個案總覽
依發行單位、學門或關鍵字,找到適合的教學個案。
-
Note on Islam
This note provides a brief review of the Muslim religion, including the geographical representation of its believers, a description of its basic tenets, and a sketch of its historical development. Also provided is a brief synopsis of the Prophet Muhammad, and a distinction is made between the Sh'ia and the Sunni faiths. The note was written to complement the teaching of any case that assumes knowledge of Islam. -
KPMG Forensic: Money Laundering at Agnes Insurance
Agnes Insurance calls in KPMG Forensic to conduct a routine "fraud and misconduct diagnostic" requested by a potential merger partner. The diagnostic reveals a money laundering operation that has gone undetected for several years. The chief financial officer must decide what to do about the money laundering incident as well as how to ensure it does not happen again. -
International Rivers Network and the Bujagali Dam Project (A)
In the summer of 2002, the International Rivers Network (IRN), an environmental NGO located in Berkeley, California, was engaged in what appeared to be the last hours of a three year campaign to stop a $582 million dam and hydropower project at Bujagali Falls in Uganda. The final piece of the financing puzzle was about to be put in place as the World Bank was set to approve a $250 million loan guarantee for the project. Although the project would have some adverse environmental and social impacts, IRN contended that the power deal between the government of Uganda and AES was the real problem. As IRN saw it, the cost of the project was too high and Ugandans would bear most of the risk, which would add to the country's debt burden. However, without the power purchase agreement, which remained undisclosed despite requests for it to be made public, IRN had little economic data on the project to bolster its argument. Still, there were compelling reasons, such as economic development and poverty alleviation, for the Ugandan government to go ahead with the deal it had with AES, the project sponsor. AES, with its social mission and reputation for delivering low-cost energy to the world, seemed like the ideal sponsor. -
Taking the Cake (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
The land of fried chicken and hush puppies likes its snacks steeped in fat, and Southland Baking Co. has always been happy to oblige. Its Chizzlewits are crumbly, full of saturated fat, and delicious. As a result, Southland has a solid foothold in its market. But to Peter Schmidt, Southland's vice-president and general counsel, every day seems to bring more evidence that products like Chizzlewits are becoming the new tobacco. A New York lawyer has just sued a company like Southland for supposedly making his client fat. A House subcommittee is holding hearings on the fat content of baked goods. And Mothers Opposed to Obesity in Kids is lobbying for warning labels on all foods containing sugars and saturated fats. Southland is trying to come up with a leaner version of Chizzlewits, but the results haven't been encouraging. As Arthur, a little boy in a test group, says with a scowl after taking a bite and spitting it out: "It looks like a Chizzlewit, but it doesn't taste like one!" Should Schmidt tell his CEO that Southland needs to recast its product lines? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0403A and R0403Z, are Kenneth B. McClain, a trial lawyer based in Independence, Missouri; Laurian J. Unnevehr, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Pam Murtaugh, a consultant in Madison, Wisconsin; and Richard Berman, the executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom in Washington, D.C. -
Lofty Missions, Down-to-Earth Plans
Most nonprofits make program decisions based on a mission rather than a strategy. They rally under the banner of a particular cause. And because their causes are so worthwhile, they support any programs that are related to their core missions. It's hard to fault people for trying to improve the state of the world, but that approach to making decisions is misguided. Acting without a clear, long-term strategy can stretch an agency's core capabilities and push it in unintended directions. The fundamental problem is that many nonprofits don't have a strategy; instead, they have a mission and a portfolio of programs. But they hardly make deliberate decisions about which programs to run, which to drop, and which to turn down for funding. What most nonprofits call "strategy" is really just an intensive exercise in resource allocation and program management. This article outlines for nonprofits a four-step process for developing strategy. The first step is to create a broad, inspiring mission statement. The second step is to translate that core mission into a smaller, quantifiable operational mission. The third step is to create a strategy platform; that is, the nonprofit decides how it will achieve its operational mission. Decisions about funding and client, program, and organizational development are all made here. And step four is making reasoned, strategic decisions about which programs to run and how to run them. -
Taking the Cake (HBR Case Study)
