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Spreadsheet Supplement for case 194068

Presents a summary of analyst and newspaper reports of events. Designed as an in-class handout.

In 1988, Volkswagen (VW) consolidated its North American operations in Puebla, Mexico, after shutting down its plant in Pennsylvania. Volkswagen de Mexico had been in operation since the 1960s, but produced almost exclusively for the Mexican market. In the late 1980s, VW began to restructure the Mexican plant to supply the United States and Canada (which had been importing from Germany) and to maintain its dominance of the Mexican market. The North American Free Trade Agreement put additional pressure on VW to start sourcing in North America. The case traces the history of VW in the United States and Mexico and the company's strategy in the context of Mexican government regulations, free trade, and a weak presence in the U.S. market. Ends in August 1992, after VW had just resolved an unexpected and bitter month-long labor dispute that delayed the introduction of new cars to the United States. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Updates the Disposable Diaper Industry in 1974. Intended as an in-class handout.

Supplements the (A) case.

This technical note presents an overview of the process by which an analyst can assess the financial policy of a firm. It defines several dimensions of financial policy, offers three benchmarks against which to evaluate the policy, and reviews the FRICTO framework with which to assess proposals for future financial policy.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Chief information officers have the difficult job of running a function that uses a lot of resources but offers little measurable evidence of its value. To make the information systems department an asset to their companies--and to keep their jobs--CIOs should think of their work as adding value in certain key areas. Accordingly, CEOs can take a number of steps to aid a CIO's efforts. Based on studies of information systems leaders in 60 organizations, this article presents a portrait of successful CIOs and the CEOs who support them.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Supplements Part 1.

Reebok International Ltd. is preparing to launch its first global advertising campaign for "Planet Reebok" in three European countries--France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Planet Reebok was recently launched in the United States during the 1993 Superbowl. The company conducted market research on the Planet Reebok concept in the three countries.

Supplements Planet Reebok (A).

Describes a small company selling freshly baked goods through privately owned specialty stores (each store sells only Mrs. Fields products). The company has about 8,000 employees worldwide and less than 150 information systems people for a unique leverage of MIS resources. The company uses information systems extensively in its processing, communications, and other management functions, including operations of the stores and hiring sales employees. Teaching objectives include discussion of information technology architecture, organizations, management control, and strategy. A condensed version of Mrs. Fields Cookies.

Provides a basic understanding of real options in corporate finance. Traditional discounted cash flow techniques (NPV) do not deal well with managerial flexibility or future response to uncertainty. The value of this flexibility can be significant and is handled well by option-pricing techniques. A description and taxonomy of real options is followed by several examples of valuing and using real options to make better value-enhancing decisions.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 294109

Describes the highly successful efforts of a management team to turn around the performance of a $30 million Raychem division that manufactures electronic connectors. The original manufacturing system was a batch operation, with a broad product line, high inventories, and slow throughput time. Describes the process of converting the operation to a low-inventory, just-in-time plant, organized by manufacturing cells. Shows how it was done, and the impact it had on different categories of overhead cost.

A biographical information sheet about Craig Weatherup, president and CEO of Pepsi Cola, North America.

Management accounting techniques, such as cost-price relationships and the evaluation of sub-units, are discussed in this introductory note. Readers are exposed to various costing methods (direct costing, absorption costing and full costing) and their appropriate uses. As well, some of the problems of cost allocations are discussed.

The note examines the relationship of national culture to management. Offers a definition of culture, explains the scope of culture and its many dimensions, and describes how culture is manifested in business settings. The research of Edward Man, Geert Hofstede, and others is discussed.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 394177.

Describes, in the words of its cofounder, the history of EnClean, an industrial and environmental services company, from its origins in 1984. The company grew rapidly and diversified into new businesses and new geographies both through acquisition and internally. It went public in 1989 but then suffered major losses in 1992 and 1993. The founder must now decide how to respond to a secret board ultimatum.

In 1993, Eli Lilly is preparing to build manufacturing capacity for three new pharmaceutical products that it expects to launch in 1996. Management wrestles with a decision of whether to add specialized manufacturing capacity or flexible capacity. This question touches off a broad debate within the company about which strategy to follow for future facilities decisions. This case presents two alternatives (flexible and specialized plants) and describes the benefits and costs associated with each.