個案總覽

The generation born in China in the 1980s has become an important force in the country’s labour market. Members of this generation were the first to grow up in a market economy with daily access to the Internet, and are considered to have different work values than past generations. Also, most were born and raised in single-child families and generally demonstrate more individualistic behaviours and less willingness to follow the norms of previous generations. This case describes the promotion story of Zhu Dandan, a member of the 1980s generation, and illustrates the different work values, behaviours and management style of her generation, as well as the challenges of managing it.

本個案探討策略與外部環境及內部條件之配合，從環境面說明地工合成材料產業之產品特性及公共工程市場之利害關係人，探討個案公司如何管理利害關係人，公司面對此產業環境所採取的策略，並探討其累積的資源能力等競爭優勢。

Martin Fassler’s dynamic entrepreneurial and innovative skills were evident when he saw an opportunity in the smoked marlin market and started his now-successful company, Fassler Gourmet (FG). After coping with the initial challenges that every new entrepreneur faces, he found success in supplying airlines flying out of Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul with original seafood dishes. Airline travel — and FG’s revenues — were decimated by the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998, the SARS epidemic in 2003 and the global economic downturn in 2008. During these hard times, Fassler excelled in innovation and diversification and developed five distinct and growing markets for exotic seafood. Rather than fire employees during these crises, Fassler instead reduced their work hours and thus cultivated an extremely loyal workforce. FG now works with many wholesalers, exporters, re-sellers, hotels, airline caterers, restaurants, cafes and sandwich shops and has factory outlet and home-delivery customers. Martin Fassler, now in his fifties, has reached a critical moment in his business career. Should he continue to lead, innovate and diversify further or should he begin to reduce his involvement? Selling a share to a new partner, handing responsibilities to his younger managers or divesting himself of this successful company altogether are all options, but risk alienating his loyal workforce.

The vice-president of marketing and communications at Mountain Equipment Co-op, a retailer of outdoor sporting goods, is examining its marketing strategy following the decision to stop producing its physical catalogue. The 40-year-old retailer wants to broaden its reach beyond its hard-core group of customers. Although it currently has an online presence, it needs to further develop its online sales and outreach programs.

A young entrepreneur is considering options for starting an art dealership. Everyone has some commonsense knowledge of what an art gallery is, yet very few have realized how competitive the art market is and what it takes to succeed in that industry. The price of a painting can be anywhere between $50 and $500,000, and that price typically does not depend on the objective properties of the artwork itself. This is where the art dealer plays an important role. The budding entrepreneur has to make strategic decisions regarding which segment of the art market to serve (high or low brow?), where to start his business (mid-size hometown or large city?), how to deliver the art to market (by opening a traditional art gallery, by partnering with retail locations such as restaurants to put the artworks on display or by organizing temporary exhibitions in rented spaces) and whether he should ally with a local arts collective.

In June 2012, ITC Limited, an Indian conglomerate recognized globally for its sustainability initiatives, was deliberating on how to apply its model of inclusive growth to a new initiative in dairy farming. Known for its expertise in creating innovative business models, ITC had created shared value for societies, businesses and shareholders by leveraging synergies across businesses. However, the expertise required in dairy farming was unexplored, logistical issues loomed large and a lack of clarity surrounded the dairy development’s integration with existing ITC businesses. Because of the complexities involved in diversifying and expanding to a new sector, ITC’s chairman and his leadership team wondered whether they could once again create shared value.

The founder of a non-profit organization that ran a cross-country ball hockey tournament in support of Food Banks Canada had to discuss the future of the organization with his team as it headed into its third year of operations. Foremost in his mind were questions about whether to continue Five Hole for Food as it had run for the first two years — organized exclusively on social media, managed completely by volunteers and funded by sponsorship donations — or else restructure it as a more formal organization, either independently or under the corporate social responsibility umbrella of a large corporation. The founder also faced serious challenges in assembling and organizing his management and operations teams: as the organization continued to grow, relying only on volunteer labour was going to become increasingly problematic. But if he started hiring and paying people for their time, would that change the organic nature of Five Hole for Food’s culture? He also wondered whether he should start to formalize the structure of the organization more, so it was less dependent on him as an individual. Could Five Hole for Food, which had raised over 50,000 pounds of food in its first two seasons, ever continue without him at the helm?

Joysun was established as a state-owned enterprise in the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone in China in 1995. Thanks to the effective leadership of its general manager and to the monopolistic nature of the Chinese import and export industry in the mid-1990s, the company had grown rapidly from a shop with five employees in its early days to a major player in the logistics industry by the end of 2012. However, Joysun’s journey had been rocky due to the profound and rapid transformation of the Chinese economy over the 17 years of the company’s existence. By the end of 2012, the company had several projects underway to consolidate its market position. Nevertheless, the management team felt that it should undertake more initiatives in order to sustain Joysun’s leadership over time. More specifically, the general manager wondered whether Joysun should enter the cold chain segment of the logistics industry. Considering the country- and industry-level context, what was the strategic relevance and operational feasibility of Joysun entering this new segment?

Methanex, the world’s largest producer of methanol, was a $2.5 billion global company based in Canada. Top management at Methanex undertook a quarterly risk review that included a systematic review of corporate strategy and the competitive landscape in the methanol industry. The review’s primary objective was to identify organizational risks and opportunities and to develop appropriate strategic responses for both short-term profits and long-term growth. Methanex’s CEO needed to prepare strategic recommendations and an action plan to present to the board of directors at the next quarterly risk review meeting.

In January 2013, the CEO of the Russian automotive company Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) was pleased with the results of the recently implemented changes to the company’s product-market strategy and the related organizational processes. He believed that this series of radical changes could help GAZ further cement its domestic market leadership position and at the same time allow it to complete a dramatic turnaround that had resulted in the company's most profitable year ever. He was now planning the launch of the third generation all-new Gazelle Next light transport truck, which he believed would take the company to a new level of competitiveness and revenue growth in Russia, and even more importantly, in other emerging markets.

