The case, set within the European organization of a giant multinational breakfast foods company, describes a launch decision for a new cereal product. As the case evolves, the decision has major strategic and organizational implications for Lora Brill, European VP. The case focuses especially on two important decisions facing Brill: Should Healthy Berry Crunch become the company's first Eurobrand and be introduced in a coordinated manner Europewide? And, from an organizational perspective, should she create Eurobrand Teams to implement her proposed Eurobrand concept?
Taiwan-based memory manufacturer Power Quotient International Co. Ltd. (PQI) had an established system for selecting, assessing, and managing suppliers. A scoring system that assessed suppliers in areas ranging from technical expertise to service quality and responsiveness made it easy for management to spot suppliers' strengths and weaknesses and to decide whether to keep a supplier at arm's length or to cultivate a strong relationship with the supplier. PQI had just completed its biannual evaluation of suppliers, of which several required further investigation. These suppliers had received only average scores despite strong performance both technically and commercially. Meanwhile, the management wondered whether sharing its assessment results openly with suppliers might help improve its relationships with them.
How did a Chinese state-owned construction company strike one deal after another in South Carolina despite political backlash and in New York where well-established competitors dominate? The case examines the U.S. market entry strategy of the CSCEC, China's leading state-owned construction company. It does so by way of the CEO of its U.S. subsidiary and his challenge to sustain the company's exceptional growth in the face of an unprecedented slowdown in the U.S. construction industry. The case also offers a window into the processes and related issues associated with the accelerated overseas expansion of Chinese state-owned businesses.
Why is a Chinese state-owned construction company building the largest mega-resort and casino in the Caribbean? This case examines the intricate deal-making by which CSCEC, China's leading global engineering and construction contractor, emerged as a key market player. Having beat out Harrah's and other contenders for a stake in the Baha Mar Project, CSCEC now also has an equity stake in the Bahamas' gaming and resort industry. The case explores the growing role of project financing by way of China's Export-Import Bank and its implications for business deal-making and the competitiveness of China's increasingly globalizing businesses.
Through 2007, Crocs grew rapidly, and its stock soared. In early 2008, the stock plunged, as analysts cited excess inventory. During 2008, revenues decreased, and the company restructured. The B case summarizes these developments, and asks what the company should do now.
The protagonist was sifting through the evidence on the predictive content of the yield curve. Did the current steepness of the yield curve mean that a double-dip recession was highly unlikely? And when the yield inverted in the future, as it surely would at some point, would that be a precursor to a recession? From time to time, the market focused on the slope of the yield curve. What can it tell us?
In 2002, a successful community development corporation in Boston, Massachusetts was approached by two other organizations about potential mergers. Each organization had distinctive geographical and ethnic roots but there were clear financial and management advantages to be had from combining assets. In one case, merger discussions proceeded with the benefit of lawyers and common board connections. In the other case, despite good progress at the beginning, the merger talks became increasingly contentious with opposition from community groups who rallied political leadership to step in. HKS Case Number 1921.1
The case describes the challenges that UBS faced as a result of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation for tax fraud, that claimed that UBS had helped some 52,000 U.S. residents hide billions of dollars in untaxed assets in secret Swiss accounts between 2000 and 2007, depriving the U.S. Treasury of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.
The case describes the resolution of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation for tax fraud and the increasing pressure on the wealth management business.
Calveta Dining Services contracts with senior living facilities (SLFs) for the management of food service to residents. Created by Antonio Calveta and built on his passion for food and traditional family values, the firm had enjoyed three decades of strong growth when Antonio retired and named his eldest son, Frank, CEO. Frank Calveta now struggles to carry out his father's directive: double revenues within five years while maintaining the humanistic and emphatically pro-employee company culture. Should he expand beyond the SLF market? Can he continue to maintain the quality level for which Calveta is renowned? Can he contend successfully with organizational and communications challenges?
Inconsistencies in accounting treatment across countries are a major obstacle for global equity investment. Adoption of a single accounting standard (IFRS) has been received with much excitement, where apples to apples comparison across countries will become easier. However, adopting a global accounting standard may not necessarily mean that financial reporting in all countries will become standardized. Taking an example from HOLT, a private sector that offers standardized data for global portfolio investment, the case examines i) HOLT's adjustment process for differences in local accounting standards and ii) how IFRS adoption could change HOLT's global valuation framework. The case offers an interesting setting to examine how harmonizing accounting standards can affect global equity valuation.
Birzeit Pharmaceutical Company (BPC), established in 1974, had successfully completed a number of mergers and had overcome challenges and development phases in order to secure a strong position in its local market, Palestine, as well as introduce a wide range of products in the export market. BPC’s continuous success, despite political instability and continuous restrictions on its growth and expansion, led the company to focus beyond its local presence. Despite the growth of BPC and its financial solidity, it was very similar to other Arab businesses, which were reluctant to invest significantly and take big risks in growing outside their areas. BPC did not wish to risk large amounts of money, and instead chose to expand to new markets or introduce new niche products on a conservative basis. BPC invested in an Algerian packaging company in 2006 and aimed to meet its vision of growth by entering new markets and introducing new products. It wanted the packaging company to later grow to a manufacturing company, and accordingly to an export location. In a business environment that was characterized by quick decisions and high competition, the company needed to make faster decisions, invest more money, and choose a new path to secure its business development and growth. Competition in pharmaceutical manufacturing, especially among generics, was increasing greatly, and the faster BPC moved, the more competitive it would be.
The development coordinator for Just Us! Development Education Society (JUDES) was reviewing the preliminary agenda for the JUDES Annual General Meeting (AGM). The meeting would take place some time between May 1 and May 14, 2010, during Canada’s National Fair Trade Weeks. The coordinator was preparing her to-do list for the event. Just Us!, a Nova Scotia-based cooperative that offered fair trade products, had a very loyal regional following, and the coordinator wanted to communicate how the premium paid for fair trade products actually helped producer communities. She was planning several events for the AGM, most importantly presentations and discussions of the Community-based Tourism (CBT) trip that JUDES personnel had taken to Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2009, and planned to take again in 2010. For the AGM presentation, she wanted to organize the trip guidelines and the budget information into a triple bottom line format.
The case describes the situation of Dirk von Ameln, the permitting director of Nord Stream, in his negotiation efforts to obtain the national permits for the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline. In order to procure the Danish construction permit, Dirk had to reach an agreement with the Danish fishermen, who were fearful of a negative impact on their trade from the construction and operation of the pipeline. This case serves to understand the steps in preparing negotiations; the difference between distributive and integrative negotiations; and the process of negotiations in European cross-border infrastructure projects. The case may also be used to analyze different approaches to negotiations and their implication for current negotiation strategies.
Shenzhen-based Sunshine Fashion Co. Ltd "Sunshine" is a Sino-Japanese venture that has grown from mere original equipment manufacturing of cashmere sweaters for export to include retailing, with 220 retail points throughout China. In order to manage its retail operations, it has set up both regional and branch offices to handle stock and to support and monitor its retail points. It has installed an ERP system for tracking its goods and monitoring sales. The implementation of the ERP system has improved the situation. For example, the system has helped Sunshine manage its domestic business considerably through reliable and consistent reporting from the retail points and branch offices. Nonetheless, fraudulent behaviour among employees has cost the retail chain the equivalent of almost 5% of its domestic sales. What more can the management do to control such behaviour and reduce its loss?
This note is designed to provide strategists with tools to perform two critical customer-related analyses: determining willingness to pay - the estimation of how much a given customer would be willing to pay for a particular product or service; and demand estimation - predicting the overall size of the market or segment which a company chooses to serve.