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In essence, this the story of how two INSEAD MBA students had a great idea for an integrated service to take over companies' product return streams and how they turned this idea into a successful business. Cycleon was founded in 2005 to offer original equipment manufacturers an option to manage returns at a lower cost than was offered by express services, and with greater speed than possible by leveraging forward supply chain partners. It describes the reverse logistics market, Cycleon's strategic positioning, and the entrepreneurial challenges it faced.

SK-II was Procter & Gamble's (P&G) only high-end skincare brand in China and sales accounted for an estimated 7 percent of SK-II global revenue in 2005. China was also P&G's fastest-growing market for skincare products and among the top markets in value worldwide. For many years, P&G China enjoyed high revenue and margin growth from SK-II and it was clear that this product could be a star. However, two consecutive public relations (PR) debacles in China in 2005-2006 resulted in a dip in SK-II's performance. As of 2007, P&G China was still trying to rebuild SK-II's prestigious brand image and to regain consumers' trust. This case examines the details of these two PR incidents and how P&G SK-II had handled these two events.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, with a full range of products for professional horticulture as well. Headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, the company is a market leader in a number of consumer lawn and garden and professional horticultural products. The case describes a series of decisions regarding the ownership and organization of the assets used to manufacture fertilizer spreaders. This case is intended to illustrate the application of and tradeoffs between financial, strategic and operations perspectives in a relatively straightforward manufacturing make-buy decision. The case involves a well-known, easily-described product that most students would assume is made overseas. Sufficient information is provided to roughly estimate the direct financial cost associated with internal (domestic) production, offshore (non-domestic) production and outsourced production. In addition, information is included that may be used to estimate potential transaction costs as well as costs associated with foreign exchange risk.

How does one assess which consulting firm to hire when planning for the postacquisition activities? This technical note lists the questions to ask presenters from consulting firms who are making their "pitch" to get the assignment.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, with a full range of products for professional horticulture as well. Headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, the company is a market leader in a number of consumer lawn and garden and professional horticultural products. The case describes a series of decisions regarding the ownership and organization of the assets used to manufacture fertilizer spreaders. This case is intended to illustrate the application of and tradeoffs between financial, strategic and operations perspectives in a relatively straightforward manufacturing "make-buy" decision. The case involves a well-known, easily-described product that most students would assume is made overseas. Sufficient information is provided to roughly estimate the direct financial cost associated with internal (domestic) production, offshored (non-domestic) production and outsourced production. In addition, information is included that may be used to estimate potential transaction costs as well as costs associated with foreign exchange risk.

Dr. John Mendlein, CEO of Adnexus Therapeutics Inc., (Adnexus), a private biotechnology company, must decide whether to pursue acquisition talks with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) after a successful six month collaboration or continue with Adnexus' planned IPO.

In Differences at Work: Sameer (A) HBS Case No. 9-609-053 Sameer, an Indian Muslim, is a summer intern in a small, predominantly Jewish firm. Prompted by a conflict in the Middle East, members of the organization make a number of anti-Muslim jokes. Sameer wonders whether he should surface his discomfort; he otherwise enjoys the firm, and is hoping to be given a full-time job offer following his internship.

In Differences at Work: Sameer (B) HBS Case No. 9-609-054, Sameer leaves the firm at the summer's end without confronting his employer about the jokes and wondering whether he made the right choice. Later Sameer's former employer calls him to apologize for their behavior after discovering an email that Sameer wrote describing how offended he felt by the jokes. Accepting the apology, Sameer decides to take a full time position with the firm but reflects on how his own inaction at the time of the incident was a missed opportunity to educate his fellow colleagues.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the London Public Library (LPL) had developed and had begun to implement a strategic plan to improve the LPL. The strategic plan was based on a balanced scorecard. The four perspectives measured by the balanced scorecard were: the community perspective, the internal processes perspective, the organizational readiness perspective and the financial perspective. With two years before the deadline to achieve the plan, the CEO had to decide on what she would focus next.

Information systems (IS) backsourcing is a business practice in which a company takes back in-house assets, activities, and skills that are part of its information systems operations that were previously outsourced to one or more outside IS providers. Backsourcing often represents a response to the problems with the outsourcing arrangement as well as to new opportunities generated by internal or environmental changes in the business situation. The problems are manifested in escalating costs, poor service quality, loss of control over outsourced activities, and a know-how mismatch on the part of the provider. Opportunities arise from internal organizational changes such as new executives and redefinition of the role of IS as well as environmental changes such as mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. This article provides insights into reasons for backsourcing, possible responses to the problems and opportunities associated with it, and offers suggestions for managing a smooth transition to in-house operations.

This note explores four fundamental aspects of all organizations in order to help students develop an effective operating point of view and decision-making skills related to operations. The basic components of operating systems are outlined as well as key tasks for operations managers, types of operations systems and tools to help diagnose and solve common operations problems.

After 20 years of rapid expansion, the last six months of 2007 saw Starbucks jolted by a decline in share price of 50 per cent and a decrease in customer visits. Its share price was hovering around $19 to $20. By mid-2008, it had declined to $18. Its fiscal first-quarter profit in 2007 rose by less than two per cent, and in January 2008, it announced the closing of 100 U.S. stores. In July, the number was increased to 600. The case was written to encourage classroom discussion and research into the company policy and marketing practices in order to discover the means for a possible turnaround of the company.

