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This case presents a supply chain management challenge faced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) in one of their aircraft door export project to a leading aircraft manufacturer located outside India. As per the contract, HAL has to deliver each aircraft door in a period specified by the aircraft manufacturer. Delivery of door outside this window attracts a penalty. The protagonist has to make decisions regarding when exactly to start the door's main assembly to overcome variability in the assembly of doors, how much inventory to maintain for 1222 parts that are used in the door assembly, how to manage variability in processing times, how to handle outsourcing, and how to manage parts with shelf life that are used in the door assembly. Students will have to use analytical tools to come up with decisions for the aforementioned questions. The case also provides an opportunity for the students to compare the complex nature of an aerospace supply chain with other industries such as automobiles. The case is suitable for supply chain management course as well as advanced operations management course at MBA as well as for executive program.

Ace Designers, a machine tool company in India, is debating whether to invest in production of an in-house CNC controller. Currently Ace is fitting imported CNC controllers into its machine tools, which account for 50% of the material cost. The in-house controller's cost is significantly lower and also reduces company's exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. However, convincing customers about the quality and reliability of an indigenously developed CNC controller is a major challenge and could affect the sales in the short run. Given the history of successful product introductions for the low-cost segment and process improvement initiatives (like Ace Designers' "flow lines in a job shop"), students have to determine the probability of succeeding in this new venture and the financial viability of the controller project. Sufficient data is provided in the case to carry out quantitative analysis, assess the success of earlier initiatives, and justify or reject investments in the new project. Also sufficient information is given on earlier process improvement initiatives to obtain deeper insights into softer issues and provide justification for success or failure of future projects.

In 2002, Baker Hughes was accused of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). This case describes the actions taken by the company in response to those accusations. These include hiring a third-party law firm to undertake an independent investigation and voluntarily reviewing its entire global operations with the purpose of discovering other FCPA violations. Simultaneously, the company engaged in a comprehensive restructuring of its policies and systems for preventing and detecting the issuance of questionable payments.

By operating in war zones, urban slums, and deep rural areas, companies could not only achieve growth and profits, but could also improve the economic and social conditions of these impoverished regions. Yet how can a company operate in areas with unstable security, poor infrastructure, and little or no formal legal frameworks in place? To do so successfully, companies need to go beyond transactional alliances or legalistic business partnerships with local partners. Instead, they need to develop community buy-in and long-term personal relationships based on trust with "unorthodox" local inhabitants-the ones offering them security and protection rather than technology and business assets. Such deep social embeddedness is not cost-free. To prevent it from derailing their success, companies need to nurture and grow their local partners beyond their specific needs.

Market-based solutions to alleviate poverty have become increasingly popular in recent years. Unfortunately, there are very few examples of profitable businesses that market socially useful goods in low-income markets and operate at a large scale. This article examines three case studies of multinational firms that tried to market unquestionably useful products-clean water, eyeglasses, and nutritious yogurt-to the poor but did not succeed commercially. The article also discusses two positive examples of profitable BOP ventures: mobile phones and detergents. Developing strategies for marketing socially useful goods to the poor, far from triggering a revolution in business thinking, requires firms to get back to the basic principles and rules of economics and business.

Entrepreneurial leadership is crucial for economic growth in all countries, yet little is known about the leadership style of entrepreneurs in transition economies such as the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). There has been a need for research into cross-cultural similarities in entrepreneurial characteristics that would support an argument for convergence across cultures. This article investigates entrepreneurial leadership styles based on interviews with 130 exemplary Russian entrepreneurs over a recent five-year period. The results showed that a large majority of these entrepreneurs had adopted an open leadership style similar to U.S. entrepreneurs, adding support to a convergence theory of entrepreneurial leadership style.

