The purpose of this note is to introduce the reader to the topic of intellectual property in the mid 1990s. Key aspects discussed include an overview of the law of intellectual property, how intellectual property is valued and the enforcement of intellectual property rights.
Highlights the decision that must be made on balancing customer acquisition and retention and de-emphasizing the structural issues involved in administering the independent contractor sales force.
Describes a conflict between the values and norms of a segment of an internal social system and those of management and the wider culture. Includes decision opportunity. A rewritten version of an earlier case.
In May 1995, Jonathan Schneider, the president of the Schneider Co., is faced with several related problems. First, he needs to find a new facility that can accommodate his expanding business. Second, he needs to decide whether to lease or purchase this new facility. And third, he needs to decide what to do about the existing facility, which he leases from his father.
Presents the outcome of Air Products ICON decentralization projects. New issues are explored, including the challenges of having a decentralized MIS staff, global network, client/server architecture, new data center issues, outsourcing, a new highly strategic customer interface, object-oriented programming (OOPS), and the future of the MIS organization. A rewritten version of two earlier cases.
Describes the industry context that has resulted in the development of efficient consumer response (ECR) within the grocery industry and its adoption by H.E. Butt Grocery Co.
Describes the history of the competition policy in the European Union, and focuses on the evolution of pan-European and member-state statutes. The tension between policy and enforcement at various levels draws attention to issues of market definition, especially in merger policy.
Describes the challenges confronting a recent HBS graduate who has started a direct-mail toy company. The entrepreneur must evaluate industry conditions in both toys and direct mail, and determine whether he has developed a viable business concept. Presents detailed financial projections associated with each of three major repositioning options.
This case allows students to experience a day as Sanjiv Yajnik, a new market manager, as he manages a continuous flow of decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives and severe time constraints. The case series illustrates the day-to-day reality of strategy implementation. The (A) case is Sanjiv's schedule for the day; the (B) and (C) cases are collections of e-mail messages and phone calls requiring his attention. (A 19-minute video can be purchased with the case, Taco Bell: A Day in the Life - Video.)
A new market manager must make numerous decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives. The manager must deal with a number of e-mail and telephone messages. This case supplements Taco Bell: A Day in the Life (A).
A new market manager must make numerous decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives. The manager must deal with a number of e-mail and telephone messages. This case supplements Taco Bell: A Day in the Life (A).
This note addresses four key issues of interest to the potential franchisor: 1. assessing the viability of the franchise concept; 2. financing the franchisor and franchisee; 3. designing the franchise agreement; and 4. the legal implications of the franchise agreement.
The president and owner of a small sandal factory realizes that if his company is to survive in the long-run, the manufacturing operation would need to become more efficient. Relaxed tariff barriers had increased the level of foreign competition in the country, particularly in the footwear industry. He had recently attended a seminar on total quality control (TQC) sponsored by the local trade association. Despite the potential benefits of TQC and its record of past successes, John was uncertain whether the Mexican employees would be able to implement TQC, a system that appeared to be based on different norms and values than those of Mexican workers.
The president and owner of a small sandal factory decided to implement TQC in his company factory. This case outlines the steps he followed, the problems he encountered and the measures he took to correct them as he introduced his employees to TQC. This case is intended to be used in conjunction with Sandalias Finas de Cuernavaca, S.A.: Total Quality Management (A), case 9A95C018.
Managers and management theorists spent the majority of this century building and perfecting the hierarchy; however, if we believe the press, they now appear to be engaged in destroying it. While many proclaim the dawning of the "Information Age" organization and the fading of the hierarchical organization as a trend of the 1990s, the roots of these changes can be traced to the 1950s. This note provides organization design frameworks and concepts for the design of the Information Age organization.
The co-evolution of technology, work, and the workforce over the past 30 years has dramatically influenced our concept of organizations and the industries within which they compete. No longer simply a tool to support "back-office" transactions, IT has become a strategic part of most businesses, enabling the redefinition of markets and industries and the strategies and designs of firms competing within them. But to achieve these information age benefits, companies must adopt information age technology architectures. Organizations must radically transform outdated IT architectures and the IT organizations required to support them. This technological transformation is every bit as daunting as the organizational transformation. This note describes general frameworks and concepts that managers can use to analyze their existing IT architecture and to define and manage the IT architecture required to support the information processing requirements of the Information Age organization.
The head of a bank's asset and liability committee has to approve an unexpectedly large overnight currency exposure or require at great cost that the exposure be reduced.