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As it entered its seventh academic year, Codman Academy, an expeditionary learning charter school located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, was reflecting on its successes and challenges. The school had succeeded in placing every member of its most recent graduating class in college. However, recent changes to the state's accountability system necessitated greater focus on helping Codman Academy students meet this graduation requirement. Codman Academy's founding, academic model, leadership, and partnerships (including its unique relationship and location within a community-based health center) are also discussed.

A director within the leadership development program of a large multinational organization must decide how to manage a very difficult conversation she must have with her assistant director. The assistant director, who is older and more experienced (although less educated), interviewed for the director's position and didn't get it. The assistant director has never been happy reporting to her much younger boss, and has felt consistently left out of major decisions. The assistant director had confronted the director about her feelings and threatened to resign. How should the director handle this difficult conversation?

As a farmer-owned cooperative, South Dakota Wheat Growers (SDWG) serves the needs of its 3,600 active farmer-members by supplying farm inputs and organizing the marketing and transportation of grain produced in the co-op's service territory. For almost 80 years, the majority of grain was shipped out of the area by rail to markets in the East and the Pacific Northwest. However, the recent expansion in ethanol production is changing the pattern of grain flow along with stimulating the local farm economy. SDWG's management and producer board must decide how to continue to meet the needs of their producer-owners under the new conditions.

From his humble beginnings as a local salesman in New York, Henry J. Kaiser rose to become one of the leading industrialists of 20th century America. Though he had no technical engineering training, Kaiser mastered the management and execution of plans for several large scale projects that contributed to the growth and improvement of contemporary America, including the Hoover Dam, one of the wonders of the modern world. During World War II, when the United States desperately needed ships to deliver manpower and supplies overseas, Kaiser, who had never built a ship before, rose to the challenge and successfully directed the construction of thousands of Liberty ships. These merchant vessels gave the U.S. Navy the overwhelming might to claim victory at sea for America and her Allies. He pioneered shipbuilding techniques that not only allowed him to build ships at unprecedented rates, but he also spurred the whole shipbuilding industry to do the same. His fame made him the object of envy and scorn for shipbuilders all across America, yet he had never built a ship before the war. All of Kaiser's endeavors, from his beginnings in the construction industry all the way to his development of Hawaii's urban landscape, demonstrated his willingness to embrace the unknown, and his determination in the face of setbacks. His combination of entrepreneurship, perseverance, and compassion made him the embodiment of the American spirit.

CEO Wesley Edens and the five Fortress principals are contemplating a move unprecedented in the industry: Becoming the first hedge fund and private equity firm to complete an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This case examines potential reasons for a leading alternative investment firm to go public, including the firm's own rationale relating to "people, permanence, currency, and capital," while also providing analyst expectations regarding target valuation and initial stock performance.

PepsiCo introduced Lay's potato chips to China in 1997. As its chips business grew in China, it faced increasing difficulties in securing a reliable supply of quality potatoes. In the North American market, Pepsi relied on external suppliers for its potatoes, but in China, it ran into problems both in sourcing locally and in getting its US supplier to grow potatoes on its behalf. The matter was further complicated by the fact that the Chinese government had banned the import of potatoes. Faced with numerous obstacles in sourcing potatoes in China, how should Pepsi go about securing this critical input? Should it rely on external suppliers given China's immature agribusiness industry, or should it integrate backwards to grow its own potatoes?

Early 2005 saw the first hostile takeover in Japan. Financed by foreign capital, the takeover startled Japan's traditional business establishments who now feared that the threat of hostile takeovers had finally become a reality in Japan. Meanwhile, Japan also went through numerous accounting scandals involving public companies and was seeing dramatic changes in disclosure and corporate-governance rules and regulations in regards to issuers of publicly traded securities and their officers and directors. Concurrently, Mr Hidezo Terai, president of World Co. Ltd, Japan ("World"), a publicly traded apparel company on the Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges, considered returning the company to its private limited status and de-listing it from both the stock exchanges. The company believed doing so would allow them to introduce a management system for quick and flexible responses in the ever-changing fashion business. The market on the other hand suspected that such a move was driven by a need to seek relief from the new disclosure and corporate-governance rules and regulations, and to protect World from possible hostile takeovers

This case describes the difficult times Charles Schwab the company faced after the dot-com bust of the early 2000s. It also describes how Charles Schwab the man returned in July 2004 to take on the CEO position, and the strategic actions he took to fix the problems and refocus the company he founded over 30 years ago. The case shows how he was able to draw on the considerable remaining strengths of the company, not in the least its long-established culture that emphasized doing the right thing for customers. Two years following Schwab's return to the CEO job, the company turned in strong results. With the crisis of the past few years weathered, the case focuses on the challenges the company faces going forward as it pursues its strategy of offering good, consistent, un-conflicted investment advice to increasing numbers of smaller investors.

