個案總覽

In February 2017, a purchasing manager for General Motors Company (GM) needed to come up with a sourcing proposal to source e-boost modules, which were required to support the enhanced 2020 Chevrolet Bolt Electric Vehicle and the new 2020 Chevrolet Bolt Autonomous Vehicle. GM had four possible international suppliers to choose from. Each supplier had its pros and cons in terms of price, product development capability, and the architectural nature of the braking system. GM wanted to be a disrupter to the autonomous vehicle industry. Its top priorities were public safety and defect-free quality. In order to continue to maintain the market leadership position, GM wanted to retain the intellectual property of the e-boost modules. Which supplier would best meet the needs of the company?

Student spreadsheet for case W17300.

COLIN, a producer of garment care products headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, was working with a large U.S. retailer to produce the Bristol, an innovative garment steamer that the retailer wanted to launch for the 2017 U.S. Thanksgiving season. To meet that deadline, COLIN would have one month less than was typically needed to launch a new product. This launch date left COLIN with limited time for research and development, manufacturing, and marketing. Several managers at COLIN met to discuss the project, including how to choose the suppliers, whether to continue with an original equipment manufacturer model or move to an original design manufacturer model, how to ensure the product could be launched on time, and whether to use any of COLIN’S own core technologies. To make their decision, the managers needed to analyze several complicated issues.

Instructor spreadsheet to accompany product 8B16E030.

Student spreadsheet to accompany product 9B16E030.

In 2016, a soccer fan closely followed the scores, standings, and transfers of players in the European soccer leagues. Having witnessed countless exchanges of players from one team to another, she wondered about the factors that team managers considered when determining the players’ market values. She gathered data on 77 notable soccer players in an effort to better understand the essential factors that made the players valuable. Could she use the variables she had collected to also build a functioning model that would predict a player’s market value?

In 2016, a soccer fan closely followed the scores, standings, and transfers of players in the European soccer leagues. Having witnessed countless exchanges of players from one team to another, she wondered about the factors that team managers considered when determining the players' market values. She gathered data on 77 notable soccer players in an effort to better understand the essential factors that made the players valuable. Could she use the variables she had collected to also build a functioning model that would predict a player's market value?

Student spreadsheet for case W16652.

Instructor Spreadsheet to accompany product 8B16E023.

Spreadsheet to accompany product # 9B16E023.

On February 29, 2016, an investor, who was a business school graduate, purchased one share of Tesla Motors, Inc. stock for $191.93. In doing so, the investor wondered what trading strategy should be followed over the next six months to maximize returns while minimizing risk. In choosing a strategy, he wanted to make good use of the knowledge gained from his financial analytics classes. To that end, he did not know if he should choose a buy and hold, or a stop-loss strategy with an optimal stop-loss threshold. The investor wondered how he would make this decision. Would a six month comparison of the stop-loss strategy with thresholds from 1 per cent to 99 per cent versus the buy and hold strategy resolve his dilemma?

On February 29, 2016, an investor, who was a business school graduate, purchased one share of Tesla Motors, Inc. stock for $191.93. In doing so, the investor wondered what trading strategy should be followed over the next six months to maximize returns while minimizing risk. In choosing a strategy, he wanted to make good use of the knowledge gained from his financial analytics classes. To that end, he did not know if he should choose a buy and hold, or a stop-loss strategy with an optimal stop-loss threshold. The investor wondered how he would make this decision. Would a six month comparison of the stop-loss strategy with thresholds from 1 per cent to 99 per cent versus the buy and hold strategy resolve his dilemma?

Student spreadsheet for case W16434.

In March 2016, an investor wanted to evaluate the strategy and stability of Cisco Systems, Inc. by using historical income statements to predict future cash flows. He knew that he might be able to use time series analysis to evaluate the company's performance in the near future, but he was unsure how to proceed if the historical data would not be predictive of the future performance. In particular, the investor wondered, how would he determine the likelihood that the company's next quarter would yield similar net income to the previous quarter?

Student spreadsheet for case W16428.

Excel spreadsheet for instructors.

Excel spreadsheet for students.

In March 2016, an investor wanted to evaluate the strategy and stability of Cisco Systems, Inc. by using historical income statements to predict future cash flows. He knew that he might be able to use time series analysis to evaluate the company’s performance in the near future, but he was unsure how to proceed if the historical data would not be predictive of the future performance. In particular, the investor wondered, how would he determine the likelihood that the company’s next quarter would yield similar net income to the previous quarter?

In December 2012, a young worker in Toronto wants to invest $50,000 savings. He needs to decide the equity portfolio that will result in the lowest risk at the best possible return on his investment. In particular, he is looking to invest in Wal-Mart, IBM, Apple, Chevron and Amazon, all large U.S. corporations that have weathered the recent economic crisis and show growth potential for the future. He remembers learning about using efficient frontiers to analyze stocks and decides to undertake an exhaustive analysis before deciding in which company to invest.

Excel spreadsheet for instructors.