個案總覽

Gordon Johnston has taken his elite health-club concept from the germ of an idea to the pinnacle of success. But the most difficult decision in managing his company lies ahead. Gordon must figure out how to lead Transition fitness clubs into the next phase. In each of the 15 years since Transition's flagship club opened in New York City, its sales have doubled. The company boasts fitness trainers handpicked by Olympic medalists, health-conscious cuisine by in-house chefs, huge facilities in prime locations, and reciprocal memberships at other Transition clubs worldwide. But recently, the company's margins have been shrinking. An aging membership could mean problems for future expansion. And new, upscale competitors are challenging Transition's flat-rate pricing policy. Will Gordon have to run fast to stay in one place? Should he change Transition's pricing policy? In 95205 and 95205Z, William Campbell, Robert J. Dolan, Anita K. Hersh, Peter H. Farquhar, David Aaker, and Mary Shelman offer advice on this fictional case study.

In this fictional case study, Caroline Portal knows that La Shampoo is in trouble. Introduced in 1975 and targeted at women between the ages of 15 and 30, La Shampoo has a stylish image that had immediately become popular. Its slogan, "La Shampoo: For the Look and Feel of France," had remained the same since day one. In 1989, however, the line had begun a slow descent, but the company hadn't really addressed the problem until two years ago, when it named Caroline brand manager. At first, Caroline requested a new packaging design. The ad agency backed her up and called for a modest "new look" campaign. But the repackaging caused tension in the office and had no positive effect on sales: the numbers continued their slow decline. Caroline calls a meeting to examine proposals submitted by product sales manager Eric Woolf and a representative of the ad agency that held the La Shampoo account, Beth Hanson. Eric recommends a price cut, while Beth wants a relaunch. The tension grows in the meeting as Caroline weighs the options. A decision has to be made soon in order to save the brand. Which marketing plan should Caroline choose? Five experts examine the challenges of rebuilding a brand.

There's a difference between being an international company--selling globally, having global brands, or having operations in different countries--and being a global enterprise. Few companies leverage their capabilities around the world to create powerful, cohesive organizations. CEO David Whitwam's vision is for Whirlpool to become an integrated, global enterprise. But a CEO can't change a company's mission and mind-set by edict alone. He or she must be able to convince employees throughout the organization that such change is not only possible, but also the best course of action. Employees must want to change their beliefs and behavior. The CEO must then create crossborder processes that force that change to occur.

In this fictional case study, Henry Carson had thought it was time for his company, Pacer Athletic Shoes, to upgrade its standard offerings for the serious runner and expand into walking shoes. But after investing considerable resources in the effort, he's having second thoughts: the returns so far aren't good; old customers seem confused or, worse, annoyed; Pacer doesn't seem to be attracting new customers, despite a flashy marketing campaign; and the company has had trouble getting its manufacturing up to speed. Industry statistics, along with a customer profile, seemed to indicate that Pacer was vulnerable to attacks from much larger competitors. As far as Henry could determine, the company had been left with no choice. It had to upgrade its offerings and build a following in the broader market so that if the industry giants did attack his niche, Pacer could survive. Henry thought he had taken steps to give Pacer staying power. Now he wonders what went wrong. Five experts offer their views on Pacer's current options.