Historically, the biggest obstacle that healthcare innovators, such as pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, needed to overcome on their way to market was securing approval by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) or other international regulatory authorities. However, in the last decade, a new (sometimes even more challenging) hurdle had to be cleared: insurance coverage and reimbursement. Payers--either public payers, such as Medicare in the U.S. and the National Health Services (NHS) in the U.K., or private commercial payers, such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield and UnitedHealth Grou--could deny coverage for a technology that had received regulatory approval if they determined that the supporting evidence did not adequately demonstrate that the technology was superior to existing treatment alternatives that were already being reimbursed. This had the potential to create a potentially adversarial relationship between payers and innovators in cases where they had conflicting interpretations of the evidence regarding the cost, benefits, and risks of new technologies. The challenges to innovators in managing this conflict are illustrated in this case study by an example: the 2006 decision by the U.K.'s NHS to deny coverage for Exubera, a new form of inhaled insulin.

Philip Goldstein, the principal in a growing hedge fund and prominent activist investor, has taken a position in a Mexico-based closed-end fund. Following a hard-fought proxy contest in which he advocated for management to eliminate the fund's substantial discount, Goldstein earns a seat on the board of directors. Now he and the board are faced with the decision of how best to "unlock value" in the fund by delivering Net Asset Value (NAV) to shareholders. The case, which provides rich detail on the workings of closed-end funds (CEFs), invites students to examine the trade-offs among liquidating the fund, converting it to an open-end fund, or carrying out a self-tender offer. It also raises topics of fund selection and investing in country-specific funds such as Mexico.

In the early 20th century, public outrage at certain life insurance practices led to an investigation in New York State that threatened to curtail growth in the industry. Charles Evans Hughes guided the four-month-long Armstrong Investigation, which made startling revelations, and offered a number of controversial recommendations, several of which would forbid the most popular form of life insurance (tontine insurance), limit the growth of life insurers (which included several of the nation's largest financial institutions at the time), and prevent insurance firms from owning the stock of other companies. The New York State legislature approved all of the recommended measures, and sent the bill to the Governor for his signature. The life insurance industry objected, however, claiming that some of the new rules would reduce consumer choice and unnecessarily lower returns on company investments.

CEO and founder Atsumasa Tochiasako (52) sat in his Washington D.C. headquarters, looking with pride at the copy of a press release that would announce the latest in a broadening line of financial services that Washington D.C.-based Microfinance International Corporation (MFIC) had been providing for two years to a growing number of "unbanked" Hispanic nationals in the United States and their home countries.

Alan Wilson has a decision to make. The CEO of his company, Grepter, wants him to relocate to Zurich, where he can gain valuable experience for a rise to the top. Karl, his best friend, hopes to lure him to a hedge fund that promises big money fast. Shiori, an enticing former girlfriend, wants him to join her in delivering medical care to patients in developing countries. Alan knows for sure only that he wants to make an impact. Four experts comment on this fictional case study in R0801A and R0801Z. Laura Scher, the CEO of Credo Mobile, advises Alan to consider what each option will deliver in terms of money, power, quality of life, and - most important - personal values. As long as he brings his values into the workplace, any of the three could be the right choice. Daniel Vasella, the CEO of Novartis, cautions Alan to examine what truly drives him, personally and professionally. All things considered - not least the potential hazards of working with a friend - his future looks most promising at Grepter. Barbara H. Franklin, the CEO of an international trade consulting and investment firm, thinks Alan would do well to join Shiori's enterprise. The experience with social policy might draw him to public service, where his impact on society could be significant. Christina C. Jones, the CEO of Extend Fertility, has also faced a variety of choices combined with an urge to do meaningful work. She believes that Alan should cultivate his skills at Grepter while developing a firmer notion of what he wants to be and do.

Alan Wilson has a decision to make. The CEO of his company, Grepter, wants him to relocate to Zurich, where he can gain valuable experience for a rise to the top. Karl, his best friend, hopes to lure him to a hedge fund that promises big money fast. Shiori, an enticing former girlfriend, wants him to join her in delivering medical care to patients in developing countries. Alan knows for sure only that he wants to make an impact. Four experts comment on this fictional case study in R0801A and R0801Z. Laura Scher, the CEO of Credo Mobile, advises Alan to consider what each option will deliver in terms of money, power, quality of life, and - most important - personal values. As long as he brings his values into the workplace, any of the three could be the right choice. Daniel Vasella, the CEO of Novartis, cautions Alan to examine what truly drives him, personally and professionally. All things considered - not least the potential hazards of working with a friend - his future looks most promising at Grepter. Barbara H. Franklin, the CEO of an international trade consulting and investment firm, thinks Alan would do well to join Shiori's enterprise. The experience with social policy might draw him to public service, where his impact on society could be significant. Christina C. Jones, the CEO of Extend Fertility, has also faced a variety of choices combined with an urge to do meaningful work. She believes that Alan should cultivate his skills at Grepter while developing a firmer notion of what he wants to be and do.

