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- February 1998 (Revised May 1998)
- Case
SITEL Corporation
By: Howard H. Stevenson and Martha Gershun
SITEL has grown extremely rapidly and is now operating worldwide with operations in more than 30 countries. Since many of its locations serve the same customers, the officers are debating the costs and benefits of additional centralization. Some feel that the autonomy... View Details
- November 1997 (Revised December 1999)
- Case
Cinemex
By: James L. Heskett
The founders of Cinemex, the largest capitalized venture start-up in Mexican history, are debating several issues concerning the operations of their new chain of motion picture theatres in Mexico City. The first concerns whether some seats should be left unsold to... View Details
- September–October 1997
- Article
A Question of Color: A Debate on Race in the U.S. Workplace
By: D. A. Thomas and Suzy Wetlaufer
- November 1995 (Revised November 1999)
- Case
National Power and the Privatization of the British Power Generation Industry
By: Willis M. Emmons III and Ed Simnett
The British government privatized the nation's electric utility sector in 1991 through a complex process involving the restructuring of the industry as well as the creation of a new regulatory oversight body. National Power plc, the largest of the privatized power... View Details
- June 1995 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
Lexus and the USTR
By: John A. Quelch
Lexus executives and dealers in the United States are debating how to respond to the U.S. Trade Representative's announcement of 100% tariffs on 13 models of Japanese luxury imported cars. View Details
- November 1994 (Revised January 1995)
- Case
Wheeling and Dealing: The Zirconia GT
By: Howard Raiffa, James K. Sebenius, Craig Best and Scot Melland
A personal negotiation episode in purchasing a car is presented. Tactics and strategies commonly encountered by car buyers and car salespeople are illustrated. View Details
- November 1994
- Case
Dow Corning and the Breast Implant Controversy (A)
By: Willis M. Emmons III, Monica Brand and Greg Keller
In early 1994, Dow Corning Corp. debates whether to participate in a proposed $4.2 billion product liability settlement. Specifically, the firm must decide whether to contribute $2 billion to end a class action suit filed by women suffering from connective tissue... View Details
- October 1994 (Revised November 1994)
- Case
British Airways: Using Information Systems to Better Serve the Customer
By: W. Earl Sasser and Norman Klein
Explores the uses of scanning technology, interactive software, and powerful data bases to assist customer relations representatives in resolving customer complaints. Competitive alliances in international markets are noted, but the focus is on the evolving commitment... View Details
- September 1994 (Revised January 1997)
- Case
This Case Sucks: Beavis, Butt-head, and TV Content (A)
By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Jerry Useem
Beginning in 1992, "Beavis and Butt-head," an animated series on MTV about two uncivilized teenaged misfits, became both a runaway popular sensation and the symbol of a heated national debate about violent and inappropriate programming on television. Especially after... View Details
- June 1994 (Revised June 1995)
- Case
Chandler Home Products: European Rationalization
Chandler, a large U.S. consumer products firm, is rationalizing its European operations. Tony Pesci, protagonist, is deciding which plants to close for maximum efficiency. The manufacturing/marketing relationship is strained as efficiency is being weighed against... View Details
- March 1994 (Revised April 1994)
- Case
Eli Lilly and Co.: The Flexible Facility Decision--1993
By: Gary P. Pisano
In 1993, Eli Lilly is preparing to build manufacturing capacity for three new pharmaceutical products that it expects to launch in 1996. Management wrestles with a decision of whether to add specialized manufacturing capacity or flexible capacity. This question touches... View Details
- December 1993
- Case
Bay State Milling Co.
By: Ray A. Goldberg
Flour milling in recent years has had a great deal of consolidation. The fourth generation of a privately held firm is debating how to protect themselves in the industry as consumption, production, competition, logistics, technology, and patterns are all changing. View Details
- April 1991 (Revised July 1992)
- Case
Koito Manufacturing Ltd.
By: W. Carl Kester and Robert W. Lightfoot
Having acquired a 26% stake in Koito Manufacturing, a Japanese automotive parts supplier in the Toyota Group, T. Boone Pickens seeks a seat on Koito's board of directors. Koito's management resists, claiming Pickens is an unhelpful greenmailer, not a true long-term... View Details
- October 1989 (Revised October 1992)
- Case
Smoke Wars: The Case for and Against the Cigarette Industry
Describes the arguments for and against the tobacco industry. With the per capita demand for cigarettes steadily declining by 2% to 3% every year, the tobacco companies have been using various approaches to stem the tide. Many such moves, however, have come under... View Details
- September 1988 (Revised October 1992)
- Case
Suzuki Samurai
By: John A. Quelch
Suzuki and advertising agency executives are debating the product positioning and accompanying copy strategy alternatives for the Suzuki Samurai prior to its U.S. introduction. View Details
- April 1985 (Revised March 1986)
- Case
Seven-Up Division of Philip Morris
By: Michael E. Porter and Edward J. Hoff
In 1979, Philip Morris acquired the Seven-Up Co., the number three concentrate producer in the U.S. After four years of losses, Seven-Up had registered an operating profit in 1984. Industry analysts were debating the role that Seven-Up would play in Philip Morris's... View Details
- April 1983 (Revised October 1990)
- Background Note
Textiles and the Multi-Fiber Arrangement
By: David B. Yoffie
What happens to an industry with millions of employees that loses its comparative advantage? This note examines this question by looking at the global textile and apparel industry. With the Multi-Fiber Arrangement coming up for renewal in December 1981, the United... View Details