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Supplements the (A) case.

Hexcel's new CEO is faced with deciding how to "take out" $60 million in cash costs in fiscal 2002, as two of the company's end markets--electronics and commercial aerospace--are expected to decline precipitously. Options include closing plants, exiting a business, or undertaking a major headcount reduction. Includes a description of Hexcel's private equity relationship with Goldman Sach's Capital Partners and presents the financial challenges of renegotiating bank lending covenants and managing maturing debt. Focuses on selecting a turnaround approach from the point of view of a general manager (the CEO).

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 206023.

Morningstar, a publisher of data and ratings for mutual fund investors, is considering an auction-based approach to the company's upcoming IPO, with management weighing the risks and benefits of the auction approach vs. a traditional underwritten offering.

In the months after Ben & Jerry's was acquired by Unilever, Ben & Jerry's head social mission faces challenges and opportunities unique in the company's history, including: how to manage employee morale; whether to include synthetic ingredients to meet consumer preferences; how to preserve the company's tradition of speaking out on public issues; and how to maintain the company's distinctive brand image. Also, depicts an innovative corporate governance model with an external board comprising former Ben & Jerry's executives to advise the new CEO on managing the company's distinctive brand and values.

Corning, with large investments in fiber optic technology, was hit particularly hard by the collapse of the telecommunications industry in 2001. With over $4 billion in debt, the firm's survival appears to rest on raising additional equity capital. The protagonist is considering whether to invest in Corning or in a new mandatory convertible preferred stock that is being offered to the public.

Stan Williams, leading nanotech researcher at Hewlett Packard Laboratories, must decide whether to renew the firm's sponsorship of California NanoSystems Institute, spend the funds on internal R&D, or fund foreign universities. Illustrates the challenge of managing firm-university collaborations and develops implications for national competitiveness.

MCI's board of directors is considering competing bids from Verizon and Qwest. Qwest, a smaller company with a weaker balance sheet, is offering almost a billion dollars more. But Verizon, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, has a history of successful mergers and acquisitions.

A five-member team from Berkshire Partners must recommend a final bid and financial structure for a leveraged buyout of William Carter Co., a leading producer of children's apparel. Investorcorp, a global investment group, has put the company up for auction. Goldman Sachs, in addition to running the auction, was offering "staple-on" financing. Under this arrangement, the winning bidder would have the option to finance the deal through a prepackaged capital structure.

Supplements the (A) case.

InfoVision illustrates university technology transfer through the choices of a graduating doctoral student. Also explores the challenges of working across the scientific, business, and legal disciplines in the Georgia Tech transfer program.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case.

The newly appointed director of the project dedicated to reducing product development time for AT&T's Transmission Systems Business Unit (TSBU) is trying to decide how best to sustain the momentum of its Achieving Process Excellence (APEX) teams. During the past three years, APEX teams helped reduce TSBU's product interval 50%--an accomplishment that contributed to TSBU's receiving the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Now motivation and expectations for continued improvement are high. The case describes the launching of APEX, its evolution, and the current challenges facing the product development organization. Details support a discussion of the elements required to launch and sustain an improvement program, including metrics, goal setting, management's role, and methodological approaches for problem solving.

When Jeffrey Swartz became the third generation in his family to lead the Timberland Co., he made community involvement an integral part of the company's strategy. Under Swartz's leadership, Timberland formed a close partnership with City Year, the national corps of young adults engaged in community service events, established a community enterprise division to schedule community service events, and gave each employee 32 hours of annual paid leave to participate in service work. As a result of these initiatives, Swartz believed the idea of community service at Timberland had gone beyond traditional notions of philanthropy or cause-related marketing to become a central feature of the company and brand's identity. However, in 1995, the spectacular sales growth Timberland enjoyed during the first years of Jeffrey Swartz's tenure as COO leveled off. The company reported its first loss and initiated significant restructuring. The tough times prompted some observers to question Timberland's continued commitment to community service. An abridged version of a case.

Introduces students to the legal standards affecting officers and directors when selling or purchasing a company. Provides a practical understanding of the Revlon Standard, the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, Rule 10b-5, and the legal criteria for a cause of action for securities fraud. Recounts three precedential cases decided by the Delaware Supreme Court.

Introduces students to the main tactical maneuvers used by hostile bidders, including bear hugs, proxy fights, tender offers, and toeholds. Also describes how, in the United States, tender offers are regulated by the federal government via the Williams Act.

In the fall of 1998, Dan Frye, member of IBM's emerging technologies and business team, is trying to decide whether to forge a strategic alliance with the Linux Development Community (LDC). Just two years earlier, IBM had its first exposure to an "open source" software program when it selected Apache as the web server program for the web site of the Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Based on its success with Apache, and Frye's intuition that Linux could be a critical, strategic step in the new "network-centric" computing environment, Frye and his colleagues are trying to decide whether an alliance between IBM and LDC would serve their interests--and, if so, how IBM could manage the alliance with a loosely affiliated group of software developers.

Students are introduced to the basic framework for corporate governance. Begins by describing the complex role of the modern corporation, then proceeds by discussing the fiduciary duties to which a board of trustees is bound (duty of care, duty of loyalty, etc.), and concludes by proposing seven factors officers and directors should consider when overseeing the sale or purchase of a company. Recounts the precedential case Smith vs. Van Gorkom.

In an attempt to reduce its ecological footprint, Interface Americas, a leading manufacturer of commercial carpet tile, has launched the Evergreen Services Agreement (ESA)--a lease agreement that provides would-be carpet purchasers with comprehensive floor-covering services (color, texture, warmth, beauty, acoustics, and safety). Under ESA, Interface retains ownership of all carpet material, thereby ensuring proper recycling. Despite active media attention and a lot of interested calls from potential buyers, Interface is having difficulty selling ESA. CEO Dan Hendrix is at a crossroad and must decide whether to continue support for ESA or to focus on other initiatives. This case, grounded in a failed negotiation with the University of Texas, Houston, details a discussion of the difficulties of structuring a long-term lease agreement, defining a new service value proposition for the customer, and developing a sustainable business model for product-related services.