A User’s Guide to BPM5-Based BOP and IIP Accounts
BP-0523 | Published May 20, 2008 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note presents a short description of BPM5-based balance of payments (BOP) and international investment position (IIP) presentations. It refers to data for South Africa, but given that there are w... Read More
Moral Theory and the Language of Ethics and Business
E-0405 | Published January 05, 2016 | 10 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Since ethics is an integral part of management, it is vital for managers to become comfortable with the language of ethics and to understand how it is inextricable from the language of business. Stude... Read More
Positioning: The Essence of Marketing Strategy
M-0754 | Published March 16, 2007 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note follows the development of a positioning statement for a target market. The exercise includes determining the relevant point of reference (market definition, product category, competitive se... Read More
Digital Marketing Metrics: Measuring What Matters
M-1049 | Published September 10, 2024 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of common digital marketing metrics. It includes formulas for calculating the metrics and an explanation of what each metric represents. It also describes the ... Read More
Clear, Complete, and Concise: Avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins of Analytic Writing
BC-0221 | Published April 24, 2009 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Effective, persuasive analytical writing is a critical management skill. This note trains students to write to the needs and expectations of their readers with objectivity and efficiency, whether they... Read More
Brand Purpose
M-1016 | Published August 20, 2021 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note will help provide insight on what a brand purpose is, why it matters, and how companies can vary in their design and application of brand purpose. Since the concept of brand purpos... Read More
New Venture Performance
ENT-0074 | Published December 17, 2006 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note examines the pros and cons of two ways to build new ventures. The former is called causal or predictive, because it depends on accurate predictions and clear goals. The latter is effectual o... Read More
Managing for Stakeholders and the Purpose of Business
E-0415 | Published September 13, 2017 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The benefits or harms achieved by a business is determined in part by the choices that business leaders make. One important driver of these choices is a leader’s view of the purpose of business. This ... Read More
An Introduction to Ethics: Framing and Key Themes in Business Ethics
E-0340 | Published January 12, 2009 | 6 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Every day, managers make decisions that can affect customers, employees, financiers, partners, the community, and the world in powerful ways. Since managers are accountable to these groups, they shoul... Read More
Business Valuation: Standard Approaches and Applications
F-1684 | Published January 22, 2013 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides an introduction to the standard approaches used to value businesses from the perspective of the investor (e.g., discounted cash flow, market multiples). Each approach is illustrated... Read More
An Introduction to Blockchain
F-1810 | Published October 03, 2017 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explains what blockchain is, what it allows, as well as discusses its advantages and potential issues to consider further. It also provides an example of an application in which bl... Read More
The Affordable Loss Principle
ENT-0075 | Published March 25, 2006 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Ideal for a study of entrepreneurship as a phenomenon, this note explores the difference between causal models and effectuation. Whereas causal models focus on maximizing returns by selecting optimal ... Read More
Understanding Organizational Culture: An Iceberg and a Toolkit
OB-1485 | Published March 12, 2025 | 12 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explores the concept of culture within an organizational context—what it is, how it functions, how it shows up, how it differs, and more importantly, how one effectively influences... Read More
An Overview of Financial Statement Analysis: The Mechanics
C-2255 | Published August 23, 2007 | 26 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
On September 20, 2000, Jonathan Weill, a Wall Street Journal reporter in Dallas, Texas, published a piece questioning the profitability and accounting of Enron Corporation. He based his article on a s... Read More
Listening: A Negotiator’s Playbook
BC-0330 | Published December 16, 2025 | 9 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
As negotiators, we focus extensively on expressing our own thoughts, preferences, and goals. We prepare what we want to say to the other party before the negotiation; we engage in verbal expression du... Read More
The Scientist, the Artist, and the Judge
OB-1499 | Published January 07, 2026 | 10 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces the Scientist–Artist–Judge (SAJ) framework, a practical model for understanding and improving how people think through complex managerial and leadership challenges. The ... Read More
Geopolitics and the Global Semiconductor Industry
S-0373 | Published April 13, 2022 | 16 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes the exponential growth of semiconductor technology over the last 40 years, as well as the evolution of the semiconductor value chain. Semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) are es... Read More
Business Performance Evaluation: Approaches for Thoughtful Forecasting
F-1490 | Published December 08, 2005 | 17 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides an introduction to financial ratios and financial forecasting. It examines principles in the art and science of thoughtful financial forecasting. In particular, it reviews the impor... Read More
Overview of Credit Ratings
F-1413 | Published August 04, 2004 | 12 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is a brief summary of how credit-rating agencies do their job. It includes historical information on rates and capital spreads. The note serves as useful supplementary reading, for students ... Read More
Financial Analytics Toolkit: Financial Statement Forecasting
F-1928 | Published December 04, 2019 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Managers need to be comfortable with financial statement forecasting. Forecasts allow managers to plan properly by weighing consequences and preparing for outcomes. A less-recognized but equally impor... Read More
Credit Analysis Basics
F-1898 | Published March 09, 2020 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Capital markets facilitate the appropriate exchange of money. For lenders and borrowers, the interest rate is the primary pricing mechanism that markets use in this exchange. For borrowers deemed to h... Read More
Digital Product Management with Hypothesis-Driven Development
OM-1740 | Published April 13, 2023 | 23 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces readers to hypothesis-driven design (HDD) in digital product management. HDD operates from the foundation that ideas should be testable and teams should work to minimize... Read More
Convertible Notes in Early-Stage Financing
F-2063 | Published December 11, 2023 | 17 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces convertible note financing for early-stage start-up companies. These unpriced securities offer significant advantages related to delayed valuation, greater speed, and lo... Read More
The Entrepreneurial Method: How Expert Entrepreneurs Create New Markets
ENT-0073 | Published December 17, 2006 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note reflects a new focus on "effectuation," the logic behind entrepreneurial expertise, which consists of tacit as well as learnable and teachable aspects of experience that are related to high ... Read More
Giving Voice to Values Workshop: Introduction for Instructors
OB-1258 | Published August 15, 2012 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) curriculum. To see other material in the GVV curriculum, please visit http://store.darden.virginia.edu/giving-voice-to-values. This no... Read More
Understanding Basic Financial Statements
C-2335 | Published October 02, 2012 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes balance sheets, income statements, and statements of owners' equity and serves as an introduction to basic financial statements.... Read More
An Introduction to Private Equity Secondaries
F-2123 | Published October 20, 2025 | 16 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces readers to two types of secondary market transactions in the private equity space: limited-partner-led (LP-led) secondaries and general-partner-led (GP-led) secondaries.... Read More
How to Better Frame Problems
G-0630 | Published July 13, 2012 Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Before managers can solve problems or take advantage of opportunities that may arise in their businesses, they must frame those problems or opportunities. Typically, leaders identify and frame problem... Read More
Conflict Management in Teams
OB-1072 | Published March 04, 2015 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Successful teams have three things in common: (1) they meet their performance goals, (2) their members feel satisfied that they are learning/benefiting from being a part of the team, and (3) the proce... Read More
Project Management Versus Product Management
OM-1845 | Published November 12, 2025 | 15 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Whether formally or informally, we’re all managing projects and refining products. Neither project management nor program management is going anywhere, and every general manager should be familiar wit... Read More
A Brief Note on Hoshin Kanri: Strategy Deployment
OM-1710 | Published November 30, 2020 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Hoshin kanri (HK), or strategy deployment, has been an integral part of the company management practices of some of the most successful Lean-practicing organizations. The purpose of this note is to gi... Read More
Cybersecurity in the Post-AI Era
OM-1844 | Published November 06, 2025 | 19 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Cybersecurity (or just security, as it’s called in tech and as we call it in this note) is no longer a niche responsibility managers can hand off—it’s become a core, strategic function in every compan... Read More
Venture Capital in Biotechnology
OM-1796 | Published December 05, 2023 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Pharmaceutical companies have historically relied on their ability to research, develop, manufacture, and sell drug products. Developing a successful drug is a complex and lengthy process, with no gua... Read More
