A case study from the Institute of Management, Chennai annual B-School event. The case deals with the decision making of whether to go for the merger and acquisition and evaluating the different parameters before taking a decision…click here to read the case
Suggested Solution for the above case study:
1. Solution (pdf)
2. Solution financials (xls)
Filed under Banking, Business Strategy, Finance, Merger and Acquisition
In 2002 about twenty local businesses in Austin founded the Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA), which is affiliated with the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA). AIBA was very popular with local businesses, and over the next three years the organization grew to have about 320 members. To support local businesses, the organization publishes and distributes a biannual directory that lists all of the members and is distributed to 10,000 local residents and businesses. AIBA has also sponsored “Austin Unchained,” a day when shoppers patronize only locally owned businesses. I interviewed Melissa Miller, the director of AIBA. After completing her studies in environmental resource management in the Geography Department at the University of Texas, Ms. Miller did fundraising and public outreach for environmental groups in the Austin area. She also worked for Cielo Wind Power, an Austin-based wind developer, before joining AIBA
Membership in AIBA is limited to businesses in Austin or those in neighboring communities that provide services to Austin. Most members are in the retail or service sector, but there is no restriction on the type of business. They key membership criteria are that businesses must also be locally owned and operated, not public traded, and not national franchises. The membership criterion of allowing or not allowing franchises varies among independent business associations across the country, and AIBA’s policy on franchises or formula businesses is stricter than some of the other local business organizations. Although some franchise owners claim that they are really local businesses and want to join, Miller explained that AIBA does not have the time to distinguish among types of franchises. Keep reading…
A floral delivery company, Blooms Today was a seasonal business. Business around Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day was always booming—in fact, the company had just about as much business as it could handle around those two holidays—but it needed a way to drive sales during non-peak times. The company, which considers itself to be in the relationship business, nevertheless had no email marketing strategy to improve relationships with customers. By creating an email strategy based on little-known “holidays,” the company was able to spur gift-giving during the off-season. Click here to read more…
Case Study: How a Seasonal Business Increased Off-Season Sales With Five Simple Email Tactics
Filed under Business, Business Strategy
A business strategy is the means by which it sets out to achieve its desired ends (objectives). It can simply be described as a long-term business planning. Typically a business strategy will cover a period of about 3-5 years (sometimes even longer).A business strategy is concerned with major resource issues e.g. raising the finance to build a new factory or plant. Strategies are also concerned with deciding on what products to allocate major resources to – for example when Coca-Cola launched Pooh Roo Juice in this country.
Strategies are concerned with the scope of a business’ activities i.e. what and where they produce. For example, BIC’s scope is focused on three main product areas – lighters, pens, and razors, and they have developed superfactories in key geographical locations to produce these items.
Two main categories of strategies can be identified: 1. Generic (general) strategies, and 2. Competitive strategies. Read more…
Filed under Business, Business Strategy, Free Cases
Abstract:~ We will present an analysis of data from a literature review and semi-structured interviews with experts on OER, to identify different aspects of OER business models and to establish how the success of the OER initiatives is measured. The results collected thus far show that two different business models for OER initiatives exist, but no data on their success or failure is published. We propose a framework for measuring success of OER initiatives.
Introduction:~ Open Educational Resources encompass a wide set of resources – e.g., learning materials, courseware, software tools, educational services and support – that are freely shared within an educational community. There are many ways to do so, in terms of underlying technology, development, maintenance, support, and funding schemes. Downes (2007) provides an overview of these diverse models for funding, technical, content and staffing. But although several case studies and other reports on OER initiatives have been published. Keep reading…
Abstract:~ The case study method has not been as frequently used in international business (IB) research as quantitative methods. Moreover, it has been sometimes misused and quite often criticized. Still, it can be very useful for understanding such complex phenomena as the internationalization process or the management of multinational enterprises. Based on case study methodology literature and the author’s personal experience from conducting case studies and reviewing case study articles, this paper proposes some ways for overcoming some of the critiques of the case study method and increasing its contribution to IB research. Key Words: Case Studies, International Business, and Qualitative Research.
Introduction:~ The case study method has been used in several areas of international business (IB) research. For instance, the “Uppsala model” which is well-known to those researching internationalization is based on four Swedish cases introduced by Jan Johanson and Finn Wiedersheim-Paul in 1975. (The Uppsala model states that in the initiation of international activities, firms lack market knowledge and thus begin their foreign market entry from comparatively similar and well-known countries and prefer exporting as it is easier than establishing sales or manufacturing subsidiaries abroad.) Despite the success of this multi-case study, several scholars have affirmed that quantitative methods are more often used in many business and management disciplines, even if case studies and other qualitative methods are sometimes more justified. Keep reading…
Filed under Business, Business Strategy
Hansa|GCR has provided support to a client over a nine-year period in conducting a global brand management system. This system was used by multiple stakeholder groups to gain insight on what to do to enhance brand and market performance. One of the aspects of the brand management system was the development of linkage analysis to provide additional insight on what the organization could do to enhance the brand and ultimately increase financial results. The following pages provide a snapshot of sample results from this linkage analysis as well as background on the Hansa|GCR linkage approach.
Performance Management System Using Linkage Analysis: Case Study
Hansa|GCR views brand and customer management as fundamental to business management. A linked system of measures needs to inform the business and provide actionable direction for improvement. The best systems actively involve key stakeholders in conceptualizing their system and how it can support the business, plus integrate different functional groups’ perspectives in what can be done with results for on-going business management. Click here to read more…
Filed under Brand Management, Business, Marketing
At its most fundamental level, leadership is about producing change, while management focuses on creating processes to produce predictable results. This article explores the practice of leadership in law firms today and discusses what will be necessary for law firms to succeed and thrive in the future. It draws heavily on early returns from research that spans hundreds of attorneys in large, global and midsized U.S. firms, conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®).1These initial findings provide a foundation for a deeper discussion about what constitutes effective leadership.
In recent years, a new practice model has gained a foothold.2 The number of owner-partners has decreased and ownership power has become more concentrated. Growth now comes from many sources, including mergers and lateral entry of new attorneys. Clients are less inclined to remain loyal to a firm and more likely to follow an individual attorney who moves from one firm to another. The market for lawyers has become global, with competition coming from many new areas. Any firm interested in long-term survival must be able to cope with the loss of high-performing partners and their support teams. Keep reading…
In the past, risk management was undertaken on a siloed basis at Eastman. FX risk was managed by the pensions manager, and commodity risk was the responsibility of procurement, with a variety of disparate systems in place. At Eastman, we pride ourselves in engaging the best people, processes and technology, and in maintaining a best-in-class position across all of our activities. We recognized that we needed to refine our approach to risk management to align with these standards, so we approached our Board with a view to transforming the way that we assess and manage risk. We have a high-calibre Board, whose members have a detailed understanding of risk management issues. We therefore received considerable support for this initiative amongst senior management, which is imperative for delivering a complex project with a variety of stakeholders. Click here to read more…
Filed under Business, Business Strategy, Free Cases