個案總覽

The case describes Procter & Gamble's adoption of value pricing, Wal-Mart's introduction of premium store brands, and the evolution of Wal-Mart's relations with its major vendors. In early 1994, Kimberly-Clark agreed to manufacture private-label training pants for Wal-Mart. Students must decide how Procter & Gamble should respond to Wal-Mart's decision to sell private-label diapers manufactured by Kimberly-Clark.

Chronicles the successes and failures of the Virgin Group. By examining these examples, students discover attributes of Virgin's overall service concept, which, at its core, competes on quality rather than on price. Students are challenged to consider how Virgin might extend its operations into the U.S. market.

Examines Microsoft's strategy and competitive position as it prepares to launch Windows XP. The discussion explores how Microsoft builds and sustains its competitive edge.

Examines Webvan's operations and the processes by which it delivers groceries that were ordered from the Internet to customers' homes. Recounts Webvan's history from founding through early 2001 and concentrates on the unique approaches to warehousing, delivery, scheduling, and to a lesser extent, marketing and information technology. Also examines the rest of the Webvan business model and how it was formulated. At the time of the case, there is great pessimism, reflected in the press and the company's share price, that Webvan will be able to execute its business model profitably or even stay in business. Webvan's business model relied heavily on properly designed and executed operations, and it appears clear that the company's operations were neither. In addition, the mismatch between visiting operational capabilities and the operational requirements imposed by the rest of the business model appear to be severe.

In early 2001, Charitableway, an ePhilanthropy application service provider that enabled the collection of charitable donations online; faced major strategic decisions relating to its alliance with United Way of America to foster workplace giving online. One of the best capitalized dot-coms operating in the new ePhilanthropy sector and a pioneer in the workplace giving segment, it nonetheless, faced a series of challenges that threatened its success and even survival.

Dr. Stuart Weisman, CEO of ePhysician, creator of a hand-held device for entering prescriptions and capturing changes, wonders whether his marketing strategy is appropriate. Although everyone agrees that the product is excellent, the sales results are meager to date.

In November 2000, a money manager needs to make a decision regarding an offering of convertible bonds by Corning. The analysis requires her to compare the insights available from standard descriptive ratios to those available from valuation analysis. This case is intended to be a student's first exercise in analyzing convertible bonds and assumes some familiarity with option pricing theory and bond valuation. In addition, the case highlights the importance of going beyond the convertible bond calculations. The volatility of Corning stock has increased in the past year, and makes the call option more valuable, but at the same time Corning appears to be issuing converts at a time when both its share price and stock market valuations are at historic highs. Thus it is imperative that the student "have a view" on the sustainability of stock market valuations and the outlook for Corning.

In June 2001, the owners of this small rapidly growing sports promotion firm are assessing the financing implications of their growth plans. Threshold Sports organizes professional cycling races, and holds major race franchises for several large U.S. cities. It seeks to expand quickly the number of events that it manages, eventually to build professional cycling in the United States to a level consistent with Europe. The growth outlook creates a financing need of $500,000. The case presents three financing alternatives: debt, common equity, and convertible preferred stock. The task for the student is to assess the alternatives and make a recommendation. The choice hinges importantly on the estimated value of the firm.

Set in December 2000 immediately following the merger announcement between PepsiCo Inc. and the Quaker Oats Company, asks students to examine the implications of the merger for the rivalry between Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, and for value creation by each firm. Because the merger would allow PepsiCo to control Gatorade, which held an 83% share in the sports drink market, PepsiCo would further strengthen its already wide lead over Coca-Cola Co. in the noncarbonated drinks segment. Would Coca-Cola's historically stellar performance in terms of value creation be threatened by the merger?

Simon Carlson, chairman of the board of his family's fourth-generation industrial company, must decide how to deal with his conflict with the company's nonfamily CEO. Hired by the board just 15 months earlier to pursue growth more aggressively, CEO Paul Steel has upset Carlson and several managers with his management approach with the very strained relationship between the chairman and CEO. The board must decide how it will deal with Steel and Carlson.

Examines issues encountered by a third-generation, family-owned business. Northwest Security Services (NSS) is a 55 year-old company that has developed a rich history since its founding by Ernest Wilson, a less-than-affable, junior college-educated family patriarch. The majority of the case is spent focusing on several NSS business challenges that are unique to family-owned businesses, including bringing younger generation family members into a business, underperformance by certain family member employees, asset diversification, establishing a corporate advisory board comprised of nonfamily members, division of ownership, payment of dividends, transferring authority and power to younger family members, and the sometimes hazy line between where business stops and family begins.

