Default Category
-
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS)
Kase, Kimio; Nonaka, Ikujiro; Independent Investigation CommissioCase SM-1579-EDecision Analysis, Knowledge and Communication, StrategyThe questions may largely fall into two categories: (1) Did Japan or PM Kan and his team cope well with the crisis (i.e., questions regarding efficiency and effectiveness)? And, perhaps more importantly, (2) Have lessons been learned that would help Japan prepare for other natural or man-made catastrophes (i.e., questions regarding learning and knowledge-creation)?Starting at €8.20
-
TRIAS: Decision on Cable Ladder Production
Singfat Chu; Leo HermantoCase IVEY-9B16E002-ECorporate Governance, StrategyIn July 2015, PT Trias Indra Saputra (TRIAS), Indonesia’s leading welded cable ladder producer, had just won its largest-ever tender bid. The news could get even better if it adopted alternative materials that were potentially more profitable. The production director was tasked with weighing whether TRIAS should fulfill the tender using its traditional supplier or the new materials. While more expensive, the new materials would cut out several pr...Starting at €8.20
-
EU Holidays
Yew Hoong Wong; Singfat ChuCase IVEY-9B13E003-ECorporate Governance, Entrepreneurship, Service and Operations Management, StrategyThe profit margin for the travel agency industry in Singapore, which mostly offered travel packages to Asia and Europe, was very thin. An up-and-coming travel agency faced the dilemma of offering maximum customer satisfaction while keeping its operating cost (e.g., fees for its tour guides) low. Rather than simply assigning travel guides to tours by trial and error, a director of the travel agency decided to use an optimization template. This cas...Starting at €8.20
-
Komatsu in China
Palepu, Krishna G.; Kanno, Akiko; Sato, NobuoCase HBS-114004-EAccounting and ControlKomatsu built a very successful business in China over the last two decades. But it is now facing rising competition from lower cost domestic Chinese companies, which are themselves trying to become global players. Facing the same situation, Caterpillar is implementing a two-brand strategy. What should Komatsu do to retain its leadership position in China?Starting at €8.20
-
Ricoh Company, Ltd.
Eccles, Robert G.; Edmondson, Amy C.; Iansiti, Marco; Kanno, AkikoCase HBS-610053-EService and Operations ManagementRicoh, the Japanese copier manufacturer, is committed to reducing its environmental impact to one-eighth of its 2000 levels by 2050. It has already introduced three stages of environmental awareness to its operations, and its recycled copier business broke even in 2006. The company developed environmental accounting methods and produces annual environmental and sustainability reports, but Ricoh is concerned that investors may not take these effor...Starting at €8.20
-
Sony
Thomke, Stefan; Osanai, Atsushi; Kanno, AkikoCase HBS-618045-EKnowledge and CommunicationSony used to be synonymous with "innovation" and "cool products". The case reveals how the company lost its edge and describes the leadership initiatives to restore its former glory. In 2012, Kazuo (Kaz) Hirai becomes CEO and successfully transforms Sony, including a relentless focus on differentiation through "wow" products instead of chasing scale. How should he organize and manage the company's response to digital opportunities, such as virtua...Starting at €8.20
-
Godiva Japan: Think Local, Scale Global
Deshpande, Rohit; Cekin, Esel; Kanno, AkikoCase HBS-517056-EMarketingThis case tracks Jerome Chouchan's strategies and execution for a successful turn around of Godiva Japan's operations which was experiencing a decline in sales when he became the managing director of the company in 2010. Through various initiatives and innovations, Godiva Japan had targeted a variety of demographic segments in different sales points, acquired new customers and created a moment of luxurious consumption for all ages. Accordingly, w...Starting at €8.20
-
Knowledge Creation at Eisai Co., Ltd.
Takeuchi, Hirotaka; Nonaka, Ikujiro; Yamazaki, MayukaCase HBS-711492-EStrategyEisai has used knowledge creation as the engine of growth for its operation in Japan and was wondering if it can be utilized on a global scale.Starting at €8.20
-
Consumer Lending in Japan: Citi CFJ (A)
Trumbull, Gunnar; Kanno, AkikoCase HBS-709017-EEconomicsDespite a tradition of high household savings, Japan has supported a dynamic and technically sophisticated consumer lending sector. The high profitability of the sector has periodically attracted interest from domestic banks as well as international investors. Most recently, in 1998 and 2000 respectively, GE Capital and Citi Financial both acquired Japanese consumer lending companies. In 2006, when the Japanese Supreme Court rules that one of the...Starting at €8.20
-
LIXIL Group Corporation: Building a New Company in an Old Industry
Groysberg, Boris; Kanno, AkikoCase HBS-419009-ELeadership and People ManagementIn the spring of 2018, Kinya Seto, president and CEO of LIXIL Group Corporation, a major housing and building products and services company, called a meeting at the company's head office in central Tokyo to discuss how to implement the new three-year strategic plan. LIXIL had been established in 2011 through a merger of five of Japan's major companies across a broad spectrum of building materials and other housing-related businesses. The company ...Starting at €8.20