Managers at Norway's Hydro are wondering whether or not an economically viable business case can be made to commercialize a wind-hydrogen solution. The company has successfully installed a wind-hydrogen renewable energy system as a research and development project on the 200 person remote island of Utsira. Now, they are considering two early markets to which to sell the idea: remote island communities or grid power balancing for grid operators with high reliance on wind power. Students will be introduced to current trends in renewable energy and will look at the threats and opportunities and business drivers in launching a new project. Students will analyse the priorities of the company by looking at economic, social and environmental objectives.
Television in India has been around for just over four decades. For the first 17 years, transmission was restricted to black and white, and sales figures of television sets were minimal. The liberalization of the Indian economy, however, brought with it many changes, including the entry of a number of global players in manufacturing and broadcasting. In a span of just over 10 years, the broadcasting industry grew from a single public service provider to a thriving sector with over 300 channels beamed across India. Sales of televisions, though characterized by a low penetration rate, also continued to grow steadily. By 2005, India's potential as one of the world's largest viewerships was attracting the attention of international media giants. Paradoxically, infrastructure and the prevailing regulatory environment brought into question the abeyant growth of the industry. This was especially so for rural India, which is typically characterized by low levels of disposable income. Looking at the industry from broadcasting and manufacturing perspectives, this note explores the dynamics, challenges, and prospects of Indian television.
In 2003, the chairwoman and controlling shareholder of Argentina's leading residential mortgage lender are considering how to bring the bank's restructuring to a successful conclusion as the country's economy continues to suffer from the impact of the 2001-2002 currency crisis and default. As the bank's competitors, many of whom were also creditors, begin to close ranks, Banco Hipotecario's management and shareholders need to come up with a plan that will satisfy creditors and keep the bank's business model intact.
This brief note describes the kanban system of inventory control. It discusses the rules for its use, techniques for calculating the number of cards, and the difference between push and pull systems.
Braun is developing a new top shaver that it hopes will reverse its declining market share in mens' shavers. At the same time, another team has been developing a highly innovative automatic cleaning device that could dramatically differentiate the new shaver from the competition's offerings. At issue is whether to "marry" the two projects, with the goal of creating a revolutionary, break-through product. That carries risks, however: the cleaning device is so far from ready that it could delay the launch of the new shaver until the critical window of opportunity has passed. Why not introduce the new shaver on its own, leaving the cleaning device as an optional accessory? The debate generates questions about product strategy, new product design and development, and market analysis.
Two years later, Braun has a revolutionary new shaving system and is struggling over how to communicate its benefits to the market. Its novel feature, an automatic cleaning center, is not quite yet debugged, which adds to the concerns of those who believe that the new shaver, outstanding in itself, should be launched solo, leaving the cleaning center as an attractive accessory. Others believe that Braun needs to offer more than "just" a new shaver at a time of declining market share. How they launch and market this new product around the world may determine the fate of the Braun brand into the 21st century. For a company whose new "brand promise" is "Designed to Make a Difference," a critical challenge is how to position the radically new product both to gain new, convenience-oriented consumers and to keep loyal, conservative customers who want "only a closer and more comfortable shave."
In 1997, building on its earlier success with Tokyo Disneyland, Oriental Land Corp. Japan and the Walt Disney Co. discussed the possibility of a new joint project known as the Tokyo DisneySea Park. Different approaches toward capital budgeting and distinct corporate governance regimes led the two firms to evaluate the project in different ways. Although globalization of the Japanese economy has advanced with astounding speed, management philosophy and capital budgeting techniques still differ significantly among Japanese and American firms. In a joint venture, such differences have a momentous impact on decision-making processes. Illustrates key divergent practices between Japanese and American firms in the realm of corporate governance and finance.
CEMEX has pursued an aggressive decommoditization strategy focused on its relationship with small Egyptian retailers. In particular, the strategic role and effectiveness of the Rewards Program, a tournament that rewarded the sales performance of the retailers, was called into question by Assiut Cement's management based on the results of its first two rounds.
In 2001, Pankaj Bajaj is considering whether to go forward with a residential development outside New Delhi. Facing an uncooperative local authority, he must determine how to evaluate the risks of proceeding against the potential loss of a golden opportunity to bring Eldeco, his real estate development company, into the top tier of industry players.
Presents the systems approach to law and management, a construct for understanding how public law affects the competitive environment and a firm's resources. Describes how the legally astute manager can use legal tools to assess opportunities, develop the firm's value proposition, and select and perform the activities in the value chain. Also, explains the social context in which business operates.
Howard Atkins, the chief financial officer of Wells Fargo, is considering issuing $3 billion in convertible debt. With an investment-grade credit rating, Wells Fargo is not the typical issuer of convertible securities, but the market conditions in 2003 are unusual. Strong demand from both convertible arbitrage hedge funds and income mutual funds appears to create an opportunity for Wells Fargo to raise capital at a low cost.
In 2004, Adrian Pandal is seeking financing for a residential conversion of a building in Mexico City's historic center district. He must convince potential lenders that the project is viable and that it makes sense to bet on the future potential of an area that, until recently, has not attracted substantial real estate investment.
Five years after the launch of the Frederick Douglass Charter School, the school's performance is under review by the state board of education as part of a decision about whether to renew the school's charter for a school as well as the implications of a state-administered accountability system based on student achievement data.
How do you go to market with a brand new product in a new industry? How does a business develop an opportunity and then adapt its strategy to ensure success? Who are the early adopters and how does a business work with them? Katherine Hays, chief operating office at Massive Inc., faced several options for guiding the development and launch of the Massive Ad Network. Massive had recognized that young males, ages 18 to 34, were becoming increasingly hard to reach through traditional means of advertising yet, at the same time, video game usage by this highly coveted market segment had skyrocketed and online game advertising provided a valuable revenue opportunity. To capitalize on the situation, Massive had built a product that enabled the dynamic delivery of advertising content into video games. Although the concept was simple, successful adoption of the new advertising medium required the enthusiastic buy-in from three distinct audiences: game publishers and developers, advertisers and their media buyer, and gamers. To be successful, Massive needed to continue to ask questions, experiment, and listen to each of these constituencies.
This technical note describes the process of hypothesis-driven thinking, using examples from strategy consulting, medicine, and architecture. Associated with the scientific method, hypothesis-driven thinking focuses on the creative generation of alternative hypotheses and on their subsequent validation or refutation through the use of data. Hypothesis generation asks the creative question, "What if ...?" Hypothesis testing follows with "If ..., then ..." and brings relevant data to bear on the analysis. Taken together, and repeated over time, this sequence allows us to pose ever-improving hypotheses without forfeiting the ability to explore new ideas.
Technically, the Three-Paned Model helps us understand the determinants of interest rates in general but tells us nothing about any particular interest rate. The vagueness of the Three-Paned Model is useful when first learning international macroeconomics, but is untenable as we move toward a more complete understanding of interest rates. This technical note is much more precise about real and nominal interest rates, providing a more complete IS/LM model as a driver of general movements in interest rates, presenting a supply and demand model for bonds that further enhances our understanding of interest rate movements, and discussing the yield curve, which informs us about the relationship between similar bonds of different maturities.