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Covers President Lula's challenges to reduce "Brazil cost" and grow like other BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Experts agreed that for Brazil to grow like other BRIC countries, the Brazilian government would have to reduce the cost of doing business in the country ("Brazil cost"). At the same time, President Lula's challenge is to develop programs that accelerate growth without undermining the progress achieved in reducing inequality and poverty. Can the Brazilian government reverse inequality and grow at the same time? What development strategy should Lula follow in his second term? Does Brazil belong in BRIC? What do these countries have in common?

In October 2005 the Bush administration was considering a dramatic change to the U.S. Food Aid program that would take 25 percent of the budget that would otherwise be used to buy food domestically and instead send direct cash transfers that could be used to buy food in or close to the countries in desperate need. The U.S. Food Aid program traditionally enjoyed support in Congress because it provided support to American farmers, agribusiness, and U.S. shipping interests in addition to nongovernmental organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and CARE. The case considers the proposal from the perspective of four different stakeholders: Cargill, USAid, Catholic Relief Services, and Oxfam. Each must come up with a response to the proposal.

The case compares two U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) programs from the 1970s and 1980s: (1) "stealth" combat aircraft, capable of evading detection or engagement by anti-aircraft systems, and (2) precision attack of hardened ground vehicles from "standoff" distances, i.e., far behind the battle lines. Conceived at roughly the same time, motivated by the same strategic challenge, and initially driven by the same DoD organization, stealth combat aircraft progressed from idea to deployment in less than eight years-an astounding pace for a complex military system-while a demonstrated system for standoff precision strike against mobile ground targets was not fully implemented. The case highlights the critical role of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), part of the DoD, regarded as one of the most innovative entities in the U.S. federal government.

The case describes the competitive advantages that U.S. farmers enjoy in the global cotton industry and the subsidies they receive from the U.S. federal government. Arguments for and against the subsidies are presented in the context of global competition. The case includes the data needed to estimate a supply curve for 2004 cotton production and predict the average 2004 cotton price using total cotton consumption for 2004. Students can also estimate the result of eliminating the U.S. cotton subsidies on the average 2004 cotton price.

China has been a member of the WTO for more than five years. Its implementation of requirements has been a mixed bag. While China's growth is still spectacular, many institutional problems remain. And there is a new problem--a spectacular trade asymmetry with the United States.

Presents the history and evolution of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, from early price supports to the 2003 decision to "decouple" payments to European farmers. Explores the logic behind agricultural supports, with a focus on the economic, political, and cultural context of French farming. Discusses efforts to reform the CAP in the context of the Doha Round of WTO negotiations against the backdrop of European enlargement.

Brazil's national agricultural research corporation, Embrapa, has developed an integrated crop and livestock production system that will allow farmers and ranchers to intensify production and improve profitability. Broad adoption of the technology would provide the country with greater agricultural production, a major source of exports, without the need to convert additional areas of the Cerrado or Amazon to farmland. However, producers have been slow to adopt it due to the initial costs of the system and the fact that many of the benefits are beyond the farm gate. Embrapa's director of technology transfer must develop a plan to encourage adoption.

J.R.D Tata, Chairman of the Indian conglomerate Tata & Sons, played a significant role in building India's economic infrastructure. Under his guidance, Tata & Sons built locomotives, steel refineries, airlines, chemical plants, and technology-based enterprises. Inheriting his title as Chairman in 1938, at the outbreak of World War II, Tata was able to navigate his family-owned companies through the tumultuous political climate of India. He worked with British colonial officers, and later closely with several Indian leaders under both pro- and anti-business government regimes. Applying his family's values to the workplace, Tata & Sons helped revolutionize business practices in India. From instituting the eight-hour work day and paid leave to providing a retirement gratuity, Tata's policies created a standard to which other companies--and eventually Indian government regulators--measured themselves. Blending humane business practices with political savvy and a pioneering spirit, J.R.D Tata is remembered as one of India's most important and influential business leaders. Tata is an example of a 20th century business leader who applied contextual intelligence to a variety of businesses, dramatically changing the landscape of India's infrastructure.

Focuses on the challenges facing the European Union in 2006. Following the French and Dutch referendums in 2005, the fate of the European Constitution is in jeopardy. Ten new accession countries have just joined the EU, with Turkey in the beginning stages of the accession process. New member states and additional future members have provoked widespread debate on financial, political, and social issues. Growth within the EU has been sluggish, with high unemployment and low investment in R&D. The EU has launched a set of reforms to create a "single passport" system of mutual recognition within the EU for capital, services, and people. Still, terrorist attacks, an upsurge in domestic violence, budgetary problems, and foreign policy, enlargement, and immigration issues plague the EU. In light of these problems, what will be the future of the EU and its constitution?

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was a U.N. treaty that by 2006 had been signed by virtually every country in the world except for the United States. The treaty established three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. Although the treaty had been in effect for almost 15 years, progress was slow. CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf needed to increase the participation of the private sector in order to meet the treaty's "2010 Target," which called for a significant reduction in the loss of biodiversity at all levels (global, regional, and national). Provides background on the relationship between biodiversity and agriculture.

