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Supplement case to W14003.

Excel spreadsheet for students.

OWNI was founded in April 2009 as a copyright-free online news and image distribution firm. As part of a web agency that developed web content and graphics for French companies, it insisted that all content produced could be made freely available to others under the Creative Commons licence. OWNI delivered hard-hitting news, sourced in the beginning mostly from bloggers and later supplemented by a team of investigative journalists. Set up to challenge the dominance of traditional French media, OWNI sought to carve out a niche for itself as a provider of richly illustrated, insightful news articles that were available to the public at no cost. Yet, despite its aspirations, the recognition it had received in the form of industry awards and the commitment of its employees, the firm filed for bankruptcy by the end of 2012. A former journalist at OWNI considers its impact on French media, what it represented, what changes — if any — it sparked and what it could have accomplished had it achieved what it set out to do. What were the challenges of growing and maintaining a unique business model in the face of competition and dwindling resources that OWNI’s management failed to meet?

In 2009, after six years of operation and two negative audits, the president of the Canada Border Services Agency is thinking about initiating a reorganization to improve the way the agency is operated. Formed in 2003 from three government departments, the agency has been responsible for a range of activities represented by 90 acts and regulations that cover, for example, border security, immigration, food and plant inspection, intelligence and tax collection. Since its founding, the agency has grown substantially in the number of employees, who are spread out across the country in eight regions; some of them are in unions that are expert in the use of the news media to protect their members’ interests. The lack of up-to-date communication equipment and the complexity of the organizational structure have resulted in an increased response time to matters that need immediate attention both within Canada and with international partners. No attempt has been made to streamline processes; every major initiative thus far has been focused on ensuring that nothing from the current workload gets dropped, processes remain intact and stronger controls are put in place. The president’s challenge is to determine how to initiate anticipatory change. He has a limited term and needs to prepare a detailed action plan if he wants the changes to take effect before he leaves.

In 2009, after six years of operation and two negative audits, the president of the Canada Border Services Agency is thinking about initiating a reorganization to improve the way the agency is operated. Formed in 2003 from three government departments, the agency has been responsible for a range of activities represented by 90 acts and regulations that cover, for example, border security, immigration, food and plant inspection, intelligence and tax collection. Since its founding, the agency has grown substantially in the number of employees, who are spread out across the country in eight regions; some of them are in unions that are expert in the use of the news media to protect their members' interests. The lack of up-to-date communication equipment and the complexity of the organizational structure have resulted in an increased response time to matters that need immediate attention both within Canada and with international partners. No attempt has been made to streamline processes; every major initiative thus far has been focused on ensuring that nothing from the current workload gets dropped, processes remain intact and stronger controls are put in place. The president's challenge is to determine how to initiate anticipatory change. He has a limited term and needs to prepare a detailed action plan if he wants the changes to take effect before he leaves.

The executive vice-president and chief operating officer (COO) of Canadian National Railway Company (CN), wants to change the culture at his organization. The COO has been promoted to his current position after CN purchased Illinois Central, and his first task is to review CN's operations across the country. He notices that employees are leaving work early, a practice called "early quits" that is supposed to reward employees for working harder during the day. He also notices there are other practices, such as late starts that encourage lower productivity. With the goal of improving productivity in mind, the COO elects to tackle the issue of late starts before fixing the early quits problem. This case introduces behavioural science as one of the many management tools that can be used to influence behaviour.

This is a supplement to W13361

This is part of a case series. The case focuses on how a senior executive assesses the opportunity to drive innovation in his division. Jim Slater, Managing Director of Costa Enterprises, is thinking about a management consultant's offer to build the next generation coffee machine for his division. The company's business model has historically been built on incremental improvements, but this proposal would involve a 'step change' in how new products are developed. Costa Enterprises rolls out self-service vending machines ('concessions') that deliver quality coffee to customers in areas not served by premium high street cafes. The proposal Slater is considering is to build the next generation concession. However, handing over control of such an important, venture to an outsider seems like a significant risk for Slater to take.

Supplement to case LBS178

A portfolio manager for Penhall Investment Funds was reviewing the financial data his team had prepared on Lenovo Group Limited (Lenovo), one of the major holdings in Penhall's Global fund. Lenovo wanted to become more than just the largest manufacturer of PCs by volume. It aimed to become a leader in other devices, such as smartphones and tablets, and it was focusing on innovation as a key capability. The portfolio manager was impressed by Lenovo's results so far; the stock was up 7.5 per cent in a year. However, given the decline in the traditional PC segment, the competitive nature of the industry and global economic conditions, he wondered if Lenovo should continue to be a key holding in the global fund.

