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The year 2007 had to have been one of the worst in the history of British Petroleum plc (BP). In the span of four months, two separate independent reports (the first one commissioned by BP itself) had identified a deeply rooted "culture of risk" within BP where money and profits were valued above worker and environmental safety. These reports were in response to an explosion in 2005 at an oil refinery in Texas City, in the United States, which killed 15 people and injured more than 180, but the reports also referred to pipeline leaks in Alaska as well as other serious safety lapses throughout BP's global operations. The Texas City explosion was the worst but not the first major incident at a BP facility, and the revelations in the reports severely damaged the credibility the so-called super-major oil company had earned over the last decade. The job of restoring investor and stakeholder confidence as well as the firm's reputation fell to the BP board and its star group chief executive, Lord John Browne. The B case, product 908M03, examines the role played by the board with respect to the personal integrity of Lord Browne. The teaching objectives are to introduce students to examining the role of the board with respect to risk management as well as its social responsibilities to various stakeholders.

The managing director of investment banking for Kaupthing Bank hf (Kaupthing) was considering what he would need to do if he accepted a new appointment as chief executive officer of Kaupthing's latest acquisition, U.K.-based investment bank Singer & Friedlander Group plc (Singer). He would have to deal with the fact that the two merging companies had very different cultures, the possibility that some employees may leave as a result of the change and take their clients with them, the fact that he did not know whether there were good managers at Singer who could be ready to be promoted to top management in upcoming years, and many other issues that would have to be addressed.

A managing director of international equities for a large public sector pension fund has to decide how the pension fund would vote on say for pay. Say for pay represents a vote held at the annual general meeting whereby shareholders have an annual and non-binding (thus it has no legal effect on the board or the corporation) opportunity to vote on executive compensation. Such a vote is obligatory in Australia and the United Kingdom and is starting to be practised in the United States. The case introduces students to elements of executive compensation, governance issues with executive compensation, the compensation analysis process, and the business model of investment bank / merchant banks and the use of private equity funds as vehicles to create value and retain value to the general partner and shareholders or the investment bank / merchant bank.

A village leader must reallocate farmland and decides to hold a competition among the three most capable farmers in the village. The contract to the farmland will be awarded to the farmer with the best performance in the growing season. The growing season is over and the village leader must review the farmers' capital structure, capacity, and leasing costs, and make his decision.

This note introduces students to the annual report of a company and ratio analysis, comparing over time and across industry.

This note introduces students to the annual report of a company and ratio analysis, comparing over time and across industry.

A business school is contemplating a major shift in strategy. The case examines the critical structural performance management, cultural and organizational issues associated with the change. Students will understand the difficulties of change with multiple stakeholders and constraints.

St. Michael's Hospital examines the merger of two hospitals, their medical staff and more importantly the merger of the boards of directors of the former Wellesley Hospital (a secular hospital) with St. Michael's Hospital (a religious hospital owned by the Sisters of St. Joseph). Key integration questions include: the purpose of board member selection, accountability, responsiveness to competing stakeholder groups and leadership.

Several new developments were threatening the success of Big Pharma. The patents on well-known blockbusters were reaching expiry, and generic manufacturers were eagerly waiting to produce lower-priced copies. Throughout the world, governments were taking a more active role in determining the prices at which drugs could be sold. The expansion of government insurance programs was adding to the complexity of the marketing challenges. Another change involved a shift towards direct-to-customer advertising, including the proliferation of information on the Internet, in addition to the traditional process of sales visits to family doctors. Research funding had doubled since 1991, but the number of new drugs emerging each year had fallen by half. The research and development process was also changing dramatically. Whereas blockbuster drugs had been developed as general treatments for common conditions, it was becoming increasingly apparent that not all patients reacted in the same ways to these drugs, and some - although a very small percentage - suffered serious side effects. This reality was expected to lead to the creation of a much larger number of niche drugs, each one targeted at a narrower group of patients. Related to this development was the growth of biopharma in which new biotech companies were creating drugs that could attack specific cells. Some analysts felt that Big Pharma was in a peculiar predicament in that profits were still very large, and this served as a barrier to necessary changes in strategy.

A senior accountant at Bristol-Myers Squibb has to assess the appropriateness of revenue recognition as the company has dramatically altered its relationships with its channel customers. The decision maker has to determine not only appropriateness but the right approach to deal with senior management on the issue.

