The School invests generously in faculty research - US$97 million in fiscal 2011 - freeing scholars from the distraction of fundraising and the constraints of third-party grants or sponsorship. With a wide range of support services, including an unprecedented network of Global Research Centers, the world-class collections of Baker Library, the Global Research Group, information technology (IT) support, research associates and case writers, our faculty are able to develop high-impact research and course materials on relevant global issues and innovations, wherever and whenever they arise.
In fiscal 2011, 41% of all research produced by the School's faculty was global in scope (the highest level to date), and a wide variety of courses and cases in the MBA and Executive Education programs focus on global business issues.
Archives
ASUSTek Computer Inc. Eee PC (A)
Shih, Willy, Chintay Shih, Hung-Chang Chiu, Yi-Ching Hsieh, and Ho Howard Yu
December 2008
ASUSTek Computer was the world's largest manufacture of PC motherboards, yet when it tried to launch its new sub-notebook Eee PC, the organization faced challenges in doing things outside of its established processes. Though many of the team members had worked together for years, they had to find new ways of working as they tried to launch the new mobile Internet device category without undermining its existing notebook PC business.
ASUSTek Computer Inc. Eee PC (B)
Shih, Willy and Ho Howard Yu
December 2008
Supplements the (A) case
Rebranding at Oliver Wyman Group
Eccles, Robert G., and Kaitlyn Simpson
December 2008
In 2007, the individual consulting firms loosely held under the name Mercer Specialty Consulting came together more closely to form the $1.5 billion strategy consulting firm Oliver Wyman. CEO John Drzik hoped that this rebranding effort would create greater alignment and collaboration across the firm, resulting in greater client value. With increasingly complex needs, clients sought consultants with deep expertise to solve their most challenging problems-and each firm that formed Oliver Wyman had the deep expertise in a particular field that clients wanted. However, creating a consulting firm based on specialization presented some challenges. For example, to what degree could each of the original firms integrate under a single name without losing the distinct specializations (and in some cases, brand equity) that made each firm so successful in the first place? This case describes the history of Oliver Wyman, the rebranding process, and the resulting changes to organizational structure and recruiting.
International Enforcement of U.S. Patents
Pozen, Robert C., and Jordan Hirsch
December 2008
A company that owns a U.S. patent can enforce its patent protections in three ways: by filing a lawsuit in U.S. federal district court, by bringing action in the International Trade Commission, or through the World Trade Organization. This note discusses the pros and cons of pursuing either of the latter two avenues for recourse.
A Short Explanatory Note on the Credit Crisis
Segel, Arthur I., and Ben Creo
December 2008
This note details the background of the credit crisis, discusses potential causes of it, and considers its ramifications. The exhibits contain a variety of pertinent data regarding the rise of securitization, debt levels, and typical aspects of financial crises. A new matrix is also introduced for thinking about a country's potential economic performance at any point in time
Corporate Solutions at Jones Lang LaSalle
Gulati, Ranjay
November 2008
The CEO of the Corporate Solutions Group at Jones Lang LaSalle Americas (JLL) is executing an organizational redesign to respond to its strategy goal of becoming more customer-centric. This case examines the dramatic corporate reorganization that took place at JLL in 2001 in response to changes in the competitive structure of the global real estate services market mandating that providers become more customer-solutions oriented. The case is set shortly after the announcement of the restructuring which, for the first time, will place the three business units that service the company's corporate clients (i.e., those clients for whom real estate is not their core business) under a single structure, the Corporate Solutions Group, to target the profitable and growing segment of global MNCs who are outsourcing their real estate departments. Peter Barge, the protagonist of the case, has been named the CEO of the new group and has been tasked with coordinating the diverse activities of the three units to achieve JLL's broader goal of "customer excellence." One of Barge's first actions is to move the account management role outside of the traditional business unit structure and augment the role to that of service integrator to achieve his internal objective of business unit collaboration and to provide clients with a single point of contact across the full range of the company's offerings. The organizational restructuring will change the real estate services firm from an autonomous, product-focused model to an account-centered matrix structure and will challenge many elements of the company's current organizational design including accountability, revenue and cost allocation, compensation systems, sales and marketing, and also the corporate culture. The case offers an opportunity to explore the numerous, interconnected elements of an organization's architecture that must be in alignment in order for it to effectively execute its chosen strategy.
Copyright Law in the U.S. and EU.
Pozen, Robert C., and Elizabeth M. Leonard
November 2008
This note reviews the basic rules for copyright protection in both the U.S. and the EU. It outlines the works and rights protected, the fair use and first-sale limitations on copyright, as well as the application of these rules to software, video, recordings, and Internet service providers.
Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll: The MTV Approach to Tackling HIV/AIDS
Khanna, Tarun, Sonali R.
Bloom, and David E. Bloom
October 2008
This case explores the role that MTV, with its heavy diet of music and general youth-oriented media content, plays in spreading public-service messaging to contain the scourge of HIV/AIDS worldwide. There is a focus especially on its efforts in several emerging markets, particularly the parts of Africa that have a heavy disease incidence. MTV has developed a DNA of public service announcements that it claims are of central relevance to its high-risk customer base. How core is this to the strategy of a for-profit firm like MTV? What role can a multinational play in helping develop the health care "soft" infrastructure in such emerging markets?
Chi Mei Optoelectronics
Shih, Willy, Chintay Shih,
Jyun-Cheng Wang, and Ho Howard Yu
October 2008
Chi Mei is a Taiwanese industrial group that makes a major diversification into the technology intensive TFT-LCD flat panel display industry. Because the diversification is far away from its core competence in petrochemicals, it is an opportunity to examine how the firm was able to become a global leader in the relatively short span of ten years. Such organic diversifications are relatively unusual by Western standards, especially into technologies and markets that have relatively high entry barriers and where there is no deep-rooted national technological or scientific foundation. As such Chi Mei is an interesting vehicle to examine the rise of a major Asian industrial cluster with global scope which has no participants or competitors in the West. The case can also be used to expose students to the global supply chain for key information technology components. Taiwan and Korea are today the major world centers for the manufacture of semiconductors (in particular DRAMs and FLASH memory) and flat panel displays. Taiwan is also the center for notebook computer manufacturing, and Taiwanese companies, through their China-based manufacturing and assembly operations, drive 60% of the IT exports from China. Yet few students even know the identity of these major global players. Taiwan- and Korea-based TFT-LCD flat panels are the critical components in notebook computers, computer monitors, and flat panel televisions from essentially all well known global brands.
Wyoff and China-LuQuan: Negotiating a Joint Venture (B)
Sebenius, James K., and
Jason Cheng Qian
October 2008
Through stalled joint venture talks between Pennsylvania-based Wyoff Corp. and Jinan-based China-LuQuan, strategic and cross-cultural negotiation challenges are explored both from American and Chinese perspectives. Wyoff, a leading U.S. chemical company, has been seeking ways to secure the company's foothold in China's emerging market since the late 90s. When approached by China-LuQuan, a major Chinese state-owned chemical producer, in 2000 for a joint-venture opportunity to make a popular chemical catalyst in China, Wyoff, leveraging its superior technology, demanded one-sided terms and played hardball, ruining both the deal and the relationship with China-LuQuan. Seven years later in 2007, Wyoff faced market pressure to again seek a joint venture with China-LuQuan on two other types of products. Both parties had to overcome past distrust to work things out on a series of strategic issues: investment, product slate, marketing, technology, management organization, staffing, etc. In the negotiations, cross-cultural themes (e.g., trust, relationships, communication, time, autonomy, face, etc.) and different negotiation styles created challenges along with the business and strategic issues. The (A) case sets up the negotiations, highlights issue impasses, explores cross-cultural frictions, and poses tactical challenges. The (B) case describes the strategies, tactics, and results of these negotiations.
Crossing Borders: Notes on a Middle Eastern Journey through Africa
Khanna, Tarun, and Ayesha
K. Khan
October 2008
This is the story of MTC, a Kuwaiti telecom company that has grown from a sleepy, state monopoly to become one of the fastest growing telecom companies in the world, with the largest regional footprint across the Middle East and Africa. The CEO of the company, Dr. Saad Al Barrak, had been successful in executing an aggressive growth plan that found its crown jewel in the acquisition of Celtel, one of the largest telecom companies in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this acquisition threw MTC into a dynamic new context and marked the beginning of a very different phase. If Dr. Saad was going to lead MTC into the topmost ranks of global telecom, his team would have to successfully grapple with all the growing pains of managing across borders, brand names, and cultures. All against the backdrop of an unpredictable African market with huge growth potential and rapidly increasing competition.
(PRODUCT) RED (A)
Moon, Youngme, Michael Norton, and David
Chen
October 2008
Describes the launch and initial results of the (PRODUCT) RED campaign, a social marketing initiative conceived by U2's Bono and Bobby Shriver to combat AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The company licensed the (RED) brand to partner companies, which initially included Gap, Apple, Motorola, Armani, and American Express. The business model was structured to benefit partner companies by increasing consumer purchases-of (RED)-branded products such as red iPods and phones-while also resulting in increased donations to the Global Fund.
(PRODUCT) RED (B)
Moon, Youngme, Michael Norton, and David
Chen
October 2008
Updates the (PRODUCT) RED (A) case through early 2008, including announcements of new partner relationships (with Hallmark, Microsoft, and Dell) as well as new communications initiatives.
System on a Chip 2008: Ardentec Corporation
Shih, Willy C., Chen-Fu
Chien, Chintay Shih, and Ting-Chen Chen.
October 2008
Ardentec Corporation is a specialist in "wafer probing," a highly specialized niche sandwiched between the "front-end" and the "back-end" of semiconductor manufacturing. Because the semiconductor industry uses modular processes and has standard containers for the interchange of work-in-progress, it has evolved to a highly horizontal structure where specialists like Ardentec can carve out unique market opportunities that are less attractive to integrated manufacturers. The company has grown rapidly, but as it starts to occupy a significant percentage of the total available market, its founders are faced with the challenge of how to maintain growth. Do they vertically integrate more into the back-end, or should they try to do acquisitions in adjacent markets? The case is intended to be used in conjunction with the Technical Note, "Horizontal Specialization and Modularity in the Semiconductor Industry" (608-001)
Supergrid
Vietor, Richard H.K.
