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This Core Curriculum Reading introduces (1) the importance of sales force design in implementing organizational strategy, and (2) the role of sales force management in linking structures and processes to behaviors. The material combines theoretical perspectives with real-world examples, drawn from the business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C) and nonprofit sectors, to illustrate the range of challenges and opportunities in this field.

This note examines the processes of seeking, receiving, and giving advice by drawing on both academic research and the lessons of skilled practitioners. It begins with a discussion of the potential benefits and costs of advice-seeking and advice-giving. The note then defines and distinguishes four related activities: advising, counseling, coaching and mentoring. Next, it describes the primary stages or steps in the advising process; each stage is examined from the perspective of both advice-seekers and advice-givers. The note concludes with recommendations for practice, listing a number of pitfalls to avoid when seeking, receiving, and giving advice as well as several guidelines and best practices.

Core Curriculum Readings in Marketing cover fundamental concepts, theories, and frameworks in marketing. For classroom use in higher education, this Reading is accompanied by a Teaching Note, test bank, and exhibit slides. This Reading introduces two of the integral parts of any marketing strategy: segmentation and targeting. It covers, first, the methods, techniques, and variables with which a business initially uncovers the full range of its potential customers and then distinguishes between them. It then takes up how a company judges the potential of each market segment, selects the segments worth pursuing, and designs marketing programs to serve them. The Reading includes two interactive illustrations. Both drive the students to think more carefully about segmentation and targeting. The first, "Segmenting the Dog Food Market," shows how successfully marketing a product consumed by dogs depends on first understanding and segmenting their owners. The second, "Segmenting the Market for Early Pregnancy Test Devices," shows how the most important category for segmentation is not demographic or geographic, but concerned rather with consumer psychology and motivation. The Reading also includes a six-part video mini-case study on how GE Healthcare developed and applied segmentation for its Imaging Systems business.

This case focuses on different types of client relationships at IDEO, the value of these relationships for IDEO and clients, and the implications for IDEO designers' everyday experience of work. As new types of client work have shifted away from the more classic design projects, there may be accompanying shifts in designers' engagement and motivation. The case illustrates the importance of progress and meaning to IDEO designers, and it poses the questions: Which types of client work keep designers most motivated and engaged at work, and what are the implications for the client relationships IDEO should pursue?

A manufacturer of over 75 grades of styrenic resins - used to make DVD cases, refrigerator trays, packaging materials and auto parts - faces a "transition loss" each time it switches production from one grade to another. A transition loss for each grade arises from the initial 16 metric tons produced, which are sub-standard and unsuitable for usage by customers. To the company, this implies a loss of resources (raw material and production cost) and a disposal fee ($10,000) to remove each sub-standard production. The case illustrates a sample of 15 grades for which data on their requirements for machine time usage, raw materials and labour hours are provided, as well as their production cost, selling price and market demand. Some of these grades must also be sold jointly in specific ratios. A newly hired sales executive must present an optimization template that would meet the company's production constraints and maximize its profitability. Which grades of styrenic resins should be produced? Furthermore, how much of each grade should be produced?

This case follows a day in the life of Captain Denny Flanagan. A United Airlines pilot for nearly a quarter of a century and a former naval aviator, Flanagan has created and championed a campaign to radically change the nature of air travel - putting good customer service at the heart of everything the airline does and reaching back, in some way, to the golden age of air travel. Examples of his service include ordering food for passengers of delayed flights and phoning the parents of unaccompanied minors to reassure them of their children's safety.The success he has achieved is significant for a company that has historically received very poor customer service ratings. It raises questions about whether such exceptional service is good or bad for the organization. How can Flanagan's approach be replicated? Is it possible or even desirable to replicate it?

In 2006, the leadership team at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. had to decide whether to keep its R&D organization in functional departments or restructure it into interdisciplinary teams. This case follows the outcomes of this decision from 2006 to mid-2014, and considers their impact on productivity, accountability, communication, and skill development from the perspectives of employees in Merrimack's R&D organization.

