Publications

November 2000 (Revised March 2001)
Case

Alaska Airlines and Flight 261 (A)

Weeks after the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, 64 mechanics claim that they have been "pressured, threatened, and intimidated" into taking shortcuts. After briefly describing Alaska Airlines' history and CEO John Kelly, the case details how the airline responded... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Air Transportation; Crisis Management; Labor and Management Relations; Air Transportation Industry; Alaska

April 2000
Teaching Note

Lincoln Electric: Venturing Abroad TN

By: Clayton M. Christensen and Tara Donovan

Teaching Note for (9-398-095). View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing Industry; Ohio

February 2000 (Revised October 2000)
Case

E-commerce at Williams-Sonoma

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Daniel Galvin

Describes Williams-Sonoma's development of a third channel of business on the Internet. Describes the strategies for managing changes in the organizational, operational, and technological structure of the company. The new e-commerce division confronts challenges posed... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Internet and the Web; Trade; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Operations; Information Technology; Technological Innovation; Information Technology Industry; Retail Industry; California

November 1999 (Revised November 2003)
Case

Fresh Connections

Mary Alice McKenzie is facing numerous issues in growing her Vermont-based fresh-prepared foods business. She must address immediate operational problems--such as bottlenecks and capital equipment decisions--as well as decide on a long-term strategic position. This... View Details

Keywords: Business or Company Management; Production; Food and Beverage Industry; Vermont

October 1999 (Revised January 2000)
Case

Alaska Airlines: For the same price, you just get more...

Alaska Airlines grapples with the issue of whether or not advanced use of technology to enable its customers to serve themselves (self-service) in certain airport functions will help it to achieve competitive advantage. View Details

Keywords: Technology; Service Delivery; Competitive Advantage; Air Transportation Industry; Alaska

September 1999
Case

Trisha Wilson of Wilson & Associates

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Sarah S. Khetani

Texan entrepreneur Trisha Wilson has founded an interior design firm and watched it grow into one of the most successful firms in the hospitality design services industry. After 20 years of building a company that is truly a reflection of her own personality, Wilson... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Employees; Innovation and Management; Management; Business or Company Management; Management Succession; Organizational Culture; Strategy; Service Industry; Texas

January 1999 (Revised July 2003)
Case

Shady Trail

By: Arthur I Segel

Holt Lunsford was intrigued by the packet of papers that lay in front of him. The papers comprised a brochure that Lonestar Bank had put together in an effort to sell the Shady Trail Distribution Center in Dallas, Texas. Shady Hill was a five-year-old,... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Acquisition; Buildings and Facilities; Property; Partners and Partnerships; Decision Choices and Conditions; Distribution Industry; Real Estate Industry; Texas

March 1998 (Revised August 2000)
Case

Bumper Acquisition (C), A

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Carries the negotiation between Thermo-Impact and Medallion Capital through October 1996. The companies began talks in 1995 when Medallion offered to buy Thermo-Impact. Students view developments from the perspective of Thermo-Impact's owners and must make decisions... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Participants; Entrepreneurship; Acquisition; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Illinois

March 1998
Case

Bumper Acquisition (A1), A: Confidential Information for Thermo-Impact, Inc.

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Located in Mundelein, IL, Thermo-Impact, Inc. is a rapidly growing, private firm that manufactures automotive bumpers. In 1995, a number of large automotive supply companies and a private equity investment firm offer to buy Thermo-Impact. The cases in this series focus... View Details

Keywords: Private Equity; Valuation; Negotiation Participants; Decision Making; Negotiation Process; Entrepreneurship; Negotiation Offer; Acquisition; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Illinois

January 1998
Case

Frontgate Catalog

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport

Frontgate is a high-end, Lebanon, Ohio-based catalog business. The decision makers are trying to determine how much financial and personnel resources to invest in the development of a Web site. The decision is being made in light of branding issues and competitor's Web... View Details

Keywords: Customer Relationship Management; Competition; Internet and the Web; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry; Ohio

October 1998 (Revised June 2002)
Case

Austin, Texas: Building a High-Tech Economy

By: Bruce R. Scott and Srinivas Sunder

Members of the community decide to try to diversify the economy of Austin, Texas, by welcoming high-technology firms and by augmenting the electrical engineering faculty at University of Texas--Austin. View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Diversification; Information Technology; Policy; Government and Politics; Engineering; Technological Innovation; Competitive Advantage; Higher Education; Texas

June 1998
Case

Silicon Valley

By: Tarun Khanna and Danielle Melito Wu

Keywords: California

May 1992
Case

Sunday River Ski Resort

By: Leonard A. Schlesinger and Martha Epstein

Sunday River is a ski area in Bethel, ME which has been run by entrepreneur Les Otten since 1980. The year before Otten purchased the area, it posted a loss of $235,000 on revenues of $541,000. Under Otten's leadership, however, Sunday River posted year after year of... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Competitive Advantage; Entrepreneurship; Success; Transformation; Tourism Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Maine

February 1986 (Revised March 1990)
Supplement

Copeland Corp.: Evolution of a Manufacturing Strategy--1975-82 (D)

By: David A. Garvin

Summarizes Copeland's focused factory approach, and updates the company's efforts at the Sidney, Hartselle, Shelby, and Richville plants. Concludes with a brief discussion of future prospects for Copeland's manufacturing strategy. View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Production; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Manufacturing Industry; Ohio

May 1979 (Revised April 1987)
Case

Great Lakes Diversified Corp.: The Detroit Plant

By: W. Earl Sasser and David C. Rikert

Keywords: Buildings and Facilities; Planning; Production; Strategy; Michigan

2004
Teaching Note

Compensation Reform at Denver Public Schools, Teaching Note

By: Allen Grossman and Jennifer Suesse

Keywords: Education; Urban Scope; Compensation and Benefits; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Colorado

October 1987 (Revised November 1988)
Case

Farms of Texas

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Texas

November 1995 (Revised January 1998)
Case

Transformation of Pratt & Whitney North Haven (A)

By: H. Kent Bowen, Linda A. Hill, Andrew P. Burtis, Sylvie Ryckebusch and John Schiavone

Pratt & Whitney is a leader in the development and manufacturing of gas turbine engines for commercial and military aircraft. Economic conditions for the airline and defense industries are forcing the airplane engine builders to restructure. Ed Northern, a new general... View Details

Keywords: Transformation; Restructuring; Production; Opportunities; Economy; Aerospace Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Connecticut