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Corin Fiske, the recently hired Director of News and Public Affairs at WEAA a public radio station licensed and owned by Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Maryland was facing some urgent issues and had concerns about the level of support and motivation among her staff for her and for the station's goals. For many years educators at the University had run the station as an educational resource for students and as a community service for the city. Over the past five years, the station had suffered from turnover in key positions (e.g., four General Managers in four years, Membership Director position open for over a year). The station had not had a fund raising drive in at least two years and had an operating loss of about $200,000 per year in recent years. A somewhat laissez-faire approach to management had been used at the station. Fiske had been recruited to help the station grow and achieve its potential. She was an experienced TV reporter and radio show host. She had an entrepreneurial spirit and viewed herself as a change agent. She had inherited a large staff of 30 direct reports, 29 were volunteers, one was paid, many had been at the station a long time (two to ten years). Most of the volunteers had no journalism or broadcast experience, other than their work at the station. The quality of the station's news and talk show programming had suffered from lack of knowledge of public radio broadcast standards and from lack of commitment by some hosts. Since Fiske began working at the station, she had experienced some challenges: staff being late, non-responsive, resistant to change, and argumentative/combative, plus a resignation. What could she do to ensure her success and the success of the organization? She urgently needed to strategize with her boss and develop a plan of action.

The president of a small Canadian tour operator of packaged vacations faces foreign exchange risk resulting from a future transaction in which the firm is committing to pay in U.S. dollars where the company's revenues are in Canadian dollars. The thin profit margins require the company to consider different hedging alternatives. The case provides significant information that will allow students to discuss international parity conditions and various hedging strategies within a relatively simple context.

This case illustrates the tension/balance that firms with complex and risky business models must consider in designing their internal controls. It describes the environment in which a derivatives trader engaged in massive directional positions on major European stocks and indexes without being detected for over a year. Although the case could be used to teach the basics of internal controls, it is likely to be more effective by eliciting a debate about how predictable the incident was, and whether or not there was anything fundamentally flawed about the company's choices in terms of strategy, control systems and culture. It also provides an opportunity to discuss the challenges of dealing jointly with a market-wide crisis (subprime) and a company-level crisis.

This case is an update of the 2005 case on the human capital development of ASIMCO (Asian Strategic Investment Corp.) in China. ASIMCO is an automotive component group serving the Chinese motor vehicle industry. This case showcases ASIMCO's management development efforts in the very different cultural environment of China and its succession program, exploring the challenges faced by Western companies operating in China in the process.

SAS: Leadership in Business Intelligence is set in 2007 and traces the history of a great analytics software firm, considered to be the leader in a domain loosely characterized as Business Intelligence. The firm is one of the world's largest private companies, global leader in Analytics and Business Intelligence and the 33rd largest software company in the world. Ownership of SAS is concentrated in the hands of two programmers, one of whom, Jim Goodnight, holds two thirds of the shares and has acted as CEO for the last 30 years, piloting the strategy of the firm. SAS was originally a statistical analytics software package developed by Jim Goodnight and his original partners before the founding of the firm in 1976. Between its founding and 2007 the firm developed a breathtaking array of software add-ons and capabilities that allows firms to perform data storage, data mining, reporting and generate scorecards that enable managers to forecast opportunities and make data-based decisions for the future.

In 2007, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' manufacturing organization faced a number of challenges, requiring that it revolutionize the way its 17,000 people operated. The case describes alternative methods of systemic change considered by Wyeth, the approach they implemented, and how they rolled out the changes across more than 25 sites worldwide. The transformation of one plant is described in some detail. The case also describes setting of objectives and expectations, engagement of leaders and staff, and the use of outside advisors.

