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Chapter Matches: Case Information |
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Chapter 1:
Understanding the Canadian Business System
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WHOLE FOODS MARKET INC.: EXPANSION IN CANADACara C. Maurer, Valentina BardorfProduct Number: 9B14M130Publication Date: 5/6/2015Revision Date: 6/5/2015Length: 18 pagesIn December 2012, the senior management team of Whole Foods Market Inc. was contemplating the company’s options for international expansion, including further expansion in Canada. The company, headquartered in Austin, Texas, was a natural and organic foods supermarket that had become known and trademarked as “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store.” It had seen steep growth since its inception in 1977 and had an appetite for more. Ten years ago, its first Canadian store was opened in Toronto, followed by three more stores in Ontario and four in British Columbia. Was it time to expand deeper now and, if yes, into which provinces? It would be interesting to expand into Quebec with a store location in Montreal, but that province had a strong union presence, which was inconsistent with the company’s culture. Also unclear was which management team should be running an extensive Canadian operation. Should the current U.S. team facilitate the expansion, or should a Canadian management team be developed? A systematic approach to assessing the options was needed.Teaching Note: 8B14M130 (13 pages)Industry: Accommodation & Food ServicesIssues: Organic and natural foods; growth; resources; capabilities; cross-culture; Canada; United StatesDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
LIBERAL GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO'S ECO-TAX FIASCOMichael SiderProduct Number: 9B10M095Publication Date: 11/1/2010Length: 3 pagesThis case traces the attempt by the Liberal Government of Ontario, Canada, to introduce recycling fees on a large range of household products as part of the government's larger provincial waste management program. The Ministry of the Environment created an industry-funded, non-profit organization called Stewardship Ontario to oversee the regulation and collection of recycling fees in the province. In 2008, Stewardship Ontario began to levy recycling fees on a limited number of household products, fees that producers and retailers passed on to the consumers at the point of transaction. Ontario's consumers seemed to accept these fees as part of the cost of doing business in a province that was attempting to become a greener and less wasteful place to live. However, in 2010, Stewardship Ontario changed the fee structure on household products from a product-based to a material-based structure: products were now assessed a fee according to the kind and degree of material (chemical, metal, plastic) in the product. This change greatly expanded the number of products on which a recycling fee could be assessed, and it greatly complicated the fee structure for both producer and consumer. Consumers this time took notice of the new fees, and, objecting vociferously to the number of new fees and to the fee structure's lack of transparency, they called on the Minister of the Environment to scrap the program or at least to explain it clearly.Teaching Note: 8B10M95 (3 pages)Industry: Public AdministrationIssues: Media; Stakeholders; Stakeholder AnalysisDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
CANADA'S ECONOMY 2012David W. Conklin, Danielle CadieuxProduct Number: 9B09M008Publication Date: 1/7/2009Revision Date: 5/28/2012Length: 5 pagesThis case points to the challenges that Canada faces in regards to its ongoing productivity gap with the United States and its ongoing failure in regard to international competitiveness. This case also discusses the regional differences within Canada in regard to international competitiveness. This case also discusses the regional differences within Canada in regard to economic structure and public policy issues. Finally, the case indicates a series of strategies that Canadian businesses and governments might pursue in order to deal more effectively with Canada's economic challenge.Teaching Note: 8B09M08 (3 pages)Industry: Public AdministrationIssues: Government and Business; Globalization; Growth; Growth StrategyDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 2:
Understanding the Environments of Business
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STARBUCKS CANADA: THE MOBILE PAYMENTS DECISIONDeborah Compeau, Cato Pastoll, Tyler Rochwerg, Brandon VlaarProduct Number: 9B15E002Publication Date: 5/26/2015Revision Date: 5/26/2015Length: 12 pagesIn December 2012, the management of Starbucks Canada, an autonomous subsidiary of the U.S.-based multinational coffeehouse chain, is trying to decide how best to implement mobile payments in its 1,350 locations across Canada. While the company has currently been using a mobile application to accept payments through its proprietary Starbucks Card, rival Tim Hortons has recently introduced a more advanced mobile payment solution. There are many new and emerging technologies to choose from, including Square Wallet, Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons, MintChip and Mobile Wallet/Credit Card Near Field Communication. Will these systems allow for an enhanced store experience? Are customers ready to start paying with their smartphones? And which payment service will be the Canadian lead going forward? The future of Starbucks and mobile payments is exciting, but the choices are almost overwhelming.Teaching Note: 8B15E002 (8 pages)Industry: Accommodation & Food ServicesIssues: Mobile payments; technology implementation;Difficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
SICKKIDS IN QATAR - RESPONDING TO A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALAnne Snowdon, Alexander Smith, Heidi CrammProduct Number: 9B14M025Publication Date: 4/7/2014Revision Date: 4/4/2014Length: 20 pagesIn January 2005, the vice-president of International Affairs at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, must decide how to respond to a request for proposal from the Hamad Medical Corporation of Qatar. In order to reach its global mission of “Healthier Children, A Better World,” the Toronto hospital, which had an international reputation for excellence in pediatric medicine, had established an arm called SickKids International. In addition, it was anxious to find new ways to recover from an operating deficit caused by the aftershock of the SARS outbreak. Hamad Medical Corporation, a major state hospital medical supplier in Qatar, was looking for international centres that would want to partner with it in the development of what it hoped would become the best children's hospital in the Middle East. The vice-president understood the enormous benefits that the partnership had to offer but recognized the need for a comprehensive strategy to mitigate all of the associated risks, such as the difference in cultures between Canada and Qatar, the pressure on the Toronto hospital’s staff to make the project successful and the uncertain political and business environment in the Middle East. Should she recommend to her executive team that they go ahead with their first international request for proposal?Teaching Note: 8B14M025 (6 pages)Industry: Health Care ServicesIssues: Globalization; health care; cross-cultural; leading change; Canada; QatarDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
LASSONDE INDUSTRIES VERSUS OLIVIA'S OASIS INC.Christopher RossProduct Number: 9B13A029Publication Date: 11/6/2013Revision Date: 11/5/2013Length: 7 pagesLa Presse, a French language newspaper in Montreal and the largest French language newspaper in North America, published an article summarizing the judgment of a trademark infringement case involving Lassonde Industries, a large Quebec conglomerate with sales of almost Cdn$760 million, and Olivia’s Oasis, a small Quebec manufacturer of health and beauty products with sales of Cdn$250,000. Initially, Olivia’s Oasis had successfully defended itself and it was awarded damages and costs by the courts. However, Lassonde appealed, which resulted in Olivia’s Oasis having to pay its own legal costs — a judgment that could bankrupt the small company. By the end of the day, thousands of readers and members of the public had reacted via social media with such vehemence that Lassonde felt pressured to pay Olivia’s Oasis’ costs. The issues are related to the management of a company’s reputation and the potential impact of negative public reaction in the long term.Teaching Note: 8B13A029 (6 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Social media; reputation marketing; marketing communication; branding; food products; beauty products; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
CAA SASKATCHEWAN: FUTURE OF AUTO CLUBBruce C. Anderson, Michael J. RouseProduct Number: 9B11M110Publication Date: 11/9/2011Revision Date: 3/28/2016Length: 11 pagesThe president and CEO of a provincial auto club is assessing opportunities to grow his organization at the same time as industry consolidation and changes in the allocation of national operating costs. The auto club has diversified from automobile towing and travel services into insurance, package travel, automobile sales, and service. However, the president's vision for the upcoming board of directors' meeting calls for a 300 per cent increase in operating revenues over the next 10 years. Without more members, the auto club cannot support its allocated costs of branded national and international products. The CEO's challenge is to find growth opportunities.Teaching Note: 8B11M110 (11 pages)Industry: Other ServicesIssues: Horizontal Integration; Growth Strategy; Industry Analysis; Strategic Change; Automobile Club; Canada; HillDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 3:
Conducting Business Ethically and Responsibly
