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In late 2015, Dr. Shehan Dissanayake, a managing director and board member of the Bahamian-based investment firm The Tavistock Group (Tavistock), the largest single shareholder in the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), one of the country's largest agribusinesses, faces a potentially challenging future operating environment in Australia. The country's national government has recently instituted changes to its agricultural foreign direct investment (FDI) policies that could affect Tavistock's future goals for its long-term investment in AACo. These regulatory changes were made in response to popular and political concern over increased foreign interest in and ownership of Australian land and real estate. Due to the newness of the regulatory changes, it was unclear at the moment precisely how they would affect AACo, but as a foreign-owned company, it was likely to face more rigorous screenings and oversight as it grew. How could Dissanayake best manage Tavistock's investment in this uncertain political climate?

On June 16, 2013, the Irish government sponsored the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, which proposed to allow abortions when doctors determined the procedure was necessary to save the life of the mother. The bill was introduced in Ireland's House of Representatives to much debate. Some Representatives who were opposed to the bill felt that that they should be entitled to vote their conscience rather vote the party line. The consequences of voting against the party were considerable: Representatives who did so would be immediately ousted from the party. Creighton voted against the bill and was automatically expelled from Fine Gael, her parliamentary party; the Government won the vote, 130 to 24. When asked about Fine Gael's pre-election commitment to keep abortion illegal, she said, "I know in my own mind we made a clear commitment before the last election. I repeated that commitment, I meant it and held it sincerely. This legislation is a breach of that commitment." The case is designed to facilitate discussion of the differences between the trustee and the delegate models of representation and an evaluation the relative merits of each as they pertain to definitions of 'good representation.' Students will formulate a personal definition of 'good representation,' identifying those characteristics specifically tied to representative 'quality.' Students should be able to analyze the interaction between intensity of preferences and public (or personal) assessment of representative 'quality.' Through the case and the class discussion, students will learn to develop personal frameworks and metrics for assessing the work of legislators in representative democracies; appropriately apply these frameworks and metrics to existing situations; demonstrate the capacity to engage in systematic comparative analyses of both normative and empirical information; and, justify arguments using articulately crafted, evidence-based ideas.

Statutes governing the physical use of land-its development, redevelopment, and conversion of use-shape the parameters within which land markets operate. Using New York City as an example, this note illustrates the importance of understanding zoning laws and processes before engaging in any real estate transaction.

This case is set in 2010. It is a retrospective case that examines a 1994 policy reform and incentive framework meant to attract private sector investment for power generation in Pakistan. Inadequate power generation and distribution were long-standing development hurdles for the country - and international donors, such as the World Bank, had successfully petitioned the government of Pakistan to privatise their power sector. Privatisation, it was believed, would incentivise the necessary infrastructure investment to overcome the sector's historic challenges. Electrical power generation and distribution in Pakistan was originally provided by private regional utilities. These utilities were then later nationalised under the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in 1972. Despite this, there were persistent challenges related to the fuel mix and associated energy import costs, limited power generation capacity, and transmission and distribution losses. For WAPDA to be privatised, it would have to first be corporatised and restructured into distinct profit centres with independent management and separate accounts that established a commercial track record. At the same time, investors would be incentivised to fund independent power producers (IPPs) through purchase power agreements (PPA) with the WAPDA in order to finance new capacity. However, there were numerous conflicts of interest between stakeholders themselves. Contemporary public-private partnerships can benefit from Pakistan's 1994 policy reform by understanding what went right, and what went wrong.

