This note is part of a series entitled Strategic Alliances That Work. It provides guidelines to determine whether an alliance is an appropriate vehicle to pursue business objectives. Specifically, it covers areas such as the strategic rationale for the alliance, the identification of competence and resource gaps in relation to strategic objectives, and a firm's readiness to enter a collaborative arrangement. Related cases Strategic Alliances That Work: Selecting the Right Partner, Strategic Alliances That Work: Negotiating and Designing an Alliance and Strategic Alliances That Work: Implementing Winning Conditions, products 9B05M023, 9B05M024 and 9B05M025 are also available.
This note is part of a series entitled Strategic Alliances That Work. Key factors to consider during the selection process are the overall strategic fit between potential partners, the complementarities of each organization's strengths, weaknesses and operational practices, the sustainability of the relationship, consideration of how partner cultures may clash or complement one another, the degree of commitment to the partnership, and finally, the personal chemistry between both companies' management. Related cases Strategic Alliances That Work: Should You Build A Strategic Alliance?, Strategic Alliances That Work: Negotiating and Designing an Alliance and Strategic Alliances That Work: Implementing Winning Conditions, products 9B05M022, 9B05M024 and 9B05M025.
This note is part of a series entitled Strategic Alliances That Work. All the strategic analysis, negotiation, and implementation planning of a strategic alliance aims for the day the alliance can be formally launched. While much of the details depend on the specific nature of the agreement, there exist common practices that will take you far down the path of successful alliance management. These include laying a positive foundation with the right team and establishing productive linkages across both organizations. It also includes dedicated focus on building trusted relationships in the early days and structuring alliance activities for some early successes. Alliances usually define success in terms of financial returns; but when the honeymoon is over, enduring and sustainable benefits will be more easily achieved through additional emphasis on effective communications, constructive conflict resolution and continuous organizational learning - elements that support a productive relationship over time.
The account manager at the Business Development Bank of Canada must determine whether he will approve a loan to Forest of Flowers, a long-time client of the bank. The company had requested a long-term loan to finance the opening of two additional retail locations and was relying on the bank to finance plans for its expansion.
Capital Coast Health Limited is a public healthcare facility in central New Zealand. The new chief executive is confronted with serious internal problems and a persistent annual financial deficit that has been with the organization since its inception. Working in an uncertain and rapidly changing healthcare environment and constrained by government regulations, the chief executive officer must find a way to deliver quality care to the community and at the same time, motivate a large team of professionals who were already weary after years of change. The supplement "Capital Coast Health Limited: Being a Good Employer in the Midst of Change (B)", product 905M10 looks at one of the policies the chief executive officer must focus on.
The new chief executive officer of Capital Coast Health Limited, a government funded healthcare provider, has made many changes and succeeded in substantially reducing the financial deficit in his first year and a half. However, there were still a number of pressing concerns that needed to be addressed. The governing board of Capital Coast Health Limited has requested information about the Equal Employment Opportunity policies and practices in the organization. The request serves as a reminder to the CEO that internal issues should be a priority in the future. This is a supplement to Capital Coast Health Limited: Being a Good Employer in the Midst of Change (A), product 905M09.
The technical director of Shimla Dairy Products, a government-licensed food manufacturer, has spent time working in the cheese industry in Australia. He has returned to India with new skills and ideas to share with the company. Cheese is a fairly new product in India and he must decide how best to take advantage of the growth potential in the Indian cheese market. He must consider issues of marketing, branding, production processes, operations, and customer focus.
For three years after its spin off from Lucent in late 2000, Avaya struggled with how best to structure its go-to-market organization. Chronicles Avaya's repeated attempts to create an effective go-to-market structure. Ends in late 2003, when Don Peterson, the CEO, must choose between four final options.
Dexit is a new electronic payment system that offers a convenient alternative to cash for small-value retail transactions. The chief executive officer is faced with some critical target market and marketing mix decisions as she prepares for launch. The situation is complicated by the fact that action is needed on two fronts: Dexit must not only recruit end-consumers to use the service, it also has to convince merchants to install the payment terminals. Since paying with cash is free, the company will need to persuade both groups that the added convenience of Dexit justifies a transaction fee. Although the concept appears to have good potential, the recent test market failures of two similar offerings suggest that success is far from guaranteed. The case reinforces the importance of solid consumer analysis when selecting a target market, demonstrates the concept of value to the customer, and provides a basis for discussing push versus pull marketing strategies.