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REFFICIENT: PREPARING FOR GROWTHDavid Sparling, Ken MarkProduct Number: 9B14M062Publication Date: 3/6/2015Revision Date: 3/6/2015Length: 13 pagesIn early 2011, the founder of REfficient, an asset recovery service based in Hamilton, Ontario, was thinking about how she should manage the rapid growth that seemed just around the corner. Founded in 2010 to help cable firms generate value from their stock of surplus equipment, REfficient, with no direct competitors in the Ontario market, had grown rapidly and had a list of corporate customers, two warehouses and five employees. The company was positioned as the efficient way for customers to recover value from their surplus assets; it would collect and inventory them, provide an online list and track the environmental impact of selling or discarding them. The company was now looking to secure a pilot project with the Ontario provincial government. Innovative in the “green” sense because of its innovative reuse, recycle or resell model, as well as its integrated carbon footprint estimator, REfficient was a good match for the program. But how would it deal with an increasingly large variety of items, given its limited resources and space?Teaching Note: 8B14M062 (7 pages)Industry: Other ServicesIssues: Operational change; strategic choices; process flows; project management; efficiency; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
SOBEY'S INC: A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD SUPPLYAnthony GoerzenProduct Number: 9B13M118Publication Date: 2/21/2014Revision Date: 11/19/2014Length: 11 pagesBy 2013, Sobey’s Inc., one of Canada`s largest food retailers, had initiated a number of programs in order to reduce its environmental footprint and to try to meet the public’s expectations that business would address such sustainability issues as waste management, genetically modified products and food safety. At the top of Sobey’s agenda was to develop a sustainable seafood strategy. While data collection, metric selection, employee incentives and customer education were important parts of this emerging strategy, a central decision was what products to choose to sell or not to sell. Certain major competitors had announced that they would sell only “certified sustainable” seafood, an approach strongly advocated by well-known environmental organizations. Sobey’s, on the other hand, decided that to abandon uncertified seafood would not only hamper its bottom line but also would eliminate its ability to push the very fisheries that needed more guidance towards better practices. Yet, to continue to sell “red zone” seafood was very controversial and could jeopardize Sobey’s standing as a leader in sustainable practices — an outcome that could have serious negative consequences in the marketplace. In this context, the vice-president of sustainability had to implement a sustainable seafood strategy by year’s end.Teaching Note: 8B13M118 (7 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Sustainability; supply chain; retailing; corporate social responsibility; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
PEPSI CANADA: THE PEPSI REFRESH PROJECTMatthew Thomson, Ken MarkProduct Number: 9B11A039Publication Date: 9/22/2011Revision Date: 6/7/2012Length: 12 pagesPepsi Canada has developed and launched the Refresh Project, a campaign to fund socially beneficial ideas developed by individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Each cycle — approximately two months in duration — will see interested parties submit ideas. Pepsi Canada relies on visitors to its website, www.refreshingeverything.ca, to vote on the best ideas. During every cycle, approximately $1 million is available for distribution. While Pepsi Canada’s management has been very supportive of the initial cycle, an analyst is wondering how this corporate social responsibility initiative will have an effect on the bottom line.Teaching Note: 8B11A039 (5 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Advertising Strategy; Advertising Media; Marketing Management; Corporate Social Responsibility; Soft Drinks; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 4:
Understanding Entrepreneurship, Small Business, and New Venture Creation
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STACK BREWING: A LITTLE BREWERY IN THE BIG NICKELRon Mulholland, Cameron Brooks, Benoit Roy, Katarina Schwabe, Cassidy StewartProduct Number: 9B15A004Publication Date: 5/21/2015Revision Date: 5/21/2015Length: 9 pagesStack Brewing, a start-up craft brewery, has a capacity of approximately 5,600 litres per month based on twelve 117-litre batches per week. A government grant based on growth and job creation potential will help boost production capacity by five times, necessitating the development of additional distribution and marketing communication strategies. The owner cannot afford a listing in the Beer Store, the distribution monopoly owned by Labatt Breweries of Canada and Molson-Coors Canada Inc., and his budget for communications is small. While this case provides an opportunity for students to perform quantitative analysis based on revenues and market size, the focus of the case, however, is on an improved distribution and communication plan.Teaching Note: 8B15A004 (10 pages)Industry: Accommodation & Food ServicesIssues: Communications; segmentation; management of growthDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
UNCLE BETTY'S: TORONTO'S MOST INNOVATIVE CHEF-QUALITY DINERAriff Kachra, Qasim PiraniProduct Number: 9B14M050Publication Date: 2/27/2015Revision Date: 2/27/2015Length: 15 pagesA couple who had moved to a new home in Toronto noticed that the area did not offer any dining options similar to the New York diners they had loved in their four years of living there. The couple, who had two young children, could not find a place nearby that was child-friendly and served chef-quality food. Rather than waiting for someone else to fill the gap in the upscale neighbourhood, the couple opened Uncle Betty’s. The restaurant was successful from day one. Now the owners want to grow Uncle Betty’s but they have some key questions. What growth options are realistic in light of their current resources and capabilities? What would be the right pace for growth to prevent others from copying the Uncle Betty’s experience?Teaching Note: 8B14M050 (12 pages)Industry: Accommodation & Food ServicesIssues: Growth; scale; value chain; competitive positioning; resources; capabilities; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
GENERAL MILLS CANADA: BUILDING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION (A)J. Robert Mitchell, Ken MarkProduct Number: 9B14M015Publication Date: 1/24/2014Revision Date: 5/1/2015Length: 6 pagesThe president of General Mills Canada wants to build a culture of innovation in his firm. Prior to a senior management meeting in 2010 to review the company’s plans for 2011 and beyond, he met with the vice-president of Human Resources and asked him to provide feedback and suggestions about what the organization could do to change its corporate culture. A conservative organization with a collegial atmosphere where consensus and support were essential to moving projects ahead, General Mills Canada had developed an analysis-based, detail-oriented culture that was not necessarily conducive to innovation. This case provides an opportunity to engage in a discussion about the uncertainty faced by senior management in terms of specifically how to build a culture of innovation. While the senior leaders know they want to build a culture of innovation, the real question is how they should go about doing this. Also available is supplement case 9B14M016.Teaching Note: 8B14M015 (20 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Culture; innovation; change management; marketing; human resources; CanadaDifficulty: 5 - MBA/Postgraduate
IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURSHIP: BRINGING YANJING BEER TO CANADAKimberley Howard, William Wei, Vicky NieProduct Number: 9B14A013Publication Date: 9/11/2014Revision Date: 7/26/2017Length: 16 pagesAn immigrant entrepreneur created Hi-Bridge Consulting Corporation, a company that imported and distributed alcoholic products in Canada, among other activities. In 2009, the entrepreneur brought Yanjing beer to Canada from China, even though the Chinese brewery did not have an articulated international expansion strategy in Canada at the time. Despite numerous challenges in the Canadian beer market, the entrepreneur made significant headway. However, six years after the product’s introduction, she understood that many Canadian consumers were still not aware of Yanjing beer and that she needed to find an effective way to increase its market share.Teaching Note: 8B14A013 (6 pages)Industry: Wholesale TradeIssues: Immigrant; imports; exports; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 5:
Understanding International Business
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IMAX EXPANSION IN BRIC ECONOMIES (REVISED)Dwarkaprasad Chakravarty, Paul W. BeamishProduct Number: 9B15M028Publication Date: 3/16/2015Revision Date: 8/26/2016Length: 14 pagesIn 2014, IMAX is a Canadian-based company synonymous with large-format, high-quality cinematic experiences. Following four decades of innovation, the bulk of its revenue now comes from providing technology to mainstream movie studios and multiplex exhibitors. IMAX has more than 900 cinema screens in 58 countries, with nearly half of them located in North America. Its chief executive officer believes that the route to becoming a billion-dollar company involves adding 1,100 screens in growth markets outside of North America. If about 400 of the new worldwide screens are designated for Brazil, Russia, China and India—the BRIC economies—how should IMAX allocate these new screens by country and by city?Teaching Note: 8B15M028 (16 pages)Industry: Information, Media & TelecommunicationsIssues: Expansion; emerging markets; FDI; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
