個案總覽

This is role play #3 (Pauline Zhu) for Coaching for Performance Management: Asia Edition (#9B11C024).

This is role play #4 (Steven Leung) for Coaching for Performance Management: Asia Edition (#9B11C024).

This is role play #5 (James Beringer) for Coaching for Performance Management: Asia Edition (#9B11C024).

This is role play #6 (Kelly Tan) for Coaching for Performance Management: Asia Edition (#9B11C024).

Dental Associates of Northern Virginia is one of the largest dental networks in northern Virginia. In this series of two cases, the head administrator must choose between keeping up with new technology by investing in innovative all-porcelain crown-making machines or holding onto a strategy of waiting and seeing. This choice also aligns with the head administrator making a larger decision of whether to enhance the core competency of his network by developing a complete in-house laboratory or continuing to rely on an expensive, but reliable, outside laboratory for all-porcelain restorations. Together, the two cases in the series are rich in concepts of cost, timeliness, quality, and flexibility, as students are forced to see an operations problem from both patient and doctor perspectives. The cases also consider the ever-changing world of technology and how it impacts a doctor’s practice along with an entire network of offices.

This case is a supplement to Dental Associates of Northern Virginia (A).

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) had been in existence for 35 years and up until recently had grown organically by taking on new projects as they arose. While this had had the advantage of the EWT maintaining its relevance, the EWT had lost focus as a result. A new fundraising strategy was developed in 2008 before the impact of the financial credit crisis and the resulting economic downturn. The downturn affected the amount of funds the EWT received and as such, it was struggling to continue with all its initiatives and projects. Fortunately, the pressure on companies to invest in social responsibility initiatives continued to grow. The CEO of the EWT was contemplating whether or not to change the EWT’s fundraising strategy by making it more liberal in its policy of accepting corporate donations in light of the economic downturn caused by the international credit crisis.

This case is about the multinational company ABB’s development of a sustainability strategy, and its dilemmas in supplying hydropower dam projects. Adam Roscoe, head of sustainability at ABB Group, had to evaluate the content and business consequences of a letter written by the non-governmental organization (NGO) International Rivers. The letter discussed the alleged violations of sustainability criteria when building the Nam Theun 2 dam in Laos. Roscoe needed to assess what implications the letter had for ABB, which had a large stake in the outcomes of the project. Such a letter from a prominent NGO might affect ABB’s policies and practices in sustainability. <br><br>The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank had great interest in seeing the project’s success, as it would supply rural areas of Laos and Thailand with electricity, bring in a large source of revenue that would be used in poverty-reduction programs for Laos and, lastly, provide a non-carbon-based energy source. ABB also had to consider the position of its stakeholders including customers, investors, media, and NGOs. If ABB was associated with a dam project that did not comply with international regulations, this could lead to negative publicity and potential loss of business. <br><br>Roscoe thus faced two interweaved questions: Would International Rivers’ letter pose a reputation risk for ABB? What would this example mean for ABB’s sustainability criteria and objectives and would this need to be acknowledged and, if so, how?

Excel spreadsheet for instructors, for use with 8B11E013.

Excel spreadsheet for instructors, for use with 8B11E014.

Excel spreadsheet for instructors - outputs. For use with 8B11E014.

Excel spreadsheet for students, for use with 9B11E013.

Excel spreadsheet for students, for use with 9B11E014.

This case describes the execution of an urban public transportation project through a public private partnership (PPP). Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was a corporate body created by the Indian government and the government of National Capital Territory of Delhi for implementing a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) in Delhi. DMRC successfully completed phase I of the MRTS in 2006 and the government mandated that DMRC implement phase II of the MRTS project. The Japanese Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) provided soft loans for both phases of the project. Meanwhile, the city of Delhi got the mandate to host the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010. As part of the preparations for these games, linking New Delhi Railway Station with Indira Gandhi International Airport through a metro system — Airport Express Metro Link (AEML) — became necessary for easing traffic congestion in the city. The timeline available for the AEML project was less than three years. At the same time, JBIC financial assistance was not available for this project. <br><br><br><br>Dr. Sreedharan, managing director of DMRC, was thus facing the challenges of project financing and its timely delivery. In the past in India, the PPP model of infrastructure development had emerged as dominant. The case discusses various options available to DMRC for project financing and timely completion of the AEML project under the PPP mode.

