個案總覽

Blinds To Go is a manufacturer and retailer of customized window coverings. The company has been steadily expanding the number of stores across North America. The vice-chairman is concerned with the lack of staff in some of these newly expanded stores. With plans of an initial public offering within the next two years, senior management must determine what changes need to be made to the recruitment strategy and how to develop staff that will help them achieve the company's growth objectives.

eLance.com had just opened its online services to the public. The site was designed as a platform allowing buyers to post projects that freelancers (sellers) could bid on. After three days of operation, three requests for temporary positions appeared. Recruitment was not the intended purpose of the site and the co-founders disagreed on whether these requests should be allowed to stay on the site. Both founders knew that the choices they made now would directly affect future Web site development as features to support a projects-only site would be somewhat different from a combined projects and personnel site. They had to look ahead and consider the strategic and IT implications, and determine the objectives of the site and what products they would launch.

Pembina Pipeline Corporation transports light crude oil and natural gas liquids in western Canada. The president of the company is abruptly awakened one night by a phone call from his operations manager. He is informed that one of Pembina's pipelines has burst and is spilling thousands of barrels of crude oil into a nearby river. Emergency crews have responded to the disaster but more help is needed. The president has to decide how the best way to handle this situation with the media and plan a strategy for the company in containing the spill.

Lucent Technologies is a worldwide company that delivers systems and software for next-generation communication networks. The company is restructuring to try to improve its stock value after significant losses. A key component of the company's restructuring is the retention of their information technology employees. There is an industry wide shortage of IT workers, causing a large number of these workers to job-hop for better pay. The chief executive officer needs to decide what employee compensation programs should be in place, determine if workplace conditions and rules need to be changed and if the company's recruiting program is attracting the best talent.

WaveRider Communications, Inc. was a Toronto-based company with a mission to become the leader in global wireless technology by developing, selling and supporting products that enabled wireless Internet service providers. It recently launched market its Last Mile Solution, offering Internet service providers the opportunity to provide wireless Internet access at broadband speeds in the unlicensed 2.4 gigahertz spectrum. The wireless Internet access industry was relatively untapped and WaveRider's vice-president of marketing wondered whether the company, as it started its growth phase, should seek an alliance with a competing technology company. To determine the feasibility of this idea, he needed to classify the competition, review the customer barriers and evaluate which technology was the best fit.

The newly promoted director of sales and marketing at CXP, a publishing company, has just inherited an employee conduct issue. In her previous position she became aware that a sales representative was having sexual relations with the company's clients, but the company's president was dealing with the issue. In her new role she discovers that issue still persists and this employee now reports to her. She realizes that this was a 'hot issue' and needed to determine the best way to handle the situation. There was more to consider than just dealing with the employee, there was the company's relationship with their clients and she did not want to put this in jeopardy.

The director of sales and marketing at CXP Publishing discusses with the marketing director how she is going to handle a difficult employee conduct issue, that of a sales representative who is sexually involved with some customers. Her approach to resolving the situation was going to take time, until another incident occurred, when she realized that she would have quickly change her plans. This is a supplement to the CXP Publishing Inc. (A) case (product number 9B01C004).

To resolve an employee conduct issue, an employee engaging in sexual relations with customers, the director of sales and marketing at a small advertising firm coaches the employee to develop a more professional image. Using discussion and reinforcing positive behavior, the employee and the company both benefit. This is supplement to the (A) case, (product number 9B01C004) and (B) case, (product number 9B01C005).

SalesDriver is a start-up company that develops online software packages for sales incentive contests. The vice president of marketing and distribution, who was also a company founder, considers how to address the challenge of retaining key employees in the growing high-technology industry, where employee turnover is very high.

SalesDriver is a start-up company that develops online software packages for sales incentive contests. The vice president of marketing and distribution, who was also a company founder, considers how to address the challenge of retaining key employees in the growing high-technology industry, where employee turnover is very high.

The president of Blinds To Go, a small retail fabricator of custom-made blinds, announces his plans of expanding the business across North America one region at a time. With substantial backing from an investment firm, the business has quintupled its revenues in less than two years and is looking to expand aggressively across the United States. However, the company has experienced significant turnover in its senior management positions. The company struggles with the issue of how to get and keep the senior management talent needed to achieve the growth the company wants.