October 2008
Supergrid is a mammoth wind-power development scheme for Europe, recently proposed by Airtricity. This firm, founded in 1997, is a fast-growing power-development company focused on wind. Already having built about 600 megawatts of wind turbines in Scotland and Ireland, Airtricity has now expanded to the United States. But its "Supergrid" proposal, to build offshore wind turbines with capacity of 30,000 megawatts of power, would change the face of European energy networks, use new technology, and help several European countries meet their Kyoto targets for reducing CO2. The issues are whether a small company like Airtricity has the human and capital resources to pull this off, and whether the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands, and the EU can be made to cooperate on such a project.
Thoma Bravo-Citect Corporation Take-Private
El-Hage, Nabil N., and
Michelle C. Simon
October 2008
In 2006, Citect Corporation, a publicly traded Australian software company, was the target of a takeover battle between a financial sponsor and a strategic buyer. Thoma Bravo, the U.S.-based private equity firm, had to decide on its acquisition strategy in the face of competition from Schneider Electric, a large French multinational. The case allows for a thorough analysis of buyer types (financial vs. strategic), deal strategy, and valuation. Among other topics covered in the incentive, and talent development system used at a major multinational company. This case can also be used to analyze the extent to which this system should or should not be adapted for China and other emerging economies.
Power Across Latin America: Endesa de Chile
Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Patricio Del Sol
September 2008
Endesa, a privatized Chilean electricity generator, has made significant investments in the privatization of Argentina's electricity sector and is now contemplating an even larger privatization opportunity in Peru. In deciding how much to bid in Peru, Endesa must account for the political context in which privatization is being undertaken, as well as a host of other uncertainties.
World Wildlife Fund US
Wei-Skillern, Jane, and Kerry Herman
September 2008
World Wildlife Fund US is a leading international conservation nonprofit that operates within a global network of WWF organizations. This case examines WWF US's strategy to achieve its mission of protecting natural wildlife and resources. In contrast to traditional approaches in which WWF country programs operated relatively independently, the new strategy involves integrating WWF US more fully within the global WWF network, and fostering longer-term, trust-based relationships among all partner organizations toward their shared conservation goals. The case highlights the Tesso Nilo conservation project, which brought together various WWF partners to stop illegal logging in Sumatra and revive its wildlife environment to illustrate a network approach within a global multisite nonprofit.
Leading Citigroup (A)
Paine, Lynn Sharp, Aldo
Sesia Jr., and Carin-Isabel Knoop
September 2008
The (A) case describes a series of controversial events and alleged misdeeds that placed Citigroup in the public spotlight and launched investigations into the company's business practices by regulators in Japan and Europe in the fall of 2004. CEO Chuck Prince must decide what to do to right the company and restore its reputation.
Leading Citigroup (B)
Paine, Lynn Sharp, Aldo
Sesia Jr., and Carin-Isabel Knoop
September 2008
The (B) case describes the actions taken by Citigroup CEO Chuck Prince and his management team to right the company in the wake of the controversies and alleged misdeeds described in the (A) case.
North Goes East
Retsinas, Nicolas P.,
Daniela Beyersdorfer, and Elena Corsi
September 2008
In August 2006, Magnus Lofgren and Robert Provine, managing directors and co-founders of the "North Real Estate Opportunities Fund," need to decide which real estate investment the Fund should pursue as its first project. The Fund's target region, Central and Eastern Europe, was changing rapidly and returns in some of the more developed regions started to resemble those generated in Western Europe. Yet, the two partners had managed to identify several projects in different countries that promised to generate the Fund's targeted Internal Rates of Return at or above 20% annually. They now had to decide which opportunity was the best match to the Fund's investment profile and showed the highest economic promise.
Mattel's Long Hot Summer
Wei-Skillern, Jane, Sonia Marciano, and Barbara Passy
September 2008
In the summer of 2007, Mattel performed three major recalls of toys, mostly due to lead paint and other manufacturing issues in China. This case examines specifically how those recalls were perceived by consumers and responded to by Mattel, as well as what effect they had on the toy industry, consumer safety, and manufacturing in China in general.
AREVA T&D
Raman, Ananth, Vincent
Marie Dessain, Ane Damgaard Jensen, and Gudrun Urfalino Kristinsdottir
September 2008
The case explores the rapid and highly effective turnaround at AREVA's transmission and distribution (T&D) business by focusing on the division's operations. The division was struggling in 2004 when newly-appointed CEO Philippe Guillemot and his team improved performance substantially by focusing on four levers- industrial footprint realignment, competitive sourcing, process efficiency, and a competitive product offering. In 2008, the case challenges students to identify the best path forward. How can the progress achieved from 2004 to 2007 be sustained? AREVA T&D hopes to surpass ABB and Siemens in sales and profitability by focusing on superior product offerings, through "customer intimacy" (e.g., involving customers in new product development) and developing a reputation for environmentally friendly behavior. What is the role of operations management in this context?
Philipp Justus at eBay Germany (C)
Hill, Linda A., and Emily
Stecker
September 2008
This case traces the development of eBay Germany, eBay Inc., and the career of eBay Germany's first country manager, Philipp Justus. The case covers from 2000 through the fall of 2007. This case details how eBay Germany, once a small start-up, became one of eBay's most successful locations. The case reveals how Justus added seasoned leaders and structure to the group, while allowing for improvisation. The case also traces Justus's career, as he moved to running eBay Europe and ultimately, the auctions group, which took him to headquarters. Like eBay Germany, eBay itself grew tremendously, in part from acquisitions like PayPal and Skype. But, growth in core areas, like auctions, had slowed. This case explains how eBay Inc. and eBay Germany tried to keep their "secret sauce."
Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc.: Managing a Global Team
Beyene, Tsedal, Thomas J. DeLong, and Alison
Comings
September 2008
Greg James, a global manager at Sun Microsystems, Inc., sets out to meet with his entire 43-member customer implementation team spread across India, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America to resolve a dire customer system outage as required by a service agreement. Rather than finding a swift resolution to the rapidly escalating customer situation that motivated his trip, he finds himself facing distributed work, global collaboration, conflict, and management issues that are threatening to unravel his team.
Sovereign Wealth Funds: For Profits or Politics?
Alfaro, Laura, and Renee
Kim
August 2008
On March 21, 2008, the U.S. government secured an agreement from two leading sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) to adopt a new set of investment principles to govern the Funds' activities. SWFs, broadly defined as an investment fund owned by a national or a government, were gaining prominence across the globe, especially with their recent investments in troubled U.S. financial firms that had suffered significant losses from the subprime mortgage crisis. Yet SWFs were viewed with suspicions amid concerns that they could have potential political interests behind their investments. Many SWFs also lacked disclosure or transparency regarding their activities or investment goals. Countries such as the United States felt that some kind of international regulation had to be imposed, but would it be possible?
Arauco (B): 'Papel' in Brazil
Casadesus-Masanell,
Ramon, Jorge Tarzijan, and Jordan Mitchell
August 2008
This is Part B to the "Arauco: Forward Integration or Horizontal Expansion?" case. This short case looks at the company in late 2007 after it has decided to invest in a Brazilian joint venture involving forests, saw mills, and a paper mill. The case acts as an epilogue and allows students to revisit the concept of forward integration into paper in the Brazilian context.
Given Imaging Ltd. - First We Take Manhattan, Then We Take Berlin?
Isenberg, Daniel J
August 2008
GI has developed a revolutionary video pill for imaging the small bowel in the gastro-intestinal tract. The development has required the integration of a wide variety of technologies. GI founder and CEO Gabriel Meron must determine GI's marketing strategy and prioritize GI's initial target markets: either the United States, Europe, or Japan, or any combination. He is also faced with the immediate decision if to make offers to U.S. and European regional managers. Cash resources are scarce, and GI hopes to raise additional capital soon.
Carlyle Japan (A)
Godes, David, Masako
Egawa, and Mayuka Yamazaki
August 2008
Tamotsu Adachi, Managing Director of Carlyle Japan, wants to formulate a strategy to improve his firm's ability to source high-quality deals at competitive valuations, or prices. Buyout funds like Carlyle typically have two deal phases: sourcing and monitoring. These correspond to (i) "selling" the benefits to a business owner of going with Carlyle as a buyout partner, and then (ii) increasing the value of that business following the buyout. Since the profitability of a buyout depends on finding high-quality deals, the firm has focused to date on leveraging its contacts in the banking business, which has been a powerful institution in Japan for many years. These contacts have brought to Carlyle a number of good quality companies, but the volume of buyouts done by Carlyle in Japan has not been what they hoped it would be. Students are asked how the firm can improve on this deal sourcing approach.
Carlyle Japan (B)
Godes, David, Masako
Egawa, and Mayuka Yamazaki
August 2008
Supplements the (A) case
Carlyle Japan (C)
Godes, David, Masako
Egawa, and Mayuka Yamazaki
August 2008
Supplements the (A) case
Danaher Corporation
Anand, Bharat N., David J. Collis, and Sophie
Hood
August 2008
Between 1985 and 2007, Danaher has been one of the best-performing industrial conglomerates in the U.S. This case examines the corporate strategy of this diversified, global corporation. It describes the firm's portfolio strategy and the Danaher Business System-a systematic and wide-ranging set of organizational processes the firm has developed to drive growth and create value. In 2008, the firm confronts various challenges in sustaining its impressive historical performance. First, can it continue to balance organic and acquisition-led growth? Second, what will be the impact of increased competition from private equity players? Third, for how long can its strategy of "continuous improvement" continue?
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (A)
Lorsch, Jay W., and
Kaitlyn Simpson
August 2008
Larry Scott, the new CEO of the Women's Tennis Association, arrives amidst turmoil. Players and tournaments clash over opposing interests. As a result, the board members who represent them are equally divided and feel conflicted about their role. They aren't sure how to help their constituents while also fulfilling their duty of oversight of the WTA as a whole. In order to make women's tennis more popular and profitable, Scott must find a way to get the board of directors to resolve their differences and work together for the greater good of the organization.
