bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Kindle Fire: Amazon's Heated Battle for the Tablet Market
Authors: Sawhney Mohanbir , Owens Joseph R. , Goodman Pallavi 
Published: March 2017

This case is intended to illustrate to readers the challenges faced in 2011–2013 by Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, as he guided his company into the exploding tablet market. Faced with the tough decision between focusing on the e-reader market—which Amazon had come to dominate with its Kindle product line—and making a foray into tablets—for which it had no expertise—Bezos chose the latter. Amazon sought to combine platform assets to create an end-to-end experience that would let users find a “sweet spot” in the mix of features and services. This strategy involved critical decisions such as selecting a customer segment to target and a positioning for the new product, dubbed the Kindle Fire, as the tablet market rapidly evolved. The Kindle Fire was designed to put the full Amazon experience right into the laps of customers, and Bezos was betting that his customers would see the Kindle Fire as the physical manifestation of all things Amazon. To achieve this, Amazon was willing to heavily subsidize the Kindle Fire hardware device. The key assumption was that the superior end-to-end experience Amazon had carefully created would lead to incremental purchases of content as well as physical products and services, and the margins thus gained would outweigh the hardware subsidy.

Position and define target segments for a new product relative to competition as well as to a company's own products
Articulate a competitor's strategy and how to compete against an incumbent with a disruptive business model and a differentiated position
Discuss selling an experience (as opposed to a product or device) and how to create a differentiated service experience
Determine pricing, analyze business model, and calculate revenue/profit for a technology product
Loop Capital: Funding Growth in an Investment Bank
Authors: White Gregory , Borden Jeff , Whitaker Scott T. 
Published: March 2017

Jim Reynolds Jr. founded Loop Capital in 1997 as an investment bank specializing in bond sales for municipalities. Ten years later, with thirteen offices and almost 100 employees, Loop Capital was a national company and had brokered more than $800 billion of underwritings in equity, tax-exempt, and taxable fixed income markets. In the process of building its municipal finance and equity trading businesses, Loop Capital had developed close relationships with a number of government officials, large institutional money managers, and corporate executives. These customers began asking Loop Capital for help with other financial services, leading the firm to build corporate finance, tax-exempt, and taxable fixed-income platforms so it could offer a wider array of investment services. Municipal and corporate finance as well as equity, taxable, and tax-exempt trading were generating positive cash flow. In a field where failures were frequent, Loop Capital was thriving, and Reynolds saw great but untapped potential in the company's future. Over the past several years, Loop Capital had served as financial advisor to several municipalities that wanted to lease or sell public assets such as airports, toll roads, and seaports. Now he confronted several intriguing questions: Should he launch a $700 million infrastructure fund to invest in the types of deals the firm had helped structure? Did it make sense to invest in order to staff, market, and support the start-up of this new fund? If the fund was launched, should Loop Capital commit to the 1% investment likely to be required as the fund's general partner?Learn how to start a new financial services firm/investment bank venture Learn how an investment banking firm becomes successful at doing a few things well Assess risks of expanding into a new line of business with a different business model Examine differences between investment banking and fund management, and between high-growth entrepreneurship and lifestyle entrepreneurship Examine the significance, if any, of being a minority entrepreneur
MentorMob and the Reinvention of Learning
Authors: Greenstein Shane , Polhans Josh , Sabatte Micheline 
Published: March 2017

MentorMob had sprung from the passions---for web development and for online communities---of the company's co-founders, Kris Chinosorn (CEO) and Vince Leung (COO). The company pursued the ambitious goals of reinventing the way people learn and becoming the world's utility for learning about anything. The website leveraged a crowdsourcing model for information sharing, teaching, and learning. By enabling participants to learn---and to crowdsource from each other while learning---the site sought to both engage users at different stages of learning and to develop a compelling experience unobtainable without a crowd. Chinosorn and Leung needed to prioritize in order to achieve the growth and scale needed to become world's utility for learning. What should they do next to keep MentorMob's growth on track? What issues should get their greatest attention?The case teaches more than merely the act of prioritization of strategic goals in a startup. Walking through the issues faced by the founders will introduce students to several additional lessons and concepts about Web 2.0 firms. After analyzing the case, students should be able to:
Quintiles IPO
Authors: Stowell David P. , Setia Vishwas 
Published: March 2017