A portfolio manager for Penhall Investment Funds was reviewing the financial data his team had prepared on Lenovo Group Limited (Lenovo), one of the major holdings in Penhall’s Global fund. Lenovo wanted to become more than just the largest manufacturer of PCs by volume. It aimed to become a leader in other devices, such as smartphones and tablets, and it was focusing on innovation as a key capability. The portfolio manager was impressed by Lenovo’s results so far; the stock was up 7.5 per cent in a year. However, given the decline in the traditional PC segment, the competitive nature of the industry and global economic conditions, he wondered if Lenovo should continue to be a key holding in the global fund.

The vice-president of marketing and communications at Mountain Equipment Co-op, a retailer of outdoor sporting goods, is examining its marketing strategy following the decision to stop producing its physical catalogue. The 40-year-old retailer wants to broaden its reach beyond its hard-core group of customers. Although it currently has an online presence, it needs to further develop its online sales and outreach programs.

The vice-president of marketing and communications at Mountain Equipment Co-op, a retailer of outdoor sporting goods, is examining its marketing strategy following the decision to stop producing its physical catalogue. The 40-year-old retailer wants to broaden its reach beyond its hard-core group of customers. Although it currently has an online presence, it needs to further develop its online sales and outreach programs.

The executive vice-president and chief operating officer (COO) of Canadian National Railway Company (CN), wants to change the culture at his organization. The COO has been promoted to his current position after CN purchased Illinois Central, and his first task is to review CN’s operations across the country. He notices that employees are leaving work early, a practice called “early quits” that is supposed to reward employees for working harder during the day. He also notices there are other practices, such as late starts that encourage lower productivity. With the goal of improving productivity in mind, the COO elects to tackle the issue of late starts before fixing the early quits problem. This case introduces behavioural science as one of the many management tools that can be used to influence behaviour.

This is a supplement to 9B13M090.

Senior management of a large stock exchange is reviewing a recent software problem that resulted in a botched opening for the initial public offering of a popular social media company. They are drawing up a list of recommendations on how to prevent this type of failure in the future, taking into account the needs of their various stakeholders, including customers, market makers, listed firms, regulators and shareholders. Overviews of the stock market, NASDAQ in particular, and the use of technology to trade stocks securely and quickly are followed by examining the aftermath of a delay in the correct trading of Facebook shares on its opening.

The co-founder and CEO of StarTech.com is reviewing his firm’s strategic plan, including an aggressive target of $150 million in sales in three years. To achieve this goal, the company needs to leverage its knowledge to develop a meaningful presence in Europe. The challenge is to identify the best way to go to market, given country and regional differences in how people buy computer parts. The company can capitalize on several favourable trends: the economic weakness in Europe, which prompts consumers to extend the life of their electronic equipment; the lack of a European direct competitor; and the company’s ability to self-finance the venture.

The co-founder and CEO of StarTech.com is reviewing his firm's strategic plan, including an aggressive target of $150 million in sales in three years. To achieve this goal, the company needs to leverage its knowledge to develop a meaningful presence in Europe. The challenge is to identify the best way to go to market, given country and regional differences in how people buy computer parts. The company can capitalize on several favourable trends: the economic weakness in Europe, which prompts consumers to extend the life of their electronic equipment; the lack of a European direct competitor; and the company's ability to self-finance the venture.

The founder and CEO of Veranda Brands, a designer and marketer of home furnishing products, is preparing to coach three department managers so that they are ready to work well in a growing organization. Through staff layoffs, the company (founded in 2002) survived the 2008 financial crisis and actually increased the founder's personal investment. The company has since grown to $8 million in sales and its staff has grown to 50 employees (2012). To continue this growth and progress to the next level, the company's top employees need to function at a higher level which can be reached through targeted coaching.

The founder and CEO of Veranda Brands, a designer and marketer of home furnishing products, is preparing to coach three department managers so that they are ready to work well in a growing organization. Through staff layoffs, the company (founded in 2002) survived the 2008 financial crisis and actually increased the founder’s personal investment. The company has since grown to $8 million in sales and its staff has grown to 50 employees (2012). To continue this growth and progress to the next level, the company’s top employees need to function at a higher level which can be reached through targeted coaching.