The president of Unimicron must evaluate the degree to which the company's information systems support its business strategy. The case provides an extensive review of the company's history, its strategy and its key competitive and organizational moves. The case reviews the way in which information systems are used in the company, and challenges students to assess the degree of fit between strategy, organization and technology.

Bihar State Milk Cooperative Federation (COMPFED) had been marketing its milk and milk related products under the brand name of Sudha in the Bihar and Jharkhand regions of India for three decades. They operated through six unions and two dairies to process the milk collected from nearly 4,000 village level cooperatives. On the surface, COMPFED appeared to have a competitive advantage for its supply of milk since it maintained the largest network for .....more

A young entry-level employee starts work in the hotel industry in a Central East European country. The case describes her experiences and, through these, shows the HRM practices in the particular hotel in which she works. The issue here is not really that this employee should stay or leave, but rather finding out about the nature of HR operations in the light of ethics and sustainability.

A sports broadcasting firm, which is facing uncertain contract renewals by its current clients from several geographic territories, has to figure out the likelihood of making money if it goes ahead and purchases the global broadcasting rights of the Portuguese Soccer League (“Liga Zon Sagres”) for the upcoming 2011/12 season.

This case describes how Cold Stone Creamery created the business model of the premium customized ice cream experience. The case allows the instructor to develop the details of the key factors that have allowed Cold Stone Creamery to deliver the values that its customers desire.

In this B case, in February 2009, Susumu Kotani, president of Pioneer Corporation, prepared to make a press release announcing the company’s exit from the TV business. PDP and PDP TV had been major pillars of Pioneer’s strategy, but Pioneer had been unable to compete in the rapidly changing environment. Given the role PDP and TV had played in Pioneer’s strategy, the question of where Pioneer was going to focus its energies next required considera .....more

Between 2004 and 2011, the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) launched its first ready-to-drink bottled tea product, C2, in three Southeast Asian markets: the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. URC’s founder hoped to replicate the success that ready-to-drink tea had achieved in the Northeast Asian markets of China and Japan. Because of the differences in competitive tactics and consumer preferences in each market, URC needed to modify its strategic .....more

Between 2004 and 2011, the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) launched its first ready-to-drink bottled tea product, C2, in three Southeast Asian markets: the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. URC’s founder, hoped to replicate the success that ready-to-drink tea had achieved in the Northeast Asian markets of China and Japan. Because of the differences in competitive tactics and consumer preferences in each market, URC needed to modify its strategic .....more

Between 2004 and 2011, the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) launched its first ready-to-drink bottled tea product, C2, in three Southeast Asian markets: the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. URC’s founder, hoped to replicate the success that ready-to-drink tea had achieved in the Northeast Asian markets of China and Japan. Because of the differences in competitive tactics and consumer preferences in each market, URC needed to modify its strategic .....more

The case describes an innovative business model offering wine and a French cultural experience to North American markets. 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 an online, 15-minute video that includes an interview with the entrepreneur, pictures of the Montlaur estate and excerpts .....more

Sarah McIvor, CA, a junior partner with Price Waterhouse Coopers, has been selected to conduct a financial review of Gemini Electronics Ltd. Gemini is an “up-start” American electronics company who recently went public and now wants to expand its business to rival the major Korean and Japanese producers. Before the company finalizes any expansion plans, Dr. Wang, the founder, feels it is prudent to conduct an independent evaluation of Gemini’s financial .....more

In September 2011, the CEO of First Energy Private Ltd, a startup enterprise in the alternative energy industry in India, is facing a flashpoint. The company has commercialized the technology of biomass cooking stoves and has been providing, since 2007, clean and affordable cooking solutions to customers in rural India. A marginal hike in price of biomass fuel in early 2011 has, however, led to a steep fall in demand making the continuance in the .....more

In May 2010, the chief pain officer of SalesBrain, a neuroscience-based marketing research and coaching company located in California, United States, has been approached by the marketing head of Digital Technology International (DTI), a provider of technology solutions to the global publishing industry, based in Utah, United States, for advice. DTI has been struggling with communicating the core value proposition of its offerings to customers consisting .....more

The case portrays the expansion of 7-Eleven to Taiwan and the adaptation of the store format by its local franchisee to a new market environment. The core issue in this case is the balance between standardization and localization in business-format franchising across national borders. Keeping only the store logo and the convenience concept well established in the United States, the local franchisee of 7-Eleven in Taiwan re-formatted almost all aspects .....more

This case focuses on organizational transformation in an accounting firm in South Africa. The case describes how the impact of both globalization and the transformation that the country had undergone since the advent of democracy in 1994 steered StratAFin Inc. towards a process of building a new identity. The case describes how senior management realized the need for transformation based on the many new challenges that were being faced in the changing .....more

This case is a supplement to Ellen Moore (A): Living and Working in Korea, which ends with Ellen Moore working on one of the largest consulting projects in South Korea. In this follow-up case, she discusses how a major crisis was averted and reflects on what she learned during her assignment in Korea.

