Examines several market entry options for R.R. Donnelley's expansion into Eastern Europe. Used as an introduction to a Harvard Business School course titled "New Opportunities in Emerging Markets." Asks students to consider the following issues: 1) the impact of macroeconomics and political instability on project profitability, 2) market research in an emerging market, 3) choice of a joint venture partner, 4) geographic versus industry diversification, and 5) capital structure.
A new general manager is supposed to rekindle growth. Seven months later, he questions the abilities of his direct reports. An organizational psychologist is brought in to assess his people. The general manager now has to decide who to keep and how to structure his direct report team.
A large restaurant chain undergoes a leveraged buyout and subsequent recapitalization. Financial and operating problems at the company force it to consider various restructuring options, including a "prepackaged" Chapter 11 exchange offer to its public bondholders. A rewritten version of two earlier cases.
The 1997 merger of retail giant Dean Witter and investment bank Morgan Stanley was a year old when Bob Sculthorpe was appointed director of Private Client Services (PCS) at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (MSDW). The firm was still operating under two separate broker-dealer registrations, and there had been no satisfactory resolution to the dilemma facing the leaders of the retail securities division of MSDW. Where did Morgan Stanley PCS and its high net worth focus fit into the retail/investment banking giant? Should Morgan Stanley PCS be merged with the 10,000 account executives of Dean Witter? Sculthorpe faced several dilemmas: Would the highly compensated MS PCS brokers stay in an integrated brokerage unit? Client retention could also be a problem if the two salesforces were merged in a manner inconsistent with the branding of either. With several key PCS investment professionals in various stages of considering whether to leave for competitors, he knew that he must act quickly and decisively.
A summer intern at Procter & Gamble must decide how he will manage the launch of DayQuil sampling in Canada despite product shortages, a too-tight time frame, and potentially explosive legal implications. In particular, the intern must determine who in the organization is best able to help him and how he needs to approach those potential sources of help.
Xerox has established a new spinoff that utilizes software technology developed at its PARC research facility. This spinoff, Inxight Software, is formulating its plans to commercialize PARC's technology via an OEM component business model.
Provides an overview of the current restructuring that is taking place in the retail financial services industry. Provides a brief overview of the structural changes in banking, brokerage, insurance, and mutual funds. Used as background for examining the strategies of several firms competing in this space.
Provides an overview of Charles Schwab's current strategy for retail financial services. Retail Financial Services in 1998 should be given to all students as background material. The class should then be split into groups, with each group receiving one of the following cases: Retail Financial Services in 1998: Charles Schwab, Retail Financial Services in 1998: Fidelity Investments, Retail Financial Services in 1998: First Union, Retail Financial Services in 1998: Merrill Lynch, or Retail Financial Services in 1998: Travelers to prepare in order to understand how each player is attempting to capture value in the converging world of retail financial services.
Provides an overview of Travelers Group's current strategy for retail financial services. Retail Financial Services in 1998 should be given to all students as background material. The class should then be split into groups, with each group receiving one of the following cases: Retail Financial Services in 1998: Charles Schwab, Retail Financial Services in 1998: Fidelity Investments, Retail Financial Services in 1998: First Union, Retail Financial Services in 1998: Merrill Lynch, or Retail Financial Services in 1998: Travelers to prepare in order to understand how each player is attempting to capture value in the converging world of retail financial services.
Examines corporate strategy for a diversified firm in the French business context. Issues include corporate governance, vision, and the management of unrelated diversification. After the company's first loss ever, the Vivendi board elected a new chairman who completed a financial restructuring and articulated a new corporate strategy. His actions were in part determined by the French business environment, which does not easily permit staff reductions, and by the increasing importance of foreign investors in France.
The city manager's office in Charlotte, North Carolina, is attempting to align and focus the city's programs and operating departments. City managers, working collaboratively with the elected mayor and city council, have identified five strategic themes to make Charlotte the number one city in which to live and work. The themes are community safety, transportation, strong neighborhoods, economic development, and cost-effective government. The city managers, however, find it difficult to get the individual city operating departments to orient their efforts to these five strategic themes. They use the four perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard to develop objectives for the five strategic themes. Once developed, each operating department then has been asked to develop departmental balanced scorecards to communicate and focus their local objectives toward accomplishing the city's strategic priorities. The case describes the development and use of the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system.
Describes Singulus, the compact disk metallizer business of Leybold AG, a large German company, which has been put up for sale. In April 1995, buyout firm Schroder Ventures has to decide whether to acquire the business. The investment decision is complicated by a number of factors, including Singulus' assets, which at this stage consist primarily of intellectual property and a customer list.
Explores the National Hockey League's participation in the 1998 Winter Olympics, for which a "winter break" was taken from the regular schedule. The benefits and risks associated with the NHL's Olympic participation are one specific focus. In addition, the case address fan development and league growth, including franchise expansion to the U.S. Sun Belt, the role of national television for the NHL, and the impact of Grassroots Programs.
An overview of the rapid growth of stadium development in professional sports in the 1990s. The range of special stadium revenue streams is described along with specific examples of stadiums for the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers.
Describes an innovating start-up company with a disruptive technology to the large, expensive echocardiography machines that leading cardiologists use to create images of heart functions for diagnostic purposes. Ecton's machine is small, cheap, portable, and can't create images as clear as those that large, expensive instruments can make. The entrepreneur is searching for a market for his product, and wonders whether he should sell out or try to build a successful commercial organization.
Homegrocer is a new Internet-based grocery store that is experiencing slow market penetration because the business concept entails fundamentally changing individual grocery shopping behavior. The owner is wondering what it takes to attract new customers and then convert them into repeat customers. Other issues include lack of management IT experience, anticipated hyper-growth, investment decisions needed in a quickly changing industry, and funding in the future.
Mondex is a "smart card" application that can be used as a payment mechanism--much like cash, or debit/credit cards--to pay for small, everyday items. This case describes the development and implementation of the Mondex stored-value payment system. The Mondex Canada consortium includes the major Canadian financial institutions, led by Royal Bank and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Mondex has been undergoing a lengthy trial in the city of Guelph, Ontario. The director of marketing for Mondex Canada is faced with a rather large implementation challenge: planning and managing the roll-out of Mondex to the rest of the country.
The merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz produced genomic-based synergies for health care, agribusiness, and nutritional supplements. How to build on the strength of the individual divisions and provide synergies that would continue Novartis' leadership role is the question facing the company.