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Publications
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(6,571)
- Faculty Publications (1,654)
- March 1990 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A)
By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston
Describes the incentive system by which Mary Kay Cosmetics motivates the sales force of 200,000 independent agents who comprise the firm's only distribution channel. Illustrates the powerful effect on sales-force behavior that results when creative types of employee... View Details
- February 1990 (Revised July 1992)
- Case
Whistler Corp. (A)
By: Gary P. Pisano
Describes the circumstances surrounding Whistler Corp.'s decision whether or not to continue manufacturing operations in the United States. The company had been experiencing severe problems in its domestic manufacturing operations and was thus unable to compete with... View Details
- January 1990 (Revised March 1991)
- Case
American Red Cross Blood Services: Northeast Region
By: Robert L. Simons
Recounts the financial difficulties and management changes experienced by American Red Cross Blood Services: Northeast Region (NER) during the 1980s. After summarizing industry-wide changes in the collection, testing, and distribution of blood and blood products, the... View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Budgets and Budgeting; Financial Management; Restructuring; Health; SWOT Analysis; Social Enterprise; Marketplace Matching; Management Style; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Medical Devices and Supplies Industry; Health Industry; North and Central America
- November 1989 (Revised April 2018)
- Case
Automation Consulting Services
By: Robert Simons and Hilary Weston
Illustrates the management control challenges that are associated with rapid growth and geographic expansion. Situated at an offsite Executive Committee Retreat. The three founding partners of a specialized consulting firm are grappling with several difficult questions... View Details
- September 1989 (Revised April 1990)
- Case
Banc One Corp.--1989
Banc One Corp., an innovative and financially successful super-regional bank holding company, has a track record of upgrading performance of acquisitions while retaining previous management--doing better with the same people. In June 1989 Banc One made its first... View Details
- September 1989 (Revised July 1991)
- Case
Caterpillar, Inc.: George Schaefer Takes Charge
For over half a century, Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT) had been a world leader in the manufacture of earthmoving and construction machinery. In 1982, just months after it recorded the highest sales and profits in its history, CAT experienced its greatest crisis. Demand fell... View Details
Keywords: Machinery and Machining; Crisis Management; Labor Unions; Demand and Consumers; Management Teams; Problems and Challenges; Competitive Strategy; Business Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Manufacturing Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Industrial Products Industry
- September 1989 (Revised July 1991)
- Case
Komatsu: Ryoichi Kawai's Leadership
Highlights the role played by Ryoichi Kawai in building a company that was able to challenge industry leader Caterpillar. A rewritten version of an earlier case. View Details
- January 1989
- Background Note
Managing Information Technology: Organization and Leadership
By: James I. Cash Jr. and Thomas H. Davenport
Describes the organizational components of the typical IT organization in a large corporation. Points out common problems and issues for each component of the organization. Also addresses the leadership issues for the IT function, and focuses specifically on the Chief... View Details
- January 1989 (Revised July 1991)
- Case
Bank for International Development, Software Case
By: W. Carl Kester and Timothy A. Luehrman
A hypothetical case in which an assistant treasurer of a supranational bank is asked to determine in which currencies it has been cheaper ex post to borrow. An integral part of the case is a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet containing monthly data on yen and dollar interest... View Details
- October 1988 (Revised July 2000)
- Case
Matt Compton's Job Search
By: Shoshana Zuboff and Dave DeLong
Matt Compton wrestles with the problems of a post-MBA job search and finds himself captivated by the aggressive recruiting tactics of the large management consulting firms. The case raises issues of how a passive job search that relies on options presented by... View Details
- September 1988 (Revised December 1998)
- Case
Donner Co.
By: Roy D. Shapiro
The management of a small manufacturer of circuit boards faces a number of production and operations management problems. The first day on this case is used to analyze the production capacity of various stages in the process and to examine bottlenecks and key... View Details
- August 1988 (Revised January 1992)
- Supplement
Norton Group PLC: To Be or Not to Be in the Motorcycle Business (B)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Jon Skofic
Outlines the decisions taken by the company's management team in response to the challenges posed in Norton Group PLC (A). For each such decision, further data is provided for students to ponder the effectiveness of the action steps undertaken. View Details
Keywords: Motorcycle Industry
- August 1988 (Revised April 1998)
- Case
IBM 360: Giant as Entrepreneur
By: Joseph L. Bower
Presents the ingredients that went into a major entrepreneurial shift by IBM--investing $5 billion into a new product line that would obsolete any existing computer product line offered by the competition, or by IBM itself. The economic and technical challenges of this... View Details
- May 1988
- Article
Management Dilemmas in Securities Firms
By: Robert G. Eccles Jr. and Dwight B. Crane
- April 1988 (Revised May 1992)
- Case
Gaz de France
By: W. Carl Kester
The treasurer of Gaz de France is an aggressive, proactive manager of his company's liability structure, running one of the largest swap books of any non-financial corporation in the world. Currency futures, interbank forwards, and currency options are also frequently... View Details
- January 1988 (Revised May 1988)
- Case
General Motors' Asian Alliances
Describes all of General Motors' major alliances with Asian firms. These include Toyota, Fanuc, Isuzu, Daewoo, Suzuki, Nissan, and Hitachi. Students can discuss the rationale of each alliance, their risks, their management problems, and their likely evolution. Also... View Details
- May 1987 (Revised October 1996)
- Case
Murray Ohio Manufacturing Co.
After a record year in 1983, Murray Ohio's earnings declined in 1984. The company was faced with competition from cheap imports and was experiencing declining margins. Students are asked to analyze the company's 1984 financial statements and predict whether there is... View Details
- March 1987 (Revised October 1993)
- Case
Au Bon Pain: The French Bakery Cafe, The Partner/Manager Program
By: W. Earl Sasser
In recent years, Au Bon Pain (ABP), a chain of upscale French bakeries/sandwich cafes based in Boston, confronted a set of human resource problems endemic to the fast food industry (i.e., a labor shortage which made it difficult to attract and maintain quality crew... View Details
- October 1985
- Supplement
CompuServe (C)
By: James L. Heskett
Describes events and raises issues subsequent to Charlie McCall's acceptance of the job of CEO at CompuServe. View Details
- October 1985 (Revised November 1986)
- Supplement
CompuServe (D)
By: James L. Heskett
Describes events and raises issues subsequent to Charlie McCall's acceptance of the job as CEO at CompuServe. View Details