Media and social responsibility: Big Brother
The TV show "Big Brother" aired for the first time in Holland, and became an immediate marketing and broadcasting success. The announcement that this program would be aired on Mexican TV in early 2002 met with varied but passionate response. Suddenly, not only the most conservative sectors, but businessmen and politicians alike started talking about the program, questioning its underlying foundation. The TV network which broadcast the controversial show was faced with potential cancellations of some of its most important advertising accounts. However, the real question remained - could Big Brother be considered entertainment or not?
Felipe González y González
Dr. González earned his PhD in Law from the University of Navarra in Spain. Dr. González is head of the CEGI (Institutional Governance Studies Center) and is a professor in the Department of Social and Political Studies. He is a visiting professor at Mexico's Academy of National Defense and at numerous business schools throughout the United States and Latin America. Dr. González's principal focus of study is governance, sustainable development models and social responsibility.
Whisky Romeo Zulú
FILM
Airline pilot-turned-whistle blower-tuned-actor, Enrique Piñeyro made his debut as a writer/director with the autobiographical docu-drama Whisky Romeo Zulú.
Piñeyro essentially plays himself, a principled pilot at LAPA, the Argentine airlines, who becomes increasingly dismayed over the company's disregard for basic safety regulations. When he voices his complaints, he is labeled as a troublemaker, and when things get so bad and he refuses to fly a defective aircraft, the company simply replaces him with another pilot. Increasingly frustrated and concerned about a potential crash, Pineyro finally writes an angry letter to his superiors, warning that an accident is inevitable if action isn't taken. This letter is leaked to the media, and the airline is eventually sold, but the new owners want Pineyro to retract his statement. Pineyro's narrative is interwoven with that of a government investigator (Alejandro Awada) who is looking into a LAPA crash and who begins receiving death threats.
Álvaro Vilaseca
Dr. Vilaseca has a PhD in Management (summa cum laude) from IESE at the University of Navarra in Barcelona. He is head of the Family Business Chair and the Business Policy Department as well as the Advanced Management Program (PAD). He is also Academic Director and Professor of Business Administration at IEEM, Business School at the University of Montevideo in Uruguay. Dr. Vilaseca won the Professor Emeritus Alden G. Lank Research Award in 1999 from the Family Business Network for his research in the field of family business. He is currently a member of the Board and Fellow of IFERA (International Family Enterprise Research Academy), and is a visiting Professor at numerous universities in the United State, Europe, Mexico and South America. Professor Vilaseca is advisor to several Uruguayan and foreign companies in general management and family business. His area of expertise is in General Management (of Family Businesses).
“Hips Feel Good” – Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty
First and foremost, top brands have first-class positioning. Brand managers know about the importance of focusing on the core product. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more difficult to emphasize the special features of a particular brand, so brands are being positioned more emotionally.
Companies are therefore trying to integrate specific, immaterial margins. This case study investigates the relaunching of DOVE, an international personal care brand made by UNILEVER, an international producer of consumer products. The unique aspect of this relaunch is the so-far very successful attempt to include a sense of integrity in its repositioning strategy, especially in the communication mix. In this case study, the students will discuss the criteria and risks of a value-driven relaunch in marketing. Furthermore, they will find out which prerequisites are important to be successful with this kind of positioning in the long run.
Tomas Gey
Dr. Gey received his PhD from the University of Bayreuth, and also holds a diploma from Kfm University of Nuremberg. Currently, he is professor of marketing and strategic enterprise development and is a partner of an internationally active consulting company. He specializes in management consultation and offers lectures and seminars in the area of strategic enterprise development and marketing.
Francisco Torres
The Senior Research Director of an international pharmaceutical company receives a complaint by e-mail, written by a secretary who was recently fired. In the mail she was informing about irregularities which involved several administrative and technical levels. The Director asks his subordinate to do some research in order to prove the facts. As a result they decide to fire a Research Assistant. The purpose is to analyze and discuss the logic in the proceedings and the implications face to the future.
Pablo Ferreiro
Dr. Ferreiro holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the Polytechnic College from the University of Madrid in Spain. He earned a postgraduate degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of Barcelona. He is Director, member of the Management Committee and head of the People's Government Area in PAD at the University of Piura. Dr. Ferreiro is Assistant Dean and a member of the Economic Council at the University of Piura. He has also been a visiting professor at IESE (in Spain), IAE (in Argentina), INALDE (in Colombia) and DAP (in Italy). He has written several Technical Notes on issues regarding people's government and ethics.
Building Block International
BuildingBlocks International (BBI) plans to accomplish its mission to help children in developing countries succeed in school by bringing management expertise to local organizations.
