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Ocimum Biosolutions, a start-up Indian bioinformatics venture in 2000, had established a presence in Europe and the United States by 2010. The contract research outsourcing industry was expected to continue to grow, as large pharmaceutical companies in industrialized countries were outsourcing work at all stages of the drug development life cycle - from discovery research to clinical trials designed to accelerate drug development as established drugs came off patent. The current challenges for Ocimum were continued growth and the ability to manage expansion while balancing risk. Anu Acharya, Ocimum's CEO, was considering possible solutions.

In the mid-2000s, an American automaker opened an auto financing company in China, Shanghai-based C Automotive Finance Company (China) Ltd ("CAF"). CAF grew rapidly and broke even in three years. Nonetheless, the long cycle time of its application process led to rampant dissatisfaction among dealers and also lowered the number of car purchases financed by CAF as a percentage of total cars sold. The auto financing industry in China held great potential but was also becoming increasingly competitive as more and more foreign companies entered the market. In order stay on top of the game, CAF must improve the efficiency of its financing application process. What actions could CAF undertake to achieve this objective?

In the five years since it opened its doors, the investment banking boutique Perella Weinberg Partners had grown into a firm that advised a roster of blue-chip clients on critical transactions and had over $8 billion of client assets under management. The three co-founders, all veterans of Wall Street, were proud of the firm they had created and were pleased with its success to date, but they also knew that it had reached a key inflection point. How much could they, or would they, want to grow? What was the best way to enhance their "relevance"? What were the costs, benefits, and impediments to growth? Another looming question was whether the firm should go public at some point.

Set in 2010, the case discusses the strategic directions Hong Kong could pursue, particularly vis-a-vis China, as it seeks to preserve its preeminence in the region. In 2010, the Hong Kong Exchange announced that it would allow listed Chinese companies to report using Chinese GAAP without reconciliation to IFRS The exchange was responding to the demands of its largely Chinese clientele and also coping with increased global competition to attract listings from Chinese companies. However, there were concerns around whether this change would undermine Hong Kong's position as a financial center in the long term. Hong Kong's position as a global financial powerhouse was due in part to its rigorous emphasis on compliance and enforcement; allowing companies to report under Chinese GAAP, the practice of which was highly variable, could compromise Hong Kong's high corporate governance standards.

It was June 2011 and Alexander Saint-Amand, President and CEO of Gerson Lehrman Group, the largest expert network firm globally, has found his firm once again in the midst of controversy. This controversy centered around a number of insider trading cases that had been brought against consultants working for competing expert network firms. While GLG was in no way implicated in these cases, and GLG had invested significantly in its compliance policies and controls in order to prevent the mishandling of public information, the entire industry was being impacted. Saint-Amand is faced with the challenge of deciding how best to handle this crisis.

It was the beginning of December, 2010 and a newly formed team of analysts and consultants at Kristoffer Consulting were gearing up to complete their report for Bei Capelli, an Indianapolis-based hair salon catering to middle-class women. The co-owners felt that Bei Capelli had reached capacity at their current location, and wanted to develop a strategy to pursue future growth. Kristoffer Consulting was looking at growth strategies ranging from franchising, new locations, and new services to increase Bei Capelli's financial performance. The report was due the last week of January, and the team was trying to determine what information they need to gather from the owners to complete their analysis. The team has some challenging client issues and business integrity issues.

"In the last two years Ujaala Borderline had lost two key accounts and lost in the bidding process for a third large account. Ujaala Borderline's CEO and Executive VP Corporate Sales (Indian and MNC business) had just left a meeting with the firm's largest client - Sweekar Iron and Steel. Sweekar's CEO had informed them that he was taking his firm's business from Ujaala Borderline and going with another provider. The CEO had pointed out several servicing issues that had occurred over the last two years and considered that these issues had been ignored. First, there were errors in policies and several problems with delivery. Second, because of Ujaala Borderline's many organizational changes, managers at Sweekar were required to interact with several Ujaala Borderline staff - this issue was compounded by the claim from each Ujaala Borderline staff member that they owned the Sweekar account. Third, there were several mistakes in quotes. Fourth, Sweekar had three different relationship managers in four years because of the high staff turnover at Ujaala Borderline. Finally, a recent claim had not been settled to Sweekar's satisfaction. As the CEO left the meeting, he wondered what had happened. He had recently been profiled in a national newspaper as the CEO of the leading general insurer in India but now felt that he was embroiled in changes that he knew he had created. As he was thinking about the meeting with Sweekar's CEO and recent events he almost collided with an auto rickshaw. If Dhirender had not shouted a warning there probably would have been a collision. The CEO now realized that Ujaala Borderline had many problems and he knew that he had to act quickly and decisively to turn things around or else his job was at risk."