In March 2007 C. James Prieur, CEO of insurance provider Conseco, was faced with a crisis. The front page of the New York Times featured a story on the grieving family of an elderly woman who had faithfully paid for her Conseco long-term care (LTC) policy, only to find that it would not pay her claims. Her family had to pay for her care (until her recent death), which unfortunately resulted in the loss of the family business. The family was now very publicly pursuing litigation. For a company that depended on thousands of employees, investors, and independent agents who sold the insurance plans, this reputational risk was a serious threat. On top of this immediate crisis, all signs in the industry were pointing to the fact that the LTC business itself was not viable, yet over the years Conseco had acquired a number of LTC insurance providers. Students are asked to analyze not only what Prieur's priorities should be in addressing the immediate crisis but also the risks inherent in the LTC industry and how this might affect Conseco's success as a business moving forward.

"This case is set in December 2006 when the management at Moser Baer India Limited (MBIL) was faced with the critical decision of whether to pursue a strategic partnership with Optical Media and Technology (OM&T) and what form such a partnership should take. MBIL was India's largest and the world's third largest optical storage media manufacturer with a presence in over 82 countries, serviced through marketing offices in India, the United States and Europe. In 2006, MBIL had also entered the photovoltaic (PV) cells industry and aimed to succeed in this new business by leveraging its core process strength in "coating thin films on substrates". OM&T was based in a high technology cluster in Eindhoven, the Netherlands and was known in the industry for its contribution to prototyping, standardization and pilot production of advanced optical disc formats such as Digital Versatile/ Video Disc (DVD) and Blue Laser Discs (Blu-ray discs). For the MBIL management team, all the options were on the table -- a licensing arrangement, a strategic alliance by taking an equity stake in the company or a complete acquisition of the company. After careful evaluation, they had to choose the most appropriate option and arrive at a decision."

This case is a two-part series on the value of faculty teaching forums and peer coaching programmes in resolving conflicting pedagogical philosophies. Case A is set in September 2009, shortly after James Nelson, assistant professor at Singapore Management University sought guidance from practice associate professor Harry Denon on the issue of declining student ratings of his teaching performance. Den then observes Nelson's lectures, and has in-depth discussions with him on his teaching style. The discussions prove very helpful to Nelson, who is now able to decide how he should approach his class and to what extent he needs to alter his teaching approach. The case looks at the value of feedback received by faculty through various lenses: students, peer and self-reflection. It is highly suitable for faculty development and executive education courses that cover different pedagogical philosophies and the effectiveness of student appraisal processes. In Case B, Nelson reflects on his peer coaching experience and how his thought process has evolved through the course of the coaching programme. He also describes some of the changes he made in his instructional strategy and course assessment methods, and reveals how he has refined his teaching philosophy.

What do you do when your rising professional career is cut short by an unexpected cancer diagnosis? Kathy Giusti shifted careers, built a new organization that transformed how cancer research is done, and now faces the challenge of sustaining the organization and its funding for its newest venture. Since she was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) in 1996, Giusti had led an effort to better understand and treat the disease. She had co-founded the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), helped form the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC), and brought together a diverse body of academics, researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, physicians, and patients to combine their efforts around the disease. The MMRF had helped facilitate clinical trials for promising drugs, sponsored research, and raised a substantial amount of money for these purposes. In 2014, the MMRF was in the midst of its CoMMpass program; a multi-year effort to collect tissue samples from 1,000 patients at key junctures in their disease, sequence these samples to better understand the genetic underpinnings of MM and its many sub-types, and thus enable researchers to study a comprehensive sampling of patients. CoMMpass also had a patient-facing element which allowed the patient community to communicate with one another and with professional moderators. By mid-2014, some 550 patients were enrolled and 85 hospitals were participating. As a non-profit, the MMRF had historically relied on donations to fund its research operations. Giusti wanted to find a way to ensure a reliable revenue stream for the organization and give it greater financial stability. The MMRF had historically given away its resources and knowledge for free in order to speed research; Giusti worried if charging for some of its functions would be at odds with its mission and historical practices.

