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This case examines Millennium's strategic and organizational responses to the rapid evolution of the biopharmaceutical industry. In the early 2000s, as Millennium's competitive advantage in early-stage research slipped away and its losses mounted, founder CEO Mark Levin moved the firm downstream away from research and towards drug development and commercialization, while narrowing horizontal breadth from over a dozen therapeutic classes to just three. In 2005, Levin hired Deborah Dunsire from Novartis as CEO to lead Millennium's continuing transformation. Students are asked to put themselves in the shoes of incoming CEO Dunsire and to provide organizational recommendations to execute the new strategy.

This case is a follow up to CG20A, and explains the actions taken by Tarco in response to threat from activist investor Barracuda. The case explains how the company relied on an analysis of its shareholder base and predictive proxy voting to inform its decision.

The Congressional Oversight Panel wants to value the warrants issued to the government in connection with the TARP investments of 2008, in order to increase the transparency of options repurchases. The case describes the methodology used to value the warrants. This case follows "The Congressional Oversight Panel's Valuation of the TARP Warrants (A)"; it describes the findings of the Panel's TARP Warrants Report and public and Congressional reactions.

Under pressure from the Rainforest Action Network to make their lending policies more sustainable, executives at the Royal Bank of Canada who deal with issues of corporate citizenship and sustainability must decide whether to continue financing companies involved in extracting oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada. The case asks students to consider the following questions: 1) Should banks lend to any business or industry the government deems to be sustainable? 2) What are the risks of lending to businesses some stakeholders deem unsustainable? 3) How should banks respond when pressured by an interest group? 4) How does a bank decide what is sustainable lending practice? This is a supplement to RBC-Financing Oil Sands (A), product number 9B10M015.

In this, the second of a two-part case series, the SVEDKA founder assesses which initial decisions were most critical in the launch of his now-successful product. He also explores the new choices he faces, including changes to the distribution channels and additions to the product line. Suitable for both MBA- and undergraduate-level courses such as integrated marketing communications, the case presents opportunities to discuss pricing, target, distribution, branding, and promotion. See also "SVEDKA Vodka (A)," (UV4284).

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

Under pressure from the Rainforest Action Network to make their lending policies more sustainable, executives at the Royal Bank of Canada who deal with issues of corporate citizenship and sustainability must decide whether to continue financing companies involved in extracting oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada. The case asks students to consider the following questions: 1) Should banks lend to any business or industry the government deems to be sustainable? 2) What are the risks of lending to businesses some stakeholders deem unsustainable? 3) How should banks respond when pressured by an interest group? 4) How does a bank decide what is sustainable lending practice? This is a supplement to RBC-Financing Oil Sands (A), product number 910M15.

The director of the Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic (the Clinic) at the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario has a better understanding of the process flow and bottlenecks at the Clinic and also has ideas for some possible solutions. The director can turn her thoughts to addressing a recurring issue raised by the hospital's management - how the Clinic's performance should be measured. The director pondered the mission of the hospital, which was to improve access to patient care and patient safety while sustaining the hospital's ability to deliver patient care into the future. She knew the Clinic was also committed to this mission, and she was prepared to evaluate the performance of the Clinic against this mission. Once again, the monthly executive meeting was looming, and the director wanted to be in a position to present a framework for her clinic's performance evaluation. This case is suitable for introducing the concept of performance measurement in a non-profit setting as well as the pitfalls associated with collecting the information. This is a follow-up case to Paediatric Orthopaedic Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario (A), product # 908D01.

After its successful new U.K. venture, the Hospital for Special Surgery wants to do more of the same, without decimating its core New York City facility. The case provides considerable details about the different options it is exploring.

In early 2006, a taskforce at the Hong Kong Dragon Airlines ("Dragonair") was formed to evaluate alternative ways to replace a spare engine. The potential options were to either purchase the engine outright or to lease the engine via a direct lease or a sale-and-leaseback arrangement. However, to assess and compare the attractiveness of each option, the taskforce must first determine an appropriate discount rate to use.

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.

The (A) case follows Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Suntech Power Holdings, on his journey to create a global solar PV company headquartered in China. It covers his background and inspiration for the idea, his dealings with the local Chinese government authorities, the company's business strategies, competitive landscape, and performance to date. The case concludes with the founder contemplating future options for his company, including the possibility of taking the company public on the New York Stock Exchange. The (B) case follows the company in the post-IPO years, providing an update on strategy, financial performance, and the competitive landscape.

This is a supplement to Y U Ranch: Strategy and Sustainability in Cattle Ranching (A), product 9B09M080 and, taken together, this case series illustrates why industrial farming has supplanted the farm-based agricultural system.

This is a supplement to Y U Ranch: Strategy and Sustainability in Cattle Ranching (A) and (B), products 9B09M080 and 9B09M081 and, taken together, this case series illustrates why industrial farming has supplanted the farm-based agricultural system.

In this (B) case to Michael Patterson (A), product # 9B10C024, an engineering technician meets with the new engineering and manufacturing manager. He shares his thoughts about his new immediate supervisor, but the manager believes his comments to be inappropriate and presents the engineering technician with a formal written reprimand. In a time of economic uncertainty, the engineering technician must determine what action, if any, he should take.

Supplement to case A00024. Towards the end of 90s, mounting losses forced Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (MPSRTC), the sole provider of public transport in Madhya Pradesh, to suspend their urban services. As a consequence, organized public transport services ceased to exist in Indore, the largest metropolitan city of the state of Madhya Pradesh. This void was filled by Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) consisting of minibuses, tempos and auto rickshaws. As of January 2004, 300 private minibuses, 150 tempos, and 10,000 auto rickshaws were plying as IPT, but with poor service levels. Lack of public transport was a catalyst for rapid increase in personalized vehicles, and high level of pollution and accidents. Worried over the rapid growth of personalized vehicles, and high levels of pollution and accidents in Indore, policy makers and administrators had made several attempts of reviving the public transport system in the city. In 2005, the Collector and District Magistrate of Indore decided to make another attempt of reviving the public transport. The two cases, Indore City Bus Transport Service (A) and Indore City Bus Transport Service (B) discuss the complexity involved in the planning, rolling out, and running of public transport services in Indore on a sustainable basis. Case (A) details the prevalent socio-economic condition, travel characteristics, and positions taken by various stakeholders on provisioning of public transport service in Indore as of November 2005. Case (B) discusses the challenges during the growth and operation of the services as of June 2008. Unprecedented rise in crude oil prices along with (i) increase in maintenance cost of buses, price of new buses, and bank interest and (ii) decrease/marginal increase in the fare box revenue (more people were shifting to passes) and advertisement revenue depleted the margin of the operators. The fares had not been increased since the launch of services in February 2006.

Supplements the A case. Provides an additional dilemma for the Rong-D companies with regard to building luxury senior housing in China.

This supplement to OLGC Finds Its Match (A), product # 9B09E014, summarizes the results from a series of bets and provides the email response from the game provider following the discontinuation of this particular game.

In May 2007, aluminum giant Alcoa announced its intentions to perform a hostile takeover of Alcan. Case B is set at this point and before Rio Tinto was in a position to announce its own offer. Students are asked to perform valuations of Alcan to determine the premium offered by Alcoa, consider the strategies Alcan can employ, and supply the suggestions Alcan managers should provide shareholders.

Having taken steps to shore up investor confidence, during the turbulent fourth quarter of 2008, Goldman Sachs confronts the challenge of whether its business model will continue to be viable under radically altered market conditions and a new regulatory regime.