個案總覽

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 803161

Worldwide Equipment Ltd. is one of the world's largest manufacturers of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning equipment. The Beijing regional sales manager has just heard that the sales performance of his office ranked the lowest among the sales offices in China. As a result, the Beijing sales force will not receive their year-end bonuses unless the situation can be turned around quickly. The regional sales manager must determine whether the sales management process or a recent new hire on the sales force, whose hiring was strongly suggested by the manager's boss, are to blame for the poor sales performance and how to keep the situation from recurring.

Deals with the issue of integrating two large business groups after the No. 6 air conditioner manufacturer, Kelon Group, acquired the No. 5 air conditioner producer, Huabao. Whereas Kelon Group is a nonstate-owned company, Huabao was spun off from a state-owned enterprise group. It was a landmark acquisition case in which a nonstate entrepreneurial firm took over a state enterprise that had a strong name brand and national reputation. The two companies have different resource bases, history, tradition, corporate culture, management style, product features, and reward systems. They were traditionally close rivals located in the same township. The combined capacity will make the new Kelon-Huabao the top air conditioner manufacturer in terms of market share, assuming a successful merger and integration.

In 1992, Toys "R" Us, the pioneer of the "category killer" retail format, faced significant competitive threats from mass discounters and warehouse clubs and was losing market share. This case explores the dynamic sustainability of Toys "R" Us's retailing model, its competitive options, and the benefits and costs of leveraging market power.

Supplements the (A) case.

To distribute products to very small retailers in a very fragmented retail environment, the local subsidiary of a large consumer products company created an innovative distribution mechanism. The subsidiary's Small Local Stores division employed middlemen who distributed vans full of consumer products throughout the Philippines. The channel was growing rapidly, but it was the company's least profitable. Now the subsidiary had to decide what to do. Should it try to squeeze more margins out of the channel, even if that would lower the middlemen's incentives? Should it scrap the channel altogether? Or should it try to build an internal capability to reach the smallest stores, even if it involved significant capital expenditures? Regional management was due to arrive and the company had to come up with a plan.

Describes a marketing executive and an engineer who are starting a company together. Each is still at his/her former employer, and each has signed a different employment agreement that, on paper, may prohibit soliciting customers or employees. Focuses on how individuals should think about leaving their employers in general and how these specific legal agreements may impact the situation. Includes issues dealing with venture capitalists, nondisclosure agreements, and selecting a lawyer.

Describes a company during the start-up phase and focuses on the founders' decisions regarding splitting the equity and compensation. Also considers establishing policies and practices that will set the tone for the company as it grows. Discusses a number of specific action issues including: splitting equity and compensation among the founding team and follow-on employees, designing compensation and hiring practices for the young firm, deciding what the corporate culture should be and how to institutionalize it, and deciding whether to hire a senior-level employee--the first nonfounder employee--at a salary higher than, and equity allocation similar to, the founders.

Describes how Intuit, Inc.'s CEO, Steve Bennett, changes the company from an entrepreneurial "siloed" organization into a collaborative one.

This technical note defines some of the key vocabulary and theories used in ethical decisions and situations, providing a framework for the discussion of ethical issues in business. It builds on and further develops the already familiar ways in which we think and talk about ethics. It provides background, language, and concepts to identify and analyze managerial problems from an ethics perspective.

The concept of deferred tax accounting is introduced, along with examples to demonstrate the balance sheet perspective of FAS #109.

In less than a decade, Bombardier had grown from a medium-size Canadian company to a highly profitable global player largely on the strength of the introduction of a new generation of regional jet and successfully marketing its product to airlines around the world. Events taking place on the other side of the globe, however, threatened Bombardier's hard-earned success. A nasty trade dispute with Brazilian rival Embraer was dragging on into its fifth year with no end in sight. Recent developments in the dispute at the WTO were forcing CEO Robert Brown and his team to decide on a strategy for what could very well turn out to be the most critical year in the company's history.

Almost immediately upon being appointed CEO of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Steve McCormick undertakes a radical reorganization of this global institution. TNC is the largest and, by most measures, the most successful environment organization in the world, with revenues in excess of $650 million and a strong balance sheet. Nevertheless, after an in-depth analysis using the McKinsey-developed 7-S model, McCormick contends that the current structure, a U.S. organization with overseas offices, must be transformed to a truly global entity to fulfill its mission. Most of the staff and volunteers at TNC agree with the proposed change but protest its speed and scope. With the plan half implemented, McCormick must decide whether to slow down or forge ahead, knowing there are significant potential consequences to either decision. This case explores how a nonprofit measures success, how the content and process components of change must intersect in a carefully planned fashion, the tensions between the benefits of local autonomy, and the need for organization-wide standards and oversight.

Greg Dyke, the new director general of the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) must decide whether to extend an already ambitious change effort at the world's largest public service broadcaster. The initial results of the effort are very positive: audience numbers are up, overhead costs are significantly reduced, and the organization has reduced management layers to bring the BBC closer to its viewers. However, employees say they do not feel their views are heard and feel that there is little cooperation between members of different divisions. Dyke wonders what more, if anything, can be done to address these other problems and unlock the unrealized creative potential he feels exists within the BBC. As the leader of an organization with a public service mandate but private sector competition, what can Dyke do to boost morale and creativity while satisfying his multiple constituencies?

Greg Dyke, the new director general of the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), has launched an ambitious change program, called Making It Happen, with the objective of unlocking creativity, building a sense of common purpose, and encouraging collaboration throughout the BBC. Using unorthodox techniques, management has created a massively collaborative process that has overcome much of the natural skepticism within the organization and allowed the employees of the BBC to create a shared set of objectives for the change effort. After 10 months, employees feel that things are changing and that the culture of the BBC has improved. However, there are signs of change fatigue and Dyke must decide how much further to go while ensuring that the gains that have been made will not be lost.

Yodlee is pioneering an emerging technology, "account aggregation," that allows Internet users to authenticate only once to have access to personal, password-protected account data from many sources. Yodlee offers this technology on a cobranded application service provider basis, primarily to financial institutions. In January 2001, the company acquired its only significant competitor, VerticalOne; the combined entity has almost 100 accounts, but 25 installed clients are on the VerticalOne platform. Yodlee managers must devise a plan to integrate VerticalOne into Yodlee and migrate the installed base of VerticalOne clients to the Yodlee platform.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case.

Le Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique S.A. (CSEM)--the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology--was a major nonprofit research institution located in Neuchatel, Switzerland, with roots in the Swiss watch industry. CSEM maintained close links to several Swiss universities, and over time, the center's activities expanded to include basic and applied research, contract production, and technology consulting. By the late 1990s, CSEM began spinning off promising commercial ventures and incorporating them as for-profit companies. In 2001, CEO Thomas Hinderling wondered whether any adjustments in CSEM's strategy were necessary or desirable going forward.

This case highlights the history of Arthur Andersen and the collapse of the firm following the Enron Corp. audit and the Department of Justice obstruction of justice conviction.