Sonoma Raceway, located north of San Francisco, had a long history of hosting premier motor racing events. However, after decades of growth, fan attendance and viewership had started to decline in the 2010s. Fan demographics were changing, with younger fans looking for a different experience than traditional fans. These challenges confronted the entire motorsports industry. As 2020 began, Sonoma Raceway was in the midst of a major shift in its business strategy, impacting all aspects of its operations. The coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of all of the raceway's major events, putting additional stress on the raceway.

Atmel Corporation is a manufacturer of semiconductors (chips). It is an engineering-driven business-to-business company, and prior to 2012 its marketing was largely limited to preparation of specifications, launching new products, and trade shows. In 2012, it hired Sander Arts as Vice President of Marketing. Arts was not an engineer, and had very different ideas about how marketing could add value to the company. For instance, he believed that social media could be used to create active user communities for a company that makes commodity products. He also believed that the company was missing important opportunities in long-tail markets, and the Maker movement. He wanted to humanize the brand and create imaginative marketing solutions. This "case" is a series of videos - one to prepare students for the class session, and two to be shown after the class discussion. The 15-minute preparation video is a series of interviews in which the perspectives of different stakeholders (engineering, marketing, customer, etc.) are presented prior to the arrival of Arts. The challenges facing Arts are clearly demonstrated. Following class discussion, a nine-minute video interview with Arts can be used to show how he approached the challenges. The third video was prepared by Atmel, and shows the company's view of its success in developing marketing as an important part of the organization.

In 2013 and 2014, eBay deployed several sets of large, interactive touch screens and related technologies in shopping malls and retail stores. These "connected technologies" were used in a variety of ways intended to benefit both shoppers and retailers. In one case, screens served as "digital storefronts" in four locations throughout New York City for a new fashion brand, Kate Spade Saturday. Shoppers could evaluate products using the screens, and transfer the transaction to their smartphone for completion. The company used these screens to launch its brand in New York, and to gather information about the best location for a physical store. In a shopping mall application, large screens were installed in vacant storefronts. In addition to providing shoppers with information about products, and the opportunity to buy, sensors collected detailed information about the flow of traffic near the screens, which could be used by the store or mall. This data included the number of people that passed the screen, looked at it, stopped at it, and interacted with it. This can be contrasted with online advertising, where page views are counted, but there is no way of knowing whether the person even noticed the advertisement. In another application, Rebecca Minkoff's first U.S. retail stores incorporated large touchscreens for browsing and selecting items to be taken to a fitting room. The fitting room mirror was also a touch screen, which the shopper could use to communicate with a sales associate, evaluate accessories or alternate colors, and view selections in different lighting conditions. This case describes technical innovations, and a potential vision for the future of retailing made possible by those innovations. It asks students how eBay should attempt to monetize these innovations, how the data collected should be packaged and utilized, and the implications of eBay's vision for retailing's future.

This case describes the challenges facing CEO Kent Thiry and DaVita as they being thinking about how to integrate a recent acquisition, Health Care Partners (HCP). DaVita had been primarily a kidney dialysis company with a very strong culture built around teamwork, fun, continuous improvement, accountability, and service. The senior management saw DaVita as "a community first and a company second." HCP was an integrated health care provider with a substantially different workforce from DaVita. The case describes the history of DaVita, its industry, its unique culture, and its success over the previous 15 years. It provides a detailed description of how the culture was developed and managed through the use of a series of processes and events including the careful use of language, symbols, and traditions (the company is a "village," team members are "citizens," the use of slogans such as "one for all and all for one," three musketeer costumes, wide sharing of information, involvement of team members, extensive recognition and reward programs, investment in training and socialization, and even a company song). This culture was a competitive advantage in DaVita's financial success by attracting and retaining staff and patients, maintaining control of costs, and improving clinical outcomes. The new challenge was whether this culture could, or should, be exported to Health Care Partners.

Through the first part of the twenty-first century, the number of people playing golf in the United States had been in decline. Fewer people played the game, they played less frequently, and more golf courses were closing than opening. Players complained that it took too long to play golf, new courses were too difficult, and the game was expensive and hard to learn. However, the professional game was thriving, with increasing prize money and television viewership. The case looks at the governance of golf, with particular emphasis on the United States Golf Association. It asked students to consider what groups should be responsible for the health of the game, and what might be done to increase participation.