Quintiles Transnational Holdings Inc., the largest global provider of biopharmaceutical development and commercial outsourcing services, grew its revenue at a CAGR of 7.3% and EBITDA at 13.9% between 2008 and 2012.The case is set in December 2012–April 2013, when the majority of the firm was owned by founder Dennis Gillings and four private equity firms (Bain Capital, TPG Capital, 3i Capital and Temasek Life Sciences) after it was taken private in a management-led buyout in 2003 and a subsequent buyout in 2008. Five years after the second buyout, the private equity firm owners were looking to monetize their positions and considered different strategic alternatives: M&A sale to strategic or financial buyers, IPO, or capital restructuring through special dividends.Students will step into the role of an associate at the lead investment bank working with Quintiles. They must consider the case information and determine an IPO strategy, process, potential conflicts, and valuation.After reading and analyzing the case, students will be able to:

Apply valuation techniques (discounted cash flow (DCF) and publicly traded comparables) in pricing an IPO
Analyze the roles of different parties involved in the transaction
Discuss the process of a company filing for an IPO
Evaluate different strategic alternatives available to a private equity—backed company
Address conflict of interest in management—led buyouts
Reintroduce Thalidomide? (A)
Authors: Diermeier Daniel , Hermitage Jason , Thaker Shail , Heinze Justin 
Published: March 2017

In the 1960s thalidomide, a popular new drug considered to be safe and effective, was revealed to cause severe nerve damage and birth defects in newborn infants, prompting health officials to ban the use of the drug and tighten overall restrictions on new drugs and drug use. Twenty years later, after recognizing the positive effects of thalidomide when treating patients with leprosy and its potential role in the treatment of certain types of cancer and cases of HIV/AIDS, the Celgene corporation would be forced to contend with stringent FDA regulations, liability concerns, public skepticism, and poor mass media portrayal in order to secure the drug's approval.To illustrate how regulators are subject to political pressure, which companies much recognize and consider when making business decisions.
The Return of the Loan: Commercial Mortgage Investing after the 2008 Financial Crisis
Authors: Furfine Craig , Fishbein Mike 
Published: March 2017

Zoe Greenwood, vice president at Foundation Investment Advisors, was glancing through the offering memorandum for a new commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) deal on April 1, 2010, a time when the opportunities for commercial mortgage investors had been bleak to the point of comical. This new CMBS deal represented the first opportunity to buy CMBS backed by loans to multiple borrowers since credit markets had shut the securitization pipeline in June 2008.The offering gave Greenwood a new investment opportunity to suggest to her firm's latest client. She had planned to recommend an expansion in her client's traditional commercial mortgage business, but these new bonds looked intriguing. Could the new CMBS offer her client a superior risk-return tradeoff compared with making individual mortgage loans?After students have analyzed the case they will be able to:

–Learn how to construct promised cash flows from both commercial mortgages and commercial mortgage-backed securities
–Understand the benefits and costs of direct lending versus indirect lending (purchase of mortgage-backed bonds)
–Underwrite commercial mortgage loans issued by others to identify potentially hidden risks
–Evaluate at what price a mortgage-bond investment makes financial sense
Samsung Electronics: Analyzing Qualitative Complaint Data
Authors: Boepple Jack 
Published: March 2017

“Samsung Electronics had experienced a series of quality-related problems, including the recall of one of its LCD TV models. Unfortunately for quality director Kevin Sarni, there was no single root cause behind these problems: Samsung's supply chain management, product design, and testing/quality assurance functions all played a role.Sarni regularly worked with quantitative data from Samsung's customer complaint database, but recently he had been shown comments about Samsung products posted on the website ConsumerAffairs.com. The number and emotional tone of the website postings concerned him; he worried these kinds of complaints might touch off a social media—fueled public relations firestorm that would make his job more difficult.He wanted to analyze this feedback, but had no experience with qualitative data. An internal Six Sigma Black Belt consultant suggested he start by creating an affinity diagram and use that to create a Pareto chart to determine which issues to address first. Once Sarni completed the unfamiliar diagrams he had still another task ahead of him: examining the results to see if they justified taking short—term action to address the quality problems raised in the complaints.”After analyzing the case, students should be able to:

Organize and analyze qualitative data using affinity diagrams
Identify priorities using Pareto charts

The case reinforces the importance of approaching problem solving in a methodical and data-driven manner and demonstrates the power of visual (vs. table-driven) tools.
Sugar & Spice Desserts: Strategic Position Defensibility
Authors: Allon Gad , Kahn Stephanie , Skeba Mark 
Published: March 2017