Two years after founding BBI, however, the team hasn't figured out exactly how to make it work. In their model, a firm would support BBI in two ways: by donating money and by lending BBI a highly skilled employee for anywhere from four months to a year. This employee would live in the developing country and work with the local organization to improve its effectiveness.
So far, they've not been able to convince any firm to sign on, although few have said "absolutely not." Presents the options for the selling strategy. There are three potential entry points into the organization: senior management, philanthropy, and human resources. Moreover, there are two substantial value propositions: social benefit and leadership training of the employee.
Where should BBI focus its selling effort, and what should the main message be? Allows for quantification of the social benefits delivered by BBI and discussion of when and whether this would be useful in the selling process. Rich description of BBI's selling process at a single site makes it possible to draw inferences about what is really going on, why things aren't working out, and what might be changed in the sales strategy.
Matthew Allen
Professor Mathew Allen is in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group at Northeastern University. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Utah, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD from Cornell University. His research is focused on the impact of effective leadership and people management in small businesses and human capital management in both large and small firms. Prior to his academic career, Professor Allen worked in the area of finance for IBM and Hewlett Packard as well as an accounting and consulting firm focused on small businesses and entrepreneurial enterprises.
Control vs Influence: Decision Making and the Nonprofit Board
Given the increasing competition for funds and growing demands for demonstrable results from donors, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), one of the oldest and largest of the disease state not-for-profit organizations in Canada, was faced with a strategic dilemma. Sixty years previously, it had been agreed that CCS would fund research through the auspices of the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC).
Over the decades, NCIC had grown into a highly regarded research institute operating, to all intents and purposes, as a separate entity with a separate governance structure. It did provide some services to another Canadian icon, the Terry Fox Foundation – but by far the largest part of it funding was provided by the CCS. In more recent years, CCS had attempted to influence the funding decisions of NCIC to align them more closely with donor requests and service priorities. However, the missions of the two organizations remained misaligned.
This case study will provide an overview of the approach taken by the board of CCS to determine, in a highly ethical and transparent way, the preferred future relationship with one of its key service providers. Discussion will focus on the role of the board in determining the appropriate strategic positioning of an organization in an increasingly competitive external environment.
Jane Cooke Lauder
Jane Cooke-Lauder is an experienced consultant and facilitator, having provided advice and counsel to senior leaders for the last 20 years.
Jane has a doctorate in management from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA, as well as a BA and an MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. In addition, she is a Certified Management Consultant, and has an internationally recognized Diploma in Marketing Management. Her career has included senior line management positions, investment banking and senior partnership roles in consulting firms. She is currently the President and CEO of Bataleur Enterprises Inc, a small consulting firm that provides strategic advice to senior management and boards primarily in the healthcare and not for profit sectors.
In the last ten years, Jane has increasingly turned her attention to improving the quality of life of women and children. Her doctoral research work focused on social change, studying inter-organizational collaboration among non-government organizations tackling HIV/AIDS in South Africa, since HIV/AIDS is now predominantly a female disease.
New Century Financial Corporation
After years of rapid growth and stock price appreciation, New Century Financial Corporation, one of the largest subprime loan originators in the U.S., reported accounting problems in early 2007. The resulting liquidity crisis forced the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. According to the Bankruptcy Examiner assigned to investigate New Century, the company's troubles "were an early contributer to the subprime meltdown" which fueled a financial crisis in the U.S. and beyond. The case study examines New Century's business model and accounting practices and focuses on the role of management, audit committee, and external auditors in the problems at New Century based on the findings of the Bankruptcy Examiner.
Marcelo Rossi
Marcelo Rossi holds the position of Financial Department Director at the Austral University. He is also the Executive MBA Program Director, as well as Professor in this university. He is a visiting professor at numerous business schools throughout the United States and Latin America.
Marcelo has a doctorate of Business Administration from the University of Sarasota, EE.UU, as well as an MBA from the Austral University, Argentina. Author of several cases and papers about Corporate Finance, Crisis Management, Strategy and Control Management Systems.
Infosys Technologies: Powered by Intellect, Driven by Values
This case documents the evolution of Infosys Technologies from its humble beginnings in 1981 to its position in 2004 as one of the most admired companies in India, with revenues exceeding US $1 billion, profits of US $270 million (CAGR in revenue and profits of approximately 60% over the past 10 years), and a workforce of more than 25,000 employees. The case focuses on the values of the founders, and the extent to which these values have allowed the company to grow so quickly.
