were scheduled to start this month (October 2003) for a secondary public offering in light of the stock market's recent strong performance, especially for technology stocks. First, the CFO must decide what benchmarking information about F5's competitors was relevant for discussing with potential investors F5's current performance gaps and business strategies for eliminating those gaps. F5 does not compete with Cisco in all phases of the Internet Protocol (IP) network market that includes servers, routers, and switches, where Cisco has over a 90 percent market share. However, Cisco is the major competitor (35 percent market share) in F5's IP market niche of application traffic management where it is currently the number two competitor with a 20 percent market share. Second, the CFO must decide what budget information was relevant for discussions with potential investors. F5 has gained market share in each of the last seven quarters, and as also generated positive cash flow in each of the last ten quarters. Now the CFO's focus is upon earnings improvement through cost management in F5's current budget. He has considered how to reduce or eliminate performance gaps from F5's benchmarking analysis and how
Case Patricia Feltes, Dan Kopp, Lois ShufeldThis case focuses on the turnaround strategy of Sears Roebuck's Merchandising Group. In addition, it considers the overall direction of the corporation as the company becomes a major player in financial services while losing its time-honored position as retailing leader. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: International Business; International Trade; Marketing; Risk Management; Small Business Topics:
Case Neil Yeargin, Paul A. Dierks, Paul E. Juras Faced with competition, companies focus on improving manufacturing processes but many continue to rely on existing cost accounting methods. This is the situation at Famco. The cost structure and various methods used to allocate costs to product lines are reviewed. Results show that Famco priced products below costs. A cost allocation method was developed which more closely reflects the manufacturing process and gives a truer sense of manufacturing costs. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Accounting Topics:
Case Charles St. Clair, Ronnie StephensUpon notification of Sarah Colburn's pregnancy, her firm put together a benefits package that included six weeks of paid leave and the continuation of insurance coverage. The company policy and benefit package was modeled after the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. Sarah took the six weeks of paid leave and used the continued insurance coverage during the maternity leave. On the day she was to return to work, she called and told the company she wouldn't be returning. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994. Copyright 1995. Courses: Human Resources; Management; Organizational Behavior Topics:
Case Frank C. Jenkins, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Martha C. Fransson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 2000 Copyright 2002
Case Author(s): Daniel P. Rutledge Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Performance review; Personnel evaluation Description: The case looks at an unusual problem. Rob, a first-line supervisor new in his position, has to evaluate Tim, a new employee of six months. Action must be taken regarding Tim's problem, a personal issue that goes beyond the usual topics in performance reviews. In this case the issue is Tim's body odor. There is no choice about dealing with the problem — top management has mandated it must be addressed. Thus, the human element comes into play — how to not de-motivate the new employee while tactfully changing his offensive trait. The case introduces students to the content and process of performance appraisal and serves to illustrate how the human element — social and psychological aspects of dealing with people — can come into the review process. Students are put into the role of the young supervisor that has to deliver the body odor message as the last line of the case reads: “Are you ready?” The facts in the case are straightforward and easy to comprehend. Students unfamiliar with the performance appraisals process will learn about the nature of reviews. They will learn there are objective and subjective appraisal methods, that these are applicable for different types of jobs, and that each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Students will find that evaluations have a large judgmental element that is based on a supervisor's skills at conducting evaluations (i.e., similar to grading essay questions on college exams). Last, legal aspects about performance appraisals are discussed and what seems to be a purely personal issue, such as Tim's problem, can be a legitimate topic for performance reviews.
Case Thomas H. StevensonThe president of Fieldpro Manufacturing Company wanted to eliminate the wholesaler who generated 90% of annual revenues while he simultaneously introduced a new line of environmentally friendly equipment in Europe and the U.S., and switched to direct sales. Top management would make the ultimate decision about allowing this change. No matter what the outcome, there was the potential for problems, so the decision wouldn't be easy. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 2. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Author(s): Cara Peters, Marilyn Okleshen Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: E-commerce; Product life cycle; Positioning; Competition Description: Match.com proved itself to be a lucrative business endeavor with a significant client base. Under the tenure of CEO Tim Sullivan, Match.com became the market leader through product innovation, international expansion, and strategic alliances. However, as the online dating industry matured, Match.com faced a growing number of competitors on a variety of fronts. As the firm changed leadership, the new CEO, Jim Safka, had to address the increasing challenge. Safka had to determine the best approach for continuing growth in order for Match.com to maintain its dominant position the marketplace.
Case Author(s): Jesse Beltz; Janet Papernik Publication Date: 2008 Subjects: Consumer Credit Courses: Consumer Credit Description: This decision case challenges students to assess the viability of a long-established non-profit organization, Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Inc.of Northeast Indiana (CCCS NEI), that intended to abide by its mission statement. Tom Hufford, President of CCCS NEI, faced a challenge. CCCS NEI had been affected by strategic changes occurring in two separate industries. First, increased competition in the consumer credit counseling industry had caused the fair share contribution from creditors to decline. Second, mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry had caused decision making to move to a higher, more impersonal level. Thus, Tom was no longer able to negotiate the favorable fair share contribution rates at the local commercial bank level as he had done in the past. Tom must stop the financial" bleeding" at CCCS NEI or consider closing its doors. The purpose of this case is twofold. First, this case presented and discussed various professional organizations that offer consumer credit counseling services in the United States. Second, with the rampant use of credit cards and the recent record number of personal bankruptcies, this case is intended to increase the awareness of the student (many of whom rely on credit cards) to the extensive over indebtedness of consumers. Tom Hufford faced a dramatic shift in both the consumer credit counseling industry and in the banking industry. The student must assess and evaluate the financial crisis faced by Tom and provide possible solutions that would enhance CCCS NEI's competitiveness.
