Cases in this issue
| Case title and target audience | Authors | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| Taking the Highway Out: Exiting the Stock Market to Maximize Results Target Audience: Undergraduate and graduate strategy or finance students | Joao Silva and José Pereira | Opportunities for value creation may be found in awkward and difficult circumstances. Good strategic thinking and ability to act swiftly are usually crucial to be able to take advantage of such tough environments. Amidst a country-wide economic crisis and general disbelief, José de Mello Group (JMG) saw one of its main assets’ (Brisa Highways) market value tumble down to unforeseen figures and was forced to act on it. Brisa’s main partners were eager in overpowering JMG’s control of the company, and outside pressure from Deutsche Bank was rising, due to the use of Brisa’s shares as collateral. JMG would have to revise its strategy and see if Brisa was worth fighting for; the market implicit assessment about the company’s prospects was very penalizing, but JMG’s predictions on Brisa’s future performance indicated that this could be an investment opportunity. Would it be wise to bet against the market? |
| Reconciling COVID-19 Pandemic Budget Deficits Through Furloughs and Salary Reductions Target Audience: Undergraduate courses in Organizational Behavior | Minnette A. Bumpus | On September 10, 2020, the president of Bowie State University, Dr Aminta Breaux, announced that the university needed to “take a number of steps, including a temporary salary reduction plan, to close the FY21 funding gap and position the university for continued budget challenges” (Exhibit 1) triggered by the economic impact of COVID-19 on the state of Maryland. Some of the faculty members’ reactions to this announcement included shock and disappointment. Reflecting on what led to the reductions in state appropriations, why would faculty members be shocked by President Breaux’s announcement of temporary salary reductions? Did President Breaux make the right decision, and was it communicated appropriately? |
| Performance Measurement in a Lean Organization: The Case of the Wiremold Company Target Audience: Graduate or upper level undergraduate courses in cost accounting, managerial accounting and strategic management | Lawrence Grasso | The case describes a comprehensive transformation from Conventional management to lean management and business practices, with an emphasis on the largely non-financial performance measures used to support the transformation. Around the time of the lean transformation, the balanced scorecard, a multi-dimensional measurement approach was introduced to address the problems of excessive reliance on financial performance measures. Students are asked to compare and contrast Wiremold's approach to the balanced scorecard |
| Bulldog Decision Target Audience: Undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership, psychology courses | Travis Cyphers and Julianne Apodaca | The case describes the ethical decision a leader (Captain Johnson) must make. A soldier in CPT Johnson’s organization, Private Martin, has been charged with an inappropriate relationship with an underage female. Under Military Regulations, CPT Johnson can pursue two courses of action. One option removes Martin from the US Army immediately, but punishment is light. The second is a trial with a 75% probability of conviction where Martin faces potential prison time and registration as a sex offender. This option will put significant strain on the organization’s limited resources. CPT Johnson must decide between these two legal options |
| Metamorphosis from Virtual Community to “For Benefit” Enterprise: Chronicle of PULA and PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. Target Audience: Graduate and executive level courses in entrepreneurship, management, business strategy and digital media | Leena Dam and Deepa Pillai | January 2019, in the midst of winter chill and fog, the core committee of PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. solicitously dissected the avalanche of thoughts on the new blended ecosystem it wanted to build. From 2015 to 2018, PULA (Pune Ladies Association), a virtual women community on Facebook has traversed a journey touching lives, shaped opinion, psychology and conduct. While, in the past PULA majorly acted as a medium for social interactions and business exchange platform. The exponential rise in indigenous entrepreneurs bundled with technological dynamism propelled the firm to chalk and reorient its mission to spread its business wings without forfeiting its original status quo. The firm’s goal continued – PULA to retain its virtual identity alongside business being steered through PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. |
| Improbable Landing – The Sioux City Miracle Target Audience: Graduate and undergraduate courses in Organizational Behavior or Leadership and Change | Jamie O’Brien & John-Gabriel Licht | This case explores the events that led up to the crash of United Airlines Flight 232, in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 19th, 1989, and the subsequent investigation. The case uses secondary sources to highlight the positive team interactions between the pilots that led to the crash landing not being as catastrophic as it might have been with 185 survivors in an extreme crisis scenario. The teaching note focuses on the importance of cognitive bias, psychological safety, and teamwork in a crisis situation, and practical recommendations for managers at all levels |
| A District Magistrate’s Call on a Disaster Warning: Paranoid or Pragmatic? Target Audience: Students in Public Sector Management courses | Harikrishnan Varma and Ram Kumar Kakani | Anupama Gowda was the District Magistrate of Kalinga in the state of Odisha, in the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. In April 2019, when the meteorological department issued a cyclone warning, she had to take a call on how to go ahead. Her team did not seem too enthused as Kalinga was away from the coast and meteorological warnings were taken as routine. The case discusses Gowda’s dilemma on whether to push for full-fledged preparations or a limited preparation at least, or leave it laissez-faire. She made the decision by 24th April and ‘what happened’ serve as Case B |
