bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ontela PicDeck (B): Customer Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning
Authors: Sawhney Mohanbir , Grayson Kent , Dupree Patrick , Hsu Christine , Metzger Ryan , Obuchi Fuminari , Sundaram Arun , Wilson Kari 
Published: March 2017

Ontela, a technology start-up company, has introduced an innovative service called PicDeck that improves the mobile imaging experience for wireless subscribers. Ontela sells PicDeck to wireless carriers, who in turn private-label the service to their subscribers. Ontela must decide which customer segments it should target for the service and how to create a positioning strategy and a marketing communication plan to promote it. It must also consider the value proposition of the PicDeck service for wireless carriers (its direct customers), who need to be convinced that the service will lead to higher monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) and/or increased subscriber loyalty. Part A of the case provides qualitative information on customer personae that represent different customer segments. Students are asked to develop a targeting and positioning strategy based on this qualitative information. Part B provides quantitative data on customer preferences that can be used to identify response-based customer segments, as well as demographic and media habits information that can be used to profile the segments. Students are asked to revise their recommendations based on the additional quantitative data.The case reinforces the principles of data-driven customer segmentation, discusses the appropriate criteria for selecting segments, and provides a deeper understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches to identifying and evaluating segments. The case illustrates how the results of data-driven segmentation may run counter to approaches that rely on “gut feel” or qualitative information alone.
Pedigree Growth Strategy (A)
Authors: Calkins Tim , Deming Ann 
Published: March 2017

Julie Smith, brand manager for dog food manufacturer Pedigree, has to determine how best to jump-start growth in the slumping business. The (A) case centers on the debate over which type of strategy to pursue, brand building versus in-store activity, while the (B) case focuses on the concept of cause marketing as a growth strategy.The case examines the common challenge of building a very well-established business, and can be used to teach established business growth strategy, advertising, and cause marketing.
Penfolds
Authors: Calkins Tim 
Published: March 2017

The Penfolds case is designed to help students think through brand positioning and brand portfolio questions. Penfolds, one of the world's best known brands of wine, is performing poorly and a new management team needs to quickly reverse the business trends. To do so, the new management team needs to answer key questions, such as: What is Penfolds' positioning? Has the brand extended too far? Can Penfolds successfully play in all price segments of the wine industry? What is the best way to grow the brand going forward?Students will learn about brand portfolio issues and brand positioning. The case is designed to prompt a discussion about how far a brand can extend without losing meaning, and the use of different branding elements such as sub-brands and endorsers.
Polaris Industries Inc.
Authors: Chopra Sunil , Andreas Ioana , Gee Sigmund , Kolasi Ivi , Lhoste Stephane , Neuwirth Benjamin 
Published: March 2017

In September 2010 Suresh Krishna, vice president of operations and integration at Polaris Industries Inc., a manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles, Side-by-Sides, and snowmobiles, needed to recommend a location for a new plant to manufacture the company's Side-by-Side vehicles.The economic slowdown in the United States had put considerable pressure on Polaris's profits, so the company was considering whether it should follow the lead of other manufacturers and open a facility in a country with lower labor costs. China and Mexico were shortlisted as possible locations for the new factory, which would be the first Polaris manufacturing facility located outside the Midwestern United States. By the end of the year Krishna needed to recommend to the board whether Polaris should build a new plant abroad (near-shored in Mexico or off-shored in China) or continue to manufacture in its American facilities.
Evaluate tradeoffs between different geographic locations when establishing a manufacturing facility (off-shoring, near-shoring, and on-shoring)
Run a sensitivity analysis on total cost
Assess the impact of transportation costs, exchange rates, labor cost rates, lead times, and other assumptions on total costs
Identify qualitative factors to be considered when deciding between non-U.S. facility locations, transportation time variability, consumer perceptions, and cultural differences
Porsche, Volkswagen, and CSX: Cars, Trains, and Derivatives
Authors: Stowell David P. , McLarty Theron 
Published: March 2017

Family members knew something was very wrong when Adolf Merckle, who had guided the family holding company, VEM Vermogensverwaltung GmbH, through dozens of successful investments, left the house one afternoon in January 2009 and failed to return. That night their fears were confirmed when a German railway worker located Merckle's body near a commuter train line near his hometown of Blaubeuren, about a hundred miles west of Munich. It was no secret that the recent financial crisis had taken a toll on Merckle's investments. He was known in Germany as a savvy investor, but had lost hundreds of millions of Euros after being caught on the wrong side of a short squeeze of epic proportions involving Volkswagen stock. This was not the only large bet against that company's stock. A number of hedge funds, including Greenlight Capital, SAC Capital, Glenview Capital, Tiger Asia, and Perry Capital, lost billions of Euros in a few hours based on their large short positions in Volkswagen's stock following the news on October 26, 2008, that Porsche AG had obtained a large long synthetic position in Volkswagen stock through cash-settled options. In the next two days, this short squeeze produced a fivefold increase in Volkswagen's share price, as demand for shares from hedge funds exceeded the supply of borrowable shares.This case focuses on the massive equity derivative positions entered into by Porsche in relation to Volkswagen stock and by TCI and 3G in relation to CSX stock. Students will learn how equity exposure can be created without buying stock and without prior disclosure. The role of regulators, courts, and investment banks that facilitate these transactions is also explored.
Positioning the Tata Nano (A)
Authors: Tybout Alice M. , Fahey Natalie 
Published: March 2017

