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The Haier Group, the first mainland Chinese company to make the Financial Times list of Asia's "most admired companies," attributes its success in large measure to the new value system it has sought to instill throughout the organization. However, when Haier takes over the Yellow Mountain television factory in the distant Hefei province at the behest of Hefei's government, workers strike against the Haier culture and what it stands for. The immediate catalyst is the labor contract Haier has asked them to sign. Haier's management must decide what's fair and how to respond to the workers' demands in the face of local government pressure to compromise.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case.

China is an ancient civilization, but it is really a very young country. How we understand modern China is rooted in our understanding of history. Thus, the authors examine several myths surrounding important historical themes, including unity, economic and political isolation, the growth and development of capitalism, internationalization, and governance. Following the dispelling of these myths, the authors then examine several lessons of more recent Chinese history, exploring where this young country has been in its first century.

This case is about implementing a strategic initiative at Grand Circle Corporation, one of the largest international tour operators in the US, sending over 1 million retired Americans overseas since 1985. After having launched the Grand Circle Foundation in 1992, the owners come to the realization in 2003 that it is not achieving its original mission. The case describes the challenges that the company is facing in trying to embed corporate philanthropy as part of their business model rather than it being a side show. The reader is left with a number of unanswered issues concerning what the owners, Alan and Harriet Lewis should do.

There is a generic innovation process, grounded in models of how people learn, that can be applied across multiple sectors. It can be applied to the design and development of both hardware and software products, to the design of business models and services, to the design of organizations and how they work, and to the design of the buildings and spaces in which work takes place or within which companies interact with their customers. Describes such a model of innovation, grounding it in learning models and developing its implications for understanding, implementing, and engaging in the innovation process. Focuses on the value and functions of multifaceted innovation teams, notes the difficulties inherent in innovation efforts, shows where some of the pitfalls are for organizations attempting to innovate, and emphasizes the need to be flexible and adaptive in using the innovation process.

One primary difference between the online marketplace and the high street is the quality of information about product characteristics and prices that are available to all consumers and retailers. Successful online retailers exploit this rich information through innovative dynamic pricing strategies. Identifies important considerations for devising online pricing strategies, presents five case studies that illustrate how these strategies have been applied by successful online retailers, and discusses complementary practices in innovative management and data analysis. Also presents a 'Dashboard' of market-specific information that will help managers identify and respond to opportunities and threats arising in the online marketplace.

The global semiconductor industry is undergoing several forms of structural change simultaneously. The structure of market demand is shifting from one dominated by personal computers to a more diverse array of heterogeneous niches, largely resulting from global diffusion of the Internet and wireless communications applications. The structure of manufacturing activities is shifting from one dominated by "integrated device manufacturers" (IDMs), which both design and manufacture semiconductor components, to one characterized by vertical specialization, where many firms specialize in either design and marketing ("fabless" firms) or manufacturing ("foundries"). Finally, market demand and technical expertise are growing in geographic regions (e.g., Malaysia, Singapore, and the People's Republic of China) that formerly were much less prominent actors in the global industry. In the face of such far-reaching structural change in the industry, it is surprising that most indicators of the "globalization" of innovation-related activities in the U.S. semiconductor industry--ranging from publicly available data on the share of industry-funded R&D that is performed offshore to the location of inventive activity associated with patenting by U.S. firms--indicate only modest offshore movement in key innovation-related activities. To a surprising extent, this evidence suggests that much of the innovation process in this global industry remains "non-globalized."

Internal or contractual production of highly creative products requires managers to assess both unobservable effort and uncertain output, leading to lack of cost control. Similarly, in procuring creative products in the marketplace, managers face the unavoidable winner's curse risk. Since this risk is, to a large extent, independent of the creative nature of the product, the higher the creative content, the higher the relative hazards associated with internal or contractual production. Thus, internal/contractual production of creative goods will tend to be less prevalent the higher the creative content associated with its production. The evolution of the U.S. film industry in the mid-20th century provides examples and implications for managing highly creative activities and ventures.

