個案總覽

This collection of readings illustrates the importance of service and logistics in e-commerce, focusing on e-Toys' disastrous 1999 holiday season.

Silicon Valley start-up Everdream wants to turn the provision of PCs to small business into a turnkey service including excellent 24/7 support. This case explores what this will take by focusing on the question of what, if anything, Everdream can guarantee.

Rosenbluth, the third largest U.S. travel agency, uses the Internet to serve new customers with a high-service strategy. Rosenbluth acquires Biztravel.com and integrates the customer support and logistics aspects of service delivery.

Wit Capital brings democracy to the IPO process via the World Wide Web. This case encourages debate about the role service will play in this technology-intermediated investment bank and the sources and sustainability of its competitive advantage.

VITAS, a for-profit hospice, has grown through acquisitions and start-ups. The company considers a rollup strategy, and Deirdre Lawe must decide whether to make a particular acquisition.

Alaska Airlines grapples with the issue of whether or not advanced use of technology to enable its customers to serve themselves (self-service) in certain airport functions will help it to achieve competitive advantage.

Ford encourages its independent dealers to consolidate, showing them the benefits size can bring both to themselves and their customers. Now, consolidated dealerships improve customer service and reduce costs.

A town, "Michigan's little Bavaria," discusses word-of-mouth referral. Enables students to calculate the value of word-of-mouth and understand how to increase it.

The president of Central Parking must decide how to grow the company with options including continued consolidation of the parking industry and/or growth through related diversification. Initiates discussion of a successful consolidation strategy.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case.

Northwest Airlines forced hundreds of passengers to wait up to 8 1/2 hours on aircraft after reaching their destination in an unusually horrible service disaster. The case explores what occurred, why it occurred, and the feelings of those involved.

Growth by acquisition (rolling up or consolidating an industry) results in questions about integrating operations, corporate form, financial structure, and management for this company.

Supplements the (A) case.

The CEO of Sears faces issues involving the company's recent turnaround and ongoing transformation, including change management and the use of leading (U.S. lagging) indicators or measures.

Supplements the (A) case.

Tom Roberts, director of audit operations, is responsible for assigning individual accountants to projects. Describes the current scheduling and assignment system, and the specific concerns of two staff members. Are any changes required in the system?

Southwest Airlines, the only major U.S. airline to be profitable in 1992, makes a decision as to which of two new cities to open, or to add a new long-haul route. Provides windows into Southwest's strategy, operations, marketing, and culture.

Air Miles Canada both increases customer loyalty by rewarding shopping frequency at specified merchants, and enables its sponsors to develop a new, more complex understanding of their customers' (and potential customers') shopping habits, thus making future customer acquisition more efficient.

Courtyard by Marriott, a chain of modestly priced hotels, weighs its future options regarding human resources, its service delivery system, and management structure. Fairfield Inn, another Marriott product, is discussed for contrast.