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In the short time between October 2018 and March 2019, two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes in different parts of the world were involved in deadly crashes. In both cases, the aircraft developed difficulties in seemingly calm weather and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board. Preliminary investigations pointed to failures in a new automated software-driven system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that had caused both aircraft to pitch forward and potentially nosedive. The probe also revealed gaps in the documentation and testing of the MCAS system and a lack of adequate pilot training. Case (A) delves into the causes of the 737 MAX crashes, Boeing leadership's questionable responses and poor crisis management, and the fallout from the grounding. It describes the erosion of a culture of integrity and mismatched management expectations that ultimately led to cutting corners and breakdowns in the engineering and development process. Participants have the opportunity to analyze the critical issues in the case and answer the crucial question posed by aviation expert Andy Stephen: How could a disaster of this magnitude occur in an industry so advanced and sophisticated, and so driven by safety? Case (B) looks at the timeline of events surrounding the recertification of the 737 MAX, from the investigations immediately following the first crash to early August 2020, when initial test flights for recertification commenced, following intense internal reviews. The case considers the sequence of events from various angles: regulatory approvals, the company's financial performance, its corporate culture, and how the COVID 19-related slowdown affected Boeing's efforts to get the 737 MAX off the ground. Stephen, having followed the events closely and having understood the gravity of the situation, poses the following key questions: What would it take for the MAX to fly again? And when could it happen?

To prepare for each year's NFL draft, each team creates a "model" for player selection. This involves developing a holistic view of every player (especially those the team is most interested in), such that it can compare two different players. In this exercise, students are tasked with building and operationalizing (but not actually collecting the data or testing) a model for player selection in the NFL draft, including deciding on the dependent and independent variables.

In this exercise, students are put into the role of newly appointed general manager of an NFL team and must use the data provided to conduct draft research and make a tentative decision for their team's first four picks in the NFL draft. The data show the team's prospect analysis and include each prospect's grade on the 1-100 scale (and thus tier) and ranking among other prospects that play the same position. Their task is to consider all information summarized, review the information about the dozen or so best prospects likely to be available when they select in each of the first four rounds, and make their decisions about what to do in each round. The companion exercise (UVA-OB-1367) is from the head coach's perspective, and the two can be used in a negotiation scenario.

In this exercise, students are put into the role of head coach of an NFL team and must use the data provided to conduct draft research and make a tentative decision for their team's first four picks in the NFL draft. The data show the team's prospect analysis and include each prospect's grade on the 1-100 scale (and thus tier) and ranking among other prospects that play the same position. Their task is to consider all information summarized, review the information about the dozen or so best prospects likely to be available when they select in each of the first four rounds, and make their decisions about what to do in each round. The companion exercise (UVA-OB-1366) is from the newly appointed general manager's perspective, and the two can be used in a negotiation scenario.

In March 2021, faced with emphatic calls from a minority group of dissatisfied investors worried about Danone SA's poor financial performance, Danone's board of directors asked Emmanuel Faber, Danone's chair and chief executive officer (CEO), to step down from his leadership position. Danone had a long history of being a purpose-driven company, and Faber's personal values mirrored the company's values. Why did a historically purpose-driven company succumb to the demands of a minority of shareholders? How would Faber's departure affect the general movement toward responsible capitalism? Was his strategy justifiable and should it be continued or rejigged under a new CEO?

Spreadsheet Supplement for Case W25287

The game of baseball offers a team's manager relatively few tactical decisions to affect their team's chances of winning on any given day. The manager chooses the batting lineup and where the fielders are positioned; the pitchers who start the game and appear in relief, and to some extent what pitches are thrown; and if or when to attempt a stolen base or sacrifice bunt. Those decisions comprise all the levers in baseball a manager can pull to gain an advantage. Given this, the question facing baseball managers is how to optimize this limited set of decisions such that they maximize their team's odds of winning as many games as possible. In this exercise, student will measure how one of the strategic decisions a manager can make-whether to sacrifice bunt or not-affects runs generated or lost.

