Fabrice Tourre, a mid-level trader at Goldman Sachs, seeks to understand how he was one of the only executives of any Wall Street firm held accountable in the aftermath of the financial crises. The case includes commentary from Tourre and jurors that found him guilty at his trial.
Technological innovation is considered a competitive strength for America, but the nation does not score as high in deploying its technology. U.S. transportation systems are in need of repair and renewal, and the sector is at the cusp of a technological revolution. The Information Superhighway could reinvent the highway-and airways, railroads, vehicles, and more-by making aspects of the system "smarter" and more connected, cost-effective, fuel-efficient, safer, and more convenient for consumers, businesses, and communities. This paper discusses five trends in for technology-enabled transportation innovation: connected vehicles; connected roads; big data analytics in air transportation; Intelligent Transportation Systems; and innovation in information infrastructure.
Perry Capital owns shares in King and, to facilitate approval of the merger, buys shares in Mylan, whilst hedging out its economic exposure to Mylan's share price using derivatives. The price at which Mylan proposes to merge with King is generous to King shareholders, but the merger does not look likely to be approved by Mylan shareholders, who must vote upon it. If Perry can swing the voting in favor of the deal, it will gain handsomely on its King shares without facing any corresponding losses on its Mylan holdings since those are hedged. Carl Icahn, another shareholder in Mylan, opposed the deal and sued Perry for alleged vote buying.
Patagonia produces high-quality environmentally friendly garments that command significant price premiums. In Spring 2010, Patagonia rolled out a new, radical environmental initiative called "Product Lifecycle Initiative" (PLI), which was committed to lengthening the lifecycle of each product and reducing landfill waste. This case provides an update on Patagonia's PLI as well as on other company environmental and social commitments.
In October 2011, a young entrepreneur in Ghana faced a critical moment. Given his degree in marketing and his experience running a retail clothing store, he was confident he could branch out and start his own photocopying service in his hometown of Koforidua, where there was a distinct undersupply of photocopying services. The proposed store would be located near All Nations University, whose students and faculty would provide a stable demand for his offerings. Now he must perform a breakeven analysis and return on investment calculation to assess if he should go forward with the venture.
EA Financial Services was a microfinance institution in Koforidua, Ghana. In its seven months of operation, it had done well to establish a client base, before it lacked sufficient capital to meet the growing demand for new loans. Although having a growing client base is a positive sign, the lack of capital was a significant burden—the company had to begin turning down loan requests. The owner knew that potential clients would likely deal with one of his many competitors if he could not provide financial services for them. He wondered if he should first explore obtaining additional operational capital or concentrate on improving current operations. Several alternatives to addressing these issues had presented themselves. What was the best course of action?
In 2013, a successful entrepreneur in Eldoret, Kenya was considering her options. In 2007, after a history of operating several small businesses, only one of which failed, she founded Lilgaa Property Management Ltd., a real estate and property management business. She had focused her energies on the real estate industry in spite of its many challenges, which included corruption and lack of regulation, enforcement and trust. In 2013 she needed to decide how to grow her business, specifically, whether she could buy a building in Eldoret and rent it out or buy a plot of land on the outskirts of town and build a hotel; if the latter, would it cater to the middle or upper class? She had to assess the various elements of the business, political and social environments and consider the potential risks that could affect the outcome of her investment.
The case presents students with common size balance sheets, financial ratios and related financial information. Students are required to correctly identify a series of corporations in distinctive industries based solely on their analysis of this financial data.
Adani Agri Logistics Limited (AALL) was established to execute a national project for the bulk handling of food grains through a public-private partnership with the Food Corporation of India. This project involved financing, planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining modern infrastructure for the bulk handling, storage and transportation of grains required for the public distribution system. Although a technology-driven supply chain solution was implemented, the benefits of this innovative supply system did not come into full fruition even after four years of operation. AALL soon realized that farmers were reluctant to accept the new storage system because it was a departure from the relationship-based transactions they were used to undertaking with traditional intermediaries. In this way, the company learned that there are cultural subtleties and traditions that must be appreciated and given consideration, along with the economic justifications. How could these traditions be respected and upheld while making way for improvement and progress?