| Case title and target audience | Authors | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| Taking the Highway Out: Exiting the Stock Market to Maximize Results | Joao Silva and | Opportunities for value creation may be found in awkward and difficult circumstances. Good strategic thinking and ability to act swiftly are usually crucial to be able to take advantage of such tough environments. Amidst a country-wide economic crisis and general disbelief, José de Mello Group (JMG) saw one of its main assets’ (Brisa Highways) market value tumble down to unforeseen figures and was forced to act on it. Brisa’s main partners were eager in overpowering JMG’s control of the company, and outside pressure from Deutsche Bank was rising, due to the use of Brisa’s shares as collateral. JMG would have to revise its strategy and see if Brisa was worth fighting for; the market implicit assessment about the company’s prospects was very penalizing, but JMG’s predictions on Brisa’s future performance indicated that this could be an investment opportunity. Would it be wise to bet against the market? |
| Reconciling COVID-19 Pandemic Budget Deficits Through Furloughs and Salary Reductions | Minnette A. Bumpus | On September 10, 2020, the president of Bowie State University, Dr Aminta Breaux, announced that the university needed to “take a number of steps, including a temporary salary reduction plan, to close the FY21 funding gap and position the university for continued budget challenges” (Exhibit 1) triggered by the economic impact of COVID-19 on the state of Maryland. Some of the faculty members’ reactions to this announcement included shock and disappointment. Reflecting on what led to the reductions in state appropriations, why would faculty members be shocked by President Breaux’s announcement of temporary salary reductions? Did President Breaux make the right decision, and was it communicated appropriately? |
| Performance Measurement in a Lean Organization: The Case of the Wiremold Company | Lawrence Grasso | The case describes a comprehensive transformation from Conventional management to lean management and business practices, with an emphasis on the largely non-financial performance measures used to support the transformation. Around the time of the lean transformation, the balanced scorecard, a multi-dimensional measurement approach was introduced to address the problems of excessive reliance on financial performance measures. Students are asked to compare and contrast Wiremold's approach to the balanced scorecard |
| Bulldog Decision | Travis Cyphers and Julianne Apodaca | The case describes the ethical decision a leader (Captain Johnson) must make. A soldier in CPT Johnson’s organization, Private Martin, has been charged with an inappropriate relationship with an underage female. Under Military Regulations, CPT Johnson can pursue two courses of action. One option removes Martin from the US Army immediately, but punishment is light. The second is a trial with a 75% probability of conviction where Martin faces potential prison time and registration as a sex offender. This option will put significant strain on the organization’s limited resources. CPT Johnson must decide between these two legal options |
| Metamorphosis from Virtual Community to “For Benefit” Enterprise: Chronicle of PULA and PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. | Leena Dam and | January 2019, in the midst of winter chill and fog, the core committee of PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. solicitously dissected the avalanche of thoughts on the new blended ecosystem it wanted to build. From 2015 to 2018, PULA (Pune Ladies Association), a virtual women community on Facebook has traversed a journey touching lives, shaped opinion, psychology and conduct. While, in the past PULA majorly acted as a medium for social interactions and business exchange platform. The exponential rise in indigenous entrepreneurs bundled with technological dynamism propelled the firm to chalk and reorient its mission to spread its business wings without forfeiting its original status quo. The firm’s goal continued – PULA to retain its virtual identity alongside business being steered through PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. |
| Improbable Landing – The Sioux City Miracle | Jamie O’Brien & | This case explores the events that led up to the crash of United Airlines Flight 232, in Sioux City, Iowa, on July 19th, 1989, and the subsequent investigation. The case uses secondary sources to highlight the positive team interactions between the pilots that led to the crash landing not being as catastrophic as it might have been with 185 survivors in an extreme crisis scenario. The teaching note focuses on the importance of cognitive bias, psychological safety, and teamwork in a crisis situation, and practical recommendations for managers at all levels |
| A District Magistrate’s Call on a Disaster Warning: Paranoid or Pragmatic? | Harikrishnan Varma and Ram Kumar Kakani | Anupama Gowda was the District Magistrate of Kalinga in the state of Odisha, in the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. In April 2019, when the meteorological department issued a cyclone warning, she had to take a call on how to go ahead. Her team did not seem too enthused as Kalinga was away from the coast and meteorological warnings were taken as routine. The case discusses Gowda’s dilemma on whether to push for full-fledged preparations or a limited preparation at least, or leave it laissez-faire. She made the decision by 24th April and ‘what happened’ serve as Case B |
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