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (B)
Lorsch, Jay W., and
Kaitlyn Simpson
August 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour (C)
Lorsch, Jay W., and
Kaitlyn Simpson
August 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Bernd Beetz: Creating the New Coty
Jones, Geoffrey G., and
David Kiron
August 2008
Considers the creation of the world's largest fragrance company by Bernd Beetz, appointed chief executive of Coty Inc. in 2001. In 1990 the German consumer goods company Benkiser began acquiring fragrance and cosmetics brands with the intent of developing a beauty business. These included the long-established, but relatively small, U.S. fragrance company Coty. In 1996 the beauty business was spun off under the name Coty. When Beetz was hired as chief executive, it was still a fragmented collection of recently acquired brands. The case describes how Beetz re-ignited the dormant celebrity fragrance business with the successful launch of a new Jennifer Lopez fragrance line. Fashioning a new entrepreneurial culture based on the principles of "faster, further, freer," Coty hired longstanding executives from other firms and liberated their entrepreneurial capabilities, refreshing brands which had been tarnished into a global mass color cosmetics brand. In 2005 the acquisition of Calvin Klein from Unilever, and its renewal, catapulted Coty into the position of the world's largest fragrance company. The case provides an opportunity to examine the entrepreneurial, cultural, and organizational factors which enable acquired brands and employees to be re-invigorated and molded into a dynamic new global business. It asks if the cultural and other factors behind its rapid growth can sustain the company as it seeks growth much further as a top-five beauty company.
Fortress Investment Group
Baker, Malcolm P., Carlos
M. Galvez, and James Quinn
August 2008
CEO Wesley Edens and the five Fortress principals are contemplating a move unprecedented in the industry: Becoming the first hedge fund and private equity firm to complete an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This case examines potential reasons for a leading alternative investment firm to go public, including the firm's own rationale relating to "people, permanence, currency, and capital," while also providing analyst expectations regarding target valuation and initial stock performance.
Enterprise Risk Management at Hydro One
Mikes, Anette
August 2008
An early adopter of Enterprise Risk Management, energy giant Hydro One anticipated new threats and opportunities in an industry that faced climate change and carbon legislation, the deregulation of electricity markets, and the greater adoption of renewable technologies. CEO Laura Formusa felt Hydro One's risk profile had shifted, to the extent that she had to ask herself -- was the strategy tenable? The case provides a rich description of Enterprise Risk Management in action, and shows how Hydro One executives arrive at a shared understanding of the risk profile of the company. In the narrative a diverse group of managers (the chief executive, the chief financial officer, the head of the public relations and the chief regulatory officer) voice their views on the risks, collectively bringing a multiple stakeholder perspective to the risk profile. The case challenges students to define the problems and risks that the company faces, given its strategic objectives, its evolving risk profile, and the changing environment. The case also offers a discussion ground for defining the role of the chief risk officer, and the relationship between risk management, strategic planning and capital budgeting.
Recent Developments in the Ranbaxy Case
Pozen, Robert C.
August 2008
This brief case describes settlements Indian drug maker Ranbaxy has made with Pfizer and AstraZeneca, as well as Daiichi Kangyo's purchase of a majority shareholding in Ranbaxy in 2008.
The Coartem Challenge (A)
Spar, Debora L., and Brian DeLacey
July 2008
In November 2005, Novartis, a major global pharmaceutical firm, is reviewing its Coartem program, an ambitious attempt to deliver life-saving malaria drugs, at cost, to millions of poor Africans. The company is deeply committed to the project, but it is also struggling with the organizational issues involved in dealing with international institutions like the World Health Organization and fitting nonprofit objectives into a for-profit structure.
The Coartem Challenge (B)
Spar, Debora L., and Brian DeLacey
July 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
The European Union in the 21st Century
Trumbull, Gunnar
July 2008
Focuses on the challenges facing the European Union in 2006. Following the French and Dutch referendums in 2005, the fate of the European Constitution is in jeopardy. Ten new accession countries have just joined the EU, with Turkey in the beginning stages of the accession process. New member states and additional future members have provoked widespread debate on financial, political, and social issues. Growth within the EU has been sluggish, with high unemployment and low investment in R&D. The EU has launched a set of reforms to create a "single passport" system of mutual recognition within the EU for capital, services, and people. Still, terrorist attacks, an upsurge in domestic violence, budgetary problems, and foreign policy, enlargement, and immigration issues plague the EU. In light of these problems, what will be the future of the EU and its constitution?
Vignettes on Governance of Private Equity Firms
Hardymon, G. Felda, Ann
Leamon, and Eugenia Adofo
July 2008
In a series of vignettes, Nigella Hardy-Smyth of an international development agency that invests partners in emerging markets private equity firms must decide how to handle various situations that arise. As a member of the Limited Partner Advisory Board of each of the five firms, she must contend with a fund manager with an indistinct mandate, a manager who wants to exceed the concentration limit in an investment, tension between a star investor and her other partners, a founding partner who wants to fire the rest of his senior team, and a limited partner seeking preferential treatment that might benefit his fund to the detriment of the other limited partners. The process of discussing these helps the class explore the nuanced role of a limited partner in a private equity firm.
Peoplepower, Inc.: The Republic of the Philippines
Maurer, Noel
July 2008
In 2006, the Philippines faces a difficult choice. Japan has offered the country a trade agreement that includes access to the Japanese labor market for Philippine nurses and other professionals. The same trade agreement, however, means opening the country's manufacturing enterprises to Japanese exports, which is bitterly opposed by some of the nation's largest foreign investors. President Gloria Arroyo-embattled by coup attempts and political scandals-must decide whether to advance the nation's three-decade-old strategy of encouraging the export of its labor resources or whether to attenuate that strategy to meet the demands of large foreign investors.
System on a Chip 2008: Global Unichip Corp
Shih, Willy C., Chintay
Shih, Chen-Fu Chien, and Yuan-Chieh Chang
July 2008
Though much of the semiconductor industry has shifted to a horizontal model, complexity driven by technological evolution is driving a shift in the perceived boundaries in the value chain. Global Unichip sees itself as a "virtual integrated device manufacturer," a throwback to the vertically integrated model that fell out of favor for most chips. The case offers an opportunity to examine a highly modular industry and the impact of technology shifts on those boundaries, with significant implications for the incumbents.
Tad O'Malley: The Investment Conundrum
Hardymon, G. Felda, Josh Lerner, and Ann Leamon
July 2008
Tad O'Malley has just started as an associate with Empire Investment Group. He must evaluate three investment opportunities facing the big leveraged buyout firm. All are global, but each pertains to different offices and each deal has different strengths and weaknesses. Which should he recommend to the partners for additional resources and what does a recommendation mean for his career?
"Corruption at Siemens (A)"
Healy, Paul M., and Maria
Loumioti
July 2008
No description.
Corruption at Siemens (B)
Healy, Paul M., and Maria
Loumioti
July 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Corruption at Siemens (C)
Healy, Paul M., and Maria
Loumioti
July 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Corruption at Siemens (D)
Healy, Paul M., and Maria
Loumioti
July 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Thomas J. Watson, IBM and Nazi Germany
Jones, Geoffrey G., and
Adrian Brown
July 2008
Considers the strategy of U.S.-owned IBM, then a manufacturer of punch cards, in Nazi Germany before 1937. Opens with IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson meeting Adolf Hitler in his capacity as President of the International Chamber of Commerce. IBM had acquired a German company in 1922 and, like other American companies, found itself operating after 1933 in a country whose government violently suppressed political dissent and engaged in intimidation and discrimination against Jews. Explores the tensions between IBM's German affiliate and its parent and provides an opportunity to explore the options and responsibilities of multinationals with investments in politically reprehensible regimes.
Unilever as a 'Multi-local Multinational' 1945-1979
Jones, Geoffrey G., and
Stephanie Decker
July 2008
Explores the opportunities and threats to Unilever's global business in 1978 based on the commercial and political challenges faced by three of its subsidiaries, Lever Brothers in the United States, Hindustan Lever in India, and United Africa Company in West Africa. Management faced several problems: criticism of multinational companies, anti-trust legislation, expropriations, and rising competition from international and local rivals. Focuses on developing a new global strategy for a company that placed a premium on a consensual management style and local autonomy.
Southern Company's Investment in CEMIG
Ghemawat, Pankaj, Raymond Hill, and L.G. Thomas
July 2008
In the spring of 1997, Southern Company had the opportunity to acquire a significant portion of the electric utility in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The shares in the utility, CEMIG, were being sold by the state government as part of a comprehensive privatization of Brazil's electric sector. Brazil's privatization was, in turn, part of a worldwide movement toward deregulation and privatization of the electric sector. Like many of its rivals in the utility sector, Southern had committed itself to a strategy of growth by taking advantage of the significant opportunities for cross-border investment that were being created by this trend. The privatization of CEMIG was a particularly appealing opportunity for Southern. Not only was CEMIG one of the largest utilities in Latin America, but this investment would provide a base in the Brazilian market, which was expected to have the largest potential for further growth on the continent. Brazil was in the process of reforming its system of regulating electric utilities and of introducing competition into Brazil's wholesale generating market. These changes would further enhance the potential profitability of investing in CEMIG. In addition to the attractiveness of the investment, Southern had been able to secure non-recourse financing for half of the required amount. Keeping in mind Brazil's volatile economic history, this financing would substantially limit Southern's downside risk. The state government had set a price of $1.1 billion for the block of shares. Was the investment in CEMIG worth that price?
The Offshoring of America
Vietor, Richard H.K., Jan W. Rivkin, and Juliana
Seminerio
July 2008
The movement from jobs in the United States to developing countries, in a process known as offshoring, has become quite a controversial topic. Managers not only need to decide which activities, if any, to move offshore, but where to move them. This case describes the nature of offshoring and its effect on developing countries.
Starbucks Coffee Company in the 21st Century
Koehn, Nancy F., Marya
Lisl Hill-Popper Besharov, and Katherine Miller
July 2008
The case explores the opportunities and challenges confronting Starbucks in the early 21st century. For more than 15 years, Starbucks has grown swiftly and successfully, helping create a large, dynamic market for specialty coffee, building one of the world's most powerful brands and forging a new business model based on industry disrepair and responsible global citizenship. In 2008, Starbucks leadership faces a range of issues-inside and out of the company-related to that success. This case examines these issues in the context of a changing economy, increased competition, evolving consumer priorities, and the organization's place on the larger global stage.
House of Tata: Acquiring a Global Footprint
Khanna, Tarun, Krishna G. Palepu, and Richard
J. Bullock
July 2008
Chronicles the globalization of the Tata Group, one of India's largest business groups. Since 2000, many Tata Group operating companies have aggressively built international businesses, particularly through overseas acquisitions. After describing the globalization rationales and approaches of the major Tata Group companies, the case asks students to consider whether Tata Motors should pursue the acquisition of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands owned by US-based Ford Motor company.
