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The vice-president of manufacturing for a company that produces pumps and electrical controls, must consider potential opportunities in the pumps market. The pump division is not living up to its potential and a reorganization of the division is being considered. Management opinion varies, and many conflicts and misconceptions must be dealt with.

A co-operative involves many unique business features, and these are illustrated by Mountain Equipment Co-op. Of particular interest is the way in which customers are shareholders, and so the firm faces customer empowerment that both strengthens its market presence and also influences its product mix and pricing structure. Management faces a unique set of success criteria. Apart from its co-op nature, Mountain Equipment demonstrates the creative ways that a service sector retailer participates today in the manufacturing sector. Its proactive role involves ongoing contributions to the design of products, and even participation in the ownership of manufacturing facilities.

A medium-sized Canadian packaging firm is facing the potential recall of 90,000 individual products by one of its major pharmaceutical clients. The defects are packaging-related and were traced to a lot of customer-finished boxes that Jones, Box and Label had recently delivered. The immediate issue is to determine the problem causing defective packaging materials and how to solve it. Other business basics include: quality assurance, what type of relationship between buyer and supplier is most effective for problem-solving and whether the anticipated level of uncertainty dictates the nature of buyer-supplier relationships. The case introduces students to Kepner-Tregoe problem solving and offers an opportunity to compare and contrast this problem resolution methodology with Ishikawa (or fishbone) diagrams and other problem-solving techniques.

This is the first case in a two-part series about decisions relating to the introduction of a new product, Johnson's face powder, to the Philippines market. This case provides information about the Philippine market and the development of the introductory strategy for the product. The student is asked to assess the merit of the strategy, both in terms of market acceptance and their calculations as to projected contributions. (A two-minute video can also be purchased for this case, J & J (Philippines) Inc. - Johnson's Face Powder - Video.)

The newly appointed president of the Philippines' largest advertising firm arrives at her office to find a fax from New York. The fax says that Colgate-Palmolive is realigning its accounts worldwide. The effect of this move is that Basic/Black Zale Youngman Advertising will lose about 90% of its billings from its Philippines Colgate-Palmolive account. There are two very different discussion issues. The first issue is the decision(s) on what actions to take. The second issue is the handling of worldwide advertising in an environment which varies greatly from country to country.

The senior vice president and head of Mutual Life's group division, was trying to decide whether to proceed with a plan to guarantee his division's services as a task force had recommended. If the division decided to proceed, he would have to decide whether to accept the task force's suggestions on the design of the guarantee and answer a number of questions that they have left unanswered. Students have to assess whether Mutual Life would benefit from a guarantee and the performance of the division and the task force so far, as well as address the design issues. A sequel to this case Mutual Life of Canada - The Group Client Service Guarantee (B), describes the guarantee and an issue that has arisen.

The regional group marketing director, was trying to decide what to do about Consolidated, a client who had made a claim for $9,500 under the company's new group client service guarantee. The problem was that, although she believed Consolidated's claim was completely without basis, the guarantee prominently said: If you have a problem, we will pay, no questions asked. Students have to assess Mutual Life's guarantee and decide what to do about both the Consolidated incident and the guarantee. This case can be used either alone, or in conjunction with Mutual Life of Canada - The Group Client Service Guarantee (A), which addresses several issues in the design of the guarantee.

The plant manager of Hammond Manufacturing's Guelph, Ontario transformer plant was concerned about problems with the delivery of enclosures from a sister plant ten kilometres away. These problems reduced the company's ability to compete for business by delaying production and shipments to customers. Both plant managers wanted to reduce not only the frequency of late deliveries, stockouts, and backorders, but also the level of frustration between their two plants. Students have to identify the source of these problems and propose a reasonable course of action to deal with them.

The manager of information and technology at a flower auction house must decide on the pace at which information technology changes should be introduced. The issues raised in the case pertain to the formulation and implementation of information technology strategies, and illustrate the potentially integrative role of information technology, different levels of information technology strategy, online bidding, and the establishment and maintenance of information systems for clearing channels.

