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A partnership of two real estate agents want to increase their recognition in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace. Both partners had strong individual reputations, but they believed a campaign focused on their identity as a team would give them a competitive edge in the real estate business. A comprehensive marketing communications plan needed to be developed and implemented quickly as the market was poised for a period of growth in the coming months.

This is a supplement to PETA's Kentucky Fried Cruelty, Inc. Campaign, product 9B03C045. PETA escalated its tactics to pressure Kentucky Fried Chicken to implement stronger animal welfare guidelines. KFC was once again embarrassed worldwide when an investigation for PETA captured video of chickens being kicked and stomped on by workers at a processing plant that the company used. The footage provided new ammunition for PETA to increase the pressure on KFC to make significant changes, including protesting of KFC executives at their homes and encouraging celebrities to organize a boycott of KFC. Both PETA and KFC testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee presenting their sides of the story. One had to wonder whether the campaign unleashed by PETA had gained enough momentum to pressure the decision-makers at Kentucky Fried Chicken into making meaningful changes in its animal welfare practices, and if so, how the conflicts between KFC and PETA could ever by resolved, given both the increasing escalation and philosophical differences between the two organizations.

This note describes the process a student might go through in writing a report, describes the main sections in a report and, in a supplement, reviews some points of usages, style, grammar, etc. It should be used after the Note on Case Analysis, product 9A81L002.

Schering Plough is a large pharmaceutical company with over 22,000 employees worldwide, and over $6.8 billion in sales worldwide. The company is considering two options to replace its flagship drug, Claritin (an antihistamine), as Claritin's patent is soon to expire. One drug is targeted toward nasal congestion, the other towards asthma; however, each drug is at a different stage in the development process, one has greater market potential but was still in its early development stage, the other drug could be launched within the year but would appeal to a much smaller market. The company must decide which drug to pursue or whether to focus on both drugs or neither. The case allows students to do a traditional NPV analysis and decision analysis and the use of simulation.

Mearl Canada Limited does not want to implement Mearl Oil Company's environmental impact targets because, in Mearl Canada's opinion, the targets create an extra layer of regulation for considerable cost and negligible benefit. Mearl's position is that all Mearl worldwide operations must adopt these performance standards, as this will allow the company to make operational their stated environmental policy. Each party has an opportunity to make their case at the International Environmental Group meeting, and it will decide if Mearl Canada may deviate from the environmental impact target and continue with their own homegrown environmental management system and standards. This case is from the point of view of the manager, Mearl Support, environmental. The supplement Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (B), product 9B05M019, is from the senior environmental manager, Mearl Canada Limited view and the supplement Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (C), product 9B05M020, is from the International Environmental Group's perspective.

The Canadian division of Mearl Oil Company does not want to implement the company's environmental impact targets and would like to continue using its homegrown environmental management system and standards. The division is allowed to present its arguments to the International Environmental Group. This is a supplement to Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (A), product 9B05M018. The supplement Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (C), product 9B05M020 discusses the International Environmental Group's perspective.

Mearl Canada Limited and Mearl Oil Company are presenting their cases to the International Environmental Group, who will make a decision on whether or not the Mearl Canada must comply with the company's environmental impact targets. This is a supplement to Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (A) and (B), products 9B05M018 and 9B05M019.

The Little Red Roaster, a retail coffee shop that offered a menu of coffees, teas, gourmet beverages, light meals and snacks, had a strong reputation for good food and coffee during the eight years it had been in operation. The owner had recently been approached to expand both its wholesale and its catering operations, but she was unsure whether she and the company were ready for expansion. Potential wholesale and catering customers would not wait for Little Red Roaster much longer, and the owner must make a decision soon about the company's strategic direction.

