Cheryl Jamis, the high-powered marketing director for a large UK-based clothing retailer, seems to have it all--corner office included. What's more, she loves her job. But her professional dedication is beginning to jeopardize another job she is passionate about: being a mom. As Cheryl's career has grown, so has her daughter, Emma. And while juggling the two has never been easy, it's been manageable. Emma had been taking a backseat to whatever work crisis loomed at the moment, but now that she is seven, it is becoming harder to put her on hold. Marcus Addison, Cheryl's boss, seems sympathetic to her efforts to succeed as a professional and a mother. So when she suggests reducing her hours, she is taken aback by his response: "You'll just end up working the same hours for less pay, you know. Your job is a big, responsible one. It just can't be done in four days, let alone three." Then he implies--albeit vaguely--that she could soon be on the next step up the ladder. Before Cheryl has time to digest that possibility, however, Marcus tosses her yet another curveball: a chance to take his place on a business trip to the United States--a great opportunity. Though it means canceling a long-overdue weekend away with her daughter, Cheryl accepts--then almost immediately regrets it. When she goes to Marcus's office to hash things out, he preempts her speech with one of his own: The promotion he'd expected for her is off the table, at least for the time being. Now Cheryl has to make a decision: Should she stick it out or chuck it all? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0702B and R0702Z are Monica McGrath, an adjunct assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School; Rebecca Matthias, a cofounder and the president and COO of Mothers Work; Robert J. Maricich, the CEO of Century Furniture; and Evelyne Sevin, a Paris-based partner at Egon Zehnder International.

Cheryl Jamis, the high-powered marketing director for a large UK-based clothing retailer, seems to have it all--corner office included. What's more, she loves her job. But her professional dedication is beginning to jeopardize another job she is passionate about: being a mom. As Cheryl's career has grown, so has her daughter, Emma. And while juggling the two has never been easy, it's been manageable. Emma had been taking a backseat to whatever work crisis loomed at the moment, but now that she is seven, it is becoming harder to put her on hold. Marcus Addison, Cheryl's boss, seems sympathetic to her efforts to succeed as a professional and a mother. So when she suggests reducing her hours, she is taken aback by his response: "You'll just end up working the same hours for less pay, you know. Your job is a big, responsible one. It just can't be done in four days, let alone three." Then he implies--albeit vaguely--that she could soon be on the next step up the ladder. Before Cheryl has time to digest that possibility, however, Marcus tosses her yet another curveball: a chance to take his place on a business trip to the United States--a great opportunity. Though it means canceling a long-overdue weekend away with her daughter, Cheryl accepts--then almost immediately regrets it. When she goes to Marcus's office to hash things out, he preempts her speech with one of his own: The promotion he'd expected for her is off the table, at least for the time being. Now Cheryl has to make a decision: Should she stick it out or chuck it all? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0702B and R0702Z are Monica McGrath, an adjunct assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School; Rebecca Matthias, a cofounder and the president and COO of Mothers Work; Robert J. Maricich, the CEO of Century Furniture; and Evelyne Sevin, a Paris-based partner at Egon Zehnder International.

Cheryl Jamis, the high-powered marketing director for a large UK-based clothing retailer, seems to have it all--corner office included. What's more, she loves her job. But her professional dedication is beginning to jeopardize another job she is passionate about: being a mom. As Cheryl's career has grown, so has her daughter, Emma. And while juggling the two has never been easy, it's been manageable. Emma had been taking a backseat to whatever work crisis loomed at the moment, but now that she is seven, it is becoming harder to put her on hold. Marcus Addison, Cheryl's boss, seems sympathetic to her efforts to succeed as a professional and a mother. So when she suggests reducing her hours, she is taken aback by his response: "You'll just end up working the same hours for less pay, you know. Your job is a big, responsible one. It just can't be done in four days, let alone three." Then he implies--albeit vaguely--that she could soon be on the next step up the ladder. Before Cheryl has time to digest that possibility, however, Marcus tosses her yet another curveball: a chance to take his place on a business trip to the United States--a great opportunity. Though it means canceling a long-overdue weekend away with her daughter, Cheryl accepts--then almost immediately regrets it. When she goes to Marcus's office to hash things out, he preempts her speech with one of his own: The promotion he'd expected for her is off the table, at least for the time being. Now Cheryl has to make a decision: Should she stick it out or chuck it all? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0702B and R0702Z are Monica McGrath, an adjunct assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School; Rebecca Matthias, a cofounder and the president and COO of Mothers Work; Robert J. Maricich, the CEO of Century Furniture; and Evelyne Sevin, a Paris-based partner at Egon Zehnder International.

John Dooley, BioSol's vice-president of strategic research, has been making a name for himself at the biotechnology company's offices in Ireland. He's been doing so well, in fact, that the firm has offered him a promotion to director of strategy at headquarters--in California. He's lived abroad before. In the 1980s, making a living in Ireland was tough: Jobs were scarce and unemployment was high. So John and his wife, Fiona, moved to Massachusetts, where John attended MIT. They were not alone; many of their friends and family members also moved out of Ireland then. John and Fiona enjoyed their time in Boston; they became active in a large expatriate community and established reputations in their professional fields. By 1999, however, the Celtic Tiger was running at full speed. The Irish economy was booming and the whole country seemed to be bursting with possibility. When John was offered a job at BioSol's Dublin subsidiary, he and Fiona moved home and never looked back--until now. The new promotion would give his career a huge boost, but accepting it would mean uprooting his family and becoming an expat again. Ireland's economy is going strong now, but what if it doesn't last? Should John cast his lot with his country or his company? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0511A and R0511Z are Raj Kondur, the CEO of Nirvana Business Solutions in Bangalore, India; James Citrin, a senior director at Spencer Stuart in Stamford, Connecticut; Maurice Treacy, the director of biotechnology at Science Foundation Ireland in Dublin; Arno Haslberger, who teaches HR management at Webster University Vienna in Austria; and Sharman Esarey, also in Vienna, editor of the annual report of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe.

John Dooley, BioSol's vice-president of strategic research, has been making a name for himself at the biotechnology company's offices in Ireland. He's been doing so well, in fact, that the firm has offered him a promotion to director of strategy at headquarters--in California. He's lived abroad before. In the 1980s, making a living in Ireland was tough: Jobs were scarce and unemployment was high. So John and his wife, Fiona, moved to Massachusetts, where John attended MIT. They were not alone; many of their friends and family members also moved out of Ireland then. John and Fiona enjoyed their time in Boston; they became active in a large expatriate community and established reputations in their professional fields. By 1999, however, the Celtic Tiger was running at full speed. The Irish economy was booming and the whole country seemed to be bursting with possibility. When John was offered a job at BioSol's Dublin subsidiary, he and Fiona moved home and never looked back--until now. The new promotion would give his career a huge boost, but accepting it would mean uprooting his family and becoming an expat again. Ireland's economy is going strong now, but what if it doesn't last? Should John cast his lot with his country or his company? Commenting on this fictional case study in R0511A and R0511Z are Raj Kondur, the CEO of Nirvana Business Solutions in Bangalore, India; James Citrin, a senior director at Spencer Stuart in Stamford, Connecticut; Maurice Treacy, the director of biotechnology at Science Foundation Ireland in Dublin; Arno Haslberger, who teaches HR management at Webster University Vienna in Austria; and Sharman Esarey, also in Vienna, editor of the annual report of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe.