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Tissage et Broderie is a consignment store selling handicrafts. The founders of the store have contacted a consulting firm for the development of a product and customer information system. After a preliminary interview, the consultant leading the project is ready to begin the requirements structuring process. She must create data, process and logic models.

eLance.com had just opened its online services to the public. The site was designed as a platform allowing buyers to post projects that freelancers (sellers) could bid on. After three days of operation, three requests for temporary positions appeared. Recruitment was not the intended purpose of the site and the co-founders disagreed on whether these requests should be allowed to stay on the site. Both founders knew that the choices they made now would directly affect future Web site development as features to support a projects-only site would be somewhat different from a combined projects and personnel site. They had to look ahead and consider the strategic and IT implications, and determine the objectives of the site and what products they would launch.

Chauvco quickly became one of the top 30 oil companies in Canada. Rising costs and diminishing oil and gas reserves led Chauvco to consider investing in other countries. In 1992, Chauvco purchased an interest in an Argentine oil and gas block that was being privatized. Chauvco's success in Argentina depended on the country's future political stability and the continuance of government policies. Prior to the 1989 election of Carlos Menem, Argentina experienced decades of political and economic instability, the government nationalized many businesses and imposed detailed regulations throughout the economy - a set of policies that led to low growth, budget and trade deficits, hyperinflation, and currency devaluation. Whether Menem's reforms could achieve long-term success remained to be seen. Chauvco encountered a number of difficulties, as well as some positive aspects of the environment of business. The company initially entered a joint venture partnership and then developed an independent set of operations. By 1995, Chauvco had to decide in what proportions it should divide its future investments between Canada, Argentina and other countries, and what criteria it should use in evaluating investment opportunities. This is an abridged version of 9A95H003.

A Thai import of automobiles benefits from appreciation of the baht against the deutsche mark, and will want to maintain the currency peg for two reasons - to maintain import competitiveness and to benefit from the interest differential. This role play is a supplement to Thailand, 1997, product 9B01M024.

A Thai shoe manufacturer notices that the prices of his exported products have become uncompetitive because of the baht's appreciation against the yen. This is a role play supplement to Thailand, 1997, product 9B01M024.

For most of the 1990's, Thailand's economy was one of the fastest growing in the world. Thailand was popular with foreign investors, and the country's currency was stable due to the central bank's currency peg. However, overspeculation, high interest rates, lower than expected exports and job losses were causing speculation that the central bank would abandon the currency peg. The Bank of Thailand must decide whether to continue or to abandon the peg of the baht to the U.S. dollar. Was the country through the worst of the economic problems or was there more to come? The supplementary cases enable role plays designed to provide an understanding of the forces influencing a decision about appropriate monetary policy as importer (9B01M022 - Exclusive Autos of Bangkok), exporter (9B01M023 - Thai Shoes PCL), investor (9B01M027 - International Assets Investment Company), lender (9B01M026 - Hokkaido Bank), currency speculator (9B01M029 - Quantile Investment Fund), the IMF (9B01M028 - International Monetary Fund), and the Bank of Thailand (9B01M025 - Bank of Thailand in June 1997).

Bureaucrats from the Thailand central bank and Ministry of Finance meet to discuss the implications of abandoning the peg of the baht to the U.S. dollar. This is a role play supplement to Thailand, 1997, product 9B01M024.

The manager of a Japanese bank is concerned about extending loans to Thai customers because of Thailand's currency instability. This is a role play supplement to Thailand, 1997, product 9B01M024.

A U.S. investor owns shares in a Thai developer. If the baht devalues, the dollar value of this investment will decline. This supplement is the investor role in the role play surrounding Thailand, 1997, product 9B01M024.

This role play supplement to Thailand, 1997 (product 9B01M024), discusses the International Monetary Fund conditions that will be put in effect should Thailand request assistance.

A currency speculator has shorted the baht, hoping it will devalue. This is a role play supplement to Thailand, 1997, product 9B01M024.

