個案總覽

This case is centered on Stanford University's Palliative Care program and covers difficult conversations physicians must have with patients and their families. Situations include dealing with the angry family of a terminally ill patient, and how to legally and ethically respond to a patient's request for assisted suicide.

This case is about the diagnosis of Alzheimer's at a relatively young age, at a time when the patients are forced to juggle jobs, family, and dementia. The case is based on the article When Alzheimer's Hits at 40 from the Wall Street Journal (November 14, 2008). While most people who get Alzheimer's are over 65, Andy Smith, the protagonist in the case, is one of about 500,000 Americans living with Alzheimer's or other dementias at an atypically young age. Alzheimer's takes a long time to develop - usually, it isn't diagnosed until 10 years after the first symptoms appear - but more Americans are identifying it early, thanks in part to aggressive screening programs pushed in recent years by groups including the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, a national alliance of caregivers. This case has three vignettes that focus on different difficult conversations between Dr. Henderson and Andy and Cindy Smith. Dr. Henderson is there at the beginning of this ordeal as he attempts to inconclusively identify the cause of Andy's initial symptoms. Finally, after several years and many different treatments, Dr. Henderson diagnosed Andy's condition as Alzheimer's.

Supplement for IMD484

Fluor Corporation has always prided itself on its competence in safety. It was a core value of the company, and Fluor had achieved remarkable safety records on complex projects all over the world. But now, in the spring of 1997, Fluor found itself managing the Western Hemisphere's largest environmental cleanup site, the Hanford reservation in Washington State. The Hanford site was established as part of the Manhattan Project in the 1940s that gave birth to the atomic bomb. Hanford produced nearly two-thirds of U.S. plutonium during the Cold War period. The Hanford site was half the size of Rhode Island, occupying 586 square miles in southeastern Washington State. The cleanup that began in 1988 was expected to take 30 years or more. Improving safety at Hanford was proving to be a significant challenge. As the new site manager at Hanford, Fluor Hanford (FH) inherited lower- and mid-level managers and thousands of unionized employees, many of whom were second- or third-generation Hanford employees. These employees had seen many contractors come and go over the previous years. Some of the managers who had worked with the previous contractor saw Fluor's emphasis on safety as getting in the way of operations. Union/management relations were fractious. Hanford's culture was described as "production driven-management told everyone what to do, and, if you didn't do it, there were consequences." Worker involvement in designing and implementing safety programs was negligible. FH also was having trouble satisfying its client, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Fluor Corporation has always prided itself on its competence in safety. It was a core value of the company, and Fluor had achieved remarkable safety records on complex projects all over the world. But now, in the spring of 1997, Fluor found itself managing the Western Hemisphere's largest environmental cleanup site, the Hanford reservation in Washington State. The Hanford site was established as part of the Manhattan Project in the 1940s that gave birth to the atomic bomb. Hanford produced nearly two-thirds of U.S. plutonium during the Cold War period. The Hanford site was half the size of Rhode Island, occupying 586 square miles in southeastern Washington State. The cleanup that began in 1988 was expected to take 30 years or more. Improving safety at Hanford was proving to be a significant challenge. As the new site manager at Hanford, Fluor Hanford (FH) inherited lower- and mid-level managers and thousands of unionized employees, many of whom were second- or third-generation Hanford employees. These employees had seen many contractors come and go over the previous years. Some of the managers who had worked with the previous contractor saw Fluor's emphasis on safety as getting in the way of operations. Union/management relations were fractious. Hanford's culture was described as "production driven-management told everyone what to do, and, if you didn't do it, there were consequences." Worker involvement in designing and implementing safety programs was negligible. FH also was having trouble satisfying its client, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

This case focuses on the issue of corporate governance in the Middle East. A senior official at the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) is looking at a recent transaction in which Qatar Telecom (Qtel) acquired National Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC (Wataniya). The KSE official wondered whether, at the company level, inadequate corporate governance measures had allowed this alleged unequal treatment to pass unchallenged. More importantly, at the exchange level, the KSE official wondered what actions - if any - could have been taken to enhance the rights of minority shareholders.

