個案總覽

In this case, four consultants discuss business planning issues that they are each having within their respective consulting firms. The case addresses how professional compensation, project staffing, hours worked, overhead costs, and billing rates impact profitability.

This case charts the process of the souring of the Acela Express, a joint venture of Alstom and Bombardier with Amtrak, the US rail passenger service. Alstom and Bombardier won the contract to install high-speed rail service between Boston and Washington. Soon after the Acela's launch, technical problems with the train were severe and Bombardier's relationship with Amtrak became acrimonious. Both sides in the dispute made legal moves and they continue as of the writing of this case. The case examines the histories of the companies involved, the relationship between the respective parties and presents the technological background to the Acela Express. The goal is to highlight key points in the management of relationships for large-scale projects and to explore a number of issues in technology licensing.

Capital One, a credit card company, has built its business on a strategy with a clear customer focus: The company systematically gathers and analyses information on its customers in order to correctly assess their individual credit risk and to offer products and services tailored to their individual needs. The case is designed to illustrate how the concept of customer relationship management (CRM) can be translated into strategy, organizational design, hiring, marketing processes, and IT infrastructure of a company.

APL (Australian Pork Limited) is a not-for-profit company focused on securing a profitable future for the Australian Pork Industry through R&D and export development. The case describes the March 2000 introduction of Airpork chilled Australian pork that is air-freighted into Singapore daily, following the outbreak of the Nipah virus and foot-and-mouth disease in neighboring Malaysia (which supplied most of Singapore's pork requirements). The timing of the case is a year after the launch of the product. The top management are involved in rationalizing the performance of Airpork over the year and developing its future strategy.

In June 1998, The Board of Directors of INSEAD, a leading international business school based in Fontainebleau (France) had to decide to proceed with an investment in a second campus in Singapore. Over the past 20 years INSEAD had established an international reputation and had developed some expertise on Asian business. The case presents the history of the project, the process by which the idea was transformed into an investment proposal and presents various views on the potential and risks of such development.

This is the first of a two-case series. When Renault sent Carlos Ghosn to turnaround its alliance partner Nissan, observers were skeptical of his chances. After soliciting recommendations from the employees, he unveiled a three-year plan involving plant closures, job cuts, and a refocus on design. Within two years, the company had achieved a dramatic recovery, posting record profits and proposing a dazzling array of new models. Note that there are two versions of the case: 'Redesigning Nissan (A) & (B)' covers the dynamics of taking charge (case A) and the process of leading change (case B). There is also a combined and condensed version of the cases: 'Nissan's U-Turn: 1999-2001', for instructors wishing to cover the material in a single session.

The problem set contains three problems designed to help students practice their ability to build math programming models. Problem # 1 is a portfolio problem where the student is asked to find a portfolio that minimizes risk (variance) subject to a required rate of return; as such, it is nonlinear. Problem # 2 is aggregate production scheduling; hence, linear. Problem # 3 involves determining how to source a fixed quantity from a menu of vendors with differing fixed- ordering charges and per-unit prices; it is a mixed integer model. All are sufficiently small that they can be easily optimized with standard math programming software (such as Excel's standard Solver).

The case describes Microsoft's first significant acquisition in Europe and its first in the telecom equipment (software) market. SendIt is a publicly listed Swedish start-up, which offers the only Windows based solutions to the IP-based mobile phone services market. The acquisition starts in high tone, loses momentum and is finally integrated with some degree of success.

This is the first of a two-case series. When Renault sent Carlos Ghosn to turnaround its alliance partner Nissan, observers were skeptical of his chances. After soliciting recommendations from the employees, he unveiled a three-year plan involving plant closures, job cuts, and a refocus on design. Within two years, the company had achieved a dramatic recovery, posting record profits and proposing a dazzling array of new models. Note that there are two versions of the case: 'Redesigning Nissan (A) & (B)' covers the dynamics of taking charge (case A) and the process of leading change (case B). There is also a combined and condensed version of the cases: 'Nissan's U-Turn: 1999-2001', for instructors wishing to cover the material in a single session.

The company's management is considering the possibility of launching a rebranding campaign around the promises "What you need. What you need to know." The questions are whether and when to launch the campaign in view of the large number of training efforts and supporting technologies needed to deliver on the promises.