Kodak's Health Imaging division is the second largest business unit within Kodak, a worldwide provider of consumer, professional and health imaging products. The regional manager of the Health Imaging division is preparing her presentation for the company's senior management retreat. The East Asian Crisis and its impact on the division are on the agenda. The regional manager reflects on the magnitude of the crisis, and she wonders if the company's responses were reactive instead of strategic. There will be some tough questions to rake through at the meeting. Did the Health Imaging department respond effectively to the crisis? Is Kodak better off because of the crisis? What will the short-term and long-term effects be? Will Kodak's response to the East Asian Crisis preserve customer relationships for the years to come? Information pertaining to Health Imaging's strategic view of the region, the company's organizational structure and the levers employed by Kodak in response to the crisis all serve to produce some answers for the division's future consideration. A supplementary (B) case is available, product 9B01M056.

The Percy Group is a diversified real estate development company. The president must decide whether to invest $7.9 million to convert one of the company's apartment buildings into a retirement home. The company had not previously converted or operated a retirement home. He must evaluate industry trends and the expected cash flows necessary to determine whether the investment is expected to earn the company's cost of capital. He must also undertake sensitivity analysis and a qualitative evaluation.

Pembina Pipeline Corporation transports light crude oil and natural gas liquids in western Canada. The president of the company is abruptly awakened one night by a phone call from his operations manager. He is informed that one of Pembina's pipelines has burst and is spilling thousands of barrels of crude oil into a nearby river. Emergency crews have responded to the disaster but more help is needed. The president has to decide how the best way to handle this situation with the media and plan a strategy for the company in containing the spill.

Birch Point Lodge is a small family run resort. The managers of the lodge are trying to incorporate technology into the daily operations of the resort. With little experience, staff that are not very computer savvy and limited resources, using technology effectively have become a real challenge. They have twice tried to purchase a computerized system for handling reservations, billing and other processes. Most recently they spent $9,000 to purchase a system that was never used. They are faced with another option and must decide whether to purchase the new software or not.

Pibrex is one of the world's largest developers of petrochemical-based polymers for the plastics market. The company has purchased a plant in Russia and after three years of serious operating losses has appointed a new general manager of the plant. The plant lacks a strong organizational culture; communications within and between departments are poor; inequity in wages, working conditions, and training exist but motivation and retention problems are prevalent, Pibrex headquarters is losing interest in the Russian operation; and two sub-cultures exist within the Pibrex Russia organization. The general manager must develop an action plan that can turn operations around with minimal expense to Pibrex. A supplement, Managing Pibrex Russia (B): Developing Organizational Strategies to Ensure Sustainable Profitability (product 9B01M021) discusses issues facing the company two years later.

Pibrex is one of the world's largest developers of petrochemical-based polymers for the plastics market. In the Managing Pibrex Russia (A) case, (9B01M020) a new general manager inherits serious problems and develops an action plan to address the issues. This supplement illustrates what the management team has done to begin a turnaround of the firm and also highlights the many problems that remain. In particular, the company must reassess its management strategies and take steps to maintain its competitive position.

Lucent Technologies is a worldwide provider of telecom network infrastructures. The government of India has deregulated the state-run control of the telecom sector presenting significant opportunities for telecommunication providers. India appeared to be a nation of enormous investment opportunity, with a population of one billion and a relatively high growth rate. Lucent Technologies must evaluate the opportunities in this changing market and decide whether they should invest more resources in this area or withdraw completely.

Huazhang is a joint venture between China Machine Press and Multi-Lingua Publishing International, Inc. of the United States. Since its establishment, Huazhang had developed from a company with three employees to more than 100 employees. The shareholders are interested in determining how well the company has been managed and the board decides the best way to do this would be to value the company. The board also wants to measure the general managers' future performance based on the increased value of the company. The issue for the newly-appointed general manager is to determine which of the many possible methods should be used to value the company, including the discounted cash flow model, and to perform sensitivity tests.

Moonsnail Soapworks is a small manufacturer of natural, handmade soap products. The founder and co-owner of the company wants to address three key issues. First, to decide whether to introduce a new cream and if so, determine the strategy to be used for pricing, distribution and promotion. Second, to determine whether the move to a new location had been beneficial for the company; and third; to decide on the best strategy to improve performance and profitability at one of Canada's largest craft shows. All of these decisions need to consider the company's current financial health and cash position.