If a company’s accounts receivable increase greatly during an operationally disruptive time, and new accounting software which may help solve the problem is purchased but not installed, what should be the focus of the Accounting Department?

The preceding paragraph was written as part of a case study by SeaQuest principal Scott Osler in 1978.  It was later published in “Introduction to Business, A Case Approach” by Ronstadt and Stybel. The issues raised in the full study are as relevant today as they were in the 1970’s (well before the invention of the personal computer).  History can teach us a lot about addressing today’s business issues.