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Voestalpine AG, a public company located in Linz, Austria, was examining opportunities for growth. The company considers that to meet the needs of its customers, notably automobile, rail and construction, it has to grow. Further, the steel industry in Europe is in a process of consolidation. The company has a very strong balance sheet but due to its ownership structure (35 per cent is owned by the Austrian government), its market value is considerably lower than its competitors, also providing a rationale for growth. The company is profitable and focuses on value added products. In the (A) case the decision to buy two steel plants in Poland is examined and looks at the strategic issues and concerns relating to this expansion. The supplement, Voestalpine AG (B), product number 9B07M033, provides opportunity for the student to assess methods of strategic execution.

The case describes the unique business model of Rehabilitation Alliance Hong Kong (RAHK) beginning with its strategic alliance with Dairy Farm to run 7-Eleven convenience stores, with an aim to create job opportunities for its disabled members. The two managers then try out other forms of business, but they are not commercially effective. The case explores the challenges of managing a cooperative relationship with a social conscience and achieving social enterprise sustainability through innovation.

ECCO A/S (ECCO) had been very successful in the footwear industry by focusing on production technology and assuring quality by maintaining full control of the entire value chain from cow to shoe. As ECCO grew and faced increased international competition, various value chain activities, primarily production and tanning, were offshored to low-cost countries. The fully integrated value chain tied up significant capital and management attention in tanneries and production facilities, which could have been used to strengthen the branding and marketing of ECCO's shoes. Moreover, an increasingly complex and dispersed global value chain configuration posed organizational and managerial challenges regarding coordination, communication and logistics. This case examines the financial, organizational and managerial challenges of maintaining a highly integrated global value chain and asks students to determine the appropriateness of this set-up in the context of an increasingly market-oriented industry. It is suitable for use in both undergraduate and graduate courses in international corporate strategy, international management, international marketing, supply-chain management, cross-border strategic management and international business studies in general.

Research in Motion (RIM) is a high technology firm that is experiencing explosive sales growth. David Yach, chief technology officer for software at RIM, has received notice of an impending meeting with the co-chief executive officer regarding his research and development (R&D) expenditures. Although RIM, makers of the very popular BlackBerry, spent almost $360 million in R&D in 2007, this number was low compared to its largest competitors, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of sales (e.g. Nokia spent $8.2 billion on R&D). This is problematic as it foreshadows the question of whether or not RIM is well positioned to continue to meet expectations, deliver award-winning products and services and maintain its lead in the smartphone market. Furthermore, in the very dynamic mobile telecommunications industry, investment analysts often look to a firm's commitment to R&D as a signal that product sales growth will be sustainable. Just to maintain the status quo, Yach will have to hire 1,400 software engineers in 2008 and is considering a number of alternative paths to managing the expansion. The options include: (1) doing what they are doing now, only more of it, (2) building on their existing and satellite R&D locations, (3) growing through acquisition or (4) going global.

In April 2008, Bruce MacNaughton, president of Prince Edward Island Preserve Co. Ltd. (P.E.I. Preserves), was focused on turnaround. The company he had founded in 1985 had gone into receivership in May 2007. Although this had resulted in losses for various mortgage holders and unsecured creditors, MacNaughton had been able to buy back his New Glasgow shop/cafe, the adjacent garden property and inventory, and restart the business. He now needed a viable product-market strategy.

The case looks at the takeover of the Roaring Dragon Hotel (RDH), a state owned enterprise in south-west China, by global hotelier Hotel International (HI) and discusses the cultural collision and organizational adoptions resulting from the intersections of two significantly different business cultures. Specifically in this case, the focus is on the challenge involved with downsizing, redundancy, communication, cultural sensitivity, strategic planning and in developing strategy. In south-west China in 2002, the RDH business environment was just emerging from the shadow of the planned economy and had retained its guanxi-based organizational culture. At RDH, relationship development and the exchange of favors were still important and occurring on a daily basis and there was little system or efficiency in the hotel's domestic management style and processes. In comparison, Hotel International had a wealth of international experience in providing accommodation, marketing and professional management in servicing the needs of a global market steeped in corporate governance. At the commencement of the management contract there was a deep division separating the organizational cultures of RDH and HI.

