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  • February 1991
  • Case
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Burlington Northern: The ARES Decision (B)

By: Julie H. Hertenstein and Robert S. Kaplan
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:8
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Abstract

The ARES team formally proposes that Burlington Northern implement the ARES system. The project meets resistance. In light of financial restructuring and high level of debt, executives wonder whether the company can afford ARES. Weak links during the ARES development process to corporate strategic planning, corporate capital planning, and other corporate functions raise concerns. Executives also worry about whether their 100-year-old, traditional organization can adapt to and exploit ARES's modern electronic technology. When ARES team members' zealous advocacy of the project raise concerns about objectivity in evaluation, an outside consultant is hired to audit benefits, technologies, and whether benefits can be unbundled and implemented selectively.

Keywords

Accounting Audits; Restructuring; Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Borrowing and Debt; Capital Budgeting; Projects; Technology Adoption; Service Industry

Citation

Hertenstein, Julie H., and Robert S. Kaplan. "Burlington Northern: The ARES Decision (B)." Harvard Business School Case 191-123, February 1991.
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About The Author

Robert S. Kaplan

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  • Dell Med: Transforming Care Delivery & Payment By: Robert S. Kaplan, David N. Bernstein and Mary L. Witkowski
  • Innovations in Evaluating Ambulatory Costs of Cystic Fibrosis Care: A Comparative Study Across Multidisciplinary Care Centers in Ireland and the United States By: Emma Brady, Ryan C. Perkins, Kate Cullen, Gregory S. Sawicki, Robert S. Kaplan and Gerardine Doyle
  • A Better Way to Measure Social Impact By: Robert S. Kaplan and Constance Spitzer
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