Acceptable risk and life and death decisions: a case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-107
Author(s):  
Cherie Ann Sherman ◽  
Philip M. Anderson

Case description This case discusses the best-selling security system for preventing shoplifting and the dilemma its startup manufacturer faced when it learned there was a very remote possibility that the system might interfere with heart pacemakers. The theme of the case is that when health is involved, a company must carefully consider any level of preventable risk a product poses, even if that level of risk is extremely low.

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariachiara Barzotto ◽  
Giancarlo Corò ◽  
Mario Volpe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to explore to what extent being located in a territory is value-relevant for a company. Second, to understand if a company is aware of, and how it can sustain, the territorial tangible and intangible assets present in the economic area in which it is located. Design/methodology/approach – The study presents an empirical multiple case-study, investigating ten mid-/large-sized Italian companies in manufacturing sectors. Findings – The results indicate that the sampled manufacturing companies are intertwined with the environment in which they are embedded, both in their home country and in host ones. The domestic territorial capital has provided, and still provides, enterprises with workers endowed with the necessary technical skills that they can have great difficulty in finding in other places. In turn, companies support territorial capital generation through their activities. Research limitations/implications – To increase the generalisability of the results, future research should expand the sample and examine firms based in different countries and sectors. Practical implications – Implications for policy makers: developing effective initiatives to support and guide a sustainable territorial capital growth. Implications for managers and investors: improving managerial and investors’ decisions by disclosing a complete picture of the enterprise, also outside the firm boundaries. Originality/value – The study contributes to intangibles/intellectual capital literature by shedding light on the importance of including territorial capital in a company’s report to improve the definition of the firm’s value. Accounting of the territorial capital would increase the awareness of the socio-economic environment value in which companies are located and its use.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 482-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Sandberg

Purpose – For many retailers organic growth through the opening of new stores is a crucial cornerstone of the business model. The purpose of this paper is to explore the store opening process conducted by retail companies. The research questions cover: first, the role and organisation of the establishment function in charge of the process; second, the activities and functions involved in the process; and third, the coordination mechanisms applied during the process. Design/methodology/approach – This research considers the store opening process as a company-wide project, managed by an establishment function, in which internal functions as well as external suppliers need to be coordinated. A multiple case study of eight retail companies is presented, focusing on the organisation of the establishment function, a mapping of the store opening process and the application of coordination mechanisms. Findings – The role and organisation of the establishment function is described and the store opening process is summarised into 11 main activities to be conducted by either the establishment function or other involved functions. During the store opening process six different coordination mechanisms are utilised, including mutual adjustments and direct supervision, as well as different types of standardisation. Originality/value – This research seeks to improve our understanding for the store opening process and how it can be managed and controlled in an effective manner.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anni Rajala ◽  
Annika Tidström

Purpose The purpose of this study is to increase understanding about vertical coopetition from the perspective of interrelated conflict episodes on multiple levels. Design/methodology/approach The empirical part is based on a qualitative single case study of a coopetitive buyer-supplier relationship in the manufacturing sector. Findings Conflicts in vertical coopetition evolve from being merely functional and task-related to becoming dysfunctional and relationship-related, as the level of competition increases. The nature of conflict episodes influences the development of vertical coopetition, and therefore, the interrelatedness of conflict episodes is important to acknowledge. Practical implications Although a conflict is considered functional within a company, it may still be dysfunctional as far as the coopetitive relationship with the buyer or seller is concerned. Competition may trigger conflicts related to protecting own technology and knowledge, which may lead to termination of the cooperation, therefore coopetition should be managed in a way that balance sharing and protecting important knowledge to get advantages of coopetition. Originality/value The findings enhance prior research on vertical coopetition by offering new perspectives on causes of conflicts, their management, outcomes and types. The value of taking a multilevel approach lies in the ability to show how conflicts occur and influence other conflicts through the interrelatedness of conflict elements on different levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-108
Author(s):  
Marta Rebull

Purpose What motivates people to work? When jobs are abundant, salaries are competitive, companies are out-perking themselves and the workforce is fickle – is that really motivation? And, how do you continue to motivate employees in a company that struggles with its mission and is experiencing a significant downturn and disengagement? The purpose of this study is to look at the measures Softonic, one of Spain’s most successful tech companies, had to take to motivate, re-engage and give employees a strong sense of purpose after the company suffered a significant downturn. Design/methodology/approach Taking an honest look at the situation and tacking head on. Creating a whole new playbook that relies on: Leadership by Example, Ownership and Empowerment, and Development and Recognition. Findings When you create a culture of transparency, break down the barriers and empower your employees to reach beyond their limits; they will re-engage and motivate. Originality/value This is a case study detailing how new management re-engaged and motivated the workforce of Softonic after a severe company downturn.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Cavallo ◽  
Antonio Ghezzi ◽  
Bertha Viviana Ruales Guzmán

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how a firm may innovate its business model to internationalize. Design/methodology/approach Owing to its novelty and to the depth of the investigation required to grasp the mechanisms and logics of business model innovation aiming at internationalization, a single case study has been performed related to a company located in North-Western Colombia. Findings The study provides detailed empirical evidences over the mutual connection and complementarities among value mechanisms of business models. Moreover, this study suggests that BMI fosters internationalization to scale, which, in turn, will require additional changes to match new customer needs as they emerge. Also, the study shows an extension of the action–space of lean startup approaches, intended as scientific approaches to international entrepreneurship. Originality/value This study connects business model innovation and internationalization as few studies have done before.