The land of fried chicken and hush puppies likes its snacks steeped in fat, and Southland Baking Co. has always been happy to oblige. Its Chizzlewits are crumbly, full of saturated fat, and delicious. As a result, Southland has a solid foothold in its market. But to Peter Schmidt, Southland's vice-president and general counsel, every day seems to bring more evidence that products like Chizzlewits are becoming the new tobacco. A New York lawyer has just sued a company like Southland for supposedly making his client fat. A House subcommittee is holding hearings on the fat content of baked goods. And Mothers Opposed to Obesity in Kids is lobbying for warning labels on all foods containing sugars and saturated fats. Southland is trying to come up with a leaner version of Chizzlewits, but the results haven't been encouraging. As Arthur, a little boy in a test group, says with a scowl after taking a bite and spitting it out: "It looks like a Chizzlewit, but it doesn't taste like one!" Should Schmidt tell his CEO that Southland needs to recast its product lines? In R0403Z, commenting on this fictional case study are Kenneth B. McClain, a trial lawyer based in Independence, Missouri; Laurian J. Unnevehr, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Pam Murtaugh, a consultant in Madison, Wisconsin; and Richard Berman, the executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom in Washington, D.C. Commenting on this fictional case study in R0403A and R0403Z, are Kenneth B. McClain, a trial lawyer based in Independence, Missouri; Laurian J. Unnevehr, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Pam Murtaugh, a consultant in Madison, Wisconsin; and Richard Berman, the executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom in Washington, D.C. -
Taking the Cake (Commentary for HBR Case Study)
The land of fried chicken and hush puppies likes its snacks steeped in fat, and Southland Baking Co. has always been happy to oblige. Its Chizzlewits are crumbly, full of saturated fat, and delicious. As a result, Southland has a solid foothold in its market. But to Peter Schmidt, Southland's vice-president and general counsel, every day seems to bring more evidence that products like Chizzlewits are becoming the new tobacco. A New York lawyer has just sued a company like Southland for supposedly making his client fat. A House subcommittee is holding hearings on the fat content of baked goods. And Mothers Opposed to Obesity in Kids is lobbying for warning labels on all foods containing sugars and saturated fats. Southland is trying to come up with a leaner version of Chizzlewits, but the results haven't been encouraging. As Arthur, a little boy in a test group, says with a scowl after taking a bite and spitting it out: "It looks like a Chizzlewit, but it doesn't taste like one!" Should Schmidt tell his CEO that Southland needs to recast its product lines? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0403A and R0403Z, are Kenneth B. McClain, a trial lawyer based in Independence, Missouri; Laurian J. Unnevehr, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Pam Murtaugh, a consultant in Madison, Wisconsin; and Richard Berman, the executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom in Washington, D.C. -
Ben & Jerry's and Unilever: The Bohemian and the Behemoth
Ben & Jerry/Unilever raises the issues of (1) how to bring a nonbusiness culture (B&J) into a corporate culture (Unilever) while preserving the value acquired; (2) how to manage a recently acquired subsidiary whose parent company is an ocean away; (3) how, as a corporate-appointed general manager, the French general manger can gain the trust of the acquired firm; and (4) how (or even whether) to preserve the Social Responsibility (SR) aspects of the target. An additional focus might be how (or whether) to export a socially-responsible firm's values to overseas locations. The case can be positioned near the end of a PMI course, where the students can apply PMI skills in a unique ethical and cultural situation. Alternatively, it can be used in an Ethics course to highlight the challenges of maintaining an SR mission when a public global corporation acquires a local (Vermont) SR organization. -
Managing Client Conflicts
This case describes the two types of client conflict--conflict of duty and conflict of service--that professionals manage. It delineates how the management of these conflicts affects the scale and scope of service that professionals provide. -
Timberland and Community Involvement (Abridged Version)
When Jeffrey Swartz became the third generation in his family to lead the Timberland Co., he made community involvement an integral part of the company's strategy. Under Swartz's leadership, Timberland formed a close partnership with City Year, the national corps of young adults engaged in community service events, established a community enterprise division to schedule community service events, and gave each employee 32 hours of annual paid leave to participate in service work. As a result of these initiatives, Swartz believed the idea of community service at Timberland had gone beyond traditional notions of philanthropy or cause-related marketing to become a central feature of the company and brand's identity. However, in 1995, the spectacular sales growth Timberland enjoyed during the first years of Jeffrey Swartz's tenure as COO leveled off. The company reported its first loss and initiated significant restructuring. The tough times prompted some observers to question Timberland's continued commitment to community service. An abridged version of a case. -
Personal Values and Professional Responsibilities
Describes some of the classic conflicts managers face in trying to live and work by their personal values and uses Hirschman's "exit, loyalty, and voice" framework to suggest ways for resolving these conflicts. -
Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (A)