ABLE TRANSLATIONS: INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY AT THE CROSSROADSAnthony GoerzenProduct Number: 9B15M009Publication Date: 4/2/2015Revision Date: 7/15/2016Length: 10 pagesThe founder of Toronto-based Able Translations has grown the company since 1990 from a single-man operation that did on-site interpreting to a firm of 100 staff in 2014. The firm provides a range of interpreting and translation services on three continents by more than 3,500 qualified language professionals in more than 100 languages. Although an industry leader, the company faces both strong global competitors and a myriad of microbusinesses and freelancers. Moreover, the language service providers industry is experiencing rapid technological change. The founder wonders whether to pursue international growth of his established translation and interpreting businesses (on-site and telephone) or to focus on its emerging capabilities in software development in the North American market — a strategic choice that will have a profound effect on the future of the firm.Teaching Note: 8B15M009 (5 pages)Industry: Information, Media & TelecommunicationsIssues: Competitive strategy; growth; competitive advantage; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
EIKON DEVICE INC.: CREATING AN INTERNATIONAL STRATEGYAnthony GoerzenProduct Number: 9B13M089Publication Date: 2/14/2014Revision Date: 2/13/2014Length: 15 pagesEikon Device Ltd, a tattoo equipment and supplies firm, has to choose between several alternatives. Their core business is the production of tattoo needles and the power supply that makes tattoo machines operate, selling primarily into the United States and Canada. With increasing international demand however, should they consider establishing a distribution facility abroad? Alternatively, since much of their success is derived from catering to the specific needs of tattoo artists, should Eikon expand its product line for the North American market? At the same time, competition from China has emerged to push Eikon out of its core markets. Eikon management has to prioritize their initiatives.Teaching Note: 8B13M089 (6 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Foreign competition; tattoo industry; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
FIRSTWELL CORPORATION AND THE PRODUCTION MANDATE QUESTIONPaul W. BeamishProduct Number: 9B12M024Publication Date: 2/28/2012Revision Date: 11/19/2014Length: 12 pagesTwo facilities owned by a large U.S.-based multinational enterprise (one in Canada, one in the United States) are competing for a regional manufacturing and distribution mandate. The head of Firstwell’s global operating committee must decide whether the proposal from Firstwell Canada is best not only for the Kingston, Ontario, plant but also for Firstwell Corporation worldwide. The decision could signal a major shift in parent–subsidiary relations.Teaching Note: 8B12M024 (11 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Subsidiaries; MNE Reporting Structures; Production; Organizational Politics; International Expansion; Canada; United StatesDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 6:
Managing the Business Enterprise
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DOVERCOURT RECREATION CENTRE - HEALING A RIFTMary Weil, Chen RaoProduct Number: 9B14C039Publication Date: 8/12/2014Revision Date: 8/11/2014Length: 5 pagesIn July 2001, the newly elected president of the board of directors at Dovercourt Recreation Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, faces a dilemma. The facility’s executive director has suggested that in light of a poor performance review, his only option might be to resign. He is revered by his staff and the community for his passionate advocacy of outreach to disadvantaged and marginalized populations and has a successful track record in running the organization and popularizing its programs throughout the city. However, he is under great stress because his informal management style does not fit well with the board’s need for specific monthly accounting. The new president was recruited to improve unproductive board meetings, but he has quickly realized the root issue is the escalating tension between the executive director and the board. Confident that he can use his consulting background to deliver a solution to the conflict that threatens to undermine the centre’s strong reputation, he needs a plan and must act on it decisively and immediately.Teaching Note: 8B14C039 (7 pages)Industry: Arts, Entertainment, Sports and RecreationIssues: Corporate governance; negotiations; internal communications; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
SAWCHYN GUITARS: CAN AN OLD BUSINESS LEARN NEW TRICKS?Meredith Woodwark, Matthew WongProduct Number: 9B13M084Publication Date: 8/23/2013Revision Date: 11/18/2014Length: 13 pagesAWARD WINNING CASE - Laurier School of Business and Economics Best Case Award 2013. The owner of Sawchyn Guitars makes fine handmade acoustic guitars and mandolins. After 40 years of operating from a two-storey backyard garage, he contemplates a shift from a solely custom-order business to a storefront location. Although his custom-order business is still strong, the owner sees the opportunity to realize his dream of providing a full-service musical instrument haven for the local music community through a proper storefront. After opening a new retail location, public reception to the new store is overwhelmingly positive, but the success in new business lines restricts the capacity to build new instruments. Despite the enthusiastic response to the store, the business is experiencing unanticipated growing pains related to managing small-business growth.Teaching Note: 8B13M084 (11 pages)Industry: Arts, Entertainment, Sports and RecreationIssues: Small Business Management; Change Management; Opportunity Assessment; CanadaDifficulty: 2 - Intro/Undergraduate
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Chapter 7:
Organizing the Business Enterprise
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BEYOND THE BORDERPaul BootheProduct Number: 9B14M009Publication Date: 7/11/2014Revision Date: 7/3/2014Length: 8 pagesIn February 2011, the senior associate deputy minister of Industry Canada was appointed as the Canadian prime minister’s personal representative to the bi-national team charged with developing the “Beyond the Border Action Plan” to both improve security and streamline cross-border commerce and travel between Canada and the United States. He was immediately faced with a range of decisions on how to proceed — whom to consult, which Canadian team members to hire, which of many possible priorities to pursue in discussions with his U.S. counterparts and which steps to take to manage a complex process involving a multiplicity of large and powerful Canadian government departments and agencies as well as private sector interests. While he didn’t yet have strategies to address these issues, he knew that he would have to formulate them rapidly. Both the prime minister and the U.S. president had made clear their desire to move quickly — ideally, an action plan was to be in place within six months.Teaching Note: 8B14M009 (4 pages)Industry: Public AdministrationIssues: Organizational structure; strategic management; accountability; public service; stakeholder analysis; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
CANADA BORDER SERVICES AGENCY: THE REORGANIZATIONJean-Louis Schaan, Ken MarkProduct Number: 9B13M087Publication Date: 9/16/2013Revision Date: 9/16/2013Length: 15 pagesIn 2009, after six years of operation and two negative audits, the president of the Canada Border Services Agency is thinking about initiating a reorganization to improve the way the agency is operated. Formed in 2003 from three government departments, the agency has been responsible for a range of activities represented by 90 acts and regulations that cover, for example, border security, immigration, food and plant inspection, intelligence and tax collection. Since its founding, the agency has grown substantially in the number of employees, who are spread out across the country in eight regions; some of them are in unions that are expert in the use of the news media to protect their members’ interests. The lack of up-to-date communication equipment and the complexity of the organizational structure have resulted in an increased response time to matters that need immediate attention both within Canada and with international partners. No attempt has been made to streamline processes; every major initiative thus far has been focused on ensuring that nothing from the current workload gets dropped, processes remain intact and stronger controls are put in place. The president’s challenge is to determine how to initiate anticipatory change. He has a limited term and needs to prepare a detailed action plan if he wants the changes to take effect before he leaves.Teaching Note: 8B13M087 (10 pages)Industry: Public AdministrationIssues: Reorganization; change management; public service; leadership; government; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
SIRIUS XM RADIO CANADADavid Wood, Craig DunbarProduct Number: 9B11N026Publication Date: 12/8/2011Length: 16 pagesOn April 11, 2011, the merger between Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (the parent company of XM Canada) and SIRIUS Canada Inc. received the approval of CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission). This was the last obstacle standing in the way of the president and CEO of the new organization. The president had had plenty of time to prepare for this merger since it was first announced in November of 2010. However, with only a few months before the implementation plan was to go into place, the president was once more reviewing the proposal that he had prepared. The merger of XM Canada and SIRIUS Canada was not going to be easy. Both organizations had been fierce competitors, but it was clear that their survival was dependant on a successful merger. The president’s plan had to consider the make-up of the management team, the consolidated marketing strategy, operations and information systems integration, and how all of this was to be financed.Teaching Note: 8B11N026 (18 pages)Industry: Information, Media & TelecommunicationsIssues: Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Structures; Organizational Structure; IT and Operations Integration; Marketing Strategy; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 8:
Managing Human Resources
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EARTHWEAR FACE & BODY: COMMUNICATING CORPORATE CULTURE (A)Mary Weil, Julia CuttProduct Number: 9B14C045Publication Date: 10/15/2014Revision Date: 10/28/2014Length: 9 pagesBy the spring of 2014, the founder of EarthWear Face & Body is in desperate need of part-time employees to help run her successful skin care retail business, which she runs out of her home in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. After eight years of hard work, she has turned her part-time hobby making all-natural skin care products into a thriving business. She sells her products online, through retail stores, at craft and trade shows and at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market. But her successful business has become too much work for her to manage on her own. A failed attempt to bring on a part-time employee made it clear that she needs to develop a targeted recruitment strategy. How can she effectively communicate her corporate culture to attract the best candidates? See supplement 9B14C046.Teaching Note: 8B14C045 (7 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Corporate culture; human resources; communication; CanadaDifficulty: 3 - Undergraduate
RECRUITING FOR A MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISE IN CHINASarah Perchey, Diana E. KrauseProduct Number: 9B12C026Publication Date: 5/29/2012Revision Date: 5/22/2012Length: 12 pagesThe CEO of a multinational company wanted the new human resource team of their subsidiary in Guangzhou, China, to recruit and select 85 individuals for different positions throughout the company. These positions included finance managers, production managers, factory workers, secretaries, and interns. The members of the human resource team were highly diverse in terms of educational backgrounds (marketing, law, human resources, public relations, general business administration) and countries of origin (Canada, China, Germany). The team had to deal with a series of challenges to ensure the project’s success. These included a decision about task-specific job requirements, methods to assess job requirements, strategies for recruitment, methods for personnel selection, and final decision-making. The team also had to deal with diversity within the team, cross-cultural issues, and the leadership behaviour of its CEO.Teaching Note: 8B12C026 (10 pages)Industry: Wholesale TradeIssues: Recruitment; Personnel Selection; Leadership; Diversity; International Teams; ChinaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
RIVERSIDE HOSPITAL'S PHARMACY SERVICESAnne Snowdon, Hannah Standing RasmussenProduct Number: 9B11D014Publication Date: 1/31/2012Revision Date: 2/6/2014Length: 16 pagesRiverside District Memorial Hospital is a small rural hospital that must work within an operational budget that is determined by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. This case identifies the emergence of concerns for patient safety related to medication administration, and the challenges of ensuring that professional services are maintained by the pharmacy department to serve patients admitted to hospital. The chief nursing executive must decide what steps should be taken to reduce medication errors, in the context of the complex relationships at Riverside.Teaching Note: 8B11D014 (8 pages)Industry: Health Care ServicesIssues: Health Care; Technological Change; Operations Analysis; Pharmacy; Drug Administration; Hospitals; CanadaDifficulty: 3 - Undergraduate
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Chapter 9:
9B13C046
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DELOITTE CONSULTING GTA: THE DELOITTE DADS INITIATIVEAlison Konrad, Amy ShuhProduct Number: 9B13C046Publication Date: 12/20/2013Revision Date: 5/3/2019Length: 9 pagesDeloitte Dads is a firm-sponsored diversity and inclusion initiative aimed at supporting working fathers within Deloitte (Canada) LLP, an independent member of the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited global network. With support from senior management, Deloitte Dads was founded in 2010 by a junior consultant in the management consulting division in the company’s Greater Toronto Area office and quickly gained both members and media attention. The group not only had to be distinctly separate from other parenting initiatives already in place but had to negotiate with the company’s performance management practices, which historically had not considered flexibility in appraising employees. In 2013, the founder was wondering not only if the group could be rolled out to other divisions within the company across the country and perhaps across the world but also how best to handle its success while managing his own career and the demands of being a father of two small children. He had mastered the quarterly events within his office, but how could he create a formal governance model? Already working 80 to 90 hours per week, with no end in sight, how was he going to make Deloitte Dads sustainable and successful?Teaching Note: 8B13C046 (11 pages)Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesIssues: Gender; diversity; human resource management; change management; family-work interaction; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
THE MERIT OF A POINTS-BASED MERIT SYSTEM AT THE EDWARDS SCHOOL OF BUSINESSDionne PohlerProduct Number: 9B11C042Publication Date: 1/17/2012Length: 16 pagesA new faculty member is engaged in a decision-making process surrounding the development of a points-based system designed to allocate merit pay at a business school. The process is forcing her to evaluate how she is structuring the allocation of her work, which is directly affecting her motivation toward coaching a student case competition team. Edwards has historically used a judgment-based approach to the allocation of merit. The case outlines the rationale used in the design of the new points-based system, discusses the potential advantages and disadvantages, and highlights the perspectives of different stakeholders throughout the process, including the union, the faculty, and senior administration. The union is opposed to merit, so has outlined fairly stringent criteria for the awarding of merit in the new collective agreement. Faculty opinion is mixed surrounding merit more generally, and the implementation of a points-based system versus a judgment-based system in particular. Senior university administration is committed to the continuation of the merit system at the university as a tool to reward outstanding performance and to retain star faculty. The individual departments at Edwards are in the midst of finalizing the standards and procedures for allocation of merit-based pay. The protagonist is uncertain about how her department will proceed in the design and allocation of points, and how it will result in her re-allocating her work tasks.Teaching Note: 8B11C042 (13 pages)Industry: Educational ServicesIssues: Motivation; Compensation; Performance Measurement/metrics; University Administration; Unions; Saskatchewan, CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 10:
Motivating and Leading Employees
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HOUSE, HEARTH AND HOME: MANAGING LEADERSHIP CHANGEKaren MacMillan, Meredith WoodwarkProduct Number: 9B12C048Publication Date: 11/15/2012Revision Date: 11/15/2012Length: 4 pagesThe owner and general manager of a large retail establishment faced a dilemma about whether his long-time yard manager was still the right person for the job. The business increasingly depended on providing superior customer service in order to compete in the market. Recently, the owner had placed a personal friend in the operation as an assistant to the yard manager. This new addition had shown a real talent for developing employees and driving performance improvements. As a result, customer service feedback had drastically improved. The owner realized that the assistant had become the real leader of the yard. He wondered how to keep the momentum of the changes going while still showing due respect to a loyal employee.Teaching Note: 8B12C048 (16 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Leadership; Performance Management; Employee Motivation; Human Resources, CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
KYLE EVANS AT RUFFIAN APPAREL: STAFFING A RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTAnn C. Frost, Kevin HewinsProduct Number: 9B09C008Publication Date: 1/27/2010Length: 11 pagesRuffian Kelowna, one of 19 British Columbia Ruffian Apparel locations, is underperforming. Recent management turnover and low unemployment in the region have left Kelowna short-staffed and in need of a new store manager to take over for the interim manager. Both sales and performance results are far below acceptable levels, and the store appears to be floundering. The newly hired B.C. regional manager for Ruffian Apparel is looking into the problem and needs to report back to Vancouver with his recommendations. This case can be used to demonstrate how different theories of motivation might apply to goal-setting and compensation plans. The case illustrates how an inappropriate or poorly structured compensation plan and motivational goals can lead to ineffective and detrimental results. Students who immediately attribute the problems of the case to the lack of a store manager will fail to explore the potential for increasing employee motivation and productivity across the board.Teaching Note: 8B09C08 (5 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Staffing; Compensation; Pay for Performance; MotivationDifficulty: 3 - Undergraduate