The National Hockey League's collective bargaining agreement was due to expire on September 15, 2004. As executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association, it is Bob Goodenow's responsibility to negotiate a new agreement in the players' best interests. The NHL has demanded that a salary cap be imposed in the next collective bargaining agreement and has threatened a lockout by owners if the players' association does not agree. The NHL has implemented a successful communications strategy and gained public support. Goodenow must decide how to proceed in order to gain a favorable position going into the negotiations and retain the loyalty of the fans on which the sport depends.
Bp's green re-branding efforts began officially with the unveiling of its new bp Helios mark, named after the Greek sun god. The new logo did away with 70 years of corporate branding, replacing the bp shield, long associated in consumers' minds with the strength of British imperialism. The Helios mark cost US$7 million to develop and was forecast to cost the company another US$100 million a year to integrate into marketing and operations over the next two years. At the logo's unveiling, the company's chief executive officer directed attention to the company's recent purchase of the solar energy company Solarex, an acquisition that made bp the world's largest solar energy company. The unveiling of the Helios logo was a formalization of a re-branding strategy that had begun to emerge the year before with the CEO's announcement that 200 new bp sites around the world would be powered in part by solar energy, through solar panels placed on the roofs of gas pumps, and his commitment to reducing bp's own carbon dioxide emissions by 10 per cent by the year 2010. From the start, however, environmental groups heaped scorn on bp's green re-branding. Greenpeace gave the company its Greenhouse Greenwash Award, given to the largest corporate climate culprit on earth.
According to the American Management Association, 25 per cent of companies are dissatisfied with outsourcing and more than half have brought outsourced services back in house. Education Development Center (EDC), a non-governmental organization, is an example of offshoring best practice and will help identify factors for successful implementation of an outsourcing project. The case starts with a description of EDC and its inability to manage a high level of growth with a fragmented and outdated information infrastructure. As a non-profit organization, EDC had different pressures on its cost and revenues that for-profit organization.
Capital Coast Health Limited is a public healthcare facility in central New Zealand. The new chief executive is confronted with serious internal problems and a persistent annual financial deficit that has been with the organization since its inception. Working in an uncertain and rapidly changing healthcare environment and constrained by government regulations, the chief executive officer must find a way to deliver quality care to the community and at the same time, motivate a large team of professionals who were already weary after years of change. The supplement Capital Coast Health Limited: Being a Good Employer in the Midst of Change (B), product 9B05M010 looks at one of the policies the chief executive officer must focus on.
The new chief executive officer of Capital Coast Health Limited, a government funded healthcare provider, has made many changes and succeeded in substantially reducing the financial deficit in his first year and a half. However, there were still a number of pressing concerns that needed to be addressed. The governing board of Capital Coast Health Limited has requested information about the Equal Employment Opportunity policies and practices in the organization. The request serves as a reminder to the CEO that internal issues should be a priority in the future. This is a supplement to Capital Coast Health Limited: Being a Good Employer in the Midst of Change (A), product 9B05M009.
This is a descriptive note of banking in the Caribbean region. It illustrates the complex and dynamic environment in which banking takes place in the region, and it serves as a background paper for the series of cases associated with the formation and operation of the FirstCaribbean International Bank.
The category manager and category development analyst for bicycles and bike accessories at Canadian Tire Corporation were faced with making both strategic branding and tactical assortment decisions in an effort to grow the sales and profitability of the bicycle business for Canadian Tire Retail. Sales have been flat due to increased competition, lack of product innovation and a market that was not growing. The category team must evaluate opportunities to add a premium, national brand to the retail chain's brand portfolio.
This case consists of a letter to Herb Kelleher, chairman of Southwest Airlines requesting his comments on a pair of first-hand experiences on Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways flights.
The Turkish home appliances firm Arcelik is revisiting its growth strategy. Options for growth include continuing to promote currently owned brands in international markets, acquiring new brands, expanding OEM or private-label contracts, and/or diversifying into other businesses within Turkey. Details Arcelik's position within various markets and relevant features of the home appliances industry.