This case is an up-close look at the management of a large mining and smelting alliance in Australia. One partner is American, the other Australian. Although it is an equally owned venture, the Australians are the "lead" partners, but they are not doing a very good job. The Americans are frustrated by this, but uncertain as to how to influence their partner. The Americans also have been frustrated in their attempts to introduce a new technology .....more

Teaching note for product 9A84M011.

A Canadian company is considering the acquisition (via a license agreement) of a new technology developed by a German company. The Canadian company must decide whether it should acquire the technology, and if it does, the price and terms of the agreement.

Teaching note for product 9A87M002.

Top management of Otis Elevator's joint venture in St. Petersburg, Russia, are facing a number of supply and management problems. The manager of Otis' European headquarters in France, who was in charge of Northwest Russia and the Ukraine, was coming to visit Otis St. Petersburg in one week. Senior management at Otis St. Petersburg was trying to decide what to recommend to the manager about the major strategic issues facing Otis: (1) Whether .....more

The Otis Elevator Company's CFO for European Operations must decide whether Otis should invest $14,850,000 to start a state-of-the-art manufacturing joint venture in Russia. He has just received a detailed report about the potential investment from Otis' USSR project team. A strength of this case is that students get to see the actual investment proposal given to Fougeron.

York River is a Canadian pulp and paper company whose major product is container material, used for making cardboard boxes. The company has three major customers. A small competitor has made a takeover bid for one of these customers. If successful, York will lose 25% of its volume. Should York make a $50 million counterbid to keep the customer? Assessment of the reaction of other customers relative to impending consolidation is critical.

Managers at Chicago Research and Trading, are at a final point in the negotiation and faced with a decision to sign the statement of intent to form a Russian-US Joint Venture. The pending decision highlights the importance of being willing to give up obtaining some additional information about the joint venture that would make MPI surer of their investment in favor of gaining the trust of their Russian partners. It also demonstrates the importance .....more

General Mills and Nestle were meeting to discuss the possibility of cooperation between the two companies in the breakfast cereal business. Executives from General Mills were arriving in a week's time and an executive vice-president at Nestle was charged with preparing a briefing on General Mills before their arrival. The executive vice-president had recently decided that Nestle should consider taking a partner in the breakfast cereal business .....more

Eighteen months after selling 75% of his company to Aer Lingus, Klaus Woerner, general manager and 25% shareholder, is proposing expansion to California. The Board thinks the move is premature, and in the wrong part of the country. This is the second in a three case series titled Aer Lingus (case 9A89M004, 9A92M010 and 9A92M011) addressing minority shareholders who are also key managers.