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Atera Restaurant, New York City, February 2015. Jodi Richard closed the door behind her with a ton of questions. She had just come out of the final meeting with Matthew Lightner, the executive chef of her two-Michelin-star restaurant in lower Manhattan. Matthew had just announced he was quitting to "pursue new opportunities." This was the final straw in a long string of events that had unfolded before her eyes. The departure of the multi-starred chef would leave a huge vacuum in the restaurant's organization. Worse, they has agreed that Matthew's departure would be effective very rapidly, by end of March. The situation was critical: finding a new star chef for a fashionable restaurant in the competitive lower-Manhattan food scene was going to be a huge challenge. Several other crucial questions preoccupied Jodi. Should she just close down the restaurant and rent the space out to somebody else? Should she change the restaurant concept completely, moving to something easier like a sushi restaurant? Was a trip to Japan to find a young ambitious chef an option in that respect? How would the staff feel about the chef's departure? Would they follow the exit sign as well? Learning objective: Hospitality management, culture, secure-based leadership, incentives, crisis management, entrepreneurship, restaurant management, service marketing, social networks, public relations.

This case describes the motivation for and the development of Siemens' digital manufacturing enterprise vision, which became the foundation for its implementation of Industrie 4.0. While the effort started with a purely defensive move by Anton Huber, head of the Digital Factory Division, to protect his core programmable logic controller business from the migration of value to software from hardware, the scope expanded radically as the company completed the acquisition of UGS. It was then able to articulate a complete roadmap from computer-aided product inception and design through simulation and automation system design all the way to the factory floor. The initial implementation at the Electronics Works Amberg became widely cited as the prototype for Industrie 4.0. The central question of the case is the importance of vertical integration to the delivery of the vision, in the face of pressure for open standards that will expose large parts of the system to competition and price pressure. How will Siemens earn a reasonable rate of return?

In any industry, companies must keep their mission, vision and values as the guiding aspects, as well as the determinants, of their market position. Kone, one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry, was founded in 1910. Kone has always held the core belief that the elevator user experience should be more than a simple ride up or down. With its focus on design, Kone aims to give passengers an enjoyable experience that adds value to a building and its users. Using the latest technology, its elevators bring ride-comfort to a new level. In 2014, Kone launched the UltraRope, an innovative product built with carbon fibre technology. The new technology also increases rope lifetime to twice that of conventional ropes, which has the potential to reduce replacement costs. In addition, Kone offers a real-time rope condition monitoring system, which again, provides improvements to maintenance and safety. As a disruptive innovation, the UltraRope has potential applications, not only in the elevator industry, but in other industries as well. UltraRope is undoubtedly a significant milestone for Kone. How might this achievement change the elevator and related industries, and concurrently how could Kone maintain its distinctive position as an innovative company and best bring its new product to market? Is there a standout aspect of Kone's business culture that enables it to take the elevator industry to new heights?

In 2014, Zheng Shan Tea Company, a Chinese tea producer and exporter, noticed an increase in the consumption of black tea, particularly among mainstream, middle-class consumers in China. The company wondered how it could increase its sales and leverage the growing popularity of black tea. The company's brand director recognized the potential opportunities, but realized that she had two significant challenges. First, because the company had historically been positioned as a premium brand, targeted at high-income consumers, it risked diluting the brand by making its tea more attractive to the mass market. Second, the Chinese government, as part of its crackdown on corruption, discouraged the purchase and consumption of luxury goods. The brand director needed to decide what action to take to realize the company's goal of increasing sales.

A tense situation arose in 2015 after a faculty member at the Premier School of Management in New Delhi, India, mistakenly emailed a test paper to a group email address that included the school's students, faculty, and alumni. An alumna who received the email responded to the professor using the "reply to all" option. The tone of her email was considered to be disrespectful to the professor. The professor responded by sending his own "reply to all," explaining his error to the alumna and chastising her for using a tone inappropriate for a student-to-teacher communication. The alumna apologized, but one of the students on the group email then wrote his own offensive email to the alumna. Was there a way to defuse the mounting tension and avoid a possible rift between the alumna and her former school?

In 2013, Under Armour had $2.3 billion in sales yet only $500 million came from its women's apparel, and the company was ready to expand into the female market segment. The "I Will What I Want" global women's marketing campaign was the largest Under Armour had ever run. Founder Keven Plank and his team launched the campaign on a mulitchannel platform, with social media at its core. The campaign's success surpassed what Plank had imagined, and he is left wondering where to take Under Armour's advertising and marketing next. This case has been used successfully in a marketing course and would be suited for any class with a focus on interactive media, technology, and multichannel marketing.

