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Airwide manufactures a broad line of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) products. The Italian director of Sales and Marketing for Residential and Light Commercial is reviewing the company's channel management policies. The Italian market is currently served by three master-distributors who have geographic responsibility for the North, Central, and South regions of Italy, and accounts for 85 percent of Airwide sales in Italy. The balance is sold by small dealers, remnants of an early channel management arrangement. Nuova Climatizzazione, the dealer based in Genova, has approached Airwide with a proposal to have their reseller discount be equaled to a master distributor's. Airwide's management must examine the decision and consider the implications for their channel strategy and partnership arrangements

Trip Hawkins founded Digital Chocolate in Silicon Valley in 2003 to develop outstanding games for mobile devices. By 2008, the company had expanded its operations into four countries and Digital Chocolate was one of the top developers of soloplayer games for standard mobile phones and iPhones. In 2009, Hawkins was eager for Digital Chocolate to start developing new types of mobile games that could be played by multiple players over a period of time. Hawkins wondered how to guide his company into this new area of social gaming without losing any of the tremendous creative momentum the team had built over the previous years.

The Endowment Model of Investing, which was based on creating high risk-adjusted performance through diversification, a long time-horizon, top-notch outside managers, and illiquid investments, had served Notre Dame and other large universities well over the past several decades. Scott Malpass, Notre Dame's Chief Investment Officer, was confident that this was a successful way to invest if implemented effectively, but he also saw the top university endowments experience 25% to 35% declines in portfolio value during the second half of 2008 that eviscerated the investment gains from the past several years. Notre Dame had weathered the crisis relatively well, but there were several key questions Malpass had to address. Should Notre Dame continue to make illiquid investments in the context of rising unfunded commitments relative to liquid funds? Was compensation adequate for the illiquidity of these types of investments? In relation to manager selection, how could the Notre Dame investment team continue to find the best managers to create alpha? To what extent would the performance of managers during the crisis be predictive of future performance in other portions of the economic cycle? How would the long-established industry terms of contract between clients and managers change going forward? Was there an opportunity for clients to negotiate better terms? These issues all needed to be addressed in the context of protecting the University's operating budget and supporting the mission of the institution.

Emotiv is getting ready to launch its innovative brain-computer interfacing (BCI) technology. The company has developed a special headset, called EPOC, and highly sophisticated software that can translate a person's emotions, cognitive thoughts and facial expressions into digital outcomes. Emotiv wants the technology to be adopted by mainstream consumers and is leaning towards the video game market as its primary initial target. However, it needs to decide whether to continue efforts to convince one of the big three console makers (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) to enable the EPOC on their platform or to settle for the PC gaming market. Alternatively, the company could have chosen a number of different markets to focus on (such as medical, military, market research). A host of additional marketing decisions (pricing, channels, bundling a demo game) need to be made. The case allows students to grapple with the issues of: selecting a target application for the launch of an innovation; determining the importance of having a big name partner for the launch by an unknown start-up; considering the wisdom of taking a B2C rather than B2B approach with a novel technology; using analogous products to forecast demand and sales for a new technology.

The Cosan case introduces students and executive education participants to political economy and business strategy in the biofuels industry. Cosan, based in Brazil, is the largest grower and processor of sugarcane in the world, and the largest sugar and ethanol producer in Brazil; it is also the world's largest exporter of ethanol for vehicle fuels. Rubens Ometto, Cosan's CEO, has staked out a leading position in the Brazilian ethanol and sugar industries by virtue of his efficiencies in agricultural production and in downstream logistics. He now needs to consider whether, and how aggressively, to expand abroad, either with production facilities or by exporting Brazilian output. He also needs to decide the appropriate vertical structure for the firm: whether he should be involved more extensively in agriculture, processing, distribution, or retail. The answers to these questions depend on his views of the future of the industry, and on the governmental institutions that will affect the distribution of value along the value chain.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 210007

The case follows Laurie Thomas, a Silicon Valley software executive, as she transitions to a career in the restaurant industry as Executive Vice President of a small restaurant management company in San Francisco. Specifically, the case covers Thomas's background and introduction to the company and her decision to come on board full time. When she takes over the company, she discovers a series of problems that had been going on under the founder and she has to make several critical decisions early on. The case then highlights several employee related issues that are going on at one of the restaurants and the different potential options Thomas has for dealing with them. Next the case covers the events of a company offsite where Thomas was confronted with some negative feedback from her direct reports. The case concludes with Thomas considering the different options she has in confronting the various problems at the company.

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.

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.

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.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 110035

A management consultant is dispatched to a Central Asian Republic to conduct an operational analysis of an underperforming hotel. Initially the objective of the assignment is to turn around the business. The scope of the intervention, however, changes dramatically as the consultant finds himself in the midst of a high stakes stakeholder standoff with numerous parties vying for ownership of the business. Based on an actual consulting assignment, the case will present insight into the management consulting profession, relay a realistic account of the onsite operational analysis and business audit process, and impart the challenges managers and entrepreneurs confront in international business settings.

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.