This case describes how the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church handled allegations of clergy sexual abuse during the 1990s. In 2002, the archdiocese was confronted by public revelations of how the allegations were handled. Professional organizations first and foremost must protect the interests of those whom the profession serves. Professional organizations, however, also protect and further the interests of their members. The case also describes the Boston archdiocese's initial response to the storm of public criticism that followed the revelations. -
Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (B)
In 2002, the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church was confronted by public revelations of how allegations of clergy sexual abuse were handled by the archdiocese during the 1990s. This case describes how the Boston archdiocese addressed the issue over the next two years. It also describes the reverberations of the scandal nationwide, theories on the root causes of the problem, and emerging sentiment in church hierarchy and the laity. Professional organizations first and foremost must protect the interests of those whom the profession serves. Professional organizations, however, also protect and further the interests of their members. -
Manville Corp. Fiber Glass Group (C) (Abridged)
Manville Corp.'s senior managers are surprised when Japanese government officials advise them not to go forward with their plan to add a cancer warning label to diatomaceous earth (DE) products sold in Japan. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has ruled that a component of DE is probably carcinogenic, and Manville has prepared to modify its labels and material safety data sheets and to mount a communications effort inform customers of the cancer warning. Now, Manville's senior managers are being told that it is "culturally inappropriate" to proceed with this plan in Japan. An abridged version of an earlier case. -
Rein Chemical Co.: Specialty Division
This case describes corporate management's recent discovery of widespread unethical pricing transactions in one division and key managers' different views on how to respond. Students are asked to evaluate management's position and decide who should do what to resolve Rein Chemical Co.'s problem. The improper pricing problem, involving an undetermined large number of customers, is complicated by the lack of clarity as to who the injured parties were and by the harm that any course of action could have on innocent parties. -
Cameco in Kyrgyzstan: Corporate Social Responsibility Abroad
Based in Saskatoon, Canada, Cameco was the world's largest uranium mining company. It had developed its policy for corporate social responsibility in northern Saskatchewan, where it had its major mining operations and where there was a large indigenous population of Cree and Dene Indians. Centers on whether the same corporate social responsibility policy can be applied to the company's joint venture with the Kyrgyzstan government to operate a gold mine in eastern Kyrgyzstan. Complicating the decision is a chemical spill that had occurred several months before; relations with citizens in nearby communities were at an all-time low. The joint venture's vice-president of human resources and corporate relations must decide which of the programs might be successfully implemented in Kyrgyzstan, what new programs might need to be developed, and how best to communicate company policy to the local community. -
Moral Reasoning: A Practical Guide for Leaders
We encounter moral or ethical challenges in our professional lives, in our close relationships, and as members of the broader communities that we are part of. This methodology demonstrates how moral reasoning works and how it can be integrated into a problem-solving format. It is meant to supplement problem-solving skills that you already have with a systematic approach to use with moral or ethical problems. The methodology provides a structure for addressing issues and lays out some criteria to augment others you would ordinarily rely on for decision making, action planning, and implementation. -
Urban Homesteading Assistance Board
Thirty years after its founding in 1973, New York City's Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) found itself at a crossroads. The nonprofit, church-related organization that had long-provided tenants with assistance in renovating abandoned properties and converting them into cooperatives, UHAB was under pressure to adapt to a changing business climate, as the number of tax-foreclosed, city-owned properties declined in a resurgent New York city. What's more, UHAB, led by the same executive director for more than 20 years, faced tensions between an idealistic, semi-autonomous staff and the needs and demands of public contracts with requirements that specific tasks be completed in a measurably cost effective manner. As UHAB entered its fourth decade, a new chief operating officer must address its programmatic and managerial challenges, such that its idealism and individualism could happily co-exist with sound business practice. HKS Case Number 1711.0 -
Indupalma (A1): The Initial Years, 1961-1977
Indupalma was managed as a plantation since its creation in 1961. Labor conditions were grim, and labor unrest was at a peak when the general manager of Indupalma was kidnapped by the guerrilla group M-19 in 1977. Highlights the importance of corporate social responsibility. -
Indupalma (A2): The Years After the Kidnapping, 1977-1991
Supplements the (A1) case.