個案總覽

The C-case of this three part series presents the actual changes that were implemented, the rather impressive successes achieved over time, and HLL's vision for the future. Within less than a decade, HLL hopes to build a pool of 100,000 self-employed women covering 500,000 villages, and reaching 500 million people, thus creating opportunities for rural women and their families to live in improved conditions and raise their overall standard of living.

Supplements the (A) case, 906034.

An abstract is not available for this product.

An abstract is not available for this product.

An abstract is not available for this product.

The president of the University of Western Ontario was contemplating how best to handle a potentially explosive issue: the planned award of an honorary degree to Dr. Henry Morgentaler. In this supplement to Weathering a Storm: Awarding an Honorary Degree to Canada's Pioneer Abortion Doctor (A), product 9B05C033, the events of the day of convocation are highlighted.

An abstract is not available for this product.

Lay's was a second mover when it introduced its potato chips to rapidly evolving post-communist Hungary. By inserting cash into its potato chip bags, Lay's increased sales dramatically and permanently (i.e., also post-promotion). In contrast, after withdrawing a second "Money in the Bag" promotion, sales fell. Students prepare case A (5 pages) at home. Three in-class cases and a teaching note provide analysis and managerial implications.

Lay's was a second mover when it introduced its potato chips to rapidly evolving post-communist Hungary. By inserting cash into its potato chip bags, Lay's increased sales dramatically and permanently (i.e., also post-promotion). In contrast, after withdrawing a second "Money in the Bag" promotion, sales fell. Students prepare case A (5 pages) at home. Three in-class cases and a teaching note provide analysis and managerial implications.

Most cases on M&As focus on the value of an individual deal (synergies, price, integration issues). In the case series "Acquisition Wave in the Fine Chemicals Industry", we take another perspective. We aim to describe how managers' decisions to make an acquisition and to determine the acquisition price are likely to be influenced by the merger activity in their industry and their competitors' actions. Driven by shareholder pressure to focus their portfolios, leading specialty and fine chemicals players such as Degussa, Clariant and Rhodia entered into major fine chemicals acquisition in 2000 and overpaid. Subsequently, this led to decreasing stock prices and financial turmoil. The fact that the other firms overpaid, despite publicly available signals from stock markets indicating the overpayment, and the nature of the chemicals industry and management, are clear indicators for irrational herd behavior.

This case series of a failed startup in the financial services market illustrates three of the key issues in launching a new business - the role of a strong and cohesive founding team, the problem of lack of credibility faced by new ventures, and the importance of developing elements of novelty or innovation in the proposed business model.

This case series of a failed startup in the financial services market illustrates three of the key issues in launching a new business - the role of a strong and cohesive founding team, the problem of lack of credibility faced by new ventures, and the importance of developing elements of novelty or innovation in the proposed business model.

Compaq Computer Corp., like many manufacturers, faces operational choices that strongly influence the cost of capital engaged in inventory, customer response time, and potential product obsolescence. This case describes some key operations strategy choices regarding two types of inventory: operation inventory (e.g., flow) and tactical inventory (e.g., finished goods). Tradeoffs in inventory management and customer response time are explored in the context of a firm that is changing from a push manufacturing to a customer-oriented pull system. Optional computer simulations (B case) visually display the dynamics of push and pull systems, kanban squares, and their effect on inventory requirements and customer response times. The simulations require the ProModel simulation software tool (not included, to be purchased separately) and computer simulation model files (available from the authors' website: http://faculty.insead.edu/stephen-chick/simulations).

The case is based on a real $25 million project at a major U.S.-based computer manufacturer. For confidentiality reasons the company has been disguised as A&D High Tech. The Web-based online ordering system project is required by sales and marketing for the fall holiday season. If the project misses this window, the firm will lose substantial market share to competitors. Part (B) takes place three months into the original project plan. The project manager has just been fired and the management challenge is to find out what is wrong with the project and recommend fixes. In addition, the scope of the project has changed: the VP of marketing has an additional promotional bundle requirement. A&D High Tech (A) examines how to create and analyze a project plan in Microsoft Project. In order to make the case manageable for students we reduced the size of the project, and corresponding number of resources, to approximately $1 million, but retained all of the features of the original project. Part (B) gives actual work done on each task three months into the project. Students must answer the management questions: Can the project be fixed and completed in time for the holiday season? Can the additional requirements be incorporated, and if so, what is the best approach? In order to answer these questions, earned value data can be extracted from Microsoft Project and analyzed. These data provide important insights into the root cause of problems with the project. The next step is to reduce the scope of the project and reassign resources. However, one must be aware that indiscriminately adding people can slow a project down, not speed it up. Finally, the additional promotional bundle requirement from the VP of marketing provides an important outsourcing management discussion. The case can also be taught using other project management software tools, such as Primavera.