Alan Wilson has a decision to make. The CEO of his company, Grepter, wants him to relocate to Zurich, where he can gain valuable experience for a rise to the top. Karl, his best friend, hopes to lure him to a hedge fund that promises big money fast. Shiori, an enticing former girlfriend, wants him to join her in delivering medical care to patients in developing countries. Alan knows for sure only that he wants to make an impact. Four experts comment on this fictional case study in R0801A and R0801Z. Laura Scher, the CEO of Credo Mobile, advises Alan to consider what each option will deliver in terms of money, power, quality of life, and - most important - personal values. As long as he brings his values into the workplace, any of the three could be the right choice. Daniel Vasella, the CEO of Novartis, cautions Alan to examine what truly drives him, personally and professionally. All things considered - not least the potential hazards of working with a friend - his future looks most promising at Grepter. Barbara H. Franklin, the CEO of an international trade consulting and investment firm, thinks Alan would do well to join Shiori's enterprise. The experience with social policy might draw him to public service, where his impact on society could be significant. Christina C. Jones, the CEO of Extend Fertility, has also faced a variety of choices combined with an urge to do meaningful work. She believes that Alan should cultivate his skills at Grepter while developing a firmer notion of what he wants to be and do.

Six-person facilitated negotiation among representatives of the city, state, developer, insurer, and victims' families regarding the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

On the watch of three generations of executives, conservative management and aggressive expansion guided Southwest Airline's legendary growth and success in an unattractive industry. Herb Kelleher, founder and industry revolutionary, introduced a business model that transformed the airline industry. After 20 years of steady growth, Kelleher passed the baton to James Parker and Colleen Barrett, the first man-and-woman team to run an airline. This team maintained Kelleher's direction and focus. However, the company soon experienced cracks in its façade in the wake of 9/11 terrorism, spiraling fuel prices, labor unrest, and credible new entrants like JetBlue. After reorganization, Southwest's former CFO, Gary Kelly, took the helm. His message was that the Southwest brand was under attack, and the company would have to change. Kelly had to overcome many challenges within this turbulent environment if Southwest was to continue the impressive track record of profitable growth that they had enjoyed for 35 years. Could Southwest preserve the Herb-centric culture and, more importantly, was this culture critical to their future success? Would Southwest lose its leadership position to copycats, or, worse, have to copy the copycats to meet customer expectations? What could Southwest do to maintain their cost advantage in light of spiraling fuel prices, costly labor concessions, intense competition, and aggressive industry consolidation? Finally, was it time to reinvent the 40-year-old legendary company?

The Icelandic government outsourced its testing and metrology functions in 1997, and in 2008 two firms competed for most of the vehicle emissions testing and inspection business in Iceland. Frumherji was one of the two. In a physically isolated island nation of just over 300,000 residents, word-of-mouth information about customer service could make or break a firm in the marketplace. Karl Sigurdssson, Senior Manager of Frumherji's Vehicle Department, was seeking ways to enhance customer service, while at the same time retaining the high standards and integrity that were essential to the company's continued contractual role with the Icelandic government. He hired a consultant to gather process data and make observations about customer service, and was considering how to use the information to identify problems and introduce solutions. The case highlights current challenges for Frumherji, including perceived customer service, demand variability, waiting times, recording errors, and employee turnover. It also includes relevant information about Iceland's immigration patterns, the growing market for vehicle inspection and emission testing, and goverment policies. The case presents a step-by-step description of the process for inspecting and testing private vehicles at Frumherji's largest station, Hestháls, located in Reykjavik. Accompanying information includes processing times, reject rates (yield rates as the inverse), wait times, error loops, and problems introduced by the customers themselves. Images of the facility and photos of the work area at each step in the process bring a sense of reality to the descriptions.

This is the first of a two-case series (808-040-1 and 808-041-1). From a rocky perch above the city of Boulder, Colorado, Jon Thorne gazed across the city and onto the great plains that stretched eastward before him. 'There's nothing like a vigorous mountain bike ride into the hills,' Thorne thought, 'when crucial decisions have to be deliberated.' It was a summer afternoon in 1999, and Thorne had devoted much of the past three years developing and taking to market a surgical instrument that he thought had the potential to significantly improve surgical practice. Though the feedback from surgeons had been excellent, Thorne's company, Silverglide Surgical Technologies, Inc, had little to show for his efforts. The $80,000 in start-up capital that Thorne had raised was nearly gone and his company's sales to date 'rounded to zero,' as a member of his advisory board had remarked at a board meeting earlier that week. Was it time to broaden his company's market focus from plastic surgeons into other surgical specialities? Was it time to abandon the probe and develop a new product line? Or should he abandon his entrepreneurial dream and return to a salaried job in the medical products industry from which he had come?