Pal's Sudden Service has developed a unique operating model and organizational culture in the quick service restaurant business. With a deep emphasis on process control and improvement, zero defects, extensive training, and a high level of employee engagement, Pal's has been able to achieve excellent operating and financial performance. The case examines the challenges it potentially faces as it contemplates growing the chain significantly from the 28 units it currently operates.

This case describes the megafarm model launched by the CP group as part of their efforts to ensure the safety and quality of their supply chain of agricultural products (particularly, eggs) in China while also promoting the welfare of Chinese farmers. This model was developed in close partnership with the local government, and received financing support from a local bank. The case asks students to discuss the potential for scaling this model across China.

In 2015, the City of Montreal issued an international request for interest for the implementation of an all-electric carsharing service. This situation represented both a threat and an opportunity for car2go, a carsharing service company and a subsidiary of Daimler that had successfully operated 29 carsharing systems across Europe and North America. Would it be worthwhile for car2go to respond to the request for interest and, in doing so, adapt its successful business model to fit the needs of the local market? If so, what would be the implications for the overall competitiveness of the firm? Would it be worth the cost to develop a new four-seat vehicle to meet the City of Montreal's requirements?

AltaGas Ltd. (AltaGas), an energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, successfully collaborated with the Canadian federal government, British Columbia's provincial government, and a First Nations group to reach an agreement for constructing a large, green energy, hydroelectric project in a remote location in northern British Columbia. Although most observers considered the agreement to be a resounding success, the founder and chief executive officer of AltaGas worried that the hardest work was yet to come. Believing that success could be measured only in terms of social value, he wondered how the project could sustain positive community impact for the entire 60-year duration of the commercial agreement.

In the summer of 2014, Alta Bicycle Share, Inc had just won its second contract to operate the Hubway bike sharing system in the cities of Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville in Eastern Massachusetts. Emily Stapleton, Hubway's General Manager, was engaged in conversations with project managers from each of the four client municipalities about when and where to expand the system. Expansion was on the agenda because Hubway was widely perceived as a success. Nevertheless the system was facing a number of operating challenges, the most important of which was its effort to ensure that bicycles and empty docks were available when and where needed.

In 2015, Edip Ilkbahar, HBC's founder and CEO, was looking over the plans for a new branch in Cyprus. Since the inception of the company by the Alarko Group of companies in 1994, Ilkbahar's company had enjoyed high occupancy, high guest satisfaction, and high return-visitor rates, not to mention increasing profits from HBC's single location in Fethiye, Turkey. Although branching out had been on the agenda for a couple of years, Ilkbahar was feeling the pressure to recreate HBC's culture in a new location to live up to and even surpass its established success. In parallel, Ilkbahar also needed to make sure that employee motivation at HBC's original Fethiye location did not drop and the employees continued to deliver wholehearted service to live up to HBC's reputation. 2015 certainly looked like it would be a tough year. How could Ilkbahar both try to extend HBC's special formula for success to Cyprus while maintaining high motivation at the Fethiye installation? The case describes the forces that shape the hotel industry's structure, raising the issue of how HBC established itself a sustainable niche for competitive advantage. The case provides the context for the students to identify the design elements underlying HBC's success and helps them explore the link between guest satisfaction and employee training, empowerment, feedback culture, continuous product development as well as social media and marketing. The case challenges the students to ponder what it takes for a company to repeatedly increase customer satisfaction rates and profitability with the same product over the years.

After a successful career as a superintendent of some of the nation's largest urban school districts, Carol Johnson elected to complete a Fellowship at Harvard's Advanced Leadership Initiative (2014). There, she hoped to gain perspective and knowledge surrounding how new superintendents of urban school districts could be better trained and supported in this challenging and dynamic role. Following her ALI Fellowship, Johnson created the Leadership for America's Urban Schools (LAUS), a proposed program that would provide mentorship, training, and networking for new urban school leaders.

In December 2015, Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) has just made its third bid to acquire Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC), one of the largest railroads in the United States. Having rejected the prior offers, NSC's CEO James Squires and the NSC board must now value the current offer including the projected merger synergies as well as a recently-added contingent value right (CVR) designed to "sweeten" the offer, and decide how to respond.

Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL), the world's largest manufacturer of three-wheel vehicles, was about to launch India's first quadricycle, built indigenously for applications that were uniquely useful for urban transportation in developing markets such as India. The four-wheel vehicle was being launched as a completely new category in the Indian market by BAL's Commercial Vehicle division. The dilemma facing the BAL team was whether to brand the new product as an extension of the company's three-wheel market leader or as an independent brand. Furthermore, what degree of endorsement would be required from the master brand, "Bajaj"? The potential success of this vehicle would have a profound effect on BAL's ability to develop its brand image and carve out a leadership position in a new category of commercial vehicles in India.

Set in the financial services sector, Jim Flannigan, the recently named head of a European investment banking for a large national bank, struggles to let go of his previous expertise and allow one of several groups that reported to him to do their job without his direct input. While one of Flannigan's chief lieutenants is making a pitch to an important potential client, Flannigan's blood starts to boil as he believes the deal could be lost. The case goes through Flannigan's "take charge" approach to problems and follow-up. The material in this case works well for those who have used the John Wolford case (UVA-OB-0167) and want to focus more on the fit between skills and level in the organization, developing self and others, and becoming interdependent (as opposed to do it all oneself) than work-life issues (although the case could include that discussion as well).

Due to proposed long-term cuts in the United States Department of Defense (DOD) budget, the DOD prioritized improving efficiencies, reducing overhead, and eliminating redundancies within its many commands. Accordingly, the Commander of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), the support command responsible for equipping the Air Force to keep it ready for war, assembled a small team, led by AFMC's Vice Commander, Lieutenant General Janet Wolfenbarger, to examine their options. Her team proposed to reorganize the command to align with the Secretary of Defense's efficiency mandate. Even so, Wolfenbarger anticipated opposition to the plan since it called for the elimination of seven of twelve AFMC centers-a move that would require support from the AFMC leadership, the Air Force, the DOD and Congress. Wolfenbarger knew she would need to draw on her lifetime of military leadership experience to accomplish her mission of successfully reorganizing AFMC. This case illustrates how a leader's life experiences shape their values and principles and how those personal and professional values can influence a leadership and management challenge. The case is accompanied by a two-part video supplement featuring an in-depth interview with General Janet Wolfenbarger. Part 1 (9:35 min.) focuses on the values that shaped Gen. Wolfenbarger's career early on, culminating when she became the first woman to achieve the rank of four-star general in the U.S. Air Force. Part 2 (15:47 min.) includes six short segments where Gen. Wolfenbarger talks about the specific leadership and implementation strategies she used to bring about the reorganization of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), and shares insights about challenges and lessons learned.

In May 2014, Julie Hallman was about to assume the presidency of the struggling non-profit arts organization, the Falaise Foundation, which offered a residence for small groups of artists and scholars from around the world to work on creative endeavours at its extensive property in the South of France. The foundation was suffering financially due to a combination of weak fundraising, high operating costs, an ineffective board of trustees, and a murky relationship between the founding family and the foundation. Complicating matters was Hallman's personal situation: she was the daughter of the foundation's founder, who had run the organization his own way for decades until health issues forced him to step down. As a documentary filmmaker with a degree in Fine Arts, Julie Hallman had no business background. She had to develop an understanding of the root causes of the foundation's problems and identify a set of strategies and actions to effect a successful turnaround.

Spring cleaning season 2015 was about to begin in a small community north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and a prospective business owner was deciding whether to launch a new business. Totally Tidy by Tilly would provide cleaning services, professional organizing services, or both. Before moving forward, this new entrepreneur first needed to understand the environment for her new venture. Based on that understanding, she needed to decide what services to offer and at what prices, and how best to promote her new business. To determine financial feasibility, she projected the company's financial performance for the first three years of operations. Should the entrepreneur stay close to home, within her community, or would a viable and profitable business plan involve a larger area? Would the business provide a reasonable income, or would this significant change in her lifestyle only prevent her from enjoying the flexibility of being a stay-at-home parent?

To improve its profitability, NKT Photonics A/S (NKT), a small Danish company operating in the global photonics industry, was getting ready to undertake the commercialization process of its highly advanced optical fibre technology. NKT's chief executive officer (CEO) was considering two options for accomplishing this goal: (1) establishing strategic partnerships with system integrators in order to gain access to commercial customers, or (2) repositioning NKT as a system integrator by embarking on an acquisition strategy. Turning the company into a more commercial entity would mean a complete change of culture. It might also result in the loss of some top engineering and scientific minds and perhaps even the company's reputation. The CEO wondered if there a way to effectively introduce a business mindset to the organization while still preserving its innovation-based DNA.