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A consumer goods analyst has been asked to understand the governance structure and various risks facing Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, a Swiss-based luxury goods conglomerate. Richemont has emerged as one of the premier luxury brand houses in the world and is controlled by a single person, Johann Rupert. The case describes the development of Richemont and provides information on various aspects of the firm, including its many luxury brand houses, management’s preferences, and competitor information with which to conduct a comparator analysis.

Role play #6 (Kelly Tan) for product 9B11C024.

This note was developed to summarize how some managers and firms are approaching risk management, and to provide a risk assessment tool that can be used to complement current risk management frameworks. Leaders are compensated and operate in conditions of risk. The risk assessment tool is based on: identification, information, interests, incentives and infrastructure.<br><br>The note was developed to provide participants with an integrated framework to identify and manage risk. It clearly shows that risk is endemic to business activities but needs to be managed in a strategic manner. It also points out that risk management has strategic, operational and tactical dimensions and is much broader than the volatility dimensions of risk stressed in financial management.

This case supplements the Darcy Gallagher Performance Coaching case by providing briefing material for the individual who is assigned to play the Darcy Gallagher role. In preparation for the meeting between Darcy Gallagher, sales manager, with his general manager regarding his annual performance review, Darcy has done a self-assessment of his performance. In addition, this supplement describes Darcy's beliefs about leadership, sensitivity to criticism and motivators.

This case supplements the Darcy Gallagher Career Coaching case by providing briefing material for the individual who is assigned to play the Darcy Gallagher role. In preparation for his meeting with his general manager about his future career path, Darcy has crafted his career development plan over the next five years.

This case study is based on a high-profile issue facing the Canadian federal government that began in 2008 and was still ongoing as of December 2010. Industry Canada, working from a set of policy objectives crafted over a period of three years, had decided that in the auction sale of wireless spectrum licenses in 2008, it would set aside 40 per cent of the licenses for new entrants. This decision had come about because research indicated that Canadian usage of wireless services had lagged behind that of other developed countries, mainly due to the high relative cost of wireless services. <br><br>One of the new entrants was Globalive Communications Corporation (Globalive), a start-up which was funded by Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E., an Egyptian company. Despite the fact that Canada had well-defined foreign ownership restrictions for the telecommunications sector, Globalive was allowed to bid. It won, and paid $442 million for its spectrum, began to hire hundreds of staff, and committed another $300 million to investing in wireless infrastructure. From the time Globalive applied to participate in the spectrum auction to the period prior to its official launch, the firm met several times with Industry Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to ensure that its ownership was structured so as to fit within the foreign ownership restrictions.<br><br>Pressure had been put on the CRTC by carriers such as Rogers and Bell to conduct a formal review of Globalive, and this review had determined that Globalive did not fit within foreign ownership restrictions. However, the government had overturned this decision, revealing a conflict between regulation and policy.

The Royal Group Technologies case provides information on insider trading and other allegations faced by the former executive officer and the company’s management team. The executive officer founded the firm after immigrating to Canada from Italy, and built it up into a large conglomerate by the 1990s. However, by the early 2000s, stakeholders were starting to question some of management’s practices, including awarding themselves high levels of compensation and engaging in related party transactions. The allegations led to charges being laid by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2008. An Ontario Superior Court justice acquitted the management team in late 2009, providing a soon-to-graduate MBA student the chance to review the company’s successes and challenges in the hope that some general lessons about corporate governance could be distilled.

In this dialogue-styled case, Binnj’s CEO has assembled a team of people for a 100-day science experiment to determine whether a new high-tech business venture is worth pursuing. He is focused on an untapped market — a new kind of restaurant menu service built on the Apple iPad platform. Members of the team are excited and have been working furiously on the project while retaining their full-time jobs. They have developed a prototype of the technology and business offering, pitched the idea to several clients, and generated significant interest. The case is set at the end of the first 100 days, when the CEO must decide on the next steps.

A consumer goods analyst has been asked to understand the governance structure and various risks facing Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA (Richemont), a Swiss-based luxury goods conglomerate. Richemont has emerged as one of the premier luxury brand houses in the world and is controlled by a single person, Johann Rupert. The case describes the development of Richemont and provides information on various aspects of the firm, including its many luxury brand houses, management's preferences and competitor information with which to conduct a comparator analysis.

Barrick Gold, the largest gold producer in the world, has taken steps to eliminate its longstanding gold hedging program. In its early years, Barrick's hedging program was a key factor allowing the firm to grow amidst falling gold prices. But Barricks management team faced questions about its hedging program when gold prices started to rise in the 2000s. The case allows students to review Barrick's hedging program and consider the impact of its decision not to hedge going forward.

In this dialogue-styled situation, Binnj's CEO has assembled a team of people for a 100-day "science experiment" to determine whether a new high-tech business venture is worth pursuing. He is focused on an untapped market - a new kind of restaurant menu service built on the Apple iPad platform. Members of the team are excited and have been furiously working on the project while retaining their full-time jobs. They have developed a prototype of the technology and business offering, pitched the idea to several clients, and generated significant interest. The case is set at the end of the first 100 days, when the CEO must decide on the next steps.<br><br>This case introduces students to information technology entrepreneurship, technology development approaches, service pricing issues, virtual project management techniques and tools, brainstorming revenue generation opportunities, and the challenges of prioritizing decisions.

