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Canada's Cleaners Inc. is a dry cleaning company. The owner is considering selling a piece of shirt-pressing equipment and investing in one of three available machines. The current machine's quality is no longer meeting the company's standards and most likely will only last for another three years. He must do a cost and benefit analysis to determine which machine he should purchase.

During a short vacation, the owner of Rae and Jerry's Steak House read a book on family businesses that prompted him to think of succession planning for his own company. His daughters, ages 21 and 17, were not yet ready to take over the business and he was not sure that they would be interested in doing so. He would also like to reduce the number of hours he spends at the restaurant to spend more time with his wife. He must assess his options and develop a reasonable plan of action.

Electrosteel Castings Limited, based in India, had been the largest domestic manufacturer of iron pipes for over four decades. Although it had achieved solid growth in recent years, the market was under increasing pressure as overall growth slowed and new competitors entered the market. The chief executive officer believed that international expansion was critical to future growth and would also provide additional currency for further investment in new process technologies. After extensive study, management had narrowed the options to Europe (France) or Southeast Asia (Vietnam). Given limited resources, Electrosteel could only enter one market, either with a new marketing office or a new manufacturing plant. Building an overseas plant was particularly attractive, as it would effectively translate into Electrosteel being considered a local competitor in that market, reducing costs and improving customer service. In recent weeks, the need for a decision had increased significantly, as management had become aware of foreign competitors investigating similar international expansion options. (A video highlighting the manufacturing process of the iron pipes is available, product 7B02D016.)

Ji'nan Broadcasting Corporation is a public television broadcaster in one of China's provinces. The company is working on a new market opportunity to provide data and voice telecommunication services to the majority of the province's businesses and inhabitants. Currently, no data services are provided in this province and only one competitor offers voice services. The project is behind schedule, over budget and under specification. The project manager must decide which steps to take next in order for the project to succeed.

Extreme CCTV, a start-up company that specializes in closed circuit television equipment, is looking at purchasing one of it distribution partners, Derwent Systems Ltd - a leading European manufacturer of infrared illuminators. The two companies have been successful in promoting the others products in their respective markets, now Derwent's founder wants to retire. Without Derwent's founder, Extreme CCTV will lose the ability to sell complementary Derwent products in North America and will have to look for another way to distribute its products in the European market. The president and founder of Extreme CCTV has to decide whether or not he should proceed with the purchase of Derwent Systems Ltd. and how he would manage both companies while preparing for an initial public offer.

AIG is an American insurance company. A trade dispute between the United States and the European Union threatens to block the accession of China to the World Trade Organization, and AIG plays a role - it is the only foreign firm to own fully-controlled subsidiaries in China. The disagreement concerns what will happen to these existing subsidiaries, as well as potential new ones that AIG might seek to establish in China in the future. What are the issues from the perspective of each of the stakeholders and what options are available that will resolve this dispute?

This note provides an abbreviated discussion of the essential elements of the term sheet provided by a venture capitalist to a proposed investor. A sample term sheet is included.

The president of Piele S.A., a manufacturer of natural leather products, is reviewing the results of the first half of the year. A team of consultants has been working with the firm to restructure the company's budgeting and reporting systems. The new systems have been in place for six months and the president must analyse the results before meeting with the management team to discuss what actions should be taken for the future.

Maple Leaf Foods is a leading global food processing company with operations in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. Under new management and with the desire to substantially upgrade the leadership capabilities throughout the firm, the chief executive officer and vice-president of Six Sigma (an approach and methodology for eliminating defects in any process) embarks on a revolutionary change journey in this previously change-resistant multinational food business. The project has been rolled out to three of the 10 independent operating companies, and he must analyse the launch to determine whether it is on track, and what can be done differently or better. The supplement Maple Leaf Foods (B): Six Sigma in 2002, product 9B03C001, follows the progress of the Six Sigma program a year later.

A student contemplates creating and selling calendars to fellow students in order to raise funds for charity. He must decide the nature of the calendars, the target audience, the pricing, promotion and distribution of the calendars. The supplement (B) case, product 9B02A019, outlines the promotion and distribution of the calendars, and provides a reaction to the calendar. The supplement (C) case, product 9B04A001 discusses the publishing of the third edition of the calendar.