Several new developments were threatening the success of Big Pharma. The patents on well-known blockbusters were reaching expiry, and generic manufacturers were eagerly waiting to produce lower-priced copies. Throughout the world, governments were taking a more active role in determining the prices at which drugs could be sold. The expansion of government insurance programs was adding to the complexity of the marketing challenges. Another change involved a shift towards direct-to-customer advertising, including the proliferation of information on the Internet, in addition to the traditional process of sales visits to family doctors. Research funding had doubled since 1991, but the number of new drugs emerging each year had fallen by half. The research and development process was also changing dramatically. Whereas blockbuster drugs had been developed as general treatments for common conditions, it was becoming increasingly apparent that not all patients reacted in the same ways to these drugs, and some - although a very small percentage - suffered serious side effects. This reality was expected to lead to the creation of a much larger number of niche drugs, each one targeted at a narrower group of patients. Related to this development was the growth of biopharma in which new biotech companies were creating drugs that could attack specific cells. Some analysts felt that Big Pharma was in a peculiar predicament in that profits were still very large, and this served as a barrier to necessary changes in strategy.

Boots Group PLC, one of the best known and respected retail names in the United Kingdom, provided health and beauty products and advice that enhanced personal well being. The marketing manager at Boots was planning his sales promotion strategy for a line of professional hair-care products. The professional hair-care line consisted primarily of shampoos, conditioners and styling products (gels, wax, mousse, etc.) developed in collaboration with United Kingdom's top celebrity hairdressers. The marketing manager's challenge was to select one of three promotional alternatives - get three for the price of two, receive a gift with purchase or an on-pack coupon - for the Christmas season. He realized that the alternative he selected would have both immediate effects on costs and sales, but also long-term implications for the brands involved. His primary objective was to drive sales volumes and trade-up consumers from lower-value brands, while retaining or building brand equity.

An entrepreneur has invented a device to make it easier for men's retailers to measure customers for made-to-measure suits, avoiding error and thereby improving the profit chain for the retailer. The entrepreneur is looking at ways to promote the device to middle- and upper-end men's retailers.

Arvind Mills, a large Indian textile and garment manufacturer, has to assess the costs of a large order, as a basis for a price quotation. The company is in a significant loss position. The textile industry in India is constrained by government regulations and the industry is critical as both an export earner and a major employer in the economy. However, the industry is losing share to China and must change to meet that threat. The vice-president of operations must assess the costs associated with the order, including an assessment whether to use the traditional cost system or the customer and manufacturing based activity cost system. The decision is also strategic as this order is at the core of the company's new strategy to be both a designer and manufacturer.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada's foremost orchestras with considerable international exposure. The orchestra has just celebrated its 80th birthday but was in a situation that could result in its downfall. The relationship with the landlord was less than ideal and the renegotiation of the musician's' contract could put a strain on the organization's finances. The orchestra's board of directors brought in a consultant to provide recommendations on how to address these issues. The board, pleased with the recommendations and the outcome, is offering the consultant the position of chair of the board. The consultant must decide whether to accept this role or to continue with his consultant's position.

Cloverdale Paint Inc. is a family-owned paint manufacturer. Company sales have been falling and the logistics manager was looking at several options that would meet the company's long-term growth objectives. Two opportunities - private label development or dealer network expansion - seemed promising. He must determine if one or both alternatives will resolve the company's declining sales, and if so, whether the company has enough capital to pursue one or both ventures.

Weihai-Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd., a joint venture between a Chinese company and Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd., of Korea, is one of the leading colour monitor manufacturers in China. The company has the opportunity to secure new business through an open bidding process. However, the price asked for is lower than Weihai-Daewoo's cost of production using the full-cost method. The company needs the business and the chief executive officer believes that a long-term relationship could be profitable. He must decide whether to accept the order and examine the company's cost calculation system.

A village leader must reallocate farmland and decides to hold a competition among the three most capable farmers in the village. The contract to the farmland will be awarded to the farmer with the best performance in the growing season. The growing season is over and the village leader must review the farmers' capital structure, capacity, and leasing costs, and make his decision.

With a new customer profitability system now developed at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), the next challenges involved the rollout to the branches and the associated implementation problems. To prepare for a meeting with her staff, a regional sales manager discussed the new customer profitability system, named Managing Local Markets, with a sales leader from one of the pilot branches. Her feedback on the system was generally very positive; however, the people using the system in the branch didn't understand how the profitability was calculated; this jeopardized the credibility of the system. This is the third case of a three-case series. The (A) and (B) cases are products #9B00B014 and 9B00B015.

The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) is a large Canadian financial institution with seven million customers. This three-case series outlines the challenges faced by the bank in designing and implementing a customer profitability management system. The vice-president of strategy development, personal & commercial banking, received approval to develop a customer profitability system. The system would help to determine: who were the bank's profitable customers, how to acquire and retain those customers, and how to change behavior to convert unprofitable customers or make profitable customers more so. There were accounting, business and technology issues to be resolved. The supplemental (B) and (C) cases (products #9B00B015 and 9B00B016), follow through by examining how the data on the system could provide the bank with a competitive advantage, and the challenges of implementing the system.