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- Faculty Publications (596)
- October 1991 (Revised January 2000)
- Case
Workplace Safety at Alcoa (A)
By: Kim B. Clark and Joshua D. Margolis
Examines the challenge facing the managers of a large aluminum manufacturing plant in its drive to improve workplace safety. The CEO of the company has made safety a top priority. The plant has made good progress in reducing the injury rate, but now confronts the need... View Details
- June 1991
- Case
Continental Carriers, Inc.
By: W. Carl Kester
A U.S. trucking company is considering using debt for the first time to acquire another company. The directors of the company are divided in their opinion of the likely impact of leverage on Continental Carriers' performance. Their differences must be reconciled and a... View Details
- April 1991 (Revised July 1991)
- Case
RJR Nabisco Board: Guardians of the Gate? (A)
By: Jay W. Lorsch
Charles Hugel, the chairman of RJR Nabisco, receives a call from RJR Nabisco's CEO, Ross Johnson; Johnson plans to present an LBO plan to the board of directors at the board meeting the following week. The case details Hugel's actions as chairman, and describes the... View Details
- April 1991 (Revised July 1991)
- Supplement
RJR Nabisco Board: Guardians of the Gate? (B)
By: Jay W. Lorsch
The special committee of the RJR Nabisco board has extended the bidding deadline for the company by 10 days. The case explains the process by which Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and the management group bid against one another for ownership of RJR Nabisco. The board of... View Details
- March 1991 (Revised January 1996)
- Case
The General Mills Board and Strategic Planning
By: Jay W. Lorsch
Examines the General Mills Board of Directors' role in the General Mills joint venture with Nestle S.A. to sell cereals outside of North America. It raises the more general question of the appropriate role for the board of directors in strategy formulation. View Details
- March 1991 (Revised October 2022)
- Background Note
Beyond the Myth of the Perfect Mentor: Take Charge and Build Your Personal Board of Directors
By: Linda A. Hill, Nancy A Kamprath and Leticia Garcia
Instead of embarking on an odyssey for the perfect mentor, individuals should pursue a strategy of building a network of developmental relationships. In this note, we explore the process by which such a network can be established and cultivated: 1) What functions can... View Details
- February 1991 (Revised June 1993)
- Case
Ross Perot and General Motors
By: Jay W. Lorsch
In December, 1986 the General Motors Board of Directors must decide whether to accept the buyout agreement between GM and Ross Perot, a director of GM and its largest stockholder. The agreement called for GM to purchase all of Perot's GM shares in exchange for his... View Details
- February 1991 (Revised March 1995)
- Case
Alantar, Inc.
By: Jay W. Lorsch
The CEO and chairman of Alantar, Inc. is confronted with the problem of how to create a more effective board of directors and also how to provide for his own successor. View Details
- February 1991 (Revised June 1991)
- Case
Raymond Jackson (A)
By: Jay W. Lorsch
Professor Jackson is offered a spot on the slate of directors that Harold Simmons, Lockheed's largest shareholder, has nominated for Lockheed's board to oppose the slate nominated by Lockheed in the Spring, 1990 elections. Jackson must decide whether to join Simmons'... View Details
- October 1990
- Article
Bankruptcy, Boards, Banks, and Blockholders: Evidence on Changes in Corporate Ownership and Control When Firms Default
By: S. C. Gilson
In 111 publicly traded firms that either file for bankruptcy or privately restructure their debt between 1979 and 1985, bank lenders frequently become major stockholders or appoint new directors. On average, only 46% of incumbent directors remain when bankruptcy or... View Details
- June 1989 (Revised July 1993)
- Case
CIGNA Worldwide
By: John A. Quelch
A CIGNA Worldwide (CWW) task group of European country directors and key functional managers is meeting in November 1988 to discuss how CWW should respond to the European Community's plan to remove existing internal barriers and restrictions to the free flow of goods... View Details
- May 1989 (Revised August 2006)
- Case
RJR Nabisco
Gives students the opportunity to explore issues facing the board of directors in a leveraged buyout. RJR Nabisco is valued under different operating strategies and the source of gains in leveraged buyouts is stressed. View Details
- May 1986 (Revised July 1995)
- Case
General Mills, Inc.: Yoplait Custard-Style Yogurt (A)
By: John A. Quelch
Yoplait's director of new product development is evaluating alternative line extensions including custard-style Yoplait. He must determine what additional research to recommend. Options include a mini-market test, a simulated test market and a fully-fledged test... View Details
- May 1986
- Supplement
General Mills, Inc.: Yoplait Custard-Style Yogurt (B)
By: John A. Quelch
Yoplait's director of new product development is finalizing plans for the national introduction of custard-style Yoplait. Based on the results of a mini-market test and a BASES laboratory test market. View Details
- October 1985
- Background Note
Personal Liability as a Corporate Director or Officer
- June 1985 (Revised April 1989)
- Case
Benetton (B)
By: James L. Heskett
The managing director of Benetton is faced with several issues concerning the adequacy of the company's organization to capitalize on the early success it has achieved in an important foreign market, the United States. Specifically, the case raises questions about... View Details
- February 1985
- Case
Business Research Corp. (B)
Contains a description of a set of related decisions confronting the management and directors of Business Research Corp. (BRC) in April of 1984. BRC needs more capital to finance continued development of the market for a full-text database comprised of Wall Street... View Details
- December 1981 (Revised September 1986)
- Case
Marriott Corp.
By: Thomas R. Piper
Marriott is considering the repurchase of ten million shares. This is apparently at odds with the financial policies that the Board of Directors passed two years earlier. Students must discuss why the policies were passed and why changes are now necessary. Includes a... View Details
- March 1981 (Revised February 1993)
- Case
Hank Kolb, Director, Quality Assurance
By: Frank S. Leonard and W. Earl Sasser
Designed to introduce the systemic nature of product quality and the complexity of quality problems. Uses a new director, quality assurance, and the discovery of a quality problem. The new director has to decide if it is a real problem, what to do about it, and how to... View Details
Keywords: Leadership; Product; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Quality; Attitudes; Complexity
- September 1973 (Revised October 1980)
- Case
Sea Pines Racquet Club
By: W. Earl Sasser
The student is required to develop a strategy for a tennis club of a large resort area. The tennis director must decide how many courts he needs to build within the next three years, what surface they should have, and how much he should charge for their use.... View Details