Infosys Technologies: Improving Organizational Knowledge Flows

Knowledge is discussed as one of the most important organizational resources. However, these resources are in specialized pockets throughout the company and dedicated knowledge management (WM) programs are required to improve their flow. However, the high failure rates of such programs raise serious doubts about their ability to improve the flow of knowledge. This case …

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BMW: The 7-Series Project (A)

Explore BMW’s decision to build vehicle prototypes. Historically, BMW prototypes were handcrafted by highly skilled craftsmen in the company’s workshop. It has been suggested to change the process so that prototypes are made in a way that better uncovers potential problems that may arise during final production. While the new approach is designed to make …

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GlaxoSmithKline: Reorganizing Drug Discovery (A)

Describes the reorganization of drug discovery at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) following the founding of GSK from the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. This reorganization brought nearly 2,000 researchers to six Centers of Excellence in Drug Discovery (CEDD). Each CEDD focused on a small group of therapeutic areas and had decision-making power over the development …

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Super 30: Educating the Elite Poor

In the summer of 2019, S. K. Shahi and her daughter Meenakshi faced a difficult problem in New Delhi. India had 19 centers from its non-profit organization, the Center for Social Responsibility and Leadership. Also known as the “Super 30” program, this program offered 30 or sometimes 50 or 100 high school graduates, selected for …

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A-CAT Corp. – Bang for the Bucks

The case describes the situation of the Vice President of ACAT Corp. (ACAT), Vidarbha Region, Maharashtra. ACAT manufactured a relatively wide range of household appliances. Typical products in its product line were TV signal amplifiers, transformers, FM radio sets, electronic ballasts, battery chargers, and voltage regulators. The voltage regulators manufactured by ACAT have been used …

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Migros Turkey: Scaling Online Operations During COVID-19 (C)

The case will be opened in August 2020 when Ozgur Tort and Mustafa Bartin, CEO and director of large format and online retailer of Migros Ticaret A.S. (Migros), the oldest and one of the largest supermarket chain in Turkey, is navigating Migros through COVID19 and the unprecedented surge in demand for groceries online. Between the …

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Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (B)

In 2006, the management team at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. had to decide whether to keep the R&D organization in functional departments or reorganize it into multidisciplinary teams. This case follows the results of this decision from 2006 to mid-2014 and examines its effects on productivity, responsibility, communication, and skills development from the perspective of employees …

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Barings Collapse (B): Failures in Control and Information Use

It describes how Nick Leeson, a Barings trader in Singapore, kept silent about his illicit business activities, how Barings financed them blindly, and how the mounting losses were not recognized by internal and external controls. He identifies areas of poor internal control, inadequate computer systems, and an interruption in the flow of information. He also …

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Hank Kolb, Director, Quality Assurance

Designed to introduce the systemic nature of product quality and the complexity of quality issues. A new director, quality assurance, and the discovery of a quality problem were used. The new manager has to decide if it is a real problem, what to do, and how an organization can be steered toward a better quality …

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Singapore Airlines (A)

The new competition has cast doubt on Singapore Airlines’ excellent reputation for in-flight services. The key to maintaining or improving service is the attitudes and skills of the cabin crew. The company now realizes that there may be problems in this group. This is a rewritten version of previous cases by D.D. Wyckoff.