A ZERO WAGE INCREASE AGAIN?Karen MacMillanProduct Number: 9B11C034Publication Date: 9/7/2011Revision Date: 10/10/2018Length: 5 pagesThe owner of a large hardware, furniture, and building centre faced a dilemma regarding how to manage the upcoming wage review process. After two consecutive years of frozen wages, employees were impatient for financial progress, but there was no extra money in the budget. It was possible to pump savings from upcoming process improvement initiatives into wage increases. However, the owner had limited motivation to channel hard-won funds to underperforming employees. On the other hand, he was eager to reward the people who added value. Yet a plan that rewarded only some employees could result in an angry backlash. He had to decide if he wanted to divert the savings into compensation and, if so, he needed an effective distribution plan.Teaching Note: 8B11C034 (8 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Motivation; Compensation; Organizational Justice; Bounded RationalityDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 11:
Producing Goods and Services
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WESTRIDGE CABINETSP. Fraser JohnsonProduct Number: 9B15D006Publication Date: 4/1/2015Revision Date: 7/5/2016Length: 9 pagesThe chief operating officer at Westridge Cabinets, a Canadian cabinet manufacturer, needs to improve the company’s on-time delivery performance and reduce costs. Customers’ orders vary widely, in terms of both order size and product mix, leading to complications in planning and scheduling the plant. As part of their analysis, students are required to 1) recognize how the company’s order process integrates with production planning and control; 2) understand how manufacturing lead times affect flexibility and delivery performance and 3) calculate capacity in each department to identify and resolve potential constraints.Teaching Note: 8B15D006 (13 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Analysis; capacity; process; inventory control; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
OLEUM RESOURCESDavid Wood, Tom Hansen, Jack Hansen, Shane ParkhillProduct Number: 9B12D019Publication Date: 9/7/2012Revision Date: 5/31/2013Length: 15 pagesThis case introduces students to the value chain of the oil and gas industry in Canada. Through examining the current position and future plans of a small, independent oil and gas exploration company, they will discover the challenges of growing through acquisition and the risks associated with expanding beyond a company's core competencies. The case includes an overview of the industry, the history of Oleum Resources Ltd., and the opportunities it has to revise its business strategy by expanding into the innovative but risky ASP technology. The company's first two options entail not only investing considerable capital but also hiring highly specialized personnel. However, the third option, to stay the course, may mean facing losses and investor unhappiness.Teaching Note: 8B12D019 (9 pages)Industry: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas ExtractionIssues: Value Chain; Sustainable Advantage; Oil and Gas; Market Conditions; CanadaDifficulty: 3 - Undergraduate
TORONTO SUN AND CARIBANAKenneth J. Klassen, Leanne MieleProduct Number: 9B10D002Publication Date: 6/10/2010Length: 7 pagesIt was June 5, 2008 and the senior promotions coordinator was beginning to feel the pressure of managing a major sponsorship event for the Toronto Sun, a daily newspaper publication in Ontario, Canada. She had recently been hired and had received the responsibility of organizing the Toronto Sun's presence in the city's annual Caribana Parade after her colleague failed to make any progress following months of handling the assignment. With only eight weeks until parade day (August 2), she felt challenged to make the company's float a success. The Toronto Sun earned its place in the parade as the primary print media sponsor for the event. Pulling the company's float from the biggest parade event in the city would mean forfeiting valuable marketing exposure. This case was designed for use in an undergraduate or MBA operations management or introductory project management course. Developed to aid instructors in facilitating discussions of key project management concepts, the case content allows for an analytical approach to covering the basic skills in planning a project, including precedence relationships, critical path, due dates, uncertainty (PERT tasks), crashing, etc. It can be used to teach students MS Project or other project management software. It can also be used for a less analytic, more managerial discussion of project management.Teaching Note: 8B10D02 (13 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Media; Scheduling; Project Design/Development; Project Management; Critical PathDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 12:
Increasing Productivity and Quality
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SEARS CANADA (A)Stephan Vachon, Ramasastry ChandrasekharProduct Number: 9B13D014Publication Date: 7/12/2013Revision Date: 7/11/2013Length: 13 pagesSears Canada’s associate vice-president of sustainability faces dilemmas in executing a strategy to reduce the retailer’s carbon footprint. He needs to integrate the concept of sustainability into the company’s larger corporate objectives, drive the concept in individual business units and identify the metrics for tracking the progress of reducing Sears Canada’s carbon footprint.
The (B) case, 9B13D015, is positioned two years later, when the associate vice-president is about to leave the company and needs to plan for the transition.Teaching Note: 8B13D014 (6 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Sustainability; Productivity; Strategy; Performance Metrics; CanadaDifficulty: 5 - MBA/Postgraduate
RONA INC.- DEALING WITH RECESSIONDarren Meister, Ramasastry ChandrasekharProduct Number: 9B09M076Publication Date: 10/15/2009Length: 19 pagesIn September 2009, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Rona Inc. was reviewing the company's progress in relation to the ongoing economic recession. Rona was the largest retailer of hardlines in Canada. Rona had noticed definitive signs of slowdown in the third quarter of 2007 and had launched Strategic Plan 2008 - 2011 as a response. The two-phase program was nearing the completion of its first phase of Productivity, Efficiency and Profitability (PEP) and was gearing up for the 24 month-long Recovery Program. The Strategic Plan had been tweaked since its launch, all with a view towards strengthening the core platform. The objective of the Recovery Plan was to restore focus on growth vectors from which the company had become distracted. On the eve of commencement of the Recovery Plan, the CEO began to wonder if Rona was ready to act on increasing sales, recruiting independents, constructing new stores and pursuing acquisitions. Or was it necessary to redesign and relaunch the PEP program, thus deferring the Recovery Plan?Teaching Note: 8B09M76 (8 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Strategy Development; Retailing; Managing Recession; Strategy ExecutionDifficulty: 3 - Undergraduate
SPIN MASTER TOYS (A): FINDING A MANUFACTURER FOR E-CHARGERSJohn S. Haywood-Farmer, Ken MarkProduct Number: 9B01D001Publication Date: 1/19/2001Revision Date: 12/17/2009Length: 12 pagesAWARD WINNING CASE - This case was one of the winning cases in the 2002 Regional Asia-Pacific Case Writing Competition. Spin Master Toys was a Canadian manufacturer of toys ready to produce its latest product, E-Charger, an electrically powered model airplane. The operations manager had to decide which supplier should design and manufacture this new product. The timeframe from design to delivery was very short, requiring an accelerated development schedule. The company had a short list of two potential companies, both located in the major toy manufacturing district of southern China, near Hong Kong. The operations manager had to develop the appropriate criteria for this decision and evaluate the two suppliers. With relatively little information and already behind schedule, the company must make its decision in the face of considerable uncertainty. The supplemental cases Spin Master Toys (B): A New E-Chargers Supplier? (product 9B01D002) and Spin Master (C): Keeping the E-Chargers' Wings On (product 9B01D003) follow the progress and the challenges of the production of the E-Charger.Teaching Note: 8B01D01 (7 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: China; Project Management; Quality Management; Supplier Selection; Supplier RelationsDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 13:
Understanding Information Systems and Communication Technology
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SASKATCHEWAN PROVINCIAL PARK CAMPSITE MANAGEMENT AND RESERVATION SYSTEMNicole R.D. Haggerty, William BonnerProduct Number: 9B11E029Publication Date: 9/15/2011Length: 18 pagesThe manager of Visitor Services with Saskatchewan Park Services was thinking ahead to next year, even though 2011 was still four months away. Park Services had experienced a number of turbulent years around the provincial park campground reservation system. While the problems experienced were largely invisible to the public, over the years the behind-the-scenes actions required to process campground reservations had placed an onerous burden on Park Services staff, both in Regina (in Saskatchewan, Canada) and in the local provincial parks. Additionally, the present system severely limited the type of services that could be developed for tourists and campers due to the lack of quality data on campers.
