Genworth Financial: A Company in Transition

In 2008, Genworth Financial sought to transition itself from being primarily an insurance company to a provider of financial security. The mechanism to achieve this transition was Genworth\u27s Next Act strategy. Of prime concern to Genworth was implementing this strategy in its Retirement and Protection segment. To do this, a significant effort was required by the various business units in this segment

Brink\u27s Entry into China 2007

This case was prepared from various referenced sources and was developed solely for classroom discussion; the case is not intended to serve as an endorsement, source of primary data or an illustration of either effective or ineffective handling of a business situation. Ron Rokosz, the President of Brink\u27s International was both pleased and distressed as he reviewed the financial results of International operations for fiscal 2006. Revenue had increased by 14% to $1,568.6M, driven by strong gains in both EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and LA (Latin America). In addition, operating profit in International was up by 68%. (Exhibit 1) On the downside, revenue in the AP (Asian Pacific) region decreased by 6%, primarily due to a loss of a key customer in Australia. However Rokosz was more concerned that revenue in AP represented only 3% of Brink\u27s total revenues and 4.6% of Brink\u27s International revenues. Rokosz reflected on the fact that Brink\u27s had truly become a global company with 66% of its 2006 revenues coming from operations outside of North America. However he knew that in order for Brink\u27s to become a true global power, it must establish a stronger presence in the AP region. The question was how, where and when to do this

Qimonda

On April 1, 2006, German based Infineon Technologies AG, announced that it would split off its semiconductor memory business by forming a wholly owned subsidiary named Qimonda (pronounced key-monda). The effective dates of the split would occur on May 1, 2006, two months prior to the previously announced date of July 1, 2006. Infineon also announced that it would conduct an initial public offering (IPO) of Qimonda at unspecified future date, thereby liquidating its majority interest in the company. After the split, Qimonda would emerge as the 4th largest global manufacturer of DRAM memory components. The company would be headquartered in Munich, Germany and would be organized into 4 Regional locations, including Qimonda North America

Owens & Minor: Growth Plan for Expansion Products

E. V. Clarke, the Executive Vice President, Distribution of Owens & Minor (O & M) faced a complex strategic challenge in 2009—the organization and growth of the Expansion products business. This business comprised several existing product categories (Radiology—Contrast Media, Surgical Instruments, Electrosurgical, Endoscopy and Dialysis), in which O&M had a presence but lacked a clear cut growth strategy. Revenue growth in categories had averaged 15% per annum from 2003 to 2008 without a customer focus; the growth had been achieved through supplying such products to existing customers through existing distribution channels

HAR-TRU Sports: Serving Up Growth in 2011

Randy Futty, the General Manager of HAR-TRU Sports (HTS), a division of the Luck Companies set a deadline of mid August, 2011 to develop a five year strategic/growth plan for his business. In fiscal 2010, the division had achieved net sales of $10 million and Futty\u27s objective was to grow the business to$15 million by fiscal 2015. On the positive side, growth opportunities existed geographically in both the western U.S. and in global markets although it would be organizationally challenging to service such markets. Also, various new tennis accessory products and services were being developed by HTS to complement a myriad of existing products

Markel International: Entry into India

William Stovin, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Markel International (MKLI) was pleased with the rapid growth of his company. Since its acquisition and formation as a subsidiary of the Markel Corporation in 2000, MKLI had written gross premiums of $641 million and produced operating profits of$52 million in fiscal 2009. This growth had come from expanding operations into Sweden, Spain, Canada, Singapore, and the U.K. The challenge for MKLI was to develop an entry strategy into India. Many questions had to be answered including selecting a joint venture Indian partner (required in India) and determining a strategic fit with the partner

Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Formation with Surface Modified Polymeric Nanoparticles

The gram-negative bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa represents a prominent clinical concern. Due to the observed high levels of antibiotic resistance, copious biofilm formation, and wide array of virulence factors produced by these bacteria, new treatment technologies are required. Here, we present the development of a series of P. aeruginosa LecA-targeted polymeric nanoparticles and demonstrate the anti-adhesion and biofilm inhibitory properties of these constructs

Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Formation with Surface Modified Polymeric Nanoparticles

The gram-negative bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa represents a prominent clinical concern. Due to the observed high levels of antibiotic resistance, copious biofilm formation, and wide array of virulence factors produced by these bacteria, new treatment technologies are required. Here, we present the development of a series of P. aeruginosa LecA-targeted polymeric nanoparticles and demonstrate the anti-adhesion and biofilm inhibitory properties of these constructs

Improving gridded snow water equivalent products in British Columbia, Canada: multi-source data fusion by neural network models

Estimates of surface snow water equivalent (SWE) in mixed alpine environments with seasonal melts are particularly difficult in areas of high vegetation density, topographic relief, and snow accumulations. These three confounding factors dominate much of the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. An artificial neural network (ANN) was created using as predictors six gridded SWE products previously evaluated for BC. Relevant spatiotemporal covariates were also included as predictors, and observations from manual snow surveys at stations located throughout BC were used as target data. Mean absolute errors (MAEs) and interannual correlations for April surveys were found using cross-validation. The ANN using the three best-performing SWE products (ANN3) had the lowest mean station MAE across the province. ANN3 outperformed each product as well as product means and multiple linear regression (MLR) models in all of BC's five physiographic regions except for the BC Plains. Subsequent comparisons with predictions generated by the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model found ANN3 to better estimate SWE over the VIC domain and within most regions. The superior performance of ANN3 over the individual products, product means, MLR, and VIC was found to be statistically significant across the province