Publications

April 2014
Teaching Note

Boardroom Battle Behind Bars: Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings—A Corporate Governance Drama

By: William C. Kirby and Erica M. Zendell

August 2011 (Revised October 2015)
Case

Boardroom Battle Behind Bars: Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings—A Corporate Governance Drama

By: William C. Kirby and Tracy Yuen Manty

Despite widespread news of the incarceration of Gome Electronics' CEO, Huang Guangyu, Bain Capital felt they carefully undertook due diligence before making a significant investment in the company. The venture capital firm was confident that it and the current... View Details

Keywords: China; Legal Aspects Of Business; Corruption; Risk; Corporate Governance; Crime and Corruption; Power and Influence; Risk Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Venture Capital; Ethics; Governing and Advisory Boards; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Values and Beliefs; Private Equity; China

January 1997
Exercise

Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, Helen Freeman, VP, Small Appliances Division

By: James K. Sebenius

This case provides the confidential role information necessary for one person in a four-person negotiation simulation about a major corporate change. Specifically, it describes the role of Helen Freeman as she attempts to negotiate a new uniform corporate information... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Information Management; Negotiation Deal; System

August 1996
Case

Appliance Company: Accounting for Bad Debt and Warranty Service Costs

By: David F. Hawkins

Keywords: Accounting

April 1985
Supplement

General Electric Co.: Major Appliance Business Group, Videotape of Dishwasher Commercials

By: John A. Quelch

April 1985
Supplement

General Electric Co.: Major Appliance Business Group (B)--Project C--An Investment in Quality, Video

By: John A. Quelch

June 1991 (Revised March 1995)
Teaching Note

Major Home Appliance Industry in 1984 (Revised) and Maytag in 1984, Teaching Note

By: David J. Collis

Teaching Note for (9-386-115) and (9-389-055). View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products Industry; United States

September 2001 (Revised January 2002)
Case

The American Medical Association-Sunbeam Deal (C): Denouement

By: Ashish Nanda and Kimberly A. Haddad

On September 5, 1997, the American Medical Association(AMA) withdrew from a contract with Sunbeam Corporation, the maker of small home appliances. Sunbeam sued the AMA to pay for the damages or to comply with the contract. The fracas led to the dismissal of three top... View Details

Keywords: Medical Services; Appliances; Lawsuit; Litigation; Professionalism; Contracts; Corporate Accountability; Organizations; Lawsuits and Litigation; Consumer Products Industry; Health Industry; United States

February 2021 (Revised March 2021)
Supplement

Arçelik: COVID-19 Fueled Omnichannel Growth (B)

By: Ayelet Israeli and Fares Khrais

Keywords: Household Appliances; Consumer Electronics; E-commerce

2014
Teaching Note

Changhong: Journey to Shared Services (TN)

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Haiyan Zhang and Guo Jia

Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Mianyang - an emerging inland science and technology city in Sichuan Province, Changhong Electric Co., Ltd., started from the military industry. It then entered the color TV industry and subsequently expanded to a wide range of... View Details

Keywords: China; Appliances; Finance ＆ Insurance; China

2014
Case

Changhong: Journey to Shared Services

By: F. Warren McFarlan, Haiyan Zhang and Guo Jia

Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Mianyang - an emerging inland science and technology city in Sichuan Province, Changhong Electric Co., Ltd., started from the military industry. It then entered the color TV industry and subsequently expanded to a wide range of... View Details

Keywords: China; Appliances; Finance ＆ Insurance; China

February 2018 (Revised May 2018)
Case

Haier: Incubating Entrepreneurs in a Chinese Giant

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Nancy Hua Dai

CEO Zhang Ruimin must plan how to accelerate the growth of self-managed microenterprises. Platforms were Haier’s business platforms operating in five major sectors: white goods transformation, investment and incubation, financial holdings, real estate, and cultural... View Details

Keywords: China; Microenterprise; Appliances; Platform; Change; Innovation; Opportunities; Entrepreneurship; Digital Platforms; Transformation; Innovation and Invention; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; China

October 2015 (Revised September 2016)
Case

Whirlpool Corp.: Structuring the Deal to Acquire Hefei Rongshida Sanyo Electric Company

By: Benjamin C. Esty and Nancy Hua Dai

Ian Lee, Whirlpool's VP for North Asia, had been negotiating a possible acquisition with Jackie Jin, the chairman of a leading Chinese appliance manufacturer named Hefei Rongshida Sanyo Electric Company (Hefei Sanyo), for almost six months when suddenly Hefei Sanyo's... View Details

Keywords: Mergers ＆ Acquisitions; Regulation; Cross-border Investment; Brand Names; State-owned Enterprise (SOE); Appliances; White Goods; Consumer Durables; Negotiation; Valuation; Mergers and Acquisitions; State Ownership; Foreign Direct Investment; Brands and Branding; Consumer Products Industry; China

August 1990 (Revised February 1991)
Case

Whirlpool Corp.

By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Sarah D. Hall

Examines the company's global strategy and potential acquisition of Philips' major domestic appliance operations in Europe in light of increasing trends toward globilization in the major appliance industry. Allows discussions weighing the advantages and risks of... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Joint Ventures; Global Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Risk and Uncertainty; Opportunities; Competitive Strategy; Consumer Products Industry; Europe

February 2005 (Revised August 2008)
Case

Arcelik Home Appliances: International Expansion Strategy

The Turkish home appliances firm Arcelik is revisiting its growth strategy. Options for growth include continuing to promote currently owned brands in international markets, acquiring new brands, expanding OEM or private-label contracts, and/or diversifying into other... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry; Turkey

August 1998 (Revised August 2002)
Case

MicroFridge: The Concept

By: John A. Deighton

Robert Bennett, who has a Master's degree in engineering, wants to exploit his idea to combine a refrigerator, freezer, and 500-watt microwave into an 87-pound, 4-foot-high appliance to sell to college students. Bennett must decide which markets to serve, which... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Leadership Style; Sales; Product Development; Competitive Strategy; Partners and Partnerships; Demand and Consumers; Consumer Products Industry

October 2005 (Revised August 2006)
Case

Haier: Taking a Chinese Company Global

By: Krishna G. Palepu, Tarun Khanna and Ingrid Vargas

In 2005, Haier, China's leading appliance manufacturer, had over $12 billion in worldwide sales and was the third-ranked global appliance brand behind Whirlpool and GE. Describes Haier's rise from a defunct refrigerator factory in China's Qingdao province to an... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Brands and Branding; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; China

October 1988 (Revised December 1994)
Case

Maytag in 1984

By: David J. Collis and Nancy Donohue

Highlights Maytag's unique position in the industry in 1984. Maytag, a much smaller player than its competitors has prior to 1984 been successful in producing high quality merchandise and charging a premium for it. By 1984 Maytag is also attempting expansion.... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Business or Company Management; Production; Quality; Rank and Position; Competition; Expansion; Electronics Industry