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On October 10, 2022, Mary-Kay Messier, vice-president global marketing of Bauer Hockey (Bauer), was faced with a difficult decision on the future of Bauer's sponsorship of Hockey Canada. Hockey Canada was experiencing widespread fallout from sexual assault allegations and the source of money that Hockey Canada paid in various settlements. Messier was planning to share Bauer's position with Hockey Canada before publicly announcing the decision on October 11, 2022. Some sponsors had paused their relationships with Hockey Canada, other sponsors had severed their relationships entirely. Canada's government had also frozen funding for Hockey Canada, citing a loss of confidence in the leadership at Hockey Canada.

The case discusses collaboration between a technology-based company and a fashion eyewear company. The need for collaboration arose after Google LLC (Google) launched smart eyewear that failed to attract the attention of fashion-conscious users due to poor aesthetics and ergonomics. Google then partnered with fashion eyewear company, Luxottica Group S.p.A. (EssilorLuxottica) to design smart eyewear named Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2. However, this product did not take off due to high pricing and technology issues. EssilorLuxottica then collaborated with Meta Platforms Inc. to produce fashion smart eyewear, Ray-Ban Stories. The case discusses the potential for success of this tie-up and the future in the segment.

Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB), is engaged in high-stakes negotiation with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) over the possible creation of a first-ever international draft to regulate how MLB teams select international baseball players to join their organizations. Currently, players from outside North America are treated as free agents who can sign with any team once they reach 16 years of age, a system that has worked well for some MLB teams and prospects but also created the potential for scandal, corruption, and abuse. A few months earlier, Manfred submitted a proposal to the MLBPA describing an international draft format acceptable to team owners and the league office. In response, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark and his staff formulated a counterproposal that they have just submitted to Manfred. Manfred needs to figure out what aspects of the counterproposal, if any, are acceptable to MLB and to develop a negotiating strategy that will allow him to reach an agreement with the MLBPA on an international draft once and for all. This case, which is paired with "Fair Play at Home Plate: Negotiating the Creation of an International Draft-Tony Clark" (UVA-S-0448), allows instructors to set up a negotiation exercise between groups of students, some of whom receive Manfred's version and some of whom receive Clark's. Each case consists of a common general overview of MLB's history and its current environment as well as differing professional and personal details and negotiation priorities for each party. Students can apply their understanding of their version of the case to a live negotiation and use a provided worksheet to record the outcome.

Tony Clark, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), is engaged in high-stakes negotiation with Major League Baseball (MLB) over the possible creation of a first-ever international draft to regulate how MLB teams select international baseball players to join their organizations. Currently, players from outside North America are treated as free agents who can sign with any team once they reach 16 years of age, a system that has worked well for some MLB teams and prospects but also created the potential for scandal, corruption, and abuse. A few months earlier, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred submitted a proposal to the MLBPA describing an international draft format acceptable to team owners and the league office. In response, Clark and his staff formulated a counterproposal that they have just submitted to Manfred. Now, Clark needs to formulate a negotiation strategy that will determine whether the MLBPA can reach an agreement with MLB on an international draft once and for all. This case, which is paired with "Fair Play at Home Plate: Negotiating the Creation of an International Draft-Rob Manfred" (UVA-S-0447), allows instructors to set up a negotiation exercise between groups of students, some of whom receive Clark's version and some of whom receive Manfred's. Each case consists of a common general overview of MLB's history and its current environment as well as differing professional and personal details and negotiation priorities for each party. Students can apply their understanding of their version of the case to a live negotiation and use a provided worksheet to record the outcome.

In 2023, Cindy Rose, President of Microsoft Western Europe, faced a critical decision. Rose grappled with the potential impact of widespread layoffs on psychological safety and the cultural transformation she had championed since her arrival. When Rose had first joined MSWE, her leadership team had faced significant challenges around culture, motivation, and team dynamics; Rose had worked diligently to change the culture across MSWE to foster a collaborative and innovative environment. Now, she wondered: Would these layoffs undo all the hard work? Could the cultural shift she had nurtured sustain the organization through this tough period? The case examines Rose's strategies for building psychological safety and transforming organizational culture, and the role of a General Manager in engaging people and achieving performance amidst profound change.

Launched in January 2020, under its parent company Avalon Biomedical Management, Avalon SteriTech was the brainchild of former Intellectual Property (IP) lawyer Lewis Ho. Ho aimed to combine his legal knowledge with biotechnology, to be part of a company that brought positive impact to society. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic provided Ho with exactly such an opportunity. By early 2020, the pandemic brought an unprecedented level of global uncertainty. Due to its proximity to mainland China, Hong Kong was among the first cities that was severely impacted by the coronavirus. Quick solutions were needed to improve public hygiene while keeping cleaning workers safe. Avalon SteriTech solved these problems by implementing automated daily disinfection in public places with high-touch surface areas. As the CEO of a new start-up, in a field he was unfamiliar with, Ho faced obstacles that included fundraising, finding new clients, and bridging knowledge gaps. Despite the obstacles, by January 2024, the start-up had several prominent clients, and an employee base of 30. It had been a steep learning curve for Ho. Looking ahead, he wondered how he could sharpen his focus as the CEO, and take the company forward.