Operations and Financial Performance: How Operations Management Affects the Profit-and-Loss Statement
OM-1633 | Published September 03, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the links between operations and firm performance, including how operations management decisions impact the financial performance metrics and finan... Read More
Agile Development
OM-1711 | Published January 20, 2021 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is designed to introduce general management students to the body of work associated with agile and its current state of practice. While anchored in a simple 68-word manifesto, agil... Read More
All Things IPO Communication
BC-0282 | Published August 25, 2022 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The decision to go public is a very complex process for a growing business. From completing the requirements of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings to answering complicated questio... Read More
Managing Innovation: A Process Perspective
OM-1805 | Published April 15, 2024 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a framework on innovation as a process (“how”), rather than just an outcome (“what”). It explains that innovation is a set of activities, incentives, and metrics that, whe... Read More
Valuing the Early-Stage Company
F-1471 | Published June 08, 2005 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note covers several frequently used methods to value early-stage companies and discusses some of the issues and difficulties encountered more generally in valuing privately held assets. The basic... Read More
Data Centers: History and Economics
OM-1791 | Published June 21, 2024 | 18 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Many executives are under pressure to develop successful data center strategies that work for their organization, according to industry-specific criteria. While data centers have been in use for decad... Read More
Confucian Thinking for Global Leaders: A Primer on the Timeless Wisdom of the Analects
S-0454 | Published May 30, 2025 | 7 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Business schools seek to instill fundamental management and leadership skills through courses in disciplines such as finance, accounting, strategy, and economics. While these essential disciplines pre... Read More
Project Scoping
QA-0960 | Published November 14, 2023 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
A project’s scope specifies the work needed to deliver a product, service, or result, given specified features and functions. At its core, scoping a project requires accurately predicting the allocati... Read More
The Genius Behind Netflix’s Ascension to the Top: Personalization-Driven Arbitrage
S-0456 | Published September 25, 2024 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note deconstructs the amazing decisions made by the streaming company Netflix that allowed it to become one of the only profitable streaming services in 2024. It has succeeded by acquir... Read More
What Is Power? Clarifying Concepts and Controversies
OB-1498 | Published December 16, 2025 | 9 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Power can be one of the most misunderstood and discomforting topics in organizational life. Yet it shapes every team and institution, and leaders who fail to grasp how it works often misread critical ... Read More
Strategic M&A Analysis
S-0224 | Published November 26, 2012 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note deals with the issues of strategy, the first common source of acquisition failure. An appropriate master plan that links strategy and integration is a critical requirement for this interplay... Read More
Crafting Your Brand Identity: A Guide to Positioning Statements and Messaging Pillars
M-1071 | Published September 19, 2025 | 7 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In today’s saturated market, brands succeed by clearly defining who they are and why they matter. Successful brands don’t leave their messaging to chance—they establish a strategic foundation that gui... Read More
Three Empirical Methods for Calculating Customer Lifetime Value
M-1056 | Published August 01, 2024 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
A useful method in the marketer’s toolkit for determining the value of a representative customer from a certain segment is customer lifetime value (CLV). A CLV analysis essentially summarizes the prof... Read More
The IPO Issue Process
F-1700 | Published September 18, 2013 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note covers the institutional process for companies making an initial public offering (IPO) of equity. It focuses on the basic institutional requirements of an underwritten security offering and ... Read More
Private Debt: An Introduction
F-2107 | Published May 27, 2025 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Since the global financial crisis (GFC), institutional investors have increasingly included private debt in their broader portfolios. Private debt refers to loans made to companies by nonbank lenders,... Read More
Coding for MBAs in the Age of AI
OM-1822 | Published November 19, 2024 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In this note, students will learn how to think about the process of going from design to code like both a general manager and an engineer. Designed for use by students of business who are familiar wit... Read More
Giving and Receiving Feedback Evaluation
OB-0916 | Published November 15, 2007 | 2 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This chart can be used to help students reflect on and document their feedback conversations. In the course of giving or receiving feedback, we often become so embroiled in what we are saying or in wh... Read More
Methods of Valuation for Mergers and Acquisitions
F-1274 | Published March 03, 2000 | 18 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note addresses the methods used to value companies in an M&A (mergers and acquisitions) setting. It provides a detailed description of the discounted-cash-flow (DCF) approach and reviews other me... Read More
Buy Now, Pay Later: Disrupting Traditional Consumer Credit
F-2091 | Published September 25, 2024 | 17 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note discusses the history, competitors, risks and benefits, and economics of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)—a financial product that allows consumers to make purchases and defer payment ove... Read More
Public Companies' Requirements to the US Securities and Exchange Commission
BC-0307 | Published June 26, 2024 | 2 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides an overview of the regulatory documents the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires of public companies in the United States. Specifically, an S-1 filing is required by an... Read More
Cybersecurity: Managerial Basics
OM-1807 | Published February 22, 2024 | 16 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note introduces cybersecurity—what it is, why it is needed, and current practices and solutions. While the broad issue of information security is a concern for governments and individuals, this n... Read More
Operations and Financial Performance: How Operations Management Decisions Affect the Balance Sheet
OM-1634 | Published September 03, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the links between operations and firm performance, including how operations management decisions impact the financial performance metrics and finan... Read More
The Bird-in-Hand Principle: Who I Am, What I Know, and Whom I Know
ENT-0090 | Published January 18, 2006 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explores a framework by which entrepreneurs can evaluate their ideas before going forward based on who they are, what they know, and whom they know. Drawing on frameworks presented... Read More
The Cost of Capital: Principles and Practice
F-1710 | Published February 07, 2014 | 10 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a student primer of firm cost of capital from a conceptual and application perspective. The note provides student intuition on the traditional theory of cost of debt, cost... Read More
Using AI to Expand Your Leadership Communication Toolkit
BC-0315 | Published January 09, 2025 | 4 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is a simple guide for using generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI or AI) to enhance your leadership voice. The note introduces use of AI to improve communication skills, enabl... Read More
Forecasting: Demand Forecasting
OM-1663 | Published September 04, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the basics of forecasting, including demand forecasting basics, moving averages, and fitting a curve. While designed to be used together, these thr... Read More
Ownership, Control, and the Role of Equity in New Ventures
ENT-0226 | Published September 02, 2020 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note discusses how a high-potential start-up entrepreneur should use equity in building and growing a new venture. One of the most crucial things for entrepreneurs to understand is equi... Read More
The United States of America: An Annual Report Compilation, 2022
C-2461 | Published June 21, 2023 | 50 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a compiled 2022 annual report for the United States of America, consolidated for the public and private sectors. It includes financial statements, accompanying notes, disc... Read More
Coding Data Models with AI
OM-1825 | Published December 04, 2024 | 46 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note focuses on building models that allow for the effective organization and retrieval of data. It discusses the major steps of designing, creating, and maintaining a model that optimizes user e... Read More
Moral Theory and Frameworks
E-0339 | Published January 12, 2003 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note outlines background theories of ethics that are relevant to managerial decision making and develops a framework that managers can use to enhance their ability to make good choices.... Read More
The TRAIL Model of Talent Management
OB-1451 | Published February 09, 2024 | 2 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In the evolving landscape of human resources and organizational development, the TRAIL Talent Management Model emerges as a comprehensive framework aimed at maximizing employee engagement and retentio... Read More
The Design of Experiments
BP-0564 | Published May 02, 2022 | 22 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In innovation, experimentation is much talked about in the abstract, but poorly understood in practice. It bridges solution generation and implementation, yet often takes the form of smaller-scale pil... Read More
United Voices: How Organizations Should Deliver Bad News