The commercial account manager at the main branch of the Crown Bank of Canada in Chicoutimi, Quebec, received a line of credit request from Materiaux Boisvert, a hardware and building materials company. Materiaux Boisvert was recently purchased by new owners, who were given a maximum line of credit of $1.6 million with the understanding that the loan would be re-evaluated after several months of operation. The commercial account manager was expecting a request of $1.8 million, but was surprised to find a request for $2.2 million. He must now analyze the company's past and future financial position in order to prepare for a meeting with the new owners to discuss the loan request.

The son of the founder and owner of Blackshop Bistro (and an employee) had to decide how to respond to his father's suggestion that the family business relocate to a new commercial building nearby. The fine-dining restaurant had enjoyed great success; however, to achieve its growth objectives and offer the founder's sons an opportunity, the business must seek alternatives to expand sales. Expansion may ultimately threaten the Bistro's current strategy and target market. In addition, the move would require significant financial, marketing, and operational changes.

In August 1991, Procter & Gamble Inc. (P&G) acquired Facelle Paper Products, a Toronto-based manufacturer of tissue, towel and sanitary products, for $185 million. By March 1992, P&G was prepared to consider a major repositioning of the Facelle brands (Royale and Florelle) in the facial tissue market. The product formulation, their brand names, pricing, and advertising strategies were all under review.

The owner of a charter airline wishes to determine why the business experienced yet another unprofitable year of operations. He decides to produce an income statement reflecting the profits generated or losses incurred by each plane so that a decision could be made about the fleet mix for subsequent years.

Richard Romano, a principal of a small real estate appraisal firm, faced an interesting ethical dilemma. A client had just stated that if the firm did not increase its appraised value of the client's commercial property by $4.5 million (15%), he would take his business elsewhere. Potentially, the client had a large volume of business which the young appraisal firm could certainly use. Richard must consider the firm's economic health in both the short and long terms, his personal values, and the ethical guidelines of the Appraisal Institute of Canada in making this decision.

Logitech was one of three companies that dominated the global market for pointing devices for computers. While Logitech had captured a large share of the Original Equipment Manufacturer mouse market, Microsoft was the clear leader in terms of industry standards and dollar share of the retail market. KYE, with a strong presence in Europe, was poised to compete aggressively in North America. Faced with the intensifying competition and eroding margin, Logitech was considering the introduction of an innovative line of ergonomic mice, which promised to change the competitive dynamics of the industry.

A hospital financial systems implementation project has run into some difficulties. The decision maker must analyze the complex situation and develop an attainable action plan for the remainder of the project. The case explores various facets of Information Systems project management, focusing on the human factors that are important in any project management situation.

A process engineer for General Motors Truck Assembly Plant in Oshawa was considering the introduction of new technology onto the main assembly line. He believed that an overhead hoist could be used to eliminate one job in a four-person group. The case leads into a discussion on the criteria used in evaluating proposals for new technology as well as the impact of these changes on the employees.

The focus of the case is on the privatization of Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Corporation by way of an initial public offering. It is written from the perspective of an investment banker, Wood Gundy, who has been requested to submit a proposal to the privatization steering committee. All aspects of a deal are present; valuation, distribution, corporate governance, security design, ownership restrictions, domestic/global, institutional/retail, etc.

Unicorp Canada has announced a tender offer for Union Enterprises Ltd. Unicorp management must devise a strategy subsequent to the hostile takeover offer. The case illustrates the full range of actions, from political to scorched earth, available to a target in defending itself in a hostile situation. (This is a sequel to Unicorp Tender for Union Enterprises (A), case 9A90B034.)

A positive covenant on a $200 MM floating rate loan required Columbia River Pulp (CRP) to hedge a minimum of $100 MM for at least three years at a maximum rate of 12 percent. The alternatives included interest rate SWAPs, CAPs and COLLARs. What is the optimal hedging structure? Should CRP hedge all of its floating rate debt, or only the amount required under the loan agreement? (This case can be used with two related cases bearing the same name, 9A95B034 and 9A90B036. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is available for use with this case, product 7A90B037.)