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In 2006, Mexican convenience store chain OXXO faced a threat from a formidable competitor, the rival convenience chain Extra. OXXO had embarked on an initiative to fortify its corporate culture and operating system, but the threat of Extra raised the question of whether they should focus on opening as many stores as possible and as quickly as possible, in order to maintain market leadership. CEO Eduardo Padilla had to define his strategy and decide whether to focus on improving culture and operations or on relentlessly beating its rival.

In 2017, executives at OpenNotes, a national movement to improve the relationship between doctors and patients by sharing doctors' visit notes about patients with patients, were considering options in efforts to achieve scale. The movement hoped to reach 50 million patients by 2020. One opportunity was building an OpenNotes app for smartphones, in which patients could access their visit notes on their phones through an app compatible with Apple CareKit. But OpenNotes had other options, including partnerships with consumer groups and insurers. In addition, they would always have a role in encouraging doctors and institutions to share notes more readily. What was the best way to scale OpenNotes? Was it the app route, or some other way to pursue the group's ambitions?

In 2016, Muñoz Group, a multifaceted agribusiness company that developed, produced, packed, imported and exported citrus, flowers, grapes, juice, and ice cream, faced an unexpected new challenge in the British public's vote for the United Kingdom to exit the European Union. The outcome of the vote led to uncertainty around investment conditions, instability in the pound, growth in anti-immigrant sentiment, and other changes. This created unusual business conditions for Muñoz Group's CEO, Alvaro Muñoz, who had to decide how to adjust his strategy for the coming years, given that his company was headquartered in the UK - but did business all over the world.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (LA Phil), under the leadership of Deborah Borda, had enjoyed great successes in the 2000s and 2010s, even as other U.S. orchestras faltered. The architecturally acclaimed Walt Disney Concert Hall had opened its doors. The institution's finances looked healthy after years of operating losses. A celebrity music director, Gustavo Dudamel, had joined the team. The LA Phil had launched its Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA), a classical-music outreach program. Yet the LA Phil still faced real challenges, as all U.S. orchestras did--an aging subscriber base, concern around appeal to younger audiences, and development of a pipeline of donors for the future. How could Borda continue to position the orchestra for success?

Supplements the (A) case (417-031). This case supplement describes new CEO Chuck Robbins' earliest days after being announced as Cisco's new chief executive. During this time, Robbins focused on building a leadership team featuring people with complementary skills and the disclosure of top executive departures during the transition period. Chambers also assumed his new role as executive chairman during this time frame.

A smooth transition from former CEO John Chambers to new CEO Chuck Robbins had put Cisco in a position of strength. Looking back, the board reflected on what they had done well and what they might have done differently, and pondered whether another company might be able to implement a similar CEO transition process. This case reviews the specific steps taken by the board of directors and other stakeholders during the selection process. Participants in the process included John Chambers, who was the company's CEO at the time, the Cisco board of directors, Cisco's human resources group, and the executive search firm Spencer Stuart. The process occurred in several stages, including an informal stage during which the board became familiar with candidates, followed by a 16-month formal process with goal-setting and clear definition of roles for all involved, various interactions with and evaluations of possible candidates, and voting.

Supplements the (A) case (417-031). This case supplement describes Cisco's communications strategy around the CEO announcement, which focused on controlling the narrative and avoiding leaks. The strategy included both internal and external processes aimed at introducing the new CEO to employees and the general public, respectively. Externally, the process unfolded without media leaks and with a modest stock market reaction.

This product can be used with the free Job Design Optimization Tool (JDOT), available at: hbsp.harvard.edu/jdot

Google's founders wrote "10 Things We Know To be True," a document detailing founding principles and values, early in the company's life. As the company expanded, added business units, and changed its name to Alphabet, were these principles and values still valid and relevant? If not, how should they be changed? This product can be used with the free Job Design Optimization Tool (JDOT), available at: hbsp.harvard.edu/jdot

BancoSol, a microfinance bank headquartered in La Paz, Bolivia, was forced to adjust its lending strategy and business model because of a regulatory change. 60% of the bank's lending portfolio would have to move to the productive sector of the Bolivian economy by 2018, and these loans would have a controlled interest rate of 11.5%. How would BancoSol meet these targets, fulfill its mission, and remain profitable?

Mattermark, a software-as-a-service company that sold software allowing companies to access financial information about privately-held companies and startups, was at a turning point. CEO Danielle Morrill had to allocate investment funding from a Series A round. She needed to build up sales and marketing; she also wanted to invest in her product, which was already popular in the VC market, but was increasingly gaining traction in other markets. Sales and marketing had struggled, meanwhile, after a failed hire of a head of sales from another company. Morrill had to clearly prioritize her financial and strategic decisions.