Sugar and Spice and Sparkles are two companies in the high-end cupcake market that have chosen two different competitive and operating strategies. Sugar and Spice has configured its operations to emphasize a high level of customization. Sparkles has a strategy that emphasizes a narrower range of products. Based on data collected by Sugar and Spice, the question is whether its position is at risk. The case focuses on Sugar and Spice and the defensibility of its position using its current operating system. The issue requires students to compare the competitive and operating strategies of both companies and to identify and evaluate the sources of cost differences in their operations.The objective of this case is to illustrate how to determine whether a strategic position of a firm is defensible using trade-off curves.
The Case of Synthroid (B): Marketing a Drug Coming Off Patent
Authors: Hennessy Julie , Tybout Alice M. , Fahey Natalie , Snyder Charlotte 
Published: March 2017

The case tells the story of Synthroid from its development in 1958 as the first synthetic thyroxine molecule to its competition against generic equivalents in 2004. The case introduces students to the pharmaceutical industry, its practices, and some of the complexities of pricing and drug choice, with drug manufacturers, insurance companies, physicians, pharmacists, and patients all playing a role. It also provides a primer on hypothyroidism, its symptoms, and its treatment.Because Synthroid was developed and introduced before FDA regulations and drug standards of identity were fully established, it was difficult for competitors to get their drugs certified as identical to Synthroid. Through a series of efforts with physicians, especially endocrinologists, Synthroid's owners were able to maintain the perception for forty-six years that Synthroid was uniquely effective. In 2004, however, the FDA declared several competitive products to be bioequivalent to Synthroid, which posed a significant challenge to its owner, Abbott Laboratories. Students are challenged to consider options to maintain the drug's unit volume, revenue, and/or profit in these difficult circumstances.The case is written in two parts. The (A) case provides background on the history of the drug, the pharmaceutical industry and its marketing practices, and hypothyroidism and its treatment, and it concludes in 2004 as Abbott's marketers face the impending challenge of defending the Synthroid business against generic competition. The (B) case describes what Abbott actually did to maintain its share in the United States and outlines its strategy in India, a market without patent protection for pharmaceuticals.After analyzing the case students should be able to:

Describe strategies that branded competitors can use to defend their business from lower-priced competition
Understand the basics of pharmaceutical marketing and pricing, including the global challenge of defending branded drugs against generic equivalents
Discuss ethical issues in the marketing of high-margin branded products that have lower-priced alternatives, especially in the healthcare industry
ttools (A): The Value of a Patent to the Entrepreneur
Authors: Conley James G. , Qu Feng , Nudd Geoff , Marcus J. Cooper 
Published: March 2017

A self-employed innovator developed and patented a novel combination pen and stylus device to complement the recently released Palm Pilot personal digital assistant. He presented his design to Palm, under a nondisclosure agreement to discuss the market response to the product, and his company, ttools, was subsequently allowed to advertise the device in a monthly e-mail to Palm customers. After ttools' release of the Throttle pen/stylus, Palm and the design firm IDEO introduced a similar pen/stylus device that appeared to infringe on ttools' patent. ttools, being a small, resource-constrained company, was in a precarious position. Its competitive advantage and rights as a patent holder were being threatened. It had few financial resources to draw upon, and thus its livelihood as a company was at stake. Investigates the available options ttools had to respond to Palm and IDEO's actions.
To provide students with an understanding of how utility and design patents may be used by resource-poor entrepreneurs and inventors for building and maintaining a first-mover advantage.
Winn-Dixie Stores in 2005 (A): Cleanup on Aisle 11
Authors: Shein James B. , Meagher Evan 
Published: March 2017

