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Supplements Andersen Consulting - EMEA: Reorganization for Revitalization.

Highlights and explores how a general manager adds value to the firm at the operational level by managing through people. Discusses how assumptions about human motivation influence the employment contract that the general manager implicitly enters into with the workers and ends with speculation on how the employment contract is fundamentally changing.

By 1993, Ecolab has established a dominant market position in the institutional cleaning industry. As the company's principal competitor, Diversify, drives sales aggressively, Ecolab president Al Schuman faces a choice about how best to market Ecolab's offerings. Should Ecolab's sales personnel continue to focus on building relationships first and worrying about numbers only later? Or has the time come to change the firm's approach? Even as Schuman focuses on this choice, there are some faint rumblings of internal dissension.

Supplements the (A) case.

Describes the negotiations between the City of Denver officials, airlines, consulting companies, and BAE for the construction of a backup baggage system to enable the Denver International Airport (DIA) to open. When DIA finally opens in February 1995, 16 months behind schedule, it has three separate baggage-handling systems instead of a single state-of-the-art, integrated baggage-handling system.

Addresses the following issues at a conceptual level: 1) Who is a general manager? 2) To whom is the general manager responsible? and 3) How do general managers add value?

Tells the story of the China Internet Corp. (CIC), which was founded to serve both businesses wishing to conduct electronic commerce within China and those intending to trade with companies within China. The company provides access and advertising to companies; it does not offer Internet services to the public. Details CIC's major concerns: expansion, compensation, funding, and human resource issues.

Named president of Disney TV and Telecommunications, Dennis Hightower has to yet again come in as an outsider and take charge. The magnitude of challenge is much larger than in 1987, and the situation facing him is subtly different.

In less than 20 years, the real estate firm Colliers International expanded into a federation of 180 offices with close to 4,500 professionals in over 30 countries. Because Colliers expanded by signing up existing firms strong in their local markets, its leaders had to manage a portfolio of firms with revenues ranging from $500,000 to over $80 million. Some were over 150 years old; others less than one. Firms provided services ranging from commission-based brokerage services to advisory services more akin to consulting services involving retainer fees. Colliers leaders are considering how their organization should respond to the changing needs of real estate clients. Colliers managers need to decide what organizational structure, management practices, and IT strategy their organization requires to enter the next century.

The Bank of Nova Scotia faced the decision whether to expand its investments in the Mexican bank, Inverlat. In 1995, it had to write down the value of its investments from $154-million to $10-million as a result of the Mexican peso crisis and subsequent recession. This case examines the environment of business in Mexico during the time of the currency devaluation. In particular, it focuses on the factors underlying the peso crisis. Privatization of Mexico's banks and liberalization of regulations created new opportunities, but at the same time, resulted in extreme instability within the financial sector. While Mexico offered the opportunity to become a major player in the growing Latin American market, nevertheless there were risks of major losses. (A sequel to this case is available, titled Bank of Nova Scotia: The Mexico Decisions (B), case 9A97H004.)

Describes the events surrounding the construction of the BAE baggage-handling system at the Denver International Airport. It looks specifically at project management, including decisions regarding budget, scheduling, and the overall management structure. Also examines the airport's attempt to work with a great number of outside contractors, including BAE, and coordinate them into a productive whole, while under considerable political pressures. Approaches the project from the point of view of BAE's management, which struggles to fulfill its contract, work well with project management and other contractors, and deal with supply, scheduling, and engineering difficulties.

The operations manager of the Westover Inn has an opportunity to obtain an equity position in the Inn and is trying to decide whether it makes sense for him to take advantage of it. The case examines a purchase decision from a broad range of perspectives - finance, accounting, model building, operations, marketing, strategy, human resources, communications, information technology - and particularly the interaction between the concerns of these functions. A related issue is to determine the value of the property. The focus of the case is the Inn's financial condition - its statements and projections - and various alternative approaches to evaluation. (A supplement to this case, Westover Inn (B), case 9A96M004, is available.)

The operations manager of the Westover Inn has just decided to purchase an equity position in the Inn. He has mixed feelings of both elation and dread. Now that the decision has been made, the real work can begin. The focus of the case is dealing with several inter-related strategy, marketing, operations, human resources, technology, and communications decisions required to ensure that the purchase will be a success. (This is a supplement to Westover Inn (A), case 9A96M003.)

In February 1995, Banc One faced the replacement of the "Uncommon Partnership," a basic operating strategy that had served it well for years. Leadership now struggled with the new protocols for replacement operating strategies.

Presents the story of Open Market, Inc., one of numerous companies formed in 1994 to engage in electronic commerce over the Internet. This case examines the company's development--its business strategy and organization evolution--as the company increased in size and gained a firm foothold in the uncertain electronic commerce.

Mekong, a joint venture among Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese auto assemblers, is facing significant changes in the business environment in Vietnam. As the government of Vietnam has implemented its economic and administrative reform program, foreign and domestic companies in Vietnam have had to deal with changes in regulations and competitive forces. In addition, Vietnam's membership in ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) has further complicated the business decisions that foreign companies have to make in this newly-opened economy. Students will be challenged to devise a strategy for Mekong as a multi-national company operating in the Far East.

To many managers, the idea of introducing process management to their development organizations sounds like a sure way to destroy creativity. Product development, they contend, is not the same as manufacturing: Each project has unique challenges that require unique solutions. In fact, the authors argue, managers who need to know how many projects their development organizations can handle and how quickly those projects can deliver new products to market must think of product development as a production process in which projects move through the knowledge-work equivalent of a job shop.

Harvey Golub, CEO American Express, initiated and led a large-scale change process. The case describes the organization he inherited, two successive waves of reengineering, his "principles-driven" approach to decision making, and his goal of converting American Express from a diversified financial supermarket to one unified operating company.

Traces the growth of Wainwright, a small automotive supply company, focusing on its commitment to quality in 1981 and the evolution of its quality culture. Breakthrough programs that stress "trust and belief" in the workforce and commitment to customers result in Wainwright winning the Malcolm Baldrige Award in 1994.

Supplements the (A) case.