The vice-president of operations at Lighting Group Corporation (LGC) was looking over some financial statements at the end of the workday. For the first time he could remember, there were no sales recorded on the daily sales statement. It appeared that the efforts of employees were diverted into a project related to the scrap metal that was a by-product of the manufacturing process. To complicate matters, the son of the company's president and chief executive officer was the one directing the scrap metal project.

Critical Mass was a highly successful Internet marketing services firm with a blue chip client list. The rapidly changing Internet environment demanded continuous innovation and an exceptional level of creativity from the Technology Group. The company invested substantial resources in a creative-friendly physical environment and organized an array of activities intended to keep creativity bubbling. The company was ready to embark on a significant expansion in its customer base and management had decided to review and reassess these activities to determine if they were having the desired effect and if corrective changes were required.

The vice-president (VP) and treasurer of TELUS has been asked by the chief financial officer for his opinion on the company's dividend policy and how many recommendations would be conveyed to investors. In developing his response, the VP needs to consider TELUS's future prospects, its leverage policy, the state of the telecommunications industry, and investor expectations. This case facilitates a discussion on dividend policy. Conventional wisdom on dividend policy can be reviewed and then interpreted in the context of the particular circumstances facing TELUS. The case can also facilitate a short discussion on the costs and benefits of share repurchase.

The case centers around the strategic planning retreat of MacTara Limited (MacTara), the largest wood products company in Nova Scotia. While there are some very good opportunities for the company in some sectors, like wood pellets for fuel (high demand for inexpensively priced renewable energy sources), the Canadian lumber industry as a whole is not attractive at this time (distortionary effects of the Canadian-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, low price of lumber, sales denominated in the free-falling U.S. dollar, inflexible cost structure, etc). The fact that MacTara is a somewhat vertically integrated company - from construction lumber, to chips for paper mills, to fuel pellets made out of wood waste - makes planning very difficult because the health of each sector impacts on the prospects for the others. Company executives need to find a way to make all the various pieces of the business fit together into a profitable whole while they still have money and time. The Canadian lumber industry is in crisis and the eastern Canadian industry is ripe for consolidation.

The case illustrates the challenges of growing sustainably by tracking the 30-year journey of a quintessentially Canadian chef, environmental champion, and strong advocate of slow food, seasonality, local sourcing and artisan food production. Set in mid May 2007, the case decision has Toronto-based Jamie Kennedy pondering several expansion options for Jamie Kennedy Kitchens, a corporation with three main ventures. Jamie Kennedy Kitchens' annual revenues were more than $7 million and earnings before taxes of 6.7 per cent in an industry typically averaging 3.2 per cent were testimony of the growing appeal of organic food and wine pairings. With influential cook-books, global accolades, rave reviews by acclaimed food critics, and a fast growing base of satisfied customers, Jamie Kennedy was well positioned for growth. Yet Jamie Kennedy grappled with the implications of growth for the core pillars of his business. The case explores the trade-offs between financially profitable growth and Jamie Kennedy's determination to stay true to local sourcing and cooking with seasonal ingredients and his environmental values. The case asks students to anticipate growth alternatives and articulate their points of leverage or disconnect with Jamie Kennedy Kitchens current business model, as well as Jamie Kennedy's cuisine and personal values.

The case presents the points of contention and issues facing NCsoft Corporation (NCsoft) as of 2007. As the leader in online games, NCsoft has the greatest future growth potential inside and outside of Korea. The president has a number of issues to consider: What is NCsoft's most effective plan for maintaining its top position in Korea and its competitiveness in the world market? How should the company pursue diversification of its game offerings from a small number of major games to other online game genres, such as casual games? What are the important factors NCsoft needs to consider to achieve globalization as a basis for building a global online game development and publishing company? What should be NCsoft's response to the diversified connection channels and game platforms and the rise of a ubiquitous computing environment? How should the negative perceptions and side effects of playing online games be dealt with? In addition, how should NCsoft prepare to compete with other industries that are expected to become competitors with digital-content online games?