Case Stephen E. BarnettFlow International Corp. produced and sold high-tech industrial cutting and cleaning equipment. Until 1989, growth had been rooted in the development of, and applications for, waterjet equipment. A new president set ambitious growth objectives and began pursuing a new strategy. This presented management with issues including determining the nature and extent of diversification and the viability of meeting objectives. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 2. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Organizational Behavior Topics:
Case Author(s): Dale Krueger, Denise Bartles Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Strategy; Entreprenuership; Small business; Airline industry Description: The airline industry illustrates how the external (remote) environment, the industry environment and the operating environment can have a dramatic effect on the companies within the industry. Airline companies, their creditors, the unions, and the suppliers have become tangled in a complex managerial situation with few options. From the remote environment, the economic, social, political, technological, and ecological environments play a significant role in determining the survival of major airline companies both nationally and internationally. Entry barriers for the airlines are moderate with Jet Blue as a recent startup. Supplier power and buyer power are tied up in a tangle of financial implications that creditors, unions, and manufacturers have to unravel and to paste together to survive. Competitive rivalry has remained intense and the airline industry suffers with overcapacity and cost structures that vary considerably from one airline to another making industry forecasting very difficult for airline executives. With this case, students have the opportunity to analyze the external environment, the industry environment and the operating environment of the airline industry to gain an understanding of the components that impact the industry projections and direction.
Case Brian G. Gnauck, Robert J. Miller This case highlights the range of decisions faced by a small retail entrepreneur and the financial constraints involved. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Retail Management Topics:
Case Joseph T. Kastantin, Augustus AbbeyFranklin, Inc. was purchased while in bankruptcy proceedings. Walter Davidson, the principal shareholder of the company, has guided Franklin from bankruptcy to profitability. Without the acquisition of two or three major retail chain stores, the company seems to have reached the peak of its domestic sales growth, and at this time Davidson is considering selling Franklin to two employees, one of whom is his son-in-law. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 2. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; International Marketing; Small Business Topics:
Case Diana W. Kincaid, North Central College Gerald D. Hamsmith, North Central College Thomas D. Cavenagh, North Central College Mike Russo is an associate at a Chicago law firm. He has just been reprimanded for using ``abusive language'' in a heated discussion with his secretary. Mike is upset as he thought the secretary was the one at fault and this reprimand has potentially harmed his future with the firm. Mike must now decide what to do from both a professional and personal standpoint. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1998, Copyright 2000. Topics: Conflict; Organizational Behavior; Business Ethics; Communication
Case Author(s): Michael J. Fratantuono and David M. Sarcone Source: Business Case Journal — 2006 Subjects: Leadership; Strategic management; Health care administration; Business administration Description: Doctors Community Hospital (DCH) is located in Lanham, Maryland. At inception and through two successive ownership regimes, DCH was organized as a for-profit organization. However, by 1990, the organization was on the brink of bankruptcy. At that point, Mr. Phil Down and his management team acquired DCH and converted it to a not-for — profit community-based hospital. Despite operating in a highly regulated environment, during the 1990's and the early years of the current decade DCH completed a startling turnaround: they achieved positive margins and earned a national reputation as one of the top hospitals in the United States. The success of the organization was attributable to a distinctive culture that helped the organization satisfy the interests of important stakeholder groups and achieve its strategic objectives. In turn, those objectives were well aligned with the external environment confronting the organization. Nonetheless, by 2003 DCH was again experiencing financial stress. Thus, the management team at DCH had to re-evaluate their strategic alternatives.
Case Roy A. Cook, Jeremy J. ColemanBob Morris founded Gateway Durango, Inc., a touring wholesaling and operating business, in 1986. After a failed venture, Bob decided to start small and focus on one specific market niche. His success in this niche enabled him to expand into other markets, but has also left him vulnerable. Although excited about the future, Bob wonders how he should position his business for future survival and success. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 2. Copyright 1995. Courses: Entrepreneurship; Small Business Topics:
Case Author(s): Ken Kono Source: Business Case Journal — 2006 Subjects: Marketing; New product development; Business strategy; Framework for business development Description: Roddy Macdonald, Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development of General Cable Corporation (GCC), Highland Heights, KY, needed to draw up recommendations on the future of his cable business in the oil-gas-petroleum (OGP) market. His team had scored a measured success in one of three segments of the OGP target market, namely, the drilling platform segment. The team had, however, encountered difficulty in penetrating the remaining two segments (i.e., operational platforms and onshore facilities) due in part to the leading competitor's dominant presence. The team talked to a few engineering companies and contractors who influenced procurement decisions along with a few end-user customers about what they looked for in ideal cable products for these two segments. Their feedback made the team realize that the company's products were at par with, but not superior to the leading company's products.
Case Timothy S. Schoenecker, Kathryn MartellGeneral Dynamics stands apart from its rivals in its response to industry changes. It has chosen not to diversify and to divest many of its defense-related divisions, including its largest unit, combat aircraft. Wall Street reacted favorably to this strategy; during 1990-1992 GD's stock price grew at a faster rate than any other S&P 500 company. What about the company's long-term prospects? Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Paul Foster, George WebsterThe CEO was faced with choosing between alternative methods of financing an expansion, modernization, and new product development program. The decision would have short- and long-term implications. GF is operating near plant capacity, and management believes GF will have to expand and modernize to remain competitive. After reviewing the alternatives, it was agreed that neither was particularly attractive, but GF had to move forward with its program to remain competitive. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994. Copyright 1995. Courses: Finance Topics:
Case Elinor RahmThe Corbetts were majority shareholders of Corbett Painting Co., owners and operators of Corbett's Rental Center. The Gibsons owned and operated rental and lawn-and-garden centers. The families merged their businesses, hired Gibson as general manager and granted stock options to the Gibsons. After the Gibsons learned of the Corbett's divorce, the corp. gave Gibson a notice of its dissatisfaction with his management. Gibson received a letter threatening termination unless alleged violations of his contract were remedied within ten days. Gibson was terminated soon after and took legal action. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1, Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Law and Legal Environment of Business; Human Resources Topics:
Case Rae AndreThis case provides opportunities to discuss such issues as why managers need to think strategically, getting tough versus enhancing participation, and the stresses a new manager faces in an ambiguous role. Source: Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Summer 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business and Society; Management Topics:
Case Author(s): Sara Smith Shull, Rebecca J. Morris Source: Business Case Journal — 2003 Subjects: Business ethics; Social responsibility; Marketing strategy; Stakeholder analysis; Issues management; Enviornmental analysis; Pricing strategy; Strategic management Description: Late in 2002, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) faced a new challenge as Americans, especially senior citizens, took increasing advantage of price differentials for prescription drugs in other global markets by ordering their prescriptions online from pharmacies outside the U.S. GSK attempted to curb the flow of prescription drugs out of Canada into the U.S. by limiting the drug product shipped to Canadian pharmacies. This challenged pharmacies to provide adequate prescription product for their Canadian customers while continuing to ship product to American customers. Additionally, GSK discovered Americans, especially seniors, to be loud, persistent, and effective protesters when their access to “affordable” medications was threatened. Boycotts of GSK products were threatened. GSK's public image took a beating. How should GSK balance the complex tradeoffs between patient health, profits, and safety?