Executing complex initiatives like acquisitions or an IT overhaul requires a breadth of knowledge that can be provided only by teams that are large, diverse, virtual, and composed of highly educated specialists. The irony is, those same characteristics have an alarming tendency to decrease collaboration on a team. What's a company to do? Gratton, a London Business School professor, and Erickson, president of the Concours Institute, studied 55 large teams and identified those with strong collaboration despite their complexity. Examining the team dynamics and environment at firms ranging from Royal Bank of Scotland to Nokia to Marriott, the authors isolated eight success factors: (1) "signature" relationship practices that build bonds among the staff, in memorable ways that are particularly suited to a company's business; (2) role models of collaboration among executives, which help cooperation trickle down to the staff; (3) the establishment of a "gift culture," in which managers support employees by mentoring them daily, instead of a transactional "tit-for-tat culture;" (4) training in relationship skills, such as communication and conflict resolution; (5) a sense of community, which corporate HR can foster by sponsoring group activities; (6) ambidextrous leadership, or leaders who are both task-oriented and relationship-oriented; (7) good use of heritage relationships, by populating teams with members who know and trust one another; (8) role clarity and task ambiguity, achieved by defining individual roles sharply but giving teams latitude on approach. As teams have grown from a standard of 20 members to comprise 100 or more, team practices that once worked well no longer apply. The new complexity of teams requires companies to increase their capacity for collaboration by making long-term investments that build relationships and trust, and smart near-term decisions about how teams are formed and run.

The Biodiversity National Institute (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, hence INBio) was created in 1989 to develop and promote a greater knowledge of Costa Rica's biodiversity, as well as to encourage its sustainable utilization. INBio's activities began with an inventory of Costa Rican biodiversity and, later, expanded to other endeavors associated with bioprospecting, conservation, and the INBio-park, among others. Since inception, the organization had been managed by its founding leader, Rodrigo Gámez. In 2002, the organization designed and launched a four-year strategic plan called "Towards a Sustainable INBio," which sought to introduce several changes, such as organizational structure variations, human resources management improvements, and a planned succession process. The core issue presented by this case revolves around its leader's succession. For 14 years, INBio had been run by Rodrigo Gámez, its leader and founder. As some of the measures outlined in the "Towards a Sustainable INBio" plan were launched in August 2003, Rodrigo Gámez had a heart attack. Piva and a group of Theme Directors took over provisionally. Gámez's health condition forced INBio to accelerate its planned succession process. Piva was asked to conduct an analysis and to present replacement options to the organization's Board. Piva would analyze and submit his findings on the following options: a) hiring an outside candidate, or b) empowering theme directors to manage the organization within a flat and participative structure, led and coordinated by one of them. Based on Piva's analysis and presentation, the Board would then make a decision.

Created in 1991, the ARCOR Foundation had built a reputation for its social investment programs devoted to childhood-related issues as well as for its operations' professionalism and magnitude in Argentina. Virtually since its inception, the Foundation focused on education to help mitigate childhood issues. Seventy percent of its budget was devoted to funding and supporting educational opportunities for very young children. To that end, the Foundation not only focused on program model creation but also on engaging other actors, knowledge building and advocacy for public policies targeted to young children. Its strategic approach also hinged on community work, engaging organizations and, primarily, institutional networks to enhance resources, mobilize actors, and coordinate efforts around public and private actors. Although ARCOR's affiliate in Brazil had, from early on, embarked on several educational, social and environmental actions, it was only in the late 1990s that the Group decided to have the Foundation -based in Argentina- support corporate community initiatives to accompany its Brazilian affiliate's growth. Among other initiatives, the case describes an initiative of cooperation with the World Childhood Foundation Institute and with Fundación Vitae, as well as the replication of ARCOR Foundation's programs in Argentina. There is also an account of a survey to assess corporate social practices so far, which detected a somewhat dispersed and philanthropic approach.

The case examines how the best practices of two banks were organized and managed to provide financial services to a small niche of foreign customers in the mining, tourism and construction sectors in Tanzania. The two banks claimed to be similar in many ways. They both were from countries whose economies were run broadly on neo-liberal lines, in that there was little state intervention in either economy, however, differences existed with respect to how they managed their operations. The case is ideally suited to illustrate the on-going tension and different types of best practices in cross-market integration. It provides opportunities to explore the challenges faced by multinational company banks in managing global workforces, the evolution of the banking sector, and the influence of technology in shaping work in organizations.

