Roger Martin on a new challenge facing business schools: how to teach managers to look beyond the data and use factors such as empathy and trust when making important decisions.
The idea of making a deal with a handshake-what we generally call an incomplete contract-makes most of us uncomfortable. A handshake is fine between friends, but when it comes to vendors, partners, advisers, employees, or customers, we believe that incomplete contracts are a reckless way to do business. Indeed, firms try to make contracts as airtight as possible-specifying outcomes and contingencies in advance, thus lowering the chances for misunderstanding and uncertainty. But complete contracts have their own flaws, and business's increasing dependence on absurdly detailed contracts in every situation comes with its own downside.
Where and how do strategists find growth opportunities? Sometimes by literally drawing a map, using software that performs semantic-clustering analysis. By analyzing the text in millions of digital corporate documents, the software identifies individual companies' key phrases, or n-grams, and then links firms with similar n-grams on a map. The result reveals intriguing connections between industry sectors, as well as white spaces that offer untapped opportunities.
James Amphlett, a financial analyst at Xenon Capital LLC, was asked to evaluate PolyMedica Corporation, whose shares Xenon was considering adding to its Growth Service portfolio. PolyMedica was a rapidly growing provider of diabetes testing equipment to senior citizens who were covered by Medicare. PolyMedica promoted its products through direct response advertising in late night television commercials, often featuring veteran character actor, Wilford Brimley. Financial analysts were critical of the company's accounting policy of capitalizing and amortizing direct response advertising expenditures to acquire new customers
Joseph Vigneault and his entrepreneurial partners wanted to raise $500,000 through the purchase of a currently existing company in the $4 million to $5 million price range in order to pursue a new venture. A boutique investment bank introduced them to the features of the Capital Pool Company (CPC) program. Vigneault must decide if a CPC is an option he and his partners should consider. He must consider the effect on their ownership stake in the company and calculate the return on their investment. The case is focused on the quantitative and qualitative decision factors that go into deciding how to finance a new business venture and exposes students to the unique CPC program offered by the TSX Venture Exchange.
No matter what you do later in your career, you are going to have to learn how to pitch ideas. Perhaps you will want to convince a venture capitalist to invest in your new business idea. Perhaps you will want to convince your company to develop an innovative product. Perhaps you will want to convince your board of directors that it is worth developing a new market segment. This exercise helps students practice the skill of getting other people interested in their ideas.
The co-founder of an Italian, design based bicycle manufacturer evaluates if reducing costs by outsourcing would impact its brand. The company was founded in 2005 in Italy by three friends and in its first five years, it had enjoyed steady growth and built a strong reputation for producing high-quality city bicycles, appreciated for their retro-look and style. Its country of origin had probably helped them exporting their products as their bicycles were 100% made in Italy and the Made in Italy label had a reputation of high quality, craftsmanship and creativity. Yet their profit margins were relatively low as their manufacturing costs were very high. Should they outsource their production? If so, to China or to Eastern Europe? Was there some other way to improve the profitability of the company?
This simulation presents students the opportunity to experience firsthand the economics of carbon markets and permit trading. Each student has private role information about a company he or she manages. The student must make decisions about pollution-reducing investments and production levels in the face of uncertainty about pollution permit prices. Students form groups of five, and throughout the exercise students may buy or sell permits within their group. Trading outcomes dictate permit prices, and at the end of trading, each firm calculates profits and pays over pollution penalties as needed.
This simulation presents students the opportunity to experience firsthand the economics of carbon markets and permit trading. Each student has private role information about a company he or she manages. The student must make decisions about pollution-reducing investments and production levels in the face of uncertainty about pollution permit prices. Students form groups of five, and throughout the exercise students may buy or sell permits within their group. Trading outcomes dictate permit prices, and at the end of trading, each firm calculates profits and pays over pollution penalties as needed.
This simulation presents students the opportunity to experience firsthand the economics of carbon markets and permit trading. Each student has private role information about a company he or she manages. The student must make decisions about pollution-reducing investments and production levels in the face of uncertainty about pollution permit prices. Students form groups of five, and throughout the exercise students may buy or sell permits within their group. Trading outcomes dictate permit prices, and at the end of trading, each firm calculates profits and pays over pollution penalties as needed.