On November 25, 2008, the high-end department store Saks slashed its prices by 70 percent, creating a tsunami in the fashion industry. Years later, the ripples of this action still lingered. This action and its effects provide an opportunity to analyze downstream supply chain management, the impacts of Saks' price-cutting throughout the supply chain, and the options available to various stakeholders to mitigate the damage.

In 2009, Caterpillar shipped its first D7E tractor, an "electric drive" machine in which electric motors moved the tracks and blade, using electricity from a generator powered by a diesel engine. In an industry where new products provided performance gains of just a few percent, the D7E moved 10 percent more material per hour, using 10-30 percent less fuel that its predecessor. It was also easier to operate, had 40 percent fewer moving parts, and a far lower lifetime operating cost. When the project was originally approved in 2003, the D7E was intended to prove out the electric drive concept for tractors. The D7E was chosen for this role in part because it was a relatively low-volume machine, and provided less risk for the new technology. If successful, electric drive was expected to be adopted by other products in Caterpillar's tractor product line. However, by the end of 2013, this had not yet happened, nor had the company announced plans to do so. This case describes the D7E project from its conception, including the organizational and technical challenges it faced, and how the project team overcame these challenges. It raises questions about why the technology had not been rapidly adapted to other Caterpillar tractors.

This note describes the tasks that fill the working day of a venture capitalist. Those functions involved in investing (deal sourcing, due diligence, and related tasks) often receive the most attention from students. However, interviews with experienced venture capitalists found that as much or more time is spent working with existing portfolio companies. This note provides insight into each aspect of a venture capitalist's job: making investments, working with portfolio companies, and managing the venture capital firm as a business. The note is written heavily based on quotes, allowing experienced venture capitalists to describe their activities in their own words.

When entrepreneurs are successful in convincing venture capital firms that they are an attractive potential investment, they are presented with offers detailing many terms of the investment agreement. These are described in term sheets. Sorting through the myriad terms can be a daunting proposition for an entrepreneur. Yet, it is important for entrepreneurs to understand the terms of a proposed financing. These determine the payout the entrepreneurs will receive when the company is liquidated or sold (either to another company or to the public through and IPO), the dilution the entrepreneurs will suffer in the event of a future down round of financing, control of the board of directors, and other important matters. The Series A terms will also set a precedent for the terms of future financing rounds. This case presents a situation in which entrepreneurs receive term sheets from two venture capital firms. The two term sheets differ in many ways, and students are asked to evaluate them from the perspective of the entrepreneur.

Ben Kaufman founded Quirky in 2009 to enable anyone with a product idea to access an online network of people to help evaluate and improve the idea, and potentially bring it to market. By the end of 2012, Quirky was shipping 74 products, and had many more in development. Its products were sold in 35,000 stores worldwide. Each week, the company took three products into the research and development process, out of more than 1,000 submitted online. It paid 10 percent of third party sales, and 30 percent of direct sales, to its community members based on their participation in developing products-more than $2 million in 2012. Despite these signs of success, the company faced substantial challenges. Margins were low, and had to be dramatically improved before the company would become profitable. The product development model, using both online participants and internal staff, was stressed by the ever-increasing number of products being developed. The supply chain, relying on external manufacturing, had to adapt to a continual stream of new products. And retail partners were not well suited to the Quirky model-retailers focused on a few high-selling products. This case describes the business model used by Quirky, and challenges students to address the unique challenges facing the company.

In early 2009, following the collapse of the housing market, Doug Brien and Colin Wiel began buying single family homes (SFH) to renovate and rent. SFH rental had previously been a mom-and-pop business due to scaling difficulties-buying and managing large properties such as apartment complexes was well suited to institutional investors, but no one had solved the problem of buying and managing large numbers of relatively inexpensive SFHs. Brien and Wiel raised a series of funds from high-net-worth individuals, and the success of their company, Waypoint Homes, eventually attracted institutional investors as well as competition from large private equity firms. The case discusses Waypoint's growth to the end of 2012, at which point it owned more than 3,000 homes. The case also describes the changing economic and competitive environment, and asks about how the company can adapt to these changes going forward.