A student in his final year at a management school has been asked by his uncle to suggest an optimal investment portfolio for the reinvestment of his retirement account. His uncle wants to invest only in mutual funds managed by reputed asset management companies that have historically given superior returns. He also wants to limit the risk involved to less than 10 per cent per annum. The student now needs to prepare a portfolio that offers the highest possible return for the risk defined by his uncle.

Student spreadsheet for case W14232.

In January 2001, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Canadian Pacific Limited (CPL) was contemplating the future of his firm. CPL was one of Canada's oldest conglomerates with operations in railways, shipping, natural resources and hotels. Its stock market capitalization of CDN$13.5 billion reflected a conglomerate discount, estimated at 12 to 35 per cent of the value. In order to eliminate this conglomerate discount and maximize shareholder value, the CEO weighed the pros and cons of asset divestitures or spinoffs. Would it make sense to keep some of the related business together to preserve economies of scale and scope and to maintain synergies? What would be the tax implications of each option? There were numerous operational and legal implications to consider. Knowing he had to make a decision quickly, the CEO looked for the option that would unlock the most value for CPL's shareholders.

Student spreadsheet for W14241.

In March, 2014, the founder and chairman of the board of Yama Ribbons & Bows Co., Ltd., the world's largest polyester ribbon manufacturer based in Xiamen, China, was reflecting on the awards, accolades, victories and revenue growth that he had achieved over the past 16 years. In spite of the problems that beset the Chinese ribbons industry - intense competition, rising labour and production costs and strict international regulation of imports - the company had not only launched a successful subsidiary in the United States and was poised to open a second in Hong Kong but planned to outsource some of its manufacturing operations to a new plant in India. It had won a major trademark dispute and successfully survived an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce joint investigation into anti-dumping and anti-subsidy practices. By concentrating on superior customer service through its make-to-stock strategy and in-house research and development, the company was able to control inventory while achieving an excellent product deliverable on time anywhere in the world. As he reflected on his growth goals for the company, the founder wondered what, if anything, he was missing. How could he best grow the company over the next decade?

The owner of Escapes Outdoor Living Designs (Escapes) must decide what to do with his small landscaping and construction business. Escapes has been doing well, but has not had any sustainable growth over five years. The owner feels the business lacks focus and will need a good strategy in order to grow successfully. Facing problems with employee retention and shifting market opportunities, he has to perform an in-depth analysis of his current business to decide where it should go in the next few years or if it should be closed down altogether.

At 6:05 a.m., the head office at Golden Horseshoe Constructors (GHC) was understandably empty and very quiet. The vice-president (VP) of purchasing settled in at his desk to review the bids for an upcoming condominium project and to then decide which window and door installation firm he would recommend for that portion of the job. GHC's president was expecting the decision first thing that morning. Just a day earlier, the president had strongly suggested that the work be given to Monyash Doors and Windows, a firm that had not submitted the lowest bid. In practice, all else being equal, the firm with the lowest priced bid would win the contract, but the VP was unsure how to proceed with the president's request and which of the four bids he should recommend.

On April 4, 2013, a video game website reported that the next-generation Xbox console - due to be released by Microsoft the following month - would require an always-on Internet connection in order to operate. The new version of the SimCity game that had been released earlier that year with an always-on requirement had been a disaster. Hardcore gamers reacted negatively to the news. When the Xbox One console was officially revealed on May 21, Microsoft effectively confirmed that it would require an always-on connection for validating digital rights. Predictably, gamers reacted negatively, a response that was exacerbated when Microsoft's president of the interactive entertainment business, Don Mattrick, made dismissive statements about their concerns.