Suitable for MBA, EMBA, GEMBA, and executive education program in coursed on negotiation and intercultural management. This case is based on actual negotiations and data. The scenario has been adjusted and simplified for teaching purposes. The case describes the situation of Philip Fisch, a sales representative of a German midsize engineering company, in his negotiation efforts to close his second deal with Juan Antonio Fajardo Duque, vice minister of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade. It provides general information about the situation (UVA-OB-1019, the A case) and confidential information for students playing the roles of Fajardo and Fisch (UVA-OB-1020 and UVA-OB-1021, the B and C cases, respectively).

In 2010, for the first time in 23 years, PepsiCo did not invest in Superbowl advertising for its iconic brand. Instead, the company diverted this $20 million to the social media-fueled Pepsi Refresh Project: PepsiCo's innovative cause-marketing program in which consumers submitted ideas for grants for health, environmental, social, educational, and cultural causes. Consumers voted for their favorite ideas, and PepsiCo funded the winners with grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000. The case highlights the benefits and risks of traditional branding and social media branding, including a discussion of how the Pepsi Refresh Project fits with Pepsi's previous brand positioning. The case discussion focuses on how the brand team should evaluate the initiative's return on investment (from sales to social media engagement), whether they should continue the initiative for 2011, and whether Pepsi is the right brand for this kind of initiative.

John Beck, CEO of LightSpeed Computers, is seeking $10 million in venture capital financing to get his company off the ground after its initial seed funding. In Parts A through C, John faces a number of challenging scenarios, starting with the request from a prestigious Silicon Valley VC to hold off on closing a deal for four weeks to give him time to conduct due diligence. John later receives term sheets from other, smaller VCs and must decide whether to move forward or stand by his original commitment. Later, he must choose between two attractive but economically different deals.

In July 2004, Bombardier Aerospace announced its intention to develop a new family of aircraft called CSeries. In May 2007, three years after the initial announcement, the final decision on whether to proceed with the initiative was still pending. Moreover, during this period, the company released several confusing announcements that raised concerns among investors and industry analysts regarding the sustainability of the company's long-term strategy. In the meantime, Brazilian Embraer had invested heavily in research and development (R&D) and taken the leadership position in the regional aircraft segment from Bombardier. Consequently, Bombardier was faced with a serious dilemma: launch or not launch the CSeries project. Whatever the decision was, it was expected to have a major impact on the future market positioning of Bombardier. Students may be asked to act as advisors to Pierre Beaudoin, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Bombardier Aerospace, and recommend whether the company should proceed with the CSeries initiative. More specifically, students should do a full analysis of the company's external environment, identify the alternatives available to Beaudoin, assess these options based on internal and external environments and recommend a course of action. For Beaudoin, the recommendation was due before the annual meeting of shareholders, scheduled on May 29, 2007.

The case describes the situation faced by the vice-president of A-CAT Corp. The company was a mid-sized manufacturer and distributor of domestic electrical appliances, largely catering to the price sensitive rural population. The firm operated two medium-sized facilities in one of the remote districts in Vidarbha. A-CAT's manufacturing units had been in operation since 1986. A-CAT manufactured a wide range of electrical appliances including TV signal boosters, transformers, FM radio kits, electronic ballasts, battery chargers and voltage regulators. The focus was on their flagship product, the VR500 voltage regulator. The challenge was to select suppliers without offending the stakeholders involved in the process. The core issue was to come to a correct decision -- one that best suited company needs. The plan set by the team was to identify potential suppliers/vendors with their attendant strengths and weaknesses and to do so in a well-documented and structured manner.

