The company is coming into the market with an industrial chemical in the 1990s. Their competitor is a firm which has had a monopoly in the market for many years through patent protection. Hudson must decide on a pricing policy for its new product.
Studds, the leading India-based manufacturer of bi-wheeler helmets, was at an impasse in joint venture negotiations with Nolan of Italy. The partially-implemented joint venture between the two companies appeared a perfect match. Studds had a considerable cost advantage in the production of helmets and Nolan had formidable marketing strengths. At issue is whether Studds should continue to pursue or terminate the final joint venture negotiations. This case should be used in an international business course to illustrate issues central to internationalization and problems inherent in partnering where the risks of the joint venture are substantial to both firms.
Explores the peso crisis of 1994-95 and why it occurred. Students must examine Mexico's policies, the capital market's reactions, and the implications of devaluation for future capital flows and growth.
In June 1995, Barbara Schetter, VP and general manager of R.R. Donnelley's Digital Division, is struggling to gain acceptance from other groups and divisions at the printing giant. The Digital Division employs radically new technology--digital printing presses and transactions management systems--to deliver short-run, customized printing. But it is based on a completely different business model than Donnelley's traditional businesses and is finding it difficult to overcome informal resistance.
The acting controller and head of the accounting department at Texas Western Thailand has been reprimanded for developing and using a modified version of the standard company accounting system in Thailand. He believes that the modified system is more appropriate for conditions within his division and in the Thai environment. This case could be used in an international accounting class to discuss problems arising from different accounting methods among countries; in an international cross-cultural management course, or in an international organizational behaviour course dealing with the tensions between international standardization versus local responsiveness.
The CEO of a Singapore-based computer company, with successful operations in Europe and Asia, was contemplating whether to pursue growth opportunities in the United States. The company had to decide between developing its own subsidiary, acquiring a small mail-order company based in Austin, Texas, or not entering the U.S. market at this time. If the acquisition option was pursued, there were challenges regarding fixing an appropriate value for the company, as well as integrating the American subsidiary into its own global network.
The management of the Samsung Group has to decide whether to enter the Korean theme park industry. The case focuses on three main issues in the context of the entry decision:<ul><li>The underlying forces that shape industry structure, competitive interaction, and profits.</li><li>The impact of globalization on industry structure.</li><li>The relationship between a firm’s resources and its strategy.</li></ul>Porter’s Five Forces model is used to analyze the impact of the competitive forces on profitability. A 15-minute video, product # 7A96M006, can be purchased for this case.
The airline industry has already made competitive use of the technology that enables it to change prices daily or even hourly. But this technology now exists for everyone. Are we soon to see the price of blue jeans change by the hour? Those who wait to see what the competition does before they themselves react, may never be able to catch up.
The dramatic shifts of the imaging industry from analog to digital technology is creating emerging markets in 1995. How can a competitor position itself to enter the market successfully? This case describes the key technologies, market segments, competitors, and strategic issues in the emerging digital camera market. Focuses on the emergence of business and consumer segments for desktop personal computer imaging--the so-called "descent to the desktop." Competitors profiled are Apple, Canon, Dycam, Eastman Kodak, Fuji, and Sony.
Creativity, the production of new and useful ideas by individuals or teams, can appear in many forms and many functions within firms of all kinds--from entrepreneurial start-ups to well-established enterprises. This note describes the varieties of creativity in organizations, and dispels common myths about what creativity is. Proposes a method for recognizing creativity, outlines the necessary components for individual creativity, and introduces a model of how organizational influences can affect creativity. Critiques some common methods for enhancing creativity, and discusses how creativity can result in innovation.
An investment advisor in an RBC Dominion Securities Inc. branch office, was considering whether or not to implement a price momentum strategy for his clients. Trend and Cycle, Dominion Securities' technical research department, had recently circulated a copy of a study which described a simple price momentum model and referred to its startling results based on back-testing the strategy over a fifteen-year period. The Trend and Cycle group had long promoted the importance of price momentum and relative strength to potential clients. The investment advisor needed to determine whether the proposed model was too good to be true or, if it did look promising, how he would go about implementing such a strategy for his clients.
Weston Presidio Capital encounters substantial difficulties while raising its first fund. The incentives and roles of investment advisors ("gatekeepers") pension funds and consultants are explored. The relationship with lead investors is considered.
Illinois Superconductor Corp. a technology start-up, came up with an innovative new superconducting filter for use in cellular base stations. It needed to estimate the demand for its filters. The manager came up with a simple chain-ratio-based forecasting model that, while simple and intuitive, was too simplistic. The company had also commissioned a research firm to develop a model-based forecast. The model-based forecast used diffusion modeling, analogy-based forecasting, and conjoint analysis to create a forecast that incorporated customer preferences, diffusion effects, and competitive dynamics.
Jan Bakke, founder and chairman of Norway-based MRT, was planning the U.S. market entry strategy for CardioScope--its electrocardiograph system. How could MRT get a foothold in the U.S. market against competitors who had been around for 50 years? How could he ensure that MRT would be able to defend itself once it entered the market? What segments should it target, and how should it position itself?
The purpose of this note is to update a person already familiar with third-party logistics companies (3PLs) on issues facing the industry, and also to provide a listing of available resources on the World Wide Web related to 3PLs. We first cover basic concepts about 3PLs, and the benefits and risks of outsourcing logistics functions to these companies. Then we discuss current issues facing 3PLs. Finally, we present a summary of some of the most important 3PL-related sites organized by content.
This case describes a community-based healthcare clinic and the issues facing the management and board of directors. The issues raised are common problems faced by all types of nonprofit organizations: insufficient fundraising and marketing policies to guide board decision making, confusion over staff and board roles in decision making, poorly thought-out bylaws that contribute to the confusion over board and staff roles, the challenge of harnessing the diverse backgrounds and opinions of a community-based board of directors, and lack of sound financial planning.
Public sector unions are the fastest-growing sector of organized labor in the US, and are key players to be considered by a wide variety of elected and appointed public officials. This case, in contrast to most in both public management and business school collections, is told through the eyes of a labor leader, the executive director of the Ohio state government branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. It traces the evolution of an emerging union philosophy aimed at improving the long-term lot of members through increased productivity and efficiency, goals articulated in Ohio State government through a variation of total quality management techniques. The sense of steady, incremental progress and labor-management cooperation is disrupted, however, when a legislative demand for cost savings turns the state's Department of Administrative Services into a budget battleground. AFSCME executive director Paul Goldberg must decide how to respond to the immediate crisis in a way that preserves the "quality management" approach in which he believes but also convinces members that the union will continue to stand up for them.