ING Direct Canada is a retail banking operation and a subsidiary of one of the top global providers of integrated financial services, ING Group of the Netherlands. ING Direct Canada needs to meet the operational demands of a growing client base, while maintaining its current staffing levels, physical space and commitment to same-day processing of accounts. The senior vice-president of operations must implement procedures to cope with the immediate challenges of the company's growth, as well as develop a long-term strategy. Options to consider included new technology, increased efficiencies, or relaxing the same day processing requirements.

Ji'nan Broadcasting Corporation, Shandong province's public broadcaster, is entering the data and voice transmission markets. The company is preparing for an initial public offering in 2005 and must show strong, positive growth. The most likely source of that growth is expected to come from Shandong's under-served business sector. Currently, no data services are available and only one company provides voice services. The data and voice project's scope indicates that multiple vendors might be needed. For an upcoming meeting with Nortel Network's account sales manager, the project manager must provide recommendations on vendors, equipment and network specification options.

mGames is a manufacturer of game-based software for portable computers, PDAs and cell phones. The company's new chief executive officer has just been informed of a potential hostile takeover of the company by a major PDA manufacturer. At the same time he receives a phone call from a senior executive at a Scandinavian telecommunications company expressing interest in forming a partnership. With all of this happening, the chief executive officer faces growing pressure from the company's chairman to address ongoing performance problems. In a complex and changing environment he must make a strategic choice as to which group of customer groups (traditional handheld gaming device manufacturers, telecom manufacturers or PDA manufacturers) the company should focus on.

This case is presented as a dialogue between four friends, who examine the economic crisis that has affected Japan since the beginning of the 1990s and focuses on the current situation of recession and deflation. Extensive macroeconomic data is provided, as well as information on the policies implemented by the government since 1992. How did Japan get into the crisis, and why has it not yet recovered?

Global Healthcare Exchange Canada is a business-to-business exchange that connects hospitals and their major suppliers through an electronic procurement process. Founded as a subsidiary of its global parent, the exchange has become the leading health-care exchange in the country, but it is still far short of break-even. It must develop a compelling value proposition if it is going to drive adoption among hospitals and suppliers to the target levels. To do so, it must overcome considerable inertia among hospitals that are often very reluctant to change from frequently inefficient purchasing processes. Although there are major benefits to be realized from automating supply chain operations in the industry, the adoption decision process among hospitals is highly complex, but very idiosyncratic. In confronting these challenges, the exchange must also re-examine its own business model, in particular its pricing strategy for both suppliers and hospitals.

Overheads for teaching note for 8B02M24.

Powerpoint presentation for product 9B00A020.

In its first two years as a direct response retail bank in Canada, ING Bank of Canada attracted more than 160,000 customers and assets of Cdn$1.6 billion. Several other direct banks have entered the marketplace with similar services and the management team needs to consider the company's next strategic move. The team must decide whether to recommend an alliance that would place ING automated banking machines in Canadian Tire stores nationwide. This case is a supplement to ING Bank of Canada (A), product 9A99A010.

Fast Learning Inc. was a private firm that developed software and learning materials largely for preschool-aged children. It is considering moving into two new ventures: opening an early childhood education center and purchasing an existing day-care center. Fast Learning has approached a strategy consulting firm for advice on these ventures. One of the team members evaluating the proposals must determine the appropriate costs of capital (or hurdle rates). He considers whether to base the calculations on the cost of new sources of financing or an average of the costs of existing sources, and whether required returns should reflect actual past costs or current market costs.

In the early 2000s, crisis management is a growth industry. Scarcely a month passes without news of organizational crises. Instantaneous media exposure worldwide raises the stakes for even modest size domestic businesses. Once-local ventures, when faced with crisis, may confront worldwide exposure. Whether challenged by hostile takeovers, plant explosions, equipment sabotage, product contamination, violence or some other threat to the viability of an organization, we work in a world where the need for crisis management skills and knowledge is on the rise. This note provides a basic background on organizational crisis management including how to determine what to prepare for and who can help.