個案總覽

Dr. Mak Lap Ming, an obstetrician and gynecologist who operated two clinics in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, was contemplating retirement. Now that his own child was financially independent and thus relieved some of the pressure on Mak, he was wondering if it made financial sense to retire soon. He also wondered what the immediate consequences of retirement would be and if semi-retirement was a viable option. To that end, he could work with a partner and shift control to that partner at some point; he could work at his clinics part-time; or he might be able to close one clinic completely and practice out of the remaining one. Mak also thought of retiring completely at the end of the year. Evaluating his options brought Mak significant internal conflict: part of him longed to attain the freedom to travel, yet he experienced great emotional satisfaction when he attended a birth and saw the joy that birth gave to the parents. Mak wondered whether, in his particular case, the pros of retirement outweighed the cons.

A new faculty member is engaged in a decision-making process surrounding the development of a points-based system designed to allocate merit pay at a business school. The process is forcing her to evaluate how she is structuring the allocation of her work, which is directly affecting her motivation toward coaching a student case competition team. Edwards has historically used a judgment-based approach to the allocation of merit. The case outlines the rationale used in the design of the new points-based system, discusses the potential advantages and disadvantages, and highlights the perspectives of different stakeholders throughout the process, including the union, the faculty, and senior administration. The union is opposed to merit, so has outlined fairly stringent criteria for the awarding of merit in the new collective agreement. Faculty opinion is mixed surrounding merit more generally, and the implementation of a points-based system versus a judgment-based system in particular. Senior university administration is committed to the continuation of the merit system at the university as a tool to reward outstanding performance and to retain star faculty. The individual departments at Edwards are in the midst of finalizing the standards and procedures for allocation of merit-based pay. The protagonist is uncertain about how her department will proceed in the design and allocation of points, and how it will result in her re-allocating her work tasks.

DD Traders was the Asian branch of DEMDACO, a privately held company that wholesaled unique gift products that were marketed and distributed to the specialty retail channel in the United States and some international markets. Carolyn Glasow recognized an opportunity to leverage a quantitative approach to sourcing future allocations across vendors that would also improve the short-term demand transparency that was provided to the company’s key business partners, which could in turn lead to increased bargaining power for price negotiations and production lead times. This was a recurring issue for Glasow and her sourcing team: how should she allocate product purchases among the various manufacturers that bid for the opportunity to supply products to DD Traders?

This case describes the organizational and strategic challenges of outsourcing research and development (R&D) activities from Denmark to China. Nokia Denmark was founded in 1996 as a subsidiary of the Nokia Corporation and contained the largest Nokia R&D unit, concentrating on the development of mobile phones, outside Finland. In 2007, Nokia Denmark received instructions from corporate headquarters to drastically increase the number of mobile phones developed. Motivated by the need to alleviate pressure on its in-house capacity, Nokia Denmark outsourced certain product development projects to the Taiwanese company Foxconn in a joint R&D (JRD) setup. Foxconn, one of the world’s largest electronic component manufacturers, which was also developing products for many of Nokia’s competitors, was given the responsibility of developing and testing selected standardized and less complex mobile phones. However, by 2010 Foxconn had become a central figure in Nokia Denmark’s product development process with responsibility for increasingly complex projects. <br><br>Given the growing importance of Foxconn for Nokia Denmark, the rising pressure from the corporate headquarters, and the competitive market environment, Nokia Demark thus faced the question of how to proceed with the JRD. Three alternatives were outlined for the future of Nokia Denmark’s JRD with Foxconn: the management could decide on scaling up, phasing out, or continuing the status quo.

In March 2010, a city in Southwestern Ontario received a costing proposal from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The mayor and the other city councillors needed to decide whether to disband the city’s current municipally based Sarnia Police Services (SPS) and replace it with contract policing from the OPP. The city’s request for the proposal had created much discomfort for the SPS employees, and had polarized the entire community. After analyzing the OPP contract proposal, the city planned to make several adjustments to the OPP financial estimate so that it would more closely reflect the current level of service provided by the SPS.

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Euro-Mediterranean Managerial Practices and Issues, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>The case describes an innovative business model offering wine and a French cultural experience to North Americans. Students are given an opportunity to learn about the challenges of reviving a 1,000-year-old chateau, farmhouse, and vineyard while building a viable wine export and travel experience business. The case refers to a 15-minute online video that includes an interview with the entrepreneur, pictures of the Montlaur estate, and excerpts about Guédelon Castle, a medieval construction project.

