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The recently hired human resources (HR) director had to come up with a program that would meet the needs of transferring knowledge from older, more experienced project consultants to the junior and newly hired inexperienced associates. The HR director designed a program called the Mentoring Management Project for Professionals (MP 2). The program met with great resistance from all levels of the organization, which made the development and the implementation process more difficult. The MP 2 program was implemented on a trial basis and after four months, due to mixed results, the HR director was more confused than ever. He had three days left to prove to the executive board that the program is worth the cost, the time and the resources to implement.

The sudden resignation of the company's national sales manager has left the vice-president of sales and marketing stressed and concerned. He must decide on the successor from a pool of five candidates and is finding the decision difficult, not only because of the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate but this sudden resignation has him wondering about his authority and credibility within the organization.

Candym Enterprises is a wholesaler specializing in producing, importing and exporting giftware, and selling these items through independent sales representatives. The president and founder has discovered that performance in one territory is falling. A major trade-show is approaching, and changes need to be made in the territory quickly. The president feels he has several options, including replacing an independent sales rep with a company sales rep, which would be a new strategy for the company. Learning objectives include understanding the pros and cons of salary-based relationship building, the importance of excellent customer relationship management, and recognizing that using distributors/independent sales reps has some risk.

The top sales person for Alchemy Training Firm has visited three potential clients, an existing customer, a warm call referral and a cold call, to sell a new offering from the company. While the company was well-known for providing top quality sales management training programs, the owners have decided to branch out with a new offer of supply chain management/purchasing training courses. The sales person must prepare a report of these sales calls for a planning session, and is concerned that the outcome may not be successful. He wonders what he could have done differently. The case highlights the difficulties in selling a new intangible service when firm reputation, trainer reputation, and course customization opportunities compete with cost as main buyer priorities. The differing opinions of the owners on the firm's growth strategy are an issue, as well.

A recent MBA graduate has joined a small division of a medical equipment manufacturer as a regional sales manager. Sales are not going well, customer complaints are common, and he is unhappy with the amount of time he must spend away from home. The regional sales manager must analyse his options to determine the best way to balance the rigours of a sales career and personal life. He must consider the challenges of an undefined, boundary-spanning role; management's possible role in mitigating these challenges; and the expectations about the rigours of a sales career.

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Regional Asia-Pacific Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>Worldwide Equipment Ltd. is one of the world's largest manufacturers of heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment. The Beijing regional sales manager has just heard that the sales performance of his office ranked the lowest among the sales offices in China. The sales Beijing force will not receive their year-end bonus unless the situation can be turned around quickly. He must determine whether the sales management process or a recent new hire on the sales force, whose hiring was strongly suggested by the manager's boss, are to blame for the poor sales performance and how to keep the situation from recurring.

AlarmForce Industries Inc. is a developer and sales provider of home security systems with offices throughout Canada. Since the company's inception, it had become one of the leaders in the Canadian home security market and had established a reputation for being a technological innovator in the industry. The president and CEO of the company must decide whether to launch its new product, AlarmFog, which the president believed represented the future of the home security market. This case focuses on past strategic decisions the company made in differentiating itself in a mature market.

AlarmForce Industries Inc. is a developer and sales provider of home security systems with offices throughout Canada. Since the company's inception, it had become one of the leaders in the Canadian home security market and had established a reputation for being a technological innovator in the industry. The president and chief executive officer of the company must decide whether or not to launch their new product, AlarmFog, which the president believed represented the future of the home security market. The case focuses on past strategic decisions made by the company in differentiating itself in a mature market. The potential folly of making tactical product launch decisions without a solid analysis of underlying strategic issues can be discussed.

Jindi Enterprises is a manufacturer of heat exchanger units for residential and commercial markets in China. Recently, the company's top sales representative, who is also the sales manager for one of the company's provincial offices, quit and joined a competitor. A replacement must be found, however, a delay in choosing a strategic direction is seriously complicating the hiring decision. The chief executive officer must determine the corporate strategy and ensure that the hiring strategy reflects these changes. Learning objectives include understanding that corporate strategy and sales hiring and selection strategy are inter-related and must be integrated, that hiring criteria may have to change to reflect strategy changes, and that sales and sales management practices in emerging markets can be different than those in mature markets.

Jindi Enterprises is a manufacturer of heat exchanger units for residential and commercial markets in China. Recently, the company's top sales representative, who is also the sales manager for one of the company's provincial offices, quit and joined a competitor. A replacement must be found, but a delay in choosing a strategic direction is seriously complicating the hiring decision. The CEO must determine the corporate strategy and ensure that the hiring strategy reflects these changes.

Worldwide Equipment Ltd. is one of the world's largest manufacturers of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning equipment. The Beijing regional sales manager has just heard that the sales performance of his office ranked the lowest among the sales offices in China. As a result, the Beijing sales force will not receive their year-end bonuses unless the situation can be turned around quickly. The regional sales manager must determine whether the sales management process or a recent new hire on the sales force, whose hiring was strongly suggested by the manager's boss, are to blame for the poor sales performance and how to keep the situation from recurring.