In September 2013, two years after its $2.1 billion acquisition of Mey Icki Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (Mey Icki), the principal spirits company in Turkey specializing in the local beverage raki, Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks company, was concerned about new legislation approved by the Turkish parliament prohibiting marketing and restricting the places and times at which alcoholic beverages could be sold. Diageo's Mey Icki investment in 2011 was the company's biggest acquisition in more than a decade. Having been caught off guard by the 2013 legislative changes, the Diageo management found itself needing to justify its $2.1 billion valuation, given that Diageo had acquired Mey Icki in 2011 from TPG for three times TPG's purchase price in 2006. Investors as well as analysts were questioning the over seven times value increase in Mey Icki since its privatization in 2003. Menezes, The new CEO, found himself increasingly overwhelmed by these issues. Had Diageo underestimated the uncertainties in the Turkish market? Would Diageo, with its broad range of brands, geographical spread, and significant financial resources be able to adapt to the changing environment and recoup its vast investment in Turkey? The case describes the forces that affect investment circumstances in emerging markets, raising the issue of how to best manage and prepare for risks. The case provides the context for the students to identify the potential elements that companies could face when investing in emerging markets where rules, legislation, and taxation can change and thus affect investment outcomes. The case challenges the students to ponder how companies should think about when investing in volatile markets and what it takes for them to succeed under uncertain and shifting circumstances.

Can a consortium of 16 organizations, including multinational corporations, local government agencies, and startups, turn a run-down Paris suburb into a "smart" (ecologically viable, high-tech, livable) neighborhood? This case explores how Bouygues Immobilier led such a project involving Alstom, Bouygues Energies & Services, Bouygues Telecom, EDF (Electricity of France), ERDF (Electricity Distribution Grid of France), Microsoft, Schneider Electric, Steria, and Total in Issy-les-Moulineaux (France). The enormous scope and diversity of the project is presented as well as the teaming strategies and governance model that facilitated its success. IssyGrid® earned the "Golden Issy" and "Grand Paris," among other awards, for its innovation and performance.

Throughout the summer of 2010, Pakistan experienced severe flooding that overtook a large portion of the country, displacing millions of people, causing extensive physical damage, and resulting in significant economic losses. This case focuses on the role of the National Guard (and of the U.S. military, more broadly) in the international relief effort that unfolded alongside that of Pakistan's government and military. In particular it highlights how various Guard and U.S. military assets that had been deployed to Afghanistan as part of the war there were reassigned to support the U.S.'s flood relief efforts in Pakistan, revealing the successes and challenges of transitioning from a war-footing to disaster response. In exploring how Guard leaders partnered with counterparts from other components of the U.S. government, Pakistani officials, and members of the international humanitarian community, the case also examines how they navigated a set of difficult civilian-military dynamics during a particularly tense period in US-Pakistan relations.

A newly elected city council member is facing her first vote -- an appropriations measure to increase funding for the Scared Straight program. Juvenile crime is rising in the city, citizens are concerned and want the government to do something, and the police chief is promoting the Scared Straight Program as one part of the solution. But the council member learns from a colleague at the community college that research shows the Scared Straight Program has a negative effect on youth -- causing more crime among some. How should she vote? How could she explain the research to constituents who are concerned and afraid and want action?

Israel enjoyed the highest concentration of technology start-ups in the world per capita. Despite regional instability, the country maintained strong economic growth and was considered a high-tech powerhouse. But not all Israelis benefited. Between the 1980s and 2010s, income distribution had widened. By 2015, 20 business groups -- nearly all family-owned -- controlled one in four listed companies through corporate pyramids. Public anger over the high cost of living, which many believed was due to a lack of competition, led to a series of protests. Some academics and members of the Knesset (Parliament) called for reforms to limit the activities of corporate pyramids.

Sequel supplement to case HKS798. On June 5, 2013, a London newspaper reported that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) was collecting the telephone records of millions of Verizon customers in the U.S. The story was the first of many top secret revelations about the NSA's spying programs, leaked by Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor. The case examines Snowden's actions and motivations and asks students to consider the repercussions of whistleblowing/leaking on the general public, the U.S. government, the NSA and Snowden himself.

Handout to be used with case SMU326.

This brief case is a supplement to "Cresud and Argentina" (515-043) and "Note on Agriculture in Argentina" (515-069). Set in early 2016, it describes developments in Argentina under newly elected President Mauricio Macri, including the country's return to international credit markets, major economic and agricultural policy reforms, and the potential improvements and obstacles Argentina faces under this new administration. The case also describes Cresud's performance in 2015. It allows students to consider the outlook for Cresud amid the evolving context in Argentina, with volatility in Brazil a potentially important factor.

