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Magna International, Inc., a Canadian-based automotive parts manufacturer, is considering whether and how to unwind its dual-class ownership structure. A family trust controlled by the founder owns a 0.65% economic interest in the company but has 66% of the votes via a super-voting class of shares. Officers of the company are considering how to fashion a transaction that will end the family's control and win the approval of both classes of shareholders. The Magna (A) case asks the students to weigh the costs and benefits of dual-class ownership and the best way to convert to single-class. The Magna (B) case describes the proposal that Magna's board put to a shareholder vote. Students are asked to evaluate it and decide whether they would approve it.

This case describes a real scenario in which an elderly couple's vehicle is stranded in a remote location, causing emergency services to be dispatched at significant effort and cost, whereas an inexpensive tow truck dispatch would have completely resolved the problem. To prevent these kinds of false alarm situations, the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) has developed a free iPhone application called CAA Roadside, which takes advantage of location-based technology that is built into the iPhone. Discussion questions invite students to consider the business benefits of developing mobile apps, tradeoffs involved in choosing one development platform over another, and long-term positive and negative impacts of the diffusion of mobile location-based technologies.

Eric Giler, WiTricity CEO, must decide how to grow a company based around an untested but potentially ground-breaking technology for wireless electricity transmission.

Russian and German energy firms initiated the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline project with strong political support from their home governments but encountered resistance from other states. Although the pipeline would connect Russia with Germany directly, the project was not simply a bilateral matter. First, a need to secure construction permits in multiple jurisdictions around the Baltic Sea involved other countries. And second, Germany's membership in the European Union entailed compliance with goals and values of the entire union, which stressed the imperative of collective action in energy matters and dangers of succumbing to "national reflexes." Thus the implications of the project became a matter of concern to the entire European Union but Europeans struggled to articulate the meaning of Nord Stream: was it a "separate peace" between Russia and Germany to the detriment of the rest, or was it a pan-European deal to the benefit of all? As the case chronicles, the success of Nord Stream depended on the ability of its creators to ensure that latter view prevailed over the former.

On May 7, 1998, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, chaired by Brooksley Born, issued a "Concept Release," inviting public comment on the relevance and appropriateness of existing regulation of the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market, a market with a notional value of $29 trillion dollars. The CFTC Concept Release, often a precursor to regulatory proposals, sought analysis of "the benefits and burdens of any potential regulatory modifications in light of current market realities." The Release was not welcomed by other regulators or by the Clinton administration. Just hours after it was published, U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, and Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt announced their "grave concerns" about it in an unusual joint press release that minced no words. This case explores the battle between Born, on the one hand, and a large number of policymakers, regulators, legislators and industry representatives, on the other, over whether and how greater regulatory oversight should be applied to the OTC derivative market. Born was defeated in her efforts; OTC derivatives played a central role in the 2008-09 financial crisis.

Fu Chengyu is the fifth CEO to lead China National Offshore Oil Company - an SOE founded in 1982 to exploit Chinese offshore deposits. In 2010 he is trying to decide how to drive further growth in a company that has grown 556 times in less than 30 years, with profits grown 2600 times. He believes that the way CNOOC has been managed, a blend of market orientation and concern for employees and the nation has contributed importantly to the success. His challenge is to allocate resources among new areas to explore for petroleum and new sources of energy, and to develop managers with the capability of leading those businesses in the face of world class competitors. Both technical talent and the ability to integrate the efforts of non-Chinese leaders are involved.

Alejandro EIsztain, CEO of Cresud S.A., is faced with the difficult choice of whether to sell, develop or continue to hold the 151,000 hectares of remaining undeveloped farmland at the company's Los Pozos farm in Argentina. Developing the land will further expose Cresud to a variety of risks related to owning and operating farmland, but the potential financial rewards are potentially significant. As competition has increased and farmland values have skyrocketed in the last eight years, Cresud's overall corporate strategy has been to increasingly focus on development opportunities outside of the country - in areas such as Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. Alejandro's looming decision on Los Pozos is in many ways, reflective of choices facing his company, in general.

MME is a farmer-owned cooperative that produces ethanol from corn. The cooperative has performed well in comparison to other producers but margins in the industry had declined as industry production levels neared market demand limits. MME farmers needed to decide whether to take advantage of their success and expand through acquisitions, whether they should sell the plant, or whether they should continue current operations. MME must consider ongoing regulatory changes that impacted the industry, the possible impact of imported ethanol, the power of the petroleum industry which bought its product, and ongoing uncertainty about corn and ethanol price swings.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of Social Media Group had to develop a social media campaign for ING Direct Canada, an online retail bank. The CEO had successfully developed social media campaigns for other businesses in the past but ING wanted the CEO to measure the success of the campaign. With little information available on how to determine the success of such strategies, the CEO set out to design one of Canada's first measurable social media campaigns.

The chief financial officer of Granite Apparel is trying to determine which of the three fundraising options is optimal for Granite Apparel to finance a projected rapid growth strategy. The three options are an initial public offering of equity, a privately placed debt issue and a private placement of preferred shares.