Radiohead: Music at Your Own Price (A)
Elberse, Anita, and Jason
Bergsman
June 2008
In October 2007, the British band Radiohead caused a stir when it announced it would allow customers to decide how much to pay for its new album, released exclusively as a digital download and available only from the band's own website. The pricing plan represented a significant break from the industry standard of fixed prices for music, typically 99 cents for individual songs and upward of $9.99 for complete albums. How viable is such a "name-your-own-pricing" plan? And what does Radiohead's move say about the future of the music industry?
Ra diohead: Music at Your Own Price (B)
Elberse, Anita, and Jason
Bergsman
June 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
The International Monetary Fund in Crisis
Abdelal, Rawi, David Moss, and Eugene Kintgen
June 2008
Wanxiang Group: A Chinese Company's Global Strategy
Abrami, Regina, William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, Keith Chi-ho Wong and Tracy Yuen Manty
June 2008
With an almost forty-year history as a business in China, the Wanxiang Group has navigated through the significantly different political and economic changes in China to succeed as a global leader in the auto parts industry and to develop into a broad business conglomerate. Beginning in 1994, when it first began its operations in the United States, Wanxiang started to expand its role as a parts supplier into a discerning acquirer of distressed companies in the U.S. While it saw acquisition as an exciting means for growth, company strategy at its Hangzhou, China headquarters also included vertical integration with a goal of developing a full-on electric car. Were these two goals divergent or complementary: mutually supportive or exclusive?
Note on the Bus Industry
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and
Jordan Mitchell
June 2008
Supplements the "Irizar in 2005" case. Briefly documents key points in the motor coach industry such as market size, categories of buses, reasons for purchasing, and the basis for competition amongst motor coach manufacturers.
Citigroup: Re-Branding in 2007 (A)
Deshpandé, Rohit, and
Carin-Isabel Knoop
June 2008
With its history of growth through acquisition, Citigroup has a conglomeration of sub-brands that need to be integrated and rationalized. Ajay Banga, CEO of Citi's Global Consumer Group International, chairs a task force to work through the process of re-branding the entire Citi house of brands while maintaining a focus on being focused on customers. The case describes the history of branding and re-branding at Citigroup at a time of increasing global competition in financial services.
Citigroup: Re-Branding in 2007 (B)
Deshpandé, Rohit, and
Carin-Isabel Knoop
June 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
Eccles, Robert G., and David
Lane
June 2008
As CEO of leading executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles for the past 18 months, Kevin Kelly was pleased with his accomplishments so far but concerned about threats he perceived to Heidrick's position at the highest levels of the executive search business. In response, Kelly had begun making strategic investments in firms offering technology-based solutions, but had not yet made significant progress convincing Heidrick's search consultants about the significance of the threats, or the risks and opportunities being created by information technology and the Internet. The increased emphasis Kelly placed on building leadership consulting services was itself a big change. The case asks what levers Kelly can use, from culture to compensation, to make the challenges to Heidrick's traditional business model understood and how to implement the strategic initiatives he has launched.
The Blackstone Group's IPO
Hardymon, G. Felda, Josh Lerner, and Ann Leamon
June 2008
Steven Schwarzman, Chairman of the Blackstone Group, has just learned that an investment group associated with the government of China wants to buy the majority of Blackstone's leveraged IPO. As he considers how to respond to this offer, Schwarzman reviews the firm's proposed structure as a public entity and assesses how he might retain the delicate balance among stakeholders while still maintaining liquidity in the market.
Quanta Computer and the One Laptop Per Child Initiative
Shih, Willy, Chintay Shih, and
Jyun-Chen Wang
May 2008
When Quanta Computer, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of laptop computers, first joined the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, it faced a challenge trying to balance the cost objectives of a laptop computer targeted at children of the developing world with the escalating content demands from the marketplace and the non-profit OLPC Foundation. It also had to fit the project into its company business model which served global lead PC brands like Apple as a high volume, low cost ODM provider. The case is a vehicle for discussing new market disruption and the impact of modularity and the evolution of the value network in the global PC supply chain.
China in Africa: The Case of Sudan
Abrami, Regina, and Eunice
Ajambo
May 2008
This case examines the relation between China's demand for resources and political risk.
Can PACIV (Puerto Rico) Serve European Customers?
Isenberg, Daniel
May 2008
Jorge Rodriguez-Gonzalez, PACIV's (Puerto Rico) founding CEO, is considering expanding PACIV's pharmaceutical manufacturing compliance services company to the U.K. and Europe. He has to decide whether to hire Wayne Snelgrove and how to define the scope of his responsibilities.
Inner Mongolia Yili Group: China's Pioneering Dairy Brand
Abrami, Regina, William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, and Tracy Yuen Manty
May 2008
Setting up the goal to become one of the top 20 enterprises in the world dairy industry by 2010, the Inner Mongolia Yili Group had ambitious plans. As one of China's biggest national dairy companies, its main challenge was competing as a local company against joint-venture rivals who benefited from perks granted to "foreign" companies. To set itself apart, Yili focused on research and development and innovative ways to improve the industry. Proving that it could shift industry standards and lead a country not accustomed to dairy consumption, to a point where demand is outpacing supply, the Yili Group is making its mark to go global. As an Official Sponsor of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the Official dairy supplier of the games, it is betting that the brand can go further beyond China. Will the day that tykes from Topeka have a bottle of Yili milk in their hands be coming soon?
Sony PlayStation 3: Game Over?
Ofek, Elie
May 2008
Outlines the challenges faced by Sony with the launch of its PlayStation 3. Information based on the 2006 and 2007 holiday seasons and the success of rival consoles is outlined. In addition, the case allows examining the costs and revenues associated with a business model based on the sale of the hardware and game titles. Can be used with "Home Video Games: Generation Seven" (505-072), which provides supplementary information on the industry.
Global Climate Change and BP
Reinhardt, Forest, and Mikell
Hyman
May 2008
Following the sudden resignation of Sir John Browne, Tony Hayward, BP CEO, must decide how global climate change management will figure into BP's corporate strategy. Climate change management was a major part of BP's strategy under Browne: In 1997 Browne broke from his colleagues, publicly declaring that global climate change was a serious problem and pledging BP to play a significant role in the search for solutions. BP successfully reduced its own carbon emissions, and championed cap-and-trade style regulation over taxation or command-and-control. Despite this progress, as the climate issue gains in political prominence and the Kyoto Protocol nears expiration, Hayward must consider what actions to take in BP's business strategy and in the political arena to manage ongoing climate risk.
Monitor's Opportunities in India (B): Grail Research
Alcacer, Juan, and Jan W. Rivkin
May 2008
Supplements the (A) case. Describes the decision by leaders of a strategy consulting firm to build a business research subsidiary in India. Permits a discussion of how high-end knowledge production can be conducted in an emerging economy, at a distance from buyers of the knowledge.
Microsoft's Unlimited Potential
Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Marie
Bell
May 2008
In April 2007, Bill Gates announced Microsoft Unlimited Potential. Its mission was to enable social and economic opportunity for the next five billion people. To deliver against this mission, Microsoft sought to focus its citizenship efforts and its product development efforts in developing markets. This case traces the development of Unlimited Potential on the citizenship side and the business operations side, raising the questions of whether Unlimited Potential is a robust strategy for the company and if so, how the company should organize and execute to achieve its mission.
Apple Inc., 2008
Yoffie, David, and Michael
Slind
May 2008
In January 2007, three decades after its incorporation, Apple Computer shed the second word in its name and became Apple Inc. With that move, the company signaled a fundamental shift away from its historic status as a vendor of the Macintosh personal computer (PC) line. Mac sales remained vital to Apple's future, but they now accounted for less than half of its total revenue. The company's line of iPod media players, its iTunes online content store and its newly launched iPhone mobile handset business made up increasingly large shares of its operations. In early 2008, on the strength of sky-rocketing sales in those areas and by resurgent sales of Macintosh products, Apple's revenues and its stock price reached record levels. The case explores the sustainability of Apple's current business model, one that positioned the company simultaneously in the PC industry and the consumer electronics industry. While Apple enjoyed a high market share in digital media players and in online music sales, it remained a niche player in the worldwide PC industry. The case examines the history of Apple's strategic moves under the leadership of CEOs Jobs, Sculley, Spindler, Amelio, and (again) Jobs; places those moves in the context of structural features of the evolving PC industry; and covers the iPod and iPhone businesses at considerable length.
Cadbury Schweppes: Capturing Confectionery (A)
Collis, David J., Toby Stuart, and Troy Smith
May 2008
In late 2002, global confectionery and beverage maker Cadbury Schweppes needed to decide whether or not to make an acquisition bid for Adams, an underperforming gum company which had been put up for sale by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Examining the decision from a strategic perspective, the (A) case provides brief histories of the two companies; traces the global confectionery industry, focusing especially on chocolate and gum; and details the analysis of the merger decision. The (B) case explores the specific identified synergies in-depth and provides an opportunity to judge their viability. The (C) and (D) cases conclude the story and update the case with issues facing the global confectionery leader in 2008.
Cadbury Schweppes: Capturing Confectionery (B)
Collis, David J., Toby Stuart, and Troy Smith
May 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Cadbury Schweppes: Capturing Confectionery (C)
Collis, David J., Toby Stuart, and Troy Smith
May 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Cadbury Schweppes: Capturing Confectionery (D)
Collis, David J., Toby Stuart, and Troy Smith
May 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Sealed Air China
Abrami, Regina, William C. Kirby, F. Warren McFarlan, and Tracy Yuen Manty
April 2008
With a 10-year history of doing business in China, Sealed Air was now betting on the country to help propel its growth as a global company. The company identified China as one of the initial investments in the company's Global Manufacturing Strategy that aimed to create efficiencies in its operations across the globe. As Sealed Air's new Shanghai plant starts production in 2008, will its almost $50 million investment pay off? Is 10 years of experience in China enough to know how China works?
Monitor's Opportunities in India (A): Grail Research
Alcacer, Juan, and Jan W. Rivkin
April 2008
The CEO of a strategy consulting firm must decide which of the firm's functions, if any, to move to India. In particular, he wonders whether business research-currently conducted by highly paid consultants in developed countries-can be conducted more efficiently and effectively from an Indian research center.
Indesit Company: Does Global Matter?
Bower, Joseph L.
April 2008
In 2007, the leadership of the Indesit Company is focused on long-term corporate strategy. After three decades, the company has emerged as the number two home appliance producer in greater Europe. Should they invest further to be number one, or should they now focus on the global market, and if so, which part of the world? A subordinate issue is what to do with their multiple brands. Should they consolidate? This case has extensive data on global markets.
