個案總覽

Faced with growth exceeding 100% per year, James Davis, president of New Balance, must decide how to meet the need for additional capacity. Several factors contribute to a climate of extreme uncertainty. Several options are considered, ranging from a second shift to acquiring a plant in Ireland. Sufficient information is provided to allow an analysis of forecasted demand as well as the strategic financial and organizational implications of alternative courses of action.

Describes the U.S. large turbine generator industry in early 1963, a period of severe price cutting and depressed industry conditions. Presents data to allow a structural analysis of the industry and an analysis of the strategies of the major players since 1946. The major teaching issue is the process of competitive rivalry in an oligopoly market, particularly the problems of deescalating in a situation of market warfare. This industry is one where the conditions for avoiding warfare are difficult. Subsidiary teaching issues include the structural analysis of capital goods markets and strategy for the market leader in areas like pricing, rate of technological change, and customer focus. After understanding the industry structure, the discussion should turn to what GE can do to extricate itself from the disastrous price cutting afflicting the industry.

Supplements the (A) case. Designed as an in-class handout.

Supplements the (A) case.

Marketers can differentiate any product or service, even commodities which seem to differ only in price from competitors' offerings. Products almost always combine a tangible entity with an intangible promise of user satisfaction. The expected product, which includes the generic product, represents the customer's minimal purchase conditions. These purchase conditions include variables such as delivery, terms, support efforts and new ideas. The sale of the generic product depends on how well the customer's wider expectations are met.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 380128.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 580-104.

On June 25, 1950, the US Ambassador to the Republic of Korea received an alarming call from his deputy chief, E.F. Drumright, warning him that the communists were hitting along the front. The invasion caught the Republic of Korea and its American counterparts by surprise. This case chronicles the events that took place directly following North Korea's invasion of the 38th Parallel. It examines the strategic decisions that were made during this era, centering on the ways in which the US Department of State dealt with the attack and subsequent conflicts for a greater Korea. Part A looks at these events in detail and includes excerpts recalling the events from President Truman's memoirs. Part B presents more details on the events that transpired at Manchuria and the Rhineland. It also explains the role of China, Ethiopia, Spain, Austria, and then Czechoslovakia. Much of this is done through Truman's vantage point. HKS Case Number 298.0.

On June 25, 1950, the US Ambassador to the Republic of Korea received an alarming call from his deputy chief, E.F. Drumright, warning him that the communists were hitting along the front. The invasion caught the Republic of Korea and its American counterparts by surprise. This case chronicles the events that took place directly following North Korea's invasion of the 38th Parallel. It examines the strategic decisions that were made during this era, centering on the ways in which the US Department of State dealt with the attack and subsequent conflicts for a greater Korea. Part A looks at these events in detail and includes excerpts recalling the events from President Truman's memoirs. Part B presents more details on the events that transpired at Manchuria and the Rhineland. It also explains the role of China, Ethiopia, Spain, Austria, and then Czechoslovakia. Much of this is done through Truman's vantage point. HKS Case Number 299.0

In April 1961, President Kennedy denied US military assistance to a force of CIA-trained Cuban exiles attacking Cuba, thus sealing the fate of the Bay of Pigs invasion. When the losses had been tallied, 114 exiles were dead, Castro was left with 1,200 prisoners, and the Kennedy administration was publicly embarrassed. The case recounts the formulation and failed execution of this CIA plan to invade Cuba. The authors trace the origins of the plan under the Eisenhower administration and follow Kennedy through his first three months in office, during which time he first heard of, then revised, and ultimately approved a trimmed-down version of the plan. This case was initially designed to illustrate the importance of decision-makers' identifying and testing their own and their advisers' presumptions. Extending this theme, the case may be used in conjunction with The CIA to 1961 (C14-80-280.0) as an exercise in "organizational placement." Had Kennedy used this method to better understand the institution of the CIA, he might have questioned them more closely and avoided some of the tragedy of the Bay of Pigs. For further discussion of the placement method, see The CIA to 1961 abstract. This case may also be used to demonstrate the hazards of transition in the American presidency. HKS Case Number 279.0.

Eight days ago, Tulian rebels attacked a police station in the Tulian President's hometown of Toji. In retaliation, Tulian troops attacked a rebel camp 20 miles inside neighboring Ibad. The troops were withdrawn, but yesterday rebel forces backed by Ibadi troops invaded southern Tulia and advanced on Toji with the announced intention of pressing on to the Capital to overthrow the President. The President has requested Organization of African Unity (O.A.U.) intervention, and the O.A.U. has called for a cease-fire and sent a delegation to a neighboring neutral country to meet with representatives of Tulia and Ibad.

Confidential Instructions for Tulian Negotiators for "Tulia and Ibad", PON625.

Confidential Instructions for Ibadi Negotiators for "Tulia and Ibad", PON625.

Confidential Instructions for OAU Mediators for "Tulia and Ibad", PON625.

Focuses on the management style of Fred Henderson in the context of a relatively stable business environment within Xerox Corporation. To be contrasted with the case, Renn Zaphiropoulos and the videotape, A Day with Renn Zaphiropoulos (9-881-501), which are appropriate for a more dynamic environment.

Coordination between advertising and price strategies may lead to higher profits. Analyses of data from 227 businesses show the price-advertising relationship. The results show that companies with higher advertising budgets charge premium prices; consumers are willing to pay more for a perceived "high quality" product; and the association between advertising expenditures and price is strongest in the last stage of the product cycle. The price-advertising consistency principle is important for attaining a substantial return on investment.

Managers enhance their understanding of communication by attending to images, settings, and body language. The imagery people use in their speech offers important clues regarding the world they inhabit. Because words are symbols, their meaning varies greatly depending on who is using them. A failure to understand this often results in misunderstandings between managers. The use of concrete as opposed to abstract words, of joking as a method of communicating risky statements, and of "I" rather than "we," often reveals important clues to meaning as does labeling, certain question-asking techniques, and evidence of either-or thinking.

Covers history of PC&D from 1960 to 1975 as it grows from a single business firm to a diversified firm. Emphasizes the use of subsidiaries for product development and fast growth. Other issues include problems of a new CEO in keeping control of fast growing divisions.

Contains four sections: 1) measuring the performance of queuing systems; 2) types of queuing systems; 3) the behavior of simple systems (elementary queuing theory); and 4) the management of queues (including a discussion of their psychology).

The need for the effective management of stagnant industries will grow as more and more industries decline or increase only modestly. A study investigating 12 stagnant industries focuses attention on strategies determining the success or failure of those industries. Research reveals three common characteristics of the strategies of businesses successful in stagnant industries: 1) they identify, create, and exploit growth segments within their industries; 2) they emphasize product quality and innovative product improvement; and 3) they systematically and consistently improve the efficiency of their production and distribution systems.