After a substantial devaluation in the value of the Mexican currency, a major automaker attempts to reduce the price it is paying to a Mexican based supplier. The supplier (Ventramex) is put in a difficult position because a large portion of its costs is based in US dollars. The company must decide how to respond to the automaker while considering options that would increase the proportion of its costs that are based in Mexican pesos.

The Oralife Group, Inc., a managed health care company focusing on dental disease management, is contemplating an initial public offering. Oralife intended to use proceeds from the issue to fund: clinical trials of new pharmaceutical products and file New Drug Applications for these products; on-going research and development work; sales and marketing activities, including entering the U.S. and European markets; further development of the company's .....more

This case addresses the concepts of quality in services and the role of information technology in providing breakthrough service. By capitalizing on an opportunity created by the deregulation of the airline industry, Rosenbluth has used technological innovation and a commitment to the service deliverers to add value for both the end users of business travel services as well as to reduce travel expenses for the corporations themselves. This case illustrates .....more

This case demonstrates how forming strategic partnerships with suppliers and clients can lead to win-win-win situations in the supply chain. It can be used to discuss the importance of information sharing and the use of information technology to drive the direction of the individual relationships. It also shows how cultivating partnerships can result in a competitive advantage in a highly competitive service industry. Techniques for developing and .....more

Teaching note for product 9A95D021.

This case addresses the issues surrounding the process of obtaining registration under the ISO 9000 Quality System Standard. In this instance, the global quality director and the local quality manager for Polysar's Sarnia site, the world's largest synthetic manufacturing complex (220,000 tons per year), must determine how to proceed with developing and implementing a company-wide quality system. Having decided to pursue ISO 9002 (quality assurance .....more

This note reviews the importance of time-to-market, robust quality and cost as opportunities for operations to contribute to successful product development activities. Subsequently, the note addresses the role that operations can play in creating a sustainable product development competitive advantage by integrating effectively into the development process and by managing the global supply base. It is designed to complement discussions on integrated .....more

In new, fast paced, highly competitive industries, companies are faced with the decision of either radically changing how business is done or surrendering market share and profits to more aggressive competitors. Exhaustive business processes with excessive checks and balances, once needed to ensure order and control within the corporation, are now preventing companies from seizing new opportunities and growing. This gives students an opportunity to .....more

The president and owner of a small sandal factory realizes that if his company is to survive in the long-run, the manufacturing operation would need to become more efficient. Relaxed tariff barriers had increased the level of foreign competition in the country, particularly in the footwear industry. He had recently attended a seminar on total quality control (TQC) sponsored by the local trade association. Despite the potential benefits of TQC and .....more

The president and owner of a small sandal factory decided to implement TQC in his company factory. This case outlines the steps he followed, the problems he encountered and the measures he took to correct them as he introduced his employees to TQC. This case is intended to be used in conjunction with Sandalias Finas de Cuernavaca, S.A.: Total Quality Management (A), case 9A95C018.