The director of purchasing and financial systems at The University of Western Ontario notices that paper pulp prices are rising and realizes that both of the University's paper suppliers would like to pass along increasing costs. Moore is forced into a precarious situation when one of the suppliers unilaterally raises prices despite a fixed contract. Moore faces a range of options, from placidly accepting this increase to taking legal action. .....more

Teaching note for product 9B06M023.

The chairman and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems Inc., is struggling to take the company he co-founded into a profitable direction. There is strong evidence that a new strategy is necessary. Segments of Sun's business are growing but open source solutions and commoditization of products are driving revenues toward zero. Decisions involve market focus, pricing and investment in new technologies. The case illustrates the role of management .....more

Martin Doyle, manager of a Canadian-Malaysian joint venture set up for the manufacture of custom-made ornamental building products in Malaysia, must reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable positions of the two partners. The case illustrates how the business environment in emerging markets can be simultaneously attractive and challenging. Success in such ventures is contingent upon an accurate assessment of the relative positions of the partners as .....more

The manager of Acer Inc.'s Canadian operation, must decide how to penetrate and serve the Canadian PC market. Specifically, he has to decide how autonomous the Canadian subsidiary should be. On one extreme, the Canadian operation could simply be a sales office, while on the other it could be an independent company with local manufacturing facilities and independently raising its capital. The decision involves an in-depth analysis of several factors .....more

Teaching note for product 9A97D004.

The director of purchasing and financial systems at The University of Western Ontario notices that paper pulp prices are rising and realizes that both of the University's paper suppliers would like to pass along increasing costs. Moore is forced into a precarious situation when one of the suppliers unilaterally raises prices despite a fixed contract. Moore faces a range of options, from placidly accepting this increase to taking legal action. .....more