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The Walkerton tragedy, an E.coli outbreak that resulted in seven deaths and 2,300 people sick, was unprecedented in Canada. To prepare for a meeting with the utilities commission, the health unit gathers data about the outbreak and narrows down the likely date of transmission of E.coli. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Environment received the results of tests on collected samples of water from the area, and the results clearly show that the water is contaminated. This is a supplement to We Have a Terrible Tragedy Here (A), (B) and (C), products 9B05C022, 9B05C023 and 9B05C024.

The Walkerton tragedy, an E.coli outbreak that resulted in seven deaths and 2,300 people sick, was unprecedented in Canada. With the water test sample results confirming that the water supply was the source of the outbreak and an increasing number of Walkerton area residents becoming ill, the medical officer of health holds a press conference to communicate the seriousness of the situation. This is a supplement to We Have a Terrible Tragedy Here (A), (B), (C), and (D), products 9B05C022, 9B05C023, 9B05C024 and 9B05C025.

The Walkerton tragedy, an E.coli outbreak that resulted in seven deaths and 2,300 people sick, was unprecedented in Canada. The aftermath of the initial Walkerton E.coli outbreak is discussed: how the outbreak occurred, what could have been done to prevent it and the formal government inquiry. This is a supplement to We Have a Terrible Tragedy Here (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E), product 9B05C022, 9B05C023, 9B05C024, 9B05C025 and 9B05C026.

The president of Mcavan Advertising, a full advertising, marketing and design agency, was trying to decide what to do about a long-term client's request. The client, Floos Inc., had referred the president of Ryl Enterprises to Mcavan Advertising and Mcavan began work on the new account. Later, Floos Inc. claimed that Ryl Enterprises was a competitor of Floos and asked Mcavan not to work further with Ryl. Students have to identify and evaluate Mcavan's various options.

An entrepreneur was contemplating leaving his job at Goldman Sachs to start Global Source Healthcare, a healthcare outsourcing company focused on international nurse recruitment. He had researched the healthcare staffing market extensively, written a business plan and raised some funding. While this appeared to be an excellent opportunity, there were some very real risks that had to be considered. His greatest concern was the limited amount of funding at his disposal. Since international recruitment required a considerable amount of working capital, the lack of funding brought the long-term feasibility of the business into question. Students will learn about screening the business venture in terms of the entrepreneur, the resources and the opportunity; determining the strategic direction of the company and balancing the long-term vision with short-term cash flow needs; assessing different business models to determine which is the best fit for the company; and the importance of executing the business plan and selected strategy.

The net result of changes in the work-family politics is that there is, at one level, a merging of work-family pressures for women and men. As women and men move in opposite directions - women increasingly into the workplace, and men increasingly into the activities of the home - both are beginning to embrace greater responsibility in areas where prior generations practiced clear gender segregation. However, in spite of the growing popular rhetoric that families are egalitarian and parents are interchangeable when they do their carework, an imbalance still exists between the primary responsibilities that attributed to women and men. Men and work-family conflict is an emerging workplace issue. This article discusses the importance of father involvement and the positive impact such involvement has on both the parent and the children. Leaders in the area have to plan, manage and develop opportunities for supporting fathers and men as carers. As families are stretched to capacity even with fathers' participation, it is reasonable to assume that demands for change will now shift more strongly for workplace change. The authors call for a more comprehensive discussion that includes men in work-family issues, as well as a more complex discussion that recognizes the role they are already quietly assuming. The article also provides suggestions for what the workplace should do for fathers. Managers should ask dads what would be helpful for them, develop Father programs/groups at lunch and learns, ensure that parental leave is also advertised and planned for fathers within the workplace, communicate a general commitment/attitude shift so that fathers feel they can take advantage of what is already offered, incorporate community relations by including some focus on father/child events organized by a male champion, reduce employee stress by giving extra time off or assisting fathers and their families that work for them and reviewing and adapting policies to reflect a wide variety of family formations

It may be lonely at the top but the person in the C suite - and managers below - should not be alone. Adjusting to change is less trying when there's a network of mentors, advisors and others to support.

