EnerNOC - a clean energy company -- sells energy-monitoring, management and efficiency services to utility customers, who agree to reduce consumption during peak-period emergencies in exchange for payments throughout the year. Utilities sign long term contracts with EnerNOC for delivery of "negawatts", i.e. the reduced consumption of electricity during peak periods, as a way to avoid adding power generating capacity. EnerNOC is undergoing explosive growth and must manage the build out of its energy management system, as well as the growth and evolution of its sales force. This case can be used in a variety of courses. In an entrepreneurship course, it can be the basis for a discussion of entrepreneurial opportunities in the clean energy sector, as well as the challenges of managing rapid growth. In a marketing class, it can be used to discuss the concept of adjacent markets. It can be used to stimulate a discussion of a broad range of issues in a sales management class: rewards systems; identification of sales skills in potential employees; entry into a new market; sales training; and so forth. It can be used in MBA level courses and in upper level undergraduate courses.

MJINI--Urban Youth Experts was founded by two recent college graduates as a research consulting firm, focusing on the buying patterns and lifestyle preferences of the urban youth who were setting many fashion trends but whom marketers found difficult to reach. Not only could the founders leverage their backgrounds, they could help their communities by communicating, building respect, and giving back to youth groups. Although they met with some success, they faced a number of questions typical to start-up companies: How fast to grow, how and whom to hire, how to train new recruits, how to finance growth, determining the right marketing and consulting product, determining its real market worth and billing rates, and identifying the greatest opportunities.

Few recent events have shaken public confidence in product safety as much as the recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires in August 2000. The defective tires made by Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. were supplied primarily as original equipment on Ford Motor Co. sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and sold as replacement items for SUVs and light trucks. For some consumers, the combination of Firestone tires and Ford vehicles proved lethal. Accidents involving tread separation and rollovers were blamed for 148 deaths and over 500 injuries. Chronicles the actions and reactions of Ford and Firestone, various legislative and regulatory bodies, and the public as the truth emerged.

The Boston Globe newspaper has decided to move its home delivery time up from 7 a.m. to 6 a.m. to increase sales and retain more customers. Anne Eisenmenger has been assigned to coordinate this process, building consensus for change among a diverse group of stockholders: management, unions, editors, department heads, and so on. The case is helpful for joint discussion of operational and organizational issues.