The case series illustrates the decision-making process and the negotiation complexities of a leveraged buy-out proposal made by Italtel management to their holding company, Telecom Italia. In addition to Telecom Italia and Italtel's perspectives, the cases examine the point of view of the two perspective joint acquirers: Cisco Systems and Clayton Dubillier & Rice, a leading private equity investment house.

The case series illustrates the decision-making process and the negotiation complexities of a leveraged buy-out proposal made by Italtel management to their holding company, Telecom Italia. In addition to Telecom Italia and Italtel's perspectives, the cases examine the point of view of the two perspective joint acquirers: Cisco Systems and Clayton Dubillier & Rice, a leading private equity investment house.

The case series illustrates the decision-making process and the negotiation complexities of a leveraged buy-out proposal made by Italtel management to their holding company, Telecom Italia. In addition to Telecom Italia and Italtel's perspectives, the cases examine the point of view of the two perspective joint acquirers: Cisco Systems and Clayton Dubillier & Rice, a leading private equity investment house.

The case series illustrates the decision-making process and the negotiation complexities of a leveraged buy-out proposal made by Italtel management to their holding company, Telecom Italia. In addition to Telecom Italia and Italtel's perspectives, the cases examine the point of view of the two perspective joint acquirers: Cisco Systems and Clayton Dubillier & Rice, a leading private equity investment house.

The case series illustrates the decision-making process and the negotiation complexities of a leveraged buy-out proposal made by Italtel management to their holding company, Telecom Italia. In addition to Telecom Italia and Italtel's perspectives, the cases examine the point of view of the two perspective joint acquirers: Cisco Systems and Clayton Dubillier & Rice, a leading private equity investment house.

Two reasonable people, a boss and a subordinate, find each other 'impossible to handle'. Through their descriptions of each other's behavior we realize that they are in a self-perpetuating dynamic. An attempted intervention by the HR manager not only fails to resolve the situation; it actually makes it worse.

Case A: Describes the development of e-inclusion, HP4s program aimed at addressing the Digital Divide. It follows the project from its initial focus of corporate responsibility to its goal of developing new, profitable markets among the underserved.

Case B describes the initial developments in the Kuppam i-community, in India, a pilot project, under the auspices of e-inclusion, aimed at researching the potential to find a market for IT products and services and for HP's competences among the poor.

Renzo Rosso, the president and founder of Diesel SpA, the innovative Italian casual wear company famous for its controversial 'For Successful Living' advertising campaign, is pondering how to brand its new upscale line of clothing: StyleLab. The objectives set for StyleLab are: (1) to enter the new and attractive high casual wear market; (2) to create an aura of prestige for the core D-Diesel line; and (3) to provide Diesel's designers with the opportunity to experiment with new cuts and fabrics, which may eventually trickle down to the main D-Diesel brand. Please visit the http://cases.insead.edu/diesel/ (copy and paste the url into a browser) to access Diesel's television commercials and PowerPoint presentations of all case exhibits and print advertising campaigns.

This case study highlights the different aspects of succession. It describes the issues that affect the departing CEO. It considers the organization, and the background of internal and external candidates for succession. It also treats the issue of non-executive board-members and their preferences.

This case study focuses on Infosys Technologies Ltd., one of the leading software companies in India. The key to the success of Infosys has been its ability to leverage an innovative business model: The Global Delivery Model, in order to help its clients economize on costs linked to information technology and software development. The success of Infosys has led to competitors mimicking the business model and the Indian software industry as a whole, witnessing rapid growth. The case questions whether the strategy of Infosys, including the Global Delivery Model, is adequate to maintain the company's trajectory of high growth, and its position as one of the leading software companies in the world.

Research in Motion had successfully launched the innovative BlackBerry service in North America and was looking to accelerate business growth there and globally. The company had been using a direct sales approach and was considering a move to using telecommunications carriers as the primary channel. A team of executives was charged with recommending a strategy and implementation plan.