Professional boxing was once a mainstream sport, whose stars were widely known to the general public. Major fights were broadcast on network television. By the 2000s, the landscape had changed dramatically. Boxing had become a niche sport in the United States, few boxers were known beyond the hard-core fan base, top fights were only available on premium cable or pay-per-view (PPV), and other combat sports were on the rise. This case describes the world of professional boxing, including the roles of fighters, managers, promoters, and television. It focuses on a decision facing HBO, one of the important economic drivers of the sport. In September 2012, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. lost a title fight to Sergio Martinez despite a thrilling final round. The fight was seen on HBO PPV. Most observers thought that a rematch would be held, and that it would attract a substantial PPV audience. However, Martinez planned a fight in his native Argentina prior to a potential rematch. Chavez would likely also have an interim fight. HBO considered the possibility of having the interim Chavez match on their cable channel rather than on PPV. This would make the fight available to more viewers, hopefully increasing the audience for the PPV rematch with Martinez, and would guarantee Chavez a sizable payment from television rights. However, if the fight were on PPV, Chavez would have the opportunity to earn more money based on PPV sales (and also take the risk of a lower payday if PPV sales did not meet expectations). If HBO believes that it is in the long term interest of the sport, the fighters, and HBO to have the fight on cable rather than PPV, how can they convince Chavez's promoter, and how can they help the promoter convince Chavez to accept a lower potential payday in exchange for an increased audience and the opportunity to build PPV sales for the planned rematch with Martinez?

In 2011, The Walt Disney Company and other content owners aggressively lobbied Congress to pass the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The intent was to prevent unauthorized copying and transmission of copyrighted materials. This had been largely eliminated on U.S.-based websites, but some copyright owners claimed it was prevalent overseas. SOPA (and its companion legislation "Protect IP Act," or PIPA), would allow the government or private companies to request court orders to bar any U.S. company from "enabling" alleged infringing sites. SOPA initially had bipartisan support, and previous efforts to strengthen copyright protection had faced little opposition. The bill supported the commercial interests of Disney and other content owners. However, many of the specifics of SOPA and PIPA had the potential to stir powerful opposition from a wide variety of sources. The case discusses copyright law and the impact of technology advances on protection of copyrighted materials. It also describes SOPA and aspects of the proposed law that might attract opposition. The case concludes by asking students to consider SOPA from the perspective of both Disney and potential opponents.

Uber, which began operations in 2010, provided a service that allowed customers to call for a limousine using their mobile device. A car would arrive within minutes, and the fee for the trip (including gratuity) would be charged to the customer's credit card. The service was more expensive than a taxi, but cheaper and more responsive than a conventional limousine service. Uber did not own limousines, but contracted with existing, licensed, limousine owners and drivers. By mid-2012, it had service in 16 cities, mostly in the United States. Taxi and limousine operation are heavily regulated at the city and/or state level. Uber's business model did not fit into the conventional regulatory framework for either taxis or limousines, and the company faced intense opposition by taxi drivers and regulators in some cities. The case focuses on Uber's regulatory challenges in Washington, D.C. In July 2012, the Washington D.C. City Council was preparing to vote on a measure that would legitimize Uber's existing operations, but prevent it from offering a planned lower-priced service. The case explores how the company dealt with regulators as part of its corporate strategy.

Most venture capital profits come from a small percentage of investments, despite high expectations for each investment made. As a result, a small improvement in selecting portfolio companies can make a substantial improvement in fund results. This case describes the venture capital deal sourcing and screening process. It does not describe the due diligence process in detail, but focuses on initial screening-identifying those companies that the venture capitalist will evaluate in more detail. After describing the sourcing and screening process, the case describes a fictional venture capital firm, and provides a number of incoming investment opportunities to be evaluated. Students are asked to play the role of an associate at the firm, and tasked with reviewing these opportunities and determine how each should be handled-should they be rejected, should they contact the entrepreneur for more information, or should they refer the opportunity to one of the firm's partners.