When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. The case describes the dilemma of a marketing manager, Thomas Green, who, after being rapidly promoted, is harshly criticized by his boss, Frank Davis. Green and Davis disagree on work styles and market projections. Green believes the sales goals set by Davis are based on ""creative accounting"" and grossly overstate .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. In May 2007, the Engstrom Auto Mirrors plant, a relatively small supplier based in Indiana, faces a crisis. The business was in the second year of a downturn. Sales had started to decline in 2005; a year later, plant manager Ron Bent had been forced to lay off more than 20 percent of the work force. Plant productivity .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. Ken Winston, the regional sales manager at a securities brokerage firm, has reorganized his generalist salespeople into ""Key Account Teams"" (KAT), to increase sales of specialized, higher-margin fixed income products. Winston is also implementing a new corporate performance management system. To help improve .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. TerraCog, a successful privately held high-tech firm that develops GPS (global positioning system) and similar products for consumer markets, has recently been caught off-guard by a competitor''s new product that makes novel use of satellite imagery. When TerraCog pursues development of a directly competing product, .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. Treadway Tire''s plant in Lima, Ohio must confront strong job dissatisfaction and high turnover among its line foremen. The foremen are caught in the middle of an adversarial relationship between the union and management, and they must cope with the needs and interests of both. They also perceive limited opportunity .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. At Merrimack Tractors and Mowers in 2008, product manufacturing costs are increasing faster than competitors'' costs, and as a result earnings are likely to fall below those reported in 2007. The company president and the company controller have discussed this problem, and the controller has mentioned that if .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. In 2006, Talbots, Inc., a specialty women''s retailer, purchased a competitor, J. Jill. The transaction created a large goodwill account along with accounts for trademarks and other intangible assets. Using prevailing accounting standards (Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142), Talbots determined .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. Biovail Corporation, a major Canadian pharmaceutical company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, announces that it will miss its quarterly earnings target by $25 to $45 million, blaming $10 to $15 million of the shortfall on a truck accident involving a shipment that left its facility on the last day of the .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. Key topics include designing teams, managing teams, managing conflict, group dynamics, project management, product development, interdepartmental relations, and organizational change. MediSys, a U.S.-based medical equipment maker, has been developing IntensCare, a new medical system for monitoring intensive-care .....more

When students have the English-language PDF of this Brief Case in a coursepack, they will also have the option to purchase an audio version. Jimmy Fu is interviewing for a job at Moog, Inc., a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision motion and fluid controls and systems. He learns that a job offer from Moog typically includes stock options and restricted stock in the compensation package. The vesting and termination language .....more

The case describes the evolution of an interpersonal mismatch between a previously successful manager, Jamie Turner, and his new boss, Pat Cardullo. Turner, a 32-year-old MBA graduate, has been recruited by Cardullo to be vice president of marketing and sales at Modern Lighting Industries, Inc. (MLI). MLI, a struggling regional distributor of industrial lighting systems and equipment based in Chicago, has recently been acquired by a division of the .....more

The sales representatives at Designs by Kate (DBK) sell private label jewelry at hosted parties and through online social media channels. They are also responsible for recruiting, training, and managing new sales reps. CEO and founder Kate Creevey designed the commission plan to encourage sales reps to build teams and become ""leaders"" for their teams. The strategy has been very successful over the company''s first five years. Now the CEO is concerned .....more

Kay Sunderland is an account director at Attain Learning Inc., a business training solutions company. In January 2011, one of Attain''s most important clients, Juan Nunez of Gramen Equipment Company, contacts Sunderland with a request: Nunez would like Attain content development director Mike Morgan to stop contacting him directly. Sunderland is surprised that Morgan, an experienced and talented contributor, is potentially jeopardizing the account .....more

Martha Rinaldi has been an assistant product manager at leading beverage company Potomac Waters since graduating from business school. Rinaldi is frustrated by her relationships with her boss and a close co-worker. Even though she works hard to please her manager, she has received a negative performance evaluation for her first four months. Should Rinaldi leave Potomac for a standing job offer at a company she previously interned with or try to improve .....more

In January 2010, U. S. luxury goods retailer Raleigh & Rosse is being sued by its employees for encouraging ""off the clock"" hours. At the center of the class action lawsuit is the famous Raleigh & Rosse performance measurement system previously thought to be the core of the retailer''s success. The system uses a sales-per-hour model to reward salespeople for time well spent on the floor. However, in this industry, where strong customer service is .....more

In 2011, Celeritas is a leading data communications company in the crowded, highly competitive, and ever-evolving enterprise-network optimization market. Having experienced rapid growth since its founding in 2003, Celeritas has recently seen sales decline and has begun to lose market share along with its status as the top player. The CEO, concerned about several problems that may have contributed to this decline, engages an organizational development .....more

In July 2008, Luis Morales, president of Kent Chemical International, is proposing a third reorganization effort after two failed attempts to better align his business with its U.S.-based parent company. With a global expansion strategy placing increasing demands on his organization, a divide forming between Kent''s core business and its growth markets, and a global recession looming, Morales knows this time his plan has no room for error.

Meli Marine, a container shipping company, is facing an important strategic decision after an interesting acquisition opportunity presents itself. Founded in 1974 by the Chang Family, the Singapore-based company has carved out a niche in the intra-Asia transport market. After years of success, eroding business conditions caused a financial crisis and a new CEO, David Tian, was brought in. Tian created a successful strategic change effort that resulted .....more

Roger Cahill has spent less than a year as head of the Mobile Division of BoldFlash, a flash memory component maker. On the corporate level, BoldFlash has adapted to an evolving and difficult marketplace, but the Mobile Division is struggling. The four groups within the unit refuse to work together, and the unit recently failed to capitalize on an important new product opportunity. To address the problems, Cahill has made a number of organizational .....more

Bella Healthcare India was originally established in Bangalore as a low-cost manufacturing facility for a U.S.-based cardiology equipment developer. Under country manager Joseph Cherian it evolved considerably, developing its own research and development capabilities. Strengthened by investment in technical training and a shift in culture and mindset, the India team developed and launched its first successful product in 2005 under the guidance of .....more