The case reviews the main facts related to the merger process of three financial institutions — Bancolombia, Conavi, and Corfinsura — in Colombia in 2005 and 2006. The merger decision emerges from directors and senior executives foreseeing a major upcoming market transformation, including adjustment in industry regulation, improvement in international competence, and consolidation of main players, and their response in order to adapt to the new economic conditions. Considering the fact that the success rate of merger processes is not above 30 per cent, the sustained financial results achieved by Bancolombia from the very beginning of the integration process are robust indicators that invite exploration into what was done and how it was done.

In this case series Robert Harvey, a business professor at a small university in Iowa, United States, had arranged for Hopwood Manufacturing Company to come to the campus to interview his students for internship and management-in-training positions, only to learn that the recruiters appeared to be more interested in the ethnicities of the candidates than their qualifications. Harvey must now decide what action to take in response to the recruiters’ discriminatory statements.

It was mid-January 2011 and Elmer Enns, sole owner of Double E Grain Corporation, a 6600-acre farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, was reflecting on the past year, during which he had completed the canola harvest ahead of schedule. Helped by strong commodity prices, Double E had experienced successive years of prosperity (as shown by the financial statements in the case). Elmer, in his mid-50s, was optimistic about the industry and content with the current state of his operation. Despite being the sole owner of Double E, Elmer understood that he was not the only stakeholder to consider in planning for the future. His five-year plan was made more complex by his joint-venture partner, Jim Flath; Chad, a farmer with whom Elmer worked closely; and Elmer’s son Matt. Elmer also had to consider changing industry dynamics, including global food demand, and what resources he had available if the circumstances at Double E were to change. He had been in the business of farming long enough to know that lengthy periods without change were fortunate and rare. External changes (such as volatile commodity prices or the elimination of the wheat board) or internal changes (such as Jim or Matt’s evolving interests or Chad’s growing business) could have a drastic impact on Double E. In the face of many potential and unknown challenges, Elmer sat down to begin the complex task of envisioning where his farm would be in five years, both operationally and financially.

A final-year student at a business school estimated the net present value (NPV) of his proposed business plan — a tourism and transport business in India — using three different methods and encountered different valuation results. He approached the professor who had taught him valuation concepts in a finance course and wanted to know the reasons for the difference.

Dental Associates of Northern Virginia is one of the largest dental networks in northern Virginia. In this series of two cases, the head administrator must choose between keeping up with new technology by investing in innovative all-porcelain crown-making machines or holding onto a strategy of waiting and seeing. This choice also aligns with the head administrator making a larger decision of whether to enhance the core competency of his network by developing a complete in-house laboratory or continuing to rely on an expensive, but reliable, outside laboratory for all-porcelain restorations. Together, the two cases in the series are rich in concepts of cost, timeliness, quality, and flexibility, as students are forced to see an operations problem from both patient and doctor perspectives. The cases also consider the ever-changing world of technology and how it impacts a doctor’s practice along with an entire network of offices.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) had been in existence for 35 years and up until recently had grown organically by taking on new projects as they arose. While this had had the advantage of the EWT maintaining its relevance, the EWT had lost focus as a result. A new fundraising strategy was developed in 2008 before the impact of the financial credit crisis and the resulting economic downturn. The downturn affected the amount of funds the EWT received and as such, it was struggling to continue with all its initiatives and projects. Fortunately, the pressure on companies to invest in social responsibility initiatives continued to grow. The CEO of the EWT was contemplating whether or not to change the EWT’s fundraising strategy by making it more liberal in its policy of accepting corporate donations in light of the economic downturn caused by the international credit crisis.

This case is about the multinational company ABB’s development of a sustainability strategy, and its dilemmas in supplying hydropower dam projects. Adam Roscoe, head of sustainability at ABB Group, had to evaluate the content and business consequences of a letter written by the non-governmental organization (NGO) International Rivers. The letter discussed the alleged violations of sustainability criteria when building the Nam Theun 2 dam in Laos. Roscoe needed to assess what implications the letter had for ABB, which had a large stake in the outcomes of the project. Such a letter from a prominent NGO might affect ABB’s policies and practices in sustainability. <br><br>The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank had great interest in seeing the project’s success, as it would supply rural areas of Laos and Thailand with electricity, bring in a large source of revenue that would be used in poverty-reduction programs for Laos and, lastly, provide a non-carbon-based energy source. ABB also had to consider the position of its stakeholders including customers, investors, media, and NGOs. If ABB was associated with a dam project that did not comply with international regulations, this could lead to negative publicity and potential loss of business. <br><br>Roscoe thus faced two interweaved questions: Would International Rivers’ letter pose a reputation risk for ABB? What would this example mean for ABB’s sustainability criteria and objectives and would this need to be acknowledged and, if so, how?

