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George Hatsopoulos, CEO at Thermo Electron Corp., is considering whether to issue shares in a subsidiary via an initial public offering (IPO). The company has developed an unusual corporate structure in which subsidiaries fund new ventures by raising debt and equity in the capital markets, rather than through the parent company.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 292104.

This case describes the start-up and the early trials and tribulations of the Magasco Paper Mill. Originally designed to be a state-of-the-art operation, old customs and habits have inhibited the expected performance of the mill. The case ends with a labor dispute, a strike, and a period of enormous tension and conflict. This case should be accompanied by the B case (UV0636).

This case follows the A case (UV0634) and describes the people and events that transformed a strike and tension-ridden situation into a "world-class operation." The case outlines the issues and personalities that created this remarkable change. This case should be used with the A case.

After an LBO and near bankruptcy in the early 1980s, Harley-Davidson makes an astonishing recovery, going public in 1986. Its listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 1987 provides the occasion of an equity analyst to publish a research report in which she must issue a buy, sell, or hold recommendation for Harley's stock. Complicating her analysis is the fact that Harley still faces vigorous Japanese competition and, therefore, has a significant operating exposure to the yen/dollar exchange rate. Stimulates discussion about operating exposure to real exchange rate changes.

ABB Germany faces some newly emerging strategic and organizational challenges resulting from Europe 1992 and German reunification. In terms of organization, ABB Germany has created a holding company and has separated operations and service activities into legally independent units, a shift that is gaining popularity in Europe. Strategic opportunities and challenges are described for two business areas: standard products and transportation. Why does ABB prefer to break the organization into legally separate units? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach? What, as a result, is likely to happen to the international matrix? What explains the recent success of standard products? What will happen to the transportation business in Europe? Will the German operation become ABB's European locomotive?

Set in June 1991, two months prior to Salomon Brothers' announcement that the firm had violated the Treasury Department's rules governing the auctions of new Treasury securities. Salomon Vice Chairman John Meriwether must decide how to address problems that continue to appear in the management of the firm's government bond trading activities. In April 1991, one of his managers admitted that he had submitted an illegal auction bid in February 1991. Now, one month later, there is mounting speculation in the press that Salomon tried to corner the market for May 2-year notes. Structured to allow students to analyze the ethical, legal and managerial dimensions of John Meriwether's situation. Background information about the history of Salomon Brothers and the investment banking industry, the markets for government securities, and the regulation of securities dealers and brokers is interwoven with Meriwether's story. Accessible to individuals with and without experience in investment banking.

Follows Kevin Simpson, a second-year Harvard Business School 1990 student, through his job search to his final decision between two very attractive but different job offers: a job as an international marketing manager at Eli Lilly and Co., a leading multinational health product corporation; and a position as the assistant to the president of Haemonetics, an entrepreneurial company in the biomedical equipment field. Addresses the factors Simpson should consider when making job choices as well as the issues he faces as an African-American professional.

As the executive responsible for vision at Mentor Graphics, Gerard Langeler discovered that vision has the power to weaken a strong company. In its early days, Mentor's motto was Build Something People Will Buy. When clear competition emerged from Daisy Systems, Mentor's watchword became Beat Daisy. Both of these visions were pragmatic and immediate, giving Mentor a sense of purpose as it gained momentum. Once Daisy was beaten, however, company vision began to self-inflate. The final escalation came when Mentor Graphics decided to Change the Way the World Designs. The company had stopped making products and was making poetry. Finally, in 1991, Mentor went back to basics.

Discusses a manager's responsibilities in reporting and ending sexual harassment. Jerry Tarkwell discovers that one of his employees is being sexually harassed by a colleague. When he tells the harassed employee that he has reported the incident to the company equal employment opportunity officer, she asks him not to pursue the matter because she is afraid her career might be ruined by an investigation. Tarkwell is torn between his duty to keep the workplace safe from sexual harassment by following company policy, and the victim's wish for privacy. Five experts on sexual harassment offer their views.

Although the number of women managers has grown, they are still usually found in junior positions. Many companies hire women only to ensure mere adequacy and avoid litigation. In addition, most companies ignore child care and other family concerns. At the same time women have demonstrated their competence in the best business schools, their ambitions and energies are stifled by businesses. Top managers must support their female employees by: 1) acknowledging the biological fact of maternity; 2) allowing flexibility; 3) providing training that develops women's leadership potential; and 4) eliminating the barriers that exist for women in the workplace.

Germany's small and midsize companies, known as the Mittelstand, are a hidden source of wisdom on global competition. Companies like Krones, Korber/Hauni, Weinig, Webasto, and TetraWerke dominate their markets with world market shares ranging from 70-90%. When combined, they account for the bulk of Germany's trade surplus. The success of the Mittelstand lies in a set of five common practices. These companies all: 1) combine a narrow product-market focus with broad geographic scope; 2) perform best in the areas customers care most about; 3) balance closeness to customers with deep technical knowledge; 4) rely on themselves, especially for R&D; and 5) foster close ties between managers and workers.

In today's dynamic business environment, strategy too must become dynamic. The essence of strategy is not the structure of a company's products but the dynamics of its behavior. To succeed, a company must weave its key business processes into hard-to-imitate strategic capabilities that distinguish it from its competitors. A capability is a set of business processes understood strategically. While such capabilities are collective and cross-functional, they must be built and managed by the CEO. Uses examples from Wal-Mart.

The long-term competitiveness of most manufacturers depends on their product development capabilities. Yet most companies' development process is unruly and unfocused, with a collection of projects that do not match business objectives and consume far more development resources than are available. An "aggregate project plan" can help managers to focus on a set of projects, rather than individual ones. A central element of the plan is the project map, which categorizes projects into five types: breakthrough, platform, derivative, R&D, and partnerships. With the plan, managers can improve resource allocation, project sequencing, and critical development capabilities.

Describes the importance of industry structure and competitive positioning to the profitability of U.S. corporations between 1981 and 1994. Cites recent research indicating that persistent industry differences and persistent competitor differences account for 19% and 32%, respectively, of variation in profit. Additional evidence is developed to show the relationship between industry-average performance and competitor differences.

Describes the forty-year evolution of the U.K. frozen food industry, and traces the emergence, dominance, and the decline of Birds Eye. Its success is as a vertically integrated producer, distributor, and marketer of frozen foods that pioneers the industry in the U.K. Its decline as other firms enter all stages of the value chain is seen as a result of its earlier success that yields it an unsustainable strategic position. Examines vertical integration as a strategy, the analytic rationale to be vertically integrated, and the disadvantages of vertical integration.

Describes the change in strategy Birds Eye adopted in the 1980s in the face of declining profitability and eroding market share. Updates the (A) case.

Describes the evolution of international trade and global competition in computers. Focuses on the role of country factors, government policies, and firm strategies in shifting competitive advantage among regions of the world. Pays special attention to international alliances in this context. Allows integrated analysis of country, government, and firm advantage in high technology competition.

Describes a conflict that has arisen between an account manager and a creative director at Tassani Communications, a Chicago-based advertising agency which is making the transition from entrepreneurial to professional management. The client, the marketing director of a muffler repair chain, has called the account manager to complain about the creative director's behavior. The account manager must figure out what to do. The object is to provide students with an opportunity to grapple with the challenges of managing relationships with peers and superiors. Students can discuss managing 1) cross-departmental relationships, 2) interpersonal conflicts, and 3) creativity.

Supplements the (A) case.