Shangri-La Hotels
Campbell, Dennis, and Brent
Kazan
April 2008
In November 2006, Symon Bridle, the newly appointed chief operating officer of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, was thinking about a number of organizational issues that presented challenges to Shangri-La's rapid expansion strategy. There were three major issues at hand: (1) the company was expanding into high-wage economies in Europe and North America; (2) the company was expanding its presence in China-a country where front-line employees were not used to exercising decision-making authority; and (3) newcomers in the Chinese hotel market were poaching Shangri-La's staff and driving up wages in historically low-waged markets. As a COO, Bridle needed to ensure that Shangri-La's signature standards of "Asian Hospitality" were maintained during this expansion.
Avaya (A)
Godes, David
April 2008
Avaya's top management wants to improve demand generation. This requires an improvement in the relationship between Sales and Marketing. This case series (Avaya (A)-(D)) walks the student through each phase of this process. The (A) case begins with background on the firm and asks the students to come up with a strategy to improve the way in which Sales and Marketing work together. In the (B) case, we see their strategy in the form of a "unified funnel" and a demand generation framework. The unified funnel communicates the idea that not only should the marketing funnel and the sales funnel be linked "vertically"-in the sense that Marketing's leads should flow seamlessly into Sales' funnel-but they should also be integrated horizontally. This latter point refers to the idea that Sales and Marketing should each play a role in each phase of the process from e-mail marketing solutions right through to the close. That is, they argue that the two functions are best integrated by encouraging them to work simultaneously, not just sequentially. The demand generation framework, on the other hand, makes explicit what it means for them to work together. For example, they stipulate that Marketing should be included on the weekly sales conference call. The students are then asked to think about how they would implement these ideas. In the (C) case, the implementation plan for a specific market-Brazil-is described. In particular, we are given data that were used in the roll-out process that showed the market's managers how they compared with other markets on a number of dimensions. Finally, the (D) case shows some early data suggesting that this new method of working together has had a significant impact.
Avaya (B)
Godes, David
April 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Avaya (C): Implementing Demand Generation in Brazil
Godes, David
April 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Avaya (D): Early Results of the Demand Generation Initiative
Godes, David
April 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Radical Collaboration: IBM Microelectronics Joint Development Alliances
Shih, Willy, and Gary Pisano
April 2008
IBM's "Radical Collaboration" model has been an innovative approach to meeting the challenges of the huge R&D and capital investments that are needed to stay competitive in the global semiconductor industry. This model has required a rethinking of what is proprietary, and what is shared, and where do the boundaries of cooperation end and competition begin. IBM and its partners have managed to stay competitive at, for example, the 45nm mode, at a far lower cost than firms that "go it alone," and there is a large benefit from a larger funnel of ideas and diverse points of view. It also reshapes what firms can use to build competitive advantage, or it necessitates a rethinking at least.
Novartis AG: Science-Based Business
Bowen, H. Kent, and Courtney Purrington
April 2008
Novartis is a science-based drug company, which has important implications for its business strategy. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world with over $38B in sales in 2007. Pharmaceuticals account for slightly over $24B of that total. In 2007, corporate R&D spending was $6.43B, or almost 17% of net sales. Novartis executive leaders believe in scientific progress and that large-scale investments in science will therefore result in long-term pay-offs in terms of profits and discoveries that benefit mankind. Novartis' business strategy is closely tied to its research strategy, which emphasizes extensive internal discovery and development capabilities leading to organic growth along with explicit external alliances and collaborations to supplement its core capabilities. Like its competitors, Novartis faces many challenges in terms of moving research from the bench to the bedside. Five years after undertaking the restructuring of the discovery research organization, CEO Daniel Vasella is pleased with its progress, including many more development projects in the pipeline and new molecular entities. Nevertheless, the company faces a number of challenges, including generic drugs, patent infringements in developing countries, and pricing pressure from governments and health insurers in the United States. Given these challenges, Novartis must decide how much to spend on R&D overall, how to arrive at the right mix between organic growth and external collaboration and in-licensing, and how to measure success when it takes so many years to develop and launch a successful drug.
Innovation at Timberland: Thinking Outside the Shoe Box
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss, and Ryan
Leo Raffaelli
April 2008
Innovation was linked to Timberland's heritage. In 2005, CEO Jeff Swartz and COO Ken Pucker hoped the Invention Factory, an advanced concept lab, would develop new breakthrough products and reinvigorate the company's culture of innovation. Since the 1960s, Timberland had relied on innovation, developing the world's first waterproof boot and, in the 1980s, category-defining boat shoes and day hiking boots. Creating variations of these core products, along with expansion into apparel, had sustained Timberland's business for more than 30 years. Timberland's growth in the past six years was due to increased international sales and new customer segments. As Timberland's leaders looked to the future, they hoped Doug Clark, a biomechanist, and his Invention Factory team would bring a scientific approach toward building the next generation of Timberland products and ideas. The team had to convince those in the mainstream business to accept their new ideas and integrate them back into the product line.
The International Finance Corporation's Grassroots Business Initiative
Rangan, V. Kasturi, and Katharine
Lee
April 2008
Grassroots Business Initiative was set up to financially assist small enterprises engaged in creating social value. Three years later, Harold Rosen, its creator, wished to explore an alternative funding model to provide it with scale and sustainability.
Wyoff and China-LuQuan: Negotiating a Joint Venture (A)
Sebenius, James, and Cheng
Qian
April 2008
Through stalled joint venture talks between Pennsylvania-based Wyoff Corp. and China-based China-LuQuan, strategic and cross-cultural negotiation challenges are explored both from American and Chinese perspectives. Wyoff, a leading US chemical company has been seeking ways to secure the company's foothold in China's emerging market since the late '90s. When approached by China-LuQuan in 2000, a major Chinese state-owned chemical producer for a joint-venture opportunity to make a popular chemical catalyst in China, Wyoff, leveraging its superior technology, demanded one-sided terms and played hardball, ruining both the deal and the relationship with China-LuQuan. Seven years later in 2007, Wyoff faced market pressure to again seek a joint venture with China-LuQuan on two other types of products. Both parties had to overcome past distrust to work things out on a series of strategic issues: investment, product slate, marketing, technology, management, organization, staffing, etc. In the negotiations, cross-cultural themes (e.g. trust, relationships, communication, time, autonomy, face, etc.) and different negotiation styles created challenges along with the business and strategic issues. The (A) case sets up the negotiations, highlights issue impasses, explores cross-cultural frictions, and poses tactical challenges. The (B) case describes the strategies, tactics, and results of these negotiations.
Opening Dot EU (A)
Edelman, Benjamin
April 2008
EURid considers possible market mechanisms to allocate initial domain names within the Internet's newly-created "dot EU." European Union regulations and community norms substantially constrain EURid's approach, preventing the use of the most natural economic mechanisms (such as auctions).
Opening Dot EU (B)
Edelman, Benjamin
April 2008
Supplements the (A) case.
Studio Moderna--A Venture in Eastern Europe
Isenberg, Daniel
March 2008
Sandi Cesko, CEO, has built Studio Moderna to be the leading electronic retailer in 20 countries in and around Central and Eastern Europe, evolving an unusual multi-channel strategy, organizational structure, and IT systems. Serious conflicts cause Cesko to question his in-sourcing strategy.
Subprime Meltdown: American Housing and Global Financial Turmoil
Rotemberg, Julio J.
March 2008
This case focuses on the financial difficulties faced in the U.S. from August to December 2006 as well as their roots in subprime lending. After briefly discussing how mortgages were structured and traded in the pre-1990 period, it describes subprime mortgage lending, as well as other innovative mortgages issued in the 1990s. It also discusses how these mortgages were packaged into securities, and who ultimately came to own these claims and their attendant risk. The case then describes the pain inflicted by raising foreclosures, as well as the financial market ramifications of the rise in mortgage delinquencies. It also chronicles the response of the U.S. and European central banks to the unfolding financial difficulties. Lastly, the case lays policies that have been proposed to deal with either the consequences or the causes of the crisis. These include policies for reforming the supervision of the financial system, changing bankruptcy rules and regulating mortgage finance. Some attention is paid to the role of credit rating agencies in the crisis, and in the financial system as a whole.
Partners in Health: The PACT Project
Bohmer, Richard M.J., and Josh
Friedman
March 2008
Partners in Health (PIH) is a Boston-based, not-for-profit that provides health care to people in some of the poorest regions of the world, including Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda, and Peru. In 1998, PIH established a program (PACT) in Boston to bring care to AIDS and TB patients who were not well served by existing care delivery systems. Describes PIH's programs in the developing world and the way in which lessons learned in these countries informed the design and management of PACT. Examines the balance between customized and standardized approaches to care and challenges students to examine their preconceived notions of the social role of a health care delivery organization. Dr. Heidi Behforouz, PACT's director, must decide whether a service design honed in developing countries can be rolled out more broadly in one the world's richest nations.
Microfinance International Corporation: No, Not Another Microfinance Case
Isenberg, Daniel
March 2008
CEO and founder Atsumasa Tochisako (52) sat in his Washington D.C. headquarters, looking with pride at the copy of a press release that would announce the latest in a broadening line of financial services that Washington D.C.-based Microfinance International Corporation (MFIC) had been providing for two years to a growing number of "unbanked" Hispanic nationals in the United States and their home countries.
Metro International S.A.
Khanna, Tarun, Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Vincent
Dessain, Ane Damgaard Jensen, and Anders Sjøman
February 2008
Explores the business model of Metro International, a company publishing 70 editions of its free newspaper in 20 countries. Metro had been a pioneer in the free newspaper market, fighting incumbent publishers distributing traditional paid-for newspapers. Looks at the decision facing top management of Metro International in 2007 regarding the future strategy of the company. The company had become profitable after years of losses, but other problems had surfaced; competition had increased heavily in many markets and advertising-the free newspaper's only source of income-was quickly shifting from newspapers to the Internet. Spain was a particular case in point. What had Metro International learned from experiences elsewhere on the globe and would they allow the company to make the Spanish unit profitable? What strategy should the Spanish country manager adopt?