Given the crucial role that IT plays in businesses today, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is seen as having a significant responsibility in ensuring that IT's value is optimized. However, the history of IT investments has not been glowing and, as a consequence, blame for this situation is usually placed at the feet of the CIO. To explore further the role of the CIO and its link with organizational performance, interviews were conducted with CIOs, CxOs, and commentators. From an analysis of the data, a model linking the CIO role with organizational performance enabled by IT was developed. This model highlights the critical factors contributing to CIO and, ultimately, IT success. Of central importance is the environment within which the CIO operates and, in particular, the pivotal role of the IT savviness of the CEO and the leadership team. It reveals some uncomfortable lessons for CEOs and other c-suite members.

Uncertainty is at the center of many of the most important strategic decisions made by private businesses and public agencies. Many of these decisions are driven by judgmental rather than data-rich uncertainties-the rate of climate change, the impact of globalization, the prospects for regional conflicts, the extent of environmental legislation, or the advancement of technology. To help improve the way these important judgment-driven decisions are made, an emerging tool-prediction markets-can improve this practice and thereby improve the quality of strategic decision making. While it is important not to be carried away by the latest fad, prediction markets will play a major role in improving the quality of strategic decisions in the future.

MBA students Tim Joyce and Brandon Cornuke had what they believed was a great product concept: a body powder that could be delivered in an aerosol spray. Current market-leading powders such as Gold Bond and Johnson's Baby Powder involved messy application, as they were only available in "dump-on" form. Worse, because powders deposited on top of the skin didn't adhere to it, they tended not to last long. Joyce and Cornuke believed an aerosol powder spray would solve these problems. They called their product concept Dry Goods. However, taking Dry Goods from idea to reality presented some serious challenges. How would two students without access to a lab be able to research and develop a complex chemical/physical process like aerosol delivery, let alone manufacture it once they had a proven prototype? To address these problems, the two entrepreneurs sought out a contract manufacturing partner. After identifying a number of options, Joyce and Cornuke had to decide which partner offered them the best chances of success, given their goals and financial constraints.

The management of Monmouth Inc. is considering whether to acquire the Robertson Tool Company and the value and form that the acquisition should take. Value can be assessed using a variety of approaches including a DCF with WACC analysis, impact on EPS and market multiples. The case also requires the student to consider how the offer should be designed and implemented.

Spreadsheet Supplement for 4226.

In April 2008, after successfully transitioning Octone Records to Universal Music Group and relaunching the label as A&M/Octone Records, president and chief executive officer James Diener is facing a new challenge. Diener and his executive team have trouble convincing a new, promising act, Paper Tongues, to join A&M/Octone on a so-called all-rights deal, which specified that the label would receive a percentage of all of the artist's revenue streams, including recorded music, concert-ticket sales, merchandising, commercial licensing, sponsorships, and endorsements. Negotiations have stalled. Should A&M/Octone hold on to its "all-rights or no deal" stance? Or was it time to switch to a recorded-music-only deal? Designed for use alongside "Octone Records," HBS No. 507-082, the case allows for an in-depth examination of new-product development and talent management strategies in the context of the music industry. The case provides rich insights into how contracts between labels and artists are structured, and how advances in technology are impacting the music industry and its players.

AdMob's CEO is deciding between international expansion and increasing the number of publishers to strengthen the company's advantage in the mobile advertising industry. AdMob displayed advertising on global devices, powered 6,000 websites and 1,000 applications, and served over 6 billion advertising impressions a month to 25 million unique visitors. AdMob's success attracted numerous competitors, such as Millennial Media and Quattro Wireless, both of which were expanding quickly and had raised considerable capital. The company now needs to allocate its limited resources wisely to position it for long-term success.

CEO is deciding between international expansion and increasing the number of publishers to strengthen the company's advantage in the mobile advertising industry. AdMob displayed advertising on global devices, and powered 6,000 websites and 1,000 applications, and served over 6 billion advertising impressions a month to 25 million unique visitors. AdMob's success attracted numerous competitors, such as Millennial Media and Quattro Wireless, both of which were expanding quickly and had raised considerable capital. The company now needs to allocate its limited resources wisely to position it for long-term success.

