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Describes the history, theory, and practice of high-commitment work systems. The history reviews classical approaches (i.e. Frederick Taylor), the human relations movement, the human resources approach, quality of work life, and empowerment. The theory examines the underlying principles of design. The practice section reviews the experiences to date with these systems, including such innovations as gainsharing and such problems as defining the role of supervisor.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Vertical integration is a risky strategy--complex, expensive, and hard to reverse. Yet, some companies jump into it without an adequate analysis of the risks. The authors developed a framework to help managers decide when it's useful to vertically integrate and when it's not. They examine four common reasons to integrate and warn managers against a number of other, spurious reasons. Their primary advice: Don't vertically integrate unless it is absolutely necessary to create or protect value.

Too often, quality programs fail to improve quality because they concentrate on internal processes that do not affect the customer. This is at least partially due to the alienation of marketing from the quality movement, a situation for which both sides are partially at fault. Ideally, marketing should serve as the eyes and ears of the organization, linking the external customer to managerial processes. One way to do this is to organize the collection of customer satisfaction measures around the managerial processes themselves. This forms a natural bridge from the customer to management and allows management to track the impact of quality improvements all the way from internal process measures to overall customer satisfaction and market share.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 593-098.

Describes McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc.'s investment decision and strategic plans in 1990, following the situation in the (A) case. Outlines the competitive situation in other types of mobile communications in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1991.

Provides an update of competition in mobile communications through 1992 for both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Describes a competitor's decision to install capital equipment using switching technology incompatible with McCaw's.

Since winning independence in 1965, Singapore achieved some of the world's highest rates of economic growth. A large part of GDP and employment came from direct investment by multinational companies in low-cost assembly work, but in the 1990s Singapore's rising wage rates increasingly priced it out of these industries. Could Singapore change itself from an assembler and fabricator of Western-designed parts to a designer and marketer of desirable products? Lee Kuan Yew, "the father of Singapore," repeatedly had shown an ability to guide the nation through such transitions. Not only did his successor have no such track record, but the next transition might be the hardest yet.

Prior to the 1980s, automakers purchased individual seat components and built the seats alongside their auto assembly lines. This case describes how Johnson Controls, Automotive Systems Group, blossomed when automakers turned to outsourcing the complete seat set. The case closely examines one plant, in Georgetown, Kentucky, that switched from just-in-time (JIT) delivery of seat sets to JIT assembly to serve a nearby Toyota Camry assembly operation. Exposes the challenge of dealing with growing seat variation and an opportunity of doubling the plant floor space at a separate site. The specific case question is how the plant should use this new space.

Details the evolution of a value-creating supplier-buyer partnership. Describes the buyer's (Liz Claiborne) manufacturing and marketing strategy, and details the workings of the firm's relationship with an important Taiwanese supplier of piece goods (Ruentex Industries Ltd.).

Covers the firm's growth from 1956 to 1966. May be used with McKinsey & Co. (A)--1956.

In May 1992, Intel Corp., the leading supplier of microprocessors for IBM-compatible personal computers, announced the retail availability of OverDrive processors, a new line of performance upgrades for the Intel 486 series of microprocessors. The case chronicles the evolution of Intel microprocessors and math coprocessors. Next, it describes the genesis of the "speed-doubling" technique that is employed in the OverDrive Processor and it details the important implementation issues. The central questions are the following: How does a firm manage a product line in the context of rapid technological change? What are the consequences--for the end users, and hence the system and component manufacturers--of rapid product change? How does product upgradability help mitigate some of these consequences? How should Intel develop the OverDrive business? And how will this affect the company's mainline microprocessor business?

Sierra On-Line, a fast growing software developer, is criticized by a Forbes journalist for excessively capitalizing software development costs. In contrast to most other software developers that typically capitalize about 20% of R&D costs, Sierra capitalizes 80%. Questions investors must address in valuing Sierra include: Does Sierra's account reflect economic reality? Is their accounting too aggressive or are their competitors too conservative? Is Sierra's business sufficiently different from its competitors to invalidate the comparison?

An analyst at General Motors charged with managing the structure of the automaker's debt must decide whether and how to modify the interest rate exposure of the firm's most recent debt offering. The analyst must take into consideration GM's liability management policy guidelines, the firm's existing interest rate exposure, his expectations of interest rates, and the wide range of interest rate products available. He must decide whether to leave the fixed-rate instrument unchanged or to enter into a swap, cap, interest rate option, or swap option transaction.

In February 1991, the managers of this multinational specialty publishing company proposed to take the company private in a leveraged buyout (LBO). In addition to the ordinarily interesting features of the typical LBO, this transaction was the first to be denominated in ECUs and one of the few in which the managers provided all the equity financing. The tasks for the student are to value the company and evaluate the attractiveness of the transaction from the standpoints of seller, senior lender, mezzanine lender, and equity investor/manager. The case can be used to (1) exercise students' skills in valuing a highly leveraged company, (2) illustrate how deal structuring can mitigate potential agency problems, and (3) explore the problems and possible solutions associated with financing a global firm.

In June 1989, a banker must decide whether and how his bank should participate in the LBO of this small Scottish newspaper publisher. This is the first of a two-case series and may be taught by itself or as part of a sequence over two class meetings with the B case (UVA-F-1013). See also the abridged version (UVA-F-1011). Student and instructor worksheet files are available for use with this case and teaching note.

In 1989, the Walt Disney Company financed its major European theme park and real estate development using a variety of financing tools and techniques that, when bundled together, amounted to a project financing. The case recounts the details of this financing and invites students to evaluate the financing from various standpoints, including those of the Walt Disney Company, the government of France, European equity investors, and European banks. The resulting opinion about the attractiveness of the project ultimately hinges on beliefs about European market demand for an American-style theme park. The case may be used to exercise students' skills in valuation analysis, to illustrate techniques for financing major real-property projects, and to explore the creation and transfer of wealth in such projects.

Examines Gerber Products Co.'s evaluation of Alima S.A., one of Poland's largest food processing plants, as a potential overseas investment in 1991. Factors that influenced Gerber's decision are discussed in detail: property rights, taxation issues, and Poland's political economy.

Continues the story of the implementation of the ARES project.