World Economic Forum (A)
Khanna, Tarun, Rakesh Khurana, and Forest Reinhardt
February 2008
Covers strategy and leadership. World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab has created the world's most famous-and exclusive-global business conference, held annually in Davos, Switzerland, and backed by a formidable membership organization that includes many of the world's most prominent firms. He now must consider how to keep the event and the organization vibrant and valuable, as similar new organizations arise and as the challenges of globalization become more difficult. In the aspirational slogan of the Forum, Schwab remains "committed to improving the state of the world," and readers are invited to ponder how he can use the organization he has created to make good on this promise.
European Integration: Meeting the Competitiveness Challenge
Ketels, Christian H.M. and Michael E. Porter
February 2008
The case discusses the origins and development of the European Integration process up to 2004, focusing in particular on the Lisbon Agenda for upgrading Europe's competitiveness. It discusses the different policy areas that have been approached at the European level over time, and provides background on the architecture of European institutions. The case enables students to understand how European integration has affected competitiveness across the continent's regions. It provides a platform to discuss why the Lisbon Agenda has up to 2004 failed to achieve its goals and what European integration experience can serve as a model for other world regions.
Vegpro Group: Growing in Harmony
Bell, David E., Brian Milder, and
Mary L. Shelman
February 2008
Vegpro, a horticulture company, is Kenya's largest exporter of fresh vegetables and flowers to top supermarkets in the U.K. and Europe. In 2007, Vegpro's business is threatened by growing consumer concern about the environmental impact of food production and transport, including "food miles". The case describes the company's growth, which includes the use of owned land and outgrowers for production, the addition of value-added processing to obtain premium prices, and the introduction of global certification to ensure food safety and meet retailer and consumer requirements. The case also discusses the potential impact of increased consumer awareness of ethical sourcing and introduces the potential trade-off between local production and economic development.
Global Knowledge Management at Danone
Edmondson, Amy C., Bertrand
Moingeon, Vincent Dessain, and Ane Damgaard Jensen
February 2008
The case explores French consumer goods company Danone's novel approach to knowledge management. Through informal knowledge marketplaces and sharing networks, Danone had helped managers connect with each other and share good practices peer-to-peer, rather than relying on traditional hierarchical lines of communication or IT repositories. From 2004 to 2007, the president of human resources and his team had found that 5,000 Danone managers around the world had shared about 640 now-documented good practices. In 2007, the strategic importance of saving time in a decentralized organization through adoption of colleagues' good practices was put to a test. The case illustrates Danone's options on taking knowledge management into the future of Danone.
Russian Standard
Deshpandé, Rohit, and Seth
Schulman
January 2008
In September 2006, Russian billionaire Roustam Tariko, founder and owner of Russian Standard, needed to develop a strategy for introducing Russia's most popular brand of premium vodka (RSO) to American consumers. In the past year, he had introduced Imperia, the firm's flagship ultra-premium vodka, in the U.S. market; lined up American importation and distribution partners for Russian Standard; and had worked hard to build excitement for the brand. Beyond establishing RSO's stylishness, Tariko needed to carve out a space for the brand in the crowded American market. Imperia's marketing had emphasized two attributes, superior quality and Russian-ness. In articulating RSO's advertising strategy and tagline, Tariko would need to decide once and for all which attribute to emphasize. He would also need to decide how to articulate this attribute so as to develop discrete identities for each of the two brands. Would Americans respond better to a claim of authenticity, or to a claim of unparalleled purity? And which were RSO and Imperia best equipped to exploit?
Microsoft in China and India, 1993-2007
Khanna, Tarun, and Prithwiraj
Choudhury
January 2008
Relates to Microsoft's expansion in China and India in the period 1993-2007and the strategic issues faced by multinationals in emerging markets.
McDonald's
Quelch, John A., and Kerry
Herman
January 2008
ISS A/S (A)
Rose, Clayton S
January 2008
An offer to buy ISS A/S is contemplated by two leading private equity firms, and their financing plan calls for the addition to the company's balance sheet of a significant amount of new debt. The increased leverage will negatively affect the rating and value of ISS's investment grade debt, and the private equity firms need to anticipate the reaction of bondholders and decide how best to respond. The case provides an opportunity to examine the nature and extent of a company's responsibilities to its bondholders, to develop an enhanced understanding of the challenges of managing contractual obligations, and circumstances under which business leaders might agree to terms outside of the contract.
ISS A/S (B)
Rose, Clayton S
January 2008
Supplements the (A) case
ISS A/S (C)
Rose, Clayton S
January 2008
Supplements the (A) case
Iceland: Small Fish in a Global Pond
Porter, Michael, E. and Christian H.M. Ketels
December 2007
Describes the economic development of Iceland since 1945, focusing in particular on the years since 2000, when Iceland experienced strong growth and Icelandic companies aggressively internationalized.
Food Security and the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints
Goldberg, Ray, and Eliot
Sherman
December 2007
The Mormon Church focuses on self-reliance and being prepared for emergencies. Part of their program encourages each member of the Church to have a reserve food supply on hand at all times. Given U.S. and global food stock levels, is the Church program a good model for the country?
Barclays Global Investors and Exchange Traded Funds
Viceira, Luis M., and Alison
Berkley Wagonfeld
December 2007
Provides an overview of the Exchange Traded Funds (EFT) industry and highlights the leadership role that Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has played in this developing asset class. BGI launched its first ETFs under the iShares brand name in 2000, and by mid-2007 BGI was the global leader in the $600 billion ETF market. BGI's success had started attracting the interest of other large asset management firms, and Lee Kranefuss, CEO of BGI's iShares business was thinking about how BGI should compete in the increasingly crowded market. Should BGI expand into Europe and Asia more aggressively? Should BGI, already a large manager of 401(k) assets for corporations, pursue the 401(k) market with its iShares products? Would BGI need to cut its fees as other competitors such as Vanguard started marketing its "low-cost" ETF products?
British Land
White, Lucy
December 2007
British Land's shares traded below NAV. Laxey investments tried to force British Land into share buybacks and criticized its corporate governance. Laxey voted borrowed shares at the AGM.
Allianz AG: Becoming a European Company
Lorsch, Jay W., and Alexis
Chernak
November 2007
Focuses on the decision made by leadership at Allianz AG, the German insurance and financial services company, to complete a cross-border merger with the Italian insurance and financial services company, RAS. Allianz, however, could not complete the cross-border merger by remaining a German corporation under the current German statutes. Allianz, however, could conduct the cross-border merger as a European company according to the Statute of the European Community (Societas Europaea, or SE), which was recently passed by the European Union and adopted into German law. Examines the rationale for the decision made by the Allianz supervisory board and the board of management in addition to the process of becoming an SE, including the change in the composition of the supervisory board as a result of the merger and the conversion to an SE.
Colgate Max Fresh: Global Brand Roll-Out
Quelch, John A, and Jacquie
Labatt-Randle
November 2007
In February 2005, Nigel Burton, in his third year as president of global oral care at Colgate-Palmolive Company (CP), had every reason to feel optimistic. Worldwide market shares were strong and Colgate Max Fresh (CMF), a new toothpaste that had helped drive Colgate to a record value share in the important U.S. market, was in the global pipeline for 2005. Burton had on his desk the proposed marketing launch plans for CMF in China and Mexico. Each plan sought to maximize the business potential in the local market. Burton had to assess the plans from a global perspective.
The Hertz Corporation (A)
Luehrman, Timothy A., and
Douglas C.Scott
November 2007
Examines the leveraged buyout of Hertz in 2005, a complex, high-profile deal and a good example of cutting-edge practice in private equity. The first of a two-part series on the Hertz LBO, adopts the perspective of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, the leader of a private equity consortium bidding to buy Hertz from Ford in an auction. Set at the final round of the auction, the immediate problem for the consortium is how much to raise its previous bid. A reasonable bid must be based upon how much value the private equity consortium can create through improvements in Hertz's global operations on the one hand, and a more efficient capital structure on the other. Presents detailed descriptive information on both topics, but does not include detailed financial projections, which must be formulated by students or supplied, for discussion purposes, by the instructor.
The Hertz Corporation (B)
Luehrman, Timothy A., and
Douglas C. Scott
November 2007
Supplement to the (A) case
Marketing the $100 PC (A)
Quelch, John A., and
Carin-Isabel Knoop
November 2007
In 2002, Professor Nicholas Negroponte, a successful venture capitalist, author, and co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, announced his intention to build a PC so cheap as to make it possible to provide Internet- and multimedia-capable machines to millions of children in developing countries. The concept-subsequently often referred to as the "$100 PC"-was launched at the Media Lab in 2003 before being spun into a separate nonprofit association, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), founded by Negroponte in January 2005. At the time skeptics, including technology industry leaders, argued that it simply could not be done. Through innovative design and technology, Negroponte and his team proved them wrong but struggled to sell the concept and the machines to the world's education ministries, who would be purchasing the laptops for their school-age children. Furthermore, by 2007, many other low-cost PC options had emerged and OLPC had not started shipping yet, leading some observers to wonder if the non-profit should reconsider its strategy and options.
Marketing the $100 PC (B)
Quelch, John A., and
Carin-Isabel Knoop
November 2007
Supplements the (A) case.
The Transformation of Thomson
Collis, David J., and Troy
Smith
November 2007
Thomson, a French multinational, went through a decade of dramatic change in the early years of the 21st century. From a state-owned enterprise earning 97% of its revenue from television sets and other analog consumer electronics, Thomson had become a publicly traded company providing digital video services and equipment to major movie studios, broadcast networks, and retailers, as well as satellite, cable, and telecom operators. The Group had just met its financial targets for 2006 and had achieved organic growth of 6% in the first half of 2007. Yet even as he reflected on these successes, CEO Frank Dangeard knew that much remained to be done to secure the company's leadership position against aggressive competition in a rapidly shifting and uncertain technological environment. Traces the evolution and transformation of the company and highlights the difficult choices Thomson faces in an ever-evolving high-tech industry.
Dove: Evolution of a Brand
Deighton, John A.
November 2007
Examines the evolution of Dove from functional brand to a brand with a point of view after Unilever designated it as a masterbrand and expanded its portfolio to cover entries into a number of sectors beyond the original bath soap category. The development causes the brand team to take a fresh look at the clichés of the beauty industry. The result is the controversial Real Beauty campaign. As the campaign unfolds, Unilever learns to use the Internet, and particularly social network media like YouTube, to manage controversy.
Will RacingThePlanet Ltd. Reach the Finish Line?
Isenberg, Daniel J.
