Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)最新文献

{"title":"Anna Pessah: Lean Thinking at Summit Funding (a)","authors":"R. Goldberg, E. N. Weiss","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3101114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3101114","url":null,"abstract":"This case was a runner-up in the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) 2017 case competition.Anna Pessah, process engineer at Summit Funding (Summit), a mortgage-loan-processing company, is reflecting back on her year at the company. Pessah had been hired to improve operations at the firm—to make the core operations cheaper, faster, and of a higher quality. She had addressed two key operations: loan closings and verifications of employment (VOE). Her next tasks involved improvements at the 28 branches and reaction to a corporate-wide improvement program entitled “Project Ninja.” Pessah had implemented a system called “pods,” similar to manufacturing cells, in order to address loan closings. Data is given for the student to analyze the implications of this approach and suggest alternatives. Data is also given for analyzing the VOE process and deriving an approach to the branch productivity problem. Finally, the Project Ninja memo is given, and students are asked to evaluate this initiative. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-OM-1569 \u0000Rev. Mar. 2, 2018 \u0000Anna Pessah: Lean Thinking at Summit Funding (A) \u0000Early Career \u0000Anna Pessah, an industrial and operations engineer with a master's degree from the University of Michigan, had begun her career at two Fortune 200 manufacturers, working in unionized production facilities as a Lean and change-management associate. While she enjoyed and valued the people she worked with and many of her experiences in these roles, one thing that she consistently found challenging about working in large, established companies with a long history of various change-management programs were the preconceptions many of the employees had about what to expect from her services. Pessah reflected: \u0000Working in these environments helped me learn how to overcome other people's resistance to change—mostly by taking the time to make personal connections and building trust. I was able to make some improvements here and there, but ultimately the culture was not a good fit for me. That's what led me to consider leaving manufacturing. \u0000. . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124313221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Nobody Ever Disagrees\" (A)","authors":"Mark E. Haskins","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3101110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3101110","url":null,"abstract":"The president of the Belgian consumer goods subsidiary of a large American conglomerate thought he had inherited a loyal, lean, efficient, and capable management team to help him accelerate the growth and profitability of the decades-old, moderately successful subsidiary. Yet after six months in his current position, not much had improved. Financial performance had not regressed—just not expanded or accelerated. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-G-0641 \u0000Dec. 15, 2017 \u0000“Nobody Ever Disagrees” (A) \u0000Pierre Voisinet was perplexed. As president of the Belgian consumer goods subsidiary of a large American conglomerate, he thought he had inherited a loyal, lean, efficient, and capable management team to help him accelerate the growth and profitability of the decades-old, moderately successful subsidiary. Yet after six months in his current position, not much had improved. Financial performance had not regressed—just not expanded or accelerated. During that time, Pierre had championed several business growth initiatives—some had worked to a modest extent while others seemed to go nowhere. All in all, although no one could complain about the subsidiary's performance, it just was not stellar, and Pierre wanted it to be the proverbial “jewel in the crown” of its parent company. \u0000Pierre Voisinet \u0000If there was a prototypical fast-track executive, it was Pierre. He had top-notch credentials from an American school, and his family tree was well known and respected in Western Europe. He had taken his current position after a successful eight-year stint with one of the world's leading consulting firms. The business reputation that preceded him to the Belgian subsidiary was that he had good ideas, he delivered what he promised, he did not lack self-confidence, he worked hard, and he expected others to do the same. \u0000. . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"45 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116293129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Country Market Collection: A Case of Channel Conflict","authors":"Kimberly A. Whitler, Randle D. Raggio","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3073284","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3073284","url":null,"abstract":"Ashton Thyme's, an upscale furniture boutique in Athens, Georgia, has been granted exclusive territory to sell antique-reproduction furniture from Country Market Collection. But a customer has found the same Country Market Collection products Ashton Thyme's carries for a lower price online. The customer offered Ashton Thyme's the opportunity to match the online price, which the manager declined. This situation prompts an angry call from the manager to the owner of Country Market Collection, arguing that sales to websites infringe on Ashton Thyme's exclusive territory rights. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-M-0942 \u0000Nov. 9, 2017 \u0000Country Market Collection: A Case of Channel Conflict \u0000In March 2011, Samantha Hodges, owner of Country Market Collection, a maker of antique-reproduction furniture, received a phone call from Jill Turnberry, a manager from Ashton Thyme's, an upscale furniture boutique in Athens, Georgia, one of Country Market Collection's biggest and longest-standing customers. \u0000Turnberry was not happy that one of Ashton Thyme's customers had just told her that he found Country Market Collection furniture cheaper at an online retailer. Like most of Country Market Collection's customers, Ashton Thyme's enjoyed rights to an exclusive distribution territory that covered Athens through Atlanta, where Ashton Thyme's operated two new stores. \u0000Even worse, from Turnberry's perspective, was the fact that Country Market Collection had agreed to let the customer pick up the furniture directly from a distribution center in Augusta, thereby saving the shipping charge and making the online purchase that much more attractive. \u0000. . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"142 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133613244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mgm Resorts International: Accounts Receivable","authors":"Luann J. Lynch","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3042719","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3042719","url":null,"abstract":"An analyst's manager at a local investment firm had been reading through a recent report regarding MGM Resorts International when he noticed a drop in the company's bad debt expense estimate for 2016. He had asked an analyst at the firm to investigate. The manager knew a decrease like this could indicate an improvement in collectability from customers, but he also knew the expense was subject to estimates from management. He needed to know whether to interpret the decline as a good sign or not.This case is intended for use in an introductory financial accounting course to demonstrate the impact of accounts receivable on financial statements. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-C-2401 \u0000Rev. Nov. 30, 2017 \u0000MGM Resorts International: Accounts Receivable \u0000As an analyst with a local investment firm, Jane Douglas had the opportunity to work on some interesting projects. This one would be no exception. Her manager, Evan Crenshaw, had been reading through a recent report regarding MGM Resorts International (MGM Resorts) when he noticed a drop in the company's bad debt expense estimate for the year 2016. He had asked Douglas to investigate. He knew a decrease like this could indicate an improvement in collectability from customers, but he also knew the expense was subject to estimates from management. He needed to know whether to interpret the decline as a good sign or not. \u0000Douglas had only been to a casino a couple of times, but on both occasions, she had found the experience fascinating. Her first visit to a casino had been during a trip with friends to Las Vegas, Nevada, three years ago. She wasn't sure what to expect, but after entering, she followed her friends to the slot machines. That's where most of her friends spent their time, and they seemed to know a bit about how to play. Douglas started with the quarter slots. She obtained a prepaid card at a kiosk and inserted it into one of the machines; the balance on the card increased or decreased depending on whether she won or lost the round, and after a few rounds, she cashed in her card at the same kiosk where she had obtained it and received a little more than she had paid for it in return. \u0000Then she strolled around the casino to get an idea of what else there was to do. She saw blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, and other table games being played on the main casino floor. She didn't try her hand at any of these—they were beyond her comfort level. She noticed that some customers obtained chips from the dealer in exchange for cash right there at their table, while the dealer gave other customers a document known as a “marker,” to sign, after which they received chips without any cash changing hands. Still other players arrived at their table with a marker they had obtained at the cashier's cage, presented it to the dealer, and received chips in exchange. Douglas very much enjoyed watching customers play the table games and spent much of her time just observing players winning rounds and accumulating chips, or losing ro","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131195515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Panic of 1837 and the Market Revolution in America (a) and (B) (Abridged)","authors":"R. Bruner","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3042728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3042728","url":null,"abstract":"In 1837, President Martin Van Buren confronted a dilemma over the appropriate federal response to the recent panic of 1837 that seemed to undercut the policies and power of Andrew Jackson's “Democracy.” Now, Van Buren must decide how best to harness the civic reaction in stabilizing the financial system and returning the American economy to growth.Van Buren's dilemma occurs in the midst of a dramatic regime shift in American politics. The rise of Whig politicians in reaction to the populist policies of Andrew Jackson marked 1837 as an historic pivot-point. It is useful to consider how the panic of 1837 contributed to that pivot and how the subsequent civic reaction to the panic developed. \u0000⦁The A case recounts the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his “war” on the Second Bank of the United States, a quasi-central bank. It also describes the “market revolution” occurring in the U.S. economy and the political factions that had emerged. Finally, it summarizes the causes and story of the panic of 1837. \u0000⦁The B case presents draft legislation for an Independent Treasury and President Van Buren's message with which he aimed to open a special session of the U.S. Congress and enact the Independent Treasury proposal. \u0000⦁The C case describes the failures to enact the proposal in 1837, 1838, and 1839—ultimately the proposal was enacted in 1840. The case also describes other civic reactions: a new Bankruptcy Act and state-level “free banking” laws. Finally, the case describes the economic aftermath: another panic in 1839 and a long depression that ensued. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-F-1806 \u0000Sept. 20, 2017 \u0000The Panic of 1837 and the Market Revolution in America (A) and (B) (Abridged) \u0000Within weeks of Martin Van Buren's inauguration as the eighth U.S. president on March 4, 1837, a bank panic broke out in New York and other eastern cities. On May 15, 1837, Van Buren called for a special session of Congress to convene in September for the purpose of addressing the crisis. Rumors circulated about what Van Buren would propose to remedy the situation. Van Buren was perplexed himself and agonized over how best to respond. Advice, much of it unsolicited, streamed in: \u0000Recharter the Second Bank of the United States (Second Bank). Some advocates, not least of them Nicholas Biddle, the former president of the bank, claimed that the panic had its origins in the lax credit standards of banks in the West and the South. After losing its national charter in 1836, the bank had lost its ability to discipline other banks in the system. Thus, the path to recovery would entail rechartering the Second Bank to provide the systemic oversight that the nation needed. Prominent members of the Whig Party supported this. \u0000. . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"s3-5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130239106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Panic of 2001 and Corporate Transparency, Accountability, and Trust (a)","authors":"R. Bruner","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3042726","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3042726","url":null,"abstract":"These cases are part of a module of teaching materials that study the major financial events of the first decade of the 2000s and the dramatic shift in civic attitudes that accompanied them. Cases on the so-called Panic of 2001 address the start of the shift in 2001-02 (the complementary materials address the events of 2008 and beyond). The substance of the A and B cases is the civic reaction to the dot-com crash of 2000 and the wave of corporate fraud cases exposed from 2000 to 2002. The A case reviews the dot-com crash, the collapse of Enron, other cases of corporate fraud, and the actions of the president, Congress, and other entities up to July 15, 2002. At that date, Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley agreed to meet in a conference to hash out the final draft of the bill to be named “The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.” The dominant issue for the legislators (and for the students) is how tough to make the bill. The task for the student is to compare and contrast the respective bills and make a recommendation for a compromise. More broadly, the case affords the opportunity to reflect on the dynamics of financial crises and why it seems to be that frauds emerge during times of financial instability. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-F-1788 \u0000Rev. Jul. 24, 2018 \u0000The Panic of 2001 and Corporate Transparency, Accountability, and Trust (A) \u0000On July 19, 2002, Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Maryland) and US Representative Michael Oxley (R-Ohio) met to shape legislation aimed at limiting corporate fraud and manipulation of earnings. This meeting was a “conference committee” of senators and representatives who would seek to produce a “reconciliation” draft that could pass both houses and be presented to President George W. Bush for his signature. The two houses of Congress had approved their own versions of such legislation. It now depended on the conferees to shape a final recommendation to both houses. The laws passed by each house differed in some respects. The House version was passed on April 24 by a majority vote of 334 to 90. The Senate version was passed on July 15 by a majority vote of 97 to zero. Could the differences in the two acts be attributable to timing? In any event, how should the conferees settle their differences? What prompted this outcome? What was the purpose of the act? How successful would it be? \u0000The Dot-Com Bubble and Bust \u0000From 1992 to March 2000, the US economy and stock market boomed, particularly in the technology sector. Exhibit 1 shows that the NASDAQ Index displayed a 679% increase from January 1, 1995, to March 10, 2000, compared to a 303% increase for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500). During this time, venture financing of early-stage technology companies surged. The price increases reflected buoyant investor expectations about growth of the World Wide Web, growth in transmission speeds owing to high-capacity optical fiber cable, and general growth in telecommunications volume. Growing access to the internet meant tha","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125641181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A General Theory of Coolness","authors":"Lalin Anik, J. Miles, Ryan Hauser","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3027026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3027026","url":null,"abstract":"Coolness is a quality that is widely desired but not widely understood. While many brands seek to establish themselves as “cool,” few have a clear idea of how to get there. In this technical note, we present a general framework for coolness that can be used by consumers and managers alike to better understand how to create an air of cool around themselves, their brand, or their products.Our framework rests on four traits: autonomy, authenticity, attitude, and association, and on the interplay between them. Using this framework, we answer questions such as, \"What makes something cool?,\" \"What do cool brands do differently?,\" and \"How can something cool become uncool?