A work-life conflict exists when participation in a work oriented life role is made more difficult by participation in a non-work life role or vice versa. This article summarizes key findings of research on work-life conflict spanning over two decades. The results suggest that work to family interference increased for 25% (in 1990) to 30% (in 2000) of respondents. Family to work interference increased more than five times, from 2% to 11% during the same time period. Research results also identified five root causes of the inability to balance work and family demands. Organizational downsizing, organizational culture, changing demographics, non-supportive managers and technology are the factors that are further described in the article. The article also examines coping mechanisms that employees use to help them balance work and family demands. 78 percent of the sample responded that they just work harder-which of course sets conflict levels spiraling out of control. Closely related to just working harder, 60 percent of our respondents indicated they cut down on outside activities, while 55 percent got less sleep. On a more positive note, 47 percent of the sample stated they planned their time more carefully, while 45 percent bought more goods and services (e.g., lawn care, daycare). The most disturbing finding relates to individuals in managerial and professional roles: 26 percent of women in these roles noted they have had fewer children because of work demands; 15 percent of men noted this was also true for them. The results also suggested that many women managers and professionals find that motherhood and career advancement are not compatible goals. The article also posits a solution to the work-life conflict. The authors suggest that employees just say no to work that regularly requires attention outside work hours. They should plan downtime and actively try to maintain a balance between their work and home lives.

Some people choose not to balance the work-life equation. They raise their family first, and then enter the workforce. Organizations would be wise to accommodate these talented individuals.

An interesting dialectic is currently being played out in China: The state is continuing its age-old tradition of preserving order while a much newer force, free-market capitalism, and a previously unheard of phenomenon, a middle class, are slowly creating a new order. It is within such an economic environment that very large bets are being placed on the future of China, both by those already inside and by those rushing to go in. This article examines the crucial role of the state in China's great economic push forward and in its emergence as an economic colossus. It questions the relative safety of placing such bets by examining obstacles faced when investing in China. These include the political dilemma of sharing power with a rising bourgeoisie of prosperous business owners, the managerial challenge of coordinating large, complex organizations at world standards of efficiency, and the fact that global competition has intensified to a level which is virtually impossible for any new entrant to match. Other, more specific features are also considered, such as the fragmentation of the China market, productive inefficiency, allocative inefficiency, the weakness of information, the lack of intellectual property protection, the irrational passion for building capacity, the tendency to diversify rather than focus, and the sheer size of the state. The article also highlights potential opportunities for MNEs investing in China. For instance, declining SOEs may be used as launching pads for entry into the market. Furthermore, there are significant cost advantages to be realized from manufacturing in China, particularly in industries that Chinese companies cannot handle efficiently.

Not having the resources does not preclude the ability to be resourceful, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Here's how resource-challenged MNEs can play and win. Having access to the Web is essential for SMEs as owning a fax machine and a telephone. And though SMEs usually have limited material and human resources at their disposal, these authors state that successful e-business solutions are still within the reach of these companies. By thinking strategically about e-business, managers can select technological solutions that support the company's business strategies and create value for the company and its customers.

This article outlines the way in which Indians negotiate and highlights the difficulties that such a style may pose for North Americans. It begins by describing some dominant Indian cultural values, and subsequently assesses their impact on the Indian negotiating style. The coexistence of individualism and collectivism, an idealistic mind, a strong nationalistic sentiment, a subjective view of time, and the presence of a hierarchical culture constitute dominant cultural values that have resulted in a complex and highly imaginative Indian negotiator. Implications for Western corporations include the presence of drawn out negotiations, the growing importance of maintaining social relationships, accepting that contractual obligations have less sanctity in India, and finally dealing with a perception of fairness that is relatively more outcome based. The article also explores the possible strategies that North American managers may employ in their interactions with Indians. By being patient but firm, working with the Indian's high aspiration levels rather than against it, recognizing the virtues of flexibility, inducing Indian negotiators to behave differently by being less aggressive, and accepting that negotiated agreements may not be implemented in a timely way, North American negotiators can successfully operate in the Indian business environment.