November 2007
Mary Gadams, founder and CEO of RacingThePlanet is facing one of the many logistical crises that her young Hong Kong-based venture faces as it stages its popular 4Deserts(tm) adventure marathon series in Atacama Chile, Gobi Desert Mongolia, Sahara Desert Egypt, and Antarctica. How can a small company in Hong Kong continue to effectively coordinate such a far-flung, complex, global operation?
A Note on Private Equity in Developing Countries
Lerner, Josh, and
Ann Leamon
November 2007
Provides the background and high-level situation of private equity in emerging markets as of the end of 2006.
Norway Sells Wal-Mart
Pozen, Robert C., and Aldo
Sesia Jr.
November 2007
In June 2006, Norway's Pension Fund decided to divest its position in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. after an investigation by the Fund's Ethics Council. According to a spokesperson of Norway's Finance Ministry, "The recommendation to exclude Wal-Mart cites serious and systematic violations of human rights and labor rights." Before making its recommendation to the Ministry to divest Wal-Mart, the Council sent its findings to the retailer for comment, but received no response. While Wal-Mart did not respond, the company had taken several steps to strengthen its ethical standards worldwide in recent years.
Procter & Gamble: Organization 2005 (A)
Piskorski, Mikolaj Jan, and
Alessandro L. Spadini.
October 2007
In response to a huge crisis in 2000, the new CEO of Procter & Gamble has to decide whether to continue with an unusual organizational design or to revert to the old matrix organization. Describes all the organizational designs used by Procter & Gamble from the 1920s onward, including geographic, product, and matrix architectures. Market development organizations, global business units, and global business services unit, each of which is heavily interdependent with the others and none of which has a clear decision-making advantage, comprise the unusual organizational design. Examination of the different organizational designs, trade-offs associated with each organizational architecture as well as the accompanying implementation problems.
Bunge: Food, Fuel, and World Markets
Khanna, Tarun,
Santiago Mingo, and Jonathan West.
October 2007
In 2007, Bunge, an agribusiness company, had over $26 billion in worldwide sales and was considered, along with Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), one of three very integrated worldwide agribusiness companies. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, the company has traditionally possessed a strong presence in Brazil. Describes Bunge's tradeoff between efficiency of global operations and local responsiveness in an uncertain business environment. New world developments were effecting Bunge directly: high oil prices, a growing demand in emerging economies like China and India, and the possibility of agribusiness companies competing successfully in the production of biofuels. Bunge had traditionally followed an organizational model that was integrated but decentralized, trying to strike a balance between the efficiency of a global entity and the speed of local businesses. What would be the best strategy for Bunge to respond to the external changes imposed by high energy prices and increasing demand from emerging economies? How aggressively should Bunge invest in the rising biofuels markets?
Dove: Evolution of a Brand
Deighton, John A.
November 2007
Examines the evolution of Dove from functional brand to a brand with a point of view after Unilever designated it as a masterbrand and expanded its portfolio to cover entries into a number of sectors beyond the original bath soap category. The development causes the brand team to take a fresh look at the clichés of the beauty industry. The result is the controversial Real Beauty campaign. As the campaign unfolds, Unilever learns to use the Internet, and particularly social network media like YouTube, to manage controversy.
Michael Fernandes at Nicholas Piramal
Anteby, Michel, and Nitin Nohria
October 2007
Michael Fernandes, the Director of Custom Manufacturing Operations at the pharmaceutical company Nicholas Piramal India Limited (NPIL), schedules a meeting with three of his reports, whose interpersonal conflicts with one another are causing his business development function to falter. He struggles to know how to handle these conflicts and bring the three into a productive working collaboration. Fernandes is in charge of incorporating NPIL's new acquisitions in Canada and the United Kingdom to market NPIL globally. His three direct reports are each involved in different aspects of NPIL-the Canadian operations, the British operations, and the global business development-and the case explores the team dynamics among them. Unless Fernandes can resolve the conflicts, the integration of the acquisitions is in jeopardy.
Baker & McKenzie (A): A New Framework for Talent Management
Groysberg, Boris, and
Eliot Sherman
September 2007
Describes the process by which the largest law firm in the world developed a unique framework for personnel management. In 2004, John Conroy is about to take the reigns as the leader of Baker & McKenzie, the largest law firm in the world by employees, with offices in 38 different countries. Facing an intensifying war for talent and associate retention concerns in some offices, Conroy has spearheaded the development of a framework for guiding the hiring, development, and retention of employees. As he is getting ready to introduce his framework at the firm's annual meeting, however, he faces many questions about its implementation. Could a single framework effectively apply to lawyers across so many different regions and cultures? Had this framework properly identified the attributes needed to succeed at Baker & McKenzie? How would the firm's hundreds of partners react? Offers the industry- and firm-specific content necessary for students to explore these questions and more.
Baker & McKenzie (B): A New Framework for Talent Management
Groysberg, Boris and Eliot
Sherman
September 2007
Supplements the (A) case
Lightspeed Venture Partners - International Expansion
Palepu, Krishna G. and Alison
Berkley Wagonfeld
September 2007
Looks at various international expansion models for a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley. Lightspeed Venture Partners believed that India had tremendous potential for venture capital returns-the question was how best to tap into that potential while also growing the firm's presence in the U.S., Israel, and China. The venture firm had recently hired partners in Israel and China, and subsequently opened offices in both countries. The firm was contemplating hiring a third international partner in India and potentially opening a third foreign office. This model seemed to be working in the other two countries, but other U.S. venture firms were entering India in a more aggressive manner. Some venture firms were purchasing local firms and raising money for dedicated India funds. Others were hiring a team of two or three local investors at one time. Lightspeed partners wondered which was the best long-term solution for their firm.
NatuRi Corporation
Higgins, Robert F., and
Virginia A. Fuller
September 2007
NatuRi Corporation was a start up, founded in 2005, aiming to manufacture a cholesterol-lowering drug made from the byproducts of rice bran oil production. With operations split between Chennai, India and Boston, Massachusetts, NatuRi faced several challenges, including securing funding for the organization. NatuRi had captured the attention of at least four potential investors willing to offer an investment. Its managers were challenged to weigh their options and to determine which of the four potential investors currently interested in their venture would be most appropriate for NatuRi's future growth. In addition, the founders had only a short period of time to decide whether or not to accept a Seed and Series A term sheet from a well known venture capital firm. Poses the question of how the company's financing should be structured and how much equity the founders should relinquish in exchange for the start-up capital.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)
Casadedus-Masanell, Ramon,
and Jordan Mitchell
August 2007
Nearly all environmental organizations have a similar aim: to stop the degradation of the natural environment. However, the strategies which environmental organizations choose to employ are sometimes starkly different. Compares the models of two dissimilar environmental powerhouses: Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). Active in 100 countries, WWF works with governments, businesses, other NGOs, and communities to set up conservation programs to preserve natural habitat. In contrast, Greenpeace works to campaign for environmental change against governments and corporations and accepts funding only through individuals and foundation grants. Explores the detailed history and business models of both organizations.
De Beers at the Millenium
Ghemawat, Pankaj, and Sonia
Marciano
August 2007
At the time of the millennium, diamond demand was threatened by an increasing awareness among jewelry customers that diamond production and trading in some countries was being linked to growing inequities and human rights violations. This, in turn, had an impact on De Beers' reputation and consumer confidence in the diamond as a product that represented integrity, love, and commitment. In 2000, De Beers' sustainability depends on the ability of its leaders to shift the paradigm of both the firm and its context and embrace a distinctly different strategy.
Cable & Wireless America
Subramanian, Guhan, and
Eliot Sherman
August 2007
Describes the auction of Cable & Wireless America (CWA), a bankrupt subsidiary of the British telecommunications company Cable & Wireless. While an initial "stalking-horse" bid valued the assets at $125 million, after a long day and night of bidding between eight groups, the best bid was in the high $60 million range. The sell-side team, comprised of bankers from the Blackstone Group and Greenhill, and lawyers from Wachtell Lipton and Kirkland & Ellis, is forced to regroup and reconsider their options for galvanizing the bidding process. Describes these events in detail, while providing information for students on CWA's history, the nature of Section 363 auctions, and the bidders who were involved in the process.
Lazard LLC
Subramanian, Guhan, and
Eliot Sherman
August 2007
Describes Lazard's situation in 2001, and supplies context for the subsequent negotiation between its Chairman and his hand-picked successor. In 2001 Lazard, the last of the great investment houses to remain both private and in the control of its founding family, is in a state of decline. Infighting throughout the 1990s led to a defection of talent that left many wondering if Lazard could compete with the diversified financial behemoths of the 21st Century. It also left Chairman Michel David-Weill looking for a successor. David-Weill believes he has found one in M&A star Bruce Wasserstein: going into their negotiation, what should Wasserstein's strategy be?
Banca Regional Andino: Facing the Globalization of Microfinance
Chu, Michael, and Jean Steege
Hazell
July 2007
Three leading Latin American microfinance banks join forces to face the new challenges of globalization, competition, and politics while common shareholder ACCÍON investments considers its options. From an initial project to share costs in the revamping of their IT systems, the Banca Regional Andino develops into the possibility of a common operating platform across three separate institutions, BancoSol of Bolivia, Mibanco of Peru, and Banco Solidario of Ecuador. The Banca Regional is a response to forces that the banks perceive as potentially threatening to their long history of success. In the process, presents the evolution of the national microfinance markets of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru within the context of global microfinance.
Maria Sharapova: Marketing a Champion (A)
Elberse, Anita, and
Margarita Golod
July 2007
In July 2004, a then 17-year-old Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon, arguably the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Max Eisenbud, Sharapova's agent at International Management Group (IMG), knew the championship would lead to a flood of new opportunities. What would be the best approach to the management and marketing of a champion like Maria Sharapova? Which of the various endorsement offers would be worthwhile to pursue? And how could Eisenbud best leverage the resources available to him at IMG? Allows for an in-depth examination of marketing issues and, more specifically, sports endorsement opportunities in the context of a world-class athlete. (As of 2006, Sharapova is one of the world's most recognized sports figures, and its highest compensated female athlete.) Provides unique insights into the world of "team Sharapova," consisting of Sharapova and her advisors at IMG, a leading sports, media, and entertainment agency. Contains rich data on the way in which IMG structures its sales process, and can serve to illustrate best practices and key trade-offs in sports or entertainment marketing initiatives.
Maria Sharapova: Marketing a Champion (B)
Elberse, Anita, and
Margarita Golod
July 2007
Supplements the (A) case
Portfolio Investment in Emerging Markets
Khanna, Tarun, Kjell
Carlsson, and Krishna G.
