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CropIn Technology Solutions (CropIn) of Bangalore, India, provided agricultural solutions to business-to-business clients that required a "smart" approach in solving issues related to farm productivity. In July 2015, the chief operating officer (COO) of CropIn, was approached by the chief executive officer of one of the world's foremost seed companies. He presented the COO with an ongoing problem faced by his firm: the seed rejection rate had drastically increased in the past decade, reaching 18 per cent in 2015, up from four per cent in 2006. CropIn was asked to devise a "smart" solution for addressing the issue, for which CropIn would have to customize its product portfolio according to the problem.

In 2014, Shenzhen Bauing Construction Holding Group Co. Ltd. (Bauing Group) decided to expand internationally, and successfully established subsidiary companies in several Southeast Asian countries. Based on this success in Southeast Asia, Bauing Group decided in 2016 to expand further by entering the US market. However, doing so entailed some challenges and difficulties, including cultural and regional differences, language barriers, and the need to become familiar with different construction standards and laws. Bauing Group also needed to address a pressing issue: determining its market entry strategy. Should it enter the market through licensing, greenfield projects, franchising, business alliances, exporting, turnkey projects, joint ventures, or acquisitions?

Using raw, uncut footage, this video case asks students to evaluate the effectiveness of the first contact that took place in November 2016 between representatives from two technology companies-iQmetrix and Straker Translations. The two firms are contemplating a business partnership in which Straker will provide iQmetrix with translation services. First contact calls generally precede every business partnership and are normally completed only after the respective business-development or sales representatives have prepared for the call by learning the basics about the other side's organization-in particular, whether there is a good fit between what the buyer needs and what the supplier can provide in terms of quality, cost, and capabilities of service.

In the A case, Rose Matthews, vice president for patient advocacy at University Hospital, must decide how to handle a startling discovery about patient risk. Weeks after a patient dies, lab results revealed the cause was prion disease, a deadly condition similar to mad cow disease. Since the diagnosis of this very rare condition was not known at the time of the patient's brain biopsy, surgical instruments used for the procedure were conventionally sterilized (rather than using special methods required to kill prions) and reused in up to 100 other surgeries. Now Matthews and her team must decide an ethical communication dilemma: (1) disclose the potential, though very low risk that patients may years later develop the disease; or (2) choose to protect patients from mental anguish related to worrying about a disease they most likely will not develop. The B case reveals that the medical team decided not to disclose this news to patients, only to have the news leaked to the media by a disgruntled hospital employee. The forthcoming teaching note offers three potential teaching plans for this case depending on the desired learning objectives: (1) writing a risk or crisis communication plan; (2) setting up a two-minute role-play of an oral statement delivered at the beginning of an internal meeting or for a press conference; and (3) responding to the media leak.

In the A case, Rose Matthews, vice president for patient advocacy at University Hospital, must decide how to handle a startling discovery about patient risk. Weeks after a patient dies, lab results revealed the cause was prion disease, a deadly condition similar to mad cow disease. Since the diagnosis of this very rare condition was not known at the time of the patient's brain biopsy, surgical instruments used for the procedure were conventionally sterilized (rather than using special methods required to kill prions) and reused in up to 100 other surgeries. Now Matthews and her team must decide an ethical communication dilemma: (1) disclose the potential, though very low risk that patients may years later develop the disease; or (2) choose to protect patients from mental anguish related to worrying about a disease they most likely will not develop. The B case reveals that the medical team decided not to disclose this news to patients, only to have the news leaked to the media by a disgruntled hospital employee. The forthcoming teaching note offers three potential teaching plans for this case depending on the desired learning objectives: (1) writing a risk or crisis communication plan; (2) setting up a two-minute role-play of an oral statement delivered at the beginning of an internal meeting or for a press conference; and (3) responding to the media leak.

The goal of this technical note is to give students tools for thinking about how exchange rates will move over a period of five years into the future. While forecasting exchange rates is arguably more art than science, managers, policymakers, and investors are nonetheless often required to form opinions about the future evolution of exchange rates. Specifically, this note defines the real exchange rate and purchasing power parity (PPP) and illustrates that PPP is useful in forecasting nominal exchange rate movements for advanced economies (AEs). For emerging market economies (EMEs), the note explains that PPP is less useful and instead offers a relatively new International Monetary Fund (IMF) model, which evaluates exchange rate over- and undervaluation in EMEs (as well as AEs). The note is designed to be used in a first-year MBA course, specifically in a class structured around exchange-rate forecasts based on recent supplemental data (to be added by the instructor). In that case, the class would build from a question like, "What will the US dollar/British pound exchange rate be in five years, and why?" Note that the IMF material is advanced and, depending on the level of the students and place in the course, may need to be presented as a useful "black box." In any case, this note could also be employed in an advanced undergraduate or master's level course on international finance or macroeconomics.

When Justin Thomas began as principal of Shining Star Academy, an elementary school in Alabama, the school had been failing for eight years and was in serious risk of state takeover. One of Thomas's innovations was to implement data-driven instruction, but teachers struggled to change their routines. As hard as everyone was working, progress was minimal after a year. Thomas was heartbroken, and he didn't know what else to try. This case is used at Darden in executive programs for leaders in education and second-year MBA courses on leading change. It would also be suitable in courses covering data-driven instruction, school transformation, leadership, and change processes.

