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Netflix, the online movie rental subscription service, did not contend with significant direct competition in online DVD rentals for six years until Blockbuster, the movie rental chain giant, entered the market in 2004 and began a price war. After that point, CEO Reed Hastings's company scrambled to maintain share and remain profitable. Investors balked at the impact direct competition had on margins and the unlikely sustainability of price cutting against a behemoth competitor. When Amazon began signaling an intention to enter the market in 2005, Hastings had at least two major decisions to make: whether to drop prices to match Blockbuster, and whether to stay the course with regard to his historic strategy of "business-as-usual" when a competitor emerged on the scene.

NatuRi Corp. was a start up, founded in 2005, aiming to manufacture a cholesterol-lowering drug made from the byproducts of rice bran oil production. With operations split between Chennai, India and Boston, Massachusetts, NatuRi faced several challenges, including securing funding for the organization. NatuRi had captured the attention of at least four potential investors willing to offer an investment. Its managers were challenged to weigh their options and to determine which of the four potential investors currently interested in their venture would be most appropriate for NatuRi's future growth. In addition, the founders had only a short period of time to decide whether or not to accept a Seed and Series A term sheet from a well known venture capital firm. Poses the question of how the company's financing should be structured and how much equity the founders should relinquish in exchange for the start-up capital.

Bob Rubin was a businessman given the task of setting up and running the National Economic Council for the Clinton Administration. Unfamiliar with management in a political climate, Rubin worked hard to design, staff, and position the Council to make better economic and policy decisions. Traces the career of Robert E. Rubin from his practice in law to his work at Goldman Sachs and studies how his work experiences prepared him to establish the National Economic Council.

XTech, a leading manufacturer of metal parts for the telecommunications industry, is being pushed by its large equipment vendor customers to establish a manufacturing operation in China. CEO Reinhold Hesse is debating several options: establishing a joint venture, contracting with a local partner, or setting up a wholly owned enterprise. Hesse must prepare his recommendation to the management team, which includes owners Jim and Debby Sharpe.

Jason Meads, the senior originator for Patron Capital Partners, must decide the best investment option for the development of the Odra Polish theater chain and its associated real estate. Capital Field, a potential local partner, was a company formed by U.S.-educated Polish natives involved in real estate and cinema who had worked to privatize Odra. While there was potential to reinvigorate the formerly state-owned and operated theater chain, many of the real estate assets presented compelling options for redevelopment into retail, office, and residential uses.

When the founder of iStockphoto.com started the company in 2000, his objective was to share his vast collection of stock photography with graphic designers worldwide, and, in the process, help others do the same. By 2002, the organization was a respected and successful online community, but the founder and his partners now had to consider the profitability of their company. iStock was founded on community and collaboration - not commerce. Should the model change and if so, what would it take to make a significant culture change work? The case examines the culture and business opportunities for this start-up. It demonstrates the challenges of generating profit from an online community, as well as the key factors needed to build a community that can be turned into a profitable business.

The commercial eProducts manager at Shell Canada has to determine how to improve the adoption and utilization of their eCommerce channel. eStore had been developed for the fuel and lubricants market as a pilot test of how Shell might communicate with its customers electronically, thus reducing costs. While eStore had been in place for a year, and many customers had signed up, utilization was low. A consulting firm has made recommendations about the technical issues that might be driving low utilization. The commercial eProducts manager has to consider whether the problems are purely technical and make a recommendation on how to proceed.

Kirsti Paakkanen has achieved a celebrity status in Finland for her enigmatic leadership of the Finnish design company Marimekko. Purchasing the company in a state of near bankruptcy in 1991, Paakkanen took several actions to restore profitability and realize growth. As of 2006, the company has sales of 64 million euros (of which 80% are from Finland) and net profits of 8.4 million euros. Over the last few years, Paakkanen and her team have focused on growing international sales. Recently, the company has opened concept shops owned by foreign partners in Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Iceland, Sweden, and the United States. In light of the international expansion, Paakkanen is wondering if any changes to Marimekko's personnel policies and/or organization structure are necessary.

Describes the challenges of using the Balanced Scorecard to implement a triple-bottom-line strategy for delivering excellent economic, environmental, and social performance. The owners and senior executive team of Amanco, a producer of plastic pipe and complete water treatment systems, want strong financial returns but are also deeply committed to improving the environment and making a difference in people's lives. Robert Salas, CEO, wants a management system that communicates and motivates Amanco's three high-level goals. Initially, he creates a simple scorecard of measures, but he soon migrates to developing a strategy map and Balanced Scorecard that places economic, environmental, and social objectives as the highest-level objectives. He faces the challenges of cascading the corporate Balanced Scorecard to operating units throughout Latin America and how to develop better measures of social and environmental impact. Salas must also address whether he can sustain Amanco's balanced strategy while entering the Brazilian market, where he faces an entrenched and much larger competitor.