The newly appointed executive director of the Office of Alliance Management (OAM) at Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) was returning to his office after his first meeting with his supervisor, the senior vice-president of Corporate Strategy and Business Development (CSBD). The executive director had been promoted to the position just a week earlier, and now the senior vice-president has asked him to conduct a complete review of the OAM strategy. The senior vice-president made it clear that it was fine to leave the strategy as it currently existed, or to change it radically if the situation warranted. Now the executive director must decide what Lilly should do to build and maintain its leadership in alliance capability.

This case is designed to examine the issue of corporate social responsibility in a small firm. The key issue is how a small organization can maintain its strong social responsibility philosophy when (a) the organization is growing, (b) the environment in which the organization exists is extremely competitive, and (c) the entrepreneurial visionary who started the firm is getting ready to step down. The case describes the dilemma the owner of White Dog Cafe has regarding the transition of current management to the new management team and the development of the White Dog Cafe's social responsibility philosophy, the challenges that other socially responsible organizations have had as they have grown, and the strategies that the company has used to successfully keep its philosophies and goals at the forefront of its business operations.

The president of Asian Paints Ltd., India's largest paint manufacturer, was wondering how he could improve the way the company's International Business division was managing its team of 120 global managers. The company had operations throughout Asia in various locations such as China, Singapore and Thailand; throughout Africa in countries such as Oman, Egypt and Mauritius; and in the Americas in Jamaica. The team of global management was critical to the success of the company's globalization endeavour, which was expected to gather momentum once the ongoing consolidation was complete. The president must decide how to structure the management of this global team.

Dave House and partner Paula Puddy developed and taught preparation workshops for the Professional Engineering Professional Practice Examination. The exam preparation offerings include two-day workshops, a distance learning self-study course and a published book of answers to previous exam questions. All activities are offered jointly by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and Puddy's training firm, Vantage Professional Development (Vantage). House must propose a clear strategy of each of the offerings and make recommendations to Puddy about the future of the relationship between Vantage and the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers. The case deals with strategic choices for product and market development in a small entrepreneurial firm, and it allows students to carry out an extensive financial analysis gaining an appreciation for the trade-offs involved in a joint venture.

How would you react if you were faced with a humiliating interaction with an abrasive colleague, boss, coworker, or direct report? What if that person is a rainmaker? Most students have found themselves in a difficult situation they thought they had no power to change. This case describes the interaction among four associates at an investment bank and their confrontational team leader-who is also a vice president. Deciding what to do about the vp's behavior is tricky, and there is unease about going upstairs with their complaints. This case allows for a powerful discussion about leadership techniques that only attempt to change behavior.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of West Lake Furnishings Ltd. (West Lake) has been given a proposal from one of his top three wholesale customers: lower the price of a line of signature lamps from $69.99 to $29.99 in exchange for five times the unit sales. The decision point of the case focuses on whether the CEO should or should not take the offer, and answering the question requires a close examination of West Lake's business strategy and its industry. The West Lake case is a short, comprehensive case that is useful for time-pressured situations like case competitions or exams. It can also be used to introduce the Five Forces, or give an overview/review of the entire strategic analysis process.

The three-part China Aviation Oil (CAO) case series documents the overseas adventure - the rise, fall and subsequent restructuring and rebuilding - of a leading Chinese state-owned enterprise over the last ten or so years. The case is designed to address in an integrative manner issues commonly faced by (1) the increasing number of Chinese executives now playing in the international arena and (2) Western executives who have experience of working with Chinese companies and Chinese executives, or who would like to do so - either in China or their own marketplace. There have been many cases of multinationals going to China, where cultural differences have been blamed for things that did not work, for things that were not understood, or even for frustrations when working with Chinese companies and Chinese executives. However, the real questions are: Are we aware of other differences, e.g. financial and legal? Do we understand them and, perhaps more importantly, how we can work with them? The case series describes the first overseas restructuring of a state-owned Chinese company. As such, it provides participants with a totally different angle for looking at the dilemma of working with China: How to make things work outside China from a Chinese perspective. Learning objectives: The case series has been designed to enable participants to gain a clear understanding of some broad issues, including: 1) The strategic considerations for a Chinese company wishing to expand overseas, and the key success factors. 2) The fact that many of the factors contributing to failure are similar and equally applicable to different business contexts - even though the types of failure might differ. 3) The need to be open-minded - the "rules of the game" are different inside and outside China. 4) The need for increased awareness and a better understanding of the differences - financial, legal, cultural and even moral. 5) The need to work with the differences rather than avoiding them.