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Companies increasingly rely on industrial distributors to sell their products. Products suitable for distributors usually: 1) have a large potential customer base, 2) are stockable, 3) are sold in small quantities, 4) are bought by people who are at low levels in their organizations, and 5) require rapid delivery and service. Companies should select distributors that serve the market segment, not just the geographic area, and are suited to where the product is in its life cycle.

Presents an accounting of Ford Motor Company's handling of a product safety controversy (1970-77) surrounding its Pinto subcompact car. May be used as part of a series, Managing Product Safety, that provides an opportunity to compare and contrast the social response strategies employed by companies involved in a catastrophic product safety controversy.

Mat MacGregor took charge of a failing project but failed to turn it around because of a variety of personal, technical, cultural, and political reasons. The purpose of the case is to understand the underlying dynamics and their implications.

Describes how Mat MacGregor dealt with issues raised at the end of the (A) case.

Describes what happened following the (B) case.

HCAs ratio of debt to total capital is approaching 70%, jeopardizing its single-A bond rating. Students must determine an appropriate target debt ratio for HCA in light of its growth objectives, its acquisition strategy and its changing regulatory environment.

Focuses on HCAs financing options for reaching its target capital structure. The options include new equity conversion of convertible debentures, a debt-for-equity swap, the sale of assets, and fixed-rate debt. Students must address the problem of market timing and signaling in their choice of financing vehicles.

Marketing executives at the company are considering the merits of a variety of communications programs designed to increase the effectiveness of the company's sales force of beauty consultants.

Shows how the Borg-Warner Corporation developed a statement of values and beliefs under the leadership of its chief executive officer, James F. Bere. The "Beliefs," a set of general principles intended to guide business behavior, now must be given operational meaning as they are shared and communicated to a very large and decentralized organization. Provides students an opportunity to critique the development of a corporate statement of beliefs and to relate ethics directly to business policy and practice.

Three former classmates are founding a company to design, develop, manufacture, and market industrial robots. Principal issues involve the sources, amount, and form of outside investment, the allocation of equity, and the terms and conditions under which outside funds are to be invested. A glossary is at the end of the case.

Describes a process for forecasting market demand for an emerging technology--cellular radio. The student must critically evaluate the demand model and the market estimates, and modify them as appropriate in order to develop a marketing plan and budget.

Introduces students to the process of data analysis in Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE) cases. Uses examples from Selected U.S. Statistics: Part I.

Trade show expenditures are the major form of organized marketing communications activity for many companies outside of efforts by their sales force and distributors. Yet managers are frequently unenthusiastic about shows, despite the opportunities they offer for contact with existing and potential customers. This attitude is primarily due to the difficulty of measuring the success of any given trade show program in effectively and efficiently meeting a company's marketing needs. It is useful to classify trade shows in terms of their function, dividing them roughly into those where the major focus is selling activities and those where satisfaction of nonselling objectives is a likelier consequence of participation.

How does an organization decide which information processing project gets top priority? Many factors affect decisions on priorities, each in a different way, including financial benefits, business objectives, intangible benefits, and technical importance. The question of who should define information processing priorities further complicates the issue. Although the process of setting priorities is somewhat iterative, it involves eight discrete steps.

A growing business evolves by adapting to changes in its environment through its marketing function. Usually this function goes through four stages: entrepreneurial marketing; opportunistic marketing; responsive marketing; and diversified marketing.

A large Ontario ski resort faces a decision about whether to invest in facilities for night skiing. Demand is very uncertain, so the management undertakes a market research study. Day skiers at the facility are surveyed about their potential interest during the months of February and March. The resort's management is suspicious about the validity of the results of the research, but has no time to collect further data.

Bloomfield has to decide what price to charge for fertilizer for the upcoming selling season. He is facing competitive pressure to reduce his price and realizes that if he maintains his price, he will certainly lose volume next year.

This note discusses cost behaviour, break-even analysis contribution and projected income statements. In addition to the theoretical framework, two examples are presented and analyzed.

The Governor of Colorado in 1976, Richard Lamm, called a meeting prior to presenting to the General Assembly to discuss his top priority: guiding and managing the state's growth. The case continues by chronicling Governor Lamm's actions to achieve a growth policy that would be amenable to both democrat and republican congress members. The policy sought to incorporate agriculture initiatives, energy production, and recreational activity areas. The text illustrates the many challenges one can face when writing policy at the state level and provides examples of both successes and road blocks throughout the process. HKS Case Number 535.0.

This is the sequel to accompany HKS Case Number 535.0. It summarizes the results after Colorado's Growth Policy was implemented. HKS Case Number 535.1.