In a collective prisoners' dilemma or commons problem, self-interested behavior by firms results in poor outcomes for all. Can self-regulation through an industry association solve the commons problem? Specifically, what explains NASSCOM's (National Association of Software and Service Companies) success in saving a scandal-ridden member company, Satyam, from going out of business? Satyam's demise would have shattered client trust in all Indian IT firms; saving it was an unprecedented feat for an industry association. The case provides concrete examples for instructors to highlight the varieties of commons problems faced by industry. It also provides background information on how NASSCOM established its identity and credibility with the government, formulated its values, and crafted its governance model. This background helps students relate to Elinor Ostrom's core design principles that characterize robust institutions for solving commons problems.

Value-based selling efforts often fizzle after an initial push because companies fail to see beyond the numbers when calculating the economic impact of product or service benefits. While quantifying evidence of benefits is at the heart of value-based selling, it's not enough. Companies can follow a five-step process that builds commitment to joint value creation with their customers and develops a deep mutual understanding of what it can offer and what benefits are meaningful to customers.

Green Leaf, launched in 2000, was involved in the production, retail, and export of fruits and vegetables. The company procured most of its fruits and vegetables through contract farming. Contract-farming jobs with individual farmers were initiated after receiving orders from export customers and estimating the demand. However, the company faced shortages in its procurement of produce due to the diversion of fruits and vegetables by some contract farmers during the rise in open-market prices for these foods. The challenge for the company was how to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fruits and vegetables to meet the customers' orders.

On April 23, 2020, Franklin Templeton India Mutual Fund (FT) shocked investors by winding up six of its debt mutual fund schemes, amounting to assets under management of INR 267.79 billion, with over 300000 investors. The decision was based on the liquidity squeeze in the financial markets as COVID-19 forced the world, including India, into lockdown. FT was facing redemption pressures it could no longer meet without making distress sales of its underlying investments. The management deemed a distress sale to be far more detrimental to investor interests than freezing their investments in the fund. The question arises if there were other compelling reasons that brought FT to this unfortunate decision.

On December 27, 2023, major daily newspapers in India reported that two information technology (IT) giants, Infosys Limited (Infosys) and Wipro Limited (Wipro), had accused their competitor Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (Cognizant) of "unethical" employee poaching. Although it was not unusual for employees to transition between companies in the IT sector, in 2023 Cognizant had hired more than 20 senior employees from its competitors. This poaching controversy was fueled by IT firms' need to hire and retain top talent, and it raised several critical questions: What should Cognizant do to create a more robust talent pipeline that would not require employee poaching? What should Infosys and Wipro do to address the concerns raised by Cognizant's employee poaching? And how can employee poaching affect individuals and companies?

In November 2016, the chief executive officer of Credit Union Central of Manitoba was reading the report Credit Union Wealth Management Strategic Option Assessment, which he had commissioned several months earlier. He saw the report as the best and potentially last chance to fix a long-standing problem in the Canadian credit union sector, which comprised democratically-controlled, member-owned financial co-operatives that were sometimes referred to as "people's banks." Credit unions had been struggling to advance in the wealth management industry and compete effectively against Canada's "Big Five" banks. The report set out three strategic options that looked promising. However, experience had shown that nothing was simple in the credit union industry, where disagreements were common among opposing groups such as big versus small, rural versus urban, French versus English, and liberal versus conservative credit unions.

In March 2021, the founder of Hampstead Tea, a specialty-tea processor based in London, United Kingdom, found herself at a crossroads. Since 1995, the founder had been exporting packaged tea to countries in the European Union (EU) as well as selling it locally in the UK market. But effective December 31, 2020, the United Kingdom had exited the EU; in 2021, companies in the two regions could no longer buy and sell goods freely across their borders. Uncertainty had gripped the flow of trade during the first three months of the new year. In March 2021, the founder was examining three options going forward: (1) divest the EU operations and focus on the UK market; (2) continue to cater to both the home market and the UK market, as before; and (3) relocate to a geography within the EU to focus on EU markets. The case offers a useful and engaging way of presenting to students the principles of effectuation as it relates to business entrepreneurship.

In 2023, Marvin Ellison, CEO of Lowe's, contemplated enhancements to the company's Total Home Strategy to accelerate performance and grow market share. In the last five years since becoming CEO, Ellison had championed a turnaround of the company, completing a comprehensive foundational reset before embarking on a forward-looking growth plan called the "Total Home Strategy." This strategic plan identified five critical areas for driving growth: elevating product assortment, driving Pro customer penetration, accelerating online business, expanding installation services, and driving localization. As Lowe's entered its second century and revenues approached $100 billion, Ellison considered ways to take the growth strategy to the next level and grab market share from its archrival Home Depot. He mulled over whether and how initiatives such as expanding the customer base to include more medium-sized and Hispanic Pros as well as do-it-yourself (DIY) male consumers, advancing online commerce, leveraging new technologies like generative AI, and increasing the localization of stores would not only uphold Lowe's legacy but also propel it to new heights.