Palepu
July 2007
Provides distinctive data on investment flows into emerging markets.
Harvard Business School Note.
Choosing Corporate and Global Scope
Piskorski, Mikolaj Jan
July 2007
Introduces students to the study of corporate strategy, while providing an overview framework for understanding
international strategy. Focuses on questions of scope and ownership. Examines both horizontal and vertical integration.
Underscores the point that economies of scope, or the existence of relationship-specific investments, are insufficient to
explain effective corporate strategy unless there are important obstacles to contractual solutions.
Harvard
Business School Note.
Nestle's Milk District Model: Economic Development for a Value-Added Food Chain and Improved Nutrition
Goldberg, Ray A., and Kerry
Herman
July 2007
Nestle is the largest milk firm in the world. For over a century, it has developed a milk model procurement program that improved the well-being of the small-scale farmer and the ultimate consumer. Can it partner with other firms and institutions to make even greater use of this model and can it do so in a manner that is consistent with host country goals and equally useful to the long-term viability of Nestle?
Warburg Pincus and emgs: The IPO Decision (A)
Hardymon, G. Felda, and Ann
Leamon
July 2007
Two partners of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm, are trying to decide whether to take a portfolio company public, and on what exchange. The company, Norway-based ElectroMagnetic GeoServices (emgs), has developed a market-leading technology that determines whether an undersea rock formation contains oil-prior to the oil company drilling a hole. With its high-growth characteristics, emgs is very different from the typical oilfield services company, and would be more suitable for floating on the NYSE or LSE, where liquidity and valuations would also be greater than on the Oslo Bors, the other possibility. Yet floating in the U.S. would involve greater compliance expense and might also require the management team to move to New York or Houston, something the team is reluctant to do. The partners need to decide what to do before the IPO window for energy-related companies closes.
Caselets: Bribery and Extortion in International Business (Abridged)
Wells, Louis T.
July 2007
Caselets present several examples of decisions involving bribery or take other actions that could be considered as corrupt.
SAP: Industry Transformation
Hagiu, Andrei, Pai-Ling Yin,
Daniela Beyersdorfer, and Vincent Dessain
June 2007
SAP seeks growth in the small- and medium-sized enterprise market. To do so, it has created a platform strategy with SAP Netweaver. What are the advantages and challenges for an incumbent entering a new market? What are the benefits and challenges of implementing a platform strategy?
Digital Divide Data: A Social Enterprise in Action
Leonard, Herman B., Marc J.
Epstein, and Wendy K. Smith
June 2007
No description.
Demand and Supply Forecasting at Air Products--Electronics Specialty Materials
Cohen, Shoshanah, Taylor Randall, Zahra Kanji, and Susan L. Kulp
June 2007
Explores the process and inputs behind financial and operational forecasting in the Electronic Specialty Materials unit at Air Products and Chemicals, a global chemical company. The protagonist, John Goldberg, grapples with how to better integrate the two forecasting processes, while also trying to prepare for unexpected urgent orders and natural disasters
Airbus vs. Boeing (A)
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon,
Erich Alexander Voigt, and Jordan Mitchell
June 2007
Looks at the development of the competitive actions between Airbus and Boeing from 1992 to 2006. Begins with the question of whether Airbus and Boeing should collaborate on the development of a VLCT (Very Large Commercial Transport) or whether Airbus should develop their own. The case series moves through to the events thereafter of Airbus' decision to pursue the A380 and Boeing's decision relating to developing a stretch 747
Airbus vs. Boeing (B): Should Airbus Build the VLCT Alone?
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon,
Erich Alexander Voigt, and Jordan Mitchell
June 2007
Supplements the (A) case.
Airbus vs. Boeing (C): Developments from 1996 to 1999
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon,
Erich Alexander Voigt, and Jordan Mitchell
June 2007
Supplements the (A) case.
Airbus vs. Boeing (D): 2000
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon,
Erich Alexander Voigt, and Jordan Mitchell
June 2007
Supplements the (A) case.
Airbus vs. Boeing (E): 2001
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon,
Erich Alexander Voigt, and Jordan Mitchell
June 2007
Supplements the (A) case.
Airbus vs. Boeing (F): 2002-2006
Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon,
Erich Alexander Voigt, and Jordan Mitchell
June 2007
Supplements the (A) case.
The Dubai Ports World Debacle and Its Aftermath
Rotemberg, Julio J.
June 2007
Describes the political ramifications in the United States of Dubai-based DP World's acquisition of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O). Because P&O operated some port terminals in the United States, DP World obtained clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States before P&O shareholders approved the deal in February 2006. Nonetheless, a ruckus over port security erupted both in Congress and in the press and this ruckus led DP World to promise that it would relinquish the U.S. terminals of P&O. Also contains a brief description of Dubai and its relationship to the U.S., a discussion of issues related to port security, and a brief history of U.S. security concerns with foreign direct investment. Ends with a depiction of the Bills passed unanimously by the U.S. House and Senate to further regulate foreign investment in the wake of the DP World debacle.
An Overview of Project Finance & Infrastructure Finance -- 2006 Update
Esty, Benjamin C., and Aldo
Sesia Jr.
June 2007
Provides an introduction to the fields of project finance and infrastructure finance, and gives a statistical overview of
project-financed investments over the years from 2002 to 2006. Examples of project-financed investments include the $4
billion Chad-Cameroon pipeline, $6 billion Iridium global satellite telecommunications system, $900 million A2 Toll Road in
Poland, $1.4 billion Mozal aluminum smelter in Mozambique, and $20 billion Sakhalin II gas field in Russia. Globally, firms
financed $328 billion of capital expenditures using project finance in 2006, up from $217 billion in 2001. The use of project
finance has grown at a compound rate of 13% over the past 10 years. Focuses primarily on private sector investment in
industrial and infrastructure projects, and contains four
sections. The first section defines project finance and contrasts it with other well-known financing mechanisms. The second
section describes the evolution of project finance from its beginnings in the natural resources industry in the 1970s, to the
U.S. power industry in the 1980s, to a much wider range of industry applications and geographic locations in the 1990s, to
infrastructure finance in the 2000s. The third section provides a statistical overview of project-financed investment over
the last five years (2002 to 2006), and looks at industry, project, and participant specific data. In addition, provides
recent data on infrastructure investments and public-private partnerships. The final section discusses current and likely
future trends.
Harvard Business School Note.
Basic Techniques for the Analysis of Customer Information Using Excel: A Step-by-Step Approach
Martinez-Jerez, Francisco
de Asis
June 2007
Provides a set of easy, step-by-step guides for some analytical techniques that are useful in the analysis of cases
discussed in the course "Competing and Winning Through Customer Information (CWCI)". The instructions that follow use
datasets from three of the cases in this course: "Slots, Tables, and All That Jazz: Managing Customer Profitability at the
MGM Grand Hotel"; "MercadoLibre.com"; and "Bancaja: Developing Customer Intelligence (A)". These datasets are available upon
request from the author.
Harvard Business School Note.
Protecting Foreign Investors
Wells, Louis T.
June 2007
Describes the emergence of several kinds of efforts to assure the safety of foreign investment in emerging markets:
international arbitration, expanded official political risk insurance, credit from government agencies, and intervention by
investors' home governments. Points out the roles of bilateral investment treaties and regional economic agreements in making
arbitration accessible to an increasing number of foreign investors. Views the various arrangements as substitutes for a
global agreement on foreign direct investment that would parallel the WTO for trade given that attempts to negotiate a
comprehensive arrangement have so far failed. Also, presents several criticisms of the current system.
Harvard Business School Note.
Bert Twaalfhoven: The Successes and Failures of a Global Entrepreneur
Isenberg, Daniel J., and
Mark Rennella
May 2007
Bert Twaalfhoven (70; HBS '54) is faced with two offers to acquire the manufacturing holding company he had built up over 40 years. Despite the attractive price which would net Twaalfhoven and his family $70 million, he is reluctant to sell the company because his original vision was to create a family-owned conglomerate that would last for generations. Of his eight children, two are appropriate successors, but neither shows much interest in following in their father's footsteps. The case chronicles the dozens of successes and failures of this serial global entrepreneur.
PSI: Social Marketing Clean Water
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Nava Ashraf, and Marie Bell
May 2007
Senior management at PSI, arguably the world's largest and most successful social marketer with impressive achievements in the field of family planning, HIV/AIDS, and malaria prevention must determine what to do about their slow-to-take-off clean water initiative. PSI's point-of-use products offered effective protection against water-borne diseases, especially diarrhea, yet the organization found it hard to attract donor funds to sustain the initiative. Its managers must determine how to alter their strategy going forward.
Alleviating Poverty and Malnutrition
Goldberg, Ray A., and Kerry
Herman
May 2007
Deals with approaches to alleviating poverty and how firms, governments, and NGOs are able to work together to accomplish these goals.
METRO Cash & Carry
Khanna, Tarun, David Lane,
Carin-Isabel Knoop, and Krishna G.
Palepu
May 2007
Analyzes the globalization of Metro Case & Carry, a German wholesaler, which has flourished in many foreign markets but struggled to gain traction in India. Considers Metro's experience in Russia and China to put the company's challenges in India in comparative perspective. Pays particular attention to the institutional obstacles for a multinational to tap into the opportunities offered by emerging markets
Global Climate Change and Emissions Trading
McGrath, Patia, Nazli Uludere, Forest L. Reinhardt, and Gunnar Trumbull
May 2007
Global climate change is an increasingly prominent political and business problem. Design of market-based systems to reduce carbon emissions has proven difficult. More broadly, national attempts to comply with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol present both governments and firms with significant challenges. The design of international institutions that will be useful for managing change after the Kyoto period is a challenge both for Kyoto ratifiers and for countries like the United States that have not ratified the agreement. Summarizes the science and economics of climate change, and encourages readers to contemplate the strategic and risk management problems that it presents to government officials and to business leaders in developed countries and in the developing world.
The Convention on Biological Diversity: Engaging the Private Sector
Bell, David E., and Mary
Shelman
April 2007
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was a U.N. treaty that by 2006 had been signed by virtually every country in the world except for the United States. The treaty established three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. Although the treaty had been in effect for almost 15 years, progress was slow. CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf needed to increase the participation of the private sector in order to meet the treaty's "2010 Target," which called for a significant reduction in the loss of biodiversity at all levels (global, regional, and national). Provides background on the relationship between biodiversity and agriculture.