BC-0287 | Published November 16, 2022 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Leaders must know how to deliver bad news to employees and outside stakeholders. Whether an organization is responding to a complaint, communicating about a crisis situation, or notifying employees ab... Read More
Asset-Backed Securities
F-2116 | Published July 24, 2025 | 13 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note examines key considerations involved in the decision of whether to invest in a credit facility backed by underlying assets, such as a fintech's loans to consumers. When evaluating ... Read More
Business Valuation in Mergers and Acquisitions
F-1699 | Published October 02, 2013 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses valuation in the context of business mergers and acquisitions. It builds on standard methods of business valuation to consider the unique questions arising in a merger or acquisiti... Read More
Building an Industry Thesis for Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA)
ENT-0243 | Published December 08, 2025 | 37 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA)—where aspiring entrepreneurs search for, acquire, and scale established small-to-medium-sized businesses rather than launching start-ups—can benefit from a c... Read More
Portfolio Selection and the Capital Asset Pricing Model
F-1604 | Published September 18, 2009 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In the context of determining an optimal portfolio to recommend to two hypothetical investors, this structured analysis leads students through a series of steps examining return data for three stocks.... Read More
Writing to Reflect: Mindful Leadership in the Face of Change
BC-0217 | Published March 04, 2007 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
"Writing to Reflect" introduces the use of writing as an aid to creative and critical thinking in the context of leading change. The note explains how the process of reflective writing slows thinking... Read More
A Note on Leases
C-2439 | Published May 28, 2020 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explains how to account for leases under Accounting Standards Codification 842. This new addition to US generally accepted accounting principles became effective for fiscal years b... Read More
Inventory Management
IIMA-QM0278TEC | Published March 13, 2018 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
This is a technical note on Inventory Models.... Read More
Product–Market Alignment
OM-1706 | Published April 19, 2022 | 12 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The ability to achieve product–market alignment (PMA) differentiates businesses that will thrive from those that will fail. Yet many find it difficult to create—and sustain—products that continuously ... Read More
A Technical Note on Angel Investing in Emerging Markets
BP-0503 | Published August 03, 2006 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note discusses the practice of angel investing, particularly its meaning and suitability to emerging markets. Adapted from a chapter in An Executive Briefing on Angel Investing in Latin... Read More
Cloud Computing
OM-1784 | Published January 17, 2023 | 16 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides a general overview of cloud computing and how businesses are using it to achieve their digital goals. Specifically, it outlines the different service models that cloud computing sup... Read More
Framing Your Business Issue for Others
OM-1413 | Published April 29, 2010 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Appropriate for individuals interested in framing a situation in order to facilitate conversations with colleagues and others not familiar with the situation. To engage others in these conversations, ... Read More
Fundamentals of Operations Strategy: Competitive Dimensions
OM-1636 | Published September 25, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the fundamentals of operations strategy, including basic competitive dimensions, productivity measurements, understanding productivity as a relativ... Read More
Managing Economic Uncertainty
GEM-0244 | Published June 10, 2025 | 17 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note examines strategic decision-making frameworks for managing economic uncertainty in business and policymaking contexts. The note presents two primary approaches: the "Wait and See" ... Read More
PIPEs: Private Equity Investments in Distressed Firms
F-1412 | Published July 23, 2003 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note describes the basic features of a new type of security called private investment in public entities (PIPEs). Increasingly, public companies in need of financing are raising capital... Read More
Moral Hazard and Incentive Design
GEM-0240 | Published June 12, 2025 | 8 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note establishes the concept of moral hazard and explores how to manage moral hazard in business contexts. Moral hazard—the misalignment of incentives that occurs when decision-makers d... Read More
Disruption, Response, and Transformation: An Introductory Note
S-0460 | Published November 22, 2024 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Organizations often struggle when faced with disruptions, or unexpected turbulence from external sources. Major disruptive events—from natural disasters to social upheaval—can impede a company’s norma... Read More
Introduction to Strategy
S-0183 | Published March 22, 2010 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Strategy is complex, requiring clarity about organizational objectives as well as the variety of external forces?competitive, economic, and technological?that come into play. Ultimately, strategy is a... Read More
Financial Analytics Toolkit: Ratio Analysis
F-1897 | Published September 30, 2019 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes the most common financial ratios and how they provide insight into firm performance. The emphasis is on how ratios summarize operating behaviors and results in ways that facilitate... Read More
Not Out of Thin Air: A Primer on the Sources and Uses of Cash
F-2114 | Published June 24, 2025 | 7 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is meant to build understanding of the foundational concept of sources and uses of cash in businesses. It provides some initial conceptual framing with an algebraic decomposition of some sta... Read More
Behavioral Economics and the Service Organization
OM-1548 | Published December 20, 2017 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note summarizes some important learnings from the study of behavioral economics of which service organizations should be aware in order to enhance customers' emotional experiences and help direct... Read More
Operations and Financial Performance: How Operations Management Drives Performance
OM-1632 | Published September 03, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the links between operations and firm performance, including how operations management decisions impact the financial performance metrics and finan... Read More
Process Fundamentals: Process Flow Diagrams
OM-1643 | Published September 03, 2025 | 7 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on process fundamentals, including process analysis, process flow diagrams, and the process flow unit. While designed to be used together, these three... Read More
Process Fundamentals: The Process Flow Unit
OM-1644 | Published September 03, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on process fundamentals, including process analysis, process flow diagrams, and the process flow unit. While designed to be used together, these three... Read More
Why Countries Trade: The Theory of Comparative Advantage
G-0594 | Published August 10, 2007 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The theory of comparative advantage is a surprisingly common-sense idea, but it is often misunderstood. In this technical note, the basic theory of comparative advantage is presented with an example t... Read More
How Operations Impacts Financial Performance
OM-1779 | Published October 24, 2022 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note explains the building blocks of common financial performance metrics and show how operations affect those metrics. Return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) are two key measures of t... Read More
Boards for a New Venture: Putting Together Boards and Working with Them
ENT-0071 | Published May 14, 2009 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note teaches students at all levels how to establish a board for a new venture, explaining why it is necessary, how to attract the right members, how to compensate them, how to distinguish adviso... Read More
Competitive Dynamics: An Introduction
S-0306 | Published September 15, 2020 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note discusses competitive dynamics: the various and evolving actions and reactions of two firms engaged in a rivalrous relationship. By allowing us to analyze interactions at this dyad... Read More
Leading with an Enterprise Perspective: The 9 Cs Model
OM-1601 | Published September 18, 2018 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
While managers of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations often focus on their area of specific expertise, true success comes only from taking a complete enterprise perspective. Organizations... Read More
Think Before You Speak
BC-0297 | Published January 02, 2024 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The expression "think before you speak" brings up a question that this technical note answers: What should someone think about before communicating as a leader? This note recommends taking an audience... Read More
Managing Inventories: Determining Order Quantity
OM-1395 | Published September 15, 2009 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Cycle-stock ordering decisions, including cost-element considerations, are examined. Students will see that as materials flow from suppliers through a firm's operations to customers, the cost-effectiv... Read More
What Needs to Be True? A Simple Framework for Evaluation
S-0418 | Published December 19, 2023 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
For strategists, a good hypothesis is invaluable, both as a starting point and as a guide to help structure a good analysis. A hypothesis-driven approach is widely regarded as the gold standard in tac... Read More
Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve
GEM-0193 | Published August 16, 2021 | 19 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
What is monetary policy and what is the Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) role in determining monetary policy in the United States? How are changes in monetary policy implemented and how do these changes affe... Read More
Understanding Risk: Systemic versus Idiosyncratic