The marketing manager for Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is concerned about a growing demand for blood — two per cent per year — driven by a number of factors, including the decrease of wait times in local hospitals, new operating procedures, and increased use or requirements of an aging population. Peak demand seasons coincide with low supply seasons, such as summer and winter holidays. Two issues require attention: the first involves increasing the absolute number of donors, currently in the 400,000 range. Indications are that the percentage of Canadians who donate blood (four per cent) is lower than other countries such as Sweden (five per cent). The second need is to retain more donors and increase the number of donations per donor each year. The CBS still faces issues stemming from the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s and the subsequent Krever inquiry. It is working to rebuild the trust of the public. The crux of the issue is understanding consumer behaviour toward blood donation. The manager needs to understand the consumer decision process, examine segments, determine a target segment, and develop communications to increase both the absolute number of donors and the repeat donations of identified donors.

The greatest business successes in history have stemmed from the ability of companies to capture new markets. Yet traditional business strategy in established fields does not provide appropriate guidance for capturing new markets, and a distinctive approach is essential. In crafting strategy for new markets, firms should pay attention to five critical ways in which their approaches should differ from strategy for established markets: 1) generate demand before vanquishing competitors; 2) time market entry rather than move immediately to exploit opportunities; 3) sell to customers directly before leveraging powerful sales channels; 4) win in targeted footholds prior to targeting big markets; and 5) retain flexibility instead of trying to leverage fixed costs. While discussing these guidelines, this article examines the conditions for early-mover advantage and explains when to use “superhighway” or “country road” sales channels. Large firms often spend a great deal of time charting customer segments, studying price sensitivity, and estimating demand for new markets, yet data on new markets are either backward-looking or fictional. The success or failure of a new venture often comes down to identifying a handful of risks up front, and managers should target foothold markets once risks are identified.

In 2010, an entrepreneur is trying to enter the fuel additives market in Canada by marketing a product called Force For Earth (FFE) Fuel and Engine Conditioner. FFE is made in the United States and the entrepreneur has the Canadian license for the product. Unlike the products of many competitors in North America, FFE has been proven to deliver the stated benefits, but the entrepreneur’s dilemma is that every other product in the market claims to offer “proven” results as well, even though most of these claims are unsubstantiated, false, or exaggerated. The entrepreneur’s challenge is to understand, from a marketing perspective, the key selling features of the FFE product that would resonate with his target groups.

The owner of a goat herd in Tennessee must decide whether to rent out his herd for a land-clearing project at a nearby resort. Goats are better suited to clearing the land than humans and machines, but the owner has never rented out his goats for such a purpose. The owner must identify costs associated with the project, then determine a price to charge for the service. Since the owner has no prior experience renting out livestock, he must come up with estimates of the incremental costs associated with the rental operation and prepare a bid with little knowledge of rates charged by competitors for goat rentals. This case provides a realistic example of the thought processes that business owners go through when evaluating whether to expand into complementary lines of business, as well as the considerations of entrepreneurs contemplating starting new businesses. See also Goats: The Green Alternative (B) 9B11B025 and Goats: The Green Alternative (C) 9B15D001.

In recent years, incidents of piracy have increased dramatically off the coast of the failed state of Somalia. In this case, a group of 14 pirates have hijacked a cargo ship full of machinery, but have yet to make any demands. They hold hostage a multinational crew of 20 (whose captain and two officers are American), the ship, and the cargo. The chief operating officer of an international shipping company must choose among alternative strategies to get the crew, cargo, and ship back safely with as little cost as possible.

Spreadsheet for instructor for product 8B11B018.