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This case, which outlines the product recall, is a supplement to Mattel and the Toy Recalls (A).

On July 30, 2007 the senior executive team of Mattel under the leadership of Bob Eckert, chief executive officer, received reports that the surface paint on the Sarge Cars, made in China, contained lead in excess of U.S. federal regulations. It was certainly not good news for Mattel, which was about to recall 967,000 other Chinese-made children's character toys because of excess lead in the paint. Not surprisingly, the decision ahead was not only about whether to recall the Sarge Cars and other toys that might be unsafe, but also how to deal with the recall situation. The (A) case details the events leading up to the recall and highlights the difficulties a multinational enterprise faces in managing global operations. Use with Ivey case 9B08M011, Mattel and the Toy Recalls (B).

Subtle biases and covert prejudice affect interactions in the workplace. Subtle biases are automatically activated associations or stereotypes that relate groups (e.g. men and women) with attributes or characteristics (e.g. career or household), often outside of our awareness. Covert prejudice refers to concealed negative opinions about members of other groups. Managers and business leaders can benefit both from understanding how subtle biases and covert prejudices can translate into discriminatory behaviors and from learning to manage in a way that avoids such biases and prejudices. The note has four sections, each of which can be read individually: Managerial Relevance, Subtle Biases, Covert Prejudice, and Managing to Avoid Subtle Biases and Covert Prejudice.

Excel spreadsheet for product 9B07A005.

Excel spreadsheet for students.

On November 8, 2001, the entrepreneurial owner of Flex Industries, a leading Indian firm in the flexible packaging industry, was accused of bribing the central excise commissioner in a case of evasion of excise duties. Excise duty is levied under the federal structure of the Indian taxation system on the production and manufacture of goods. Excise duty liability arises immediately on the movement of goods from the plant gate. Evasion of excise duty is a cognizable offence and carries severe penalties that can adversely affect the management of the company. The owner of Flex Industries, was an experienced professional recognized for his important contribution in revolutionizing the flexible packaging industry in India. However, the incident dented his long-standing record. Meanwhile, other controversies surfaced while the case was under disposition in the courts. The ensuing period gave an impression that there were other suspect events related to its governance that Flex Industries could have done without. However, the final verdict announced by the courts found the owner not guilty. The events were significant in the evolution of Flex Industries, which was strongly positioned in the flexible packaging industry. However, the market reaction to the news of the arrest of Flex Industries' owner was very different from the news of his exoneration. This case demonstrates the impact of market disciplining forces and the premium stockholder's place on good governance.

The owners of Decorative Interiors Inc. (DI) must decide the future of their business. DI had been their family's sole source of income for the past 18 years. Although the owners would like to increase sales and profitability, they are unsure how to proceed after one of the owners suffered a heart attack and the doctor advised him to change his lifestyle. The case provides the opportunity to discuss the following: the strategic management tension model (can, want, need analysis); the evaluation of industry key success factors; the evaluation of strategic alternatives; and firm valuation.

In the fall of 2006, the president of Conroy's Acura was examining reports of the company's quarterly sales. He was concerned that despite a healthy economy, sales at his dealership were stagnant. The vice-president of sales of Conroy's Acura was constantly coming up with new marketing schemes to boost sales. But the president had difficulty determining how successful past marketing efforts had been in increasing profitability. He needed a way to put the numbers into context.

The alcohol cooler (refreshment) market in Canada was already crowded, but the marketing manager at Vincor believed there was still room for a new entrant, provided it was sufficiently differentiated. The case provides market research information on which the decision-maker relies to develop a product positioning. Trade-offs need to be made between various positioning options and costs. The case deals with marketing issues from the perspective of the brand manager launching a new product.

In 2007, Nintendo's inexpensive and quirky Wii video game console had become all the rage. Despite its underpowered processor and comparatively basic graphics, it outsold both the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360. Nintendo's handheld system, known as the DS, also outsold Sony's more advanced PlayStation Portable. Nintendo's products were so successful, retail stores in North America and Japan quickly sold out whenever new shipments arrived, and many consumers were forced to pay premium prices on the grey market. The case examines the characteristics of a successful new product launch, particularly product features, brand loyalty, content availability, third-party support, and adherence to industry standards. The case also considers how radical innovations can be used to win market share from technically superior products focused on incremental innovations. Finally, a 4P marketing analysis is used to compare video game systems offered by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. The case may be used with The Launch of the Sony PlayStation 3 (Ivey Case 9B07A014) and A Note on Video and Computer Games (Ivey Case 9B07A013).