F-1973 | Published January 21, 2021 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Using the fictional situation of two brothers facing the challenge of managing a commodity business in central Africa, this note explores different metrics for risk and related considerations for inve... Read More
Impact Theory of Change
E-0522 | Published July 25, 2025 | 7 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Organizations often have an idea of how to make a positive social or environmental impact and want to understand the likelihood that launching new programs or interventions will succeed. Managers want... Read More
RED: A Simple Framework for Smarter Hiring
OB-1493 | Published June 17, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Hiring is one of the most high-stakes decisions a leader can make, especially in entrepreneurial and high-growth environments where every person matters. Yet most hiring decisions are made quickly, in... Read More
Your New UX Intern Is a Bot? The Promises and Perils of Generative AI–Augmented UX Research and Design
S-0473 | Published July 11, 2025 | 8 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Drawing on current industry practices, this technical note explores the integration of generative AI (genAI) into user experience (UX) research and design, as well as genAI's potential to accelerate w... Read More
A Conceptual Introduction to Customer Lifetime Value
M-1053 | Published July 24, 2024 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
An important metric that plays a pivotal role in marketing is customer lifetime value (CLV). Given the constraint of limited marketing budgets, a company can enhance the return on its marketing invest... Read More
Coding User Interfaces with AI
OM-1823 | Published November 18, 2024 | 17 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
It’s a great time to be a creatively confident general manager, whether you're a product manager, a team lead, or in some similar role. AI has made it easier than ever to bring new ideas to life and r... Read More
Note on Valuation of Cash Flows in Different Currencies
F-1080 | Published March 08, 2001 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a pedagogical overview of management communication for MBA education.... Read More
Option Contracts and Their Valuation
F-1519 | Published February 01, 2000 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note introduces options (both calls and puts) and their valuation. After covering the history of options and the basic nature of their payoffs, the note provides an intuitive discussion of the de... Read More
A Framework for Improving Organizational Interventions
G-0631 | Published July 20, 2012 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note analyzes and explores frameworks for improving interventions in organizations. Organizations are complex ecosystems of assumptions, artifacts, and interactions. By understanding ho... Read More
Defining Leadership and Effectiveness
OB-1292 | Published June 13, 2019 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note helps explain what leadership really is, explores some of the factors that influence leader effectiveness, and introduces the basics of how people can begin to develop as leaders. ... Read More
The Art of the Effectual Ask
ENT-0225 | Published September 11, 2020 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Entrepreneurs strive to solve problems and create value through partnerships. Studying how they do that led to the hypothesis that "asking" played a critical role in the success of an entrepreneur. Th... Read More
Twenty Questions for Every M&A: Improving Postmerger Integration Performance
S-0226 | Published September 05, 2013 | 20 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is used in Darden's Postmerger Integration elective. The authors present a guide to help managers prepare for integration challenges and allocate integration resources more efficiently. Alth... Read More
The Economics of Cryptocurrency
GEM-0190 | Published July 23, 2021 | 20 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Cryptocurrencies claim to be the future of money and payments, the lifelines of any business. An informed evaluation requires understanding both the economics and the computer science behind the techn... Read More
The Economics of Maturity Transformation
GEM-0191 | Published August 17, 2021 | 12 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Few concepts are as important as maturity transformation for understanding financial crises. This technical note guides students through the key mechanisms in the theory using a representative investo... Read More
The United States of America: An Annual Report Compilation, 2023
C-2488 | Published August 02, 2024 | 50 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a compiled 2023 annual report for the United States of America, consolidated for the public and private sectors. It includes financial statements, accompanying notes, disc... Read More
Assessing Private Equity Performance
F-1895 | Published July 30, 2019 | 18 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Assessing the performance of private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investment vehicles is a challenging task. It starts with the fact that the assets are privately held and illiquid. By contras... Read More
Risk, Return, and Modern Portfolio Theory
F-1982 | Published June 11, 2021 | 16 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In this technical note, we examine the concept of diversification and the tradeoff between risk and return in portfolio theory. The note includes a general introduction to normal distribution, then ap... Read More
A Step-by-Step Guide to Process Analysis
OM-1797 | Published March 26, 2025 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a step-by-step approach to process analysis through an iterative framework. The framework begins with defining a high-level objective that is aligned with competitive stra... Read More
Equity Compensation and the US Tax Consequences
C-2385 | Published August 17, 2018 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explores the many different forms of equity compensation. Equity compensation, defined as compensation that provides for the delivery of equity securities, aligns employees’ incent... Read More
Managing Inventories: Fundamentals
OM-1397 | Published September 15, 2009 Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This overview of inventory management covers ways to categorize inventories and measure performance. The financial implications of inventory, inventory management systems, economic order quantities, a... Read More
Taxable Acquisitive Deal Structures for C Corporations
F-1875 | Published June 25, 2019 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note outlines the consequences to the acquirer, target, and the target’s shareholders from a basic taxable acquisition of C corporations. Specifically, asset acquisitions, stock acquisi... Read More
Valuing Assets in Financial Markets
F-1518 | Published February 05, 2007 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of techniques used to value assets, including multiples, arbitrage pricing, and discounted cash flow. The note emphasizes the basic nature of valuation approac... Read More
Financial Analytics Toolkit: Weighted Average Cost of Capital
F-1850 | Published July 16, 2019 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Central to a firm’s long-term success, is allocating capital so that it generates economic value. The two most common decision rules based on economic value are to (i) accept proposals that have a pos... Read More
Convertible Notes: A Form of Early-Stage Financing
F-1925 | Published December 13, 2019 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Convertible notes are often used to raise early-stage financing for start-up companies, frequently due to their advantages related to delayed valuation, greater speed, and lower cost of completion com... Read More
The Dime that Started a Movement: The History and Development of Credit Unions
ENT-0103 | Published December 11, 2008 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides students a rich background on the history, evolution, and current challenges in the credit union industry, with a particular focus on community-development credit unions. The case m... Read More
Ethical Decision-Making: A Global Perspective
E-0380 | Published August 14, 2012 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note on ethics builds on and further develops the conversation about ethics. It provides background, language, and concepts to identify and analyze managerial problems from an ethics pe... Read More
Decentralized Finance
F-2081 | Published July 29, 2024 | 23 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces students to decentralized finance (DeFi)—blockchain-based protocols that offer financial services without centralized intermediaries. Advocates herald DeFi as the future... Read More
What Makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurial?
ENT-0065 | Published September 13, 2005 | 9 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This case is designed to train students to recognize the characteristics of entrepreneurial thinking. The author studied the problem-solving process of 30 entrepreneurs from a variety of industries wh... Read More
A Glossary of Lean Terms
OM-1334 | Published February 11, 2007 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
"Lean" has been defined as the "relentless pursuit of the elimination of waste." This technical note provides a glossary of terms concerning Lean implementation, including muda, muri, nura, kanban, an... Read More
Moral Voice: Talking About Ethics at Work
E-0411 | Published December 18, 2015 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
There are a number of reasons that individuals find it challenging to engage in discussion about ethics and values in the workplace environment, yet engagement regarding values is critically important... Read More
A Note on Five Traditional Theories of Moral Reasoning
E-0092 | Published December 01, 1994 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Business decisions, by their nature, involve ethical considerations because (1) most economic decisions are choices where the decision-maker could have done otherwise, (2) every decision or action aff... Read More
Technology Strategy for a Diversified Corporation
OM-0659 | Published March 08, 1989 | 20 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Technology strategy for a diversified corporation must be developed consistently with the general strategies of the individual business units and the corporation as a whole. Among the issues covered i... Read More
Financial Analytics Toolkit: Cash Flow Projections
F-1896 | Published September 24, 2019 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note reviews the basics of projecting cash flows for a typical operating decision. To find the economic consequences of any decision, one needs to project the cash flow effects of that decision a... Read More
Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis
C-2509 | Published March 28, 2025 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis, an analytic took that uses the relationships among compensation of the profit equation—price, volume, cost structure, and profit—to assess the fi... Read More
Modeling Discrete Choice: Categorical Dependent Variables, Logistic Regression, and Maximum Likelihood Estimation
QA-0779 | Published November 07, 2011 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces business students to the concepts of modeling discrete choice (e.g., a consumer purchasing brand A versus brand B) using logistic regression and maximum-likelihood estim... Read More
B Corporation: A New Sustainable Business Model
ENT-0155 | Published May 10, 2010 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides background on a new certification process for B Corporations that enables companies to assess, compare, and protect the sustainability practices they integrate into corporate strate... Read More
Customer Experience Mapping
OM-1820 | Published October 10, 2024 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is specifically focused on customer experience (CX) mapping for work in digital product management. In digital, there’s a major focus on the idea of "product-market fit" (p-m fit). The basic... Read More
Finding Its Niche: Community Development Venture Capital
ENT-0111 | Published May 20, 2009 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Underserved urban and rural areas have found venture capital support via U.S. Community Development Venture Capital institutions, which numbered 68 and managed $870 million as of 2008. Suitable for MB... Read More
Process Fundamentals: Process Analysis and Process Definition
OM-1642 | Published September 03, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on process fundamentals, including process analysis, process flow diagrams, and the process flow unit. While designed to be used together, these three... Read More
Current State: Cycle Time
OM-1646 | Published September 18, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on on understanding and learning how to describe the current state of a process, including resource availability, cycle time, and an introduction to c... Read More
Coding Algorithms with AI
OM-1824 | Published November 20, 2024 | 16 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note focuses on creating controllers—algorithms, in coding speak. These essentially are the logic that tells the software what to do and how to respond to inputs from the user. This note assumes ... Read More
Fundamentals of Process Improvement: Tools Used in Process Improvement
OM-1668 | Published September 25, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the fundamentals of process improvement, including a brief background on process improvement, the basic elements of a process-improvement program, ... Read More
Fundamentals of Process Improvement: Elements of Process-Improvement Systems
OM-1667 | Published September 25, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the fundamentals of process improvement, including a brief background on process improvement, the basic elements of a process-improvement program, ... Read More
Using Your Ethics Toolkit to Create Better Choices
E-0407 | Published January 05, 2016 | 5 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Intuition can be a good guide for decision-making when the current situation generally matches the situations in which the intuition was formed. But for novel or ambiguous situations, relying only on ... Read More
Discounted Cash Flow Analysis
F-1728 | Published January 16, 2015 | 11 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note outlines the principles and application of proper discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis in the context of evaluating business investment projects. The note provides several specific ... Read More
Corporate Greenhouse Gas Accounting: Carbon Footprint Analysis
ENT-0113 | Published April 23, 2009 | 17 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Stakeholder climate change actions worldwide have prompted companies to measure their greenhouse gas emissions and reduce their carbon footprints by decreasing energy and fuel use. In the process, the... Read More
Fundamentals of Process Improvement: A Brief Background of Process Improvement
OM-1666 | Published September 25, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the fundamentals of process improvement, including a brief background on process improvement, the basic elements of a process-improvement program, ... Read More
Matching Capacity and Demand
OM-1651 | Published September 04, 2025 | 1 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on basic techniques for matching capacity and demand, including shifting resources and reducing cycle time by changing the work content of the tasks. ... Read More
Managing Inventories: The Newsvendor Model
OM-1456 | Published November 04, 2011 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note uses the traditional newsvendor model to present strategies for inventory management when demand is uncertain. Methods for determining the critical ratio of overage and underage costs and th... Read More
Strategic Capacity Management: Economies of Scale and Scope
OM-1657 | Published September 18, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on strategic capacity management, including economies of scale and scope, the make-or-buy decision, and dynamic capacity expansion. While designed to ... Read More
Fundamentals of Operations Strategy: Productivity
OM-1637 | Published September 25, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the fundamentals of operations strategy, including basic competitive dimensions, productivity measurements, understanding productivity as a relativ... Read More
Forecasting: Fitting a Curve
OM-1665 | Published September 04, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the basics of forecasting, including demand forecasting basics, moving averages, and fitting a curve. While designed to be used together, these thr... Read More
Competing for Advantages: From Industry Analysis to Competitive Dynamics
S-0168 | Published January 11, 2009 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Technical note on industry analysis and competitive dynamics.... Read More
What Is Strategic Management?
S-0166 | Published January 11, 2009 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
A brief introduction to the field of strategic management, including basic concepts and scope.... Read More
Valuation of Late-Stage Companies and Buyouts
F-1639 | Published March 15, 2011 | 27 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note focuses on the valuation of late-stage companies with a particular emphasis on leveraged buyouts (LBOs). In addition to LBOs, late-stage investments can arise in situations involving growth ... Read More
COAR Maps: A Systematic Process to Design an Executable Business Model
S-0489 | Published February 26, 2026 | 7 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Effective execution of a business model does not always require the latest technology or resources. In fact, some of the most innovative business models have been designed around off-the-shelf compone... Read More
When Does a Negotiation End? Applying Implementation Science to the Negotiation Process
BC-0323 | Published September 18, 2025 | 7 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
When does a negotiation end? Usually, in the real world, securing a signed contract is not the end; it is the beginning of an ongoing relationship between parties. Yet we tend to teach negotiation wit... Read More
The High-Yield Debt Market
F-1702 | Published September 27, 2013 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
High-yield debt is an important provider of financing for a broad range of corporate purposes. This note discusses the basic features of high-yield debt, some of its advantages and disadvantages, and ... Read More
National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade and the New Geoeconomics
GEM-0253 | Published October 29, 2025 | 5 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Geoeconomists combine economics and political science to study how governments use their countries’ economic strength to exert influence (power) on foreign entities over which they tend not to have di... Read More
Applications of AI in Healthcare
OM-1851 | Published April 02, 2026 | 22 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The healthcare sector is the largest in the US economy and is uniquely complex, with strict regulations, numerous interconnected stakeholders, and intricate workflows. Historically, although rich in d... Read More
The Seven Questions of Marketing Strategy
M-0779 | Published July 08, 2009 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This simple model of marketing strategy can provide keys to creating a sustainable competitive advantage. Suitable for MBA and executive formats, this technical note demonstrates that individual marke... Read More
Developing and Nurturing Strategic Capabilities
S-0167 | Published January 11, 2009 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Brief discussion of resources and capabilities, their importance, and their role in the creation of competitive advantage.... Read More
Brand Positioning Statements
M-0827 | Published January 20, 2012 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The process of branding a product involves building awareness of and preference for the specific name of the product that is being branded. Central to the branding process is the brand positioning sta... Read More
Teams: Harnessing the Driving Force for School Turnaround
BC-0214 | Published October 07, 2008 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Using quality circles and teams is fairly new to education? and is constrained by how schools are organized and a past emphasis on teacher autonomy. Can school leaders borrow from the business practic... Read More
Confronting Directly and Indirectly: Are You Attuned to Notice?
OB-1055 | Published September 10, 2014 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
How we voice our disagreements may say a lot about our cultural influences. Confrontations are not always angry fights; sometimes they happen when there is a need to deliver bad news, or to say no to ... Read More
Woolworths: Australia Day Blues
S-0461 | Published November 21, 2024 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In January 2024, the Australian retailer Woolworths Group (Woolworths) announced it would no longer stock Australia Day merchandise across its stores for the national summer holiday, following years o... Read More
Pricing Metrics and Concepts
M-0723 | Published August 09, 2005 | 24 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes the more common methods of calculating Price Premiums (also known as Relative Prices). Students will explore Reservations Prices and % Good Value, the concepts that form the founda... Read More
The US–China Trade War: Deal or No Deal?
