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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2010
(Revised from original 1991 version)
Tennessee Controls: The Strategic Ranking Problem
by
Robert L. Simons and Dale Geiger
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Abstract
Tennessee Controls has instituted a new formal asset acquisition process to rank competing proposals. Judy Starnes, the new division manager, is asked to rank three proposals by using techniques to quantify economic returns, risk, as well as the credibility of the individuals submitting the proposals. The calculations, which take students approximately 30 minutes to perform, attempt to reduce each complex proposal to a single number. Discussion in class permits role-playing as well as an opportunity to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a very mechanistic approach to critical strategic issues.
Keywords: Capital Budgeting;
Governance Controls;
Management Systems;
Strategic Planning;
Mathematical Methods;
Electronics Industry;