This case, described as the last big merger in the global beer industry, involves a valuation of the merged company using a basic discounted cash flow (DCF) methodology. Students are asked to calculate and compare the value of the merged entity with the standalone valuations of the respective companies to see if there is indeed value in merging. An additional consideration is the impact of a large net cash position on the company's stock price when growth stalls.

The case series presents the governance and leadership challenges and opportunities the Royal Dutch Rowing Federation (Koninklijke Nederlandse Roei Bond, or KNRB for short), which is a not-for-profit top sports federation. The series presents eight years of the KNRB's history starting with the aftermath of the Bejing 2008 Olympics, then reviews the preparation to the London 2012 Olympics and concludes with the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics. The much improved results obtained by the rowers in Rio confirm that, by that time, the KNRB was back to effective functioning and great performance. A detailed account of how an organizational turnaround is led by the board, let alone by the board of a major sports federation, is rare. Given the problems faced by major sports federations over the last decades the case shows that these problems indeed have their roots in governance failure.

The case series presents the governance and leadership challenges and opportunities the Royal Dutch Rowing Federation (Koninklijke Nederlandse Roei Bond, or KNRB for short). The KNRB is a not-for-profit top sports federation. A series of astonishing scandals have afflicted top sports federations over the last number of years (International Cycling Federation, Russian Ministry of Sports and the FIFA scandal which led to Sepp Blatter's infamous demise). The case series illustrates the role played by poor governance in allowing and being ultimately responsible for such scandals, good governance considerably reducing the probability of their occurrences. The series presents eight years of the KNRB's history starting with the aftermath of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, then reviewing the preparation to the London 2012 Olympics and concludes with the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics. The much improved results obtained by the rowers in Rio confirm that, by that time, the KNRB is back to effective functioning and great performance.

Compaq Computer Corp., like many manufacturers, faces operational choices that strongly influence the cost of capital engaged in inventory, customer response time, and potential product obsolescence. This case describes some key operations strategy choices regarding two types of inventory: operation inventory (e.g., flow) and tactical inventory (e.g., finished goods). Tradeoffs in inventory management and customer response time are explored in the context of a firm that is changing from a push manufacturing to a customer-oriented pull system. Optional computer simulations (B case) visually display the dynamics of push and pull systems, kanban squares, and their effect on inventory requirements and customer response times. The simulations require the ProModel simulation software tool (not included, to be purchased separately) and computer simulation model files (available from the authors' website: http://faculty.insead.edu/stephen-chick/simulations).

This exercise is designed to introduce students to (Q,R) inventory reorder policies, where Q is the order size and R the reorder point. The exercise is motivated by the issues faced by Caterpillar (CAT) in managing its parts warehouse in Europe. The Caterpillar example is based on information obtained from their website, but the numbers utilized in the exercises and assignment are fabricated to achieve the pedagogical objective.

Laurence & Ralph (L&R) is not a case, per se, but a note on the classical Newsboy Problem. This type of problem is exemplary in capacity or inventory economics. It occurs every time a product needs to be ordered or service capacity needs to be set when demand in the forthcoming sales or service period is uncertain. Fundamentally, the inventory decision is equivalent with a capacity decision, as inventory represents a capacity to sell product in the future, while capacity is a form of inventory for future service.

The case was written to illustrate the importance of business process design as a basis for competition in the textile industry. The case illustrates the impressive performance of Zara, the new fashion player from Spain, which has innovated in process design so as to deliver new collections in its stores with a lead-time of 5 to 7 days. The more traditional approach in textile retailing is illustrated here by Marks & Spencer (M&S), the well-known UK retailer. Notwithstanding M&S¿s current problems, the case does not fall into an overly simple comparison between a young, innovative competitor and an aging glory.

Walk into any organization and you will get a snapshot of the company in action--people and products moving every which way. But ask for a picture of the company and you will be given the org chart, with its orderly little boxes showing just the names and titles of managers. Now there's a more revealing way to depict the people and operations within an organization--an approach called the organigraph. The organigraph is not a chart. It's a map that offers an overview of the company's functions and the ways that people organize themselves at work. Perhaps most important, an organigraph can help managers see untapped competitive opportunities. Drawing on the organigraphs they created for about a dozen companies, authors Mintzberg and Van der Heyden illustrate just how valuable a tool the organigraph is. For instance, one they created for Electrocomponents, a British distributor of electrical and mechanical items, led managers to a better understanding of the company's real expertise--business-to-business relationships. As a result of that insight, the company wisely decided to expand in Asia and to increase its Internet business. As one manager says, "It allowed the company to see all sorts of new possibilities." With traditional hierarchies vanishing and newfangled--and often quite complex--organizational forms taking their place, people are struggling to understand how their companies work. What parts connect to one another? How should processes and people come together? Whose ideas have to flow where? With their flexibility and realism, organigraphs give managers a new way to answer those questions.