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This case profiles the evolution of General Electric's African American Form (AAF), an employee affinity group, and its efforts to increase the company's involvement in Africa. The AAF formed in 1991 to help advance GE's recruitment, retention and development of black employees. By 1995, members of the AAF started asking Jack Welch whether the company was planning to develop business in Africa. After Welch invited the group to conduct due diligence, it was concluded that the timing was not right for GE to make a significant investment in Africa. Yet, when Jeffrey Immelt began attending the AAF Symposia in 2001, the question about GE's involvement in Africa resurfaced. In 2004, Immelt pledged $20 million to fund, "The Africa Project" (later renamed, "Developing Health Globally")-a GE philanthropic effort sponsored by the GE Foundation and the AAF to improve healthcare outcomes in Africa.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Technology has enabled people to reconnect easily with networks of contacts that have gone dormant. And it turns out that reconnecting dormant relationships can be extremely useful. In one experiment, advice that executives received from ties that had been dormant for at least three years was as useful, and often even more useful, than the advice they received from current relationships. The big payoffs of dormant ties are that: (1) They are great sources of unexpectedly novel insights, (2) reconnecting is extremely efficient, as it requires a minimal investment of time and (3) reconnecting is not like starting a relationship from scratch. People still have feelings of trust and a shared perspective, which are critical for receiving valuable knowledge from someone. The authors identify and answer "frequently asked questions"about reconnecting dormant ties. One concerns the staying power of relationships once reconnections have occurred. Typically, they conclude, these reconnected relationships do not become fully renewed and maintained, but those who reach out cite the experience as overwhelmingly positive.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Despite the economic downturn and tenuous recovery, more than two-thirds of businesses are strengthening their commitment to sustainability, according to a new global study by MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group, as reported in this article. The study found that 69% of companies surveyed plan to step up their investment in and management of sustainability this year. Just over one-quarter (26%) plan no change, and only 2% intend to cut back on their commitment. The study also found that a two-speed landscape is emerging, with a gap between sustainability "embracers"-those who place sustainability high on their agenda -and nonembracers or "cautious adopters,"who have yet to focus on more than energy cost savings, material efficiency and risk mitigation. Embracers are significantly more confident about their competitive position than nonembracers are. Seventy percent of embracers said they believe their organizations outperform industry peers. By contrast, only 53% of cautious adopters described themselves as outperformers, and 14% admitted to lagging behind peers -more than twice the percentage of embracers who made the same claim (6%). In addition, nearly three times as many embracers (two-thirds of them) as cautious adopters said that their organization's sustainability actions and decisions have increased their profits. "What's fascinating is that these findings depict a business landscape in general that's tilting hard toward where the embracers already are,"says Michael Hopkins, editor-in-chief of MIT SMR and a coauthor of the report. "So the embracers have handed us a kind of crystal ball. Their insights and behaviors suggest a blueprint for how management practice and competitive strategy will evolve." The report identifies seven specific practices exhibited by embracer companies, which together begin to define sustainability-driven management.

An assistant professor at the University of Kentucky examines the similarities between people's responses to physical pain and their responses to social rejection, including the surprising finding that taking acetaminophen decreases hurt feelings.

The latest in a long string of directors of New York City's toughest juvenile detention facility confronts a staff which is both demoralized and resentful of authority. As the jail's first black director, she must cope with a predominantly black staff long accustomed to "getting over"-giving less than full effort and rationalizing its attitude in terms of the perceived indifference of a "downtown" white power structure. Battles over child abuse, insubordination and union power ensue. HKS Case Number 875.0

The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software company. The existing compensation plan is aggressive and highly rewards "star" performers. The cases track a series of changes the manager makes to the sales compensation plan in response to negative and unintended consequences of the existing system. The cases illustrate the trade-offs inherent in incentive plans (even outside sales environments) and presents a framework for the design and management of incentive systems. It also is useful in addressing employee response to incentive system change.

The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software company. The existing compensation plan is aggressive and highly rewards "star" performers. The cases track a series of changes the manager makes to the sales compensation plan in response to negative and unintended consequences of the existing system. The cases illustrate the tradeoffs inherent in incentive plans (even outside of sales environments) and presents a framework for the design and management of incentive systems. It also is useful in addressing employee response to incentive system change.

The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software company. The existing compensation plan is aggressive and highly rewards "star" performers. The cases track a series of changes the manager makes to the sales compensation plan in response to negative and unintended consequences of the existing system. The cases illustrate the tradeoffs inherent in incentive plans (even outside of sales environments) and presents a framework for the design and management of incentive systems. It also is useful in addressing employee response to incentive system change.

The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software company. The existing compensation plan is aggressive and highly rewards "star" performers. The cases track a series of changes the manager makes to the sales compensation plan in response to negative and unintended consequences of the existing system. The cases illustrate the tradeoffs inherent in incentive plans (even outside of sales environments) and presents a framework for the design and management of incentive systems. It also is useful in addressing employee response to incentive system change.

The Arck Systems series of cases describes the dilemmas faced by a senior sales manager in determining a sales compensation plan at an enterprise software company. The existing compensation plan is aggressive and highly rewards "star" performers. The cases track a series of changes the manager makes to the sales compensation plan in response to negative and unintended consequences of the existing system. The cases illustrate the tradeoffs inherent in incentive plans (even outside of sales environments) and presents a framework for the design and management of incentive systems. It also is useful in addressing employee response to incentive system change.