Helio Polymer Enterprises, located in Nakuru, Kenya, is a company that manufactures synthetic polymer gunny bags used in the transportation and handling of animal feed. The owner wants to expand her business operations so she can serve more clients. She has three options: to add a night shift, buy a new printing machine or start producing laminate gunny bags for other markets. Before she makes the decision, she must understand her current operational capacity and determine what aspects of customer service she believes are important for the long-term success of her company.
Sweet Leaf Bath Co. is a small, family-operated bath and body products company specializing in fairtrade, environmentally conscious products. The company progressed from initially selling its high-quality, unique products at craft shows and exhibitions to limited sales through local retailers. Through these sales channels, Sweet Leaf's founding partners learned more about the bath and body industry and the international issues surrounding the sourcing of many raw ingredients used in their products. However, after a year of minimal sales growth, the partners realized that they needed to develop and implement a new marketing strategy that would enable them to grow the business. Out of the many options available to expand the company's distribution plans and promotional efforts, its owners must select those opportunities that will offer maximum benefits on a limited budget.
Ten years after its founding, California-based Tesla Motors is close to becoming one of the world's premier luxury car manufacturers. Its innovative design - using carbon fibre and aluminum rather than steel to construct body and parts - and technology - lithium ion battery packs rather than gasoline for power and a simple powertrain to provide maximum acceleration - make its models treasured options for eco-friendly and tech-savvy consumers as well as wealthy professionals. Relying almost entirely on word-of-mouth promotion through social media, the company sells its cars through factory stores in upscale malls rather than through dealerships and has built service centres to provide free battery charging. However, just as it is expanding into Europe and Asia and is contemplating buying its own factory to secure its battery supply, three of its cars have burst into flames following collisions, although no one has been injured. In addition, analysts claim that the company has been covering up its lack of cash flow by using non-generally accepted accounting principles for reporting its revenue. The CEO knows that the company has tremendous potential but is struggling with public relations problems arising from the crashes and questions about its financial stability and return on investment to investors.
Entrepreneurs seeking to start companies in developing economies face significant human resource challenges. Before embarking on their ventures, entrepreneurs should articulate a talent management strategy that describes how they will source, identify, screen, and manage employees, including rank and file workers, mid-level managers, and senior executives as the company scales. In developing such a strategy, the most important considerations will include how much and what kinds of human capital are present, the availability of tools to effectively identify and screen candidates, local culture, and the flexibility of the labor market. Drawing from interviews with entrepreneurs and investors across a number of countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, this note explores several major human resource challenges found in developing economies and the strategies entrepreneurs have employed to meet these challenges.
Safe Water Network, a charity initiative focused on providing underserved populations with clean drinking water, established its first site in the village of Nizampally, India. This initiative was unique in a number of ways in its conception as well as its execution. Firstly, after vigorous assessment of the identified region, demand-driven solutions were customized to deal with the specific water-related issues of the region. Secondly, it was supported by prominent Indian and international companies who not only provided monetary support but also extended assistance in terms of technology, assessment and further research. Thirdly, the project was economically sustainable and required active participation and ownership by the community it served. Safe Water Network's directors hoped to scale up and sustain the adoption of the Safe Water project. The commitment and participation of the villagers was truly heartening but would this enthusiasm continue? Would the villagers see value in this expenditure? Were there any barriers to the project's adoption?
The Volkswagen Group (VW Group) had set a firm-wide "Strategy 2018," which sought to make Volkswagen "the most successful and fascinating automaker in the world by 2018." According to the strategy, the company would reach annual sales of 10 million vehicles worldwide. To achieve this ambitious goal, VW Group placed "intelligent innovations and technologies" at the top of its agenda. Big data, broadly defined, represented an important opportunity for the company. In this exercise, the class will be divided into teams, and each team will design an initiative that leverages big data to help the VW Group make significant progress towards its objective. The teams will present their initiatives at the upcoming executive meeting, at which time the best initiative will be selected.
Per dollar of revenue, no tax policy generates more sound and fury than the taxation of estates. To supporters, the tax is a break on the concentration of wealth and power and an easy way to fund redistribution. To opponents, the tax is an unjust punishment of the frugal that sacrifices economic growth for short-term interests. Instructors may also obtain a Teaching Note, written by this case's author, that provides suggestions for using this case effectively in the classroom.