Engagement, enthusiasm and excellence are the hallmarks of a performance culture. Following these authors' advice will put managers on the road to creating that culture. Creating a performance culture requires a systematic approach to managing the performance of organizations, teams and individuals. While leadership and discipline are the defining elements of that approach, they are not the only elements. These authors outline a road map for changing organizational behaviour and, ultimately, for implementing, promoting and sustaining a high-performance culture.

Some leaders intimidate; others are unapproachable. But is that really the case? Confronting a leader in the right way can lead to pleasant surprises. High-performance leaders realize that more often than not they just don't know how their people really feel about their leadership. Push-back, having the courage to question a leader and point out that his or her behaviour is counter-productive, can help a leader make a better, truly informed decision. The wise and mature leader will welcome the push-back: And it will make his or her job easier.

Almost every organization needs - and has - a succession plan. But it's the quality of the plan that counts - and in too many cases, is lacking. Quick, or even ad hoc, decision making may be appropriate in certain situations, but choosing the next CEO is not one of them. Surprisingly, many organizations lack a proper succession plan. One reason is that they do not have an effective succession planning process. This author draws a detailed and comprehensive road map that every organization should use.

With the hope of changing the way Canadians think about purchasing flowers, the owner of Bloom the Flower Company recognized the importance of the Wow! factor and the European florist model in her design of Bloom. Opened in 2002, the Toronto-based florist was continually stocked with a unique array of exotic, cut flowers for everyday purchase or individual or corporate events. Bloom's service delivery was based upon a friendly, welcoming and laid-back approach that focused on providing meaningful solutions to an individual's floral needs. Bloom's success had not gone unnoticed as several additional younger and hipper floral shops had been started in the area since Bloom opened. A number of business and service management issues have to be addressed in order for Bloom to grow.

PepsiCo is a large international soft drink manufacturer. The company has decided to split its worldwide bottling company from its concentrate business and is pursuing the initial public offering of the Pepsi Bottling Group. The president of PepsiCo Inc will become the chief executive officer of the newly formed bottling division and must create a system of corporate governance, and decide how to structure the new board of directors for the Pepsi Bottling Group.

Digital Economy was founded in 1994 as a private think tank focused on researching the effects of emerging technologies on competitive strategies and high performance organizations. By the late 1990s, clients demanded consulting services to compliment previously purchased research services. The company's business model and offerings flourished in the technology boom. In the first quarter of 2001, the technology boom began to deflate. Digital Economy's decision makers were confident that the changes in the environment would be short lived and that the company's business model and offerings were infallible. Unfortunately, this assessment and subsequent decisions lead to substantial losses in the next two years. The parent firm pressured Digital Economy to realize a profit by the following fiscal year or be completely shut down or consolidated. Digital Economy was in a state of crisis yet the management team did not see the need for change. This case illustrates how biased environmental analysis and personal beliefs can affect decision making and lead to and sustain organizational crisis.

Sun Life Financial is a large insurance conglomerate with $14.7 billion in annual revenues. The vice-president for China must formulate an approach for his company's entrance into China. Sun Life has achieved two important milestones: the right to apply for license and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for Joint Venture with China Everbright, a local securities company. The financial vice-president must consider strategic options for entry and choose a city in which to focus his efforts in getting a license. In doing so, he needs to consider Sun Life's overall priorities, strategic direction and how he will sell the concept to senior management in Canada. Intended for use in an introduction to international business course, the case includes assessing internal capabilities against an environmental scan, formulating strategy and making operational decisions relating to city selection. It also introduces the idea of joint venture management and government relations.

An entrepreneur has invented a device to make it easier for men's retailers to measure customers for made-to-measure suits, avoiding error and thereby improving the profit chain for the retailer. The entrepreneur is looking at ways to promote the device to middle- and upper-end men's retailers.