GEM-0175 | Published March 17, 2020 | 31 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The US–China trade war in 2019 led to major shifts in global trade and supply chains, highlighting the recent trend in deglobalization. This note discusses the patterns of international trade and capi... Read More
Business to Business on the Web: Buying and Selling
C-2143 | Published June 30, 1999 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note discusses business-to-business electronic commerce, especially buy-side and sell-side applications in the supply chain.... Read More
The M&A "Pitch Book": Proposed Acquisition of Heller Financial by United Technologies Corporation
F-1338 | Published March 07, 2002 | 56 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note offers an example of a thoroughly complete "pitch book" for use as a basis of class discussion and learning. Actual pitch books are almost never made available for public use. This... Read More
Equity Considerations in Remote and Hybrid Work Environments
E-0498 | Published December 20, 2023 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, companies around the world built and refined models of working in both fully remote and hybrid environments. While many of these policies and pr... Read More
The Shelf Registration Process
F-1701 | Published September 18, 2013 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note covers U.S. SEC Rule 415, more widely known as shelf registration. It briefly discusses the rationale and historical origins of the rule in 1982 and then discusses several reforms?the introd... Read More
Reflections On A Summer Internship In Investment Banking
PACS-0094 | Published July 29, 1998 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes a student's experience as an investment-banking intern during the summer between his first and second years in an MBA program. Most of the note details a week of the student's acti... Read More
Trade Credit
F-1941 | Published March 26, 2020 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
When businesses deliver a product or service, they often forgo receiving immediate cash payment and allow their customers to pay later. Such payment terms are called trade credit. While trade credit f... Read More
Harnessing Deliberate Creativity
M-1009 | Published August 02, 2021 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is designed to introduce students and practitioners to the body of work associated with creativity and its applications for professionals and the organizations they lead. Creativit... Read More
Artificial Intelligence in Business: Machines and Management
OM-1778 | Published November 01, 2022 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note offers an overview of artificial intelligence (AI) and some ways in which machine learning is leveraged to build this type of intelligence. The note also explores two schools of th... Read More
The Great Industrial Revolution in Europe: 1760–1860
F-1926 | Published December 11, 2019 | 18 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The first (or "Great") Industrial Revolution occurred in Europe from roughly 1760 to 1860, and marked the end of the centuries-long feudal era and the rise of modern capitalism. To understand the mode... Read More
Storytelling in Business
BC-0278 | Published May 20, 2021 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Storytelling is a crucial skill that leaders use in a variety of business situations. Accomplished leaders employ storytelling to improve interpersonal relationships, communicate strategy, and build c... Read More
Business Process Mapping
OM-1423 | Published September 02, 2011 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Appropriate for courses in operations management and process improvement. This technical note explains how to utilize process maps as tools to show workflow steps, clarify process expectations and res... Read More
Corporate Brand as Social Contract
BC-0244 | Published November 19, 2012 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is used at Darden in the Business Communications course and would also work well in Organizational Behavior courses. The role of branding at the corporate level, distinct from prod... Read More
Ethics at the Frontier
E-0392 | Published January 09, 2014 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Today's society is characterized by a rapid state of change, and technological innovation plays a significant part in that. So how should one approach ethics at the technological frontier? This techni... Read More
The Big 5 Institutions of the European Union
GEM-0233 | Published December 20, 2024 | 29 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Entering 2025, the European Union (EU) finds itself at a pivotal moment, caught between internal demands for social cohesion and external forces of global competition, climate change, and geopolitical... Read More
Working Capital: A Summary of Ratios by Industry, 2023
C-2471 | Published December 20, 2023 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note graphically presents various working capital ratios (days inventory outstanding, days sales outstanding, days payables outstanding, cash conversion cycle, and operating cycle) over... Read More
Managing for Stakeholders
E-0383 | Published January 07, 2013 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Managing for Stakeholders is used in the Darden School's first-year required "Business Ethics" course. This note explains managing for stakeholders, an emerging view that, basically, businesses and th... Read More
Data Quality and Data Engineering
OM-1790 | Published January 31, 2023 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
As companies increasingly rely on data and analytics to make decisions and improve their operations, it becomes clear that data quality can be a major issue. The insights gleaned from data analytics a... Read More
Structuring and Valuing Incentive Payments in M&A: Earnouts and Other Contingent Payments to the Seller
F-1322 | Published December 12, 2001 | 21 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces students to the use of earnouts and other forms of incentive payments in the context of mergers and acquisitions. The note describes the use of incentive payments in M&A... Read More
The "Movie Trailer” for Ambicultural Strategy: A Course for Finding Your “One”
S-0455 | Published October 02, 2024 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The 2023 Academy Award-winning film Oppenheimer captured the story of the race to produce the first atomic weapons and end the Second World War. The “central plot” of the Ambicultural Strategy course ... Read More
Six Sigma at Dominion Resources, Inc.: Investing In Excellence
OM-1453 | Published September 02, 2011 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides information on Six Sigma and business improvement at Dominion Resources, Inc., including many examples of the CEO Tom Farrell's personal commitment and support. It can be used in ex... Read More
Demand Unconstraining Methods
QA-0934 | Published October 26, 2022 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note examines two common methods for estimating customer demand using historical data observations that are constrained by availability. First, this note explains how to leverage the av... Read More
Inflation Targeting
BP-0495 | Published February 22, 2007 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Since 1990, 21 countries have shifted to a monetary policy of inflation targeting. This technical note defines inflation targeting; discusses how it came about; and analyzes implementation issues and ... Read More
Assessing and Improving Digital Ability: Procter & Gamble's Approach to Raising Brands' Digital Competency
M-1035 | Published April 05, 2023 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note follows F. D. Wilder, who is being tasked with driving the Procter and Gamble's digital transformation effort. The cornerstone of the transformation would be “assessing and improvi... Read More
Lean as a Universal Model of Excellence: It Is Not Just a Manufacturing Tool!
OM-1562 | Published December 14, 2016 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This is a technical note that describes the history of Lean and explains why it is not just a manufacturing tool. It is used in Darden's "Management of Service Operations" course elective.... Read More
Using the Equity Residual Approach to Valuation: An Example
F-1267 | Published September 30, 1999 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides a detailed explanation of how to apply the equity residual valuation method when the debt/equity mix is changing. An example is provided that works through levering betas. The note ... Read More
A GLUM Primer: The Risk-Adjusted Expected Value
QA-0849 | Published August 11, 2016 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The purpose of this note is to improve on the expected value criterion by incorporating a rational decision-maker's willingness and capability to take on risk. First, this note will review the concept... Read More
Managing Teams from a Distance: Making the Most of Virtual Meetings
BC-0255 | Published December 11, 2014 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is a meta-analysis of some of the issues involving the management of virtual teams. Managing people who are geographically dispersed across time, space, and organizational boundari... Read More
The Writing Process in Systems Thinking
OM-1106 | Published March 04, 2004 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides detailed guidance for analyzing a complex business problem using the systems thinking tools: reference behavior patterns, systems archetypes, causal-loop diagrams, and stock-flow ma... Read More
Managing Conflict in Organizations
OB-0743 | Published September 07, 2001 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note can be used in conjunction with any class session where the learning objective is understanding how to manage conflict within organizations. It focuses on interpersonal-conflict styles and o... Read More
Tax-Deferred Acquisitive Reorganizations for C Corporations
F-1863 | Published June 20, 2019 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note outlines the general judicial requirements an acquisition must meet to qualify as a tax-deferred reorganization. The variation in the specific requirements that must be met to qual... Read More
Understanding Consumer Responses to Brand Activism
M-1064 | Published February 25, 2025 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note examines how consumers respond to brand activism, the growing phenomenon where brands take public stances on controversial sociopolitical issues. Drawing from recent research in ma... Read More
Robust Services: People or Processes?
