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Holt Lunsford is debating how to grow his Dallas-based commercial real estate services firm and how to advise a long-time client who is wondering whether to lease or buy an industrial warehouse. Focuses on the highly competitive and increasingly institutionalized $50 billion real estate services industry, which encompasses property management, leasing, tenant representation, and other activities. What makes Lunsford's firm, The Holt Companies, special? Explores what corporate strategy Lunsford should choose for his firm, and what recommendation he should make to his client.

This case is designed to illustrate the methods that small-business lenders use to evaluate the creditworthiness of potential commercial borrowers. It is set in South Central Los Angeles, the commercial loan officer is of Mexican descent, and the potential borrowers are Mexican immigrants. The unique setting allows students to evaluate the creditworthiness of the borrower, while discussing many of the nonfinancial considerations that accompany the lending process. The case explores several issues, including immigration, urban development, and the challenges facing mainstream banks trying to expand into new markets.

Indupalma was managed as a plantation since its creation in 1961. Labor conditions were grim, and labor unrest was at a peak when the general manager of Indupalma was kidnapped by the guerrilla group M-19 in 1977. Highlights the importance of corporate social responsibility.

Indupalma was managed as a plantation during its first 30 years. Labor cooperatives emerged as a response to a financial and governance crisis that led Indupalma to the brink of bankruptcy at the beginning of the 1990s. Workers and peasants formed associations to create autonomous business units (such as cooperatives, microenterprises, and associations), which sold their services to Indupalma. The company invested a great deal of resources in technical and administrative training and in human resource development for associates. The performance of workers improved, and the financial viability of the company was regained. Today, cooperatives face multiple social and economic challenges; the role of Indupalma in facing these challenges (intervention, paternalism, empowerment, or indifference) will put to the test the solidity and true impact of the development process.

In October 1998, VERITAS and Seagate's Network Storage and Management Group, which both sold data storage management software, agreed to merge. In terms of employee size and revenues, it was nearly a merger of equals. Until regulatory approval for the merger was granted from the government under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act, the two companies could share only public information, initially limiting due diligence. The companies received HSR approval on December 4, 1998. It had been clear from public information that the two companies offered different products, sold through different channels of distribution, and captured two different customer segments of the market. After all, these differences were regarded as complements and the major justification behind the merger. However, what was not so apparent until HSR approval was the clash in sales force cultures. Paul Sallaberry, an executive at pre-merger VERITAS, assumed the role of executive vice-president of worldwide sales and marketing after the merger. Sallaberry needed to design a sales force integration plan that would take the company to billions of dollars in sales within the next few years without sacrificing any short-term sales momentum. To do so, he had to resolve the issues at hand: culture clashes, disparate compensation structures, overlapping territories, and redundant management positions.

General Electric launched Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care Link, a program through which enrolled physicians receive bonuses of up to 10% of their salary for delivering quality care to diabetic patients covered by a participating employer or health plan. A day later, the Wall Street Journal labeled the program a "bribe." The case explores this accusation and the assumption that purchasers and consumers must explicitly pay for quality in heath care. Also allows evaluation of a specific program from design (e.g., financial reward structure) to implementation (e.g., parties involved). The question of scalability arises, as does the criteria by which to judge success.

Describes the acquisition decision-making process employed at Polycom. Focuses on the potential acquisition of the firm's archrival, Picturetel, in mid-2001.

Debra Taeschler, CEO of Grafica, is considering how to structure her agency's bid for the New Jersey Lottery account. The Lottery is facing declining sales in all major categories and plans to slash its 1999 marketing budget by 32%. Taeschler is debating whether to take a conservative approach and submit a bid that builds on the Lottery's current product-focused marketing strategy or take a riskier approach and advocate an entirely new umbrella branding campaign.

The Emprendedores Juveniles de Nicaragua (EJN, Nicaragua's Young Entrepreneurs) program was created in 1991 as an affiliate of Junior Achievement International (JAI). Since 1997, EJN developed a new approach to JAI's traditional model for young entrepreneurs' education by choosing youths at risk to participate in its programs. Although the new young entrepreneurs' model managed to get ongoing support from UNICEF, the traditional program, basically funded by private sector contributions, lost momentum and finally had no beneficiaries in 2000. In late 2002, the program's executive director had to find strong support for the traditional program and expected to keep or increase the number of beneficiaries in the new format. Provides information on the social programs developed by three private companies--Texaco, Pizza Hut, and Coca Cola--and their relationship with EJN.

