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Documents the evolution of Best Buy, an electronics retailer, from its founding in 1966 to its very successful "Concept 2" strategy in 1996, boosting its sales ($7.2 billion) past industry #1 Circuit City. Its CEO Richard Schulze offers a new vision (Concept 3) to address the company's changed competitive and consumer environment. Reduced profitability in 1996, however, calls for creative adaptation of Concept 3.

Senior functional officers (marketing, manufacturing, research & development, control, and human resources) clash over alternative ideas for turning around a business in decline. The general manager is faced not only with choosing between competing ideas, but also managing conflict and determining whether his consensus-oriented style is appropriate to the needs of the situation.

Illustrates how a new management team at Medtronic's Cardiac Pacemaker business reversed a steep decline in market share by adopting certain management principles for new product development: clarifying strategy, aggregating project planning, accommodating the number of projects to match development capacity, and establishing a platform/derivative product architecture, and others. This case is useful in both MBA courses and executive programs.

Chase Bank and Chemical Bank intend to merge, producing the largest commercial bank in the United States, the fourth largest in the world. Projected financial benefits under the merger reflect significant planned reduction in operating costs, including 17,000 employee layoffs. Management also expects the merger to produce significant revenue increases as a result of increased economies of scale and scope, and other benefits of size and market leadership. The task of valuing the merger gains, negotiating an acceptable merger price, and implementing the post-merger restructuring is extremely complex.

Explores the development of a new product offering based on the first issuance of "real" bonds in the United States. Looks at a specific organization's efforts to position itself to profit from this market development. Follows naturally from a case on nominal bonds.

Vic, the CEO of a sporting goods company in this fictional case study, is pleased with the numbers. For several years now, they've gone steadily in one direction: up. But there's trouble in paradise. Hidden from the public's view of industry-dominating winners--from the coolest snowboards to the hottest in-line skates--lies a product-development department that may be ready to shatter like cheap fiberglass. Carver, the company's chief of product development, is the workaholic mad genius who is responsible for most--he might say all--of the company's successful products. At the same time, he has managed to alienate the rest of his staff. Four commentators suggest how Vic can keep the company's product-development group intact and its sales growth strong. In 97401 and 97401Z, Victor Vroom, June Rokoff, David Olsen, and David H. Burnham suggest how Vic can keep the company's product-development group intact and its sales growth strong.

Vic, the CEO of a sporting goods company in this fictional case study, is pleased with the numbers. For several years now, they've gone steadily in one direction: up. But there's trouble in paradise. Hidden from the public's view of industry-dominating winners--from the coolest snowboards to the hottest in-line skates--lies a product-development department that may be ready to shatter like cheap fiberglass. Carver, the company's chief of product development, is the workaholic mad genius who is responsible for most--he might say all--of the company's successful products. At the same time, he has managed to alienate the rest of his staff. In 97401 and 97401Z, Victor Vroom, June Rokoff, David Olsen, and David H. Burnham suggest how Vic can keep the company's product-development group intact and its sales growth strong.

Vic, the CEO of a sporting goods company in this fictional case study, is pleased with the numbers. For several years now, they've gone steadily in one direction: up. But there's trouble in paradise. Hidden from the public's view of industry-dominating winners--from the coolest snowboards to the hottest in-line skates--lies a product-development department that may be ready to shatter like cheap fiberglass. Carver, the company's chief of product development, is the workaholic mad genius who is responsible for most--he might say all--of the company's successful products. At the same time, he has managed to alienate the rest of his staff. In 97401 and 97401Z, Victor Vroom, June Rokoff, David Olsen, and David H. Burnham suggest how Vic can keep the company's product-development group intact and its sales growth strong.

George Zimmer, CEO of the Men's Wearhouse, is considering what has made the firm so successful; what, if anything, it should do differently to continue to succeed; and how to manage its growth and culture as the firm expands in the very competitive men's tailored clothing market. Retailing is the largest industry in the United States. Most retailing firms have traditionally been staffed with poorly paid, poorly trained, part-time help, and often experience tremendous turnover. Founded in 1973 in Houston, the Men's Wearhouse now has over 300 stores and is adding stores at the rate of 50 per year as it extends its geographic reach. This case provides information on the founder's beliefs, the firm's financial performance, the company's management practices, and detailed information on its various training activities.

