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"Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) is a manufacturing leader in the utility vehicles (UVs) segment in the Indian automotive industry. Since 2004, M&M has been exporting UVs to South Africa, the only country in the African continent with a significant middle-class population. M&M has set up a fully owned subsidiary in South Africa, where it has also established a servicing and spare parts infrastructure and a dealer network. This subsidiary enjoyed the growth wave in the South African automotive industry up to 2007, then fell into a three-year slump, largely as a result of a recession in the global automotive industry. Now on the verge of industry renewal in 2011, the subsidiary needs to plan its next steps in South Africa, where most global automotive companies have established either manufacturing or trading outposts in response to South Africa's long-term potential and the industry-friendly policies of its government. The case is positioned as of May 2011, when M&M's subsidiary must choose from among four alternatives. M&M can continue with its prevailing business model of importing completely built units (CBUs) from its Indian operations to meet local demand while using South Africa as a re-export hub to target the burgeoning markets in sub-Saharan Africa. It can also choose to collaborate with a local vendor to assemble vehicles locally from completely knocked down (CKD) components imported from India. Alternatively, M&M may choose to set up a manufacturing facility of its own in South Africa, a model followed by many of its competitors. Lastly, M&M can choose to wait and watch until it notes definitive signs of revival in demand, which would make it more certain of its steps. The case provides an opportunity for students to examine each alternative and make a decision on M&M's way forward in South Africa."

Case A describes the development from concept to production of the world's first and smallest hand-held espresso machine. It shows the importance the role of prototyping plays in developing an innovative product, capturing the phases and decisions involved along the design path. The machine is ready for tooling and the CEO of Nielsen Innovation must decide to bring the product to market. Should it be licensed as they had done with other products they had designed? Or should they create a stand-alone business? Case B describes how and why the team started a spin-off company for the Handpresso machine, and managed to grow the business in a short space of time.

Case A describes the development from concept to production of the world's first and smallest hand-held espresso machine. It shows the importance the role of prototyping plays in developing an innovative product, capturing the phases and decisions involved along the design path. The machine is ready for tooling and the CEO of Nielsen Innovation must decide to bring the product to market. Should it be licensed as they had done with other products they had designed? Or should they create a stand-alone business? Case B describes how and why the team started a spin-off company for the Handpresso machine, and managed to grow the business in a short space of time.

In October, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., is preparing for the company's 2010 Q3 earnings conference call and wondering how to address the inevitable questions related to financial reform. It has been just over two months since the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) was passed, and there is still much uncertainty as to how JPMorgan should address the reforms. JPMorgan had reported stronger than expected EPS in the third quarter, but analysts were more concerned about what strategic initiatives the CEO would implement in response to the Dodd-Frank Act. The act had introduced wide-ranging and industry-changing reforms that were aimed primarily at fully integrated financial institutions such as JPMorgan. While most of the rulemaking would be forthcoming from regulatory authorities, the CEO knows it would be best to address these issues immediately to protect shareholders by avoiding uncertainty.

The Dodd-Frank Act, in response to the preceding financial crisis of 2008-09, fundamentally changed the finance industry and greatly affected its biggest players. This technical note gives an overview of the Dodd-Frank Act, the most important parts of the act (and other regulatory reform), and the affect its reforms could have on the country's largest financial institutions. It is important to note that the Dodd-Frank Act does not necessarily create hard and fast rules but often provides only guidance for regulators to proceed with rule-making activities.