The case focuses on positioning a new brand, the Tata Nano. The car has been widely publicized as the world's cheapest car at Rs.1 lakh. Students must consider the gap between the ultimate target, the huge emerging middle class of Indian consumers, and the limited capacity and distribution available in choosing a target. They also must select between alternative competitive frames and the various points of difference they highlight. The case unfolds in two stages. The first decision point is in 2009, at the launch of the time of the product launch. The second decision point is 18 months later, after production capacity has increased and some product safety issues have arisen.The primary goal of the case is to illustrate the choices made in developing a strong brand positioning and the interrelationship between these choices. Students select a target and an appropriate competitive frame of reference and point of difference for that target and summarize these elements in a positioning statement. The case also highlights importance of making promotion and distribution decisions that are consistent with the positioning.
Quaker Oats's Oatmeal Division
Authors: Nordhielm Christie L. , Hall Gretchen 
Published: March 2017

The hot breakfast cereal division of Quaker Oats was in serious decline, and the increasing American preference for speed and convenience at breakfast did not bode well for the category. The senior VP overseeing the hot breakfast division has been given an ultimatum by the CEO to turn the company's namesake product line around. She develops a marketing plan, but will it work?To analyze a mature product category within the context of its competition and consumer trends, and apply several aspects of brand management and marketing strategy to maintain market share in the face of changing consumer preferences and intense competition.
Quality Wireless (A): Call Center Performance
Authors: Chopra Sunil 
Published: March 2017

Quality Wireless has received customer complaints about long hold times at its call center. To address these complaints, it put into place certain process changes at its call center. After one month, the company will now decide whether improvement has taken place.To develop an understanding of process capability and how an improvement can be statistically validated. To understand the “check” phase of the plan-do-check-act cycle of Deming, using basic statistical principles.
Quantitative Easing in the Great Recession
Authors: Krishnamurthy Arvind , Foster Taft 
Published: March 2017

This case presents financial and macroeconomic data for the United States between 2007 and 2013, a period covering the financial crisis and Great Recession of 2007–2009 and the slow economic recovery from 2009 onward. During this period, the Federal Reserve had set the federal funds rate, its primary monetary policy instrument, near zero and was using additional monetary policy tools to stimulate the economy. One of these additional tools was quantitative easing (QE).Students will use the data provided in the case to examine how financial markets reacted to QE actions by the Federal Reserve and to analyze the potential impact of QE on the macroeconomy.After reading and analyzing the case, students will be able to:

Apply the event study methodology to analyze economic effects
Recognize how macroeconomic news affects the prices of financial securities
Describe the connections between the prices of financial securities and the macroeconomy
• Debate the relative costs and benefits of quantitative easing and the optimality of Federal Reserve policy
R. J. Reynolds's Dakota Cigarette (A2): Designed for Young Women
Authors: Derry Robbin , Waikar Sachin 
Published: March 2017

While R. J. Reynolds prepares to launch a new cigarette designed to recapture a portion of the 18- to 24-year-old female market from Philip Morris's rival Marlboro, a small health advocacy group receives an anonymous package exposing the marketing plans for the new brand. Poses the tactical strategies of the public health advocates against the defensive strategies of RJR as each group pursues its own goals.To evaluate the strategic opportunities of a health advocacy organization; assess the crisis management actions of a corporation marketing controversial products; examine the threats and opportunities created by anonymous whistleblowing; and consider the changing social attitudes about marketing and promotion of harmful products.
R. J. Reynolds's Dakota Cigarette (B): Designed for Young Women
Authors: Derry Robbin , Waikar Sachin 
Published: March 2017

While R. J. Reynolds prepares to launch a new cigarette designed to recapture a portion of the 18- to 24-year-old female market from Philip Morris's rival Marlboro, a small health advocacy group receives an anonymous package exposing the marketing plans for the new brand. Poses the tactical strategies of the public health advocates against the defensive strategies of RJR as each group pursues its own goals.To evaluate the strategic opportunities of a health advocacy organization; assess the crisis management actions of a corporation marketing controversial products; examine the threats and opportunities created by anonymous whistleblowing; and consider the changing social attitudes about marketing and promotion of harmful products.
Rockwell Automation: The Channel Challenge
Authors: Sawhney Mohanbir , Biddlecom Michael , Day Robert , Franke Patrick , Lee-Tin John , Leonard Robert , Poger Brian 
Published: March 2017