Numico, Europe's second-largest infant food manufacturer, decides to refocus its strategy on its core markets after an ill-fated incursion into the U.S. vitamin market that has left it with large losses. An integral part of the strategy is to launch new and innovative products that address previously untapped needs. Follows the challenges facing Numico and its first supplier of finished products during the launch of the first product under the new strategy. A 2004 EFMD award winner.

Numico, Europe's second largest infant food manufacturer, refocuses its strategy on its core markets. The key is strategic change -- including new product introduction and production rationalization. To improve customer satisfaction levels and reduce costs, the company initiates two large projects, the first is aimed at visibility to demand and inventory levels--and new supply chain practices to coordinate them, with improved reaction time. The second is complete overhaul of the production and distribution process that includes plant reduction, product rationalization and shifting of production to Eastern Europe. The case looks at the challenges for their implementation, the role of a key change manager, and the future of the company.

Dubai Internet City (DIC) was inaugurated in October 2000. Despite carrying the name "Internet," the free zone was designed as a hub for all information and communications technology companies. Although the original plan focused primarily on real estate, the shift to an innovative, one-stop approach was almost immediate. DIC not only offered its clients office space, but handled visas, incorporation, travel bookings, work permits, etc. To support clients further, DIC set up a state-of-the-art telecommunications company. This was the first in a series of businesses that DIC launched to serve customers and then spin-off as stand-alone entities. The park's objective was to help companies do business in the area while making it as easy as possible to operate out of Dubai. The fact that the park operated inside a free zone meant that it could offer clients attractive deals such as 100% foreign ownership, no tax, or 100% repatriation of capital. The large concentration of companies working from a single location (600 by 2004) also created networking opportunities, which the company further supported through organized events. By 2004, the company had reached the objectives it had set for 2007 and began looking at different options: internationalizing by either building, operating, or advising on similar parks abroad, or capturing other parts of the value chain (manufacturing, outsourcing, etc.). A 2004 EFMD award winner.

Ed Davidson is on top of the world, literally and figuratively, at the beginning of this fictional case study. He's in the Swiss Alps, headed for Davos and his first experience as a delegate to the World Economic Forum's annual conference. And he has reason to believe he is about to be made president of his company, Carston Waite--and, therefore, heir apparent to the CEO position. Then his phone rings. It's his mentor, Frank Maugham, the CFO and a board member at Carston Waite, calling to inform him of a major setback. "David asked me to let you know you are not going to be named president," he says. "At least not yet. He wants to stay close to the business." But Frank has a plan to change the CEO's mind. Meanwhile, Ed feels betrayed and humiliated--and his desire for revenge against the CEO mounts. When the news comes that Frank's plan has failed and has cost Frank his job, Ed is already deep in a plot of his own. He's in Davos because David had to back out; Ed is supposed to deliver the CEO's remarks in his stead. But why not use this opportunity on the world stage instead to deal a parting blow? In R0401A and R0401Z, a psychoanalyst, a psychiatrist, an executive coach, and a governance expert comment on Ed's state of mind and his best course of action. They are Kenneth Eisold, the president of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations; Dee Soder, the founder and managing partner of the CEO Perspective Group; Jeffrey P. Kahn, the CEO of WorkPsych Associates; and Charles M. Elson, the Edgar S. Woolard, Jr., Chair of Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware.

Like it or not, leaders need to manage the mood of their organizations. The most gifted leaders accomplish that by using a mysterious blend of psychological abilities known as emotional intelligence. They are self-aware and empathetic. They can read and regulate their own emotions while intuitively grasping how others feel and gauging their organization's emotional state. But where does emotional intelligence come from, and how do leaders learn to use it? In this article, 18 leaders and scholars (including business executives, leadership researchers, psychologists, an autism expert, and a symphony conductor) explore the nature and management of emotional intelligence. Their responses varied, but some common themes emerged: the importance of consciously--and conscientiously--honing one's skills, the double-edged nature of self-awareness, and the danger of letting any one emotional intelligence skill dominate. Among their observations: Psychology Professor John Mayer, who codeveloped the concept of emotional intelligence, warns managers not to be confused by popular definitions of the term, which suggest that if you have a certain set of personality traits then you automatically possess emotional intelligence. Neuropsychologist Elkhonon Goldberg agrees with professors Daniel Goleman and Robert Goffee that emotional intelligence can be learned--but only by people who already show an aptitude for it.