The case describes the delivery of an urban public transportation project through a public private partnership (PPP). Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was a corporate body created by the Government of India and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT Delhi) for implementing a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) in Delhi. Dr. E. Sreedharan was appointed the managing director of the corporation. DMRC successfully completed phase-I of the MRTS in 2006. The government further mandated DMRC to implement phase-II of the MRTS project. The Japanese Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) provided soft loans for both phases of the project, which were being implemented and commissioned through conventional engineering and procurement contracts (EPC). Meanwhile, the city of Delhi got the mandate to host the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010. As part of the preparations for these games, linking New Delhi Railway Station with Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport with a metro system - Airport Express Metro Link (AEML) - became necessary for easing the traffic congestion in the city. The time line available for the AEML project was less than three years. At the same time, JBIC financial help was not available for this project. Dr. Sreedharan was thus facing the challenges of project financing and its timely delivery. In the recent past in India, the public private partnership (PPP) model of infrastructure development had emerged as a dominant model due to its certain desirable characteristics. The case discusses various options available to DMRC for project financing and timely completion of the AEML project under PPP mode.

The marketing manager for Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is concerned about a growing demand for blood - 2 per cent per year - driven by a number of factors, including the decrease of wait times in local hospitals, new operating procedures and increased use or requirements of an aging population. Peak demand seasons coincide with low supply seasons, such as summer and winter holidays. Two issues require attention: the first involves increasing the absolute number of donors, currently in the 400,000 range. Indications are that the percentage of Canadians (four per cent) who donate blood is lower than other countries such as Sweden (five per cent). The second need is to retain more donors and increase the number of donations per donor, per year. The CBS still faces issues stemming from the tainted blood scandal of the 1980s and the subsequent Krever inquiry. They are working to rebuild the trust of the public. The crux of the issue is understanding consumer behaviour toward blood donation. The manager needs to understand the consumer decision process, examine segments, determine a target segment and develop communications to increase both the absolute number of donors and the repeat donations of identified donors.

The setting of this case is off the coast of the failed state of Somalia, where incidents of piracy have increased dramatically over the past few years. In this case a group of 14 pirates have hijacked a cargo ship full of machinery, but have yet to make any demands. They hold the multinational crew of 20 (whose captain and two officers are American), the ship, and the cargo hostage. The Chief Operating Officer of an international shipping company must choose among alternative strategies to get the crew, cargo and ship, back safely with as little cost as possible.

Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), dubbed "the greatest literary show on earth" was an annual event held in late January at the Diggi Palace in Jaipur. JLF provided a platform for international authors and Indian language authors from the subcontinent to engage in a literary dialogue. By 2011, JLF attracted the largest festival audience in the Asian Pacific region with approximately 60,000 visitors from 24 countries. It featured 224 speakers in 140 sessions, and 100 musicians in 20 concerts. Success had already changed the character of the festival from the earlier more intimate days and had created a momentum that, if not managed correctly, could compromise goals such as the democratic ethos of the festival. While JLF had achieved explosive growth and critical success, its expenses still exceeded its revenue. Could JLF find an organizational and financial "template" which could sutain the festival into the future?

The state-run Banco de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Banco Ciudad) was losing money in 2007. Early in 2008, Federico Sturzenegger, a renowned academic in Argentina, was appointed executive chairman by the city government and charged with turning the bank around. But just four months later, Sturzenegger was already facing the 45th day of a labor conflict sparked by union representatives on account of having fired six employees. The showdown raised several questions. First and foremost: Who owned Banco Ciudad? The city government? The citizens? Its employees? How could this bank use its strengths and overcome its weaknesses to best serve its constituents and the public? This case follows Sturzenegger's eventful first few years in office to examine how a state-owned enterprise maneuvered in a challenging environment to hit its targets of greater efficiency and profitability.

Returning to Banco Ciudad two years after executive chairman Federico Sturzenegger´s decision to "think outside of the box" to turn the institution around, this case tracks profitability and other metrics of success for the state-owned bank. The case ends with Sturzenegger asking: where can he take the bank next?

This note presents a framework and tool for leading fundamental systemic change in organizations and beyond. It identifies the 10 key elements of systemic change and arrays them along the spokes of a wheel, which suggests momentum and an interconnected rather than linear process for changing systems. All spokes must be engaged and then re-engaged to keep change moving. The practical model shows how spokes are related and reinforce one another and also presents a logical order for connecting them.

