Teaching note for product 9B20M076.

In early 2019, the general manager of Little Short Stop Stores, a chain of local, family-owned convenience stores in southwestern Ontario, Canada, was projecting a loss for that year. The loss was due in part to a provincial minimum wage increase to CA$14.00 that came into effect on January 1, 2018, increased from $11.60 in 2017 and $11.40 in 2016. Before this change, the store chain had been exceeding the average industry growth rate by 5 per cent .....more

Teaching note for product IM1051.

In 2012, the executive producer of the hit radio show Q and the director of Network Radio at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) faced employees’ complaints against the show’s star host, Jian Ghomeshi. The employees alleged that Ghomeshi’s treatment of employees was problematic and contrary to the corporation’s values and policies. A few years earlier, a female employee had also alleged mistreatment by Ghomeshi but no disciplinary action had .....more

Teaching Note for product 9B16C008.

Teaching note for product 9B13M084.

AWARD WINNING CASE - Laurier School of Business and Economics Best Case Award 2013. The owner of Sawchyn Guitars makes fine handmade acoustic guitars and mandolins. After 40 years of operating from a two-storey backyard garage, he contemplates a shift from a solely custom-order business to a storefront location. Although his custom-order business is still strong, the owner sees the opportunity to realize his dream of providing a full-service musical .....more

The owner and general manager of a large retail establishment faced a dilemma about whether his long-time yard manager was still the right person for the job. The business increasingly depended on providing superior customer service in order to compete in the market. Recently, the owner had placed a personal friend in the operation as an assistant to the yard manager. This new addition had shown a real talent for developing employees and driving performance .....more

Teaching note for product 9B12C048.