Rockwell Automation's Allen-Bradley division was considering how to deal with the threat posed by national distributors in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business for its industrial automation products. National distributors were consolidating the MRO distribution channel, offering national account customers an integrated multichannel solution for their MRO needs. Allen-Bradley had traditionally served its customers through high-touch, high-value-added local distributors, but this channel was inadequate for the demands of large MRO customers. An effort by Allen-Bradley and other manufacturers to create an industry-wide electronic sourcing consortium called SourceAlliance.com had failed. Now the company had to choose between redesigning its traditional channel by creating a virtual network of local distributors, striking an alliance with a national distributor, or withdrawing from the MRO market. It had to contend with difficult channel conflict issues in choosing a channel strategy.To analyze the competitive strategy of a company serving the MRO market.
Sara Lee: A Tale of Another Turnaround
Authors: Shein James , Yamada Loredana 
Published: March 2017

Sara Lee Corporation's acquisition binge in the 1980s and 1990s left the company with a portfolio of vastly different businesses operating independently of one another. It had experienced rapid top-line growth, but at the same time cash flows had declined. Sara Lee ignored both internal and external warning signs until a major transformation plan became necessary. This case examines the company's multiple turnaround attempts. The learning objective of the case is to analyze “early stage” turnaround efforts by examining how the company found itself in decline, evaluating its attempts to improve its performance, and assessing the turnaround plan.(1) Learn to identify a specific challenging moment when reading and analyzing a turnaround plan; (2) address the implementation problems of an early stage turnaround and discuss exit options; (3) evaluate when a change of long-held beliefs and decades-long strategy by a company is warranted; (4) evaluate Sara Lee's marketing strategies in light of the disappointed retail and wholesale customers; and (5) show the similarities in traits between turnaround managers and high-growth entrepreneurs.
Should the Ethanol Blender's Credit Be Eliminated?
Authors: Besanko David , Ulan Melissa 
Published: March 2017

In December 2010, one U.S. legislative action was largely overlooked in the popular press: the one-year extension of the 45-cent-per-gallon Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), commonly known as the “blender's credit.” Both proponents and opponents of the blender's credit liked to cite data to support their positions. Proponents pointed out the number of jobs created by new ethanol plants, while opponents cited unfavorable energy balances from the use of ethanol and the overall budgetary impact of the blender's credit. What was less clear—but potentially much more important than the selective data cited by advocates and critics of ethanol—was the overall impact of the blender's credit on the U.S. economy. In particular, to what extent did the ethanol subsidy—by influencing the allocation of resources to the ethanol market—act as a drag on efficiency in the U.S. economy? This case presents a history of ethanol in the U.S. and an overview of the market for ethanol-based motor fuel, including data on demand and supply fundamentals. It also discusses the broader U.S. energy market, as well as the U.S. market for corn. The case reviews other policy interventions besides the ethanol tax credit that have an impact on the market for ethanol-based motor fuel, such as tariffs and mandates. Finally, it surveys the ways other countries around the world, such as Brazil, have supported the use of ethanol-based fuel.Provides a vehicle for teaching the basic economic model of government subsidies using supply and demand curves. Enable students to determine the deadweight loss of the ethanol tax credit for the year 2006. Enables discussion of the possible benefits of the ethanol tax credit including reducing reliance on foreign oil and reducing carbon emissions. Careful interpretation of the economic evidence in the case is essential for students to develop a coherent point of view on these potential benefits.
Sony-FIFA Partnership Marketing Program: The Value of Sponsorship
Authors: Jeffery Mark , Mishra Saurabh 
Published: March 2017

On April 6, 2005, Sony Corporation announced the signing of a global partnership program contract with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the organizer of the FIFA World Cup. The contract, which represented the first global marketing and communications platform for the Sony Group, would run from 2007 to 2014 with a contract value (excluding services and product leases) of 33.0 billion yen (approximately $305 million). This was a very significant marketing investment for Sony, since the cost of event sponsorship with advertising was typically two or three times the cost of the sponsorship rights; hence, Sony was potentially investing a billion dollars or more on FIFA-related marketing campaigns over the next several years. Many Sony senior executives were questioning the return on investment (ROI) of the FIFA sponsorship opportunity.To define key metrics and articulate a methodology for campaign measurement pre- and post-campaign to quantify ROI. To design a new Sony marketing campaign to activate the FIFA sponsorship opportunity, define metrics for measurement, and learn to use a balanced scorecard approach. Since the FIFA sponsorship is a brand campaign, nonfinancial metrics are primarily used. The key to success is to have a clearly defined sponsorship marketing strategy and business objectives.
Strategic IT Transformation at Accenture
Authors: Jeffery Mark , Fisher Daniel , Granot Mirron , Kadyan Anuj , Pho Albert , Vasquez Carlos 
Published: March 2017