The CFO of a plastics company has been asked to moderate a heated internal debate over a revolutionary technology. The head of R&D thinks the company should use it to break into a whole new industry, while the VP of the firm's most profitable unit believes it's a pipe dream that should be abandoned. The company's future could be riding on the decision. Is it time for the CFO to stop facilitating and take a strong stand promoting one choice over the other? Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1011N and R1011Z.

The CFO of a plastics company has been asked to moderate a heated internal debate over a revolutionary technology. The head of R&D thinks the company should use it to break into a whole new industry, while the VP of the firm's most profitable unit believes it's a pipe dream that should be abandoned. The company's future could be riding on the decision. Is it time for the CFO to stop facilitating and take a strong stand promoting one choice over the other? Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1011N and R1011Z.

The CFO of a plastics company has been asked to moderate a heated internal debate over a revolutionary technology. The head of R&D thinks the company should use it to break into a whole new industry, while the VP of the firm's most profitable unit believes it's a pipe dream that should be abandoned. The company's future could be riding on the decision. Is it time for the CFO to stop facilitating and take a strong stand promoting one choice over the other? Two experts comment on this fictional case study in R1011N and R1011Z.

Husk Power Systems, a young but widely celebrated firm based in India, needs $1.5 million to $2.5 million of expansion capital to grow quickly beyond the small footprint it had established in northeast India. It is a successful green energy enterprise that aimed to provide electricity to millions of rural Indians in a financially viable way. With 10 "mini power plants" that use rice husks as a fuel source and a presence in 25 isolated Indian villages as of April 2009, the company's goal was to reach 350,000 to 400,000 consumers in 400 villages by the end of 2011. It is offered a convertible note financing structure by a cleantech private equity firm and needs to assess whether it suits the company's and founders' interests.

The case illustrates the intriguing development path of a famous design entrepreneur in Hong Kong, who was not trained formally as a designer but managed to build an entrepreneurial career out of his hobby of collecting designer toys. This case is suitable for teaching MBA and senior undergraduate students about resources acquisition at the startup, development and expansion stages in an entrepreneurship course. It can also be utilized in product development and innovation management courses for business, engineering and design school students.

Companies face many challenges as they struggle to move from the start up to growth phase. Management may need to develop new talents. Infrastructure will need to be built and new activities engaged. Blue Orb is such a company. In the summer of 2009, the management team at Blue Orb was transforming the company from a research driven organization, with a specialty product serving a small market, to a direct market retailer playing in the video game industry.<br><br>The case describes the situation and decisions faced by the founder and CEO of Blue Orb and the acting chief marketing officer (CMO) as they attempt the transition to a market driven company, with few resources and a short time frame. An immediate tactical decision needs to be made regarding the hosting of a video competition; but larger strategic decisions regarding the marketing function and general direction of the company are just over the horizon.<br><br>This case is appropriate for use in an entrepreneurship course when the class is prepared to discuss marketing activities for new ventures, or the transition from start up to growth strategies. The case raises issues regarding generating market awareness and trial, as well as implementing strategy. The case may also be used in a business strategy class to illustrate decisions related to alternative paths to market and dealing with channel partners.

The executive director of an independent charitable foundation is thinking about whether to hedge his foundation's U.S. dollar exposure given the large swings in the Canadian dollar-U.S. dollar exchange rate. For the past four years, the weakening U.S. dollar has contributed to underperformance in the foundation's portfolio relative to its peers.

As a global NGO working in 45 countries, ActionAid International aims to eradicate poverty by addressing its underlying causes such as injustice and inequality. This case follows a series of radical transformations implemented by the organization's CEO, Ramesh Singh--a power shift from its headquarters in London to an international secretariat in Johannesburg; a new federated governance structure that increases the influence of units in Africa and Asia; and, innovations in accountability and transparency to the poor communities with which it works. But as Singh gets ready to step down after seven years, he is confronted with challenges from newly empowered country units that he feels risk taking the organization in the wrong direction. How will the divisions between the Northern and Southern units play out? Will they tear the organization apart, just when it is becoming a global player?

In April 2010, the SEC brought fraud charges against Goldman Sachs for its structuring and marketing of Abacus 2007-AC1, a complex mortgage-related security. Less than two years after the onset of the great financial crisis, and in the midst of political posturing to shape agendas for the financial reform, the case discusses the market reaction to the lawsuit and the dilemma facing Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's CEO. The deal structure is analyzed in detail within the context of the market for mortgage-backed securities. The case can be used in a course on financial market regulation or in a course on financial markets and institutions. Instructors may also assign a technical note "The Financial Regulatory Environment" (UVA-GEM-0103) to give students more background on the U.S. regulatory environment.

John Mwa is the newly appointed head of the Nomburan Revenue Agency (NRA), tasked by incoming President Orelio with improving revenue collections in the African nation of Nomburo. This case discusses how he goes about reaching performance targets set by the president, albeit facing constraints to do so. Unfortunately, some of the methods he employs to overcome constraints test the limits of political support and authorization. Mwa finds himself in trouble with opposition party members, procurement commissions, the president's coalition members, and even his own staff. It is a case that instructors can use to teach about the many dimensions of organizational effectiveness, the dangers of narrow performance focus in organizations, and the complexities of performing in constrained environments. It is particularly useful for instructors teaching about management in a developing country context and about revenue collection. HKS Case Number 1934.0