This simulation presents students the opportunity to experience firsthand the economics of carbon markets and permit trading. Each student has private role information about a company he or she manages. The student must make decisions about pollution-reducing investments and production levels in the face of uncertainty about pollution permit prices. Students form groups of five, and throughout the exercise students may buy or sell permits within their group. Trading outcomes dictate permit prices, and at the end of trading, each firm calculates profits and pays over pollution penalties as needed.
This simulation presents students the opportunity to experience firsthand the economics of carbon markets and permit trading. Each student has private role information about a company he or she manages. The student must make decisions about pollution-reducing investments and production levels in the face of uncertainty about pollution permit prices. Students form groups of five, and throughout the exercise students may buy or sell permits within their group. Trading outcomes dictate permit prices, and at the end of trading, each firm calculates profits and pays over pollution penalties as needed.
The three-part case study "Mr. KLM" recounts the story of the world's deadliest plane accident: the crash of two Boeing 747 aircraft at Tenerife in 1977. The case describes both the actual events leading up to the disaster as well as the main character and the case protagonist, KLM Captain Jacob "Jaap" Veldhuyzen van Zanten, to account for the fact that there had actually been two crashes that day: the airplane crash and the crash of "Mr. KLM," Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten. The case illustrates the paradigm of a homo rationale who, in an unusual situation, seems to throw aboard principles of rationality while reverting to decisions and behaviors best understood in the light of intuitive, unreflected, biased, or irrational decision making. The case serves as an illustration of findings and principles of social psychology, irrational decision theory, and behavioral economics.
The three-part case study "Mr. KLM" recounts the story of the world's deadliest plane accident: the crash of two Boeing 747 aircraft at Tenerife in 1977. The case describes both the actual events leading up to the disaster as well as the main character and the case protagonist, KLM Captain Jacob "Jaap" Veldhuyzen van Zanten, to account for the fact that there had actually been two crashes that day: the airplane crash and the crash of "Mr. KLM," Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten. The case illustrates the paradigm of a homo rationale who, in an unusual situation, seems to throw aboard principles of rationality while reverting to decisions and behaviors best understood in the light of intuitive, unreflected, biased, or irrational decision making. The case serves as an illustration of findings and principles of social psychology, irrational decision theory, and behavioral economics.
The three-part case study "Mr. KLM" recounts the story of the world's deadliest plane accident: the crash of two Boeing 747 aircraft at Tenerife in 1977. The case describes both the actual events leading up to the disaster as well as the main character and the case protagonist, KLM Captain Jacob "Jaap" Veldhuyzen van Zanten, to account for the fact that there had actually been two crashes that day: the airplane crash and the crash of "Mr. KLM," Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten. The case illustrates the paradigm of a homo rationale who, in an unusual situation, seems to throw aboard principles of rationality while reverting to decisions and behaviors best understood in the light of intuitive, unreflected, biased, or irrational decision making. The case serves as an illustration of findings and principles of social psychology, irrational decision theory, and behavioral economics.
The general manager of Craig Manufacturing Cambridge Branch felt that there was room to improve top-line growth through better utilization of plant capacity. The company was losing out on sales due to the highly seasonal nature of demand; the plant was fully loaded four months of the year, but it had unused capacity during the remaining months. The general manager had just attended a lecture where a more flexible approach to pricing had been suggested as a way to better manage supply chain and capacity issues. An idea began to emerge: Could Craig Manufacturing use pricing to better match demand to plant capacity? If so, would this practice boost profitability, or would it merely reduce revenues?
Suitable as an assignment or as an exam case, this short case is effective in illustrating the use of linear and integer programming in an assignment problem, wrapped around R&D project selection in a global IT firm. A twist in the case requires the use of binary variables to implement certain logical conditions on which projects can be undertaken by which project teams. The case is suitable for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses or modules on optimization, decision models, management science and the like, both for class discussion and as a part of assignment or exam. A spreadsheet is available to enhance student learning.
Riverview Technologies was a Stockholm, Sweden-based company that had developed software hedge funds. After spending more than a year in an organized sale process, the winning bidder had become increasingly difficult to work with and the closing had been substantially delayed. Despite the late stage of the process, the selling shareholders were considering walking away.