In 2001 Accenture took the bold step of separating from its parent, Arthur Andersen. The new firm that emerged had a bright future ahead, but it also faced the challenge of building a new IT infrastructure that could support a global organization that consults on leading-edge technology. Accenture's CIO at the time, Ed Schreck, knew that becoming a master of your own trade was not an easy task. Frank Modruson, Schreck's successor and the person responsible for carrying forward the IT transformation challenge from 2002 on, had ambitious plans for the new technology infrastructure that was to replace Arthur Andersen's legacy systems. Difficult decisions had to be made. Should the firm continue with a decentralized approach to managing technology platforms, in which each country chooses its own IT platforms and has autonomy to run them? Or should the firm take a mixed approach, in which the same standard applications would run throughout the enterprise but would be managed independently by individual offices? Or should Accenture espouse a “one-firm” approach and boldly shoot for a centralized implementation of its most critical systems, with all its offices interconnected on the same “instance” of a software platform? Furthermore, should the firm retain its traditional conception of IT as cost center, or should it migrate to a scheme that recognizes IT as a service provision center that generates measurable value for the organization? These questions and many others drove Accenture's CIO team to undertake one of the most remarkable IT transformations in a global organization in recent years.To understand best practices for transforming an IT infrastructure. To offer a step-by-step approach to rationalizing a billion-dollar-plus IT technology infrastructure. To understand the connection between strategy and architecture in delivering high performance for an organization. To understand organizational change strategies and approaches in dealing with complexity in very large companies.
Survivor Scios: Reality Biotech–The Anatomy of a Growing Biotech Company
Authors: Loffler Alicia , Bayko Liisa 
Published: March 2017

Describes the growth of a biotechnology company as it shifts from a service research organization to an integrated human therapeutic company. Maps the management changes from 1982 to 1998, as the company responds to volatile market pressure.To illustrate the challenges of shifting strategies in a research-intensive organization; to point to the different management styles needed at different stages of a company's life cycle; and to demonstrate the unique issues of product development in a biotechnology firm.
TabletTeach: Opportunity Analysis for a New Educational Technology Product
Authors: Sawhney Mohanbir , Miniati John 
Published: March 2017

In May 2013, Jack Russo, a Chicago-based tech entrepreneur, had to choose one of four possible product concepts to use as the starting point for his new K–8 educational learning company, TabletTeach LLC. At the time, the K–12 education market in the United States was experiencing major disruption due to print-to-digital transformation, new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), new standardized tests aligned to the Common Core (rolling out in most states in the 2014–2015 school year), and increasing pressure from parents for schools to incorporate technology in their children's learning. Based on his first-hand experience and research, Russo knew there was a significant opportunity for a company that brought to market a tablet-enabled learning solution focusing on grades K–8, which made learning Common Core math and/or language arts fun for every student and engagingly simple for all teachers.This case provides an interesting example of something typically hard to teach: transitioning from the fuzzy front end of a market opportunity analysis to a specific product opportunity. The case bounds the problem by outlining four potential product concepts, which students will then evaluate and rank using their own sets of criteria.Define evaluation criteria for an opportunity analysis of a tech startup in a dynamic market; use these criteria to evaluate a set of product concepts and their business opportunities; refine a set of product concepts to develop and present a recommendation; understand the importance of the problem-persona-product fit and “jobs to be done” data in identifying high-value opportunities; present findings in an opportunity brief and a market opportunity hypothesis statement
Teradata Data Mart Consolidation Return on Investment at GST
Authors: Jeffery Mark , Sweeney Robert J. , Davis Robert J. 
Published: March 2017

This case is based on a real-life consulting engagement with a major Fortune 100 telecommunications company. The name of the firm has been disguised for confidentiality reasons. Completing the case teaches students how to develop a cost-containment ROI analysis and develop a business case for a large enterprise technology project. The class discussion focuses on strategies to understand and manage the risks of the project and organizational issues. In addition, the case teaches students good questions to ask when reviewing a complex project business case, and how to present a project for funding approval. This case is the second in a series of three cases designed to teach students ROI analysis for technology projects; the first is “B&K Distributors: Calculating Return on Investment for a Web-Based Customer Portal” and the third is the case “ROI for a Customer Relationship Management Initiative at GST.”The case objective is for students to learn how to compute a return on investment (ROI) analysis for a large cost-containment technology project. Students learn the best practice of computing the range of possible outcomes (the best, worst, and expected case), and how to present the results to senior management. In addition, students learn how to incorporate important management issues of personnel reduction and technology project risk into an ROI analysis.