In July 2008, BP was embroiled in a dispute with the Russian partner of its TNK-BP joint venture. The partners had many areas of disagreement, including the level of capital investment, dividend payouts, international expansion, the number of expatriates, and selection of the CEO. The joint venture also had problems with the Russian government over employee visas and exploration licenses. From BP's perspective, the joint venture was an important part of its global oil and gas business. TNK-BP accounted for nearly one-quarter of BP's oil production, and close to one-fifth of its reserves. How the issues between the partners and with the government were resolved would have a lasting impact on BP and its presence in Russia. The resolution would also impact Russia's overall reputation for attracting and supporting foreign investment.

Sunnylake Hospital is being held up by online extortionists who have blocked access to its electronic medical records and are demanding $100,000 to restore it. Paul Layman, Sunnylake's CEO, didn't take their first e-mail seriously, and now the hospital has ground to a halt. Paul's golden-boy IT director can't seem to outwit the hackers. Sunnylake's legal counsel tells Paul, "Literally every second is a liability." The chief of staff is in a mutinous fury. What should Paul do? Three experts comment on this fictional case study in R0910B and R0910Z. He should pay the extortionists, advises Per Gullestrup, the CEO of Clipper Projects, who in late 2008 was closely involved in negotiations with Somali pirates who had seized a Clipper Group ship. But first Paul should hire a negotiator to prevent the extortionists from doing further mischief. He should absolutely not acquiesce, says Richard L. Nolan, a professor at the University of Washington's Michael G. Foster School of Business, because the hackers may have embedded further corruption in the system. And Paul must communicate fully with the staff, his board, patients, and the public. Peter R. Stephenson, chairman of the department of computing at Norwich University, recommends shutting down the servers, running a malware scan on every workstation in the hospital, and watching what happens for 24 hours, in case the extortionists are insiders.

Sunnylake Hospital is being held up by online extortionists who have blocked access to its electronic medical records and are demanding $100,000 to restore it. Paul Layman, Sunnylake's CEO, didn't take their first e-mail seriously, and now the hospital has ground to a halt. Paul's golden-boy IT director can't seem to outwit the hackers. Sunnylake's legal counsel tells Paul, "Literally every second is a liability." The chief of staff is in a mutinous fury. What should Paul do? Three experts comment on this fictional case study in R0910B and R0910Z. He should pay the extortionists, advises Per Gullestrup, the CEO of Clipper Projects, who in late 2008 was closely involved in negotiations with Somali pirates who had seized a Clipper Group ship. But first Paul should hire a negotiator to prevent the extortionists from doing further mischief. He should absolutely not acquiesce, says Richard L. Nolan, a professor at the University of Washington's Michael G. Foster School of Business, because the hackers may have embedded further corruption in the system. And Paul must communicate fully with the staff, his board, patients, and the public. Peter R. Stephenson, chairman of the department of computing at Norwich University, recommends shutting down the servers, running a malware scan on every workstation in the hospital, and watching what happens for 24 hours, in case the extortionists are insiders.

Sunnylake Hospital is being held up by online extortionists who have blocked access to its electronic medical records and are demanding $100,000 to restore it. Paul Layman, Sunnylake's CEO, didn't take their first e-mail seriously, and now the hospital has ground to a halt. Paul's golden-boy IT director can't seem to outwit the hackers. Sunnylake's legal counsel tells Paul, "Literally every second is a liability." The chief of staff is in a mutinous fury. What should Paul do? Three experts comment on this fictional case study in R0910B and R0910Z. He should pay the extortionists, advises Per Gullestrup, the CEO of Clipper Projects, who in late 2008 was closely involved in negotiations with Somali pirates who had seized a Clipper Group ship. But first Paul should hire a negotiator to prevent the extortionists from doing further mischief. He should absolutely not acquiesce, says Richard L. Nolan, a professor at the University of Washington's Michael G. Foster School of Business, because the hackers may have embedded further corruption in the system. And Paul must communicate fully with the staff, his board, patients, and the public. Peter R. Stephenson, chairman of the department of computing at Norwich University, recommends shutting down the servers, running a malware scan on every workstation in the hospital, and watching what happens for 24 hours, in case the extortionists are insiders.