As of 2010, ING DIRECT USA has had a successful first decade, having grown into one of the largest U.S. banks with $90 billion in assets. It has developed an innovative culture and a unique approach to banking, and has a strong brand name. As a result of a regulatory requirement in the Netherlands, ING Group is required to divest ING DIRECT USA by 2013. The chairman, president, and chief executive officer is reviewing his organization and thinking about what challenges the firm will face in the future.

In this role-play case, you are the new general manager of the Elmwood Group and have scheduled a meeting with your direct report, Darcy Gallagher, who is a sales manager. Gallagher, who has been consistently rated as an exceptional performer over his career at Elmwood, excels in business development, problem solving, and customer focus, and delivers strong results. However, Gallagher has significant gaps in his leadership competencies and skills, and in your view he meets but does not exceed current job requirements. Gallagher’s prior managers have vaguely referenced his need to improve his soft skills but have not followed up with him. For a proud, overrated manager like Gallagher, recognizing and accepting the gap between perception and reality will not be easy. Gallagher, who believes that he has sponsors in higher places, may challenge your authority as the general manager.

This role-play case follows the Performance Coaching case involving Darcy Gallagher. You are the new general manager of the Elmwood Group and four weeks ago you conducted a performance review with your direct report, Darcy Gallagher, who is a sales manager, and outlined three leadership gaps that Gallagher needed to address. The purpose of this new meeting is to discuss Gallagher’s career aspirations at Elmwood Group. In advance of your meeting, Gallagher has submitted his career development plan to you and he aspires to be a vice president at Elmwood, which is unrealistic. In this career coaching discussion, Gallagher needs a reality check about his career plan, and his capability and motivation to develop the strong skills in leading and developing people that are required in leadership roles.

In this role play case, you are the new general manager of the Elmwood Group and have scheduled a meeting with your direct report, Darcy Gallagher, who is a sales manager. Gallagher, who had been consistently rated as an exceptional performer over his career at Elmwood, excels in business development, problem solving and customer focus and delivers strong results. However, Gallagher has significant gaps in his leadership competencies and skills, and in your view, he meets, not exceeds, current job requirements. Gallagher's prior managers have vaguely referenced his need to improve his "soft skills" but have not followed up with him. For a proud, over-rated manager like Gallagher, recognizing and accepting the gap between perception and reality will not be an easy pill to swallow. Gallagher, who believes that he has sponsors in higher places, may challenge the general manager's authority.

This role play case follows the case "Darcy Gallagher: Performance Coaching Discussion." You are the new general manager of the Elmwood Group and four weeks ago you conducted a performance review with your direct report, Darcy Gallagher, who is a sales manager, and outlined three leadership gaps that Gallagher needed to address. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss Gallagher's career aspirations at Elmwood Group. In advance of your meeting, Gallagher has submitted his career development plan to you and he aspires to be a vice-president at Elmwood, which is unrealistic. In this career coaching discussion, Gallagher needs a reality check about his career plan, and his capability and motivation to develop the strong skills in leading and developing people that are required in leadership roles.

This case study is based on a high profile issue facing the Canadian Federal Government - still ongoing as of December 2010 - that had begun in 2008. Industry Canada, working from a set of policy objectives crafted over the period of three years, decided that, in the auction sale of wireless spectrum set for 2008, it would set aside 40 per cent of the spectrum for new entrants. This decision had come about because research indicated that Canadian usage of wireless services had lagged behind that of other developed countries and that this was primarily due to the high relative cost of wireless services. This was in contrast to only a decade earlier when Canada was seen as a global leader in the implementation of wireless technology. It is well understood that telecommunication adoption rates have a direct implication to the productivity of the Canadian economy. One of the new entrants was Globalive Communications Corporation (Globalive), a startup which was funded by Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E. (Orascom), an Egyptian company. Despite the fact that Canada has well defined foreign ownership restrictions for the telecommunications sector, Globalive was allowed to bid. It won, and paid $442 million for its spectrum, began to hire hundreds of staff, and committed another $300 million to investing in wireless infrastructure.<br><br>From the time Globalive applied to participate in the spectrum auction to the period prior to its official launch, the firm met several times with Industry Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to ensure that its ownership was structured so as to fit within the foreign ownership restrictions.

In October 2008, the president of Millbrook Estate Homes Ltd. is trying to determine if his firm should take on a new development called Whistle Hill Estates. Millbrook began as a builder of modest homes on a large scale, but the Whistle Hill opportunity would involve developing high-end custom homes.<br><br><br><br>The president’s decision will have a significant effect on Millbrook’s future strategy. Millbrook can stay within its comfort zone and continue building large numbers of entry-level or mid-level homes, purchasing supplies in bulk, and negotiating volume discounts with the trades, or the company can choose to move into the high-end custom home segment, in which it will have to manage more complex designs, source custom materials, and provide a greater level of customer service to clients. In the second option, Millbrook has the opportunity to earn higher profits per house built. If the president wants Millbrook to expand into the custom home segment, he needs to consider what changes will be necessary to position the Whistle Hill opportunity for success.

The executive director of an independent charitable foundation is thinking about whether to hedge his foundation's U.S. dollar exposure given the large swings in the Canadian dollar-U.S. dollar exchange rate. For the past four years, the weakening U.S. dollar has contributed to underperformance in the foundation's portfolio relative to its peers.

The chief financial officer of Granite Apparel is trying to determine which of the three fundraising options is optimal for Granite Apparel to finance a projected rapid growth strategy. The three options are an initial public offering of equity, a privately placed debt issue and a private placement of preferred shares.