In January 2003, EPCOR Utilities (EPCOR) was facing great pressure from a radical community group that wanted the company out of its community of Rossdale - where EPCOR was founded in 1891 and had been operating since. The pressure had mounted to the point that EPCOR's sole shareholder, the City of Edmonton, had asked that EPCOR prepare a long-term plan for its operations in Rossdale as part of a formal review of the land use at the site. Operations of EPCOR were $3 billion. The case encourages students to think through the senior vice-president of public and government relations job of engaging (or at least placating) the community from a philosophical level to the practical details of implementation.
<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Best Case Award at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) Case Competition</strong></p><br>In 2002, both the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic faced financial crises that threatened their existence. Both organizations provided similar programming, had approximately the same revenues and were well rooted in their communities, which were of similar populations. However, the turnaround approaches taken by the boards of the two organizations were starkly different. The Calgary Philharmonic sought bankruptcy protection, dismissed the CEO, hired consultants, sought emergency funding from government, and suspended operations for four months during a restructuring period. In the end, it emerged successfully from bankruptcy. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra scraped through the crisis, continuing to pay its musicians for ongoing performances, while negotiating new contracts, retaining its CEO, and not soliciting emergency funding from the government. Three years after the crisis both organizations were flourishing, with new music directors, balanced budgets and growing endowment funds. This is a descriptive case that outlines the stories of the two orchestras and their turnarounds. The case is powerful because it allows students to clearly contrast the two organizational turnaround approaches and to draw conclusions on their respective strengths and weaknesses.
In 2002, both the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic faced financial crises that threatened their existence. Both organizations provided similar programming, had approximately the same revenues, and were rooted in their communities, which were of similar populations. However, the turnaround approaches taken by the boards of the two organizations were starkly different. The Calgary Philharmonic sought bankruptcy protection, dismissed the CEO, hired consultants, sought emergency funding from government, and suspended operations for four months during a restructuring period. In the end, it emerged successfully from bankruptcy. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra scraped through the crisis, continuing to pay its musicians for ongoing performances while negotiating new contracts, retaining its CEO, and not soliciting emergency funding from the government. Three years after the crisis both organizations were flourishing, with new music directors, balanced budgets, and growing endowment funds. Outlines the stories of the two orchestras and their turnarounds.
Theatre Calgary was a non-profit performing arts organization in Calgary, Canada. In its 2002/03 season, it faced a financial crisis that nearly ended in bankruptcy. It survived the crisis and made many changes to its budgeting and control systems to solve some of the deficiencies that had led to the financial difficulties. As the president prepares for a board meeting, the board of directors want to know if the current budgeting and control systems will ensure long-term stability. This case details Theatre Calgary's budgeting system and paints an accurate picture of the organization, and provides students the opportunity to recommend changes to control systems.
Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP) was a performing arts non-profit organization. It enjoyed a strong brand recognition as a socially liberal organization in a community with strong conservative values. With funding from the Alberta Performing Arts Stabilization Fund, ATP had paid down its accumulated deficit and expected to emerge from debt in 1999. However, in the 1998/99 season it lost over $400,000. By later 1999, ATP's accumulated deficit reached $600,000, including $300,000 owed to Canada's tax collection authority, Revenue Canada. Cash flow statements showed that ATP would be bankrupt by the spring of 2000 unless it could raise $1 million. There were concerns that ATP may not even meet its payroll obligations in the meantime.
Theatre Calgary was a non-profit performing arts organization in Calgary, Canada. In its 2002/03 season, it faced a financial crisis that nearly ended in bankruptcy. It survived the crisis and made many changes to its budgeting and control systems to solve some of the deficiencies that had led to the financial difficulties. As the president prepares for a board meeting, the board of directors want to know if the current budgeting and control systems will ensure long-term stability. This case details Theatre Calgary's budgeting system and paints an accurate picture of the organization, and provides students the opportunity to recommend changes to control systems.
CARE's Rural Entrepreneurship and Agribusiness Promotion project is a new, market-driven approach to development in Kenya. Although the project has been successful from a development standpoint, it is not commercially viable. The sector manager must determine how to improve the project and make it commercially sustainable.
<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Oikos Sustainability Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>CARE's Rural Entrepreneurship and Agribusiness Promotion project is a new, market-driven approach to development in Kenya. While the project has been successful from a development standpoint, it is not commercially viable. The sector manager must determine how to improve the project and make it commercially sustainable. Students will understand the advantages and opportunity for profit/non profit partnerships and social enterprise as complementary entities for social and economic development. PowerPoint slide presentation is available, product 5B05M056.
<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Oikos Sustainability Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>Throughout the 1990s there was increasing competition for Ontario's forest land. The forest industry, including Tembec Inc., demanded from the Ontario government more certainty in the lands available to them. To reach a consensus on strategic land use, the government launched Lands for Life process and undertook extensive public consultations. Unfortunately the consultation process resulted in a polarization of stakeholders, and the 242 controversial recommendations threatened to spark a war in the woods, primarily between the forestry industry and environmentalists. Tembec's chief executive office foresaw this conflict and was determined to take a different course of action that would bring a real solution that would meet both the objectives of the forestry industry and environmentalists. He was cognizant that losing access to timber would have a devastating effect on his company, but confident that a consensus could be reach if a rational approach were followed. Students will learn to recognize the long-term opportunity associated with sustainability, and the short-term risks associated with ignoring it, to illustrate the opportunity for stakeholder consultation and partnerships, and to introduce the best practices on stakeholder collaboration and innovative problem solving. The supplement Tembec Inc. (B), product 9B05M052, presents the situation in 2005.
Mearl Canada Ltd. does not want to implement Mearl Oil Co.'s environmental impact targets because, in Mearl Canada's opinion, the targets create an extra layer of regulation for considerable cost and negligible benefit. Mearl's position is that all Mearl worldwide operations must adopt these performance standards to allow the company to make operational its stated environmental policy. Each party has an opportunity to make its case at the International Environmental Group meeting, which will decide whether Mearl Canada may deviate from the environmental impact target and continue with its own homegrown environmental management system and standards. Written from the perspective of the manager of Mearl Oil's Support System, Environmental.
Mearl Canada Limited and Mearl Oil Company are presenting their cases to the International Environmental Group, who will make a decision on whether or not the Mearl Canada must comply with the company's environmental impact targets. This is a supplement to Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (A) and (B), products 9B05M018 and 9B05M019.
The Canadian division of Mearl Oil Company does not want to implement the company's environmental impact targets and would like to continue using its homegrown environmental management system and standards. The division is allowed to present its arguments to the International Environmental Group. This is a supplement to Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (A), product 9B05M018. The supplement Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (C), product 9B05M020 discusses the International Environmental Group's perspective.
Mearl Canada Limited does not want to implement Mearl Oil Company's environmental impact targets because, in Mearl Canada's opinion, the targets create an extra layer of regulation for considerable cost and negligible benefit. Mearl's position is that all Mearl worldwide operations must adopt these performance standards, as this will allow the company to make operational their stated environmental policy. Each party has an opportunity to make their case at the International Environmental Group meeting, and it will decide if Mearl Canada may deviate from the environmental impact target and continue with their own homegrown environmental management system and standards. This case is from the point of view of the manager, Mearl Support, environmental. The supplement Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (B), product 9B05M019, is from the senior environmental manager, Mearl Canada Limited view and the supplement Mearl Oil Company: Environmental Impact Targets (C), product 9B05M020, is from the International Environmental Group's perspective.