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A newly appointed maintenance supervisor for the day shift at a pharmaceutical company must make a decision regarding whether to discipline an employee for inappropriate behaviour on the job. The situation became more complicated as the employee, who was a steward for the local union, had a history of filing grievances within the plant and was himself in line for the maintenance supervisory position. This is a sequel to Carl Jones (A) and describes an incident with Jones which leads to a grievance. (A sequel to this case Carl Jones (C), describes further events.)

A newly appointed maintenance supervisor for the day shift at a pharmaceutical company must make a decision regarding whether to discipline an employee for inappropriate behaviour on the job. The situation became more complicated as the employee, who was a steward for the local union, had a history of filing grievances within the plant and was himself in line for the maintenance supervisory position. A temporary truce between Jones and the employee is followed by defiant behaviour. This is a continuation of Carl Jones (A) and Carl Jones (B).

York River is a Canadian pulp and paper company whose major product is container material, used for making cardboard boxes. The company has three major customers. A small competitor has made a takeover bid for one of these customers. If successful, York will lose 25% of its volume. Should York make a $50 million counterbid to keep the customer? Assessment of the reaction of other customers relative to impending consolidation is critical.

The export director for Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma, of Monterrey, Mexico, must develop a sophisticated marketing strategy in order to earn a permanent place for the brewery's SOL brand in the UK brewing market, considered to be one of the world's most dynamic and competitive beer markets. Specifically, he must decide how to position the brand; what brand characteristics, if any, should be modified; what new distribution channels, if any, should be pursued; and finally, what type of advertising and promotional campaign is necessary.

The setting for the case is a rate hearing to determine the cost of capital for a gas utility. The case provides an opportunity for a full discussion of the issues in estimating the cost of capital for both regulated and unregulated firms. The situation has an added twist in that the company just became a wholly owned subsidiary of British Gas.

The Independent Committee of the Board of Directors of Goodyear Canada Inc. must assess the fairness of the proposed Going Private amalgamation received from Goodyear Canada's parent, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company offered to buy all the common shares of Goodyear Canada not already owned by them (11.2% of the shares issued were in public hands) for $48.00 (CDN) in cash per share. This represented a 22% premium over the closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange on the previous afternoon.

The bank has to decide if and how it will help Columbia Pine Pulp Company (CRP). The bank must evaluate CRP's projections, capital structure, security, proposed design of the financing, interest rate hedging, and other financial decisions. The company is proposing a greenfield pulp mill on the site of a sister pulp mill and an affiliated paper mill. Students are required to develop a financial strategy. (Two related cases bearing the same name examine recapitalization and interest rate hedging - cases 9A90B036 and 9A90B037.)

The purpose of this case is to permit a discussion about value creation, performance assessment, the case method and corporate finance. It is intended to be used in the first class in a corporate finance course.

The president of a software development company was contemplating how to reward its investors. Since the company's inception 10 years previously, the company had not paid full dividends to shareholders. The president was anxious to provide some return for the investments made, but he was convinced that he could maximize shareholder return if he could position the company to take advantage of the tremendous industry growth. He also wonders how much capital he will need, and where to obtain it.

James and Serena Udderlie were preparing a loan application to the Confederation Bank of Canada. They were requesting a $160,000 term loan, in addition to an operating loan, for the potential opening of a Cow's ice cream and clothing franchise. They needed to develop proforma income statements and balance sheets for the store's first two years of operation. They also wondered what collateral, if any, they would be able to provide the bank to secure against a loan, and what other terms the bank might deem necessary.

Two managers attempt to compute the cost of capital for B C Telecom Inc. They discuss hurdle rates, dividend yields, stock issues, and borrowing history.

The manager of Service and Business Development for Trizec, a large property management company, was trying to decide how to implement a new initiative, the Trizec Advantage Program. This program called for Trizec to negotiate services management agreements with business services companies to become preferred service providers for Trizec's tenants. Although Trizec, its tenants and potential service providers were very positive, some of Trizec's critical staff members were skeptical. Students have to analyze how the Trizec Advantage Program fits into Trizec's service concept, how it will affect the company's competitive position, and how to make sure the staff support it.

Chemfree has the rights to distribute a line of environmentally friendly pest control products in Canada and abroad. Under the leadership of the president and controlling shareholder, the firm has experienced significant growth since its formation a few years ago and is poised for even more rapid growth in the future. The firm requires a substantial amount of money to finance this growth as well as its seasonal funding needs. Four alternative means of financing are being considered including two venture capital firms and two corporations. All of the alternatives involve a dilution in the president's equity interest and he must choose which alternative is most appropriate.

The manager of equity derivatives at ScotiaMcLeod is deciding whether to replace a software system that enables investment dealers to trade electronically on Canada's major stock exchanges. The new system allows access to institutional clients, which presents opportunities as well as threats to the traditional role of investment dealers. The case's primary objective is to introduce students to the concepts of financial markets and trading and to show the importance of information technology in the evolution of stock trading.

A project manager at Digital Canada has designed a work-at-home program to encourage field personnel to spend less time working in the office and more time working at client sites, on the road and at home. He believes his plan will save Digital Canada millions of dollars annually and result in increased productivity. Unfortunately, the response from U.S. headquarters has been lukewarm, and the affected employees are reacting quite negatively. The manager is uncertain how to generate support for his plan in order to move forward.

The purpose of this note is to introduce the reader to the topic of intellectual property in the mid 1990s. Key aspects discussed include an overview of the law of intellectual property, how intellectual property is valued and the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

This case allows students to experience a day as Sanjiv Yajnik, a new market manager, as he manages a continuous flow of decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives and severe time constraints. The case series illustrates the day-to-day reality of strategy implementation. The (A) case is Sanjiv's schedule for the day; the (B) and (C) cases are collections of e-mail messages and phone calls requiring his attention. (A 19-minute video can be purchased with the case, Taco Bell: A Day in the Life - Video.)

A new market manager must make numerous decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives. The manager must deal with a number of e-mail and telephone messages. This case supplements Taco Bell: A Day in the Life (A).

A new market manager must make numerous decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives. The manager must deal with a number of e-mail and telephone messages. This case supplements Taco Bell: A Day in the Life (A).

This note addresses four key issues of interest to the potential franchisor: 1. assessing the viability of the franchise concept; 2. financing the franchisor and franchisee; 3. designing the franchise agreement; and 4. the legal implications of the franchise agreement.