Julia Prats
Dr. Julia Prats is head of the Department of Entrepreneurship at IESE Business School. Professor Prats's primary area of interest is the entrepreneurial process which includes the identification, evaluation and implementation of opportunities in any context. was nominated Kauffman Emerging Scholar for her dissertation work and has published in international journals and congress proceedings, both for practitioners as well as the academic community. She also has authored teaching materials and contributions to several books on entrepreneurship and strategy related topics. Mª Julia Prats is Doctor of Business Administration by Harvard University, Master of Business Administration by IESE Business School, and holds a Degree in Industrial Engineering from Polytechnic University of Catalunya. She has taught at Wharton Business School, IPADE (México), INALDE (Colombia), and AESE (Portugal).
The Relation Among Companies, Government & Society
(CONFERENCE)
Enrique Piñeyro
Mr. Piñeyro holds an MD degree with specialization in aeronautic medicine. He has worked at Hospital Privado de Niños from 1989 to 1992. He was an airline pilot and former commander of LAPA from 1988 to 1999. His expertise is in the field of researching aircraft accidents. He was a Security Officer for the Association of Airline Pilots from 1997 to 1998. He graduated from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Piñeyro has participated as director and producer of the following films: Fuerza Aérea Sociedad Anónima and Whisky Romeo Zulú. He was the producer of Waiting for the Messiah and Garage Olimpo, and has acted in Las Noches, Hotel Tívoli, and The Golden Door as well as other films. He has participated in various film festivals and has been recognized with numerous awards.
Lee and Li
Dr. C.V. Chen received news that one of Lee and Li’s senior assistants had found a loophole in a power of attorney from one of the firm’s clients, SanDisk Corporation (SanDisk), that had allowed him to illegally sell the client’s shares in a Taiwanese company and to sneak out of Taiwan with over NT$3 billion. Unfortunately, Lee and Li had no insurance to cover this embezzlement. Chen knew that the three senior partners needed to develop a plan of action to save the law firm, take care of the lawyers and other employees, maintain the reputation of the firm within Taiwan and abroad intact, do what was best for SanDisk and Lee and Li, and keep the more than 12,000 clients from deserting the firm.
Glenn Rowe
Glenn Rowe holds an MBA from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and a PhD from
Texas A & M University. He is Director of the Executive MBA Program at Richard Ivey School of
Business, as well as Ivey Research Seminar Series Coordinator and Associate Professor since
2006. His research is focused on Strategic Leadership, CEO Succession and Organizational
Performance. He has a wide professional background with the Canadian Navy holding the
position of Division Commander in 1990. His teaching interests are Strategic Leadership,
Business Unit Strategy and Corporate Strategy. He wrote several publications and was awarded
for some of them. He gives conferences throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.
Aliar S.A.
Luis Fernando Jaramillo
Luis Fernando Jaramillo earned his Master Degree in Economics and Business Administration-MBA from the Universidad de Navarra, Spain. He holds a specialization in Production Management from the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia, and a postgraduate degree in Material Management from the Instituto Colombiano de Almacenamiento y Manejo de Materiales. He is Head and full time Professor of the Marketing Management Area of the INALDE-Universidad de la Sabana. Member of the Kotizas Ltda. Board of Directors; of the VITROFARMA, S.A. and VITALIS, S.A. Board of Directors; of the PROGEN Ltd. Board of Directors; of the ACE Seguros S.A. Board of Directors; of the e-Business Distribution of Colombia S.A. Board of Directors, and of the America Marketing Association (AMA). He has been a visiting Professor at IPADE (Mexico), IAE (Argentina), PAD (Peru), IDE (Ecuador), and BARNA (Dominican Republic).
Strategic Sustainability: Leadership for Business and Social Benefit.
(CONFERENCE)
Dave Sherman
Dave Sherman, Principal Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting. Dave helps executives formulate and execute breakthrough strategies that combine stakeholder based insights with industry and company specific sources of advantage. At Blu Skye he has focused heavily on helping companies develop sustainability strategies that drive innovation and business value are fully integrated into the business. He has also been instrumental in developing Blu Skye’s approach to industry-level sustainability initiatives for the dairy and magazine industries.
For the past 20 years he has served clients on five continents. He was a founding partner of Sustainable Value Partners and a Vice President with A.T. Kearney where he led an Asia-based practice. Clients include: Wal-Mart, Bunge, Cathay Pacific, Philips Electronics and other leaders in sectors such as agriculture, chemicals, consumer products, energy utilities, financial services, government, healthcare, high-tech, oil and gas, retail, and transportation. During this time Dave has led more than a dozen company-wide and unit-level strategy engagements as well as several dozen operations engagements aimed at improving cost, service, and quality position of clients’ operations.
He earned his doctorate in management at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University where he researched social entrepreneurship and actively participates in the school's Center for Business as an Agent of World benefit. He also holds an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University.