OM-1607 | Published November 13, 2018 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Service systems are inherently subject to variability, whether through customers, service providers, suppliers, or unexpected events. Yet customers demand excellence and consistency regardless of this... Read More
Note to the Student: How to Study and Discuss Cases
G-0561 | Published June 21, 2001 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note, written for students, gives a first "how to do it" introduction to studying by the case method. The note argues that success follows from a combination of good attitude, good "inf... Read More
Competitor Acumen: The Heart of Competitor Analysis
S-0293 | Published April 10, 2017 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical notes answers the questions: What does the competitive landscape look like to a given competitor? Which firms does the competitor regard as its chief rivals? Critically, what actions is... Read More
Options on Stock Indexes, Currencies, and Futures
F-1433 | Published October 03, 2007 | 17 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Options on stock indexes, currencies, and futures all have something in common. In each of those cases, the holder of the option does not get the same things that the holder of the underlying asset ge... Read More
Interest-Rate Swaps
F-2079 | Published May 29, 2024 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note introduces interest-rate swaps, financial contracts wherein two parties agree to exchange interest-rate cash flows, typically in the form of an exchange between fixed-rate payments and float... Read More
Introduction to Corporate Governance
S-0356 | Published June 03, 2021 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides an introduction to corporate governance from a managerial perspective, covering key aspects of board responsibilities and board composition, the regulatory environment and legal dut... Read More
An Introduction to Equity Residual Cash Flow
F-2070 | Published May 01, 2024 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces the concept of equity cash flow or equity residual cash flow. The note provides an explicit comparison between free cash flow and equity residual cash flow in the contex... Read More
Budgeting Water Properly
GEM-0173 | Published December 16, 2019 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
A primary requirement for managing water effectively and sustainably is an accounting framework that registers the water that is available for use (supply) and the water that is being used (demand). A... Read More
Primer on Carbon Accounting for Corporate Leaders
C-2463 | Published June 28, 2024 | 19 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides the foundation for a discussion of the measurement and accounting for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It provides an executive-level summary organized around there questio... Read More
Scenario Planning
BP-0501 | Published August 09, 2007 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note reviews the purposes, methods, and uses of scenario planning for strategic decision making under uncertainty.... Read More
Implementing Marketing Analytics
M-0869 | Published April 30, 2014 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note supports cases used in Darden's "Marketing Analytics" course elective. Marketing analytics powered by "big data" holds the promise to transform marketing strategy from a discipline based mos... Read More
Note on Brand Extensions
IIMA-MAR0388TEC | Published August 20, 2007 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
This note provides an overview of brand extension management. It discusses how brand extensions can be classified and outlines various managerial advantages and disadvantages of extending existing b... Read More
Investment Decision And Cash Flows
F-0915 | Published March 29, 1989 | 18 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
A positive net present value (NPV) is a direct estimate of value creation for shareholders and is an operational way of carrying through on the strategy of trying to maximize shareholder wealth. To ca... Read More
The Value of Net Operating Losses
C-2256 | Published August 29, 2007 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of the tax law governing the use of a target's net operating losses (NOLs) and other tax attributes by the acquirer. Every transaction requires the acquirer to... Read More
Overview of the Business Case Writing Process
PHA-0065 | Published April 12, 2012 | 2 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Why would busy executives participate in business case studies? The relationship that develops between executives and faculty through the case writing process is a powerful example of sharing and trus... Read More
Managing Inventories: The Reorder Point System
OM-1394 | Published September 15, 2009 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Inventory replenishment concepts and tools are described.... Read More
The Toyota Production System: A Self-Evaluation Instrument
OM-1221 | Published February 13, 2006 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note consists of a self-assessment instrument by which organizations can measure importance and performance on the 14 dimensions of the Toyota Production System as delineated by Jeffrey Liker in ... Read More
Legal Issues for New Ventures: Choice of Lawyer and Choice of Entity
ENT-0072 | Published August 01, 2006 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses the legal issues entrepreneurs must consider as they form their company as a legal entity. In question-and-answer format, the note concisely defines the types of entity available a... Read More
Product Line Pricing
M-0813 | Published August 02, 2011 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses the technical and managerial aspects of pricing a product line. Product lines are multiple variants of essentially the same product, where individual products in the line may vary ... Read More
What Kind of Business Case Studies Are We Writing?
PHA-0064 | Published April 13, 2012 Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
What is the difference between a research paper and a business case study? Are all good business cases decision-focused? This note provides a brief description of field-based, research-based, and armc... Read More
What Is Operations Management?
OM-1586 | Published December 07, 2017 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note outlines some basic concepts in operations management. This includes defining exactly what operations management is all about, explaining the key components of operations managemen... Read More
Making Ethics Personal: Character and Your Personal Vision
E-0393 | Published January 09, 2014 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Ethics, in addition to being about principles and consequences, is about character: the individual traits and qualities that define what kind of person someone is and who they hope to become. This tec... Read More
The Choice of Business Entity: Corporate, Pass-Through, and Disregarded Entities
C-2293 | Published September 16, 2010 | 30 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note focuses on common business entities: sole proprietorships, general partnerships (GPs), limited partnerships (LPs), limited liability partnerships (LLPs), limited liability companie... Read More
A Global Fintech Overview
F-1860 | Published April 26, 2019 | 34 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note discusses the various financial services segments in which technology solutions have been used to solve problems, including lending, payments, wealth/investment management, insuran... Read More
A Note on Rights
E-0188 | Published January 10, 2000 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note explains the idea of rights. It examines such distinctions as positive versus negative rights, and fundamental versus derivative rights.... Read More
Differences between Financial Accounting and Tax for Valuation in M&A
C-2421 | Published July 19, 2019 | 18 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note outlines the differences between financial accounting standards and tax law that affect the valuation of potential targets depending on the deal structure employed. Valuation mode... Read More
Accounting for Bonds
C-2475 | Published February 21, 2024 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for bonds. It discusses bonds priced at face value, a discount, and a premium. It discusses the differences between the coupon rate and effective... Read More
Note on the Insurance Industry in India
ISB034 | Published February 26, 2014 | 22 pages Technical Note
Collection: Indian School of Business
The note traces the evolution of the Insurance Industry in India and looks at its state in the year 2012. It throws light on the size, products, major players and other details of the industry like pe... Read More
Using the Equity Residual Approach to Valuation: An Example (Abridged)
F-1609 | Published November 20, 2009 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides an example of the equity residual valuation method to a company. The note can be used to accompany cases on private equity acquisitions or other levered transactions. It provides a ... Read More
The Power of One: The Strategy Diamond Framework
S-0237 | Published February 07, 2014 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The diamond framework can be used to develop strategies in multibusiness enterprises at all organizational levels and across markets or products. This note demonstrates how the framework yields insigh... Read More
Bond Prices and Interest-Rate Risk
F-2075 | Published May 21, 2024 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In this note, we cover how bond prices change as yields change. Students are shown that the price of a bond is a function of its promised payments and the prevailing required rate of return by investo... Read More
Ten Tools for Design Thinking
BP-0550 | Published December 17, 2010 | 27 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a course module that focuses on teaching design-thinking skills and 10 tools to identify and implement innovation and growth opportunities. It can be taught to MBA, unde... Read More
Sustainable Competitive Advantage
M-1015 | Published January 12, 2022 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses the sources of competitive advantage for firms, including scale economies, network economies, counter positioning, switching costs, branding, cornered resources, and process power.... Read More
Option Valuation and Dividend Payments
F-1523 | Published February 05, 2007 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note shows how dividend payments affect option values owing to the effects of dividend payments on share price and resulting investor behavior. In addition to discussing the underlying logic, the... Read More
Ethics Beneath the Surface
E-0409 | Published December 18, 2015 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Whereas there is much focus on improving the cognitive aspects of ethical decision-making, many of the drivers of managerial action are nondeliberative. The explosion of academic work in behavioral sc... Read More
The Psychology of Problem-Solving
OB-1442 | Published July 31, 2023 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces the concept of applying subtractive thinking to problem-solving. The essential work of almost any employee in an organization is to solve problems and make something bet... Read More
Fundamentals of Pricing
M-0566 | Published June 28, 2002 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note introduces students to the concepts of a pricing ceiling, a pricing floor, and suggests principles for narrowing the range of acceptable prices.... Read More
Six Steps to Effective Leadership
OB-0617 | Published January 23, 1997 | 18 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note presents a six-step model of leadership effectiveness: (1) clarifying who you are (personal values and mission), (2) clarifying what you want (strategic vision), (3) clarifying what others c... Read More
The Treatment of Outstanding Employee Stock Options in Mergers and Acquisitions
C-2260 | Published August 29, 2007 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note summarizes the tax treatment of alternative methods available to the acquirer to compensate owners of the target's employee stock options. The summary includes changes in the tax l... Read More
Presenting in Teams
BC-0279 | Published May 25, 2021 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Most MBA internships conclude with a presentation where you detail the results of your major summer project. A lot is riding on your performance—namely, whether or not you receive a job offer. The suc... Read More
