Describes how Siemens Medical Solutions (MED) accomplished a remarkable turnaround from a money-losing operation to one of Siemens' most profitable divisions. By late 1996, a challenging market environment in the health care industry as well as inefficiencies in the company's manufacturing, logistics, and sales/service processes had a negative impact on MED's profitability. Reacting to these challenges, CEO Reinhardt defined and implemented a comprehensive turnaround program centered around people, processes, and products. The case highlights the most important aspects of the company's turnaround and later expansion and provides an outlook for the company's future challenges and opportunities.
A Harvard professor points the finger at venture capitalists, investment banks--and the Federal Reserve. He also explains what managers of the next wave of Internet companies must do to avoid the irrational exuberance of the dot-com bubble.
In the midst of dramatic changes in the information systems industry and declining profits at the ABC Co., the vice president in charge of the sales and service division, Jeff, and his managers attempt to transform their division. The transformation gets off to a good start but soon runs into problems as the managers are forced to lay off employees and to cancel a conference intended to move the transformation forward. Jeff wonders what he should do next as some members of his management team resign and morale is low.
Describes four basic organizational forms--hierarchy, division, matrix, and cluster. Diagrams of each are included. Their strengths and weaknesses under different business environment conditions are detailed. There is a table comparing the forms on several key organizational dimensions and a second table that describes key management practices in each form.
Because technology now develops faster than before, in the future managers will be able to choose the kind of organization they want. New structures, associated with adhocracies, networks, or "cluster organizations," will spring up around old ones. Information technology will enable cluster-type organizations to have the benefits of small scale and large scale simultaneously. Teams will accomplish most work, with leadership shared among members, and workers will be better trained, more autonomous, and more transient. Finally, expert systems will make decision making better understood, and computers will allow control to be exercised separately from reporting relationships.
Describes People Express business strategy and whether it was successful. Describes changing environment in the airline industry and asks students to make decisions concerning a new business strategy for People Express. Follow-up to the (A) case.
Describes situation facing Don Burr at People Express in May of 1985. Purpose is to get students to make a business policy decision. Follow-up to People Express - March 1984.
Many American companies have begun to plan for their professional, managerial, and technical personnel. The most critical element is management's appreciation for the ways in which its human resource decisions affect the company's ability to achieve its business plans--and vice versa. Designing and strengthening work programs, assessing the corporate culture, and modifying or reinforcing it from the top are among the ways human resource planners target performance objectives.