After the attack on the World Trade Towers on September 11th, Senator John (Jack) C. Danforth's appointment as the president's special envoy to the Sudan took on a much deeper significance. As an ordained Episcopal priest the senator, closely backed by the president, brought a new strategy to the end the decades long civil war. Danforth strategically moved to align fragmented peace efforts in the US, Europe, and Africa around one initiative led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and sought to engage the religious Muslim and Christian religious leaders in solving the differences between the North and the South. Unlike previous envoys, Danforth proposed specific tests and benchmarks to determine if peace between the two parties was even feasible. He further insisted on actions to measure progress and as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, he dragged the entire Security Council to Africa to push the peace process forward. Danforth's philosophy was to listen to both sides and not to condemn the atrocities committed by both parties, but to bring peace. This case allows students to consider Danforth's strategic approach to finding peace and to compare and contrast it with efforts at peace in the Darfur conflict. It further examines peace efforts in ethnically and religiously divided societies, and views the peace process through the lenses of some of the religious leaders within the country. It can be used in courses on religion and politics, civil wars, ethnic conflict, negotiations, national security, leadership, Africa policy, public policy, and international relations. HKS Case Number 1905.0
Generation Health, a pioneer in the new field of genetics benefit management, and newly formed company faces many strategic issues. CEO Per Lofberg is in the midst of negotiating a partnership with a major pharmacy benefit management company. As part of these negotiations, Lofberg must decide whether the time is right for such a strategic partner when Generation Health has only been founded for a year. At the same time, Lofberg must recruit for the critical position of Chief Medical Officer while also making decisions about Generation Health's stance on various regulatory issues that will affect the industry long-term.
In 1994, CEO Gordon Bethune inherited an airline on the brink of its third bankruptcy. The case describes his turnaround plan, focusing on (a) the goal to dramatically improve on-time performance, and (b) the team-based bonus he believed would convince his cynical and demotivated employees to execute the plan.
Supplements the Sara Campbell Ltd. (A) and (B) cases by revealing the aftermath of issues presented in the (B) case. The students are given context to discuss how this situation could have been prevented.
This case illustrates a comprehensive valuation of a firm specializing in the "speed dating" niche of the dating/entertainment industry. The founders of HurryDate, a small, privately-held firm, are considering options to fund future growth, including a full or partial sale of the firm. Students must assess the firm's strategy, the key risks and success factors associated with this industry, evaluate basic financial reports, assess the firm's past performance, estimate the firm's future performance, and make recommendations regarding the valuation of the firm. This exercise also highlights the challenges of valuing a small firm, where information and viable comparables are often limited or non-existent.
Georginelli Dental Research (GDR) has transitioned from an agile entrepreneurial company to one that has become overly cautious as its high-margin film sales have eroded. Even though the phases-and-gates process in place at GDR provides guidance to projects, the spirit that led the company to past success has been removed from the organization. The two main characters of the case want to bring back that can-do spirit as they attempt to rapidly commercialize the Bart scanner and extend the life of film. The issues in the case concern: a) entrepreneurial companies and their business strategies and processes for managing new product development b) the implications these strategies and processes have on addressing the needs of customers, shareholders and employees c) the role people can play in pushing through corporate processes and culture to improve time-to-market. The case focuses on the ways individuals might overcome internal company resistance or roadblocks by partnering with an OEM partner that possesses complementary capabilities. When seeking a strategic partner, most think in terms of technical skills; however, the culture or DNA of a partner is just as important. The case is intended for use in courses in managing new product commercialization, managing technology and innovation, strategic thinking, international business and leadership.
This case provides a means to illustrate enterprise valuation analysis questions such as: 1) Given a stock price, what is the implied value attributable to the operating business? 2) Given a valuation multiple for an operating business, what is the implied target stock price? In addition, the case 1) illustrates how arbitrage acts to enforce the law of one price and keep markets efficient 2) provides a model case to understand why stocks can become mispriced 3) shows application of a stub valuation analysis 4) provides an illustration of a common hedge fund strategy (long/short equity) 5) show how to calculate margin requirements for a portfolio containing both long and short positions 6) illustrates the effects of leverage and capital requirements on investment returns 7) provides an example framework to calculate risk in a complex investment position.