Supplement to case UV7726 When Justin Thomas began as principal of Shining Star Academy, an elementary school in Alabama, the school had been failing for eight years and was in serious risk of state takeover. One of Thomas's innovations was to implement data-driven instruction, but teachers struggled to change their routines. As hard as everyone was working, progress was minimal after a year. Thomas was heartbroken, and he didn't know what else to try. The B case follows Thomas in his second year, as he continues to lead the school through its transformation. This case is used at Darden in executive programs for leaders in education and second-year MBA courses on leading change. It would also be suitable in courses covering data-driven instruction, school transformation, leadership, and change processes.

Maxine Hall, the new principal at Northwest Middle School, knew when she started that the school was suffering from a sense of distrust between teachers and administration, as well as a high degree of student disengagement and absenteeism. To unlock student achievement and instill much-needed consistency and alignment across the school, Hall implemented data-driven instruction, but her efforts were stymied by an unwillingness to change among staff and teachers. This case is used at Darden in executive programs for leaders in education and second-year MBA courses on leading change. It would also be suitable in courses covering data-driven instruction, school transformation, leadership, and change processes.

Supplement to case UV7729 Maxine Hall, the new principal at Northwest Middle School, knew when she started that the school was suffering from a sense of distrust between teachers and administration, as well as a high degree of student disengagement and absenteeism. To unlock student achievement and instill much-needed consistency and alignment across the school, Hall implemented data-driven instruction, but her efforts were stymied by an unwillingness to change among staff and teachers. The B case follows Hall in her second year, as she continues to lead the school through structural changes. This case is used at Darden in executive programs for leaders in education and second-year MBA courses on leading change. It would also be suitable in courses covering data-driven instruction, school transformation, leadership, and change processes.

The manager of a rapidly expanding tax and accounting services franchise had been impressed by the performance his right-hand man, but also worried about the pressure he put himself under. Possessing an unusual and valuable skillset, this employee was able to anticipate his manager's needs exceptionally well. Unfortunately, his manager found out he had hacked into his email to do so. The case is designed to surface students' instinctive decision-making tendencies. Thus it is short enough to be read and responded to in class. Students are assigned readings and assignments related to the case after class discussion in which they are encouraged to reflect on their initial responses. The case is quite flexible and would work in any course that deals with leadership, ethics, difficult conversations, decision-making, organizational behavior, human resources, or related topics. It is appropriate for a range of levels and audiences, including undergraduate, MBA, and executive education.

Eneco Group, the second largest utility company in the Netherlands, launched a smart thermostat, Toon, that served as a platform for energy management services. Toon quickly became the gold standard for smart homes in the Netherlands. In January 2017, top management needed to discuss the strategic priorities to keep Toon's lead and hold off the competition.

TokenFunder Inc. (TokenFunder) was a Canadian blockchain start-up focused on developing a platform to help companies perform token offerings in a legal and compliant way. The Ontario Securities Commission had granted the firm a sandbox that permitted it to bypass certain securities regulations for a brief window to test out its business model. TokenFunder's chief executive officer and chief operating officer knew that potential partnerships with various accounting firms, legal firms, incubators, and venture capitalists could be incredibly beneficial to the business. TokenFunder thus had to decide whom to partner with and how to get firms into its ecosystem.

Three brothers discuss the succession plans of their shares in the publicly listed family business.

Jiang Yong founded Tiantong & Partners in 2002, seeking to radically improve the level of litigation-related services in China. By 2015, Tiantong was the premier Chinese litigation firm with the highest per lawyer revenues. The firm focused exclusively on high-stakes litigation, particularly Supreme Court appeals, and enjoyed a 90 percent win rate. Building off its success, Tiantong also began offering Internet apps. Yong was betting that the tiny 23-lawyer firm would transform litigation in China. In 2014, Tiantong developed an application called Tiantong Litigation Circle on the WeChat platform with the goal of connecting lawyers across the legal profession. Within the first year, the program recorded 150,000 followers, one million shares, and 10 million page visits. The firm figured that more than half of all practicing lawyers in China were followers. By the end of the year, Tiantong had also released the first professional reading app for lawyers. In May 2015, Tiantong released an Internet tool to support case research, accessible to anyone who needed to find precedents. The firm faced significant opportunities in both businesses. Yong needed to decide whether to continue making efforts in both directions, or whether to prioritize one over the other.

In late 2017, Camber Creek, a real estate technology focused venture capital firm, had to evaluate a potential investment in Measurabl Inc. which provides real estate companies of all sized with a full SaaS solution for sustainability data.

"The Shy Investor: CryptoCurrencies" is a fictional case written from the point of view of an investor carrying out investment risk analysis. The protagonist is a reasonably wealthy woman in Russia who wishes to diversify her investment portfolio. The case uses a fictitious cryptocurrency called URLBoyzCoyn issued by or on behalf of an equally unreal thrash heavy metal band called the URLBoyz. The overall theme is the assessment of risk and the factors to consider before investing in cryptocurrency. The case contrasts the high returns that can be and have been made by early speculators in cryptocurrencies generally. With the risks that later entrants to the market may have to shoulder.