The Minister of Justice for the Republic of Iceland is contemplating how to work with the various stakeholders to implement the recommendations for the structure of policing. The main issue to address is how to consolidate the number of region-based police forces. The minister's views on restructuring the police force are shared by the police association; however, a number of municipalities and police commissioners are not as enthusiastic about the proposed changes to the structure of the police organization. He understands that change is never a pain-free process. Formal reports have been submitted and now is the time to make some decisions.
The owner of Cenabal, faced an important decision. She had received an offer from two investors on the television show The Dragon's Den. She wondered if it would be wise to give up 50 per cent control of her organic salad dressing and bread dipping business in return for their $200,000 investment. Would losing a considerable amount of control over the business be worth gaining access to capital and their notable business experience? The supplements Cenabal (B) and (C) look at subsequent events.
The owner of Cenabal, an organic salad dressing and bread dipping company, had received an offer from two investors on the television show The Dragon's Den. The show's premise of all or nothing did not leave room for negotiating terms. Now as she carefully read the contract, she considered whether she was willing to sign it. This supplement follows Cenabal (A). The supplement Cenabal (C) looks at subsequent events.
The owner of Cenabal, an organic salad dressing and bread dipping company, had obtained the funds her company required. Now, she faced the decision of how to spend the money. Some of the possibilities included expanding the product line, entering the U.S. market, or improving the distribution channels. Naturally, each of these choices had advantages and disadvantages that she must consider. This is the last supplement that follows Cenabal (A) and (B).
The chief executive officer (CEO) of Fortune Motors, the largest Mitsubishi dealership in Taiwan, has to consider his vision for the survival of the company. Fortune Motors' sales in 2003 had fallen below 50,000 units for the first time in 10 years, and market share had been falling for several years. The CEO had a plan to enter the business of financing used-car purchases. He thought that the balanced scorecard would be a useful tool to help him implement this change. The first step was to construct a corporate scorecard.
This technical note introduces the basic structure of what we call the Three-Paned Model. The model is essentially just an "opening up" of the closed-economy IS/LM Model, with the main pane being the IS/LM Model (modified only slightly to allow for international trade) and two additional panes that determine the amount of capital inflows, net exports, and the exchange rate. This note is not a substitute for the more in-depth presentation of these models found in textbooks, but should be used to complement each textbook's richer treatment of the theoretical and technical aspects of these models.
For most of 2007, a public dispute was going on between Danone and Wahaha over their joint venture in China. The "antagonism" had even led to the Chinese and French presidents calling on both companies to resume "peace talks" and find an amicable solution. The Danone & Wahaha case looks into how this ten year plus and once "sweet" partnership turned sour. It serves as a basis to further explore what could have been considered as a "win-win" partnership; how it was formed, further developed and how to anticipate and mitigate certain risks when doing business in China or other emerging markets, for example, how to define growth and the share of risks and rewards. It then examines what will happen next and the future outlook or likely scenario for Danone's businesses in China. Learning objectives: The key learnings in this case will apply to how to make all partnerships work, whether with Chinese partners or not, those based on principles of equality and mutual benefits, tolerating minor differences and reach mutual understandings.
Roberto Charvel is a young MBA graduate making his first personal real estate investment in his native Mexico City. Charvel is planning to purchase and renovate a nine unit apartment building. Is the market good? Should he sell or lease the units? How should he handle other issues like the architectural designs, the construction process, and the legal process? How should he balance all the competing demands on his time? This case serves as an introduction to the multifamily property type.
This note analyses and compares the legal definitions and practical applications of Business Method and Software Patents in the United States and European Union.
This note details the use and treatment of Covenants not to Compete in the United States, United Kingdom and France to compete or trade secrets versus patents as alternative ways to protect a business' intellectual property.
CARE USA, a large ($600 million) international nonprofit/NGO, had recently revamped its external branding and positioning in support of its international development work. The case lays out the challenges facing its new CEO, Helene Gayle, as she manages through the organization's transition.
The case looks at the two dominant Finnish retailers: S Group and Kesko. S Group is a customer-owned cooperative, which has a unique holding structure whereby 1.7 million residents (or 70 percent of Finnish households) own 22 regional cooperatives. In turn, the regional cooperatives own SOK, a centralized company that provides services to the regional cooperatives. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, S Group lagged far behind the market leader, Kesko. However, since 2005, S Group has held the leadership position; in 2007, it had captured 41 percent market while Kesko's was 33.9 percent. Kesko Plc is publicly traded and pursues a model whereby retailer entrepreneurs use their personal funds to invest in stores and operate them completely. The case requires that students consider sources of competitive advantage that arise from the companies' markedly different business models.
In March 2006, the divisional vice-president of enterprise information technology for Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) noted that the Business Intelligence (BI) system had not yet been implemented. Slow but steady steps were taken by his team but the implementation was one year behind. It was becoming evident that BI was not just about technology; the right people and processes had to be in place. The divisional vice-president wondered what his priorities should be in order to implement the BI system as soon as possible.
In March 2008, the vice-president of governance, architecture, and corporate and diversified businesses for Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) felt confident that the Business Intelligence (BI) system that had been scheduled to be implemented in 2005 was now ready for implementation. The right people and processes were now in place. With the right people involved at different levels in the organization and several process-related initiatives, CTC's annual report announced that several technology projects would be implemented this year.
On November 30, 2007, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Goodwin Wealth Management (Goodwin), decided to hire a consultant to make an assessment of his current situation. Recently, several firms had expressed interest in acquiring Goodwin. The CEO knew he would have to decide whether to consider these offers or not very soon in order to avoid a hostile bidding situation. If the CEO did decide to consider an acquisition, he would have to act quickly in order to take advantage of the current stock's high price. Further complicating the decision was the fact that Goodwin had been built by the CEO's father, George, who would try to influence the decision-making process. The CEO wanted to do what was best for the company while protecting his family's reputation. He awaited the advice from the consultant.
This case traces the development of eBay Germany, eBay Inc., and the career of eBay Germany's first country manager, Philipp Justus. The case covers from 2000 through the fall of 2007. This case details how eBay Germany, once a small start-up, became one of eBay's most successful locations. The case reveals how Justus added seasoned leaders and structure to the group, while allowing for improvisation. The case also traces Justus's career, as he moved to running eBay Europe and ultimately, the auctions group, which took him to headquarters. Like eBay Germany, eBay itself grew tremendously, in part from acquisitions like PayPal and Skype. But, growth in core areas, like auctions, had slowed. This case explains how eBay Inc. and eBay Germany tried to keep their "secret sauce."
In 2008, the Japanese consumer payments landscape featured ongoing widespread use of cash, limited use of credit cards and rapid rise of e-money systems based on contactless technology embedded in cards and especially mobile phones. The case details the alliances that created new products, as well as the regulations that sometimes stood in the way. Throughout, the case identifies incentives for both consumers and merchants, including direct costs, efficiency benefits, rebates, and treatment in case of loss or fraud.
This case presents students with an opportunity to develop a set of performance metrics based on four strategic goal statements. The setting is a highly ranked United States MBA program. Students are given some basic, limited-but-sufficient contextual information about the school to get a sense of its heritage, avowed differentiating characteristics, and important foci.