One year later, Yashiro and his management team can be proud of the young bank's first-year results, but face a set of difficult implementation issues.
This technical note introduces students to the concept, use, and mechanics of flexible budgeting. It is best used at the beginning of a course module on budgeting or performance measurement/management.
The case provides the background for a hands-on data-mining exercise. The purpose of the analysis is to identify high value customers of an online retailer in order to give them VIP treatment. The exercise is described in "Identifying the VIPs at eTOTS" (UV2918).
This case contains the instructions for a hands-on data-mining exercise. The purpose of the exercise is to identify high value customers of an online retailer in order to give them VIP treatment. The exercise uses purchase data for 60,000 customers. The background is described in "Customer Care at eTots.com" (UV2916).
The largest hospital system in Wisconsin is trying to respond to new threats from nontraditional care providers. This case presents the hospital's dilemma as it tries to create change from within.
The case deals with the concepts relating to finalization of accounts using basic data on transactions. It is expected that income statement, balance sheet and adjusting will be passed with the help of information given within the case.
Komia Holdings SA is the second largest fixed-telephony operator in Poland. The chief executive officer must decide if the company should participate in the government bidding process to acquire an operating license for the third generation (3G) wireless telecommunications in Poland. This technology will allow the company to offer high-speed Internet access as well as many promising multimedia services on mobile handsets. He must consider his company's strategy, competition from other operators and several political debates about the bidding process that has lead to changes in the way the process is handled. The supplement, Komia and the 3G Wireless Phone Auction in Poland (B), product 9B01M038 follows, with the decision of Komia to participate in the bidding process.
The purpose of this note is to prepare the student for a series of exercises in making marketing economics calculations. These calculations are not replacements for spreadsheets or more detailed economic calculations such as net present value or return on investment. They are "back of the envelope" estimates that can easily be communicated to others to buttress arguments about what a company should or should not do in a decision situation.
In early 1999, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., had to determine the appropriate U.S. launch strategy for the next-generation video game player, Sony PlayStation2. Despite the success of the original PlayStation1, new competitors and an uncertain consumer environment make the launch difficult. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
The senior management team of Dakota, an office products distributor, is concerned about the company's first loss in history. Explores the role for activity based costing and customer profitability measurement in a distribution company. Dakota's customers are increasingly demanding more specialized services, such as desktop delivery. Also, whereas some customers have switched to electronic ordering, others continue to place their orders manually. Pricing is based on a fixed markup of the cost of the purchased item. The managers feel that the fixed markup may not be compensating them for the higher costs of manual order processing and desktop delivery. The financial manager initiates an effort to estimate the costs of handling the different types of orders so that she can estimate the profitability of individual customers based on their actual order pattern.
Examines the founding and early development of an Indian venture capital firm. Focuses on the opportunity in the Indian high-technology sector, how the founders have adapted the U.S. venture capital model to an emerging market context, and the organizational challenges of early success.
Describes the execution of a new economy merger. Officenet, a bricks-and-clicks retailer of office supplies, is sold to an Internet pure-play, Submarino.com. Officenet's founders are in Brazil, where the company recently expanded its operations, and must consider several questions about the company's growth plans and financial position.
This case presents the situation of an unemployed web page designer who starts a new consulting firm with personal savings and a family loan. Two months later, she is to report on operations to her father, using financial reports she must design and construct.
Describes an initiative by Guinness, LLP to revise the process by which it centrally authorizes, supports, and reviews negotiations that are undertaken worldwide on its behalf. Senior managers wished to give regional officers enough discretion to respond to local conditions while still maintaining centralized control and coordination. Includes detailed descriptions of two such negotiations, one involving the dissolution of a partnership, the other a possible acquisition.
In the wake of the fraud conspiracy convictions of its former executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, the name Enron will likely long be synonymous with corporate corruption. But how did it rise, to the point of being the sixth highest-value US orporation, before its precipitous 2001 fall? This case provides a glimpse of a key element of Enron in action, as well as illuminating the complex process of foreign direct investment in a developing economy. The case focuses specifically on the Enron Development Corporation, that arm of the complex web of Enron subsidiaries which sought to build and operate power facilities around the world, including Argentina, Guatemala, the Philippines, Colombia and China. HKS Case Number 1618.1