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Highlights the decision that must be made on balancing customer acquisition and retention and de-emphasizing the structural issues involved in administering the independent contractor sales force.

In May 1995, Jonathan Schneider, the president of the Schneider Co., is faced with several related problems. First, he needs to find a new facility that can accommodate his expanding business. Second, he needs to decide whether to lease or purchase this new facility. And third, he needs to decide what to do about the existing facility, which he leases from his father.

Describes a conflict between the values and norms of a segment of an internal social system and those of management and the wider culture. Includes decision opportunity. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Presents the outcome of Air Products ICON decentralization projects. New issues are explored, including the challenges of having a decentralized MIS staff, global network, client/server architecture, new data center issues, outsourcing, a new highly strategic customer interface, object-oriented programming (OOPS), and the future of the MIS organization. A rewritten version of two earlier cases.

Describes the industry context that has resulted in the development of efficient consumer response (ECR) within the grocery industry and its adoption by H.E. Butt Grocery Co.

Describes the challenges confronting a recent HBS graduate who has started a direct-mail toy company. The entrepreneur must evaluate industry conditions in both toys and direct mail, and determine whether he has developed a viable business concept. Presents detailed financial projections associated with each of three major repositioning options.

The president and owner of a small sandal factory realizes that if his company is to survive in the long-run, the manufacturing operation would need to become more efficient. Relaxed tariff barriers had increased the level of foreign competition in the country, particularly in the footwear industry. He had recently attended a seminar on total quality control (TQC) sponsored by the local trade association. Despite the potential benefits of TQC and its record of past successes, John was uncertain whether the Mexican employees would be able to implement TQC, a system that appeared to be based on different norms and values than those of Mexican workers.

The head of a bank's asset and liability committee has to approve an unexpectedly large overnight currency exposure or require at great cost that the exposure be reduced.

Set in July 1995, this case invites students to assess the financial performance of Federal Express and United Parcel Service, two close competitors in the U.S. overnight express package-delivery industry. Although the case requires no numerical computations, it does ask students to interpret results and reflect on the implications. The contrasting financial records of the two firms afford a platform for exploring several important issues, including (1) the definition and use of "economic value added" (EVA) as a measure of corporate performance; (2) a comparison of EVA with other classic approaches of historical performance analysis; (3) the exercise of skills in business-segment analysis; (4) the exploration of the financial implications of intense competition and corporate transformation; and (5) the definition of "excellence" from a corporate-finance point of view.

The producer of a stage show society needs to use network planning as part of project management to ensure that 10 performances are scheduled well over the next four months. Students will have to construct a network diagram, identify the critical path, and address questions regarding activity crashing. What is particularly unique is that they will have to create a list from the data presented to them at a meeting with the assistant producer.

Reengineering was introduced at CIGNA Corp. in 1988. CIGNA entered a second wave reengineering effort through a major project at CIGNA P&C, one of CIGNA's larger businesses. P&C was in financial crisis and as a result brought in a new executive team in 1991 to head the transformation effort. This case analyzes the phases of P&C transformation, P&C's business process redesign, their use of information technology in the form of client/server architecture to support the strategy, and the use of the balanced scorecard to drive transformation. Presents the progress of P&C's effort as of January 1995--marking the end of Phase I (analysis and design) and looking forward to Phase 2 (implementation).

Stonehaven is a disguised version of a shoe factory located in Central Europe that must respond quickly to mix and volume changes for the U.S.-based company. Shoemaking involves several distinctly different processes, which must be designed and managed in a way to give high performance (lead time, cost, productivity).

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange needs to decide how to design, and whether and when to introduce, a futures contract on the Mexican peso.

A supplier questions the credit extended to two customers during a weak sales period.

An investor must prepare pro forma financial statements as a basis for a third-party investment in his new company. The investor must make a number of accounting policy decisions.

Two brothers start a boatyard. The case covers the start-up and initial operating period.

Cambridge Technology Partners uses a highly innovative product strategy, supported by a human resources strategy, that has been very successful. However, high growth rates jeopardize product quality while tension about relative compensation levels between sales and operations threatens the firm's culture.

Describes structural conditions in the American baseball industry in 1995. Although this case covers conditions leading to the 1994-95 strike, it is designed primarily for analysis of the structural tensions that arise between suppliers, buyers, and rivals as industry revenues diminish.

Frank Waterhouse, CEO of Argos Diesel, Europe, is exasperated. Bert Donaldson, who arrived in Zurich a year ago to create a European team--to facilitate communication among the parts suppliers that Argos has acquired over the past two years--just isn't working out. Although he has excellent credentials, both as a successful team builder at Argos International in Detroit and as a teacher in Cairo, his style seems abrasive here and he is behind schedule in implementing the team-building program. Moreover, Waterhouse is worried that Donaldson's failure will reflect badly on himself. But Waterhouse can't simply fire Donaldson. Donaldson is a smart man with a record of genuine successes in the States. If he gets fired, his career may be destroyed. Further, the CEO of Argos International thinks the world of him and is counting on Waterhouse to make this assignment work. Can Waterhouse teach Donaldson cultural awareness? Can he help him become effective in his job? Waterhouse has scheduled a conversation with Donaldson to discuss the situation. What should he say? For teaching purposes, this is the case-only version of the HBR case study. The commentary-only version is reprint 95401Z. The complete case study and commentary is reprint 95401.

Frank Waterhouse, CEO of Argos Diesel, Europe, is exasperated. Bert Donaldson, who arrived in Zurich a year ago to create a European team--to facilitate communication among the parts suppliers that Argos has acquired over the past two years--just isn't working out. Although he has excellent credentials, both as a successful team builder at Argos International in Detroit and as a teacher in Cairo, his style seems abrasive here and he is behind schedule in implementing the team-building program. Moreover, Waterhouse is worried that Donaldson's failure will reflect badly on himself. But Waterhouse can't simply fire Donaldson. Donaldson is a smart man with a record of genuine successes in the States. If he gets fired, his career may be destroyed. Further, the CEO of Argos International thinks the world of him and is counting on Waterhouse to make this assignment work. Can Waterhouse teach Donaldson cultural awareness? Can he help him become effective in his job? Waterhouse has scheduled a conversation with Donaldson to discuss the situation. What should he say? In 95401 and 95401Z, Doulgas A. Ready, Susan Schneider, Bjorn Johansson, Fons Trompenaars, and Roman Borboa offer advice on this fictional case study.