Set in Iran in January 1995, this case concerns a choice that the owners of a family business must make among several strategic options for future growth and diversification in the face of Iran's deteriorating economy. The case encourages students to go through the various steps of a comprehensive strategic analysis, ranging from the identification of core capabilities and Porter's "Five Competitive Forces" to evaluation of strategic fit and strategic alliances. The case also highlights the importance of strategic fit in the face of new opportunities and limited resources. The narrowness of the presented windows of opportunity creates a sense of urgency that might prompt students to overlook strategic fit and reach premature decisions.

Color. 23 minutes. Video. VHS and DVD.

In this case, Copeland executives have hired Bain & Company, a management-consulting firm, to make recommendations about a capital-appropriations request. The case can be used in conjunction with the Darden video module "Copeland/Bain" (#4352).

In this case, Copeland executives have hired Bain & Company, a management-consulting firm, to make recommendations about a capital-appropriations request. The case can be used in conjunction with the Darden video module "Copeland/Bain" (#4352).

This case is a summary of the history of Walt Disney Productions from its founding by Walt Disney in the 1920s to 1984. Faced with declining performance in virtually all divisions of the company, top management must develop a long-term strategy for improving the company's performance. The case addresses the question of how to restore the value of the asset base built by Walt Disney. The case also addresses two broad issues: (1) leadership and (2) qualities of an "excellent" company. The case has sufficient material on the start-up and early days of Walt Disney Productions that students can assess some of the qualities that made Walt Disney a successful entrepreneur and creative leader. See also "The Walt Disney Company: The Arrival of Eisner and Wells" (BP-0339).

This case is a summary of the history of Walt Disney Productions from its founding by Walt Disney in the 1920s to 1984. Faced with declining performance in virtually all divisions of the company, top management must develop a long-term strategy for improving the company's performance...

This case series (see also the B case, BP-0384) traces the formulation and implementation of a strategic plan for the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), and profiles, in detail, the highly inclusive and original planning process used. The NYBG planning process reflects many of the themes of creativity, inclusiveness, and vision that characterize the concepts of strategic thinking, collaboration, and empowerment so prevalent in recent business discussions. The A case opens in early 1993, and describes the process used to produce the plan, which included the participation of staff at every level.

Piaggio, manufacturer of the Vespa motor scooter, must decide whether to outsource production of a new engine. The decision is surrounded by uncertainty about the achievable sales volume for the engine, particularly as competitors' new and less expensive products are gaining popularity. The A case (UVA-BP-0415) provides an overview of the competitive style of each of the major manufacturers and affords a discussion of their core capabilities. The B case describes what happens in the market and to Piaggio after the company has built the engine.

This case begins in mid-1984 with the arrival of the Eisner-Wells team to head Disney Productions. It lays out the specific actions taken by the new management team in each area of Disney's business, and contains excerpts from Eisner and Wells's first letter to shareholders. See also "Disney Productions: The Walt Years" (BP-0332).

This case focuses on the creation of a work plan for a consulting engagement.

Carrier, a division of mulitbusiness United Technologies Corporation (UTC), is looking for ways to grow its business. Carrier is considering expansion into commercial refrigeration and is examining a proposed purchase of Tyler Corporation--a major player in the display-case market. The case provides detail on various segments of the heating and cooling markets and thus allows analysis of the attractiveness of these segments to Carrier. The case also provides detailed forecasts for students to use in valuing the target, Tyler. The mechanics of a basic valuation are straightforward. There are, however, several opportunities for a more refined analysis.

This case series (see also the A case, UVA-BP-0383) traces the formulation and implementation of a strategic plan for the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), and profiles, in detail, the highly inclusive and original planning process used. The NYBG planning process reflects many of the themes of creativity, inclusiveness, and vision that characterize the concepts of strategic thinking, collaboration, and empowerment so prevalent in recent business discussions. The B case takes place in 1997, five years into the plan's seven-year time horizon. It reviews the dramatic successes the plan has made possible at the Garden.

This technical note describes the process of hypothesis-driven thinking, using examples from strategy consulting, medicine, and architecture. Associated with the scientific method, hypothesis-driven thinking focuses on the creative generation of alternative hypotheses and on their subsequent validation or refutation through the use of data. Hypothesis generation asks the creative question, "What if ...?" Hypothesis testing follows with "If ..., then ..." and brings relevant data to bear on the analysis. Taken together, and repeated over time, this sequence allows us to pose ever-improving hypotheses without forfeiting the ability to explore new ideas.

This case series deals with the situation facing the director of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Legal Aid Society, a federally supported nonprofit organization chartered to provide legal services to low-income people involved in noncriminal cases. Legal Aid has entered a challenging time in its history: Funding is decreasing while demand for services is growing. The director is struggling with how to forge a new strategy for the organization in an environment where resources are stretched thin and stakeholders do not agree about where the organization's efforts should be focused. The B case updates the A case (UVA-BP-0377) to 1995-96. See also the C case (UVA-BP-0517).

Bertelsmann, a global media company, whose holdings include television, books, music, and printing, is considering the purchase of the publisher Random House. The backdrop for the purchase, laid out in the A case, is a publishing industry showing decreasing profitability, with the rise of celebrity-author advances and powerful retailers like Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Further complicating the decision is Bertelsmann's recent emphasis on multimedia operations, the development of which may threaten Bertelsmann's traditional print operations. The B case (UVA-BP-0419) describes Bertelsmann's purchase of Random House, and begins to make explicit the CEO's strategy for the purchase. As Bertelsmann makes a series of deals to become stronger in content delivery, difficulties with implementing new strategies under the current corporate structure are revealed. The B case leaves the reader considering where Bertelsmann should focus further investments and what structure will support a cultural shift. The C case (UVA-BP-0420) reveals Bertelsmann's decision to reorganize all e-commerce operations into one division.