In 2006 Andy Papathanassiou was faced with a new dilemma. After 15 years of working within the racing world of NASCAR, as athletic director for HMS, he was searching for the next breakthrough to improve pit crew performance. Earlier in his career, he had successfully halved pit times and changed standards across the racing industry by introducing athletic training and transforming pit crew members into pit athletes. In doing so, Papa created a legacy in motorsports and transformed auto racing. Papa's instinct was that within the matching process of assigning pit positions existed an opportunity that would improve performance. Papa was looking for ways to elevate the system dynamic whether it be "man or the machine." The next breakthrough would most likely be less dramatic than the first, though no less important. Fractions of a second could determine whether a race was won or lost. Other contributing factors were the continued evolution of racing, new automotive technologies and NASCAR's regular changing of the rules to keep the playing field level. Learning objectives: To illustrate operational process improvement methods, like lean, and open innovative techniques that can lead to improved performance and productivity in time-based competition. The case uses the concept and illustration of knowledge brokering techniques - using old ideas to find new answers and solutions for problems and how this can be applied to improve performance. It is a platform for considering improvement approaches in interconnected time-based production or service systems. The case also questions what will be the next breakthrough in performance and promotes discussion as to whether it will be a human or technological element.

MTN, a very successful South African wireless telephone company, began in 1994 with the founding of the cellular telephone company M-Cell. In May 2008, MTN entered into exclusive discussions with Reliance Communications Ltd., the second largest wireless company in India, regarding possible business combinations including a merger. The two companies operated in different markets had somewhat different strengths. MTN was experienced in entering new national markets and in efficiently building infrastructure while Reliance Communications was experienced in serving very poor customers in rural areas. Regardless of whether the two companies agreed to some sort of combination, MTN had to deal with challenges in its ongoing operations and evaluate new opportunities in emerging markets. This case explores various issues influencing MTN's analysis, with a focus on non-market factors including taxation, government regulation, and political barriers to financing.

In November 2006, 200 German police officers raided the headquarters of Siemens AG, Europe's leading engineering company, seeking evidence pertaining to widespread bribery. The raid followed extensive investigations of Siemens' activities that originated from a bank's internal scrutiny of accounts believed to be used for money laundering. Amid broadening suspicions, the Siemens initiated its own internal investigation, identifying €420 million in suspicious transactions in its telecommunications unit. The company hired a private law firm to conduct an independent internal investigation. The law firm reported that it had identified €1.3 billion in suspicious payments since 1999 and had received "important ... new information" that could implicate high-ranking executives. This case follows the bribery investigation, touching on possible causes, the company's handling of the allegations, and potential safeguards to protect against future problems.

Considers the development of Amazon Web Services (AWS), a division of Amazon.com, Inc., specializing in the provision of web-based storage and computing services to web developers. The case focuses on the issues facing Andy Jassy, the head of AWS, in 2008 as AWS faces increased competition from established technology giants, such as Google, Microsoft, and IBM. Students are asked to consider whether entry into web services by Amazon, which had established its brand in retail, represented a prudent move by the company. The case provides an opportunity to highlight the benefits of AWS' variable pricing for developers and to determine where overlaps exist between Amazon's core retailing business and AWS. Students are also provided with an opportunity to discuss operational diversification and its limits within the AWS context.

Explores the journey of aggressive learning and capability building in the operations of a major Korean Shipbuilder. While DSHM had once used its superior learning capability to topple its Japanese competition, it now faced the potential for a similar attack from new Chinese competitors. Without outsourcing some of its work to China, DSHM would become uncompetitive. However, in outsourcing the work, some skills would necessarily have to be transferred, potentially teaching the future competition and providing them with a platform to attack DSHM's core markets.

In the follow-up to the A case (UV0803), Karl Henderson has convened the first meeting of the virtual team at Metrionic Systems. Because of the time-zone differences, some members are meeting from home, while another member cannot attend at all. Henderson decided that since it was cumbersome to schedule a meeting where everyone was present, each member of the team should send status reports to him on Fridays, and he would then decide whether to set up a conference call. As time passed, Henderson found himself spread too thinly at work. He was spending too much time trying to understand what each team member had done and then putting the pieces together?in fact, he was putting more time into that effort than any other task at work. Henderson must consider various problems in dealing with a virtual team that he had never even considered before, including spec, time zone, integration, technology, and network issues.

Considers the situation facing David Barger, President and CEO of JetBlue Airways, in May 2007 as he addresses the airline's need to slow its growth rate in the response to increasing fuel costs and the effects of major operational crisis for the airline in February 2007. In 2005, JetBlue-typically viewed as a low-cost carrier (LCC)-made a move that is often considered antithetical to the LCC model. Specifically, JetBlue moved from a single aircraft type (i.e., the Airbus 320, or A320) to a fleet with two types of aircraft by adding the smaller Embraer 190, or E190. Students are initially asked to consider the impact of this decision on JetBlue's operations strategy and business model. They are then asked to consider how the reductions in aircraft capacity growth should be spread across the two plane types. This discussion hinges not only on issues of aircraft efficiency but also on those of operational focus and the ultimate competitive priorities of the airline as a whole.

This case discusses the concepts of broadband and its adoption in developing and developed countries around the world, specifically in Indonesia. The telecom sector in Indonesia had under-developed infrastructure, and been dominated by two monopolies, PT Telkom and PT Indosat ("Indosat"), for many decades until September 2000, when the government opened up the sector to competition. The market has subsequently become highly competitive. This case highlights the strategies proposed by Indosat to succeed in this market, with broadband penetration being identified as one of the primary revenue-generating and growth areas for 2008. As is the case with most developing countries where the fixed-line infrastructure is minimal, the plan is for broadband technology to evolve through wireless platforms. This case can be used to understand Indosat's proposed strategy to promote broadband, particularly wireless broadband, in Indonesia. It can also be used to discuss the general issues that emerge in providing telecom services in a developing country, particularly where a formerly government-owned monopoly player faces an increasingly competitive market. The case provides students an opportunity to discuss the best way to implement the company's proposed strategy, given its competitive advantages and the constraints imposed by the external political, regulatory and economic environments.