The note, while not intended to be historically comprehensive, explores the regulation of international trade from the period after World War II to developments in 2010, focusing on shifts in trade theory and policy as well as economic benefits and disadvantages associated with trade liberalization. The note also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of multilateral vs. bilateral or plurilateral agreements, as the latter become more common in arrangements between trading partners.

The June 2013 bankruptcy of the city of Detroit, Michigan was, at the time, the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history. Detroit had struggled for years with a weakening tax base, high unemployment, a heavy debt load and increasing retiree costs. These financial strains led to cuts in basic public services, declines in population, and significant urban blight. The State of Michigan appointed an Emergency Manager, Kevyn Orr, to lead the city though the restructuring process. In March 2014 Kevin Orr and his team put forth a restructuring plan to the city's creditors that provides for needed reinvestment in City services, but low recoveries for unsecured creditors. The city's plan also proposes that a collection in the Detroit Institute of Art be transferred to a trust funded by philanthropists, with the proceeds accruing solely to retirees, rather than to all creditors. Kevyn Orr and his team must now find consensus on a plan that meets the needs of the city and is acceptable to its creditors.

Muñoz Group, which supplied supermarket chains and food distribution chains around the world with fruit, flowers, juice and ice cream, was at a strategic crossroads in 2014. CEO Alvaro Muñoz had to choose the best way to achieve profit goals and provide his company with a sustainable competitive advantage. The company had already developed innovative citrus, grape and flower breeding units in efforts to keep its product pipeline on the cutting edge. The company also worked to integrate vertically-to own or control every viable piece of the supply chain-in an effort to manage the flower and produce businesses from plant to retailer. The company's stronghold was its UK and European markets, but it had expanded into North America and also eyed new opportunities in Asia. Muñoz had to decide where to focus his efforts against a backdrop of margin squeezes in the food business, competition for product from the developing world, ever more stringent quality, sustainability, and environmental standards from clients, and perennial hiring challenges.

Dow had adopted the "Breakthroughs to World Challenges" (BWC) program as part of its ten-year 2015 Sustainability Goals. BWC was an internal award recognizing products that effectively addressed one of five world challenges: energy and climate change, sustainable water supply, decent affordable housing, personal health, and food supply. By late summer 2014, two products had been designated as BWCs and two others were set to be announced in the fall. Dow senior executives believed that Dow was creating shared value through its BWC products. As management began drafting the company's sustainability plan for 2015 and beyond, CEO Andrew Liveris confronted the question of whether to maintain, modify or terminate the BWC program.

This note considers common legal pitfalls associated with the launch of new products. A series of questions are presented that companies poised to launch a product should keep in mind. Questions about advertising, pricing, and branding are explored, as well as who in a product's supply chain might bear liability if the product is faulty.

In 2013, Mohamed Hage, founder of the rooftop farming business called Lufa Farms, thought his company had reached a level of maturity where scaling the business model was the next logical step. With two greenhouses already in Canada, he was looking into other locations in the U.S. Though Lufa Farms' advanced cultivation technologies made the company stand out in its sector, the industry was still young and investors were not fully comfortable putting their resources into rooftop farms. This case explores the intricacies of a rooftop farming business, how it built a successful brand, and presents the challenges that might lie ahead for the company as the founder thinks about expansion.

By the late 2000s, the law firm Duane Morris had transformed itself from a growing U.S. law firm to a significant global player. The firm's uniquely collaborative organizational culture, which featured a transparent, data-driven compensation system, practice-group integration across multiple offices, and rewards for attorneys who shared responsibility, had contributed to the firm's success as it had expanded into new U.S. and international offices. Yet, amid a shaky world economy and an increasingly cutthroat legal profession, Duane Morris attorneys began to wonder-could collaboration survive as a firm value? Would the firm's culture help it continue to grow in the years ahead and bring in more sophisticated legal work, or would its lawyers inevitably start to keep work to themselves as the firm navigated an ever-more competitive environment?

Eight women had first enrolled in Harvard Business School's traditional MBA program in 1963. By 2013, the number of women in the MBA classroom had reached 40%. The 50th anniversary of women's enrollment in the traditional MBA program gave HBS Dean Nitin Nohria the opportunity to take stock of the progress that had been made by HBS women students and alumnae and ponder what still remained to be done. The case examines the evolving experiences of male and female MBAs over the decades through interviews with dozens of HBS alumni, as well as the experiences of female faculty at the School. The case scrutinizes a number of issues facing professional women, such as changing definitions of success and diversity, barriers faced by women at work, the expectations of work and family, and present-day implications for the pipeline of future women leaders. Students consider the role of the School in addressing disparities both on campus and in the wider business world.

Despite its success in the social-networking space, Facebook Inc.'s May 2012 IPO was largely considered a failure. Facebook faced multiple lawsuits and its share price had dropped significantly. Adversaries contended that Facebook had misled investors and violated securities laws. Were the allegations legitimate, and did the litigation pose a serious threat to Facebook's share price?