Describes two alternative tree cutting strategies. The first is to cut all trees that are at least 12 inches in diameter at breast height. The second is to thin the forest by cutting less desirable trees immediately and harvesting the crop trees later. The case presents information for students to estimate the cash flows for each alternative. After estimating the corresponding cash flows, students have the opportunity to use discounted cash flow techniques to decide when to cut trees under each strategy and to select which strategy maximizes the value of the forest.
In January 1999, Francisco de Narvaez sold Tia, his family's retail business in Argentina. De Narvaez reflects on the decision to sell and the selling process.
A new approach to philanthropy, led by venture capitalists and the "new wealth." has emerged in the last two years. They are applying the same accountability criteria from results as they would with their investment portfolio.
Procter & Gamble's (P&G) Pringles potato chips have been a very successful brand. This case reviews the development and first launch in the United States, then in markets around the world. Italy is one of the last countries where Pringles will be launched. Should P&G Italy employ the successful launch strategy used throughout Europe or devise its own?
Hilton Hotels regards the frequent guest program as the industry's most important marketing tool, directing marketing efforts at the heavy user. What is Hilton to do then, when a competitor ups the ante? This case illustrates the economics of frequency marketing in industries with a very distinct "heavy half" to their customer base, and lets students debate what to do when Sheraton and Westin seemingly overdo a good thing.
Describes the challenges a firm faces in building and sustaining a value proposition over time. Describes major ways in which the marketing environment changes over time and the methods a firm can use to protect its market position.
MBA student Doyle Williams searches for his ideal job in a private equity group and uses his negotiation skills to try to attain the best possible compensation package. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
A start-up team is faced with the challenge of building a senior management team with relevant industry experience. The marriage of e-commerce and the transportation logistics industry creates unusual problems in blending "old economy" employees and employee practices (compensation/equity) and company cultures.
BizRate is a market research firm that collects point-of-purchase customer feedback data from retailing merchants. It then makes its findings available to consumers in the form of "BizRate star ratings," which are displayed on its website. To date, its primary revenue source has come directly from this market research (the company sells detailed customer feedback analysis reports to vendors). In October 1999 (Red October), BizRate introduced a number of e-commerce initiatives, which were so successful that the company's e-commerce revenues are now on the verge of eclipsing revenues from BizRate's research division. This has led to a debate over whether or not BizRate should dump the research side of its business altogether (i.e., continue to collect point-of-sale and follow-up data, but stop producing research reports for vendors) in order to focus on becoming an e-commerce referral site. Includes color exhibits.
Describes Rob Waldron's actions upon assuming leadership of SCORE! Educational Centers, an after-school tutoring enterprise. Examines the issue of acquiring and growing a small, privately-owned company into a professional organization, especially regarding corporate culture. Describes the measures Waldron takes to build a culture and how he maintains the culture after the acquisition. Focuses on Waldron's actions in dealing with a growing employee morale problem. Concludes with Waldron deciding whether or not to alter the company's recruiting strategy. Includes SCORE! background material. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
The case presents the challenges of trying to get a highly successful company to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation. Peter Hake has been recently appointed vice president in charge of developing the new business side of the company. Hake has a support staff of five managers reporting to him, and their collective responsibility is to promote entrepreneurship within Intel. Hake saw his central mission as creating a robust portfolio of new initiatives within the organization. After taking the job, Hake and his team have tried valiantly to encourage the young talent in Intel, both engineers and managers, to take some risks and to pursue promising new technologies and businesses. After a year of such activities, their efforts have not shown good results. The case challenges students to think about the conditions necessary for creating a vibrant entrepreneurial culture and climate within a large firm. Ideal for use in courses on: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Venturing, Strategy.
Carrier, a division of mulitbusiness United Technologies Corporation (UTC), is looking for ways to grow its business. Carrier is considering expansion into commercial refrigeration and is examining a proposed purchase of Tyler Corporation--a major player in the display-case market. The case provides detail on various segments of the heating and cooling markets and thus allows analysis of the attractiveness of these segments to Carrier. The case also provides detailed forecasts for students to use in valuing the target, Tyler. The mechanics of a basic valuation are straightforward. There are, however, several opportunities for a more refined analysis.
The account manager of the Confederation Bank is being asked to significantly increase a loan to the London Ski Club, a not-for-profit organization (which has taken losses for the previous two years), in order to buy a key piece of equipment. Students will have the opportunity to size up the risks and opportunities presented by the borrower, prepare a projected income statement and balance sheet, assess the risks of lending to a not-for-profit enterprise, and to structure a loan deal.
The president of Pathway Communications Inc. (Pathway), a regional Internet service provider (ISP), had to decide the best course of action to transform Pathway into a national information technology firm that offered end-to-end technology support for a variety of consumer and business needs. At the same time, a regional telecommunications firm wanted to buy Pathway. He wondered if he should pursue this offer or one of the following options: franchise his concept and replicate the Pathway business model; execute a national roll-up by buying several smaller ISPs and then completing an initial public offering; or, combine his business with a larger ISP or other telecommunications firm. This comprehensive strategy case provides students with the opportunity to explore the issues of growth in a young, high-technology firm and to discuss the significant financial implications of the different alternatives.
<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Regional Asia-Pacific Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>The Internet investment craze was starting to catch on in Hong Kong. Tom.com Limited, a Hong Kong based Internet company, was planning an initial public offering at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. A portfolio manager for EuroGlobal Funds was to provide his professional opinion on the value of this investment and its appropriateness for different investors. He was aware of the difficulties in valuing Internet companies and the debate over the choice of valuation methods. Among these, one approach was to analyze the implied hyper-growth rate that Internet companies had to achieve in the next five years in order to justify their current valuations. He decided to apply this approach to Tom.com. Students will have the opportunity to discuss the different valuation methods and the development of Internet and e-commerce companies, especially topics such as business models and expected growth.
Describes how Cisco web-enabled their ERP systems and developed the "front office" systems to electronically link to their customers and suppliers. A rewritten version of an earlier case.