A small adhesives company faces exchange-rate risks as it makes its first foray into international sales. The receipt of payment from an unhedged foreign currency denominated past sale illustrates potential currency risks while a potential follow-on order provides a context to discuss potential hedges. Additional richness is provided by the fact that the follow-on sale appears unprofitable unless the analysis acknowledges the irrelevance of overhead and that the market value of raw materials is below book value.

How do you tell one of your direct reports that she stinks? This case explores the dynamics behind having difficult conversations, and giving and receiving feedback. It is designed to illustrate the negative effects that can result after a difficult conversation and ways to reduce the risk of adverse consequences. The case also touches on relationships in the workplace and the correlation they have to the bottom line. In the A case students have to decide whether to confront a worker about her hygiene problems. The B case offers a role-playing situation to practice conducting a difficult conversation. We learn in the C case that the discussion went terribly wrong, and in the E case readers are provided an epilogue.

In October 2005, the Rockingham County Public Schools Web site announced exciting news: For the third consecutive year, all 20 of the district's schools were fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education. This accomplishment was particularly impressive since it meant that South River Elementary, a school that struggled to consistently achieve during its first eight years of existence, once again had attained a high level of success. Though Principal Mark Keeler was reluctant to take credit for the school's performance, it was no secret that South River's improvement began when he was named principal a few years earlier. But what had he done to turn the school around? And how had he helped the school sustain success?

In 2005, an executive vice president at Wal-Mart must decide whether to expand the retailer's selection of organic food. The decision is made in the context of wider attempts to move the giant retailer slightly upscale and to focus on environmental sustainability.

In response to a huge crisis in 2000, the new CEO of Procter & Gamble has to decide whether to continue with an unusual organizational design or to revert to the old matrix organization. Describes all the organizational designs used by Procter & Gamble from the 1920s onward, including geographic, product, and matrix architectures. Market development organizations, global business units, and global business services unit, each of which is heavily interdependent with the others and none of which has a clear decision-making advantage, comprise the unusual organizational design. Examination of the different organizational designs, trade-offs associated with each organizational architecture as well as the accompanying implementation problems.

In 2003, 3M initiated contact with Yunnan Baiyao Group Co., Ltd. to discuss potential cooperation opportunities in the area of transdermal pharmaceutical products. Yunnan Baiyao (YB), was a household brand in China for its unique traditional herbal medicines. In recent years, the company had been engaged in a series of corporate reforms and product/market diversification strategies to respond to the change in the Chinese pharmaceutical industry and competition at a global level. By 2003, YB was already a vertically integrated, product-diversified group company with an ambition to become an international player. The proposed cooperation with 3M was attractive to YB, not only as an opportunity for domestic product diversification, but also for international diversification. YB had been attempting to internationalize its products and an overseas department had been established in 2002 specifically for this purpose. On the other hand, YB had also been considering another option, namely, whether to extend its brand to toothpaste and other healthcare products. YB had to make decisions about which of the two options to pursue and whether it was feasible to pursue both.

Mark Ernst, the Chairman, CEO and President of H&R Block, has to decide how to respond to a competitive threat posed by a competitor's refund lending product. Block is the largest U.S. tax preparation firm, which competes not only on its tax preparation services, but also through the provision of related financial services. A rival offers a pre-season refund lending product that has drawn away Block customers. Ernst feels that the product as structured is not good for Block, its customers, or the industry. As an added complication, Block is facing an imminent suit brought by Eliot Spitzer about one of its saving products.

Mercury Corps, the world's 5th largest international relief and development agency, is at a turning point. The nonprofit's opportunities to grow and serve a larger number of beneficiaries are unprecedented. By looking at the unique relationship between headquarters and over 40 country offices, explores the question--is Mercury Corps well positioned to effectively and efficiently manage these new growth opportunities.

Senior management at PSI, arguably the world's largest and most successful social marketer with impressive achievements in the field of family planning, HIV/AIDS, and malaria prevention must determine what to do about their slow-to-take-off clean water initiative. PSI's point-of-use products offered effective protection against water-borne diseases, especially diarrhea, yet the organization found it hard to attract donor funds to sustain the initiative. Its managers must determine how to alter their strategy going forward.

The three founding partners of Gobi Partners, a venture capital fund investing in early start IT and digital media companies in China, are planning to raise a second fund. The first $51.75 million fund is close to being entirely invested and the portfolio companies are doing well, with two having raised subsequent financings at significantly increased valuations. The firm itself has increased its headcount and opened a second office, but it has not, however, exited any of its companies. How much money should the partners hope to raise, and from whom? The stakes are high, as none of them has taken a paycheck in three years.

The snack bar supervisor of The Waterview resort in Northern Ontario just had another argument with his boss. He was angry and hated the thought of finishing the remaining four weeks of his summer contract. It was obvious to the supervisor that his boss held a personal grudge against him that was growing in intensity. He wondered how to finally settle their differences. Students will analyze a set of complex issues.