Case M. Jill Austin, Middle Tennessee State University Mary Lynn Reed, Middle Tennessee State University Approximately 7,000 people die of food poisoning each year in the U.S. making food-borne illness a significant health problem. The USDA currently conducts inspections at slaughterhouses and tests for the presence of pathogens,disease, and other foreign matter in meat and poultry. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Dan Glickman has been actively involved in lobbying for new legislation to improve meat and poultry safety. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1998, Copyright 2000. Topics: Business and Society; Business Ethics
James W. ClintonGlobal faced uncertain prospects in spring 1992, because of declining demand for oil, the low price of crude, and reluctance of major oil companies to engage in offshore exploration and development. Due to environmental circumstances beyond its control, Global again has to carve out a survival plan. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Robert L. Underwood, University of Alabama-Birmingham William D. Engelbrecht, Bradley University Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 2000 Copyright 2002
Case Author(s): Paul Lapoule Source: Annual Advances — 2005 Subjects: Strategy; Marketing; International business Description: How does the Danone Group's strategy impact its international marketing? This interdisciplinary case (strategy, marketing,...) is ideal for use in an international business course. It is intended to introduce international corporate strategy by using appropriate analysis tools for full-time students (from undergraduate to graduate, depending on the major) and adults in continuing education.
Case Gary R. Wells, William E. Stratton Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1997, Copyright 1998. Topics: Business and Society; Organizational Behavior
Case Angeline McArthur, Alla Wilson With changes in the health care industry, clinics are faced with a competitive and changing environment. Regional medical groups, hospitals, and independent physicians are aggressively expanding into their markets. In addition, pressure to contain health care costs and third-party payers entering the market have created the need for the two clinics highlighted in this case to change their strategic direction. The clinics will either have to merge or develop strategies to ensure viability in the future. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1, Copyright 1994. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Healthcare Topics:
Case Author(s): Gurram Gopal Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Supply chain; Distribution channels; Private labels; Marketing Description: Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating (SSHE) was a leading provider of healthy meals in the Midwestern United States. An entrepreneurial success story, the founder, Seattle Sutton, had started and grown the business by cooking the meals in the company's Ottawa, Illinois, kitchen and selling the meals through independent distributors. An early experiment with franchising had met with limited success. SSHE had opened a new kitchen in Ottawa that provided the company with capacity for further growth. Seattle Sutton was considering whether SSHE should go after a larger market by using the major grocery chains for product distribution.
Case Author(s): Phyllis G. Holland, Valdosta State University Source: Business Case Journal — 2006 Subjects: Strategic management; Entrepreneurship Description: Danny Jones was the owner and manager of Hear Central, a company that wholesales and retails assistive listening devices for the hard of hearing. Mr. Jones was following in his father's footsteps as a manufacturer's representative for these devices while adding new products and services to the business. At the time of the case, Mr. Jones has just graduated from college and has so many ideas about to expand his business that he has trouble focusing on one or two and implementing them. The business' performance has suffered during his absence and the financial ratios are at odds with the rosy picture he paints. He must sort out his options and determine what direction to take with a company at risk.
Case Author(s): Gerald Campbell, Kurt Schlichting, Winston Tellis Source: Annual Advances — 2004 Subjects: Information technology; crosscultural management; International business
Case Author(s): Martha C. Fransson and David W. Wolf Source: Business Case Journal — 2006 Subjects: Marketing; Innovation; Management Description: Hot-Melt PUR was a new-technology adhesive that offered high relative advantage compared to many existing adhesives on the market, but there were significant limitations on its use. Henkel-Loctite used a technology displacement selling strategy. The case describes a sale to Lakewell Manufacturing, and provides detailed information on Lakewell's adoption decision process. The case closes with the Henkel-Loctite's vice president of marketing asking: Is this a situation where we need to sell into specific applications and build dominance in each? Or is this a situation where there will be a general mass-move to PUR technology and we need to move fast: in all markets simultaneously? Will we influence what happens by what we do next? Students are asked to analyze the costs of using Geoffrey Moore's bowling alley strategy (dominance in specific applications) or his tornado strategy (rapid diffusion of the new product across all industries and applications) and to recommend one or the other in the situation described in the case.
Case Author(s): John Kilpatrick, William Stratton Source: Annual Advances — 2004 Subjects: Pumice; Mining; Policy; International business; Entrepreneurship
Case Gary Cameron, Wayne R. GlassHigher Planes, Inc. manufactures ultralight aircraft, a growing but high-liability business. Although Higher Planes, has had success in building and marketing the craft, undercapitalization and concerns about product liability have caused the owner to reevaluate his options. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 1995. Copyright 1996. Courses: Business Law and Legal Environment of Business; Entrepreneurship; Small Business Topics:
Case Author(s): Ian Shepherd, John E. Timmerman, Jozell Brister Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Marketing; Systems; Operations management- e-commerce Description: Hodges Book Company (HBC) began the last decade of the 20th century as the premier wholesaler in the book industry. Its position had been solidified by significant systems development and the provision of next-day delivery to large portions of the traditional bookstore market. HBC made customer service to the bookstore its focus and had developed supporting programs that helped the individual retail bookstores be more successful in managing their businesses. The advent of the Internet had a tremendous impact on the traditional book wholesaler. When HBC management committed to engage in e-commerce, they never anticipated the number of organizational and operational problems they would encounter. The problems intensified by the switch from a batch process to an online, real-time response system. Fulfillment customers required significant changes in the typical order methodology, inventory allocation, and operations process. Now, on the other side of the transition, HBC is left to ponder the lessons learned.