How a social or political issue is framed shapes the "nonmarket" context that surrounds it. Issue frames are not random; rather they are the product of strategic behavior by firms, government agencies, NGOs, and similar actors. Frames are not fixed and issues can be reframed over time. Framing is a powerful strategic tool that enables firms to shape the structure of the nonmarket environment to their advantage. This article identifies and illustrates five distinct pathways through which firms can shape different dimensions of the nonmarket environment.

This case explores the experiences of three Manhattan-based hospitals during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Beginning with an overview of how the hospitals prepared in the months and days leading up to the storm, it focuses primarily on decisions made by each institution, as Sandy approached, about whether to shelter-in-place or evacuate hundreds of medically fragile patients -- the former strategy running the risk of exposing individuals to dangerous and life-threatening conditions, the latter being an especially complex and difficult process, not without its own dangers. Ultimately, each of the three hospitals profiled in the case took a different approach, informed by their differing perceptions of risk and other unique circumstances. The case illustrates the very difficult trade-offs hospital administrators and local and state public health authorities grappled with as Sandy bore down on New York and vividly depicts the ramifications of these decisions, with the storm ultimately inflicting serious damage on Manhattan and across much of the surrounding region.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. The opportunity to use data analytics to improve city life is enormous -but cities aren't yet ready to make the transition. One city leading the way is Amsterdam, which has been working toward becoming a "smart city"for almost 7 years. The city's chief technology officer, Ger Baron, makes it clear that even this time frame is still early days: "I can give you the nice stories that we're doing great stuff with data and information, but we're very much at a starting point,"he says.

In September 2014, as several West African countries continued to battle a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus, Dallas, Texas emerged as ground zero for the disease in the U.S. This case recounts how, over the course of three days, Thomas Eric Duncan, who had recently arrived in the city from Liberia, reported twice to Dallas Presbyterian Hospital exhibiting signs of illness. Having sent him home after his first visit, the hospital admitted him after his second; and with his symptoms worsening rapidly, tests soon revealed everyone's worst fear: he had Ebola. "Fears and Realities" describes how local, state, and federal public health authorities, along with elected officials and hospital administrators, responded to the alarming news - a hugely difficult task made all the more challenging by confusion over Duncan's background and travel history, and, eventually, by the intense focus and considerable concern on the part of the media and public at large. Efforts to curtail the spread of the disease were further complicated when two nurses who had cared for Duncan also tested positive for Ebola, even though they apparently had followed CDC protocols when interacting with him. With three confirmed cases of the disease in Dallas - each patient with their own network of contacts - authorities scrambled to understand what was happening and to figure out a way to bring the crisis to an end before more people were exposed to the highly virulent disease.

This epilogue accompanies case number KS1160. In September 2014, as several West African countries continued to battle a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus, Dallas, Texas emerged as ground zero for the disease in the U.S. This case recounts how, over the course of three days, Thomas Eric Duncan, who had recently arrived in the city from Liberia, reported twice to Dallas Presbyterian Hospital exhibiting signs of illness. Having sent him home after his first visit, the hospital admitted him after his second; and with his symptoms worsening rapidly, tests soon revealed everyone's worst fear: he had Ebola. "Fears and Realities" describes how local, state, and federal public health authorities, along with elected officials and hospital administrators, responded to the alarming news - a hugely difficult task made all the more challenging by confusion over Duncan's background and travel history, and, eventually, by the intense focus and considerable concern on the part of the media and public at large. Efforts to curtail the spread of the disease were further complicated when two nurses who had cared for Duncan also tested positive for Ebola, even though they apparently had followed CDC protocols when interacting with him. With three confirmed cases of the disease in Dallas - each patient with their own network of contacts - authorities scrambled to understand what was happening and to figure out a way to bring the crisis to an end before more people were exposed to the highly virulent disease. Case number KS1161.

In 2016, Europe struggles to cope with one of the largest refugee flows it has ever witnessed.