After a period of poor stock-market performance, conglomerate Chestnut Foods (Chestnut) faces the acquisition of its stock by an activist investor. The new investor demands the sale of Chestnut's high-growth division, which contrasts with the CFO's turnaround plan to expand this same division. To disentangle the way forward for Chestnut, students are invited to grapple with the risk-adjusted performance of each division and the estimation of division-specific hurdle rates. Students learn to appreciate the importance of using risk-adjusted hurdle rates in establishing appropriate investment policy. This B case is typically taught after having discussed the A case (UVA-F-1736), but this is not necessary. At the Darden School of Business, they are taught in separate years, as independent cases, and the A case has a separate teaching note (UVA-F-1736TN). The B case is set one month after the A case and focuses on the performance of product groups within Chestnut's poorly performing Instruments division. The case is designed as an opportunity to hone skills in performance evaluation.

This is a technical note that describes the history of Lean and explains why it is not just a manufacturing tool. It is used in Darden's "Management of Service Operations" course elective.

Though the world has recently been described as "flat," we contend that it is also "lumpy." Some managerial practices may be universal (i.e., applicable across all cultures), while others may have to be customized for location. In this technical note, we discuss the application of kaizen principles across cultures. When managers analyze kaizen with cultural values in mind, they may find the key to its practical success, and where relevant values or predispositions do not come naturally, adjustments may benefit from a pragmatism based on cultural fluency.

After a period of poor stock-market performance, conglomerate Chestnut Foods (Chestnut) faces the acquisition of its stock by an activist investor. The new investor demands the sale of Chestnut's high-growth division, which contrasts with the CFO's turnaround plan to expand this same division. To disentangle the way forward for Chestnut, students are invited to grapple with the risk-adjusted performance of each division and the estimation of division-specific hurdle rates. Students learn to appreciate the importance of using risk-adjusted hurdle rates in establishing appropriate investment policy. This case has been used in Darden's first-year required finance course. It is designed to be used within a module on estimating the cost of capital, but after students have become familiar with the basic techniques for estimating a weighted average cost of capital."

Given the trend of increasing business globalization, management teams of multinational companies have taken steps to better understand consumers, local business partners, and local governments. Local queueing preferences present managers with additional challenges and opportunities in international markets. The world may be 'flat,' but it is foolish to believe that all cultures perceive lines and waiting through the same lens. As discussed herein, perceptions regarding waiting and management of queues vary greatly; therefore, managers should adopt different policies and procedures when managing waiting lines across natural and cultural borders. Considering queue management in a global context offers benefits. Thinking globally--and acting locally--can prioritize and clarify important decisions any waiting-line manager has to make.