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When Dick Calder is named head of the CIA's Directorate of Administration (DA) in 1995, he faces the task of leading a beleaguered organization through a difficult period. As the unit responsible for providing its more glamorous intelligence-gathering and analyzing counterparts with administrative services-ranging from logistics support to telephones to personnel services-it has borne the brunt of a decade of agency budget cuts. Other directorates are not sympathetic, however, and view the DA as wasteful and unresponsive. In hopes of improving the DA's services and its customers' level of satisfaction, Calder proposes a novel solution to the directorate's woes: budget "givebacks." Under this cost-recovery scheme, the DA would give its budget back to the "mission" directorates, which would then purchase support services from the DA or, if they chose, another provider. Calder reasons that the specter of competition would improve the DA's delivery of services; at the same time, it would encourage the other directorates to buy more prudently, in line with the agency's shrinking service budget, particularly because they would be allowed to retain any savings they realized. It is a radical proposal for an inherently conservative agency-one, moreover, whose covert mission makes unusual demands on the deliverer of the most routine services. This series of organizational change cases follows Calder's efforts to implement budget givebacks in the DA. They detail his strategy for winning support for his idea, the experiences of several pilot giveback programs he initiates, and the sharp resistance he encounters both within the DA and from the other directorates. Together, the cases raise questions about adaptation to a changing political and fiscal environment, as well as the management of innovation in an organization deeply skeptical of change. HKS Case Number 1515.0

The case describes the internationally known Singapore initiative to implement electronically deducted charges for road use, varying by route, type of vehicle, and time of day. The case highlights the widespread public acceptance of the relatively elaborate and novel pricing regime, following an extensive public information and consultation campaign conducted by Singapore's Land Transport Authority. Useful for those interested in successful public consultation. HKS Case Number 1520.0

Case A: The authors believe that knowledge management is a convergence of at least three factors: an appreciation of knowledge issues, the availability of sophisticated IT technology, and the managerial competence to suitably craft jobs and culture. This case takes the reader through the experiences of Booz-Allen & Hamilton in crafting their knowledge system and dealing with these factors.

Presents the new pay-for-performance scheme adopted by General Motors (GM) in its 1999 reorganization of its sales and marketing organization. Once in operation, many administrative problems developed requiring a reconsideration of the scheme's basic architecture.

Northwest Airlines forced hundreds of passengers to wait up to 8 1/2 hours on aircraft after reaching their destination in an unusually horrible service disaster. The case explores what occurred, why it occurred, and the feelings of those involved.

Describes Harley-Davidson's decision process for defining and selecting an enterprise-wide procurement software package and the institutional changes introduced as part of this process. Tells the story of Harley-Davidson's approach in developing integrated business processes and information systems to meet the needs of a visionary procurement strategy. Central to this activity was the evaluation and selection of an enterprise software package and implementation partner to support the strategy. Describes managerial reasoning and tactics to introduce significant organizational change into a setting where team-based responsibility and a culture of autonomy are prominent.

Anthony Ng, the general manager of Kowloon Development Co. Ltd., has been approached by a real-estate agent proposing a new development project for possible investment by Kowloon Development. Although the project is attractive, there are a number of associated uncertainties that complicate Ng's decision about whether or not to recommend investment. He has only a few days to review the proposal and make a decision before the next board meeting.

Edward Jones is a leading, highly profitable retail brokerage firm with a unique strategy very different from those of its rivals. The case describes Jones's activities and allows a rich discussion of its positioning choices, supporting activities, and tradeoffs. Jones must cope with a rapidly evolving industry, which, at least on the surface, is a threat to its strategy.

A gifted project leader lacks significant new product development experience. The case highlights the issues and procedures related to defining the project strategy: organizing senior management approvals and support for creating a "heavyweight" team; aligning the disparate perspectives, interests, and biases of project members; and implementing best-practice tools for managing teams within the project. Creates a framework for establishing organizational design rules and key new product development processes, and also provides insights about models of leadership for new product development.