Your Home is a Good Place, Inc. was a unique business. It brought together homeowners, contractors and other service suppliers in a one-stop shopping environment that emphasized convenience as a marketing strategy. Your Home is a Good Place, Inc. (YHGP) needed to know more about the demand in the area and to decide how to attract both suppliers of services and customers as well as promote the business and build a brand identity. The owner has decided to hire a consultant to: 1) identify target market demographics in Michiana developed from the census data provided 2) provide a general description of potential competitors for YHGP 3) develop a marketing plan focused on bringing in clients as well as contractors and facilitators as partners. Discussion of building a brand identity for a new business will be a consideration here. This case will fit with upper-level marketing strategy or entrepreneurship courses, a management capstone course or within an MBA-level marketing course. The objectives for this case are for the students to learn SWOT analysis, to apply the data to complete a marketing plan, and to advise a difficult client. It is best suited for team applications although individuals can complete the exercises. Additionally, students should consider the implications of, and how to deal with, a client who is in need of advice but is reluctant to accept ideas that are not his own.

When Yves Saint Laurent died in June 2008, his estate passed to his business partner, Pierre Bergé. Bergé decided to auction several items from Laurent's estate at Christie's international auction house, including two antique bronzes from China. The general feeling in China was that these artifacts had been looted and should be repatriated rather than auctioned. The case highlights issues of ethics, corporate governance and corporate responsibility.

"It was late morning on January 21, 2004 and Dr Robert Easton was enjoying the beautiful sunshine and crisp mountain air on the ski slopes of Davos, Switzerland when his mobile phone rang. It was a call from Ken Greatbatch, the former CFO of Vantico, with very interesting news: Clariant's attempt to auction off its operating division, AZ Electronic Materials (AZ-EM), had failed. There was now a great chance of an exclusive deal for Carlyle to acquire the company. Clariant needed to make the deal happen, and fast; it had promised shareholders and analysts during the summer of 2003 that it would reduce its debt level by almost €800 million. Six months had passed and the company had very little to show for its efforts. To dispose of its division, Clariant had initially engineered an auction among AZ-EM's closest competitors, but had not succeeded in finding a suitable buyer. Faced with the failed auction, increased pressure from shareholders and a clear need to raise cash rapidly, Clariant resorted to its second-best option - a negotiated sale with a qualified private equity buyer. The Carlyle Group immediately voiced an interest and offered to expedite due diligence if a deal could be negotiated rapidly. Speed was now of the essence for Clariant's top management team, who were very keen to figure out how quickly Easton and his team could move. Learning objectives: Buyout, due diligence, managing transition, turnaround management, leverage, incentives, restructuring."

Supplement for IMD484

When do discussions of a great business idea have real consequences and how can an entrepreneur plan for and manage them? Using facts from a litigated case, the concept of inadvertent formation of an entity is explored, the duties of partners to one another are introduced and the legal consequences of breach of those duties are discussed.

Vineland Research and Innovation Center, a not-for-profit organization looking to work with the Ontario local food industry, has requested two researchers to analyze the local food business landscape and propose a technology-driven solution that connects farmers in the Niagara region with buyers in Toronto. The case illustrates the challenges faced by each stakeholder in the local food supply chain, and allows students to analyze the farming and restaurant industries, assess the current Canadian market, and investigate technological advances that could enable improving the current local supply chain procurement and distribution model. This case allows students to identify competencies and gaps within the current environment, challenges facing the farming and restaurant communities, as well as opportunities to drive growth in a new market.

This (B) case to For the Love of Good Food: The pLateTrace Project (A), product #9B09E006, allows students to synthesize their findings and assessments from the (A) case to recommend a viable, financially sustainable technology-based solution that generates long-term benefits for the multiple parties who would be involved. Given the current focus on local food and environmental responsibility, pLateTrace is a very relevant case that raises awareness for tremendous untapped opportunities to marry improving existing supply chain models with environmental stewardship.

In December 2008, Erica Mills and her husband, Craig, were making plans. They had recently decided to start a family within the next 12 months and were now making decisions about how to manage their careers as they were about to take this momentous step. Erica had started Warm Fuzz Cards, a Toronto-based greeting card company, just over two years ago in 2006. The business was growing slowly but profitably. Craig was employed as a human resources executive at a large company. He was very supportive of Erica's business. In fact, he believed that the business could grow much more quickly. Erica, on the other hand, liked her slow growth strategy. However, she was not sure that she could manage the business as it was currently structured and raise a family at the same time. They were going to have to decide what to do soon. They would need time to decide how fast to grow, develop a plan, raise money, and possibly hire staff, all before they started their family. This case provides students with an example of an entrepreneurial start-up and an understanding of: 1) the decision of how fast to grow 2) the decision of how much and where to invest in a growing business 3) how management skills, knowledge and preferences can impact decision-making in entrepreneurial/family business ventures 4) how important cash management is in the early stage of growth 5) how various stages in the development of a new venture will dictate the need for the detailed financial tracking and management of a business. This case is appropriate for a 75-minute introductory entrepreneurship class.