The case follows the rise and decline of Pets.com from its inception in 1994 until 2000. It starts with a look at the birth of Pets.com, followed by a discussion of the market, consumer behaviour and key competitors. It then focuses on Pets.com's business strategy and marketing mix. The case study provides the basis for class discussion of a number of key issues, including but not limited to a) the decision whether to enter a strategic partnership, b) the pursuit of an aggressive growth strategy, c) the design and management of the marketing mix, d) the use of aggressive communication and pricing strategies, and e) brand-building decisions. Pets.com is often cited alongside the Edsel, New Coke, Betamax and others as one of the biggest marketing blunders of all times. As such, students find it a fascinating story. The case study also asks students to reflect on some common challenges faced by organizations, such as entry and survival in a highly competitive market, how to deal with a dominant player, venture capital and entrepreneurial issues, business model design, brand management, marketing mix decisions, and the benefits and perils of a growth strategy. The case has been used successfully in the following courses: a) an MBA elective course dealing with popular marketing mistakes and failures, b) a postgraduate strategic marketing course dealing with growth strategies, c) a marketing management course at the undergraduate level focused on the design and management of the marketing mix, and d) a services marketing module at the undergraduate level on the topic of online marketing.
The case describes the situation faced by the vice-president of operations at Konkan Leaf Tobacco Development, the tobacco processing unit of XYZ Limited. This unit is in charge of procurement and processing of different varieties and grades of tobacco grown in southern India. The tobacco leaves are categorized into different varieties on the basis of quality and location of the crop. The company has two processing plants with varying processing capacities. Due to the seasonal and agricultural nature of the commodity, the company is finding it difficult to maintain efficiencies between the inflow of the tobacco and the requirement of the processing line capacity, resulting in frequent start-stop situations for the processing lines. This case enables students to develop strategies for the process management to achieve the optimum process schedule, which will result in the fewest stoppages of the process lines and optimization of both the utilization of the processing lines and the inflow patterns among the processing units.
The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is a 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Compossed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between social, economic, political, and legal systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 1 introduces the Law of Disruption and its key drivers, Moore's Law and Metcalfe's Law. Downes argues that these laws help to reveal the foundation for a new human existence - the digital life. The escalating conflict between business leaders, governments, and consumers over intellectual property and information is also discussed.
The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is a 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Compossed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between social, economic, political, and legal systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 2 explores the opportunities and risks of living in the digital era by analyzing the economic behavior of information. The conflict between non-rivalrous information and a property rights system designed around the scarcity of manufactured (rivalrous) goods is discussed.
The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is a 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Composed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 3 introduces the first of the nine laws of disruption: convergence. As wireless access and cheap mobile computing become ubiquitous, the world of the physical and the world of the digital are merging. On the border, difficult problems of law appear. Where do our digital activities take place? What law applies? Are judges, legislators, and law enforcement officers competent to enforce behavioral standards on our world? The author contends that the best and most effective code for the intersection of industrial and information economies is a market-based solution, not a governmental imposition of antiquated rules.
The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is a 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Composed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 4 discusses the second of the nine laws of disruption: personal information. This chapter proposes a working definition for privacy in the digital era. The author discusses the economic value of privacy to both society and individuals. He proposes a market-based model for addressing privacy issues such as those recently surfaced through social networking sites.
The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is a 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Composed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 5 discusses the third of the nine laws of disruption: human rights. The author argues that individual rights in digital life eroded badly during the war on terror of the early 2000's, and that "the only protection most of us are left with is the sheer volume of information and the lack of funding for governments to sift through all of it." He goes on to propose the establishment of several principles of digital civil liberties, and then the writing of software to enforce them.
The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is a 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Composed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 6 discusses the fourth of the nine laws of disruption: infrastructure. The author explores the government's role in the production, implementation, and ultimately, protection of the digital infrastructure. Regulatory measures and their often adverse effects are also discussed.
The Laws of Disruption, written by Larry Downes, a partner with the Bell-Mason Group, is an 12-chapter book published by Basic Books/Perseus Books Group. Composed of four sections, the book explores a simple but unavoidable principle of modern life: though technology changes exponentially, social, economic, and legal systems change incrementally. This disparity in change, Downes argues, will inevitably instigate conflicts between systems rooted in the past and the current and future generations who are dramatically rewriting the rules of both business and social interaction. Downes suggests nine emerging principles that are shaping a new legal code - the laws of disruption - that will close the gap between institutions of the past and those of the future. Chapter 7 introduces the fifth of the nine laws of disruption. Globalization has been turbocharged by the Internet. But merchants and consumers are learning to their peril that the easier it is to interact across borders, the more likely it is that provincial and often pointless local laws will rear up to interfere with trade. Sometimes, conflicting laws and uneven enforcement can come close to forcing a hard stop. The author argues that we need a single uniform law of digital commerce - and further, that the building blocks for writing one are in place.