Traumatic events in the workplace, such as violence or natural disasters, leave individuals and organizations reeling and destabilized. However, psychology research points to the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth, whereby such experiences can enable us to develop new capabilities and a more nuanced understanding of the world. The article provides insight into the experience of trauma, and how leaders can help their teams to rebuild with an eye on the future

Established in 1980, Chandos Construction (Chandos), a Canadian general contractor, prioritized inclusivity, collaboration, and innovation. As the largest B Corporation-certified commercial builder in North America, Chandos aimed to create a legacy and promote shared prosperity through employee ownership. The vice-president of Collaborative Construction at Chandos, Jen Hancock, championed initiatives such as lean integration and waste diversion policies. In September 2023, she prepared for a meeting with the project management team to propel sustainable construction initiatives forward. She aimed to advance Chandos's sustainable construction and believed that integrated project delivery (IPD) could revolutionize the industry, aligning with the company's goal of achieving net zero by 2040. Despite challenges in wider IPD adoption and collaboration on smaller projects, Chandos saw an opportunity to lead by emphasizing both environmental and human health aspects.

In this note, we cover how bond prices change as yields change. Students are shown that the price of a bond is a function of its promised payments and the prevailing required rate of return by investors: the bond's yield. Since the promised payments are generally fixed, changes in the price of a bond relate to changes in its yield. The note introduces the most common measures of interest-rate risk (the sensitivity of bond prices to changes in yield), the Macauley duration and modified duration, and it guides students through calculating their value for two bonds issued by Amazon.com. At the Darden School of Business, this technical note is taught in the first-year "Valuation in Financial Markets" class; it would also be suitable in a module covering bond pricing and interest rates within the first-year core finance course of an MBA program, or to introduce the pricing of bonds in an investment course.

The case protagonist is preparing for her final interview to be spokesperson for the Institute Office of Communications at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The case is set during a time in which many university presidents are in the spotlight of the debate of freedom of speech on campuses, which includes student and donor debate about the war between Israel and Hamas that started in October 2023. On the morning of January 3, 2024, a news article specifically mentioned MIT's president being under scrutiny. The case requires students to consider the financial models of US institutions of higher education, the role of a university president, and crisis communications. Instructors can use this case in multiple ways, but a clear focus is the communications strategy for MIT. When the university needed to send a message to its community, the case protagonist would be instrumental in deciding who should deliver the message, what the message would be, and which channel(s) MIT would use.

This case introduces the challenges and decision criteria for businesses seeking to sponsor student athletes in the advent of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA's) landmark decision to authorize collegiate student athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL), just as professional athletes and other celebrities have always done. The case follows Jonathan Cotten, president of Easy Step Enterprises (Easy Step), a franchisee for the Good Feet Store based in Richmond, Virginia, as he explores the possibility of using college athletes as social media influencers to stimulate demand for the Good Feet Store locations his company operates. The primary focus of this case is not on franchisee-franchisor relations, but rather on the strategic decision processes a business must consider when exploring the emerging opportunity to engage college student athletes as social media influencers. Because of their youth and relative inexperience, college student athletes pose different challenges and issues compared to the longer-established engagement of professional athletes and celebrities in similar roles. This case highlights these differences and encourages careful integration of criteria for executing these decisions.

Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), needs to determine how the league should proceed in pursuing an international growth strategy. Traditionally, American football has trailed other sports such as basketball in terms of global participation and fan interest. However, under Goodell's leadership, the NFL has played an increasing number of games outside the United States, launched a variety of international marketing programs, and experienced record global viewership. It is Goodell's responsibility to act in the best interests of the 32 league owners who have chosen him as commissioner. The increasing popularity of the NFL outside the United States causes Goodell to wonder just how far the league should go in expanding internationally in the upcoming years. This case focuses on global management, the integration of business strategy, and organizational design in a setting where there is no proven answer or playbook to be followed. The NFL, like many larger and highly successful American organizations, is not lacking for funds, resources, or international opportunities. Yet it is still challenged by the complex task of expanding a highly US-centric product to other parts of the world where people do not have the same familiarity with its offerings. The case offers an opportunity for students to apply fundamental global management skills-cultural and environmental analysis of countries, organizational structure design, and strategy formulation-in an engaging and visible setting. The material in this case also provides instructors an opportunity to compare and contrast the international strategies and operations of the NFL with other organizations. Comparisons can be made to other professional sports leagues (such as the National Hockey League [NHL], National Basketball Association [NBA], Major League Baseball [MLB], Formula 1, and various professional soccer leagues) as well as to prominent multinational organizations of other types.