This case follows IBM’s use of iterative software development to manage projects. The head of IBM’s Rational Product Development is asked by the head of IBM’s WebSphere Product Development to deliver an additional feature in the Rational product that would enable WebSphere to accomplish some new tasks. The feature requested is a critical requirement that has been requested very late in the product development cycle. Can the Rational Product Development team meet the WebSphere request? Should it undertake the changes to accommodate the new requirements? If so, can the team deliver the functionality without delaying the product release? This case also provides an opportunity to evaluate an iterative approach to project management.

Kfar Giladi Quarries (KGQ), situated in northern Israel, faces a crisis: the national economy is in recession; the government budget for infrastructure development and construction, on which the company depends, has been reduced; transportation and distribution problems limit its ability to export (or import) cheap raw materials; and there is increasing competition in the industry. The company had recently dissolved its partnership with Malibu Israel Company Ltd., an international company that had given it access to the central part of Israel where most infrastructure and construction jobs and investments are located. The result has been loss in business and a negative cash flow. The case allows students to practise basic tools for strategic planning and permits guidance to companies hesitating over a recovery program, especially during an economic recession; companies in a reorganization phase after separation from a partner; and/or companies that have to shift their management paradigm.

A graduating fourth-year HBA student faces an ethical dilemma as she struggles to decide which one of two job offers to accept. The situation is complicated by the fact that she has received an exploding offer from one firm and she must respond to it on the same day as she participates in a final-round interview with the other firm. The stakeholders in this case include the student, the two firms, the university and its career-management program, and the other graduating students in the HBA program. The (B) case 9B13C021 is set about two weeks later, when Patricia Coulter is wrestling with another decision.

A carpenter was trying to decide how to arrange his production process for manufacturing the increasingly popular Swedish lawn game known as “Kubb.” The carpenter had handcrafted several game sets for his friends and family, and, since demand for the game had grown, he planned to sell his kubbs to the general public. The carpenter needed to increase production efficiency, but he was unsure of the best way to arrange the production process. Additionally, he was researching the effect that investing in new equipment, hiring part-time labour and purchasing pre-made supplies would have on the production process.

In response to a 22 per cent growth rate in their city over a 10-year period, the members of the McAllen Independent District School Board form a committee to research and analyze several potential expansion projects that would accommodate the growing number of students in the area. The committee discovers certain funding opportunities that may represent attractive options for discharging financial responsibilities to the city’s residents, but in order for these funding options to be considered, the residents will first need to be convinced that the selected option is sound. This process will require a series of careful steps on the part of the committee, including thoughtful negotiation.

The new executive director is reflecting on her first two months at Carmichael Outreach, a non-profit organization that helps homeless people and others in need in Regina, Saskatchewan. She has already identified several risks to staff and client safety but must also address longer-term issues. Many believe the organization should do more to address the city’s chronic shortage of safe and affordable housing. Although clients, volunteers, staff and the board of directors expect her to develop and express her longer-term vision for Carmichael Outreach, she also needs to manage the day-to-day operations, which include ensuring the safety of clients and staff.

In 2008, the incoming vice-president in situ of Suncor Energy is faced with problems of underperformance at a new facility that uses the innovative in situ technology. This technology accesses bitumen in reservoirs too deep for traditional mining practices to recover. Although it is deemed less harmful to the environment than surface mining, in situ technology does create more greenhouse gas and sulphur dioxide emissions, but these can be controlled with new equipment. Recently, the site has come under investigation for two environmental compliance charges related to a missing piece of pollution control equipment. The new vice-president needs to analyze the root causes of the facility’s operational challenges and develop a plan to deliver on the parent company’s operational excellence strategy.

Two female small-business entrepreneurs belonging to the poorer sections of rural and urban India were trying to arrange for funds in order to ensure the viability of their commercial ventures in the long term. They had formed self-help groups with the help of Indian government development schemes aimed at poverty alleviation and human development. The first woman experienced opposition not only from patriarchal village elders but also from her own family. She persisted in getting training and setting up a workshop to employ her female neighbours. The second woman was supported by her family but also had trouble finding a suitable venue for making and selling the work her group produced. In spite of government support and the allocation of funds to their enterprises, both women had trouble persuading the banks to loan money to them. The long-term viability of their groups was thus in doubt.

redBus has enjoyed tremendous success in the structurally unattractive, fragmented, and non-transparent market for private bus travel bookings by introducing a technology platform to bridge the supply-demand gap in real-time. This technology platform connects the bus operators, travel agents, and bus travelers in a seamless and transparent manner. redBus is considered an industry transformation change agent that has altered the dynamics of the bus travel booking industry by using a disruptive business model to eliminate the pain points of the bus operators and travelers and provide greater convenience and efficiency. This case examines the evolution of the company’s business model and considers redBus’s next growth step. Should it expand beyond the Indian market to receptive Western and Asian markets, diversify its portfolio of service offerings to include air travel, hotels, and tour packages, or simply continue to focus on what it does best?

A privately managed school in Raipur, India, is faced with concerns from parents regarding long commutes faced regularly by students. The school has grown from a modest 89 students and 12 faculty members in 1993 to more than 2,700 students. Today, student commutes range from a few steps to several kilometres on school buses of varied capacities. While the transportation manager has been making adjustments to bus routes and capacity at the beginning of each term, the issue has become too large for one person to manage. In response, management decides to hire a consulting firm specializing in supply chain modeling to find a solution that would reduce not only students’ travel times but also fuel consumption and greenhouse gases emitted by the buses, thereby reducing the school’s carbon footprint.