The office manager at the Garden Depot was growing increasingly concerned with the inability of the landscaping manager to handle his workload and subordinates. The landscape manager's poor management left the office manager to solve the division's problems. The office manager needed to take action to reduce her workload and to ensure she received accurate information from the landscaping division. The case is designed to introduce students to managing workplace conflict and allow students to apply concepts in motivation, leadership, power and influence in an organizational context. Students are asked to form action plans from the perspective of a lower-level manager, based on limited information.

Emily Holland-Power was eager to start looking for permanent employment. Holland-Power was entering the final year of the two-year honours bachelor of arts program in business administration at the Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. From her summer work at Lalani, O'Hagan & John, an accounting firm in London, she had concluded that accounting was not for her. However, she had also decided that she wanted to work in a professional firm. Thus, Holland-Power wanted to learn more about opportunities in management consulting and investment banking. She decided to meet with two of her classmates who had worked in each of these occupations. After asking them about various aspects of their jobs and the firms for which they worked, Holland-Power needed to decide which career path to pursue.

The assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, had just seen the team lose. In order to increase their chance of scoring, they had added a sixth offensive skater to the ice by sending their goaltender to the bench (known as pulling the goalie) in the last 60 seconds of the game. Doing this did not give the team an advantage, in fact, a member of the opposite team was able to shoot the puck into the unguarded net, which cost the Leafs the game. The assistant coach had questioned whether the practice of pulling the goalie was a good one. He had also heard that models had been used to investigate strategies in sports. He wondered if mathematical modeling could be used to determine if pulling the goalie was a good strategy.

After a Danish newspaper publishes cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, consumers across the Middle East decide to boycott Danish goods. Arla Foods (Arla) is one of Europe's largest dairy companies. Suddenly, it finds itself caught in the middle of a crisis that appears to be beyond its control. Prior to the boycott, the Middle East was Arla's fastest growing region and represented an important component of the company's long-term growth strategy. As the largest Danish company in the region, it stands to lose up to $550 million in annual revenues. Students are asked to take the role of the communication director for Arla, who, along with other members of the newly formed Crisis and Communication Group, must decide on a course of action to deal with the crisis. The case addresses a variety of topics, including culture and religion, international management, risk management, crisis communications, and managing in a boycott situation. It also creates an opportunity to discuss doing business in the Middle East and management in an Islamic context.

The communications director of Arla Foods is hoping the decision to denounce to the cartoons will bring an end to the boycott. Instead, it brings complaints from Danish women's groups. This is a supplement to Arla Foods and the Cartoon Crisis (A), Ivey product 9B08M005.

Just as Arla Foods has re-established its reputation in the Middle East, another provocative cartoon is released in a Swedish paper and the communications director of Arla Foods must decide how the company will respond. This is a supplement to Arla Foods and the Cartoon Crisis (A), Ivey product 9B08M005.

The company, workopolisCampus.com, was an online job site for students and new graduates of Canadian colleges and universities. The website was established by several Toronto universities in the late 1990s and was acquired soon after by Workopolis to complement the company's primary job site, workopoliscom. After several years of steady but slow growth, workopolisCampus.com's future prospects appeared limited in 2007. The provides an opportunity to explore options for organizational change.

The senior vice-president of Corporate Store Sales, Sears Canada, was reviewing a new retailing initiative scheduled to launch within a month in all full-line Sears department stores across Canada. For the holiday season, Sears would offer the services of an elf, the equivalent of a personal shopper, to its customers. Although personal shoppers were common in upscale department stores, especially in the United States, this concept had not been tried in Sears stores. Taylor wondered how customers would respond to this novel concept in Canadian retailing.

The managing director of investment banking for Kaupthing Bank hf (Kaupthing) was considering what he would need to do if he accepted a new appointment as chief executive officer of Kaupthing's latest acquisition, U.K.-based investment bank Singer & Friedlander Group plc (Singer). He would have to deal with the fact that the two merging companies had very different cultures, the possibility that some employees may leave as a result of the change and take their clients with them, the fact that he did not know whether there were good managers at Singer who could be ready to be promoted to top management in upcoming years, and many other issues that would have to be addressed.

Pay Zone Consulting is a small, highly specialized global consulting group providing information management solutions for the exploration and production sector of the oil and gas industry. The company operates entirely virtually with consultants and software developers in different parts of the world. The principals are considering growth options but are intent on preserving the quality of life provided by their virtual business model. The case examines the communication technologies employed by the principals in support of their virtual teamwork and describes the administrative information technology infrastructure that enables the firm to operate with no administrative staff or office. The case also discusses the organizational and personal factors underlying the company’s ability to operate successfully virtually.