While steps had been taken in 2009 and 2010 to address some of the major problems surrounding the campground reservation system, serious issues remained that required action. This was particularly true when the system in place in Saskatchewan was compared to new campground reservation systems recently employed in Alberta, Manitoba, and the federal national park system. The manager reflected on the turbulent 2008 season, the relative calm in 2009 due to the success of temporary fixes, and the new issues that had arisen in 2010. She needed to decide on a more permanent solution that resolved the operational problems of the present reservation system while also laying the foundation for improved services for campers.Teaching Note: 8B11E029 (15 pages)Industry: Public AdministrationIssues: Information Systems Development; Work Flow Systems; Camping; HillDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
MOLSON CANADA: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETINGDeborah Compeau, Israr QureshiProduct Number: 9B08A014Publication Date: 10/23/2008Revision Date: 5/4/2017Length: 13 pagesThis case describes Molson’s experiment with social media for creating brand awareness. In November 2007, Molson, part of the Molson Coors Brewing Company, ended a social media promotion after facing criticism that it promoted binge drinking. Molson was faced with the difficulty of how quickly the contents of social media could spread to various audiences. The case encourages readers to ponder whether Molson’s action was the only option available and to consider what its next steps might be.Teaching Note: 8B08A14 (4 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Privacy Issues; Internet Culture; Management Information Systems; Social Media; Facebook; BreweriesDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
ESTORE AT SHELL CANADA LIMITEDDeborah Compeau, Barbara L. Marcolin, Roger Milley, Chad SaundersProduct Number: 9B06E020Publication Date: 1/9/2007Revision Date: 9/17/2009Length: 14 pagesThe commercial eProducts Manager at Shell Canada has to determine how to improve the adoption and utilization of their eCommerce channel. eStore had been developed for the fuel and lubricants market as a pilot test of how Shell might communicate with its customers electronically, thus reducing costs. While eStore had been in place for a year, and many customers had signed up, utilization was low. A consulting firm has made recommendations about the technical issues that might be driving low utilization; the commercial eProducts Manager has to consider whether the problems are purely technical, and make a recommendation on how to proceed.Teaching Note: 8B06E20 (10 pages)Industry: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas ExtractionIssues: Management Information Systems; E-Business; Strategy; System ImplementationDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 14:
Understanding Accounting Issues
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LOBLAW AND SHOPPERS DRUG MARTMary Gillett, Chris Sturby, Leanne BowdenProduct Number: 9B14B003Publication Date: 7/3/2014Revision Date: 3/19/2018Length: 16 pagesIn mid-2013, the executive chairman of Loblaw Companies Ltd. was considering whether it was in his company’s best interest to acquire Shoppers Drug Mart. In December 2012, Loblaw had announced a proposal to create a real estate investment trust to which it would initially transfer approximately 75 per cent of its substantial real estate holdings, thus unlocking value for its shareholders. At the same time, Shoppers’ shares were trading at an historically attractive valuation. On the other hand, competition was heating up with the move of big box stores, such as Wal-Mart and Target, into Canada and the growth of online purchasing. Moreover, new government regulations aimed at decreasing the high cost of drugs had an immediate impact on pharmaceutical companies. With Loblaw’s shares trading near a six-year high, there was now the attractive opportunity to use them as currency to make an acquisition whose potential synergies were estimated to be in excess of $300 million per year. Was this a good time to act on what had been perceived for a number of years as an attractive merger option? Did it make strategic sense? If so, what price should Loblaw pay for Shoppers?Teaching Note: 8B14B003 (12 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Mergers and acquisition; financial analysis; valuation; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
AZTEK CHOCOLATE STUDIO: ACCOUNTING SYSTEM SOFTWAREDerrick NeufeldProduct Number: 9B14E004Publication Date: 3/13/2014Revision Date: 3/13/2014Length: 4 pagesIn late 2013, the founder of Aztek Chocolate, a candy manufacturer, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is confronted with making an accounting system selection decision. He has two traditional options — outsourcing to an accounting or bookkeeping firm versus using an internally developed spreadsheet or commercial software package — as well as a third “hybrid” option — using an accounting cloud, or Software-as-a-Service, service provider. Sales are starting to flow in, and chocolates are shipping out, but he realizes he must now attend to setting up financial control and reporting systems before he loses control of the new firm’s financial performance. Should he hire an accountant, manage the finances himself with a commercial accounting software package or use an accounting cloud service provider?Teaching Note: 8B14E004 (5 pages)Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesIssues: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS); accounting; computer applications; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 15:
Understanding Marketing Processes and Consumer Behaviour
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MISTURA BEAUTY SOLUTIONSRon Mulholland, Anthony Davis, Amanda Goupil, Christine Harvey, Kyle MarcusProduct Number: 9B12A034Publication Date: 12/7/2012Revision Date: 11/26/2012Length: 11 pagesA four-year-old cosmetics company is experiencing the typical difficulties of a company evolving from a mom-and-pop operation to a scalable, systems-driven organization. The CEO and founder recognized a problem and opportunity with foundation makeup. She developed a self-adjusting, hard-powder makeup for use on any skin tone. Following an appearance on a reality TV show for entrepreneurs and numerous other promotional measures, the company’s sale grew to nearly $800,000. The recent acquisition of chain store clients requires the company to raise capital to finance the required inventory. Additionally, the company has consolidated its operations into a 4,000 square foot facility to improve logistics, quality control and management efficiency. Ambitious sales projections include a doubling of sales for the next two years. To support this projected growth, the CEO must ensure the appropriate systems are in place. She also needs to finance a marketing program to drive growth.Teaching Note: 8B12A034 (6 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Business growth; product development; segmentation; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICESRon MulhollandProduct Number: 9B11A046Publication Date: 11/25/2011Length: 13 pagesThe marketing manager for Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is concerned about a growing demand for blood — two per cent per year — driven by a number of factors, including the decrease of wait times in local hospitals, new operating procedures, and increased use or requirements of an aging population. Peak demand seasons coincide with low supply seasons, such as summer and winter holidays. Two issues require attention: the first involves increasing the absolute number of donors, currently in the 400,000 range. Indications are that the percentage of Canadians who donate blood (four per cent) is lower than other countries such as Sweden (five per cent). The second need is to retain more donors and increase the number of donations per donor each year. The CBS still faces issues stemming from the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s and the subsequent Krever inquiry. It is working to rebuild the trust of the public. The crux of the issue is understanding consumer behaviour toward blood donation. The manager needs to understand the consumer decision process, examine segments, determine a target segment, and develop communications to increase both the absolute number of donors and the repeat donations of identified donors.Teaching Note: 8B11A046 (15 pages)Industry: Health Care ServicesIssues: Consumer Behaviour; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Communication; Blood Donations; Health Care; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
PILLSBURY COOKIE CHALLENGEAllison Johnson, Natalie MauroProduct Number: 9B11A001Publication Date: 2/3/2011Revision Date: 3/8/2018Length: 14 pagesThe Canadian Pillsbury ready-baked goods cookie line is experiencing disappointing performance, and the marketing manager at General Mills Canada Corporation is under pressure to make strategic decisions that will help turn around the segment. The marketing manager has engaged the help of the consumer insight team to conduct market research studies that will shed light on consumers and their attitudes, behaviours, and preferences towards the product. The results from the market research studies have arrived, and the students, assuming the role of the marketing manager, must filter through them to determine how this information can be used to improve the performance of the cookie segment. More specifically, students will need to determine where the greatest opportunities lie, who the team should target, what brand messaging is the most relevant, and what type of communication plan would be most effective.Teaching Note: 8B11A001 (11 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Cross-cultural Differences; Customer Segmentation; Brand Positioning; Value Proposition; Market ResearchDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 16:
Developing and Promoting Goods and Services
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COLGATE-PALMOLIVE CANADA: FIGHTING FOR A SHARE OF THE TOOTHPASTE MARKETMichael Taylor, Ramasastry ChandrasekharProduct Number: 9B14A044Publication Date: 1/6/2015Revision Date: 11/10/2014Length: 15 pagesAfter several years of near steady state, the market share of Colgate Palmolive Canada Inc. in the toothpaste category has gathered momentum in 2012. In a bid to extend the gap between the company and its primary competitors in the category in 2013, the vice-president of customer development is discussing the options with his team at company headquarters in Toronto. Market share is an important performance metric at the company. One suggestion is to increase the marketing budget. There is a general consensus that marketing dollars should not be diffused across activities during the year, but there are differences of opinion about what to focus on — trade promotions, consumer promotions or advertising — in order to sustain the momentum in market share in 2013.Teaching Note: 8B14A044 (25 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Market share; retailing; consumer promotions; trade; advertising; growth strategy; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
DEVELOPING A NEW SMARTPHONE APPLICATION: URBANBABYAndrew PerkinsProduct Number: 9B12A054Publication Date: 11/6/2012Revision Date: 11/6/2012Length: 8 pagesUrbanBaby is a newly developed smartphone application (app) that allows users to address the difficult task of finding activities, restaurants and other forms of entertainment for newborns to young teens. A number of issues must be addressed if it is going to be profitable. First, the app’s creators, Alex and Pavel, are unsure how to characterize the large potential target market, parents, or if there are other target markets that might be interested. This is critical, as the success of the app depends on the cultivation of a strong online community that will contribute content. Second, they have to find a reliable source of data to populate the app. Third, they must decide whether to focus on Apple's operating system, which is popular in North America, or put more of their energy into competing operating systems that are much more popular in the rest of the world. Finally, they have a number of strategic marketing choices to make and to prioritize, including whether to keep the UrbanBaby brand name and risk the ire of similarly named competitors, how to price the app, how to position and promote the app and how to time the rollout. How these initial choices will affect subsequent strategic and tactical decisions is also a matter of concern.Teaching Note: 8B12A054 (4 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Product Development; Branding; smartphone; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP: THE PRIVATE LABEL STRATEGYMatthew Thomson, Ken MarkProduct Number: 9B12A028Publication Date: 7/13/2012Revision Date: 9/14/2012Length: 15 pagesMountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is a well-known Canadian retailer of outdoor clothing and equipment. While it stocks a range of branded products in its stores, a key source of profits is its private-label line. The challenge MEC faces is how to continue to develop and launch innovative private-labeled products while recognizing that they may be direct competitors of MEC’s assortment of global brands. MEC needs to develop its line-up without being seen as infringing on intellectual property or being too much of a “follower.” In assessing how MEC can develop its line-up, students can review MEC’s philosophy as a co-operative (in which it positions itself as being different from corporations) and its design philosophy.Teaching Note: 8B12A028 (11 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Private Label; Retail Strategy; Product Development; Product Assortment; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 17:
Pricing and Distributing Goods and Services
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SPARTAN BUILDING PRODUCTSP. Fraser JohnsonProduct Number: 9B15D009Publication Date: 5/8/2015Revision Date: 8/2/2017Length: 9 pagesThe logistics analyst at Spartan Building Products, a large, national distributor of building materials, needs to prepare a report analyzing the company’s logistics practices. Management is particularly concerned about the high cost of servicing customer deliveries. Students are asked to evaluate factors contributing to the logistics problems at Spartan, including freight costs and the sales mix. Students will analyze the cost implications of supporting a broad product line and servicing customer orders that have a small dollar value.Teaching Note: 8B15D009 (18 pages)Industry: Wholesale TradeIssues: Supply chain; logistics; distribution; transportation; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
HYRULE CINEMAS: PRICING MOVIES AND POPCORNMehmet A. Begen, Robert CianfaraniProduct Number: 9B14E012Publication Date: 6/11/2014Revision Date: 6/11/2014Length: 6 pagesHyrule Cinemas is losing money quickly and its owner must take steps to rectify the problem. Using survey data and general information about the business, three types of analysis can be completed: Van Westendorp, conjoint, and a decision tree. These analyses will enable Hyrule Cinemas to make the best decision possible about price points and location, thereby helping the company to become profitable. A student spreadsheet is available (see 7B14E012).Teaching Note: 8B14E012 (10 pages)Industry: Arts, Entertainment, Sports and RecreationIssues: Van Westendorp analysis; conjoint analysis; decision tree; price perceptions; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
A COUPLE OF SQUARES: PRICING FOR THE FUTURE (A)Dante Pirouz, Raymond Pirouz, Dina Ribbink, Emily Chen-BendleProduct Number: 9B13A004Publication Date: 3/14/2013Revision Date: 3/21/2013Length: 14 pagesIn 2012, small upscale bakery produces artisan-quality, hand-decorated cookies, generating $1 million in annual revenue. In the (A) case, the two co-owners investigate the role of pricing in driving growth for their business and allowing them to achieve several fundamental financial goals. In the (B) case 9B13A005, the partners explore the possibility of a website to drive direct-to-consumer sales on an e-commerce platform.
The multimedia elements of the case 7B13A004 will add to the richness of the conversation. (A higher price applies to this case due to color exhibits.)Teaching Note: 8B13A004 (4 pages)Industry: ManufacturingIssues: Pricing; Operations; Small Business; Social Media; B2C; B2B; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 18:
Understanding Money and Banking
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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BANK OF CANADAPaul Boothe, Alex Jacobs-HajianProduct Number: 9B14M013Publication Date: 7/29/2014Revision Date: 7/29/2014Length: 5 pagesOn January 28, 2009, the president and CEO of the Business Development Bank of Canada is considering the impact of the minister of finance’s announcement in his recent 2009 budget that the bank would offer a new financial product to help auto and heavy equipment dealers suffering through the global financial and economic crisis. A wholly owned Government of Canada Crown corporation, the bank’s mandate is to help create and develop Canadian businesses through financing, subordinate financing, venture capital and consulting services, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. It is expected both to complement private-sector financial institutions and to earn a rate of return on common equity greater than or equal to the government’s average long-term cost of capital. Taken by surprise due to budget secrecy, the president has spent the last two days in conversations with his staff, senior government officials and his board chair. He needs a plan to quickly launch this new and completely unfamiliar line of business while navigating the complex governance and stakeholder environment that BDC faces.Teaching Note: 8B14M013 (3 pages)Industry: Finance and InsuranceIssues: New product launch; resource allocation; governance; Crown corporation; CanadaDifficulty: 5 - MBA/Postgraduate
SMITH FAMILY FINANCIAL PLAN (A)Brian Lane, Nathalie JohnstoneProduct Number: 9B13N005Publication Date: 7/17/2013Revision Date: 5/24/2013Length: 6 pagesThe Smith family is in a cash crunch. Even with a combined gross family income of $80,000 per year, monthly cash outflows are still greater than inflows. Joel and Amber Smith are aware of these cash flow problems, but do not understand where their money goes and struggle to set financial goals. They have contacted a financial advisory firm to help them develop a plan and set realistic future goals. The Smiths face financial problems common to young families such as saving for their retirement and children’s education, paying down credit card debt, paying down (and possibly refinancing) their mortgage, buying a new vehicle, and providing adequate healthcare insurance. Students are tasked with playing the role of the family’s financial advisor and helping them bring their finances under control.
