The main objective of this case is to introduce students to the calculation and usage of ratios in a real world environment. Secondly, students will be required to access, read and use an actual annual report. Lastly, Dairy Farm International is an Asian-based multinational and, therefore, by using comparative data from a United Kingdom multinational, Tesco, and a local Canadian company, Sobeys, students will be introduced to issues related to international .....more

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is a large Fortune 500 retail chain. The distinction of being the top-ranked company comes with intense scrutiny from the public and, especially, critics. Wal-Mart, a company lauded for its rapid response capability and stated commitments to gender equality is shown to be deficient in some glaring areas - the percentage of women compared to men at all levels of the company, and the compensation paid to women versus men at all .....more

In this supplement to Staffing Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (A), product 9B04C006, the executive vide-president receives data on gender inequalities and must determine how to address the situation.

Canadian Tire is a leading automotive and hardware retailer that provides products such as automotive parts, sports and leisure products, and home products. The company's shares have fallen from $35 to $14 per share. The director of investor relations must assess the factors affecting the share price and develop a suitable responsive and proactive investor relations strategy.

Egghead.com is a chain of retail stores for computer software. A hacker has breached the company's Web site, putting up to four million customer credit card numbers at risk. The media relations officer must prepare a news release, wonders what media questions she should expect.

This note, intended for background in a marketing or retailing course, reviews the key numbers, trends and issues in Canadian retailing as of 2001.

The proprietor of the Brooke Road 7-11 store was dismayed to learn of the shop's dismal financial performance the previous year. She knew that an employee had been caught stealing from the shop and had admitted taking $500 from the till over a period of about 4 months. The poor financial performance of the store could be explained if the actual amount stolen had been much larger than $500. The proprietor assembled weekly sales records in the hope .....more

The president and owner of Evergotesco, the holding company that owns the chain of Ever Department Stores, is considering several short- and long-term alternatives for his stores in the face of significant changes in the economic environment of the Philippines. Ever stores are a major chain and are largely concentrated in lower income neighborhoods. Forecasts are that the Philippine economy is finally on a growth trajectory. Should the president upgrade .....more

The executive vice-president finance and MIS of P.A. Bergner & Co. (Bergner), a large mid-western U.S.-based department store retailer, received word that Bank One had pulled its $32.1 million letter of credit. Buoyed by the successful acquisition of Boston Stores, Bergner acquired Carson, Pirie Scott & Co. The downturn in the economy coupled with "excessive" debt levels has precipitated a crisis. The focus of the case is on formulating .....more

El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A. de C.V., one of Mexico's oldest and largest retail department store chains, has entered into an agreement with U.S. retail giant Kmart Corporation to open and operate a series of Super Kmart Centers throughout Mexico. The new CEO of Kmart de Mexico must create the new Mexican organization. He must consider all elements of the Mexican business environment and assess how separately and collectively, these elements will .....more