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As a biotech start-up company involved in studying human genomes, Perlegen needed to develop an organization that fostered innovation and teamwork among a group of highly trained professionals from both the science and technology fields. Perlegen's CEO, Brad Margus, had joined Perlegen from the shrimp processing business after learning that two of his three sons had been diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. A Harvard MBA and self-trained geneticist, Margus looked forward to the opportunity to dedicate himself to Perlegen's scientific mission. During his first nine months on the job, Margus had hired a number of junior-level and mid-level employees; now it was time to fill out the senior management team. Margus's first senior management hire was Greg Brandeau, the former vice president of computer operations at Pixar Animation Studios, who signed on to be Perlegen's CEO. Brandeau faced a number of challenges as he integrated into the Perlegen organization, including the fact that he lacked a science background, his two direct reports had already been hired, and he would be the third leg of a tight-knit, two-person senior management team already in place.

Gary Van Spronsen, president of Miller SQA, has been asked to leave the thriving subsidiary he helped to reinvent to join Herman Miller's corporate initiative on innovation. Miller SQA has pioneered processes new to the Herman Miller organization, such as computer-assisted sales and value chain integration. This case details the innovations that have led to a completely new business model for a previously underserved market and highlights the integration of target customer, product design, manufacturing, and supply chain management. Includes color exhibits.

Supplements the (A) case.

Provides a context in which students can explore managerial decision making that is critically informed by data analysis. The setting is a retail bank and the decision making relates to the bank's policy toward online banking. The management team is evaluating whether the bank should charge for access to online banking, provide incentives to use the service, or devise some other policy altogether. With thousands of customers already using the online site, the bank is well positioned to assess the impact of the service on customer profitability and retention before making final policy decisions. Told from the perspective of a recent MBA graduate who was charged with performing the necessary data analysis and ultimately coming up with policy recommendations.

An important distinction is drawn in psychology between explicit and implicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge refers to consciously held beliefs about an individual or object that often draws on the remembering of experiences in the past. In contrast, implicit knowledge refers to the cognitive associations a consumer holds between two constructs that exist outside his or her conscious awareness. Although it is possible that explicit and implicit knowledge correspond, the exciting opportunity for marketers is that often there is a discrepancy; that is, what a consumer believes explicitly may have no bearing on his or her actual behavior.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 602-104.

Supplements the (A) case.

Chiang-Sho Ltd. is a joint venture producing agricultural machinery in China. The CEO must decide how to respond to pressure from the Chinese partner--also the joint venture's largest customer--to increase production and lower prices. The CEO must choose either a growth or harvest strategy.

Japan experienced rapid growth in the 1950s and 1960s while following a set of policies that differ from current policies in fashion. Although some observers believe that Japanese growth occurred in spite of the policies rather than because of them, several countries have looked to Japan's approach during this period as a way to accelerate their own growth. This case provides data on performance and describes the important institutions, policies, and control tools that were used in Japan. A rewritten version of two earlier cases.

Beijing Jeep Corp. Ltd. was one of the first joint ventures between an American company, DaimlerChrysler Corp., and a Chinese enterprise, Beijing Automotive Works. Early in its operations, Beijing Jeep was given preferential treatment on tariffs and foreign exchange and had spent many years developing relationships with senior government officials who protected it from import competition. After several years of negotiations, there was an agreement of terms for China to enter into the World Trade Organization. Terms of this agreement called for a steep reduction in tariffs for imported automobiles, which would lower entry barriers to the Chinese automotive industry, thus creating more competition for the company. Tariffs on components imported from the United States would also be reduced, but not enough to offset the flood of imported vehicles into the market. Entry into the World Trade Organization would mean a lot of changes, and Beijing Jeep must determine whether it should continue focusing on the relationships it has built with the government, or approach its joint venture partner for additional support.

Describes how Siemens, the German electrical engineering giant, has developed and manages global R&D in its large Information and Communications Networks (ICN) division. In 1994, Siemens opened its Bangalore (India) center, which has now grown into one of its largest regional development centers outside Germany. With Bangalore asking for increased resource independence and managerial autonomy, senior management has to decide how the activities in India fit into its global development strategy. This tension is played out in a large software project led by Bangalore developers in which an increase in project autonomy also results in serious technical problems for Siemens in the quality-driven telecommunications equipment industry.

Supplements the (A) case.

A U.K. and a U.S. firm are entering into a merger agreement. Management must decide whether the merged companies should be domiciled in the United Kingdom and account for the merger as a pooling of interests or the United States and account for the merger as a purchase. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Spreadsheet supplement for 602-061.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 102039.

The footnote disclosure for eBay, Inc. in 2000 indicates that if the company had accounted for employee stock options under the fair value method, its reported profit of $48 million would have been a loss of $91 million. The protagonist is a prospective member of the compensation committee of the board of directors, which provides a corporate governance perspective on the role of compensation in attracting, motivating, and retaining talented employees.

Employees who have been granted stock options have the right to purchase shares of their company's stock at a specified price within a specified time period. The accounting for such employee stock options has been a controversial and complex topic for decades. The debate has continued to the present time because of the high visibility of company executives who have made fortunes under their stock option programs. This note chronicles the history and debate surrounding the rules for stock options accounting and provides a simple, instructive example of accounting entries for fixed stock option grants.

A Sydney-based biotechnology company is attempting to enter the fast-growing proteomics area. This case highlights choices in business design and changes in these over time. Also addresses issues in geographic location.

Describes a start-up company seeking to exploit population genetic data from long-lived, healthy people. The company must address legal, financial, ethical, and personal issues among its team to launch the company.

Supplements the (A) case.