As a manufacturer and distributor of agriculture equipment, as well as a broad range of construction and forestry equipment, Deere & Co. had a lot riding on the smooth flow of its logistics function. FedEx Logistics provided outsourced transportation services to 11 Deere facilities across North America. But with each of Deere's individual business units responsible for its own logistics activities, and with each unit negotiating a separate service agreement with the FedEx facility, costs and services tended to differ across the units. Deere's manager of logistics design asked a summer intern student to evaluate the company's logistics agreement with FedEx, with a view to identifying opportunities for standardizing costs and services across the business units. The logistics manager is expecting a report containing details of each operation's work flow and cost information, as well as some recommendations for updating Deere's outsourcing arrangements with FedEx Logistics.

In early 1991, Reynolds Metals, the makers of aluminum products, decided to sell its holding of Eskimo Pie, a marketer of branded frozen novelties. Reynolds had an offer from Nestle to acquire Eskimo Pie. However, Reynolds decided instead to make an initial public offering of Eskimo Pie shares.

Describes Jeff Miller's attempt to implement Geoffrey Moore's crossing the chasm ideas at enterprise software vendor, Documentum.

In 1998, BAESA, PepsiCo's largest bottler and distributor outside North America, experienced severe financial difficulty and had to restructure its debt and business operations to avoid bankruptcy or liquidation. Based in Argentina, with operations throughout South America, the company had for years been a spectacular success story and media darling, until it undertook an ill-fated expansion in Brazil. The company's debt was owed to banks and financial institutions in South America, Asia, Europe, and the United States. In addition, the company had $60 million of publicly traded bonds, much of them held by U.S. investors. The restructuring was the largest and most complicated undertaking of its kind ever taken in South America. In addition to negotiating with its bankers and making a public exchange offer for its bonds, the company made a massive common stock rights offering to its shareholders, giving them the opportunity to purchase new stock in the company. It also considered filing a "prepackaged" Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States to pressure U.S. bondholders to go along with the plan. The negotiations were greatly complicated by differences in the bankruptcy laws of Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

In January 2001, Mary Linn, vice president of finance for Ocean Carriers, a shipping company with offices in New York and Hong Kong, was evaluating a proposed lease of a ship for a three-year period, beginning in early 2003. The customer was eager to finalize the contract to meet his own commitments and offered very attractive terms. No ship in Ocean Carrier's current fleet met the customer's requirements. Mary Linn, therefore, had to decide whether Ocean Carriers should immediately commission a new capsize carrier that would be completed two years hence and could be leased to the customer.

Provides an overview of knowledge management and the knowledge management strategy of DaimlerChrysler relative to its competition.

Describes Priceline's patent of its "reverse auction" pricing mechanism, its discussions with Microsoft regarding Microsoft's license of the patent for its Expedia service, Microsoft's subsequent use of the technology without a license, and Priceline's decision whether to sue Microsoft for patent infringement.

Requires students to draw a new organization structure diagram for a rapidly evolving business. A/S DIENA is a newspaper publisher founded during Latvia's 1990/91 struggle for independence from the USSR with a clear social mission to support democracy. With the help of Swedish investors, over the 1990s the entrepreneurial business survives the ups and downs of the transition economy to build a leading national newspaper. In 1997, seeking new sources of growth, A/S DIENA expands outside the Latvian capital to set up the Regional Press Group, a decentralized network of community newspapers emphasizing employee ownership and a separation of roles between editors and publishers. By 2001, however, the community newspaper market is shrinking, the Regional Press Group is not yet profitable, and a Western-style profit planning system is met with some resistance by former state employees. The decision point focuses on how to redesign the Regional Press Group and its interactions with the national newspaper and the other business units of A/S DIENA.

Meridco Magnesium is an international automotive parts supplier of magnesium die-cast components with manufacturing plants in Canada, the United States, and France. The company has a strong market position in North America; however, two of the three plants are not performing well. The vice president of the company's Global Technologies Organization division believes the weaker performance in the two plants is due to resistance to technological innovations. He must determine the reasons for this resistance and develop a plan to resolve the weak performance in the plants before the upcoming annual board meeting.