This note describes location choice decisions for start-up companies within a city: for instance, what to look for in a facility and the economics of clusters.

Mary Tolan, CEO Accretive Health, examines whether to expand the company's operations in hospital revenue cycle management into the field of Total Cost of Care management.

Molly Miller, an Intel employee and shareholder, must decide whether to vote FOR or AGAINST Intel's proposed 2009 option exchange program. Given recent declines in Intel's stock price, more than 99% of Intel's outstanding employee stock options are "underwater," and employee motivation and retention are serious concerns. If the program is approved by shareholders, Molly must decide whether to participate in the program and tender her underwater employee stock options. As a shareholder and an employee, Molly must assess the pros and cons of Intel's proposed exchange program from both perspectives. In addition, she must consider Intel's proposal in light of the alternative approaches pursued by other corporations that have recently confronted the problem of underwater employee stock options.

The new vice-president and general manager of Best Optical Ltd. is trying to formulate a strategy in response to his competitors actions. Best Optical is a distributor of vision hardware and competitors are buying up retail outlets, threatening to shut Best Optical out of the market. The vice-president has to decide how to respond to the threat and what implications his response will have on Best Optical's business.

CCM Hockey (CCM) had been losing market share to competitors in the hockey skate business. In order to counteract this trend, in March 2008, the most innovative pair of hockey skates ever developed by CCM was made available to customers. Soon after the launch, however, some quality issues developed. CCM decided to replace the skates with an identical pair while trying to remedy the problem. In 2009, new improved skates were put on the market but they looked identical to the previous model. Buyers were skeptical and, as a result, sales were poor. Both the trade and individual consumers had lost confidence in the brand. CCM returned to the drawing board and redesigned the skates but also decided to launch the skates close to four months after the normal industry cycle. The decision was complicated by a stagnant market and indistinct consumer segments. The brand manager and his assistant were faced with developing a strong launch strategy because the future of the CCM Skate brand depended on a successful launch.

Ron Burkle is an activist investor and stockholder of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BN). In September 2010, through his company, The Yucaipa Companies (Yucaipa), Burkle filed a "Definitive Proxy" to challenge BN's slate of board-of-director nominees at the upcoming stockholder meeting. The proxy was made in response to a ruling against Yucaipa by the Delaware Chancery Court concerning a lawsuit that challenged Barnes and Noble's poison-pill provision, which prevented outsiders becoming majority stockholders. Burkle disagreed with BN's founder, chairman and owner of the majority stake in the company, Leonard Riggio, concerning BN's long-term strategy. While Burkle wanted the company to cede ground to Amazon in the digital reader marketplace and instead concentrate on BN's physical stores, Riggio believed that the Nook eReader should be the centrepiece of the company's strategy. Riggio had to respond to the Yucaipa proxy in the short-term and come up with a plan of action to retain control of the company in the long term.

Most family businesses do not survive beyond two or three generations. One of the main reasons for the short life span of family businesses is due to the lack of governance mechanisms in the family. With better family governance, business development becomes a more enjoyable journey and ensures continuity of the business across generations. This case is about an Indian family business, GMR Group, which was established a quarter century ago, and by 2010 became one of the major diversified infrastructure organizations in the country with large-scale interests in infrastructure (energy, roads and airports) and manufacturing (agri-business, mainly sugar). Since its founding, the Group has come a long way, from an independent proprietary enterprise to a family-owned holding corporation with several companies under its control, along with external stakeholders. The growth of the group has been led by the entrepreneurial zeal and organizational capabilities of its founder G.M Rao. Having seen many family businesses breaking up for want of adequate governance mechanisms, Rao led the way for the writing of his family's constitution with the help of several experts. The entire family spent many hours, and after several rounds of iteration created and signed a constitution in 2007. The writing process of the constitution, and the policies and processes developed were optimal for maximizing GMR's performance and the family's well-being in current and future generations. The case captures the essential processes and output of writing a family constitution.