In the early 2000s, De Beers Consolidated Mines has successfully managed the global diamond industry for many decades, propping up prices at all stages of the value chain, reducing price volatility and increasing consumer demand. By the end of the 20th century, however, a series of forces threatened De Beer's role and profitability. New diamond mining firms were selling their production on the open market rather than through De Beers' Central Selling Organization. The new competitors were attempting to grade, polish and cut diamonds outside of the De Beers value chain. Some retailers were purchasing shares in new mines in order to create their own value chain. New technology offered the possibility of creating synthetic diamonds that would be indistinguishable from diamonds created by natural forces. Governments were threatening antitrust actions. Meanwhile, an illicit trade in conflict diamonds was supporting revolutionary groups and disrupting the market. De Beers now had to decide whether to maintain its traditional functions or to embark on a new strategy. In particular, De Beers contemplated a shift into the retail jewelry business in a joint venture with France's Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton luxury goods corporation that would sell De Beers-branded diamond jewelry.

This note examines Hong Kong's deregulated telecommunications industry from both industry and public policy points of view in March 2005. In recent years, the industry had been viewed as a model of deregulation and free enterprise, offering high quality service to consumers at a low price. However, the industry conditions were exceedingly challenging for the operators. Cutthroat competition had resulted in low margins and a high degree of fragmentation. The operators faced new challenges in the form of disruptive technology, new market opportunities in mainland China and the possibility of new competition at home. This note allows students to examine the determinants of industry structure, the goals and mechanisms of industry regulation, and market and non-market strategies that firms may use to respond to market conditions.

A business consultant at a large bank must determine if a report indicating that more than half the bank's credit card holders are unprofitable is true. This case contains a dataset that enables students to utilize some of the built in data functions in Excel and provides a basis for discussion of data-mining tools, products 7B04E017A and 7B04E017B.

The proprietor of a day spa must decide whether to purchase a microdermabrasion machine. This differential analysis case will test students' abilities to identify those costs that are recurring cash flows and those costs that are investments; give practice calculating working capital investments; differentiate between relevant and non-relevant costs for a differential analysis and test students on their ability to conduct a sensitivity analysis.

The president and chief executive officer of Info-Tech Research Group must determine the pricing and promotional strategies for the company's newest product offering. This case allows students to use differential analysis as a tool to aid in their decision. Students are expected to perform a qualitative analysis based on the fit of Info-Tech's new product offering within the competitive marketplace and its potential customers; identify those items relevant to the decision and categorize them as either recurring cash flows or one-time cash flows; understand that the recurring cash flows consist of both variable costs and fixed costs and to recognize the difference; identify those items which are investments, including working capital accounts; apply exchange rates so that all figures in the analysis are in the same currency; calculate return on investment and payback ratios; recognize the need for and perform a sensitivity analysis on the projected sales levels; and make a decision based on both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The president of Jackson Limited's sawmill division was reviewing proposals to upgrade and modernize the sawmill at the New Denmark site in New Bruswick. He was faced with different alternatives ranging from a capital requirement of $6 million to as high as $14 million. The president must make a capital budget decision that will take into account several uncertainties.

Job Offer Negotiation is a role play between a job applicant who is graduating from an MBA program and a recruiter from a global consulting firm. It is intended to illustrate the importance of preparation and planning; integrative negotiation in the context of job offers, and specific behaviors that contribute to effective negotiation. To be used with 9B05C012.

To be used with 9B05C011.

The general manager of BookMart, a major online book, movie and CD store was struggling to manage a serious breach of the company's information systems, which jeopardized both the company's reputation and its ability to provide service to its customers. He must develop an immediate plan to address the security breach internally; how to communicate the situation to customers and the media and develop a long term plan that will minimize the risk against possible future attacks. The supplement A Hacker Attack: An e-Commerce Nightmare, product 9B05E003 looks at the general manager's short and long term plans.

BookMart has a breach in the company's information systems. In this supplement to A Hacker Attack: An e-Commerce Nightmare, product 9B05E002, the general manager has to develop immediate and long term plans to deal with the situation.

Ganong Bros. Limited is a fifth generation family chocolate company in New Brunswick that is facing financial difficulties. The firm has been spreading its resources too thinly and needs to develop a plan to not only return to profitability but also to grow the business while upholding its responsibility to the local community. This case helps students to develop an understanding of cutting costs in a turnaround situation and seeking out alternative lines of business for strategic growth.

Excel spreadsheet with sample data for product 9B04E017.