個案總覽

This case looks at the provision of financial services both when a banking system is weak and inefficient and when it is liquid, solvent, and highly competitive, seen through the lens of Akbank's adaptation to the evolution of Turkey's banking sector. Of special interest are the effects on financial depth and financial inclusion of a commercial bank's efforts to align its internal capabilities with external opportunities. This case is accompanied by a video supplement that provides insights into contemporary Turkey as one of its most successful banks explores options for future growth. Images of urban and rural Turkey, cityscape and campus life, are viewed through the lenses of both Akbank's management and independent observers. Includes vignettes of bank customers and "unbanked" businesses.

Changes in the external environment and internal responses to these changes demonstrate the impact of government policies and administration on the strategic and tactical options for businesses - government decisions can produce unanticipated threats as well as provide unforeseen opportunities for businesses. This case looks at the provision of financial services both when a banking system is weak and inefficient and when it is liquid, solvent, and highly competitive, seen through the lens of Akbank's adaptation to the evolution of Turkey's banking sector. Of special interest are the effects on financial depth and financial inclusion of a commercial bank's efforts to align its internal capabilities with external opportunities. The film component (available soon) gives one a deeper understanding of both Turkey and Akbank in 2008, to better appreciate the context of Akbank's strategic and operational options. It portrays the dynamism of Turkey and Akbank, as well as both Akbank biases and beliefs of potential customers that might lead to missed opportunities in the provision of financial services for low income households and family businesses. HKS Case Number 1912.0

The case focuses on the risks and rewards of early-stage investing in a successful emerging market consumer start-up (i.e. non-tech), from seed funding in 2004 to raising expansion capital in 2019. We observe the founder of Sula Vineyards, a winemaker from the Nasik Valley in India, as he makes decisions about external fundraising. Case (A) takes the seed investor perspective. It follows Deepak Shahdadpuri, who stays invested in Sula for 13 years, gradually reducing his equity stake along the way. Cases (B) and (C) follow the company as it raises successively larger rounds of funding to fuel its growth and international expansion. As the Sula brand and CEO Rajeev Samant become increasingly well-known, the company attracts the attention of diverse investors ranging from European family offices, Asian institutional investors, venture capital and growth equity, and sovereign wealth funds. Given its emerging market setting, the case can be used to explore investment risks from political and regulatory uncertainty, and currency risk for US$-based institutional investors.

The A case describes the decision the BurMills textile company will make regarding whether to change from producing their own steam to outsourcing their steam production to Intrinergy. BurMills can calculate the present value of cost flows for three alternatives: producing their own steam from burning natural gas, outsourcing to Intrinergy with either a fixed price contract, or with a price contract that floats with the natural gas price at Henry Hub. In addition to the standard costs associated with steam production the case adds depth by providing the possibility of revenue from carbon credits. These credits are earned because the energy in the Intrinergy plant is created from biomass. A proper analysis will include a Monte Carlo simulation based on an arithmetic random walk for carbon credit pricing, a mean-reverting arithmetic random walk for Henry Hub natural gas spot prices, and other distributions. (A student spreadsheet is available to accompany this case.)

The B case brings Intrinergy's point of view into play. Intrinergy has two options for obtaining the biomass to produce steam for the industrial plant. They can use wood chips or sawdust. The wood chips are available at woodlands, essentially for free, although a capital investment in trucks is needed to bring the chips to the plant, and there is variable cost to chip the waste wood and transporting it to the steam plant. Sawdust is delivered to the plant at a price that follows a random walk. Once again a Monte Carlo simulation is needed to compare the alternatives. How Intrinergy fuels the steam plant does not matter to BurMills and will not change BurMills decision. On the other hand, it will matter to Intrinergy which option BurMills takes, since it affects the level and risk of the revenue to Intrinergy from the project. (A student spreadsheet is available for use with the case.

Spreadsheet supplement to case UV4312.