Reviews the history of Mike Corbin's entrepreneurial career and describes in detail the successful organization he has created. Explores his management philosophy and leadership. Explores the usefulness of continuing family involvement in this business.

In the wake of major competitive moves, CEO Tim Koogle and his senior team at Yahoo!, an Internet portal, must decide whether and how to adjust their strategy. Following deals between AOL and Netscape, Excite and @Home, Infoseek and Disney, and Snap and NBS, Yahoo! faces the prospect of being the last portal without a significant partner. Students must grapple with the benefits and costs of integration in the rapidly changing world of the Internet. Special emphasis is given to the interactions among Yahoo!'s functions and the effects of those interactions on firm flexibility.

The plant manager at Birmingham Megatron's manufacturing operation was looking to modify an existing production unit in order to expand output for an additional contract. This new contract was still at the bidding stage, and cost accounting had proposed a bid of $64.00/block for the required 1,400 blocks/week. She wondered if she could afford to offer a more competitive price in order to win this contract.

During the 1990s, CEMEX went from being a purely domestic producer of cement and ready mix in Mexico to the third largest firm in the rapidly globalizing cement industry, with operations in North and South America, Western Europe, and Southeast Asia, as well as a large trading operation. CEMEX's first moves to internationalize itself, by exporting to the United States, fell afoul of an antidumping ruling. It then began a series of acquisitions, first in Spain and then in Central and South America. This case describes the acquisitions and the process of post-merger acquisition. It raises the issue of whether the economic crisis in Southeast Asia presents opportunities for further expansion. Can be used to examine the logic and process of internationalization in a commodity business and the selection of markets to enter. Can also be used to examine the basis for globalization of what many would think of as a very local business. Finally, it presents an opportunity to examine the logic of global competitive moves, as CEMEX's entry into Spain, which was intended explicitly to counter a European rival's aggressive expansion in Mexico.

Explores the development of the Chinese auto industry and of Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW), a successful joint venture in China. Established in 1984, SVW is a joint venture between Volkswagen of Germany and the Shanghai Automobile Industry Corp. (SAIC). One key element of SVW's strategy to date has been to work closely with local suppliers, many of which are controlled by SAIC. SVW is the leading auto producer in China, but the competitive landscape is changing rapidly, and SVW's traditional strengths could prove to be impediments in the future.

Designed to expose potential case writers to the process of framing a case, interviewing a case protagonist, and actually writing the case. This case is the introduction to the case site and is designed to be paired with a video in which the faculty customer for the case discussed his views on the case with the casewriter.

Stock Research Group (SRG) is an information broker. SRG's primary business is serving as a collection point for information useful to investors seeking to invest in small-cap mining companies. SRG, in effect, pulls potential investors to its site, then channels them to the specific sites of companies in which the investors may have an investment interest. SRG's revenue comes from the mining companies, who generally pay on an impression basis (for "eyeballs" delivered to their web pages). The resource companies are willing to pay for this, since on their own they are much less likely to attract much investor traffic. SRG is also in the business of developing web pages for these small-cap resource firms, since generally the companies do not have in-house expertise to create and maintain their web presence. SRG thus represents a new kind of business--the specialized infomediary, or information broker. SRG is doing quite well financially, something that cannot be said of many web-based companies. SRG's main challenges involve managing growth, deciding on appropriate future directions, and determining how best to lever the "virtual community" they have created.

Tom Barnes, executive director of Asiasports Ltd., was evaluating several options for growth for the sports management company. Asiasports' principal sports properties were the South China Ice Hockey League and the World Ice Hockey 5's tournament, both based in Hong Kong. Among the alternatives available: Barnes could develop hockey in other countries in Southeast Asia, he could acquire new sports properties, or he could expand into in-line hockey promotion in Hong Kong.

In 1992-93, British Petroleum plc, Britain's fourth-largest of the great international integrated oil companies, faced a major crisis. The company was experiencing its first losses in its eighty-year history, while morale was battered by downsizing and organizational upheaval.