This case supplements the Darcy Gallagher Performance Coaching case by providing briefing material for the individual who is assigned to play the Darcy Gallagher role. In preparation for the meeting between Darcy Gallagher, sales manager, with his general manager regarding his annual performance review, Darcy has done a self-assessment of his performance. In addition, this supplement describes Darcy's beliefs about leadership, sensitivity to criticism and motivators.

This case supplements the Darcy Gallagher Career Coaching case by providing briefing material for the individual who is assigned to play the Darcy Gallagher role. In preparation for his meeting with his general manager about his future career path, Darcy has crafted his career development plan over the next five years.

In this supplement to Maple Leaf Foods (A): The Listeriosis Crisis, product #9B11C001, describes what the company and its chief executive officer did to cope with this crisis in the days and months following.

The case describes the situation of Dirk von Ameln, the permitting director of Nord Stream, in his negotiation efforts to obtain the national permits for the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline. In order to procure the Danish construction permit, Dirk had to reach an agreement with the Danish fishermen, who were fearful of a negative impact on their trade from the construction and operation of the pipeline. This case serves to understand the steps in preparing negotiations; the difference between distributive and integrative negotiations; and the process of negotiations in European cross-border infrastructure projects. The case may also be used to analyze different approaches to negotiations and their implication for current negotiation strategies.

Attracting quality talent in emerging markets has long been a challenge for Western multinationals, but historically they've enjoyed a big advantage: local workers in places like China have viewed global companies as employers of choice, offering higher status and better career prospects than domestic companies. Now that attitude is shifting. Five strategies can help Western companies regain their hiring edge: They can reboot employment branding efforts, create local development opportunities, offer viable career paths, be smart about pay, and become a quasi-local company.

For up-and-coming executives, an overseas posting has long been a rite of passage, providing opportunities not available in their native countries and experience that can be invaluable to their companies both during the assignment and after their return home. How has the Great Recession affected this formula? HBR spoke with the top human resources executives at four multinationals about how their companies are adapting global assignments to meet the demands of a changing world. Siegfried Russwurm, of Siemens, talks about the need to recruit workers who will really engage with their new culture-workers with the capacity for truly "international thinking." CEMEX's Luis Hernandez discusses personal and professional factors that can make or break an overseas assignment. In the same vein, Keumyong Chung describes measures that Samsung has taken to reduce failures, including preassignment training of various kinds. Today's economy is prompting cutbacks in some global programs, but the news is not all bad: For example, at Walmart, as Susan Chambers relates, a new emphasis on creative, shorter-term assignments is allowing more people (including more women) to obtain global experience without the major uprooting of a conventional expat assignment. It is also helping them get that experience earlier in their careers-when it can be of maximum benefit to the employee and the company alike.

It is 2010, and Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk, is contemplating the next steps for his organization. Founded in 2004 in California, oDesk operates an online marketplace that matches Employers with Contractors. oDesk provides fact-based information on Contractors, including experience, skills, and certifications, to Employers, who use this information as a basis for interviewing and hiring Contractors. oDesk's online marketplace also includes a payment platform and tools that allow Employers to audit and verify Contractors' work and time sheets. oDesk collects commissions, approximately 10% of gross services, on all work that goes through its platform. oDesk has enjoyed robust growth since its inception and to date has focused on a very distinct market segment: small and medium-sized employers, Contractors who provide computer programming services, and U.S.-based employers hiring overseas Contractors. Swart believes that the time has come for oDesk to expand beyond this niche, but he is concerned about maintaining oDesk's strong reputation and market positioning and, as such, he wants to grow in a very focused manner. Should oDesk expand its customer focus to include large employers? Broaden the services its marketplace offers beyond computer programming? Widen its geographic reach? Each of these growth options offers opportunities and entails costs. Swart considers each of these in turn.

In the late 1990s, faced with a number of burning management issues, a growing inmate population, and a problem of officer recruitment, the director of the Singapore Prison Service implemented a thorough transformation process, developing a new paradigm for modern prison management which impacted the whole of Singaporean society. Case A describes the brave decisions and innovative ideas championed by the directorate, inviting students to slip into the role of senior management and discuss the pros and cons of a key management decision without knowing the outcome (Case B).

In the late 1990s, faced with a number of burning management issues, a growing inmate population, and a problem of officer recruitment, the director of the Singapore Prison Service implemented a thorough transformation process, developing a new paradigm for modern prison management which impacted the whole of Singaporean society. Case A describes the brave decisions and innovative ideas championed by the directorate, inviting students to slip into the role of senior management and discuss the pros and cons of a key management decision without knowing the outcome (Case B).

Dr. Elizabeth Harris, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology (DA) at North Atlantic Hospital (NAH), faces several significant challenges. Staff satisfaction surveys confirmed her assessment that department faculty morale was low; the tenure and promotion system was perceived as opaque and biased toward researchers over clinicians; and overall, faculty felt the organization had little interest in their professional development and well-being. NAH had mandated career conferences across all departments one year prior, and Harris felt this initiative could serve as an important building block for a comprehensive staff performance and development program for the DA. In designing the DA career conference initiative, Harris and her team polled DA faculty representing all promotion tracks and lengths of service. They also captured best practices from across other NAH divisions and other peer institutions.