Handout for Case UV8375

The ability to communicate an action plan through writing is essential for advancing ideas, earning credibility, and garnering support. Research has shown that leaders who write formal plans are more likely to execute successfully-written plans help members of an organization focus on common goals and the allocation and coordination of resources. Organizations have increasingly required employees to write memos as supplements (or replacements) to presentations (e.g., Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Tesla's Elon Musk banned the use of slides in internal meetings and, instead, mandated "memo-only" policies). Unlike presentations, where information is often listed as bullet points, action-planning memos include more detail and context. They also serve as intellectual assets that can help team members learn from success and failure. This Note explains how to write an effective action-planning memo. It consists of four parts: (1) when to write a memo versus other forms of communication; (2) key components of an action-planning memo; (3) tips for writing a memo; and (4) avoiding common traps. The Note is designed for use by both students and executives. Instructors can assign the Note to help their students develop writing skills needed for classroom assignments. Executives will find it useful for honing their written communication skills.

Sally Witherspoon had a PhD in Statistics, was a 30-something mother of two young children, and was a highly successful manager at Legend Corporation, a high-technology company which sent its high-performing women managers to its Women's Leadership Workshop. Before attending the program, Witherspoon, like the other WLW attendees, asked colleagues and her boss to give her feedback on the Kouzes and Posner's 360-degree Leadership Practices Inventory. On the first day of the program, the participants received their 360-degree feedback: Witherspoon was stunned and emotionally distraught by the negative data that she received from her boss. Now, she needs to figure out how to calm herself; if and how to share her harsh feedback with others at WLW; and, in addition, how to prepare herself for a conversation about her feedback with her boss.

This case set challenges students to consider the upcoming free agency decision-making of an NBA team by conducting some basic statistical analyses of three possible targets, all of whom are upcoming unrestricted free agents-Danny Glover, David Bowie, and Mike Meyers. Each of these players could potentially fit the team's need to find a shooter and versatile defender at the forward position. Students are asked specifically to evaluate what each of these three players might be worth paying to acquire based on their past performances.

Handout for case UV8487.

Spreadsheet supplement for case UV8487.

This case set challenges students to consider the upcoming free agency decision-making of an NBA team by conducting some basic statistical analyses of three possible targets, all of whom are upcoming unrestricted free agents-Danny Glover, David Bowie, and Mike Meyers. Each of these players could potentially fit the team's need to find a shooter and versatile defender at the forward position. Students are asked specifically to evaluate what each of these three players might be worth paying to acquire based on their past performances. The B case puts students into the role of a player's agent responsible for finding the best contract for their client.

This case set challenges students to consider the upcoming free agency decision-making of an NBA team by conducting some basic statistical analyses of three possible targets, all of whom are upcoming unrestricted free agents-Danny Glover, David Bowie, and Mike Meyers. Each of these players could potentially fit the team's need to find a shooter and versatile defender at the forward position. Students are asked specifically to evaluate what each of these three players might be worth paying to acquire based on their past performances. The C case puts students into the role of a team representative responsible for leading negotiations with players and their agents to get the best contract for the team.

The exercise directs students to watch specific scenes from the movie Hidden Figures, which is loosely based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly that tells the story of three African American women who were mathematicians working at the Langley Research Center in Virginia in the 1960s. The women encountered racism and sexism as they attempted to contribute to the Center's work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its space race with the Soviet Union. The clips assigned to students for viewing portray moments of leadership in the story of the three Black women who were considered "human computers." The students are expected to view the assigned clips and consider how the scenes portray leadership and what character dimensions the actors demonstrate in their roles.

Corporate corruption has become a pervasive problem in our society as scandals erupt with disheartening regularity. These unethical business practices result not only in financial disaster but also in the disillusionment and loss of trust on the part of consumers and shareholders alike. Unethical behavior often originates with top management. However, these bad actors cannot act alone. They must have the complicit support of others within the organization. In this installment of Business Law & Ethics Corner, we examine the pressures and motives of people deep within the corporation; the ordinary people who, by just going about their everyday jobs, enable these scandals to take place. Administrative evil is an explanatory framework to understand the tendency toward dehumanization and the rationalization of unethical behaviors. Using the Wells Fargo account scandal as an illustration, we integrate administrative evil with theories from organizational psychology which strive to understand group pressure for social conformity. We conclude with recommendations to prevent unethical attitudes and behaviors from permeating the organization.