Case Nancy H. Leonard, Larry R. Steenberg, Deborah A. Howard, Terry W. Mullins Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Winter 1996, Vol. 4, Issue 2. Copyright 1999. Topics: Human Resources; Business Law and Legal Environment of Business
Case Author(s): Asbjorn Osland, Sujata Ramnarayan, Pamela M. Wells Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Marketing ; Social marketing; Not-for-profit management- e-commerce Description: Ten Thousand Villages (TTV) is a non-profit organization that helps people in developing countries market their handicrafts in the United States and Canada. TTV's goal is to provide these artisans with a fair income through fair trade so that they will have the ability to pay for life's essentials. TTV attracts thousands of volunteers in Canada and the United States, in addition to shoppers to its retail outlets and fairs. Its annual sales have increased over the past ten years from $6.2 million for year ending March 1997 to $20.1 million for year ending March 2006. In August 2005, TTV decided to sell its products over the Internet, but it wondered what other innovations were needed to enhance its marketing and strategy implementation.
Case Author(s): Bonalyn Nelsen Publication Date: 2007 Geographic Setting: USA Subjects: Strategic Management; Cooperatively-Owned Business Product Description: Kari Bradley, general manager of Hunger Mountain Cooperative Market (HMC), was reflecting on the challenges faced by the member-owned natural foods cooperative. With 800 members and $12 million in sales in 2005, HMC was one of the busiest and most successful natural food cooperatives in the United States. But growth had placed excessive pressure on the co-op's current store and the organization badly needed to expand. But co-op members were sharply divided on the merits of expansion. Although a majority of members supported expansion of HMC's current store, a small but vocal minority was adamantly opposed, and a third were neutral or undecided. The situation was reminiscent of a 2003 attempt to expand, in which a plan initially approved by members was disputed and, ultimately, overturned in an initiative spearheaded by a small member group. Expansion plans were cancelled and the general manager was fired in the backlash that followed. Kari must weigh several options available to improve the financial and competitive success of the business. He is in need of strategic and organizational analyses that will help him identify a suitable option and secure member support for expansion.
Case William C. House, Walter E. GreeneIBM is striving to balance shareholder and customer needs by providing higher margin proprietary products while also pursuing lower margin open systems desired by a range of customers. To improve its competitive position, major changes in organizational structure and operating personnel may be required. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1993, Vol. 1, Issue 1. Copyright 1993. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Author(s): Warren D. Schlesinger, Donald W. Eckrich, Fernando Gualtieri Source: Annual Advances — 2004 Subjects: College debit card; Consumer orientation; Target market; Promotional mix
Case Author(s): Ann M. Hackert, Martine Beachboard Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Minority businesses; Journalism; Entreprenuers; Geographic expansion Description: Monte and Farhana Hibbert started a Spanish-language newspaper serving the Southeastern Idaho. They were contemplating a geographic expansion of their product, Idaho Sudeste, moving from regional to statewide distribution. The publishers were also thinking about other changes to the paper. One expansion option was developing the paper from a biweekly to a weekly publication. Another option was to print English summaries or a bilingual paper. The newspaper was printing articles in Spanish, but feedback from their readers indicated there might be some demand for either summaries in English or a bilingual edition. The publishers successfully developed a strong relationship with the Hispanic community, and demand for the paper was growing among readers and advertisers. As the publishers faced the future, they realized there were several issues to resolve as they decided whether or not to expand and grow the company. If they decided to expand, they would need a strategy to do so successfully.
Case Author(s): Joy Benson, Sally Dresdow, Cindy Byrd Source: Annual Advances — 2003 Subjects: Motivation; Communications; Interpersonal dynamics Description: Without any involvement in the decision, Stacy Lynn, Coordinator of Student Affairs, was assigned responsibility for developing and running the new student orientation program (NSO). This program had previously been the responsibility of the Director of Enrollment Management. The challenge of the new responsibility lay not so much in its content or in its execution; rather it lay in Stacy's confrontation with her own perception of the value of her program, her view of how others perceived the program, and her attitude toward how the reassignment was handled. Stacy's perceived experience at the college was counter to her needs and expectations. This presented a dilemma that needed to be understood in order for her to move beyond the immediate issue of the NSO program to addressing her low level of motivation and its impact on student development and her relationship with the Dean of Student Services. This case focuses on an analysis of the different issues that affect an individual's level of motivation. Though an in-depth motivational approach is used in this teaching note, the user could use the case to develop a strong analysis related to conflict and communication as well as how the limiting actions of an individual affect interpersonal dynamics. The case would be appropriate for use in undergraduate and graduate organizational behavior, management, or communication courses.
Case Author(s): Dennis M. Kripp, Carl L. Witte Source: Annual Advances — 2004 Subjects: Strategic management; Organizational change; Retail business; TQM
Case James Lawson Naresh Singh's biggest problem is whether or not to liquidate his business. If he decides to liquidate, when and how are major issues. IRCL being a one-product company in a single target market with emerging competition makes Singh extremely nervous. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Finance; International Business; Marketing; Organizational Behavior Topics:
Case Joe G. ThomasThe options for disposing solid waste (not producing it, reusing or recycling it, burning it, or burying it) are discussed. Data are presented to allow evaluations of the pros and cons of each method and discussions of the waste management situation in the U.S. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case Gary R. Wells, Idaho State University William E. Stratton, Idaho State University A newly hired bank economist forms comfortable working relationships with superiors and co-workers with one exception, a highly competent programmer analyst. The economist resolves this problem by communicating with him through detailed memoranda. The bank president has stated ``The programmer has to go,'' but has indicated he may be open to suggestions. The economist's superior, a vice president, asks the economist to provide some ideas. An epilogue to the case discloses that the programmer was, in fact, fired and the bank had difficulty finding a replacement, eventually hiring a person who was less competent. The economist lost efficiency in completing his work and wondered what more he might have done to manage the situation. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1998, Copyright 2000. Topics: Technology; Organizational Behavior; Business and Society; Human Resources
Case Sally Dresdow, University of Wisconsin at Green Bay Joy Benson, University of Illinois at Springfield Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 2000 Copyright 2002
Case Robert R. Edwards, Arkansas Tech University Royce D. Jones, Arkansas Tech University Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 2000 Copyright 2002
Case Joe G. Thomas, Middle Tennessee State University Bill Gash, Middle Tennessee State University This case centers on the utilization of a bike (actually an adult size tricycle). The Supplier Quality Manager and Airhandler Quality Engineer are trying to share the resource while maximizing their own efficiency. Supplier Quality owns the bike and has started the practice of loaning it to Airhandler. However, Airhandler is working on a critical project and feels their needs should have highest priority. The conflict started between employees in each department and has escalated to involve both department managers. They must now resolve the problem or take it to a higher level. This case illustrates how conflict may result from events that have no real value to the organization. Yet, these conflicts can be a source of frustration for all parties involved and can consume much of a manager's time. While such conflicts are often trivial, they cannot be ignored without incurring negative consequences and perhaps escalating. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1998, Copyright 2000. Topics: Organizational Behavior; Human Resources; Conflict
Case Author(s): Carl E. Keller; George Schmelzle; Janet Papernik Publication Date: 2008 Subjects: Individual Taxation; Business Taxation Courses: Individual Taxation; Business Taxation Description: This decision case is based on an actual court case. The tax payer, Jack Johnson, was a professional securities day-trader who argued with the IRS for an extension of time to file for mark-to-market valuation when calculating securities gains and losses from the taxpayer`s stock portfolio. Per Sec. 475(f), professional securities traders could deduct stock losses as ordinary losses rather than capital losses, and net these losses against any ordinary income earned. Jack took the case to the U.S. Tax Court. After six years of tax dispute and litigation, the U.S. Tax Court rendered its decision. Would the Tax Court rule in favor of Jack or maintain the position taken by the IRS? This multi-million dollar court case provides a classic example of various interpretations of the tax code and the importance of maintaining requisite knowledge in tax law. This case is intended for use in a graduate level Tax Research course, or undergraduate level Individual Tax and Business Entity Tax courses. The case could also be used in a Continuing Professional Education course for tax professionals and/or a Business/Tax Law course in a law school curriculum.
Case Brian G. Gnauck, Robert J. MillerFaced with stricter regulation, Jilbert's Dairy invested in the equipment necessary to provide quality processing of their milk. When confronted by competition, Jilbert's moved to a centralized location, worked on assuring top quality milk and advertising their product, and built a solid reputation with its consumers. When faced with the displacement by a national chain, Jilbert's customers demanded its products, and its sales growth was only temporarily slowed. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994. Copyright 1995. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Entrepreneurship; Marketing Management; Small Business Topics:
Case Robert P. Crowner, Eastern Michigan University An employee of Airdiner backed a utility truck into a Northern Airlines airplane. Northern classified the incident as a routine accident and assumed financial responsibility for the damage. Joan Barnett, the Manager of the St. Louis Human Resource Department at Airdiner learned that the accident could have been drug related. She is undecided whether to tell Northern or at least conduct an internal investigation. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1998, Copyright 2000. Topics: Business and Society; Human Resources; Business Ethics
Case Leslie Grow, Mary YatesThis case presents some of the tax and financial decisions of a middle income family. In Part A students identify the tax issues and in Part B students research specific tax issues. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 1995. Copyright 1996. Courses: Taxation Topics:
Case Timothy W. EdlundJonathan Ward decides whether to intervene in the treatment of his colleague, Peter Roberts. Roberts and seven other engineers are assigned to a site about 900 miles away for 5-6 months. No provision was made for Roberts to return home during the project; the others are returning home every 2-3 weeks at company expense. The supervisor assures Ward that this is in accordance with a confidential company policy. Ward ponders what action to take. Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Fall, 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1, Copyright 1994. Courses: Business and Society; Business Ethics Topics:
Case Author(s): Douglas Polley, Paula Weber Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI001 Subjects: Conflict resolution; Decision making; Organizational Structure Description: This critical incident (CI) focuses on a single decision regarding the assignment of responsibility for a new project. The decision took place in a rapidly growing high tech company (CMT Corporation) that had developed a culture emphasizing technical proficiency and experience. CMT Corporation was a real company although CMT is a fictional name. Two departments (Software Training and Technical Publications) each brought needed expertise which the respective managers claimed warranted the assignment of the new project to their department. The decision was complicated by several factors beyond the simple rationality of who would do the best job. The two managers allowed their competition for this project to lead to open animosity. Furthermore, the decision maker (Dave Peterson) was not the regular supervisor of either Technical Publications (TP) or Software Training (ST), but rather their peer manager reporting to a common Director of Software Support. The Director, Henry Mathews, went on vacation leaving Dave Peterson, Manager of Software Support, responsible for the three operational areas while he was away. This CI is intended for use in undergraduate and MBA management courses. The CI is appropriate for courses involving such areas as Organization Theory, Organization Behavior, Leadership, and Decision-making. It emphasizes aspects of organizational culture, conflict management, power, and leadership styles. The CI is best used in the middle or latter part of a course after students have been exposed to one or more of the relevant subject areas. The CI can be easily covered in one class period.
Case Author(s): Reed McKnight, Roy A. Cook Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI002 Subjects: Gift giving behavior in professional settings Description: This incident involves questions of appropriate behavior in a professional setting related to a variety of gifts ranging from large to small, given by a variety of individuals who have varying relationships with the recipient. An intriguing timeline leading up to a surprise retirement party for accounting professor Reed McKnight sets the stage for an end-of-semester gala where McKnight receives a bounty of gifts. Taken aback by the generosity of the gift givers, he sought counsel from the associate dean, the dean, and the school's ethics professor as to what should be done with the gifts, particularly the gift certificate and the bronze. To his surprise, all three had different opinions as to what he should do. Students, faculty and administrators can easily relate to the setting and issues raised, as they are dealing with a student/faculty relationship. Based on the issue presented in this critical incident, it can be used at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in accounting and business and society classes as well as faculty training seminars. It can be read and discussed in class or training seminars, used for testing purposes, or assigned for research and detailed written analysis.
Case Author(s): Harash J. Sachdev Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI003 Subjects: Supply chain relationship; Inventory management Description: This case is about a pump manufacturer, Brighton Precision Pumps (BPP) that is outsourcing a component part for its pump (accumulator) to a small-sized supplier, Rusty Tools. The case discusses the inventory problems resulting from inaccurate demand forecast and inefficient relationship practices between the parties. A financial crisis in the supplier's business becomes a major signal for BPP to increase involvement in the supplier's business and to bail Rust Tools out of this inventory management problem. The students will apply the basic supply chain concepts of Bullwhip Effect, manufacturing strategy, collaborative forecasting and planning, and inventory management practices to a real world supply chain inventory and ineffective relationship management problem. This case may be used at the undergraduate BBA supply chain management, logistics, operations, purchasing, and marketing management courses.
