Within the context of a fictitious hedge fund, a new analyst has been asked to use value at risk (VaR) to evaluate two potential additions to its portfolio of funds. The case introduces a number of different methods of calculating VaR using many of the most common parametric and simulation-based techniques.
A new analyst is tasked with characterizing the returns from different funds and using the analysis to draw conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the different funds for the firm's clients. The case focuses on the examination of financial data using a variety of different statistical techniques.
The case deals with a scam that has been run out of Nigeria since 1990. In it, foreign companies are approached for their assistance in facilitating an international transfer of funds in order to receive a very large but unearned commission. In the case, a Hong Kong-based manager who is travelling to Nigeria is unaware that he is walking into a situation where his company is about to be cheated. The objective of the case is to raise the issue of ethics in the conduct of international business. A follow-up case (9B08M039) is available.
En route to Nigeria the decision maker learns that he is walking into a scam and must decide whether to show up for the scheduled meetings or to return home immediately. The case illustrates ways of being drawn into unethical situations, and the severe implications for both the individual and organization if they do participate. This (B) case can be distributed part way through the class (with undergraduates) or at the same time as the (A) case(9B08M038) with more experienced students.
The owner of a small scuba diving operation in the Bahamas is reassessing his strategic direction in the light of declining revenues. Among the changes being considered are shark diving, family diving, exit, and shifting operations to another Caribbean location. These options are not easily combined, nor are they subtle. The case is intended to provide a work-out on the relationship between strategy, organization and performance, and how changes in strategy will dramatically affect the organization. The case also highlights the importance of understanding demographic changes as part of an environmental analysis. (A nine-minute video can be purchased with this case, video 7B08M041.)
The (A) case describes a series of controversial events and alleged misdeeds that placed Citigroup in the public spotlight and launched investigations into the company's business practices by regulators in Japan and Europe in the fall of 2004. CEO Chuck Prince must decide what to do to right the company and restore its reputation.
The (B) case describes the actions taken by Citigroup CEO Chuck Prince and his management team to right the company in the wake of the controversies and alleged misdeeds described in the (A) case.
This note examines the relationship between video gaming devices (console, handhelds, mobile and PC) and gaming software development. The impact of broadband, wireless technologies and other innovations are also presented.
This case describes the leadership initiatives of two of General Electric's (GE) chief executive officers: Jack Welch and Jeffrey Immelt. Under Jack Welch's leadership, GE, one of the most admired firms in the world, began its transformation from a manufacturing conglomerate to one that focused on services. Welch's stature as a management leader grew as GE's stock price increased. Many of Welch's management practices were adopted by U.S. and global organizations. While his changes resulted in excellent financial performance, sustained over a long period of time, not all within GE agreed with his methods. Welch's departure in 2001 triggered a steep decline in GE's stock price. His successor, Jeffrey Immelt, took over the company days before the terrorist attacks in September 2001 and has spent the last few years preparing the firm for its next stage of growth.
The case deals with a scam that has been run out of Nigeria since 1990. In it, foreign companies are approached for their assistance in facilitating an international transfer of funds in order to receive a very large but unearned commission. In the case, a Hong Kong-based manager who is travelling to Nigeria is unaware that he is walking into a situation where his company is about to be cheated. The objective of the case is to raise the issue of ethics in the conduct of international business. A follow-up case (908M39) is available.
En route to Nigeria the decision maker learns that he is walking into a scam and must decide whether to show up for the scheduled meetings or to return home immediately. The case illustrates ways of being drawn into unethical situations, and the severe implications for both the individual and organization if they do participate. This (B) case can be distributed part way through the class (with undergraduates) or at the same time as the (A) case with more experienced students.
The owner of a small scuba diving operation in the Bahamas is reassessing his strategic direction in the light of declining revenues. Among the changes being considered are shark diving, family diving, exit, and shifting operations to another Caribbean location. These options are not easily combined, nor are they subtle. The case is intended to provide a work-out on the relationship between strategy, organization and performance, and how changes in strategy will dramatically affect the organization. The case also highlights the importance of understanding demographic changes as part of an environmental analysis.
Awarded 1st place in the 2008 oikos Casewriting Competition. VisionSpring sells affordable reading glasses to the poor at the base of the pyramid through Vision Entrepreneurs and, more recently, through franchise partners. Winner of the prestigious 2008 Oikos Case Competition, this case explores how to scale VisionSpring's approach to serving the poor. (Note: In 2008, The Scojo Foundation changed its name to Vision Spring.)
Provides an overview of capital markets in mainland China in 2007, evaluating the up-to-date performance of key components of the markets, highlighting concerns as China strives to modernize its financial system to meet global competition and support its fast growing economy.
In January 1999, William Durden was named the 27th president of his alma mater, Dickinson College. He quickly came to understand that for much of the 20th century, the Dickinson community had lacked a strong sense of organizational purpose. By autumn, Durden had turned to the life and writings of Dr. Benjamin Rush, the man responsible for securing the college charter in 1783, as the inspiration for the story. After introducing Durden and the challenges confronting Dickinson, the case describes the early history of the college and the ideas and accomplishments of Rush. It then provides students with a brief overview of the strategic challenges that had surfaced for Dickinson by the mid1990s. Finally, the conclusion indicates that Durden still had to resolve many issues associated with the identity story.
Robert Wessman took over Actavis in 1999 when it was a failing 90-person domestic generic pharmaceutical maker in Iceland. Within 7 years he had brought Actavis to number 5 worldwide, with 11,000 people, active in 40 countries, global manufacturing, and $1.6 billion. The case explores the reasons for the success of this global venture.
Victoria Heavy Equipment (Victoria) was a family owned and managed firm which had been led by an ambitious, entrepreneurial chief executive officer who now wanted to take a less active role in the business. Victoria had been through two reorganizations in recent years, which contributed to organizational and strategic issues which would need to be addressed by a new president.
Unlike most developed economies around the world, Hong Kong did not have a minimum wage law to protect workers' livelihoods. Attempts by the Legislative Council to motion for legislation governing minimum wage and standard working hours had ultimately been unsuccessful. A major reason was considerable opposition from the business community, which feared that deviating from a purely market-dictated wage regime would hurt Hong Kong's position as the world's freest economy and aggravate unemployment. In late 2006, the Hong Kong government launched the Wage Protection Movement, a program designed to protect the wage level of cleaning workers and security guards through voluntary and non-legislative means. It was, however, met with vicious attacks from members of the Legislative Council who advocated a minimum wage, accusing the government of not heeding the plight of low-income earners and instead allowing the issue to drag on without legislation. This case is about economics and business, introducing the topics of minimum wage legislation, Hong Kong's unique economic situation and the probable effects of a minimum wage on the world's freest economy.
Pete Flint and Sami Inkinen, co-founders of RealWide.com, a real estate search web site, met for lunch at the Fish Market restaurant in San Mateo, Calif. to discuss the coming week. It was September 21, 2005, and they planned to have their web site go live within a week. Although both felt proud of what they had accomplished over the last year, this was certainly not the time for nostalgia or back-patting. A number of critical pre-launch issues would likely consume this morning's discussion. In particular, they had yet to finalize the details of their first major financing and decide on a national or local (i.e., Bay Area) focus. Additionally, certain real estate listing web sites were threatening to block their search crawlers; some of their advisors were urging them to focus more on strategic issues and less on tactical execution details; and then there was the matter of the name-did RealWide truly represent their company? As they sat down, they both wondered, what would the coming week bring?