2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1179-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Franzidis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the business model of a successful social tourism business in Granada, Nicaragua. The study assesses how the business provides an avenue to combat the challenges that restrict certain stakeholders from participating in tourism. The case identifies specific mechanisms, such as investing in the local community’s education and favoring local vendors and merchants, as ways in which social tourism businesses can disseminate value among all stakeholders and create a more equitable form of tourism. Design/methodology/approach The case study method was chosen for collecting and analyzing data. Data include in-depth interviews with business founders, managers and employees, field observation notes, photographic documentation and additional written documents. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Findings The study found that the business was able to produce a high-quality tourism product that disseminated value among all stakeholders. The study also proved the value of the additional building blocks within the Business Model Canvas for Social Enterprise, and the clear distinction between “co-creators” and “beneficiaries.” Originality/value This study uses the Business Model Canvas for Social Enterprise, a model unverified since inception, to analyze a successful social tourism business. It confirms the usefulness of the additional building blocks within the model, and the additional delineations between “co-creators” and “beneficiaries.” Furthermore, the paper recommends these distinctions are extended to all blocks in the canvas, to illustrate the many ways a company can distribute value based on its business model.


2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari Neilimo ◽  
Hannu Kuusela ◽  
Elina Närvänen ◽  
Hannu Saarijärvi

Purpose – The vision should ignite and facilitate strategic change as well as help a company to transform and reinvent itself in the face of competition. Too often executives use vision as a mere slogan without real relevance. The purpose of this study is to show how the vision guides strategic change. Design/methodology/approach – A case study from a successful multi-format, multi-industry service business is used to illustrate the role of vision in strategic change management. Findings – The article illustrates how the vision was used in practice in guiding the strategic transformation process of the case organization. The study presents four focal tasks of the vision and concludes with five practical guidelines for executives. Originality/value – The article highlights the role of vision as an important tool for managing strategic change.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Amalia E. Maulana ◽  
Lexi Z. Hikmah ◽  
Yudha Andriyanto

Subject area Services marketing, Market segmentation, Ethnography. Study level/applicability Postgraduate programs, Master in Strategic Marketing and Master in Business Administration. Case overview One of the signs of an increase in religion awareness of Indonesian society is a high demand on Musholla in public area. While other shopping malls just provide a normal standard room for prayer, Senayan City has become a pioneer in introducing an excellent facility of a prayer room. In services marketing, one of the substantial matters to consider is physical evidence, or in other words service setting or servicescape. Musholla is one of the intangible aspects, which depicts services in shopping malls in Indonesia. There are three variables that distinguish visitors' types, such as time spent, liturgical compliance level and concerns for cleanliness/hygiene. Expected learning outcomes The objective of this case study is to give deeper comprehension about services marketing to students in a practical way. This case study illustrates that a company is capable of creating a strong brand by acknowledging consumer needs and providing extra benefits. Besides, students are also required to analyze diverse consumer needs as each segment has its own needs. The use of ethnography as an approach shows that such a contemporary method can capture dynamic behaviours and deeper insight on consumer needs. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Kunal K. Ganguly ◽  
Siddharth Rai

Subject area The subject area of the case is operations management and capacity planning. The case adopts different operation strategies to use the idle capacity. Study level/applicability The case study is suitable for discussion in masters level classes. The case explains the situation of a company which is fighting for its survival. The case reveals the alternative operations strategies it applies to maximize its capacity utilization and reduce its costs. Case overview The case describes a paper producing company which is earning low margins. The company’s capacity remains unused during the off-seasons. The company then plans to share its capacity with another dying industry. Both the companies plan to cooperate and share resources. However, there are other attractive alternatives too and the dilemma situations leave the gap for continuous discussions. Expected learning outcomes The case aims at providing potential alternatives to the students and initiating healthy discussions. The students will be able to understand the capacity utilization dilemmas and applicability of the operations strategy concept in practice. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 1040-1055
Author(s):  
Paola Paoloni ◽  
Giuseppe Modaffari ◽  
Niccolò Paoloni

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyze how “mini-bonds,” an innovative financial tool for Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can contribute to the development and sustainability of the agri-food sector and its local products, such as Pecorino Cheese.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted as a qualitative case study applying the CAOS (“characteristics, ambience, organization, start-up”) model. This model makes it possible to describe all variables that affect a company in a given economic context.FindingsIn Sardinia, a small island to the southwest of Italy, there are more than 60,000 agricultural enterprises, 60 percent of which are shepherding operations. Obtaining financial resources is a constant challenge, often related to the uncertainties inherent in seasonal activities. This paper explores how a mini-bond was implemented to promote the development and sustainability of Pecorino Cheese.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations are chiefly related to the short observation period—the bond was first issued in 2018—and to the narrow geographical base of observation.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the expanding body of literature on innovative financial tools for the promotion and development of the local agri-food heritage. It may be useful to practitioners currently researching and developing growth strategies for companies. Existing barriers to credit access are among the most important causes of the lack of development of SMEs, especially in Italy where SMEs represent the principal type of new businesses in the agri-food sector, and their economic success is so dependent on seasonality. In February 2019, the Pecorino case played a role in the Italian government stepping in to avoid the collapse of the price of milk. Future research will focus on the analysis of specific economic results of the financial operations described herein, and will further focus on possibly similar cases of local products making use of innovative financial tools.


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