Elliot Lebowitz, president and CEO of BioTransplant, must decide on a strategy for this young biotechnology start-up. Among the issues to be resolved are focus of research and search for strategic alliance partners.

Pascal Brandys, founder and CEO of Genset, must decide whether to take this young biotechnology company public. If so, should he do a dual offering in both France and the U.S.? The case also explores the business models in genomics research.

Concerns a fictitious airline company and examines the moral hazard situation that results within a firm. Provides an opportunity to discuss corporate governance and contracting under uncertainty.

First of a two-part case on the development and use of a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) at Mobil's US Marketing and Refining Division. Split from the original (A) case to give students an opportunity to suggest objectives and measures for the division's initial BSC, without seeing the actual choices made by Mobil's managers. Describes how the CEO of the marketing and refining division of a major oil company is in the midst of implementing a profit turnaround. He has transformed a strongly centralized, functionally-organized division into 17 independent business units and 14 internal service companies. The division has also launched a new, market-segmented strategy aimed at high-end buyers. The CEO recognizes, however, that the new organization and strategy require a new measurement system. He turns to the BSC because of its ability to link measurement to strategy, and to help the new profit-center managers develop customized strategies for their local responsibilities. This case describes the development process of the initial divisional BSC, and the formulation of objectives and measures for the financial and learning and growth perspectives.

Ramsey Walker, a second-year MBA student, must decide how to control a family business as an absentee owner. After providing background details on the publishing industry, the case requires the reader to: 1) make a product segmentation decision; 2) prepare a profit plan; 3) calculate free cash flow effects; 4) determine key accounting performance measures; and 5) assess new control systems and their implementation.

Second of a two-part case on the development and use of a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) at Mobil's US Marketing and Refining Division. This case describes the completed BSC, and how this was linked to the BSCs of the independent business units and the internal service organizations. Also describes the linkage of the BSC to managers' compensation through a new variable-pay plan. Concludes with the senior executives reflecting on how they are using the BSC in their management reviews. Focuses on the management processes surrounding the use of BSC. May be taught with Mobil USM&R (B): New England Sales and Distribution, (C): Lubricants Business Unit, and (D): Gasoline Marketing, which describe the development and use of BSCs in two independent business units and one staff department.

John Floegel, a young entrepreneur, is trying to decide whether to join a young, growing daycare franchiser, Tutor Time. Tutor Time has many problems, but also significant potential.

The Mall of America's public relations manager considers whether to institute an escort policy aimed at curbing the disruptive behavior of some teenagers who frequent the Mall. Support for the policy is mixed. Mall visitors and merchants are generally in favor of the policy, while teens, some community residents, and activists argue that it is too extreme. To make a decision, mall officials must evaluate the policy from the point of view of multiple stakeholders.

On November 3, 1986, after a three-hour board of directors meeting, Union Carbide decided to accept First Boston's proposal to embark on a $2.5 billion recapitalization program. Jameson and his associates' efforts had paid off. Jameson had reason to be excited: He had changed a weak relationship between First Boston and Union Carbide into one that would generate tens of millions of dollars in revenues for his firm. In the highly competitive world of investment banking, it was a particularly sweet victory, since First Boston had won the business from Union Carbide's traditional banker, Morgan Stanley. A rewritten version of an earlier case for courses in service management.

The idea that "relationships" exist between consumers and products has implicitly occupied a central place in brand marketing thought and practice. Now as relational (one-on-one) marketing is said to be replacing transactional (mass) marketing as the dominant paradigm of the field, explicit theoretical development of these ideas becomes critical. This case presents detailed qualitative data on three women and their relationships with brands.

Examines the situation facing a group of representatives from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors attempting to increase the diversity of business school faculties. Focuses on the issues faced in mid-1994 by the KPMG Peat Marwick Foundation and its partners in their joint effort to generate more ethnic diversity in business school faculties and, ultimately, in business school classrooms and corporate workforces. Gives background on a prior series of meetings held to discuss what could be done to address the lack of minorities in business. The consensus in these meetings was that efforts should be made to increase the number of minority business school faculty by augmenting the supply of minority doctoral students in business. Discusses the various factors speculated to contribute to the lack of diversity in business school faculty. Gives background to marketing strategy development, and ends with the group trying to figure out what to do. The case decision is a meeting in September 1994 to analyze relevant information and develop a strategy to increase minority applicants to Ph.D. programs.