Under pressure from the European Union, which had admitted Italy to the "Eurozone" hesitantly, on condition that the country control its deficit spending and reduce its high public debt, the central government in Italy initiated dozens of cost-cutting programs in the late 1990s and early 2000s. One such program aimed to economize, to the tune of billions of euros, on public procurement of goods and services. The program's first priority was to identify products and services bought widely by public agencies at every level of government, and consolidate them into nation-spanning mega contracts. By aggregating public sector demand in this manner, analysts had reasoned, Italy's public sector could greatly increase its market leverage and win big discounts from suppliers. This appraisal proved correct-but also politically explosive. In November 2003, Italy's Minister of Economy and Finance ordered a temporary halt to the program to give political and administrative leaders a chance to figure out what to do. HKS Case Number 1925.1

In 2006 officials of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the State of Maharashtra were beginning to implement a plan to improve the economic fortunes of the city. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, was India's richest city, with wealth based on trade, finance and filmmaking. But the city was also famous for its enormous slums, terrible traffic congestion, and poor infrastructure. And while India's economy had been growing rapidly since the late 1980s, Mumbai seems to be losing ground to other cities in India, such as Bangalore, and to other regional financial centers such as Shanghai and Dubai. The plan the city was considering would relax land use and rent control regulations and build new infrastructure in an effort to make Mumbai more affordable and livable. The case is designed to support a discussion of the rationale for regulation and of the political economy of regulatory reform. HKS Case Number 1917.0

In the United States, the president has the Constitutional authority to negotiate international trade agreements. But the Congress has the ultimate authority over trade. This arrangement blunts the negotiating power of the United States in trade talks because other countries know that any commitments made at the table could be altered or rejected by Congress. Therefore, from 1974 to 1993, Congress granted the president fast track authority by committing to an expeditious yes-or-no vote on trade implementing egislation with no amendments or changes in return for regular consultations and timely notification on the part of the administration. However, beginning in the early 1990s, fast track became the subject of fierce political debate and a focal point for concerns about global trade liberalization. HKS Case Number 1660.3

In 2006 planners in the City and County of San Francisco were promoting an overhaul of the city's parking policy that they claimed would correct unfair and unwise subsidies for automobile users. The effort was designed to allow market forces to play a greater role in determining parking costs by, among other things, raising the price of residential on-street parking in neighborhoods where it was scarce, and raising parking meter rates on downtown streets, and amending zoning provisions that specified the minimum numbers of off-street parking spaces that developers of new residential and commercial projects had to provide. The parking reform proposals are controversial and can be used to support a discussion of the nature of economic efficiency and the possibilities for making efficiency-minded reforms politically acceptable. HKS Case Number 1877.0

Those familiar with transatlantic trade relations are well aware of the longstanding US-EU dispute over trade in beef. This note traces the history of the quarrel, beginning with the introduction of the use of growth-promoting hormones for raising beef cattle. In 1989, Europe banned the use of these hormones. The ban covered all beef, including meat imported from the United States where growth-enhancing hormones were widely used. In retaliation, the United States imposed punitive tariffs on approximately $100 million worth of European food imports. In the years that followed, the rules changed. New multilateral institutions and agreements were put in place to govern disputes like the beef quarrel such as the SPS Agreement negotiated during the Uruguay Round of trade talks. Despite these changes, the story was very much the same a decade later. Though the new World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled against the European ban, the EU continued to refuse beef raised with growth-promoting hormones. In 1999, once again, the United States imposed punitive tariffs on approximately $117 million on foods imported from Europe. The rules had changed, but the endgame remained much the same. At the core of the dispute lay fundamental disagreements about trade in food. The United States argued that the European regulatory process had been captured by politics. US officials were frustrated by what they saw as a political move to protect the EU beef market by invoking scientifically unsupported claims about the detrimental health effects of hormones. The real issue, Europe retorted, was that the US trade system had been captured by industry-the United States had soured the entire transatlantic trade relationship by capitulating to the demands of the corporate beef lobby. Furthermore, some consumer groups argued that it was not the role of a group of trade lawyers and diplomats at the WTO to make decisions related to health and safety. HKS Case Number 1677.3

This note gives descriptive statistics of inflation, GDP (growth), and unemployment. How the statistics are calculated is discussed and issues specific to the 'Big Three' are mentioned. The note is part of the refresher course in Economics at Darden for incoming MBA students.

This technical note refreshes the algebraic representation of linear demand and supply, how to account for shifting curves, and how to include taxes. This is part of the refresher course in Economics at Darden.

In February 1994, top officials from China and Singapore signed a landmark partnership agreement to develop a massive new industrial park and residential community in the city of Suzhou in China. The ambitious project, modeled after Singapore's highly successful industrial-residential parks, would provide not only jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, but homes and community facilities as well. The agreement between the partners also called for a "software transfer," in which Singapore would share its highly-touted expertise in managing economic development with its Chinese partners. The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (CS-SIP) enjoyed the support of the highest levels of government in both nations. But the joint venture soon foundered, as CS-SIP ran into problems and fell short of its goals. The harmonious partnership between likeminded nations that their leaders envisioned did not materialize. Singaporeans accused local authorities of undermining the project, while Suzhou officials criticized the Singaporeans for taking their complaints to Beijing instead of dealing directly with them. After five years of disappointing results, Singapore pulled back from CS-SIP, dramatically reducing its share in the partnership. This case tells the story of CS-SIP in two parts: Part A describes the project and outlines the hopes both nations invested in it, as well as the potential snags that could derail it; Part B details the problems that led to a falling out between the partners. Both parts can be assigned together, or Part B can serve as a sequel to be read after classroom discussion of Part A. The case is suited for discussion of international development issues, in particular, the difficulties of doing institutional transfers across national boundaries. HKS Case Number 1859.0

In February 1994, top officials from China and Singapore signed a landmark partnership agreement to develop a massive new industrial park and residential community in the city of Suzhou in China. The ambitious project, modeled after Singapore's highly successful industrial-residential parks, would provide not only jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, but homes and community facilities as well. The agreement between the partners also called for a "software transfer," in which Singapore would share its highly-touted expertise in managing economic development with its Chinese partners. The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (CS-SIP) enjoyed the support of the highest levels of government in both nations. But the joint venture soon foundered, as CS-SIP ran into problems and fell short of its goals. The harmonious partnership between likeminded nations that their leaders envisioned did not materialize. Singaporeans accused local authorities of undermining the project, while Suzhou officials criticized the Singaporeans for taking their complaints to Beijing instead of dealing directly with them. After five years of disappointing results, Singapore pulled back from CS-SIP, dramatically reducing its share in the partnership. This case tells the story of CS-SIP in two parts: Part A describes the project and outlines the hopes both nations invested in it, as well as the potential snags that could derail it; Part B details the problems that led to a falling out between the partners. Both parts can be assigned together, or Part B can serve as a sequel to be read after classroom discussion of Part A. The case is suited for discussion of international development issues, in particular, the difficulties of doing institutional transfers across national boundaries. HKS Case Number 1860.0

Income tax cuts for individuals and businesses, ambitious government spending plans, financial assistance for citizens affected by the December 2004 tsunami, rising costs of the national healthcare system, and public pressure to curb alcohol consumption all contributed to the Government of Thailand's decision to consider raising its excise taxes on alcoholic beverages. By September 2005 the Thai cabinet had to make a decision on reform of the system of liquor taxation. The current scheme was a mixed system that charged excise taxes based on both liquor values and the quantity of alcohol content, whichever yielded higher revenues. The cabinet caught between the competing interests of its own revenue needs, the profit objective of local producers, and consumer preferences and welfare was considering three options for reform proposed by the ministry of Finance's Excise Tax Department. The case reviews key factors that affected the conditions and desires of each stakeholder, as well as provides an international comparative perspective on the taxation of alcoholic beverages. The case can be used in both public policy and business courses, as it demonstrates the dynamic interaction between government policies, corporate strategies, and consumer interests. HKS Case Number 1857.0

The case explores some of the conflicts generated by the liberalization of labour and services markets in the European Union (EU) following the post-Communist enlargement in 2004, focusing in particular on the role played by the European Court of Justice as the frequent arbitrator of conflicts over market liberalization in the EU.

Supplement to case IN1204. The case explores some of the conflicts generated by the liberalization of labour and services markets in the European Union (EU) following the post-Communist enlargement in 2004, focusing in particular on the role played by the European Court of Justice as the frequent arbitrator of conflicts over market liberalization in the EU.

This note describes the chi-square statistic as applied to goodness-of-fit tests. Goodness-of-fit tests check to see how closely a sample matches a particular probability distribution (e.g., normal, Poisson, binomial).

This case traces the development of genetically-modified (GM) foods in the United States and in Europe. The US had from the start a commanding lead in GM food developmentand a correspondingly large stake in global acceptance of GM seeds and foods. The case describes evolving and contrasting US and European consumer attitudes toward GM foods, a general acceptance in the US, versus a worried rejection in Europe. The case discusses how US government and corporate leaders were convinced at first that Europe was indulging in protectionist activity, but came over time to understand that the European reaction was mostly consumer-driven and derived from citizens' suspicion of government's ability to understand and regulate scientific discoveries sufficiently to protect public health. Still, US food corporations were alarmed when in 2002 Zambia refused to accept desperately-needed US food aid on the grounds that US-made GM products might preclude Zambia selling its own produce to Europe. HKS Case Number 1832.0