Shortly after Infosys was founded in 1981, its managers faced a major turning point when they made a decision to operate without giving in to the petty corruption rife in the Indian economy. Within just a few years, that decision had truly defined the company. Over the next 25 years, Infosys managers went to extraordinary lengths to avoid even the most modest of practices that they considered inappropriate. Explores the practices and methods that Infosys adopted instead, considers their costs, benefits, and generalizability, and contextualizes the problem within Indian political and economic institutions that continue to evolve.

In the spring of 1977, Goodyear CEO Charles J. Pilliod Jr. was looking at an internal report on government and legal events relevant to the tire industry. Two items caught his attention. First, he noticed that an industry suit to block the government's proposed system to rate tires on tread wear, traction, and temperature resistance had been rebuffed by a U.S. appeals court. Although the court found fault with the government's proposals, the ruling could mean that the tire grading system was close to becoming a reality. Second, Joan Claybrook, a former Nader consumer interest group lobbyist, had just become head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency within the government that was in charge of producing the rating system. Pilliod wondered if the regulatory events might affect Goodyear's ability to maintain its world leadership in the tire industry.

This country-case on Malaysia extends forward by seven years the case Malaysia: Capital and Control (702-040). It is based on Malaysia's ninth plan, which took effect in 2006. The ninth plan proposed five thrusts--moving the economy to higher value-added goods and services, raising the capacity for knowledge, addressing socioeconomic inequalities, improving the quality of life, and strengthening institutions and the civil service--to achieve 6% growth annually. All of this is to achieve "Vision 2020," a long-range plan for becoming developed. Considers the difficulties Malaysia faces, stuck between China and India on the low (value-added) side, and Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore on the high (value-added) end.

In 1978, Deng Xiaoping assumed the leadership of an impoverished China, after Mao Zedong's disastrous Cultural Revolution. During the next 17 years, Deng applied pragmatic policies to liberalize the Chinese economy gradually while maintaining the power of the Communist state. In hindsight, this strategy was among the most successful development strategies ever. Reviews Chinese political history and explores in detail eight parts of Deng's development strategy. Concludes by looking at the problems facing Jiang Zemin in 1997 as he takes control of China for the next leg of economic development.

Using servers located in the United States, Google began offering a Chinese-language version of Google.com in 2000. The site, however, was frequently unavailable or slow because of censoring by the Chinese government. After extensive debate within the company, Google decided to offer a modified version of their site, Google.cn, using servers in China. Explores how Google and various foreign Internet companies entering the Chinese market responded to Internet censorship. Companies offering Internet services had to pledge not to circulate information that "damages the honor or interests of the state" or "disturbs the public order or destroys public stability." Google.cn did not include features that allowed users to provide content--it offered neither e-mail nor the ability to create blogs--since user-generated material could be seized by the Chinese government, putting individuals in jeopardy of being arrested. Google planned to exercise self-censorship, conform to Chinese laws, and be thoughtful about the services it provided. Along with other Internet companies, however, Google faced severe criticism and political pressure in the United States for what was seen as cooperating with Chinese government censorship. Google had to decide whether to change its operating policies and what to do about the criticisms.

According to the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC), approximately $350 billion in counterfeit goods is traded annually in the world economy. Additionally, the European Commission of Taxation and Customs Union reported that 100 million fake items were seized in 2004, a 900% increase over a four-year period. Recent trade initiatives, such as the U.S. Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) and the EU Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive, target both organized pirates and consumers in an effort to bolster the protection of intellectual property rights. Understanding these innovative trade initiatives will assist managers to better deal with anti-counterfeiting tactics.

Successive economic crises of the 1990s and early 2000s intensified focus on reform of the "international financial architecture." Because many of these crises involved defaults on sovereign bonds, an important component of the discussion revolved around the composition of international capital flows and sovereign debt restructuring. With the official sector, private creditors, and sovereign debtors focused on different issues, proposals surrounding the topic varied widely. Describes some of the proposals and summarizes scholarship on their advantages and disadvantages.

Global companies that create and institutionalize a systematic framework for assessing risk will be the ones best positioned to capitalize on China's enormous promise.

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In almost every county in the world, more than 20% of the population smoke. The health hazards of cigarettes are many and severe. Recently, most developed countries have introduced laws to restrict where smokers can light up. These laws might encourage smokers to consume less or to quit entirely. Sweden stands out among peer countries as its smoking population is only 18% of all adults. Consequently, it has low rates of smoking-related illness and death. The Swedes consume as much nicotine as elsewhere, however, because many of them use a traditional smokeless tobacco product called snus. Since the tobacco in snus is pasteurized, not fermented as in cigarettes and other smokeless tobaccos, it contains far fewer cancer-causing substances. Smokers may reduce the harm they cause themselves by consuming more snus, and fewer cigarettes. The dilemma for tobacco companies is whether they should introduce snus in markets where they sell cigarettes. And, if so, should they market it as a compliment to cigarettes, to be consumed where smoking is banned, or as a substitute to cigarettes, with the aim of smokers quitting cigarettes altogether? The sale of snus is banned in the EU (except in Sweden) but legal in other countries like the US and Japan. The dilemma for policy makers is whether to legalize snus and how to regulate it where it may be legally sold. The case explores the co-dependence of marketing in the private sector and public policy, and how each side must take the incentives, actions and reactions of the other into account.