This case describes the execution of an urban public transportation project through a public private partnership (PPP). Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was a corporate body created by the Indian government and the government of National Capital Territory of Delhi for implementing a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) in Delhi. DMRC successfully completed phase I of the MRTS in 2006 and the government mandated that DMRC implement phase II of the MRTS project. The Japanese Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) provided soft loans for both phases of the project. Meanwhile, the city of Delhi got the mandate to host the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010. As part of the preparations for these games, linking New Delhi Railway Station with Indira Gandhi International Airport through a metro system — Airport Express Metro Link (AEML) — became necessary for easing traffic congestion in the city. The timeline available for the AEML project was less than three years. At the same time, JBIC financial assistance was not available for this project. <br><br><br><br>Dr. Sreedharan, managing director of DMRC, was thus facing the challenges of project financing and its timely delivery. In the past in India, the PPP model of infrastructure development had emerged as dominant. The case discusses various options available to DMRC for project financing and timely completion of the AEML project under the PPP mode.

The marketing manager for Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is concerned about a growing demand for blood — two per cent per year — driven by a number of factors, including the decrease of wait times in local hospitals, new operating procedures, and increased use or requirements of an aging population. Peak demand seasons coincide with low supply seasons, such as summer and winter holidays. Two issues require attention: the first involves increasing the absolute number of donors, currently in the 400,000 range. Indications are that the percentage of Canadians who donate blood (four per cent) is lower than other countries such as Sweden (five per cent). The second need is to retain more donors and increase the number of donations per donor each year. The CBS still faces issues stemming from the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s and the subsequent Krever inquiry. It is working to rebuild the trust of the public. The crux of the issue is understanding consumer behaviour toward blood donation. The manager needs to understand the consumer decision process, examine segments, determine a target segment, and develop communications to increase both the absolute number of donors and the repeat donations of identified donors.

In 2010, an entrepreneur is trying to enter the fuel additives market in Canada by marketing a product called Force For Earth (FFE) Fuel and Engine Conditioner. FFE is made in the United States and the entrepreneur has the Canadian license for the product. Unlike the products of many competitors in North America, FFE has been proven to deliver the stated benefits, but the entrepreneur’s dilemma is that every other product in the market claims to offer “proven” results as well, even though most of these claims are unsubstantiated, false, or exaggerated. The entrepreneur’s challenge is to understand, from a marketing perspective, the key selling features of the FFE product that would resonate with his target groups.

CCM Hockey had been losing market share to competitors in the hockey skate business. In order to counter this trend, in March 2008 the most innovative pair of hockey skates ever developed by CCM was made available to customers. Soon after the launch, however, some quality issues developed. In 2009, new and improved skates were put on the market but they looked identical to the previous model. Buyers were skeptical and, as a result, sales were poor. Both the trade and individual consumers had lost confidence in the brand. CCM returned to the drawing board and redesigned the skates but also decided to launch them in fall 2010, instead of the normal industry cycle time of spring 2010. The decision was complicated by a stagnant market and indistinct consumer segments. The brand manager and his assistant were faced with developing a strong launch strategy because the future of the CCM skate brand depended on it.

Most family businesses do not survive beyond two or three generations. One of the main reasons for this short lifespan is the lack of governance mechanisms in family businesses. With better family governance, business development becomes a richer experience and continuity is ensured across generations. This case is about an Indian family business, GMR Group, which was established a quarter-century ago, and by 2010 had become one of the major diversified infrastructure organizations in the country, with large-scale interests in infrastructure (energy, roads, and airports) and manufacturing (agri-business, mainly sugar). Since its founding, the Group had come a long way, from an independent proprietary enterprise to a family-owned holding corporation with several companies under its control, along with external stakeholders. The growth of the group had been led by the entrepreneurial zeal and organizational capabilities of its founder, G.M. Rao. Having seen many family businesses breaking up for lack of adequate governance mechanisms, Rao led the way for the writing of his family business's constitution with the help of several experts in 2007. The writing process of the constitution and the policies and processes developed were optimal for maximizing GMR's performance and the family's prosperity in current and future generations. This case captures the essential processes and outcomes of writing a family business constitution.

Crown Investment Corporation (CIC) of Saskatchewan and its partners, Mosaic Corporation and CIBC, have decided to sell a fertilizer plant that they jointly own. Now, CIC and its associates have to come up with a value assessment and mode of sale. Using different valuation methodologies, students are to determine the plant's value.

After successfully establishing more than 33 retail stores in large cities across China, Decathlon, a large French sporting goods manufacturer and retailer, planned to open its official online shopping website in China. The marketing department head of Decathlon China had experimented with several new social media platforms in China in order to increase the brand awareness among online shoppers. At the upcoming executive meeting, the marketing department head wanted to persuade the chief executive officer to dedicate more resources to social media to both increase online sales in the short term and market share in the long term.