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(4,159)
- Faculty Publications (1,915)
- March 1999 (Revised May 1999)
- Case
Apple Computer--1999
By: David B. Yoffie and Mary Kwak
In 1980, Apple was the leader of the PC industry, but by 1999, it had suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Wintel camp. This case examines Apple's efforts to create sustainable competitive advantage as the PC industry evolves. After discussing Apple's history and... View Details
- March 1999
- Case
Merck & Co., Inc.: Corporate Strategy, Organization and Culture (A)
By: Michael Beer and Perry Fagan
In the early 1990s, Merck faced a series of challenges because of significant changes in its competitive and regulatory environment (e.g., growth in power of pharmaceutical buyers like managed care organizations led to price pressures and President Clinton's review of... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business or Company Management; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Management Practices and Processes; Competitive Strategy; Management Teams; Health Care and Treatment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Situation or Environment; Alignment; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States
- March 1999 (Revised January 2005)
- Case
Newell Company: Corporate Strategy
By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and Elizabeth Gordon
In 1998, Newell Co., a manufacturer of low-tech, high-volume consumer goods, acquired Calphalon Corp., a high-end cookware company, and Rubbermaid, a $2 billion manufacturer of consumer and commercial plastic products. The case focuses on Newell's strategy and its... View Details
- March 1999
- Case
MySoftware Company (A)
By: H. Kent Bowen and Nicole Tempest
In 1997, Gregory Slayton took the position as CEO of MySoftware, which had been experiencing revenue and operating losses for the past two years. Within 90 days, he stabilized the company through a combination of cost cutting, financial discipline, and accountability... View Details
- March 1999 (Revised July 1999)
- Case
Crunch
By: Paul W. Marshall and Jeremy Dann
Entrepreneur Doug Levine runs a fitness company with an incredibly powerful brand. His company leverages the brand to expand, both in terms of facilities and lines of business. But he may need to make significant organizational changes in order to continue the growth. View Details
- March 1999
- Case
Hans Fritz at Novartis Thailand (A): The First Month
By: Michael Y. Yoshino and Carin-Isabel Knoop
Dr. Hans Fritz is 37 years old when he arrives in Bangkok on March 1, 1998 to assume his position as general manager of Novartis Thailand. Novartis is the world's largest pharmaceutical company. He had lobbied to transition from a staff position to this line management... View Details
- March 1999 (Revised March 2000)
- Case
Cross Country Group, The: A Piece of the Rock (A)
By: Robert L. Simons and Indra Reinbergs
A new MBA graduate joins a privately held family business and sets ambitious growth goals for the next five years. To enhance motivation, he proposes a new incentive plan that will grant him a share of the wealth he creates. However, the family owners have a more... View Details
- March 1999 (Revised August 2005)
- Case
Pandesic: The Challenges of a New Business Venture (A)
By: Joseph L. Bower and Clark Gilbert
Pandesic is a joint venture of SAP and Intel designed to develop turnkey information architectures for marketspace companies. The case explores the problems of developing the joint venture from the perspective of its general management. Describes the development of its... View Details
- February 1999
- Case
Lifeline Systems, Inc. (B)
By: H. Kent Bowen and Marilyn Matis
In 1997, Lifeline Systems continues to grow its service business to $32 million, 56% of the company's total revenues. More local hospital Lifeline programs turn over their monitoring service to Lifeline Central, expanding the company's subscriber base by 30%. The... View Details
- February 1999 (Revised April 1999)
- Case
Guaranty Trust Bank PLC Nigeria (A)
By: Lynn S. Paine and Hal Hogan
Fola Adeola, the CEO of Nigeria's Guaranty Trust Bank and one of its founders in 1991, is considering what should be done to maintain the bank's original vision and vitality in the face of its rapid growth and success in the marketplace. Known for its high ethical... View Details
- February 1999
- Case
Volant Skis
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Matt Verlinden
Volant brought innovation to the ski equipment industry in 1989 by developing a stainless steel ski. He claimed the skis could turn more easily, could hold an edge in icy conditions, and were more stable than aluminum or fiberglass skis. The company's "soft-flex"... View Details
- January 1999 (Revised March 2000)
- Case
ZEFER: November 1998
By: Paul A. Gompers
ZEFER, a young Internet professional service firm, is considering its expansion options. Organic growth versus growth by acquisition is a central theme. The firm's financing strategy will be determined by its business strategy. View Details
- January 1999 (Revised March 2001)
- Case
MindSpring
In a business environment where Internet Service Providers (ISP) has become increasingly commodity-like, Charles Brewer, founder and CEO of MindSpring, the nation's sixth largest ISP and the recognized leader in customer satisfaction, ponders a proposed merger with... View Details
- January 1999
- Case
Prague Post, The
By: Paul A. Gompers
Lisa Frankenberg, co-founder of the Prague Post, is faced with several business and professional decisions. The English-language paper she founded is under pressure from competition and a Czech Republic recession. She must decide how to return the paper to... View Details
- January 1999 (Revised June 2006)
- Case
Advanced Technologies, Inc.
By: Thomas R. Piper
The CEO of a semiconductor equipment manufacturer is assessing the financial forecasts and financing plan prepared by the chief financial officer. Continued rapid growth will create substantial financing pressures, especially if profitability fails to recover and/or if... View Details
- January 1999
- Case
State Street Corporation: Leading with Information Technology (B)
By: Stephen P. Bradley and Kelley Porter
With Multi-currency HORIZON, a real-time multi-currency accounting system that replaced the traditional batch-oriented single-currency accounting system, successfully launched, State Street Corp. (State Street) began to focus on growing the scope of its business... View Details
- December 1998 (Revised March 1999)
- Case
Guangdong Nowada Group, The
By: Ray A. Goldberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Anthony St. George
In late 1998, 38-year-old He Boquan, CEO of the Guangdong Nowada Group, a health beverage producer, needs to decide how to fund his company's growth and ambition to become China's number one domestic health beverage producer by 2002. A consultants study revealed that... View Details
- December 1998
- Background Note
Retail Financial Services in 1998
By: Stephen P. Bradley and Takia Mahmood
Provides an overview of the current restructuring that is taking place in the retail financial services industry. Provides a brief overview of the structural changes in banking, brokerage, insurance, and mutual funds. Used as background for examining the strategies of... View Details
- December 1998 (Revised May 2003)
- Case
Vivendi (A): Revitalizing a French Conglomerate
By: Cynthia A. Montgomery and John M. Turner
Examines corporate strategy for a diversified firm in the French business context. Issues include corporate governance, vision, and the management of unrelated diversification. After the company's first loss ever, the Vivendi board elected a new chairman who completed... View Details