Cross River makes and sells an innovative, folding baby stroller to the U.S. market. The company has broken even in its first year, selling mainly to small retailers. CEO Deaver Brown urgently wants to expand distribution to national chains and has secured appointments with the buyers of Macy's and K-Mart. What pitch should he make?
In this two-part case series, Jackie Woods and her family are planning a trip to Europe when she is appointed to a key task force at Ameritech. Her colleagues are canceling their vacations to participate in the task force, but Jackie's family has been looking forward to this time together. At the same time, she and her husband have been wondering what future they have at Ameritech. See also the B case (UVA-BP-0331). A teaching note is available for registered faculty, along with video supplements to enhance student learning.
Members of TD's Personal Financial Services Division's marketing research team, were preparing their presentation to a group of the bank's senior vice-presidents. They had worked for three years developing and testing the Customer Service Index, the bank's first tangible tool to measure service quality. They now had to get the senior vice-presidents to ensure the successful adoption and use of this instrument. How could they convince their audience to accept and promote this new method of service measurement? The case is followed by a supplement case bearing the same name, case 9A93D010, set one year later.
Members of TD's Personal Financial Services Division's marketing research team, were preparing their presentation to a group of the bank's senior vice-presidents. They had worked for three years developing and testing the Customer Service Index, the bank's first tangible tool to measure service quality. They now had to get the senior vice-presidents to ensure the successful adoption and use of this instrument. How could they convince their audience to accept and promote this new method of service measurement? The case is followed by a supplement case bearing the same name, case 9A93D010, set one year later.
Members of TD's Personal Financial Services Division's marketing research team, were reviewing the success of the Customer Service Index (CSI) which they had been instrumental in introducing to the bank a year earlier. They were now considering introducing other service-related products including a Good Service Guarantee and a productivity program. They were wondering how to keep the enthusiasm for the CSI alive. The case is preceded by a case bearing the same name, case 9A93D009, set one year earlier.
Applichem manufactures the same chemical product in four plants, each of which is located in a different country. The company has completed a major study comparing the productivity and performance of these plants. Using the data from the study, students must decide which, if any, plants to close. The case requires students to think about the relevant metrics for comparing the performance of plants that operate very differently and in different countries. An important issue is the distinction between physical measures of productivity and financial measures of performance. Finally, the case allows students to think about what management might do to ensure that productivity improvements are shared across the plant network.
The note describes the reasons for the current Canadian financial accounting standards for lease accounting and the accounting entries for both the lessor and the lessee. A comparison between a capital lease and operating lease is provided so that the financial statement impact of the accounting standard can be discussed.
In late June 1987, Ron MacKenzie, executive vice-president of Quadra Logic Technologies Inc. (QLT) located in Vancouver, was thinking over the firm's latest opportunity to commercialize a product. The small company's research group had come up with a drug which, when combined with laser technology, could be used in the treatment of cancer. Killing malignant tumours with beams of light ... it's right out of science fiction, he muttered to himself. We've got to market this product. But how? Can we do it ourselves or should we sell it to someone else? Maybe we should wait until we're in a better position to support it. A follow-up case, Quadra Logic Technologies Inc. (B) is also available.
The note describes the reasons for the Canadian financial accounting standards for lease accounting and the accounting entries for both the lessor and the lessee in 1993. A comparison between a capital lease and operating lease is provided so that the financial statement impact of the accounting standard can be discussed.
Discusses Roger Smith's tenure as CEO of General Motors. Describes his vision for changing General Motors, and how he went about implementing that vision.
In this hypothetical case, 21-Speed Gizmos, Inc., a manufacturer of electronic bicycle components for the serious cyclist, must decide what price to charge for a new product. Describes the product and includes cost and demand information available for making the pricing decision.
In April 1992, American Airlines launched "Value Pricing" -- a radical simplification of the complex pricing structure that had evolved over more than a decade following deregulation of the U.S. domestic airline industry. American expected that the new pricing structure would benefit consumers and restore profitability to both American and the industry as a whole. The critical issue raised is: Would American's bold initiative work?
Teams of students receive identical product design specifications, a sample unit of the product, and a series of assignment questions that entail time and motion studies, which they must both understand and perform before class discussion. In class, teams explain how they conducted time studies and sort out differences in procedures. They then make business decisions like hiring and staffing in light of remaining differences in time standards across teams. The class also includes an experiment in which student volunteers actually produce the product to assess the effect of division of labor and brainstorm concrete cost reduction ideas, principally those based on methods improvement.
Flanders is a catalog merchandiser. Various decisions on catalog distribution policy, ordering and inventory policy, and catalog format design are considered. This was a final examination, and serves as a review for a number of topics in the course.