"MDCM, Inc. (B): Strategic IT Portfolio Management" examines the steps involved in developing a portfolio of IT projects aligned with a company's strategic objectives. Specifically, the case describes a situation where a firm has launched a transformation strategy but has yet to develop a complementary IT strategy. Students must select the optimal portfolio of projects aligned with the strategic objectives and define the global project execution strategy. The projects have both risks and dependencies. U.S.-based MDCM, Inc. specializes in medical device contract manufacturing and assembly. For the past five years, MDCM had grown by making more than twenty acquisitions of companies based outside the United States. This growth strategy enabled MDCM to better match its services to its customers, who had become larger and more global. In MDCM (A), the CIO of MDCM needed to determine the company's IT strategy and objectives. In doing so, he needed to ensure that they were properly aligned with the company's overall strategy and the new organization developed under an initiative called Horizon 2000. In a lecture prior to the cases, students should be introduced to the framework of IT portfolio management and how it can help focus IT efforts. In MDCM (B), the CIO has performed an audit of MDCM's IT and found twelve projects that are potential investment candidates for the next three years. The challenge for the IT Portfolio Management team is to identify the priority and appropriate sequence of investments to be made. The case assumes that students have knowledge of corporate IT. More specifically, the case is targeted for those who are or plan to become executives who would manage IT strategy and IT investment decisions either directly or in an oversight role. This case is the second in a series; the first is the case "MDCM, Inc. (A): IT Strategy Synchronization."

An abstract is not available for this product.

An abstract is not available for this product.

Supplement to KEL334

Camilia Pictures is a film production company dedicated to producing movies with artistic merit, strong market potential, and cutting-edge sensibilities. Seven years ago, Camilia Pictures President Raven Reynolds, then an independent producer with a small company and a big Hollywood name, and Rick Statler, CEO of family entertainment powerhouse Labrador Entertainment, agreed to a merger. Camilia would continue to produce high-quality films, but it would do so as a part of the larger Labrador empire. Though Reynolds would still run Camilia, all movies it produced would now belong to Labrador. For its first few years under the Labrador umbrella, Camilia Pictures thrived. But for the past few years, it has struggled as Reynolds and Statler continue to battle over money. Reynolds insists that she needs more to succeed. Statler, meanwhile, is increasingly concerned about the bottom line. The dispute between these two came to a head when Reynolds used her own money to purchase Privileges and Immunities, a controversial new documentary, against Statler's direct orders. Reynolds contends that because she used her own money to buy it and Statler is refusing to distribute it, she has the right to make her own arrangements to bring Privileges to theaters. Statler insists that the film belongs to Labrador and that he is completely within his rights to refuse distribution. Labrador's in-house counsel has referred both parties to separate lawyers to avoid a conflict of interest. At stake is not only the ownership of the new documentary, but also the future of Raven Reynolds and Camilia Pictures at Labrador Entertainment.

Camilia Pictures is a film production company dedicated to producing movies with artistic merit, strong market potential, and cutting-edge sensibilities. Seven years ago, Camilia Pictures President Raven Reynolds, then an independent producer with a small company and a big Hollywood name, and Rick Statler, CEO of family entertainment powerhouse Labrador Entertainment, agreed to a merger. Camilia would continue to produce high-quality films, but it would do so as a part of the larger Labrador empire. Though Reynolds would still run Camilia, all movies it produced would now belong to Labrador. For its first few years under the Labrador umbrella, Camilia Pictures thrived. But for the past few years, it has struggled as Reynolds and Statler continue to battle over money. Reynolds insists that she needs more to succeed. Statler, meanwhile, is increasingly concerned about the bottom line. The dispute between these two came to a head when Reynolds used her own money to purchase Privileges and Immunities, a controversial new documentary, against Statler's direct orders. Reynolds contends that because she used her own money to buy it and Statler is refusing to distribute it, she has the right to make her own arrangements to bring Privileges to theaters. Statler insists that the film belongs to Labrador and that he is completely within his rights to refuse distribution. Labrador's in-house counsel has referred both parties to separate lawyers to avoid a conflict of interest. At stake is not only the ownership of the new documentary, but also the future of Raven Reynolds and Camilia Pictures at Labrador Entertainment.