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Supplement for W14020 and W14021

This is a two-part case which examines the events that led to CEO Michael Dell's decision to bring his company private in 2013. Case A is a global business strategy case about transforming and turning around a $60 billion technology company, and the challenge of valuing that business as its legacy declined and its ambitious diversification program progressed; and case B is a deal case about a very public going private process and the financial and transactional issues that gripped the market for close to a year, prompting both public and private market participants to debate the value and future of Dell. The cases also address important policy questions about the incentives and roles of various participants, the adequacy of public disclosure about large complex businesses, and the problems board face in managing turnarounds and exits of large complex enterprises. The case presumes some working knowledge of corporate finance.

This supplements the "A" case. Joel Rose and Chris Rush decide to spin-off from School of One to found New Classrooms Innovation Partners. Rose and Rush navigate the strategic complexities of the spin-off process to make their mission-driven product a reality. The case explores the co-founders' decision to pursue either a for-profit or nonprofit structure and their strategy for scaling their product, Teach to One.

On Thursday January 27, 2011, hundreds of thousands of protesters in Egypt were vociferously demanding an end to the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak, and to the state of emergency he had let prevail, and nurtured during that tenure. The protest movement was expected to gather even greater momentum following the afternoon prayers the next day, a Friday. The communication and connectivity through social media had acted as a key catalyst in enabling the protesters to coordinate their actions. President Mubarak's government decided to strike hard at the lifeline of this virtual medium, by exploiting some of the rights that the state of emergency had accorded them. That afternoon, the government ordered the three main voice and data communications providers in Egypt - Vodafone, Mobinil, and Etisalat - to suspend services in selected areas. Among these areas was Tahrir Square ("Freedom/Martyrs' Square") in Cairo, the biggest nucleus where protesters had assembled. Later, the government would also instruct these communications providers to broadcast propaganda text messages to all their subscribers, imploring them to be on the side of the Egyptian Army, which the government said was the true protector of Egypt. When Hatem Dowidar, CEO of Vodafone Egypt, heard about the government's order, he was about to take a crucial decision. He knew that the situation in Egypt was being observed closely from all over the world. Dowidar also realized that the course of action he opted for would have consequences not just for Vodafone Egypt, but also for the parent Vodafone Group. He contemplated the possible consequences, well aware that any decision he took would invariably evoke strong reactions.

This case is a multi-party M&A negotiation between companies in the liquor business. The target company National Distilleries Corporation (NDC) is the target of two competitors, namely Liquor America (LA) and International Liquor (IL).

This case is a multi-party M&A negotiation between companies in the liquor business. The target company National Distilleries Corporation (NDC) is the target of two competitors, namely Liquor America (LA) and International Liquor (IL).

This case is a multi-party M&A negotiation between companies in the liquor business. The target company National Distilleries Corporation (NDC) is the target of two competitors, namely Liquor America (LA) and International Liquor (IL).

Partnering with Bloomberg Philanthropies, MDRC, the Vera Institute of Justice, and the New York State Department of Corrections, Goldman decided to go ahead with the social impact bond (SIB) project to reduce youth recidivism. If there were lower rates of recidivism under the program, the city would not have to repay Goldman's loans; Goldman would accept the risk. The city would in turn save money, allowing it to repay the bond. Before the bank knew whether the initiative would be successful, it was already moving on to new social investments. The firm was looking into an SIB to fund an expansion for a high-quality early childhood preschool program in the Granite School District of Central Salt Lake, Utah. The expansion would empower more children with early preparation, decreasing the need for special education and remedial services and saving the district money. Students are tasked with evaluating new social investment instruments, ways to mitigate risk, and the role of banks in social impact.

Alain Chuard and Victoria Ransom reflected on their history as founders of Wildfire Interactive Inc. (Wildfire). Originally called Promotion Builder, Wildfire had evolved from an in-house marketing solution used by the duo's adventure travel company to a multi-platform software program used by thousands of businesses globally. The Wildfire product enabled these customers to develop customized social-media marketing campaigns composed of video and essay competitions, user-generated contests, quizzes, and coupons. Users could then push these promotions to their websites or social networks, such as Facebook, hi5, and LinkedIn. By summer 2011, Wildfire had achieved significant success and the founders believed that the company had reached a turning point. The team had analyzed the histories of similar industries (e.g., e-mail marketing) and determined that Wildfire's space likely would not support several independent companies and would ultimately experience an industry-wide consolidation. This meant that Wildfire would probably not be able to maintain the status quo and that Chuard and Ransom may need to consider the possibility of going public, getting acquired, or raising additional capital to bolster the firm's presence in the market. In May 2012, two large acquisitions occurred in the space and triggered a flurry of M&A activity. Among these events was an offer by Google to purchase Wildfire for $350 million with the contingency that Ransom and Chuard provide Google with a decision within 24 hours. The team set forth evaluating their options.

Mara Group is a rapidly growing Pan-African conglomerate run by its entrepreneurial CEO Ashish Thakkar. The case explores Thakkar's decision on which African markets to expand operations into.

Epilogue to case W93C73.

In fall 2009, the new president and chief executive officer of PAR Springer-Miller Systems, based in Stowe, Vermont, is tasked with leading the most significant innovation effort the company has undertaken since its founding in 1984. The company is a leading provider of property management, point-of-sale and spa management systems for high-end hotels, resorts, spas and casinos worldwide, but its legacy products are based on outdated technology and subject to increasing customer complaints; at the same time, the global recession has negatively affected the high-end market. In his first year, the new president has made significant progress in restructuring the organization and shifting its culture to a more entrepreneurial one. He is ready to begin the development of an entirely new product but has to decide on strategy, in particular deciding on the best market on which to focus the new software product and then mapping out a plan to execute its development and launch. How can he elicit a radical innovation from a team of management and employees so culturally rooted in their past accomplishments and legacy products? Should he look for a technology partner and develop the new product in a different location? Can the legacy products be kept up and running long enough for the new product to generate sufficient sales that they can be retired? These are the issues that must be addressed or the company may well face a dire future.<br><br>See A Case 9B14C022.

Patagonia produces high-quality environmentally friendly garments that command significant price premiums. In Spring 2010, Patagonia rolled out a new, radical environmental initiative called "Product Lifecycle Initiative" (PLI), which was committed to lengthening the lifecycle of each product and reducing landfill waste. This case provides an update on Patagonia's PLI as well as on other company environmental and social commitments.

This supplementary case follows up on an innovative R&D approach by Beiersdorf,a skin care and cosmetics company. The case relates what happened to the product launched by Beiersdorf, to its Nivea line, following the events of the A case, and how the commercial success of the product informed thinking by leaders in R&D for the future.