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Describes a situation in which the manager in charge of a major development project at Honda needs to make a decision about the technical specification of the product. The decision has profound implications for the product concept and strategy, as well as for the technical feasibility and challenges of the design. The students need to evaluate different options and estimate their impact on the success of the final product. Underlines the importance of choosing an option that is consistent with the overall concept of the product and the company's design and philosophy.

Supplements the (A) case.

A Houston-based LBO firm makes two petrochemical acquisitions that benefit from improved industry conditions and improved organizational performance. The LBOs generate huge increases in value, creating problems for managers, who have large, undiversified equity holdings. The firm decides to sell one company after a year, and to take the other company public after two. Allows students to examine the causes of organizational change, the difficulties of managing success in closely held LBO companies, and the relative merits of various exit strategies.

An introduction to, and summary of the laws, rules, and procedures established in the United States for settling the claims of creditors on a bankrupt company. Covers both Chapter 7 liquidations and Chapter 11 reorganizations.

Intended as a class handout after the (A) case.

Requires students to consider Philip's options in 1991, when it unveiled its digital compact cassette, the next generation in audio technology for the firm. Reinforces the generality of issues described in the (A) case and draws attention to the analytics required for their resolution.

Asks that students adopt the perspective of Philips in 1979, after technical development of the CD was complete, but three years before it was introduced commercially. At that time, Philips' management had to decide whether to attempt to establish a CD standard through an alliance with another consumer electronics firm. Raises questions regarding the costs and benefits of standardization, optimal pricing of CD players and discs (given their complementarity), optimal pricing of a durable good, and the effects of proprietary information on entry strategies. Also requires analysis of several related industries, with special attention to opportunities to invest in product-specific capital.

Updates students to 1982. Asks students to consider Philips' best strategy for investing in disc-pressing capacity dedicated to the United States market. The analysis draws on game theoretic techniques (in normal form with subgame perfection as the governing equilibrium principle). The analysis illustrates the tension between competitive pressure to preempt and the value of flexibility in the presence of uncertainty about demand.

Ben & Jerry's is an anti-establishment, values-driven company that has become a successful venture. The dominant founder, Ben Cohen, is not an effective manager, but he brings creative marketing and product skills that have been important to the company's success. He also is controlling shareholder and the force behind the company's socially-minded culture. One of the many policies that have reflected Ben's values but which has created difficulty in managing the organization is the 5 to 1 compensation differential between the top and the bottom of the organization. Up to mid 1990, the company was operating in an explosive growth business with relatively weak competitors; this has changed by the time of the case in September 1990. The case opens as Chuck Lacy is taking over as president. He needs to decide what to do about the 5 to 1 rule and the related issues of Ben's role, and the value of the company's counterculture style. Students must consider the difficulty and importance of the general manager's responsibility in reconciling company values with commercial imperatives and to consider the effect of compensation policy on morale and organizational effectiveness.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 392025.

Describes some critical challenges involved in creating employee empowerment. In the context of General Electric's efforts to debureaucratise the company, employees were encouraged to become more "self-confident". This effort, called "Workout," was introduced all over the company. At one plant site, GE Silicone, an empowered steering committee helped to organize and lead problem-solving teams. However, one team decision was in conflict with a management decision and created a conflict in authority. Can be used to identify some of the natural ambiguities and tensions related to empowerment.

A professional manager is hired by a small manufacturing company after the president discovers he made poor decisions. One product appears to be unprofitable, whereas the product sold in highest volume is under competitive price pressure. A crude cost accounting system fails to reveal appropriate actions to correct problems.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 192063

In July 1991, Microsoft has achieved record growth and profitability in the PC software industry. The case focuses on Microsoft's founder and CEO, Bill Gates, and his top management team, as they seek to retain the innovation and spirit of a small company in a rapidly growing and changing environment. Specific issues include the management of organizational complexity, cultural change, CEO and COO interaction, compensation, and leadership.

Describes the major classes of market research. Provides students with an overview of methods available enabling them to select the proper set for their purposes.

A self-contained explanation and simple practice examples to introduce students to the concepts of compound interest, present value loans, bonds, and leases. Necessary present value tables are included. The study questions provide simple exercises to enhance student learning.

Describes and compares the corporate governance systems commonly found in the United States, Japan, and Germany.

Spreadsheet supplement for case 292012.

Presents a framework for understanding organizational vision. "Vision" is a term frequently used by academics and practicing managers, but there has been a scarcity of clear concepts and useful tools--in short, the absence of a coherent conceptual framework. This article develops a framework that removes the fuzziness surrounding the topic of vision yet at the same time preserves the magic--the spark--that is an essential quality of vision.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. If you're negotiating to sell your business and you lie about its debts, that's illegal, right? But what if you begin negotiations with everything squarely on the table? The new quarterly reports come in and they're not as rosy as the previous ones. You don't disclose them to the prospective buyer. Illegal or just unethical? Surprisingly, business negotiations law is increasingly infused with ethical considerations. Outlines the basic elements of legal fraud, using numerous cases that illustrate when negotiators were penalized for what some consider merely unethical behavior. The author argues that when entering into negotiations, your conscience may be your best guide.