Case Author(s): Steven M. Cox, Bradley W. Brooks, S. Catherine Anderson Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI004 Subjects: Ethical Social Welfare; Business decision making Description: Chiquita Brands was one of the largest produce growers and distributors in the world with multibillion dollar sales. Its most profitable international subsidiary, Banadex (which specialized in bananas), was located in Colombia, a country filled with violent turmoil. The United Self Defense Forces of Columbia (AUC) approached Banadex proposing to provide Banadex with “protection” services against potential threats to its workers and property. In reality, the AUC was a Colombian paramilitary organization that posed a violent threat to Banadex and the proposal was nothing more than a form of extortion to “protect” Banadex workers and property from attack by the AUC. This critical incident is comprised of two components, Case A and Case B, that should be considered in a sequential format. Case A should be debated in some depth before Case B is then subsequently debated. Case A leaves the students debating whether or not to accept the extortion and pay the AUC its demands for “protection.” Three Banadex options are provided including paying the AUC's demands, refusing to pay the demands but maintaining operations, or exiting the country all together. Such a debate should lead to a rich discussion on several inter-related fronts including ethical, financial, moral, and social welfare considerations. Case B explains that Banadex did pay the AUC its demands for providing it protection. After having been making payments to the AUC for years, the US State Dept. pronounced the AUC as a terrorist organization, thereby rendering any business dealings with the AUC as being illegal for Banadex. This case now adds another dimension to the debate — the legal considerations for Banadex should it con
Case Author(s): Mary K. Foster, August Abbey Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI005 Subjects: Contingent or situational leadership theories Description: Danni Johnson, Senior Vice President of Technology for Excel Youth Fitness and Sports Training Centers (Excel Centers), has been with the company for almost a year. She was the fourth person in this position in four years. She has been working on developing a new proprietary training/coaching software system that is critical to the successful operation of the company's 1,000 sports training and coaching centers. The existing system was old and failing, causing disruptions to center operations. The development process has been complicated by a lack of project management skills among the team members and by the lack of expertise, ability, and motivation among the user community related to development and agreement upon system functional specifications. Despite these challenges, the team has developed and tested a new system that Danni believes is ready to roll out. She thought the other team leaders agreed with her, but when they got into a meeting with the company President, Sarah Jones, to decide on whether or not to roll out, the other team leaders did not support going live. Danni was stunned and surprised; Sarah has asked Danni to figure out next steps.
Case Author(s): Carla Wiggins, Mark Bezik, Leigh Cellucci, Patrick M. Hermanson Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI007 Subjects: Communication as a management tool Description: Portneuf Medical Center's CEO, Pat Hermanson, woke one Saturday morning to find the following headline in his local paper: “PMC's Staff Meets Secretly with County commissioners to Voice Complaints.” Apparently, 25 of PMC's employees had bypassed their immediate supervisors, the hospital's upper administration, and the hospital's governing board to voice their growing frustrations directly to the county commissioners and it was the top headline of the day's local newspaper. The hospital was building a new physical plant, trying to attract and retain excellent employees and to expand its market area. This kind of publicity added fuel to an already hot fire in the community concerning the hospital's future. Now what? This case can be used in the following courses: undergraduate management, marketing, organization behavior courses, and health care administration courses to explore communications and crisis management.
Case Author(s): Claire McCarty Kilian Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI008 Subjects: Ethical decision making frameworks Description: In 2003, Duane “Dog” Chapman (star of the A&E reality series called “Dog the Bounty Hunter”) and his team were arrested in Mexico after capturing U.S. fugitive Andrew Luster. Luster was wanted on 86 counts of rape and sentenced in absentia to 124 years in prison for his crimes. Bounty hunting is a crime in Mexico. The bounty hunting team returned to the U.S. violating a Mexican order to appear in court. At the formal request of the Mexican government, U.S. Marshals arrested Chapman (and his son and colleague Tim) on Sept. 14, 2006. All three were charged with felony restraint and deprivation of liberty (of Andrew Luster). Extradition hearings began. Much of the public considered Dog a hero and on-line petitions, Hawaiian legislators, and 29 Congressmen took action demanding that the bounty hunting team not be extradited to Mexico. Should Dog be extradited to Mexico to stand trial for breaking Mexican law? Do the ends justify the means in this incident? The Chapmans caught a despicable criminal that had eluded capture but they broke Mexican law in doing so. This saga has all the makings of a Hollywood movie — a rich playboy villain (Luster), the “born again” hero (Dog is a felon), the average guy embarrassing the authorities, bail skipping, U.S. Marshalls raiding, a huge fan base including government officials, crying on major talk shows, and a build-up to the ending (which is ultimately anti-climatic). The incident allows students to become actively involved in an ethical dilemma, to practice using ethical frameworks to help them in the decision making process and to recognize the multiple perspectives inherent in assessing ethical behavior. This incident is appropriate for use by instructors in Organizational Behavior courses f
Case Author(s): Stacy Vollmers, Clyde Vollmers Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI009 Subjects: Bribes; Investion in foreign countries Description: Russian American Christian University (RACU) is a private liberal arts university in Moscow. It is in the middle of a building project that underwent a four-year delay and unanticipated expenses. The delays and increased expenses resulted in part from RACU's decision not to pay bribes. A court decision took away the school's land, and they have contractor invoices due. This critical incident (CI) is appropriate for a business ethics course, a principles of marketing course, or a principles of management course. Further, the CI is appropriate for introductory MBA level courses. The primary focus of the CI is the consequences of deciding not to pay bribes in a foreign country. The secondary focus is the unexpected risks that can impact acompany doing business internationally.
Case Author(s): Eric Nelson Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI010 Subjects: Ethical theories; Pet ownership Description: Jenny, a young, vibrant Labrador Retriever, has a serious health issue: splenic lymphoma, or cancer of the spleen. The Jones' family must decide whether to treat the dog or to euthanize it. This critical incident is intended as an introductory discussion in applied ethics, with a particular focus on examining personal ethics in regards to pet-keeping. Learners are challenged to apply ethical theories to a fairly common household situation: the severe illness of a family pet. It can be useful to have students identify their personal ethics before tackling business issues related to ethics (Jennings, 2006). In particular, learners should be asked to balance ethical dilemmas where there are no right or wrong answers, just dilemmas to be resolved (Jennings, 2006). This critical incident examines the question of whether to euthanize an animal or to address a disease that could cost a significant amount of money to treat. Learners disagree on which course of action is the “best” one to take; thus, the critical incident serves as a forum for discussing a variety of ethical theories that can be used as lenses to solve the dilemma. This critical incident is intended for introductory courses focusing on applied ethics and can be used in nearly any course such as courses in business, health care, veterinary studies, agribusiness, and, to a lesser extent, philosophy and sociology. It is easy for learners to relate to, yet provides an in-depth view into a dilemma many students are familiar with. It takes approximately 60 to 70 minutes of class time to complete.