Grocery store chain Winn-Dixie had rapidly expanded in an effort to become a national retailer, and by 1999 it had more than 1,000 stores. The company began manufacturing its own products, reasoning that by owning more of the supply chain, it could offer the customer less expensive options. With its new geographic focus and manufacturing facilities, Winn-Dixie attempted to secure a position as a low-cost provider with a national presence. Instead of improving the company's position in the market, however, this strategy crippled both the short- and long-term prospects for Winn-Dixie. The company paid a high premium to expand and increased its leverage without ever realizing the purposed synergies. In fact, there were dis-economies of scale because the distribution, marketing, and administrative costs had risen along with the increased revenue. The expansion and inefficient manufacturing added complexity to its distribution network, and with a greater debt load and less cash, the company was unable to reposition itself in the market when its low-cost provider strategy failed. Not only was the company unable to pursue other opportunities but it also did not have the cash to properly maintain many of its existing stores, which quickly became run down. Winn-Dixie was stuck as a general grocer with few options at a time when the industry was rapidly evolving. Following faulty strategies of expansion, supply chain changes, and increased debt, Winn-Dixie declared bankruptcy. Students will take the view that Paul “Flip” Huffard, lead consultant from Blackstone LP, had in determining the valuation and new capital structure of the company. These decisions would be critical, as they affected what each creditor class would receive and whether Winn-Dixie could emerge from bankruptcy.Students will: 1. Assess the importance and negative financial impact of past strategic moves, and suggest possible future strategic directions and the expected benefits of such changes. 2. Learn quantitative valuation methods for a company in Chapter 11 and their effects on stakeholders. 3. Learn the elements of a plan of reorganization, including the capital structure, treatment of multiple creditor groups, and management compensation. 4. Discuss sources and uses of capital during a Chapter 11 turnaround.
School discipline, investment, competitiveness and mediating educational performance
Authors: Krskova Hana , Baumann Chris 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to combine seemingly unrelated factors to explain global competitiveness. The study argues that school discipline and education investment affect competitiveness with the association being mediated by educational performance. Crucially, diachronic effects of discipline on performance are tested to demonstrate effects over time.

Design/methodology/approach
Partial least square (PLS) modelling is used to analyse the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data. The study further draws from World Bank data on Government Expenditure and World Economic Forum data on competitiveness. Five PISA dimensions of school discipline (students listening well, noise levels, teacher waiting time, students working well, class start time) are hypothesised to affect academic performance in reading, math and science, and to ultimately impact competitiveness.

Findings
Findings confirm the relative importance of school discipline (88 per cent) in comparison to education investment (12 per cent) on educational performance, with both variables also being found to be significantly associated with competitiveness directly.

Originality/value
This study demonstrates the time effects of discipline, more specifically that discipline dimensions (students listen well in 2003 and students work well in 2009) are associated with competitiveness in 2012. Implications for school policy and further research are discussed.
Social media and the promise of excellence in internal communication
Authors: Verheyden Mark 
Published: March 2017

Purpose
For many years the excellence theory (Grunig, 1992), with its ideal of two-way symmetrical communication, has been the dominant normative framework in public relations (PR). From an affordance perspective, social media seem to side perfectly with this promise of a more balanced power relation between participants in the communication loop. The purpose of this paper is to see if this promise was realized in the context of an internal communication practitioner’s social software use.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a critical case approach for the organizational ethnography. Therefore, the authors selected an IT company where the formal position of internal communication was being created. In this environment, the authors considered it “least likely” to find the unidirectional model of “push communication.” The authors used the network gatekeeping theory (Barzilai-Nahon, 2008) to study technology usage patterns in the organization.

Findings
The analysis indicates that the internal communicator uses social software to interact with other employees. The authors additionally found these tools to affect the gatekeeping role of internal communication, altering the position’s ideological focus through its ability to shape the technological environment.

Research limitations/implications
On a theoretical level, the network gatekeeping theory proved to be useful to study power relations inside organizations. On a practical level, the authors found themselves combining different data sources to grasp the complexity of organizational communication practices.

Originality/value
This research questions the widespread assumption that adoption of social software leads to excellence in PR. Additionally, the use of ethnographic methods in PR has been rare.
Consumer motives and willingness to co-create in professional and generic services
Authors: Neghina Carmen , Bloemer Josée , van Birgelen Marcel , Caniëls Marjolein C.J. 
Published: March 2017

PurposeConsumers’ underlying motives to co-create value are important when determining their willingness to engage in co-creation activities. However, the importance of their motives may vary according to different service contexts. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the value co-creation research by investigating how the service contexts shape consumers’ motives to co-create.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a survey of 284 consumers. By focusing on professional vs generic services (context), based on differences in knowledge intensity and workforce professionalism, the paper pinpoints the contextual nature of consumer motives to co-create.FindingsThe results show that in professional services consumers are positively influenced to co-create by developmental motives, whereas empowerment motives have a negative impact. In turn, the positive effects of individualizing and relating motives are predominant in generic services. Willingness to co-create is a strong determinant of intended co-creation behaviors, regardless of the service type.Research limitations/implicationsThis study clearly shows the contextual nature of motives to co-create value, thereby questioning the generalizability of single-context studies.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to compare consumer motives to co-create across different service contexts.