Does using Tyco's funds to purchase a $6,000 shower curtain and a $15,000 dog-shaped umbrella stand make Dennis Kozlowski a bad leader? Is Martha Stewart's career any less instructive because she may have sold some shares on the basis of a tip-off? Is leadership synonymous with moral leadership? Before 1970, the answer from most leadership theorists would certainly have been no. Look at Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao Tse-tung--great leaders all, but hardly good men. In fact, capricious, murderous, high-handed, corrupt, and evil leaders are effective and commonplace. Everywhere, power goes hand in hand with corruption--everywhere, that is, except in the literature of business leadership. To read Tom Peters, Jay Conger, John Kotter, and most of their colleagues, leaders are, as Warren Bennis puts it, individuals who create shared meaning, have a distinctive voice, have the capacity to adapt, and have integrity. According to today's business literature, to be a leader is, by definition, to be benevolent. But leadership is not a moral concept, and it is high time we acknowledge that fact. Leaders are like the rest of us: trustworthy and deceitful, cowardly and brave, greedy and generous. To assume that all good leaders are good people is to be willfully blind to the reality of the human condition.

Leaders go through many transitions in their careers. Each brings new crises and challenges that are predictable. Knowing what to expect can help you get through and perhaps emerge stronger. In this engaging article, Warren G. Bennis, professor and founding chairman of the University of Southern California's Leadership Institute, reflects on leadership, recounting his own experiences as a young lieutenant in the infantry in World War II, as the new president of a university, and as the mentor to a unique nursing student. Bennis also describes the experiences of other leaders he has known throughout his career. Drawing on more than 50 years of academic research and business expertise--and borrowing from Shakespeare's seven ages of man--Bennis says the leader's life unfolds in seven stages. "The infant executive" seeks to recruit a mentor for guidance. "The schoolboy" must learn how to do the job in public. "The lover with a woeful ballad" struggles with the tsunami of problems every organization presents. "The bearded soldier" must be willing to hire people better than he is, because he knows that talented underlings can help him shine. "The general" must become adept at allowing people to speak the truth and being able to hear what they are saying. "The statesman" is hard at work preparing to pass on wisdom in the interests of the organization. And, finally, "the sage" embraces the role of mentor to young executives.

Leaders are vulnerable, too. That is, they can be led astray just as their followers can--actually, by their followers. Sometimes, good leaders end up making poor decisions because well-meaning followers are united and persuasive about a course of action. This is a particular problem for leaders who attract and empower strong followers. These executives need to become more skeptical of the majority view and push followers to examine their opinions more closely. At other times, leaders get into trouble because they are surrounded by followers who fool them with flattery and isolate them from uncomfortable realities. Charismatic leaders, who are most susceptible to this problem, need to make an extra effort to unearth disagreement and to find followers who are not afraid to pose hard questions. Organizational mechanisms like 360-degree feedback and executive coaching can help these leaders get at the truth within their companies. Finally, unscrupulous and ambitious followers may end up encroaching on the authority of the leader to such an extent that the leader becomes little more than a figurehead who has responsibility but no power. There's not much leaders can do to guard completely against a determined corporate Iago, but those who communicate and live by a positive set of values will find themselves better protected. And because followers tend to model themselves after their leaders, the straightforward leader is less likely to have manipulative followers. In this article, George Washington University Professor Lynn Offermann explores each of these dynamics in depth, arguing that leaders need to stir debate, look for friends who can deliver bad news, and communicate and act on a solid set of values.