Case Author(s): Phyllis G. Holland, Kenneth L. Stanley Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI011 Subjects: Acquisition of a competitor; Cash flow Description: Royal Fabrics, top management approached Terry O'Connell, Operations Vice President for Temptex, Inc., about the possibility of Temptex acquiring Royal. Royal Fabrics and Temptex had been fierce competitors for many years. Terry had always felt that Royal had been one of those “stupid competitors that did not know its costs.” So Terry was quite excited about the possibility of acquiring Royal even though Royal Fabrics had been unprofitable for the last couple of years. Terry had to convince Temptex's President, Sammy Ingeman, that this acquisition could add value to Temptex. To do this, Terry had to first identify appropriate benefits and costs associated with the acquisition. With these costs and benefits identified, Terry's next job was to determine a price that Temptex would be willing to pay for Royal Fabrics This case can be used in an undergraduate capstone business strategy course to analyze strategic alternatives, analyze marginal costs and benefits, and apply projected benefits to determine an appropriate price (value) for an acquisition candidate. Temptex, Inc. could also be used to illustrate marginal costing in a cost accounting class or a basic valuation exercise in an introductory financial management class. Ethical issues arise in the implementation of a plant closing.
Case Author(s): Anne M. Hackert, Mukunthan Santhanakrishnan Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI012 Subjects: Profitability of a franchise venture. Description: Nick Balsmeier wants to start up a business but has limited access to financing and lacks experience. Nick worries that the risks and costs of starting a business from the ground up are prohibitive. He decides that buying a franchise is an alternative he should consider. Initial investment is a major issue because he needs to find a franchise in his price range. Nick also wants to start a franchise that is something new to the community but that is a service or product he thinks he can sell and market. Nick is worried about failing because he is using his dad's retirement to finance his business. Nick has to decide whether or not a Pita Pit is a good opportunity. This critical incident can be used in franchising, entrepreneurship and small business management courses. The critical incident offers faculty a unique opportunity to illustrate an alternative route for an entrepreneur who wants to start a business but has limited funds or experience. Students reviewing the references at the end of the case can use the information to develop a research project to select and research a franchising opportunity in their community.
Case Author(s): Irvin A. Zaenglein, Bruce C. Sherony, Claudia L. Orr, Brian G. Gnauck Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI013 Subjects: Breakeven point Description: Mr. Tom Dubow, President of Lake Superior Press, was contemplating the addition of a new product line, gift wrapping, to his business enterprise. The company served Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the northern part of the state of Wisconsin. The gift wrapping would be printed on Lake Superior's press which was limited to a 20 inch by 28 inch piece of paper. The gift wrap paper line had a design that highlighted the region's unique northern scenes such as the lakes in the area, and specifically Lake Superior, winter scenes, skiing, snowboarding, forests, and the natural wildlife of the area. The case focuses students' attention on many relevant issues of importance to marketers including the calculation of breakeven output, the determination of price levels, and qualitative factors that need to be taken into consideration to expand a firm's product line. This critical incident is best suited for introductory marketing, introductory management, marketing management and entrepreneurship courses.
Case Author(s): Russell Casey, George Whaley, Mark Bacon Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI014 Subjects: Ethical, legal, and group identity theories; behavioral frameworks Description: Don Imus had a popular radio program on CBS/MSNBC that relied on controversial discussions with guests and listeners. On his April 4, 2007 broadcast, Imus made a provocative statement about the Rutgers University female basketball team that raised a firestorm of reactions. These reactions ranged from the position that Imus was merely exercising his freedom of speech rights as a “shock jock” commentator to the position that Imus's remarks were racist and he should be fired. Initially, Imus downplayed his comments but later made a public apology. The Imus comments and his subsequent suspension and firing by CBS/MSNBC raised important questions regarding the rights and responsibilities of major stakeholders such as employees, employers, advertisers and the public. Additionally, it raised the question of public use of offensive language directed at African-Americans and other groups. These questions and responses were viewed from multiple perspectives: ethical, legal and social psychological in this teaching note (TN) and were provided in the TN for flexibility. An attractive feature of this critical incident (CI) is that most students recognize Imus and the incident. Other well-know celebrities such as Michael Richards, Duane Chapman, Jesse Jackson and Isaiah Washington continue to make negative statements in public that “grab the headlines” and keep the Imus incident fresh. This CI is applicable to a wide range of business courses and behavioral based courses in non-business disciplines that cover the effects of negative language such as sociology, journalism, ethnic studies, communications, and popular culture. However, this TN will focus exclusively on undergraduate ethics, human resource mana
Case Author(s): Asbjorn Osland, Pamela Wells Source: Journal of Critical Incidents, Volume 1, 2008 JCI ID: JCI006 Subjects: Organizational change; Crisis management Description: To combat out-of-control, double-digit increases in healthcare costs, Kenneshaw County decided to implement a health initiative consisting of participants voluntarily completing a wellness assessment instrument. Each participant would then receive coaching from a personal life coach to improve and maintain overall health. The idea was to decrease the demand for healthcare services through healthy lifestyles; hence, the healthier the participant, the less utilization of healthcare benefits. Because the program was voluntary, its success could only be achieved through the buy-in and participation of those who received the benefits. A controversy arose when participants were asked if they owned a gun. The county and its health department understood the health risks associated with hand guns (e.g., accidental discharge, attempted suicides, inappropriate use during domestic disputes, and use of excessive force to deter minor crimes). However, some of the participants viewed the question as a violation of their personal freedoms and did not understand its place in the wellness assessment. The incident could be used in the following courses: Introduction to Human Resource Management course (e.g., in the benefits module) or in a stand-alone Benefits course, Introduction to Management (as a lead-in to a section on business and society), Business and Society (if the instructor chooses to focus on the gun issue), or in an organization behavior course focusing on the issue of managing conflict. In the different courses the controversy over the gun issue can be addressed in terms of conflict management or change management. The incident is decision focused regarding the gun question but descriptive concerning health assessment.