This one-paragraph case adds to the data presented in the (A) case. A redisguised and updated version of earlier case 494-006.

This case focuses on the use and interpretation of the DuPont model financial ratios, in particular the following four: return on sales, asset turnover, financial leverage, and return on equity . Students consider how these ratios are used to assess a company's financial performance for a single year, over time, and in comparison with other companies within and outside the focal company's industry. They also learn how these ratios provide insight into a company's business model via the margins it is able to earn, the productivity with which it uses its assets, and the company's aggressiveness (or lack thereof) in using borrowed money to finance its operations. The case is rooted in the basic premise that "ROE is the ratio most commonly used to analyze profitability of a business" and it is "important to both current and prospective shareholders." Furthermore, in the context of the DuPont model, the case positions ROE as the product of the other three ratios noted above. Thus, the protagonist in the case, Jill Keyes, has gravitated to the DuPont model. The case ends with a set of questions that Jill Keyes has left for her subsequent follow-up-these provide the basic assignment for students.

In 2000, media superstar Oprah Winfrey promised the recently retired Nelson Mandela, first president of post-apartheid South Africa, that she would build his country a top-notch boarding school for disadvantaged girls. Her twin purpose was to use the power of education to help impoverished young girls with exceptional promise-girls much like herself as a child-realize their potential and transform their lives and, at the same time, to train a cohort of strong new leaders who would contribute to the success of post-apartheid South Africa. To that end, Winfrey built a $40 million dream school-spacious, thoughtfully-designed, and elegantly-appointed, with excellent teachers, small classes, modern facilities, and extensive grounds. In South Africa and elsewhere, the opening of the extraordinary school garnered much attention, praise, and imitators, but also drew significant criticism. Some of the critics were appalled at using so much money to create so posh a facility for so few children, when so many were in desperate need. Others chided Winfrey for failing to take a community-based approach, and for separating the children from their homes and communities. Winfrey, confident in her model, stayed the course. The case allows students to consider a number of issues: what is the appropriate role of private philanthropy, how to think about private resource allocation in a poor country, what kind of school is in the best interest of the students, and what kind of school is in the best interests of the country. HKS Case Number 1930.0

In 2005, the Parliament of India enacted the Right to Information Act, a law giving citizens of India access to central, state, and local government records. Under the law's provisions, citizens have the ability to request information regarding official acts from any public authority. Officials who refuse or delay requests are held responsible through fines or disciplinary action. Many individuals and organizations were involved in the lengthy and difficult process of getting this legislation enacted. This case focuses on one of these individuals, Aruna Roy, regarded by many observers as having played a key role in empowering citizens to exercise the democratic right to make their government transparent and accountable. It traces her background and the challenges she faced in developing her commitment to improving the lives of the poor and socially marginalized. HKS Case Number 1929.0

This case addresses Bank of America Corporation's contemplated joint venture with China Construction Bank to enter the Chinese credit card market. The case builds on the questions of strategic alliances in foreign markets and the state of the banking and credit industries in China generally. The teaching purposes include 1) understanding the transferability of a business model to a foreign market and assessing the implications of the political, economic, social and technological environment on a firm's strategy in that market; 2) understanding the institutional context of business in a foreign country - specifically the regulatory aspects of the banking industry in China; 3) exploring the cultural implications for business decisions, and the need to understand the nuances of the business model while translating it to radically unfamiliar environments; and 4) understanding the role that local partners play in joint ventures and exploring some aspects of partnering strategies in overcoming institutional handicaps.

On September 15 and 16, 2008, the British artist Damien Hirst broke all rules of the art market. He bypassed conventional distribution channels - dealers and gallery owners - by directly partnering with Sotheby's auction house - and with their help successfully sold more than 200 pieces of his works. Sotheby's auctioned art works which were less than two years old, which was another break from tradition. Hirst earned more than £110 million from the auction - in the midst of a global economic crisis and on the same day that the Lehman Brothers Investment house collapsed.