Illustrates: 1) the impact of a manager's leadership style on corporate culture, direction, and performance; 2) the concept of fit between leadership style and the requirements of situations in which managers find themselves; and 3) the need for managers to adapt their styles as situational requirements change. More specifically, it provides an opportunity to look at some of the special issues of: 1) being a black woman manager; 2) the advantages and disadvantages associated with a "family corporate culture"; and 3) managing in a creative business. Does not substantially differ from the (A) case, but it does emphasize more strongly Suzanne de Passe's success. Students have misunderstood the standards of the entertainment industry, and this case makes Motown's accomplishments clearer.
Watermill Ventures acquires and turns around an underperforming business. The case describes the criteria the company uses to identify acquisition candidates, its screening and selection process, and the way it introduces strategic thinking at the business it acquires. Steve Karol, Watermill's founder, is concerned because the company has only acquired two companies in its three years of operation. He is considering a number of actions, including establishing a Web site to broaden the base of contact.
Provides questionnaires so students can compare their experiences with different decison-making processes. Students read "Growing Pains," a Harvard Business Review (HBR) case study, and then work in teams to come up with recommendations using a consensus approach to decison making. The next day using Decision-Making Exercise (B) and (C) and "Case of the Unhealthy Hospital," another HBR case study, and working in the same teams, use either a dialectical inquiry or devil's advocacy approach to decision making.
Provides questionnaires so students can compare their experiences with different decison-making processes. Students read "Growing Pains," a Harvard Business Review (HBR) case study, and then work in teams to come up with recommendations using a consensus approach to decison making. The next day they use Decision-Making Exercise (B) and (C) and "Case of the Unhealthy Hospital," another HBR case study and, working in the same teams, use either a dialectical inquiry or devil's advocacy approach to decision making.
Provides questionnaires so students can compare their experiences with different decison-making processes. Students read "Growing Pains," a Harvard Business Review (HBR) case study, and then work in teams to come up with recommendations using a consensus approach to decison making. The next day they use Decision-Making Exercise (B) and (C) and "Case of the Unhealthy Hospital," another HBR case study and, working in the same teams, use either a dialectical inquiry or devil's advocacy approach to decision making.
John Hansen, CEO of ThermoLase, must develop a plan of action to exploit the company's new development-stage revolutionary hair removal technology with negligible revenues and a $500 million market capitalization. This nascent public Thermo Electron spin out company has the opportunity to change the U.S. beauty industry if Hansen can develop and execute an effective rollout strategy. Teachng Purpose: To introduce students to the Thermo Electron development strategy in the context of a high-potential, development-stage, retail/consumer-oriented business.
A medium-sized investment management firm is attempting to decide whether to try to grow, and if so, how. It is a complicated decision because the managing partner and her colleagues have significantly different views. This case provides the background on the industry, firm, and situation.
Continues the plot about growth and sales strategies, and adds interesting pricing and sales compensation elements. The partners' meeting sharpens the disagreements among the five partners, and forces Anne Howard, the managing partner, to develop a clear action plan.
Goes to the heart of the sales strategy issues by asking discussion participants to: 1) develop a salesperson recruiting process, 2) choose among four resumes, and 3) develop a sales compensation approach.
Eve Stacey, a recent Harvard MBA, has the challenging task of evaluating the market opportunity for NutraSweet in China. She must decide how best to develop the market for the product in China. May be used with NutraSweet in China (B).
Set in January 1994, this case concerns a discussion between a money manager and her assistant about approaches for analyzing an offering of convertible bonds by Boston Chicken. The analysis compares the insights available from standard descriptive ratios with those available from valuation analysis. The case is intended to be a student's first exercise in analyzing convertible bonds, and it assumes some familiarity with option-pricing theory and bond valuation. The format of the case (clear tasks and conversational style) is intended to disarm the novice. Nevertheless, the case raises many important and interesting points that will easily fill a class period.
Provides the context and hard copy material to accompany a video sales presentation. Participants are asked to develop criteria for evaluating a sales presentation and then to apply the criteria to the video presentation.
This case exercise enables an understanding of applying Queuing models in the context of Queues in a post office. The issues of universalization of country due to computerization, appropriate segmentation of client system to help demand analysis are also highlighted.
A regional producer of baked goods faces the challenge of developing and bringing to market as quickly as possible a new nonfat cookie. The project manager decides to use CPM (critical path method) to coordinate the product's introduction. The case provides the necessary planning data to create and schedule the project network diagram. The case is designed to be used with the note "Network Planning/Scheduling Techniques for Project Management," (UVA-OM-0294) or similar reading.
Discusses the joint venture between two companies with different capabilities: 1) technology provider and 2) transportation agent. Discusses how to capture value from joint venture and biotechnology: 1) who are winners and who are losers; 2) how much value can/should be captured; 3) sustainability issues; 4) implications for agriculture/agchem industry/relationships between supply chain members. Delta & Pine and Monsanto are licensing a new technology cotton seed. They must decide how to do it and how to evaluate its success.
Designed to help students identify patterns in their approaches to developing networks of relationships. A "network" refers to the set of relationships that help people to advance professionally, get things done, and more generally, develop personally and professionally. A rewritten version of an earlier exercise.