Blinds To Go, a small retail fabricator of custom-made blinds, is looking to for the best talent it could to help them achieve their aggressive expansion goals. Emphasis was put on establishing internal programs that would groom candidates for senior management positions. Despite the temptation to bring in a vice-president from outside the company, the company believed it was in their best interest to develop and promote talent from within. This is a supplement to the Blinds To Go - Wanted: People To Lead Explosive Growth (A) case, (product number 9B01C002).

Grand & Toy is one of Canada's largest commercial suppliers of office stationery. The president of Grand & Toy is wary of the competitive threat posed by Staples, a well-known U.S. office supply company, and is reviewing his company's budget forecast to plan for a meeting with senior managers. He wants to use this opportunity to rethink the company's strategy and ensure all competitive threats and opportunities have been considered.

Canadel is Canada's leading manufacturer of casual dining room furniture. Following Canadel's entry into the U.S. market in 1992, sales had multiplied eight-fold and were expected to reach $125 million in 2000. The three brothers that made up the company's top management team were discussing recent sales results and future orientation of the firm. Questions that surfaced included growth in existing and new markets and competition from established industry giants and new upstarts. The brothers were determined to assess these opportunities and threats in the upcoming weeks.

Canadel is Canada's leading manufacturer of casual dining room furniture. Following Canadel's entry into the U.S. market in 1992, sales had multiplied eight-fold and were expected to reach $125 million in 2000. The three brothers that made up the company's top management team were discussing recent sales results and future orientation of the firm. Questions that surfaced included growth in existing and new markets, and competition from established industry giants and new upstarts. The brothers were determined to assess these opportunities and threats in the upcoming weeks.

OrangeWerks, an entrepreneurial company that creates software applications, is preparing to present to venture capital firms for its first major round of funding. However, during routine network maintenance, the network administrator becomes aware that the company may not have purchased the original software used to create the company's product, and that government workplace safety insurance was not in place. He must decide how to proceed with the knowledge by assessing available options and judging the stakeholder impact, as well as his career implications.

OrangeWerks, an entrepreneurial company that creates software applications, is preparing to present to venture capital firms for its first major round of funding. However, during routine network maintenance, the network administrator becomes aware that the company may not have purchased the original software used to create the company's product, and that government workplace safety insurance was not in place. He must decide how to proceed with the knowledge by assessing available options and judging the stakeholder impact, as well as his career implications.

DPSC created and marketed a range of compliance software to banks. Nine months after DPSC was purchased by Netzee, Netzee was in financial trouble. Since Netzee had purchased DPSC, DPSC's founder felt that Netzee had not fully utilized the potential of DPSC. He wanted to share his assessment of the merger and thoughts on future strategy with the new Netzee chief executive officer.

eLance.com allowed buyers to find sellers for time-sensitive project work without limiting bids to sellers within the vicinity of the buyer's physical office. It was just finishing the beta test of its site which had facilitated over 30,000 transactions in the past year. eLance was in the midst of closing its second round of venture financing which would allow it to execute its plan to become the premier online global services marketplace. To do this, it needed to prevent disintermediation - instances when eLance buyers and sellers, after being introduced on the eLance site, decide to conduct future project-related transactions offline. This would prevent eLance from mediating these transactions and gaining revenue from them. eLance had already implemented several customer-focused onsite and offline features to deter disintermediation. The co-founder and vice-president of business development had to determine what incentives were needed to keep customers dealing with each other through the site rather than offline.

eLance.com allowed buyers to find sellers for time-sensitive project work without limiting bids to sellers within the vicinity of the buyer's physical office. It was just finishing the beta test of its site which had facilitated over 30,000 transactions in the past year. eLance was in the midst of closing its second round of venture financing which would allow it to execute its plan to become the premier online global services marketplace. To do this, it needed to prevent disintermediation - instances when eLance buyers and sellers, after being introduced on the eLance site, decide to conduct future project-related transactions offline. This would prevent eLance from mediating these transactions and gaining revenue from them. eLance had already implemented several customer-focused onsite and offline features to deter disintermediation. The co-founder and vice-president of business development had to determine what incentives were needed to keep customers dealing with each other through the site rather than offline.