\" Drawing on the literature surrounding autonomy, identity, norms, and impression formation, as well as real-world examples of best practices and common pitfalls, the note seeks to help students navigate the ambiguous world of coolness.This note is appropriate for use both in a first-year marketing course as well as a higher-level elective with MBAs and executives. It would be most impactful if taught along with the case \"A Supreme Case of Coolness\" (UVA-M-1006); the framework in this note could be applied to expand the discussion in that case. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-M-0953 \u0000Rev. Jul. 22, 2020 \u0000A General Theory of Coolness \u0000Brands have long attempted to be associated with cool trends. Both consumers and marketers seem ever to be in search of coolness. Coolness attracts attention. Coolness sells. By its nature, though, coolness is tough to define. It is ephemeral, elusive, and ever-evolving. People's concept of cool might best be encapsulated by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stuart's infamous phrase, “I know it when I see it.” In the marketplace, coolness excites consumers, steers purchase behaviors, and dictates trends. \u0000But what exactly is coolness? Is it more than an attitude or style that is admired? And are there principles around coolness that may be studied or copied? This technical note attempts to present a general framework for understanding coolness. The note first tries to define coolness, then suggests that there are four As that cause a product, brand, or person to be cool: autonomy, authenticity, attitude, and association. \u0000What Is Coolness? \u0000. . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126876754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Heineken with Love: James Bond Product Promotion","authors":"Lalin Anik, J. Miles","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3017473","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3017473","url":null,"abstract":"The producers of the newest James Bond film, Spectre, had a difficult sponsorship decision to make before filming of the movie began in one month. Up for consideration was a highly lucrative product promotion with Heineken, which offered both a sizable contribution to the film as well as a high-budget advertising campaign. The studio was looking for any way it could to reduce the cost of the film (which was nearing $250 million), but the producers were concerned about the negative backlash they had unwittingly unleashed when they'd shown Bond drinking a Heineken in Skyfall, as opposed to his usual vodka martini. How should the producers approach the Heineken deal? How could they assess the benefits and risks of associating Bond with a Dutch beer? This potential tension between brand cultures allows for a rich discussion. Furthermore, the case introduces the concept of \"cool\" and challenges the students to dive deeper into understanding its four dimensions to answer questions such as \"What makes James Bond cool?\" \"Can James Bond be uncool?\" and \"How can the brand sustain its coolness in partnership with potentially conflicting brands?\"This case is appropriate for use both in a first-year marketing course as well as a higher-level elective with MBAs and executives. This case would be most impactful if taught along with the technical note \"A General Theory of Coolness\" (UVA-M-0953), as the framework therein could be applied to expand the current discussion. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-M-0952 \u0000Rev. Dec. 6, 2017 \u0000From Heineken with Love: James Bond Product Promotion \u0000The producers of the newest James Bond film, Spectre, had a difficult decision to make before filming began in one month. Expectations for the follow-up to Skyfall, the most successful Bond film ever at the box office, were incredibly high among fans and the film industry. Spectre would have to be bigger and better, with a larger budget as well. While Bond was a fan favorite, not every Bond movie had done well in the theaters, and Spectre's budget of around $ 250million made it hugely expensive and potentially risky. The studio was looking for any way it could to reduce the cost of the film without sacrificing the audience experience. \u0000Up for consideration was a highly lucrative product promotion. Heineken was hoping to continue its long-running sponsorship of the series. In return for featuring its beer in Spectre, it was willing to make a sizeable contribution to the film. It would also pledge to spend $ 100million to cross-promote its beer and the movie with a flashy advertising campaign. Nevertheless, the producers were concerned about the negative backlash they had unwittingly unleashed when they'd shown Bond drinking a Heineken in Skyfall, as opposed to his usual vodka martini. \u0000How should the producers approach the Heineken deal? How could they assess the benefits and risks of associating Bond with a Dutch beer? \u0000. . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"69 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126429885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wells Fargo Circles the Wagons: Communicating During a Crisis","authors":"Jenny Craddock, J. West","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3010599","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3010599","url":null,"abstract":"In October 2016, Timothy Sloan, the newly appointed CEO of American banking giant Wells Fargo, faced a massive public-relations crisis. A few weeks earlier, a United States government agency had announced the results of its regulatory review of the bank and exposed a shocking practice common in the retail division, in which aggressive community bankers had created more than a million fraudulent accounts and credit card applications on behalf of unaware customers for the past several years. Over the next few weeks, the bank—and Sloan's predecessor, John Stumpf, in particular—suffered from harsh criticism from politicians, journalists, and former employees alike, ultimately forcing Stumpf's resignation. As Sloan sought to minimize the public-image backlash and restore general trust in Wells Fargo, he struggled to construct the best communication strategy for the bank's next chapter. \u0000Excerpt \u0000UVA-BC-0263 \u0000Rev. Sept. 28, 2018 \u0000Wells Fargo Circles the Wagons: Communicating during a Crisis \u0000Two days after suddenly being named CEO of a scandal-ridden Wells Fargo & Company (Wells Fargo), Timothy Sloan found himself rattled by a quarterly conference call that he and his CFO, John Shrewsberry, had just conducted for inquisitive investors on the morning of October 14, 2016. Sloan's predecessor, former CEO and chairman John Stumpf, had just resigned from both posts at the bank two days earlier. His resignation became inevitable after a month of enduring critiques and shakedowns from politicians, journalists, former employees, and bank customers in response to September's exposure of the bank's intense corporate sales culture that had driven thousands of community bankers to open more than a million fraudulent accounts and more than half a million credit card applications for unaware customers since 2011. \u0000Although Sloan's intention going into the update call was to convey “continued strong financial results” at the bank and an action plan for recovering from the account crisis that had put the bank at the center of a public-relations nightmare, not every listener to the call was satisfied with the corporate presentation. Despite multiple corrective policy changes at Wells Fargo (which had been announced over the past few weeks and reiterated once again during that morning's presentation), in addition to the management shake-up initiated by Stumpf's resignation, many stakeholders were still left unsatisfied and unclear of future plans. One analyst, Mike Mayo from CLSA Limited, took the opportunity to grill Sloan and Shrewsberry during the Q&A section at the end of the call: \u0000Mike Mayo: Of the 115,000 accounts that were open without authorization and charged a fee, how many customers did those 115,000 accounts reflect? And what's been your retention rate of those customers? \u0000. . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127609368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lego Bricks: Fit for the Big Screen?","authors":"Ming-Jer Chen, Jenny Craddock","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.3010604","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3010604","url":null,"abstract":"For years Danish toymaker LEGO had turned down multiple attempts from directors and producers to make a LEGO movie. Now the CEO of the Danish toymaker has gotten a movie pitch from Warner Brothers. The entire LEGO brand is at risk if the movie is poorly executed or received. The CEO wonders if attempting to compete with Disney and Pixar in developing a successful children's movie was another case of over-diversification. Excerpt UVA-S-0296 Jun. 15, 2017 LEGO Bricks: Fit for the Big Screen? When JØrgen Vig Knudstorp, the celebrated CEO of Danish toymaker LEGO, and his colleagues welcomed Warner Brothers (WB) producer Dan Lin and screenwriters Dan and Kevin Hageman to the company's Billund, Denmark, headquarters in 2008, it was not the first time the company had fielded a movie pitch from Hollywood creatives. In fact, for years LEGO had turned down multiple attempts from directors and producers to make a LEGO movie. During that day's pitch, Lin explained that his recent observation of his young son playing with a LEGO spaceship was what inspired the WB film proposal. His movie concept hinged on LEGO's active partnership and participation: the idea was “that anything in the movie [could] be constructed using real LEGOs.” Despite the enthusiastic pitch, Knudstorp and his colleagues conveyed their lack of interest to Lin at the meeting's conclusion. Lin summarized their aversion to the idea. “They didn't feel they needed a movie. They were already a very successful brand. Why take the risk [on a movie when] they were doing really well without [one?].” Indeed, by 2008, the iconic toy company had finally recovered from near bankruptcy several years earlier, with its revenues having grown nearly 20% over the past year. Furthermore, starting in 2003, LEGO had released several toy-centric DVDs, but the company's recent course-correcting strategy focused on its core construction products and encouraged children's active play, as opposed to over-diversifying into digital entertainment and screen time. While it was obvious that WB's motivation for attaching itself to the LEGO brand was the brand's pervasive recognition, it was far less clear what was in the deal for LEGO. As Knudstorp reflected on the pitch later that afternoon, he kept returning to the same nagging questions regarding a potential LEGO movie release. The year 2009 would kick off the growth phase of his long-term strategic plan for the company. He wondered if there was a way to find any positive opportunities within the risky undertaking of releasing a LEGO film. Was the company ready to make its Hollywood debut? Would a movie damage the brand and its quality reputation—perhaps irreparably? In addition, in the making of the movie, how could the story and characters reflect LEGO's mission, and who would be the movie's ideal audience? . . .","PeriodicalId":121773,"journal":{"name":"Darden Case: Business Communications (Topic)","volume":"50 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121647192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}