Focuses on the current IT applications portfolio and plans for the world's second largest cruise line. An IT-intensive organization, it forces students to think through how IT resources should be allocated in this dynamic environment and what kind of management system is most appropriate.

Dan Schulman, the CEO of Virgin Mobile USA, must develop a pricing strategy for a new wireless phone service targeted toward consumers in their teens and twenties, many of whom are believed to have poor credit quality and uneven usage patterns. Contrary to conventional industry wisdom, Schulman is convinced that he can build a profitable business based on this underrepresented target segment. The key is pricing. Schulman is currently debating three pricing options: 1) adopting a pricing structure that is roughly equivalent to the major carriers, 2) adopting a similar pricing structure, but with actual prices below the major carriers, or 3) coming up with a radically different pricing structure. With respect to the third option, Schulman is considering various alternatives, including a reliance on prepaid (as opposed to post-paid) plans and the total elimination of contracts. Includes color exhibits.

Daimler-Benz AG, a large automobile manufacturer in Europe, and the Chrysler Corporation, one of the Big Three auto makers in North America, merged to create DaimlerChrysler. On the surface, everything seemed to be going as planned. In reality, all was not well. Organizational changes, conflicting information, and doubts about the future structure of the company resulted in the departure of numerous Chrysler employees, including many mid-level managers and engineers. While initially amalgamated into Daimler, the Chrysler Group ended up as one of three separate automotive divisions. In 2001, DaimlerChrysler recorded a $1.2 billion loss in operating profit (before one-time effects). Estimates for 2002 called for a break-even result, but the company was facing a $9 billion lawsuit filed by the 5th largest shareholder, who claimed that Daimler had deceived investors by touting the venture as a merger of equals.

This case tracks the events leading to the April 2003 industry settlement on equity research in financial services companies.

Compares and contrasts three different venture capital funds from the perspective of a potential investor. The first fund has a technology-enabled services preference, the second a Mid-Atlantic region preference, and the third a seed round preference. Students are asked to decide which fund (or combination of funds) would be the best investment and which fund would be the most attractive investor for entrepreneurs.

Eyeblaster management has to decide on the best course of action to sustain its momentum from enabling online rich media advertising. Pressure from competitors is forcing the company to re-evaluate its previous marketing strategy that focused primarily on getting advertising agencies to advocate use of Eyeblaster's rich media ad management product. Alternatively, more Eyeblaster sales effort, product improvements, and pricing incentives could be diverted to Web site publishers or even to advertisers. CEO Gal Trifon has to decide whether to give the green light to entering two new markets. Such a move would require the company to position itself somewhat differently in the marketplace and offer different pricing schemes. Includes color exhibits.

Minuto de Dios (MD) is a social service organization that uses alliances for the majority of its projects. Illustrates the creation, development, and full growth of a social enterprise like MD, the leadership of its founder, Eudist Father Rafael Garcia Herreros, and the several types of cross-sector collaborations developed by the organization over time. In its first 40 years, MD built more than 15,000 housing solutions in 17 Colombian cities and more than 40,000 houses in disaster relief projects.

The case method is widely used in professional education. Different professional schools, however, employ very different case methods. This article compares the use of the case method in law, business, and medical schools and also traces the history of its development. Concludes by examining the impact of new technology on cases and case method teaching.

Illustrates the technological and organizational challenges of breakthrough innovation. Students discuss the benefits, disadvantages, and management of various approaches to technological breakthroughs.

The CEO of Best Buy, a hugely successful retailing company, has hired consulting firm Strategos to imbue the company with an improved innovative capability. The six-month program of experimental learning yields new business ideas and also trains Best Buy employees as innovation coaches. However, this kind of learning is expensive and time consuming. The case details the learning journey as experienced by Best Buy employees and raises the question of when such development programs are appropriate. Focuses on the learning process and stimulates debate about how people and organizations learn in general, as well as how an innovation capability can be fostered.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and investors question PolyMedica Corp.'s practice of capitalizing rather than expensing of direct-response advertising.