Case Jeffrey A. Krug, W. Harvey Hegarty Source: The Society for Case Research, Business Case Journal, Winter 1996, Vol. 4, Issue 2. Copyright 1999. Topics: Business Policy/Strategy
Case Author(s): Jude A. Rathburn, Lori A. Peterson, Barbara Nemecek Source: Annual Advances — 2005 Subjects: Business policy; Strategy; Marketing strategy Description: The Kohl family founded the Kohl's Corporation in 1962 as a single department store that featured moderately priced apparel, shoes, accessories and home products targeted to middle-income customers. By the end of fiscal 2004, Kohl's had become a national retailer with 637 stores that served customers in 40 states, provided Internet sales through www.kohls.com and employed more than 100,000 people throughout the United States. The case outlines the business model employed by Kohl's to fuel its tremendous growth, as well as the company's approach to merchandising, inventory management, and brand expansion. This case and teaching note are appropriate for either a capstone course in business policy/strategy or marketing strategy.
Case Author(s): Nakato hirakubo, Wesley B. Merz, Alicia Dewar Source: Annual Advances — 2003 Subjects: Marketing principles; Small business management; Marketing strategy Description: Kozy Shack Enterprises was a family-owned dessert manufacturer located in Hicksville, Long Island, New York. It had grown from a neighborhood delicatessen serving homemade rice pudding to a major dessert manufacturer with distribution throughout the United States and Canada. The company's rice pudding used only all-natural ingredients and was the company's best-selling product. The sales reached $100 million in 2001. Through the years, Kozy Shack developed a wide variety of flavors including chocolate, vanilla, and banana, and other products such as tapioca pudding and flan. The market for refrigerated pudding, mousse, gelatin, and parfait exceeded $500 million in total sales. Kraft Foods' Jell-O led the market followed by Kozy Shack and ConAgra's Swiss Miss. To strengthen Kozy Shack's presence in the adult self-indulgence segment, a 22-ounce European Style Rice Pudding was introduced in 2001. The company also introduced Eggnog Flavored Pudding nationwide during the holiday season of 2001. For children, Kozy Shack designed Tube-A-Licious Portable Pudding Packs. The company's newest offering was Rice Pudding & Fruit on the Bottom. The management of Kozy Shack considered its Rice Pudding a premium product. Therefore, the target market selected was women between ages 25-54 with high incomes over $40,000. Kozy Shack continuously stressed its benefits of being an all-natural, tasty product. Kozy Shack's immediate challenge was to change the consumers' perception of Kozy Shack's mainstay product, refrigerated rice pudding. The company wanted to market the product as not just a snack but as a meal substitute for people on the go, since it was more nutritious than yogurt. Furthermore, the company needed a strategy to improve its brand awareness. Note: T
Case A.J. Almaney In 1990 investors became concerned that LA Gear was losing its appeal to young women. In 1991 and 1992, it lost $45 and $72 million. To enhance its credit rating, it arranged to have Trefoil Capital Investors acquire 34% of the company. Its internal operations underwent major restructuring and its retrenchment strategy was designed. Now L.A. Gear faces a questionable future. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy Topics:
Case James W. Clinton This case demonstrate the ability of a small group of concerned citizens to make a difference in their community by coordinating delivery of a multiplicity of complex government programs affecting local senior citizens. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business Policy/Strategy; Healthcare Topics:
Case Nick Balls, Idaho State University George Johnson, Idaho State University Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 2000 Copyright 2002
Case Author(s): Heather Johnson, Liz Thach, Duane Dove Source: Business Case Journal — 2005 Subjects: Leadership style; Organizational behavior Description: This case discusses the effects of different leadership styles on a small, client service oriented company. The company is Pharmaceutical Development Services (PDS), which is a private, employee owned pharmaceutical development company that is primarily a contract company focusing on dermatologic products. The company was founded in 1977 by James Harris and managed by him until March 2002, when a new CEO, Martin Roberts, was brought in. James is still very active in the company and carries the title chief technical officer. While all persons and are real, the names and some of the events have been disguised. The timeframe of this case is from March 2002 through September 2003, but reflects leadership styles from the company's founding. In the case, Martin's contract is up in 6 months and James has been asked by the board of directors to evaluate Martin's successes and failures to date. To obtain this information, James interviews company employees at all levels. This case outlines and evaluates the different styles of the two leaders and the effect these different styles have had on the company and the employees, as well as the impact on the future of the company. Based upon the information James collected from the employees he has to make his recommendation to the Board. Do they extend Martin's contract? If so, are there conditions, and what are the implications? If not, how does the company deal with bringing in yet another person who will undoubtedly have a different leadership style than James or Martin.
Case Edwin C. Leonard, Sherry Hockemeyer Closing Liberty's plant in Auburn arose during a board of directors' meeting. Liberty is experiencing a decline in orders, fierce competition, and overcapacity in certain areas. Revenues are down, while operating expenses have increased. Various cost-reduction strategies have already been imposed; now plant-closing issues must be discussed. The board is debating the issues and expects to make a final decision in three weeks. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases, Fall 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1. Copyright 1994. Courses: Business and Society Topics:
Case Martha E. Merritt, David E. Morris, Tim SingletonThis case describes the management and operation of an actual small CPA firm. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances in Business Cases 1995. Copyright 1996. Courses: Accounting; Auditing; Human Resources Topics:
Case Robert J. Tokle, Idaho State University Joanne G. Tokle, Idaho State University Dean R. Longmore, Idaho State University The Red Mountain Community Credit Union, in an environment of rising interest rates in 1994 after a couple of years of stable interest rates, found itself with an ``interest-rate mismatch'' for 24- and 36-month new auto loans. It was charging less for these loans than they were paying on CDs with the same maturity. This case seeks to explore why this mismatch occurred, the effect it had on the firm, and what policy changes could prevent it from happening again. Source: The Society for Case Research, Annual Advances 1998, Copyright 2000. Topics: Money and Banking; Financial Institutions; Economic Policy
Case Author(s): Anthony L. Tocco, Thomas L. Lyon Source: Annual Advances — 2006 Subjects: Minority entrepreneur; Energy deregulation; Opportunity recognition; Strategy Description: -Fifteen or twenty ideas were always floating around in my mind, but none of them really felt right until this