By 2009, China's exports had increased dramatically from $250 billion in 2000 to a projected $1,500 billion in 2009. This enormous growth of exports severely damaged competing businesses in the advanced nations, particularly the United States and Europe. China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 guaranteed China's right to export to these nations, but at the same time the WTO required China to adhere to certain rules that sought to support fair trade and create a level playing field. Several broad subjects each gave rise to a series of trade disputes: the protection of intellectual property, health and safety concerns about China's products, labour and environmental standards, China's manipulation of their currency, and costs and prices determined by the government rather than free markets. This case examines each set of trade disputes and China's attempts to resolve them. Many disputes were embedded in cultural practices and ideological positions and so they might not disappear quickly. Shortcomings in China's legal and judicial system hampered enforcement. In addition, many rested on the government's desire to protect the interests of Chinese businesses and their employees, and so China might alter its practices only if confronted with credible retalitory threats. China's central government experienced the principal-agent problem where its wishes and decisions could be ignored by local governments and firms. Meanwhile, changes in industry structure within the advanced nations were altering the negotiation positions of Western governments. The case examines the WTO dispute resolution procedures and enforcement mechanisms that have been directed at China's trade disputes.

A Swiss Catholic investor is faced with a decision on how to invest her savings in a socially responsible way. She learns of a new fund offered by Credit Suisse that purports to invest according to Christian values and principles. After researching the fund on the Internet, she becomes aware of the current state of ethical funds, their principles and their critics. Some organizations criticize socially responsible investing (SRI) as nothing more than a marketing ploy. The only way some funds are able to enjoy favorable returns is by using vague criteria that permit them to invest in questionable companies. Although the Christian Values fund has not performed well, it was only established a few months earlier and has not had time to establish a track record. Finally, the management fees were high compared to similar funds and the investor must decide if these fees are justified. The case provides a forum for the discussion of business ethics, religion in the workplace, and the history of ethical funds and ethical investing. Finally, it discusses the challenges faced by SRI fund managers who must balance ethical and financial considerations.

This note describes the importance of not-for-profit organizations in Canada, and compares the nature and level of Canadian charitable giving with those in other developed countries. It also offers a brief primer on the principles of fund-raising.

In early 2006, the anticipated expansion of package delivery services in China provided a great opportunity for the two package delivery giants FedEx and UPS. It was unclear which of these firms would make the most of this opportunity. FedEx had an early foothold, but UPS had a longer tradition of success. Adding to this debate is the observation that the FedEx stock price had been rising steadily and on that basis, FedEx had outperformed UPS.

In recent years, greater competition and diminished profits, due to domestic and global oversupplies as well as higher development costs, have led the automobile industry to engage in domestic and international mergers and strategic collaboration. This case examines one of the largest mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the Korean automobile market in recent years: the acquisition of Kia Motors (Kia) by Hyundai Motors (Hyundai). The case describes the background conditions of the acquisition, the integration processes after the acquisition, and the requisites for Kia Motors to normalize management within a short time. Hyundai, in acquiring Kia, enhanced its competitive power in both domestic and global markets, achieving economies of scale and scope and strengthening its global market basis. That said, Hyundai/Kia faced several pressing challenges, among them the cooperation of Renault and Samsung Motors, the unclear domestic treatment of Daewoo Motors, and M&As taking place among top motor companies worldwide. This case study asks students to analyze the process of post-acquisition restructuring and the resulting synergy effects, inviting them to think through the strategies by which Hyundai/Kia may thrive in the global automobile market. Further, it illustrates both the current state of the domestic Korean automobile industry and recent trends in the global automobile market.

The newly appointed country director of MIA Philippines, a non-profit organization with a mandate to alleviate poverty in developing countries, is faced with the challenge of designing and managing a development assistance project that would establish a go-to-market supply chain for a remote Filipino fishing village. The country director has to enter a new country, launch the project, deal with the constraints of a foreign culture, manage the expectations of major stakeholders whilst trying to manage a multi-cultural team and conclude the project on time. The value of the case lies in the realistic assessment of stakeholders' motivation, their capabilities and assets, and project constraints during the design and implementation stages. Value chain analysis, value added analysis and stakeholder analysis are used to assess the applicability of project design, impact and long term success.