Accounting fraud issues have taken centre stage whenever there is a discussion about the bankruptcy of Worldcom. However Worldcom's performance was in turmoil even before the fraud issues surfaced. The fundamental strategic, management and industry issues that catalyzed the culture allowing fraudulent behavior that lead to the bankruptcy of the company are discussed.

In the 2006 election cycle, Dan Silver was challenging a popular 26-year incumbent for the U.S. congressional seat in Florida's 19th Congressional District. To win the election, Silver needed to find a way to relate to his voters on a personal level. Silver's campaign manager advised him to work with consulting firm KNP Communications. Over the course of a few sessions, Silver worked with the KNP team to learn techniques that would help him project warmth and authenticity. On election night, Silver wondered if KNP's training had allowed him to successfully connect with his voters, and more importantly, if this personal connection mattered more to voters than his competence and skills. Some information in this case has been disguised.

Factors affecting decision-making about appropriate types of business entities are explored in the context of advising a prospective investor with particular emphasis on why LLCs are increasingly "go-to" entities. The potential effect of choice of organization on litigation outcomes is illustrated using the Delaware Chancery Court's decision in Fisk Ventures, LLC v. Segal, 2008 WL 1961156 (May 7, 2008) and the practical implications of the differences between unincorporated and corporate entities are highlighted.

Transworld Auto Parts had to implement its new strategy flawlessly to survive the auto industry upheaval. The new CEO asked her leadership team to craft strategy maps and balanced scorecards to help each division implement their strategies.

Eden McCallum pioneered the network-based ("virtual") consulting firm model in the UK. Contracting freelance consultants on a per-project basis keeps overheads lean so that Eden McCallum's fees are a fraction of the big firms' rates. Their flexible, low-cost model has attracted top-notch corporate clients, resulting in steady double-digit annual growth in its first nine years. In January 2009, however, the global economic crisis has dramatically reshaped the competitive landscape and the founders must decide between pursuing their high-growth strategy versus retrenching - including cutting costs and pulling out of their first international expansion that they had launched the prior year. This case explores how the elements of a firm's innovative model reinforce each other and what happens when the environment changes.

As he nears graduation from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Pat Smith is considering his career plans. He wants to be an entrepreneur, but he has no start-up idea of his own. He is interested in entrepreneurship through acquisition and, based on conversations with various entrepreneurs, is trying to decide which type of search fund is right for him: a traditional, or funded, search, a self-funded search, or a sponsored search. In addition, he has to decide whether to pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor immediately after graduation or later in his career.

Very little has been written about women business leaders in the Middle East. Fatima Al Jaber is the Chief Operating Officer of a multibillion-dollar family owned company in Abu Dhabi. The case traces her personal history, highlights the challenges faced by family businesses in the region, and focuses on the distinctive strengths and leadership styles of Muslim businesswomen. The case will prompt discussion about work-life balance, the significance of culture, and the traditional and transitional roles and responsibilities of women in a rapidly evolving geopolitical context. It can also be used more broadly to compare leadership and gender in Western cultures to more traditional Middle Eastern cultures.

This case describes the relief supply chain in the initial 72 hours following a large-scale natural disaster. Taking the earthquake in Armenia as an example, we use the Fritz Institute Framework, published in 2005, to draw a parallel between two response systems: the Colombian government response and the National Society of the Red Cross, part of the Red Cross Movement based in Geneva.

The Mexican microfinance bank Compartamos Banco took the industry by surprise in 2007 with a successful IPO that valued the bank at more than US$ 1 billion. Although it was not the first listing of a microfinance organisation, the 10,000% rate of return for the initial investors and managers created controversy as many believed that these returns were possible because of the high interest rates charged to poor borrowers. This controversy divided the microfinance industry and still rages today. The case tells the story of Compartamos and its IPO, and outlines the different arguments from both sides, setting the scene for a lively debate-style session..