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Excel spreadsheets for students.

Spreadsheet for case W14258.

In the fall of 2014, the Alibaba Group, an e-commerce company that operates domestic and international marketplaces and provides Internet-based services from its headquarters in Hangzhou, China, startled the world with its record-breaking initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. The company's business plan differs from other major Internet companies such as Amazon and eBay by its strategies that are tailored to the particular circumstances of the Chinese economy and Chinese consumers. Now, the executive team has set its sights on achieving the next big thing - developing its online-to-offline business, a market sector estimated to be worth a trillion dollars in the age of the mobile Internet. However, the company faces stiff competition from Tencent, the other Internet titan in China. How can Alibaba integrate online and offline activities to increase sales and improve the consumer's experience - and, therefore, improve its own bottom line?

An executive at Freezer Foods, a manufacturer of ready-to-eat frozen meals, has just been told by a major customer, a retail supermarket chain, that it wants one of its two suppliers of frozen food to take over as category captain. A category captain is a third party, usually a manufacturer, who manages a category of goods for a retailer. The executive needs to think through the objectives of category captaincy from the retailer's perspective and develop an attractive bid to win the category captaincy. In doing so, the executive develops an opinion on the benefits and challenges associated with category captaincy from the point of view of four parties: the retailer, the winning category captain, the manufacturer whose rival becomes the category captain, and consumers.

This technical note proposes some useful strategies for improving spreadsheet design. It urges students to think of spreadsheets as communication tools whose sole purpose is to deliver a clear message to the reader. Thus, spreadsheets should not be seen simply as technical tools but as stories meant to engage the reader and, ultimately, drive a response. To this end, we gather inspiration from writers and journalists – story experts whose processes can be put to use in the creation of “story spreadsheets.” We supply 12 principles of spreadsheet creation that are useful in maximizing effective communication of the message, and we urge readers to use these principles when designing their own story spreadsheets.

Student spreadsheet for W14557.

Spinal Cord Injury Ontario is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Toronto that assists people with spinal cord injuries to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation. In early 2014, the marketing manager is trying to understand how best to assess performance against the organization's crucial but hard-to-measure goal of becoming the expert on living with a spinal cord injury in the province of Ontario. In addition, she wishes to develop a reporting system based on the indicators laid out in the existing balanced scorecard. This monthly dashboard will allow the new chief executive officer to manage the organization using a summary sheet of measures that highlights how it is performing on critical dimensions. She faces two crucial questions: How should internal reporting be performed? What would being successful at community leadership look like and how can performance against this goal be monitored?

Excel spreadsheet for instructors.

Excel spreadsheet for students.

A job candidate at Visa Inc., the technology payments company, prepares herself for her interview by considering what she can uncover about the company’s marketing from the published accounts. She analyzes what the company spends money on and how revenue is generated. She considers how marketing is accounted for – specifically, how marketing assets, such as brands, are dealt with on the balance sheet. She considers the relationship between values in the accounts and the market value of the firm, and the problem of brand valuation is discussed. Finally, she tries to understand the impact of accounting treatment on common financial ratios.

Spinal Cord Injury Ontario is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Toronto that assists people with spinal cord injuries to achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation. In early 2014, the marketing manager is trying to understand how best to assess performance against the organization’s crucial but hard-to-measure goal of becoming the expert on living with a spinal cord injury in the province of Ontario. In addition, she wishes to develop a reporting system based on the indicators laid out in the existing balanced scorecard. This monthly dashboard will allow the new chief executive officer to manage the organization using a summary sheet of measures that highlights how it is performing on critical dimensions. She faces two crucial questions: How should internal reporting be performed? What would being successful at community leadership look like and how can performance against this goal be monitored?

Excel spreadsheet for students.

A job candidate at Visa Inc., the technology payments company, prepares herself for her interview by considering what she can uncover about the company's marketing from the published accounts. She analyzes what the company spends money on and how revenue is generated. She considers how marketing is accounted for - specifically, how marketing assets, such as brands, are dealt with on the balance sheet. She considers the relationship between values in the accounts and the market value of the firm, and the problem of brand valuation is discussed. Finally, she tries to understand the impact of accounting treatment on common financial ratios.

A manager, preparing for an interview with Visa Inc., seeks to understand the nature of the global payments industry and Visa Inc.'s position within it. The case outlines the industry's history and current practice through extensive use of publicly reported information. The public information allows answers to some important questions. What does Visa Inc. do? How competitive is the industry? And what is the source of Visa Inc.'s competitive advantage? Student spreadsheet is available, see 7B14A018.

A manager, preparing for an interview with Visa Inc., seeks to understand the nature of the global payments industry and Visa Inc.'s position within it. The case outlines the industry's history and current practice through extensive use of publicly reported information. The public information allows answers to some important questions. What does Visa Inc. do? How competitive is the industry? And what is the source of Visa Inc.'s competitive advantage? Student spreadsheet is available, see <a href=https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=66756>7B14A018</a>.

This technical note proposes some useful strategies for improving spreadsheet design. It urges students to think of spreadsheets as communication tools whose sole purpose is to deliver a clear message to the reader. Thus, spreadsheets should not be seen simply as technical tools but as stories meant to engage the reader and, ultimately, drive a response. To this end, we gather inspiration from writers and journalists - story experts whose processes can be put to use in the creation of "story spreadsheets." We supply 12 principles of spreadsheet creation that are useful in maximizing effective communication of the message, and we urge readers to use these principles when designing their own story spreadsheets.

Since Fox News first entered the cable news industry, the network has skyrocketed to the top position in the ratings charts ahead of its major competitors. Despite being the most popular network, Fox News has endured many controversies, and its reporting has created a polarizing rift between conservatives and liberals. As the news industry shifts into the digital age and offers more options for niche consumption, Fox News needs to decide whether its position will be sustainable or whether it should reconsider its focus on opinionated reporting.

Since Fox News first entered the cable news industry, the network has skyrocketed to the top position in the ratings charts ahead of its major competitors. Despite being the most popular network, Fox News has endured many controversies, and its reporting has created a polarizing rift between conservatives and liberals. As the news industry shifts into the digital age and offers more options for niche consumption, Fox News needs to decide whether its position will be sustainable or whether it should reconsider its focus on opinionated reporting.

The 2012 U.S. presidential election between President Obama and Governor Romney gave both sides reasons for optimism. As such, it was popularly thought to be anyone's race to win. The election generated a wide range of polling at the state and national level. Despite the abundance of data, it still was not clear to many people whether the race was too close to call or whether one candidate had a decisive lead. On the evening of the election, two friends discuss why the result may or may not be a close one and decide to wager on the outcome.

The U.S. presidential primary elections represent an especially challenging decision context. The four candidates in the 2012 Florida Republican primary, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, all have strengths and weakness in the eyes of a Republican primary voter. In this case, these qualities are illustrated by the candidates' statements and their reported actions during the campaign. The Republican primary voter must use the information given to decide which candidate to support. Furthermore, in a typical business or political decision, a person chooses on the basis of his or her personal preference. In a primary election, however, voters are advised to take into account the candidate they think can win the later presidential election, which greatly complicates the decision-making process.