3M Canada (3M) has been a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF or the Foundation) since 2005. In support of the CBCF, 3M has produced and sold "pink products" (i.e., products that bear the pink ribbon, such as Post-it Notes, Flag pens, Nexcare bandages and Scotch-Brite sponges), with a contribution of each sale benefiting the CBCF.<br><br>This case examines the corporate sponsorship relationship , .....more

In December 2008, Erica Mills and her husband, Craig, were making plans. They had recently decided to start a family within the next 12 months and were now making decisions about how to manage their careers as they were about to take this momentous step. Erica had started Warm Fuzz Cards, a Toronto-based greeting card company, just over two years ago in 2006. The business was growing slowly but profitably. Craig was employed as a human resources executive .....more

Substantial research studies have shown that the growing globalization of many industries has led many U.S.-based companies to open facilities overseas. In the process of opening these foreign-based subsidiaries, researchers have counselled U.S. companies to adopt many local customs and policies to increase their probability of success in these new locations. During this same time period, many foreign-owned companies have moved into the United States .....more

Mapleleaf Corporation is a mid-size player in the paper products industry. The firm has recently become aware that growing demand will soon outstrip its present production capacity. The primary objective of this case is to introduce students to the world of capacity planning and optimization.

On November 8, 2001, the entrepreneurial owner of Flex Industries, a leading Indian firm in the flexible packaging industry, was accused of bribing the central excise commissioner in a case of evasion of excise duties. Excise duty is levied under the federal structure of the Indian taxation system on the production and manufacture of goods. Excise duty liability arises immediately on the movement of goods from the plant gate. Evasion of excise duty .....more

Provincial Papers is a very troubled manufacturer of coated paper located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The director and chairman of the board of Provincial Papers is being informally pressed to take on the CEO role. He is assessing the possibility of rescue in the face of depressed market prices, an over-supplied industry, departing personnel and money-losing operations. The (B) case, 9A99M017, presents the issues he faces when he decides to accept the .....more

The new CEO of Provincial Papers, a coated paper manufacturer, was very concerned about the many issues facing the company - including union relations, credibility, reliability, lack of information, lack of communication, poor morale and financial difficulties. He must decide how best to focus his efforts in the short term. This case is a follow-up to Provincial Papers Inc. (A), case 9A99M016.

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.

The bank has to decide if and how it will help Columbia Pine Pulp Company (CRP). The bank must evaluate CRP's projections, capital structure, security, proposed design of the financing, interest rate hedging, and other financial decisions. The company is proposing a greenfield pulp mill on the site of a sister pulp mill and an affiliated paper mill. Students are required to develop a financial strategy. (Two related cases bearing the same name .....more

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 .....more