The PC industry was in terrible shape in 2001. As Sony strived to fit the PC into a larger business model that included the sales of digital cameras, MP3 players, camcorders, TVs, cell phones and PDAs, the latter half of 2002 turned out to be financially very challenging for the PC business. Analysts were questioning the sustainability of Sony's successful entry and establishment of its PC business in the United States. Chronicles the 1995 to 1996 (re)entry efforts and results of the major Japanese firms. Describes the history of the U.S. PC as well as the U.S. PC market environment and developments during the period from 1995 to 2000.

Matt Grant, a part-time MBA student, is developing a free publication that lists a calendar of upcoming athletic events, including road races, walks, triathlons, biathlons, bicycle tours/races, open track meets, and multisport activities in the greater Boston region. In his spare time, he launched a trial edition, and the response is so encouraging that he is on the verge of giving up a promising career with a big electronics company to pursue his new venture full time. He is wondering how to break the news to his wife, who is pursuing her own career as a lawyer.

Changes came hard at Stein, Bodello, & Associates, Inc., a consulting civil engineering firm employing 100 people in four branch offices. Following a move to a new location and an upgrade of the business and project management functions, some unhappiness developed in the ranks of middle management. Concerns leadership and change but from a bottoms-up perspective: through the eyes of subordinates. Focuses on the need to learn how to manage the boss.

An interpersonal and systems case in which Jim Davis, who holds a staff position, is responsible for results that can be achieved only through influencing line (branch) managers over whom he has no direct authority. Lends itself to role plays of different kinds, yielding useful insights into the process of influence without direct authority.

Fundacion Chile shows how a private, nonprofit corporation contributes to technological innovation and develops productive links, adds value, and generates technological and human skills in a diversified economy based on natural resources. This enterprise, based on science and technology, was set up and grew to become a leading technology institution, recognized nationally and internationally. Poses the question of what strategy Fundacion, with its solid record of accomplishment in technology transfer and new business development, should follow to ensure its own future in a changing environment. To answer this question, students need to perform a SWOT analysis in light of Fundacion's mission, which leads to a deeper issue--the institution's replicability in other national environments.

Kalin Pentcheve, a recent U.S. immigrant from Bulgaria, starts a business importing Bulgarian feta cheese in bulk and selling it in the United States. Pentcheve has no previous experience in either the import/export business or the food industry. Deals with finding opportunity, using a network of existing contacts and developing new contacts, scraping together money from friends, family, and others to finance a venture, evolving a sales strategy by trying different "channels," and learning by doing. To position early in a new ventures course.

Looks at two MBA classmates who are considering launching their own new venture. Discusses the process of identifying and confronting both the attractive aspects and the worrisome uncertainties involved in a start up. Allows for development and discussion of alternative strategies for dealing with the risks. Gives students an opportunity to choose a path, defend their decision, identify their assumptions and how they will test them, and indicate what they will do if their assumptions prove false.

Paybox.net, founded in 1999, is a frontrunner in providing mobile payment services in Germany and other European countries. The case discusses the development and roll- out of the m-payment services, the business model and marketing approach used, the technological and organizational challenges that the company faced as well as the sustainability of the paybox competitive position.

In response to changes in the European small car market and the success of the Renault Twingo, Ford decided to launch a new small car, the Ford Ka. Before Gilles Moynier can get to the specifics of the marketing strategy to launch the Ford Ka, he needs to decide how to segment the market and who to target. The market research firm has conducted a series of studies among potential small car buyers and now the data must be analyzed and interpreted.

This series of three sequential cases recounts the story of labour negotiations. The Maxime Platform, France, built in 1916 to accommodate the increasing demand for wood transportation, was by 1992 a loss-making unit. In 1998, a new Director of the Harbour and Railway Installations, Adrian Hamilton, is appointed. One of his first tasks was the assessment of the Maxime Platform operations. After confirming the difficult and declining financial performance of the installations, the decision to dispose of the unit and relocate staff to another Vector business unit was taken. The first case sketches the historical, geographical, economical and labour context of the Maxime Platform. It also introduces the protagonist of the case, Adrian Hamilton. It then proceeds by describing how Hamilton after winning over the trust of the unions and the employees soon after his arrival, looses it when job security at the Platform is threatened. The remaining part of the case describes the episodes of the first four months of the one-year labour negotiations that lead to the transfer of the Platform to a third party and the relocation of employees to another Alcan plant in the region.