A recently hired U.S.-trained sales account manager at Medical Equipment Inc. (Medical Equipment) returned to his office after meeting with the head of the cardiology department at a specialist hospital and research center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He had worked very hard to secure his first sale of US$725,000 for healthcare equipment, but was disheartened when the head of cardiology told him that the hospital's purchasing director intended to give the order to Medical Equipment's main competitor. The competition's sales representative and the purchasing director had known each other for 10 years and the head cardiologist implied that there might be side payments involved. The sales account manager knew Medical Equipment's product was superior and wondered how he could secure the order without having a history with the purchasing director or without engaging in practices he found ethically questionable.

The senior vice-president of Corporate Store Sales, Sears Canada, was reviewing a new retailing initiative scheduled to launch within a month in all full-line Sears department stores across Canada. For the holiday season, Sears would offer the services of an elf, the equivalent of a personal shopper, to its customers. Although personal shoppers were common in upscale department stores, especially in the United States, this concept had not been tried in Sears stores. Taylor wondered how customers would respond to this novel concept in Canadian retailing.

The owners of Decorative Interiors Inc. (DI) must decide the future of their business. DI had been their family's sole source of income for the past 18 years. Although the owners would like to increase sales and profitability, they are unsure how to proceed after one of the owners suffered a heart attack and the doctor advised him to change his lifestyle. The case provides the opportunity to discuss the following: the strategic management tension model (can, want, need analysis); the evaluation of industry key success factors; the evaluation of strategic alternatives; and firm valuation.

The alcohol cooler (refreshment) market in Canada was already crowded, but the marketing manager at Vincor believed there was still room for a new entrant, provided it was sufficiently differentiated. The case provides market research information on which the decision-maker relies to develop a product positioning. Trade-offs need to be made between various positioning options and costs. The case deals with marketing issues from the perspective of the brand manager launching a new product.

The office manager at the Garden Depot was growing increasingly concerned with the inability of the landscaping manager to handle his workload and subordinates. The landscape manager's poor management left the office manager to solve the division's problems. The office manager needed to take action to reduce her workload and to ensure she received accurate information from the landscaping division. The case is designed to introduce students to managing workplace conflict and allow students to apply concepts in motivation, leadership, power and influence in an organizational context. Students are asked to form action plans from the perspective of a lower-level manager, based on limited information.

Emily Holland-Power was eager to start looking for permanent employment. Holland-Power was entering the final year of the two-year honours bachelor of arts program in business administration at the Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. From her summer work at Lalani, O'Hagan & John, an accounting firm in London, she had concluded that accounting was not for her. However, she had also decided that she wanted to work in a professional firm. Thus, Holland-Power wanted to learn more about opportunities in management consulting and investment banking. She decided to meet with two of her classmates who had worked in each of these occupations. After asking them about various aspects of their jobs and the firms for which they worked, Holland-Power needed to decide which career path to pursue.

After a Danish newspaper publishes cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, consumers across the Middle East decide to boycott Danish goods. Arla Foods (Arla) is one of Europe's largest dairy companies. Suddenly, it finds itself caught in the middle of a crisis that appears to be beyond its control. Prior to the boycott, the Middle East was Arla's fastest growing region and represented an important component of the company's long-term growth strategy. As the largest Danish company in the region, it stands to lose up to $550 million in annual revenues. Students are asked to take the role of the communication director for Arla, who, along with other members of the newly formed Crisis and Communication Group, must decide on a course of action to deal with the crisis. The case addresses a variety of topics, including culture and religion, international management, risk management, crisis communications, and managing in a boycott situation. It also creates an opportunity to discuss doing business in the Middle East and management in an Islamic context.

The company, workopolisCampus.com, was an online job site for students and new graduates of Canadian colleges and universities. The website was established by several Toronto universities in the late 1990s and was acquired soon after by Workopolis to complement the company's primary job site, workopoliscom. After several years of steady but slow growth, workopolisCampus.com's future prospects appeared limited in 2007. The provides an opportunity to explore options for organizational change.