A company seen as having a core business that is environmentally harmful by its very nature — in this case selling pesticides — faces unique challenges in its transformation to a sustainable enterprise. Even when innovation leads to new green products, processes, technologies and business models, the leadership of the company must cope with the daunting task of engaging employees and customers in the idea that green can be effective and profitabl .....more

Yara Branco has just joined Tarbes S.A. as their new chief executive officer (CEO). She sees a crisis on the horizon and needs to find a way to communicate that change is necessary at Tarbes, one of Brazil's best known technology firms. She has to overcome several issues including the fact that she is an outsider and there are many insiders who will not support the change effort. Branco is thinking about how to develop an appropriate communications .....more

In May 2009, High-Tech Metal Components (HTMC) inaugurated its brand new production plant of forgings and castings for automotive supplies in Suzhou, a city of 13 million inhabitants close to Shanghai, China. After the successful installation of machinery and workers, the company was prepared to begin production. A month later, the general manager for the Chinese division of HTMC received a phone call from the chief operating officer of German headquarters; .....more

It was the cold winter of 2010 in Shanghai, and Dr. Zeb Feng was becoming increasingly frustrated. As procurement director for Asia at British Petroleum (BP), Dr. Feng was acutely aware of the growing burden that quality control imposed over his company's global operations. Chinese suppliers were masters of cost-cutting, but quality often suffered as a result, which led in turn to increasing needs for inspection and development efforts. Almost five .....more

In early 2011, the senior executives of the venerable Canadian hockey stick manufacturer, Sher-Wood Hockey (Sher-Wood), were pondering whether to move the remainder of the company’s high-end composite hockey and goalie stick production to its suppliers in China. Sher-Wood had been losing market share as retail prices continued to fall. Would outsourcing the production of the iconic, Canadian-made hockey sticks to China help Sher-Wood to boost demand .....more

The case is about a software development company, Telerik, which was based in Sofia, Bulgaria, with offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany. The company was founded in 2002 and had become a world-leader in user interface (UI) components for Microsoft’s .NET framework. The company was still managed by its original four founders and had grown to 400 employees. In response to rapid growth and to retain its rapid .....more

This sequence of two cases presents in the (A) case the situation of a multinational brewer, Inbev, having acquired several breweries in Germany, wishing to proceed with operational integration and the closure of smaller, less efficient plants. This move triggers resistance not only from the local workforce, but the local community. For Inbev, this is a case of corporate restructuring and strategy implementation. Yet for a group of local entrepreneurs, .....more

The (B) case tells the story of a management buy-out (MBO), and then focuses on the marketing strategy of the newly independent local brewery aiming to survive and prosper with a distinctly local strategy. It presents the twists and turns of how a group of entrepreneurs, with the support of the local community, took over brewing facilities from multinational brewer Inbev, and revived the historical Wolters brand in a newly independent firm. Five years .....more

The newly appointed president and chief operating officer (COO) of Olympus Corporation of Japan was called to an emergency board meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss governance issues regarding corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A). However, it would be no ordinary meeting. Since assuming the role of president in April 2011, the president discovered evidence of corporate fraud on a large scale. He had commissioned an external auditor .....more

By 2007, AirAsia had become one of the most successful budget airlines in the world. Having conquered Southeast Asia, and entered China and India, AirAsia was poised to solidify its place as one of the foremost budget airlines and one of the most consistently profitable globally. But company founder Tony Fernandes had bigger plans. From the outset in 2001, Fernandes had intended to offer long haul service, competing against the largest and most established .....more

North American and European branded hotel chains in their quest to maximize shareholder wealth have recently shed ownership of assets and freed up capital to focus on their core businesses with the help of strenuous contracts. The ensuing pursuit of further business development has expedited the internationalization process and a new business model of franchising the brand/value proposition in international locations has evolved. Globally accepted .....more

The case takes place in Peru in the aftermath of the worst mercury spill in history by a transportation contractor for Newmont Mining Corporation. BHP Billiton, which has no connection to Newmont, but is affected by increased hostility toward mining companies, enters into an agreement with Oxfam to conduct training on sustainability and “the impacts of large-scale infrastructure projects on communities.” Executives from the company’s various international .....more

The case takes place in Peru in the aftermath of the worst mercury spill in history by a transportation contractor for Newmont Mining Corporation. Newmont's senior vice president and chief administrative officer is sent to Peru to assess the situation. The subsequent audit revealed that Newmont’s mining operations in Peru met neither U.S. nor Peruvian mining standards. “There were water issues, there were air issues, there were road issues, there .....more

This background note discusses the history and current state of mineral mining in Peru. Topics include stakeholders, government policies, corruption, regulation, conflicts, social costs, remediation, and the advocacy role of NGOs. The note can be used with two case studies on mining in Peru, Newmont Mining Corporation and BHP Billiton. The note also discusses the current debate on how to procure greater compliance to international standards by mining .....more

Two facilities owned by large U.S.-based multinational enterprise (one in Canada, one in the United States) are competing for a regional manufacturing and distribution mandate. The head of Firstwell's global operating committee must decide whether the proposal from Firstwell Canada is best not only for the Kingston, Ontario plant but also for Firstwell Corporation worldwide.

The Apple A and B cases provide two perspectives on the evolution of Apple and are designed to evoke debate about models of strategy, organization and leadership.

The Apple A and B cases provide two perspectives on the evolution of Apple and are designed to evoke debate about models of strategy, organization and leadership.

This six part video case series features social entrepreneur Craig Kielburger as he faces pivotal moments in his life and the remarkable evolution of his organization. The primary dilemmas are strategic in nature and the solutions rely on leadership character and social entrepreneurship. Students are able to walk in the shoes of Craig Kielburger in each case which begins with a video set up, followed by a short one or two page case and associated .....more

The Global Financial Crisis (2007-2009) has provided fertile ground for careful consideration of how the financial services industry operates. For many years it had been asserted that markets can self-police so regulation and careful oversight are not required. The events from the crisis have caused many of the strongest proponents of this view, such as Alan Greenspan (past chairman of the Federal Reserve), to publicly acknowledge the problems with .....more