The case is built in two parts, (A) and (B). These can be used in separate 75- to 90-minute classes, with Smith Family Financial Plan (A) covered at the midpoint of the course and Smith Family Financial Plan (B), product 9B13N006, covered near the end. Alternatively, it can be used as a two-part major assignment, with Part (A) as the first major submission and Part (B) as the second.Teaching Note: 8B13N005 (11 pages)Industry: Finance and InsuranceIssues: Personal finance; financial planning; personal taxation; retirement planning; CanadaDifficulty: 3 - Undergraduate
GARRY HALPER MENSWEAR LIMITED: A LOAN REQUEST FOR AN EXPORT ORDERJames E. Hatch, Stephen R. Foerster, Steven Cox, Manpreet HoraProduct Number: 9B13N010Publication Date: 5/1/2013Revision Date: 4/18/2017Length: 17 pagesGarry Halper Menswear Limited (GHM) is a medium-sized manufacturer of superior-quality men’s suits and jackets that up to now have largely been distributed in Canada. The firm has landed a very large order for men’s suits with Sutton’s in the United States. To meet the order, the firm has decided to import partly completed suits from China. The treasurer of GHM must assess the financing needs and related risks that result from this large increase in sales. At the same time, he believes that the company’s present bank is timid in its response to the firm’s needs, and he would like to consider another banking relationship.Teaching Note: 8B13N010 (17 pages)Industry: Retail TradeIssues: Exporting; Foreign Currency Exposure; Working Capital; Lending; Canada; United States; ChinaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 19:
Understanding Securities and Investments
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CANADA WIDE SAVINGS, LOAN AND TRUST COMPANYDavid C. ShawProduct Number: 9B12N009Publication Date: 7/9/2012Revision Date: 7/9/2012Length: 11 pagesThe chief executive officer of a financial institution must decide whether or not to grant a $3 million loan to an investor in mutual funds. The financial institution makes loans of $2 for every $1 invested in mutual funds to qualified investors. The issue here is to determine whether the risks associated with this loan application justify the investment. The case involves assessing the various risks associated with the loan, including the credit risk attached to the borrower, the market risk of the planned investment program, and the currency risk of a loan in Canadian dollars and investments in foreign securities.Teaching Note: 8B12N009 (4 pages)Industry: Finance and InsuranceIssues: Investment Decision Making; Risk Assessment; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
INVESTMENT FUNDS INSTITUTE OF CANADARobert J. Fisher, Christina A. Cavanagh, Stephen R. Foerster, Ramasastry ChandrasekharProduct Number: 9B04A008Publication Date: 11/23/2004Revision Date: 10/7/2009Length: 16 pagesThe vice-president of regulation at the Investment Funds Institute of Canada is reviewing the monthly statistics. It shows the continuance of three trends, prevalent during the last 12 months in the Canadian mutual funds industry. Net sales of mutual funds were declining, fund redemptions were rising and the rate of growth in mutual fund assets had been marginal. The vice-president must determine how the Investment Funds Institute, as the industry trade association for mutual funds, can influence these trends. He must decide on the message, who he should target with the message and the media through which he should reach his target audience, and present his plan at the next executive committee meeting.Teaching Note: 8B04A08 (5 pages)Industry: Social Advocacy OrganizationsIssues: Services; Marketing Management; Market Segmentation; Investment FundsDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
AIR CANADA: BOND RATINGS AND OFF-BALANCE SHEET OPERATING LEASESChristine I. Wiedman, Heather WierProduct Number: 9B03B009Publication Date: 8/6/2003Revision Date: 10/15/2009Length: 18 pagesAn investor is considering investing in Air Canada bonds after reading an article on the attractiveness of the bonds. Trading at US$0.80 on the dollar, the bonds are yielding approximately 14 per cent. The investor must conduct some financial analysis on her own to assess whether the company's financial position has improved or deteriorated since a bond rating downgrade eight months ago. She must also evaluate how off-balance sheet operating leases would affect the analysis. The case illustrates how financial statement users can use lease disclosures to restate financial statements to fully reflect liability arising from operating leases.Teaching Note: 8B03B09 (11 pages)Industry: Transportation and WarehousingIssues: Corporate Financial Reporting; Leasing; Accounting MethodsDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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Chapter 20:
Financial Decisions and Risk Management
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SONNEN TRUCKING COMPANYStephan Vachon, Tessa WeidnerProduct Number: 9B15D005Publication Date: 2/5/2015Revision Date: 2/3/2015Length: 8 pagesIn January 2013, the new chief executive officer of the Sonnen Trucking Company, a family-owned business, is considering how to reduce fleet insurance costs. As profit margins are very tight and continuing to shrink, she has to think about variables she can control in order to affect the bottom line positively. Insurance costs are the logical item to address since they are based on the company’s safety and accident records and the extent that it is willing to support a deductible. Should she institute a self-insured model or stick with the standard insurance model? She also must choose a risk mitigation/prevention strategy involving either disciplinary measures or the newly developed Drive Safe program. Whatever she decides to do, she must make sure that she retains good drivers and attracts new trainees who will be motivated to focus on safety and good customer relations in order to build the business.Teaching Note: 8B15D005 (7 pages)Industry: Transportation and WarehousingIssues: Operating risk; insurance; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
BRIDGITDavid Simpson, Colin McDougallProduct Number: 9B14M150Publication Date: 1/26/2015Revision Date: 12/18/2014Length: 6 pagesIn 2014, the co-founder of a new business needs to develop a solid business case for the value of her new software application, Bridgit. Focused on reducing construction delays due to poor deficiency management, Bridgit's software enables project managers to eliminate wasted resources (e.g., time, money, relationship capital) by delivering an easy-to-use software solution. Determining the value of Bridgit in the absence of meaningful numbers creates a challenge: ask for too much and lose your investment; ask for too little and appear naive or give up too much.Teaching Note: 8B14M150 (3 pages)Industry: ConstructionIssues: Start-up; venture funding; software development; CanadaDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
ACPANA BUSINESS SYSTEMS INC.: EFFECT OF CURRENCY EXPOSURE ON REVENUEColette Southam, Robert SchenkelProduct Number: 9B11N010Publication Date: 7/20/2011Length: 6 pagesThe vice president of operations for Acpana Business Systems Inc., a Canadian software development and backup-as-a-service provider located in Toronto, Canada, is concerned that the recent appreciation of the Canadian dollar is significantly affecting Acpana’s revenue and undermining the company’s organic growth. The case focuses on understanding and quantifying the risks associated with exchange rate fluctuation and its impact on a firm’s revenues and costs. The case introduces instruments available to hedge risk, including forward contracts and put and call options.Teaching Note: 8B11N010 (10 pages)Industry: Administrative, Support, Waste Management and Remediation ServicesIssues: Foreign Exchange; Risk Management; Put and Call Options; Forward ContractsDifficulty: 3 - Undergraduate
AIR CANADA - RISK MANAGEMENTDavid Wood, Craig DunbarProduct Number: 9B10N037Publication Date: 12/13/2010Length: 11 pagesThe chief executive officer (CEO) of Air Canada was reviewing the company's risk management program with the intent to suggest changes to the policy. Risk management was a topic all corporate boards were dedicating time to since the financial collapse of 2008, and boards had come to realize that hard questions needed to be asked about the source of risk, how it was disclosed, how it was to be accounted for and how it was managed. The CEO knew that he needed to consider the impact of his view of the economy, interest rates, exchange rates and the commodity markets on how aggressive Air Canada should be with its appropriate hedges. He decided to start by identifying the most relevant sources of external risk that could materially affect Air Canada's short and long-term financial performance. He then wanted to understand how these risks were managed today and how they compared to West Jet, their main competitor. Finally, he wanted to determine what changes should be made to either eliminate the source of risk or better manage any significant risks that remained.Teaching Note: 8B10N037 (16 pages)Industry: Transportation and WarehousingIssues: Operations Management; Corporate Strategy; Risk Exposure; Hedging Risk; Risk Management; Defining Financial RiskDifficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA
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