Established in 1945, MGT Group (MGT, or the Group) was headquartered in France. Its LSD factory was a well-known global engineering provider specializing in the design and manufacture of high-precision valves. At the end of 2007, MGT decided to transfer the LSD factory in France to its Fuzhou factory in China. Two people were put in charge of this project: Kevin Lurton, vice-chief operations officer of MGT Control Systems Division, and Jian Li, the general manager of MGT Fuzhou Company. Lurton and Li faced a series of challenges, ranging from the need for strategic planning to the need for an implementation policy for supply chain reconstruction during this cross-border factory relocation. Amid the tide of globalization, enterprises are already able to extend their footprint to every corner of the world. For many multinational enterprises, transferring a product line, or even a whole factory, to another country has become a key step toward globalization.

Aurelia Dimas had been sent to investigate the various properties being offered by the State of California in the form of a sale-leaseback agreement. The opportunity was perfect for her firm, Orrington Financial Partners, which had recently expanded its fixed-income portfolio to include real estate. The wide range of offerings in the Golden State Portfolio provided both diversification and stability over a period of decades. She had spent the last week walking the halls of each and every building to see the offering first hand. Now the task of valuing the portfolio rested on her shoulders.

USAP faces extraordinary opportunities to change the way that automobiles are serviced in the US by selling parts at fair prices though online channels.

This case addresses corruption, reputation, and expropriation risks associated with a potential mining play in West Africa. Mine Master, a US-based multinational mining company, was considering investing in a zinc concession in a post-conflict West African country. Its potential partner, UK-based Megametals, had acquired the rights to the operation in question in 2005, at the end of the country's civil war and in circumstances that raised potential concerns. The case protagonist, Steven Fox, CEO of risk assessment and advisory firm Veracity Worldwide, had to evaluate the various risks at play and guide Mine Master's CEO on whether to proceed with the partnership. Should he advise that Mine Master go ahead with the deal with Megametals? What could be the potential downside to such a move?

CARD (Center for Agricultural and Rural Development) is a Philippines-based microfinance organization that began as an NGO and has since expanded into eight related entities providing services to the poor. Under Founding Director Dr. Aristotle Alip's leadership, CARD has become one of the top microfinance institutions in the world. More recently, larger commercial and financial institutions are seeking a slice of the microfinance market. The main dilemma Dr. Alip faces is: Should he partner with commercial institutions to reap benefits from their larger sources of capital and technology expertise? Would that mean compromising his original mission of elevating people from the base of the pyramid?

This case describes the experience of Anne Riley, a 28 year old private equity analyst, who was laid off in 2008. The case explores the emotions she felt throughout the process and how she handled the experience.

Trucost provided corporate environmental performance data and analysis to institutional investors and corporate managers, but after operating for a decade had yet to achieve profitability. Trucost was struggling to effectively differentiate its high quality products from its lower-cost competitors, and needed to develop a strategy to educate the marketplace and pursue new distribution channels. Increased investor interest in environmental issues-and an ever growing number of corporate environmental ranking-led to a proliferation of competitors to Trucost, and an industry shakeout were predicted. How should Trucost compete?

The manager of Visitor Services with Saskatchewan Park Services (Park Services) was thinking ahead to next year, even though 2011 was still four months away. Park Services had experienced a number of turbulent years around the provincial park campground reservation system. While the problems experienced were largely invisible to the public placing reservations for campgrounds, over the years the behind the scenes machinations required to process campground reservations has placed an onerous burden on Park Services staff, both in Regina and the local provincial parks. Additionally, the present system severely limited the type of services that could be developed for tourists and campers due to the lack of quality data on campers. While steps had been taken in 2009 and 2010 to address some of the major problems surrounding the campground reservation system, serious issues remained that required action. This was particularly true when the system in place in Saskatchewan was compared to new campground reservation systems recently employed in Alberta, Manitoba and the federal national park system. The manager reflected on the turbulent 2008 season, the relative calm in 2009 due to the success of the temporary fixes and the new issues that had arisen in 2010. She was feeling the need to move forward and decide on a more permanent solution that resolved the operational problems of the present reservation system while also laying the foundation for improved services for campers.