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This case allows students to experience a day as Sanjiv Yajnik, a new market manager, as he manages a continuous flow of decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives and severe time constraints. The case series illustrates the day-to-day reality of strategy implementation. The (A) case is Sanjiv's schedule for the day; the (B) and (C) cases are collections of e-mail messages and phone calls requiring his attention. (A 19-minute video can be purchased with the case, Taco Bell: A Day in the Life - Video.)

A new market manager must make numerous decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives. The manager must deal with a number of e-mail and telephone messages. This case supplements Taco Bell: A Day in the Life (A).

A new market manager must make numerous decisions within the context of operating and strategy objectives. The manager must deal with a number of e-mail and telephone messages. This case supplements Taco Bell: A Day in the Life (A).

This case describes the visioning process at Xerox Canada. The chairman, CEO and president of Xerox Canada has been meeting with her leadership team since eight o'clock in the morning to craft the organization's new vision statement. Three and a half hours into the meeting the team hits a road block. With 30 minutes left in the session, the CEO must decide whether and how to proceed. (A three-minute video can be purchased with the case, video 7A95M015.

The new editor of the London Free Press (LFP) was appointed in November, 1987, with a mandate to make changes. Like most other North American daily newspapers, the LFP had been gradually losing readership, and its share of advertising revenues in the community was shrinking. Despite its ability to remain profitable, the new editor thought that it was not living up to its potential, especially since it was the only daily newspaper in London. He feared that there were ominous signs of continuing decline in market share, which could only mean still lower profits in the future. He had been hired from the Toronto Star and put in charge of LFP's newsroom and editorial department to do whatever was necessary to reverse this trend. Now, in 1991, he wondered if it would be possible to stop the slow decline of the newspaper, or if its shrinkage was an inevitable consequence of broader trends in the information industry and Canadian society. A follow-up case (9A95M017) is available.

This case is designed for in-class distribution to build on the London Free Press (A) case, 9A95M016. It presents information about an organizational change proposal involving the reorganization of the editorial department into cross-functional work groups which is designed to support the locally-responsive strategy of the London Free Press. The new cluster form of organization meets resistance from many who question not only whether it is a viable option, but also whether anything needed to be done at all. McLeod must decide whether, and how to proceed.

Managers at Chicago Research and Trading, are at a final point in the negotiation and faced with a decision to sign the statement of intent to form a Russian-US Joint Venture. The pending decision highlights the importance of being willing to give up obtaining some additional information about the joint venture that would make MPI surer of their investment in favor of gaining the trust of their Russian partners. It also demonstrates the importance of intuition in decision making. JV Dialogue has gone on to be one of the most successful Russian-foreign joint ventures by most accounts. (A nine-minute video of the CEO answering students' key concerns about starting the joint venture can be purchased with the case, video 7A95G006.)

With institutional investors, regulatory authorities, the financial press, and the fear of lawsuits all pressuring boards of public corporations to be more active, many directors are seeking practical ways to conduct strategic oversight. Gordon Donaldson's strategic audit provides an orderly way for boards to review strategy without invading management's territory. Usually, there are three triggers that motivate boards to get involved in strategy: the retirement of a CEO, a precipitous decline in profitability, or an unsolicited takeover attempt. These triggers force a board into a reactive mode and are not conducive to effective oversight. Managers are expected to turn strategic vision into operational reality, but directors represent shareholders and must evaluate strategy based on how the company's returns compare with those of other investment opportunities. Donaldson suggests that a low-key, behind-the-scenes audit of strategy, designed to lend credibility to management's leadership and not undermine it, is an important board tool.

Supplements the (C) case.

This case continues the story of the joint venture in China between Northern Telecom (Nortel) of Canada and Tong Guang Electronics of China. It shows how North Americans learned to operate in a very different cultural environment in China and provides an opportunity to identify and assess requirements for managing change in a different cultural setting.

This case considers the future challenges facing the Northern Telecom joint venture in China with Tong Guang Electronics. Asks how well the start-up and transition have been managed and whether the right foundation has been laid for the future.

The Turkish general manager of a successful telecommunications equipment-manufacturing joint venture between the Canadian company Northern Telecom and local partners in Turkey reviews the solutions to a crisis in 1989 and wonders whether the company will be able to handle another problem situation following Turkey's local elections in 1993.

In the early 1990s, the Turkish telecommunications firm, Netas, established joint ventures in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as miniature replications of Netas's own experience on the receiving end of technology transfer with Netas's 51% owner, Northern Telecom. This case explores the issues involved in technology transfer to countries even less developed than Turkey.

The financial results of Euro Disney and the problems experienced after its start-up are described. It can be used as a follow-up to the Harvard Business School case Euro Disney: The First 100 Days, HBS 693013.

The vice-president of Damark Packaging Inc. must decide whether to accept or reject a US$1-million order for shrink wrap packaging equipment. Should Damark focus on external markets for survival? Is there a 'fit' between the company's external environment, its internal resources and the preferences of its management team. Pedagogically the case explores the issue of external markets and the decision faced by many companies of how to decide on the external environment that presents the best opportunities for their organization.

Set in 1993, this series of cases (A, B, C, D, and B [Abridged]) concerns the strategic alliance between the automotive businesses of AB Volvo, the largest industrial group in Scandinavia, and Renault S.A., the largest enterprise in France. This alliance was one of the most prominent failures of multinational business integration seen in recent years. The aim of this series is to explore three broad themes: strategic alliances, leadership of corporate transformation, and governance and investor relations. The A case reviews the original formation of the strategic alliance in 1990 and its status as of March 1993, when the probability of Renault's privatization increased. The tasks for the student in the A case are to assess the origins and current health of the strategic alliance and to recommend responses to the impending privatization of Renault.

Describes the compensation system implemented for Wetherill Associates employees as of January 1995 and reports the company's financial results for 1994.

In order to increase revenues, develop new technologies, and manage information technology more efficiently, Xerox decided to sign a 10-year, $3.2 billion contract with Electronic Data Systems (EDS). This case describes the events that preceded Xerox's decision to outsource information technology.

Ben & Jerry's makes super-premium ice cream under a tri-part mission to produce the finest quality all-natural ice cream, to be socially conscious and improve the quality of life of a broad community, and to operate profitably so that shareholder values continue to grow and employees enjoy career opportunities and financial rewards. The company has grown from one small ice cream parlor in a converted gas station to achieving sales of over $130 million in 1992. This note provides the background for the decision to be made in Iceverks (A): Ben & Jerry's in Russia.

It has been four years since the president had first travelled to Russia to find a partner so that the Ben & Jerry's finest quality, socially conscious and economically feasible super-premium ice cream could be produced in Russia. Now, just a few months in operation, the joint venture was up and running and already profitable. The partners wanted to expand and opportunities were readily available but the president questioned the feasibility of such a move. This case presents a common dilemma faced by international companies - how to manage divergent partner goals and perspectives. May be used with Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.: Background Note and Iceverks (B): Summer of 1993.