In this exercise, students are put into the role of newly appointed general manager of an NFL team and must use the data provided to conduct draft research and make a tentative decision for their team's first four picks in the NFL draft. The data show the team's prospect analysis and include each prospect's grade on the 1-100 scale (and thus tier) and ranking among other prospects that play the same position. Their task is to consider all information summarized, review the information about the dozen or so best prospects likely to be available when they select in each of the first four rounds, and make their decisions about what to do in each round. The companion exercise (UVA-OB-1367) is from the head coach's perspective, and the two can be used in a negotiation scenario.

In this exercise, students are put into the role of head coach of an NFL team and must use the data provided to conduct draft research and make a tentative decision for their team's first four picks in the NFL draft. The data show the team's prospect analysis and include each prospect's grade on the 1-100 scale (and thus tier) and ranking among other prospects that play the same position. Their task is to consider all information summarized, review the information about the dozen or so best prospects likely to be available when they select in each of the first four rounds, and make their decisions about what to do in each round. The companion exercise (UVA-OB-1366) is from the newly appointed general manager's perspective, and the two can be used in a negotiation scenario.

Despite the important role that assumptions about intentions play in our judgments of others' actions and how we respond to these actions, most of us haven't thought much about the accuracy of the inferences we make, the ways our decisions about "what he meant to do" or "why she did that" might be unintentionally biased, or the potential negative effects that result when inferences about intentions affect how we judge a behavior. Nor have we thought about steps we might take to question or correct our initial inferences, or whether we should aim to set aside inferences altogether in judging and determining the consequences of a behavior. The goal of this note is to help you think about exactly these things.

Established in 1959, the Virginia Journal of International Law (VJIL) was a student-edited law review at the University of Virginia School of Law. It was among the world's most influential international law journals, and pieces published in the journal had been cited by the Supreme Court of the United States and the International Court of Justice, among many other highly prestigious courts. Despite this, it faced numerous operational challenges, including long publication lead times, missed publication dates, and financial uncertainty. The case allows students to practice problem solving through the A3 thinking process. Supplemental videos discuss aspects of the case in detail and support case discussion.

This case, a follow-up to "The Virginia Journal of International Law (A)" (UVA-OM-1640) continues the story of the Virginia Journal of International Law (VJIL), a student-edited law review at the University of Virginia School of Law. It reveals the work the publication team put in to understand the root causes of its problems and implement countermeasures to standardize and sustain improvement. Supplemental videos discuss aspects of the case in detail and support case discussion.

The head of an R&D unit in a high-tech firm in India faces a tough decision about whether to recommend firing and replacing or investing even larger amounts of time and resources into training employees who have come up through India's "reservation system." Similar to "affirmative action" policies in the United States and Brazil (where the focus is on race), the reservation system in India is meant to counteract inequalities resulting from the historic oppression of "lower" castes in the country. The question faced by the protagonist in this case is whether and how a middle manager can address problems in her team that result from much larger, systemic problems in her country. The case is designed to surface and explore students' instinctive decision-making tendencies around a complicated problem. 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, and related topics. It is appropriate for a range of levels and audiences, including undergraduate, MBA, and executive education.