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In March 2000, Paul Lippe, CEO of SKOLAR, faced several decisions that could determine the fate of his young company. SKOLAR had developed a Web-based information resource for doctors. The site was in beta-test at the Stanford School of Medicine, with commercial release planned for September. Lippe had just received a market study prepared by McKinsey & Company describing the potential market for the SKOLAR product. He studied the report, thought about the company's experience to date, and the decisions he had to make. Did he have the information needed to make good decisions? If not, what other information did he need, and how could he get it? Includes the McKinsey report, as well as information about the SKOLAR product and proposed business model, and other sources of medical information for doctors in 2000.

In 2000, FedEx Express and Environmental Defense began a collaboration to develop a source of new-generation delivery trucks with dramatically improved fuel efficiency and environmental impact. By 2005, prototypes had been developed by Eaton Corp., which supplied hybrid diesel-electric transmissions, and Freightliner, which integrated the transmissions into the delivery truck chassis. FedEx tested the prototypes and announced that it intended to buy 75 of the new hybrid trucks. Describes the process by which the new trucks were specified and developed and the roles of each of the organizations involved.

In early 2005, the market for cement in Mexico was changing. The market, particularly in northern Mexico, had traditionally consisted primarily of sales of bagged cement, which was common in developing economies. There appeared to be a shift to bulk cement, more typical of developed economies. CEMEX, the third largest cement company in the world, and the dominant company in Mexico, had developed a strong brand identity for its bagged cement. Bulk cement, however, was harder to differentiate. Describes the Mexican cement industry and dramatic changes that CEMEX had made in 2000-2005 to focus on customer needs, particularly the needs of its distributors. These changes involved a wide range of activities, including dramatic improvements in logistics, creating a retail network among its distributors, and developing a suite of software applications to ensure that the right product was delivered to the right place at the right time. What lessons could the company adopt from its branded business and its success with building its distributor network, if the market turned more toward commodity bulk cement?

Flextronics, the world's largest contract manufacturing firm, made a strategic decision to expand its business to include original design and manufacturing (ODM) services. As an ODM supplier, Flextronics designed and built products that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) purchased and sold under their brand names. Purchasing from an ODM allowed OEMs to bring new products to market quickly and efficiently. ODMs could sell the same basic product to many OEMs, providing substantial design and manufacturing efficiencies. Flextronics' first ODM products were cellular phone handsets. The company had substantial hardware capabilities, which grew out of its contract manufacturing experience. In 2004, Flextronics considered adding software design expertise and considered a number of approaches to accomplish this. Having learned of the outstanding reputation of Indian software companies, the company's CEO and the president of its Design and OEM Services operation visited India. Describes the contract manufacturing and design landscape in 2004, with a focus on software.

In June 2001, the men's wrestling program at Marquette University was terminated, despite the fact that the program had been operating for several years with privately raised funding. Bucknell University discontinued its wresting program the same year. An important factor in the termination of these programs was Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which required that "no person...on the basis of sex...be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." Title IX was primarily intended to help women overcome discrimination in academic programs, but it also applied to athletics. Marquette and Bucknell sued the U.S. Department of Education to eliminate what they viewed as the unintended consequences of Title IX implementation in reducing opportunities for men. Describes Title IX, its implementation, and controversial issues faced by institutions attempting to meet the objectives of the law.

In 1993 there was a major realignment of college football conferences, as three schools left the Big East Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, leading to a wave of changes as the Big East moved to replace the departing schools. The University of Notre Dame was the nation's premier independent intercollegiate football program, unaffiliated with any conference. Notre Dame periodically had considered joining a conference, and had done so for its non-football sports, but had remained independent for football. Independence brought considerable financial benefits, primarily in the form of a lucrative television contract, but also caused difficulties. With the conference landscape changing, the school reconsidered its future, and the possible benefits of joining a conference. Describes the intercollegiate conference system and the related economic issues.

In 2003, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team wanted to build a new stadium complex. The team's existing stadium was aging, and a new stadium offered enhanced revenue potential for one of the NFL's premier teams. The team wanted taxpayer assistance in financing the stadium, and the state legislature voted to put the matter to voters. Discusses the arguments for and against taxpayer financing of sports facilities and the economics of professional football teams. Raises the question of how the Cowboys can persuade the public to support the plan, as well as what alternatives the team should consider if voters reject the proposal.

In 1993, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued two statements--Number 116: Accounting for Contributions Received and Contributions Made and Number 117: Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organizations. These statements required significant changes to the financial statements issued by nonprofit organizations. This case discusses changes in the context of Stanford University, a private, not-for-profit educational institution. Discusses financial reporting prior to FAS 116 and 117, the objectives of FAS 116 and 117, and their implementation by Stanford. Prepares students for a discussion of nonprofit financial reporting, fund accounting, donor-imposed restrictions, the various stakeholders, and the advantages or disadvantages of financial statements prepared under the provisions of FAS 116 and 117.

Solectron Corp. grew rapidly from a small contract manufacturer in the early 1980s to the dominant company in the electronics manufacturing services industry by the late 1990s. In doing so, it evolved from providing peak capacity for its clients to providing services that clients could not provide on their own (low-cost materials and access to expensive capital equipment). Its next phase was to provide its clients with new ways of operating--such as outsourcing all operations except research, product conceptualization, marketing, and sales--allowing clients to outsource those activities that were not part of their core competencies. Describes this evolution and the rapid growth of the company. In 2001, the company's clients suffered severe business downturns, which in turn caused the first contraction in Solectron's history. Describes the company's initial response and raises questions about how the company should proceed.

In June 1998, Lucent Technologies had the opportunity to win a major contract to supply a Y2K compliant network to Saudi Arabia. The Lucent facility that managed business with Saudi Arabia and manufactured products for that region was in Spain. To win the contract, Lucent would have to be able to deliver the product, a sophisticated digital switching system, within three weeks of receiving the details of each site's requirements. (The contract would require delivery to many sites.) Using the existing process, it took 23-25 weeks to deliver after receiving site details. The case describes the Lucent production process and capabilities and provides data for discussion of ways in which Lucent can meet the customer's requirements.

In 1995, Lucent Technologies' supply chain in Asia had many problems: long lead times, high cost, poor reliability, high inventories, and poor technical support of customers and local Asian operations. This was, in many ways, a result of the historical supply of Asia from the United States. Local Asian facilities had been established as market-entry vehicles and provided some high-level assembly and test, but the supply chain was organized around U.S. production and support. A substantial--and very successful--supply chain redesign was completed in 1996, providing more Asian content. However, continuing changes in the marketplace, suppliers, and the manufacturing environment suggested that the supply chain was no longer optimal.

Sarah Simons, an investment analyst for the retail industry, has just received the Sears, Roebuck and Co. 1999 annual report. Sears has had trouble in the past with the collectibility of receivables from customer credit purchases using the Sears card. These problems have led to past write-offs, as well as legal problems, which have depressed the stock. Sarah must evaluate the provisions that the company has made for possible problems in collecting the receivables. This case provides background information on Sears' business and past problems, an introduction to accounting for contingencies, and financial information from public sources on Sears and the industry.