A3 Thinking for Weight Loss
OM-1696 | Published August 07, 2020 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note describes the problem-solving process known as A3 Thinking through the lens of an individual's weight-loss efforts. The story is easy to understand and shows how the A3 process can... Read More
Stock Options and Compensation
F-1521 | Published February 05, 2007 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is a brief introduction to the logic and practice of using stock options to compensate executives. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model is used to estimate the value of option grants for a... Read More
A Primer on Risk-Free Bonds
F-1861 | Published February 01, 2019 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note explores the first principles of pricing financial contracts. Debt contracts go by many names, but the term bond is used in this note to denote any market-traded debt contract. The note is ... Read More
An Introduction to Project Finance: The Partitioning of Cash Flow
F-2106 | Published May 27, 2025 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
A standard approach to business valuation is to value the total cash flows that the business is expected to provide to all investors, but when the implications of financing decisions take center stage... Read More
Introduction to Carbon Markets
F-2103 | Published March 03, 2025 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Carbon markets represent a vibrant development contributing to the economic transition necessary to achieve global climate goals. This technical note delves into the fundamentals of carbon markets, in... Read More
The Basics of Private Equity Funds
F-1731 | Published May 26, 2015 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Private equity (PE) refers to illiquid investments or securities that are not publicly traded on an exchange, such as venture capital, mezzanine or distressed debt, leveraged buyouts, timber, oil and ... Read More
Developing a Strategy
S-0232 | Published November 06, 2013 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This document provides a step-by-step guide to the sequence of tasks involved in the strategy development process including the eight activities necessary for strategic planning.... Read More
The Black-Scholes Option-Pricing Model
F-1522 | Published February 05, 2007 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and then applies the model to call options. The underlying logic of the model is emphasized and illustrated through the use of simple example... Read More
Culture-Strategy-Execution "Oneness": A How-To Guide
S-0305 | Published October 30, 2018 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The culture-strategy-execution framework, known as the Trio Model, offers organizations a powerful, adaptive approach to navigating today's complicated global issues. By considering culture as an inte... Read More
Moral Disengagement in Decision-Making
OB-1464 | Published July 24, 2024 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note describes an important rationalization process called moral disengagement that helps explain why and how people make decisions that stray away from the values they claim to hold. T... Read More
Terminal Values, Multiples, and Competitive Advantage
F-1202 | Published March 08, 1997 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a pedagogical overview of management communication for MBA education.... Read More
A Note on Budgeting and Strategic Profitability Analysis
C-2405 | Published December 12, 2017 | 16 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
A budget is a tool that allows an organization to put its strategy into financial terms. It can be described as the financial plan for the organization. The organization as a whole will prepare a prof... Read More
Creating Compelling Stories with Data: The Five-Pronged Approach
IIMA-IS0140TEC | Published October 01, 2020 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
The case revolves around a marketing/sales executive who works in the Ad Sales wing of a popular search engine. Over the course of the case, the protagonist realizes that... Read More
Marketing Plan Development
M-0848 | Published August 11, 2013 | 21 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes in detail the components of a marketing plan and the process by which data are collected and the plan is developed. Its objective is to develop a sense of purpose and discipline in... Read More
The Financial Reporting Process and Annual Report: A Brief Overview
C-2466 | Published January 26, 2024 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of the financial reporting process. It includes a discussion of key players in the process, financial reporting requirements, the external audit process, and t... Read More
Fundamentals Of Capital Budgeting
F-0917 | Published March 29, 1989 | 27 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides an introduction to evaluation of corporate investment projects. Decision criteria such as net present value, internal rate of return, and paybacks are discussed. Specific examples a... Read More
Ought to "Can": Questions for an Entrepreneurial Future
ENT-0132 | Published August 28, 2009 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explores the broadening role of entrepreneurship as both an economic and societal force. Students learn that as a distinct problem-solving method, entrepreneurship is teachable and... Read More
How Do I Know If I Am Morally Responsible?
E-0414 | Published September 11, 2017 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In this note, a chef perceives that a website reviewer is responsible for his slowing business because the reviewer allowed fake reviews about his restaurant to be posted; it follows that the chef wou... Read More
A Concise Guide to Parent Brands and Subbrands
M-0973 | Published August 19, 2021 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In the field of branding, terms like parent brands and subbrands are often used in imprecise ways. The general lack of clarity around these terms can lead to poor marketing communication and confusion... Read More
Relevant Costs and Benefits in Decision-Making: An Introduction
C-2512 | Published April 08, 2025 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note presents an introduction to relevant costs and benefits—those costs and benefits that differ between two alternatives in decision-making. The note provides important terminology around this ... Read More
Basic Deal Structures
F-1862 | Published June 20, 2019 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical notes discusses three basic deal structures used to acquire another corporation. Asset acquisitions, stock acquisitions, and mergers under state law are the three common legal forms dis... Read More
An Introduction to Supplier Diversity
OM-1760 | Published December 16, 2021 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Beyond providing increased opportunities to underrepresented businesses for participating in the procurement process, supplier-diversity initiatives offer substantive financial benefits to the buyer o... Read More
Entity Choices for a Socially Responsible Business
C-2407 | Published January 09, 2019 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
One of the fastest-growing areas in business is socially responsible investment (SRI), which incorporates environmental, social, and governance concerns. From 2007 to 2017, SRI increased from $2.71 tr... Read More
Conflict Management in Teams: For Military and Government
OB-1208 | Published February 09, 2018 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Despite the hierarchical power structures in the military and government, as they reach more senior levels, leaders routinely operate in peer-to-peer teams. These environments require the ability to n... Read More
Business Model Innovation: A Process Model
BP-0538 | Published June 30, 2009 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
What is business model innovation? A business model is much more than a description of a particular product or service. In addition to describing the offering itself, it lays out the value proposition... Read More
Introducing the EDGAR Portal
C-2395 | Published August 21, 2017 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides hands-on instructions for searching, classifying, and obtaining documents from the US Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) official document repository, EDGAR. It help... Read More
Sales Force Management and Measurement
M-0721 | Published July 11, 2005 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes the metrics that are used to monitor sales-force efficiency and effectiveness. It addresses sales territories, sales potential, and territory changes, as well as forecasting and me... Read More
Critical Look at the Self-Sustainable Rate of Growth Concept and Formulas
F-0951 | Published March 29, 1991 Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses the origins and applications of the self-sustainable growth concept. It presents two examples of application of the concept and reviews six limitations of the concept.... Read More
Customer Service And Safety-Stock Inventory
OM-0543 | Published April 10, 1985 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses alternative ways to measure customer service and relates these measures to investment in safety stock inventory.... Read More
Working Capital: A Summary of Ratios by Industry, 2016
C-2388 | Published November 18, 2016 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note presents various working capital ratios from 2012 through 2015 by industry and for some well-known companies.... Read More
Business Processes & Operations
OM-1013 | Published March 08, 2001 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note defines and provides example calculations for certain process analysis concepts?capacity, bottleneck, cycle time, throughput time, Little's Law?relating inventory, throughput time,... Read More
Capital Structure And Firm Value
F-0942 | Published March 29, 1990 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note explores the interaction between the use of debt and firm value and provides a brief perspective on the use of debt. It also introduces the notions of financial and operating leverage. In ad... Read More
A Practical Guide to Conjoint Analysis
M-0675 | Published August 26, 2003 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of conjoint analysis. It shows how to interpret standard conjoint analysis output and the uses of that output. It provides several examples of how output can b... Read More
A Late Night at The Virginian Restaurant: Model Documentation and Guide
OM-1553 | Published December 09, 2016 | 16 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The purpose of this document is to describe each step in the development of a model for the case "A Late Night at The Virginian Restaurant" (UVA-OM-1551).... Read More
A Note on Ethical Decision-Making
E-0242 | Published February 21, 2003 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a framework for the discussion of ethical issues in business and defines some of the key vocabulary and theories used in defining ethical decisions and situations.... Read More
Cluster Analysis for Segmentation
M-0748 | Published March 22, 2007 | 7 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is designed for use in an MBA marketing research course. It provides an overview of segmentation using K-means clustering. A simple algorithm for K-means clustering and the process of profil... Read More
Fiduciary Duties and Corporate Disclosures
C-2484 | Published July 30, 2024 | 2 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Entrustment often puts the trusting party in a position of vulnerability, such as when an individual relies on the advice and counsel of a real estate agent in a property transaction. In the United St... Read More
Relevant Costs and Benefits in Decision-Making: Application to Selected Management Decisions
C-2511 | Published April 08, 2025 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Drawing upon the concepts of relevant costs and benefits presented in "Relevant Costs and Benefits in Decision-Making: An Introduction" (UVA-C-2512), this note discusses how those concepts apply to ce... Read More
Accounting for Contingent Liabilities
C-2467 | Published January 18, 2024 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for contingent liabilities. It outlines the decision process management uses to determine the financial statement implications of such liabilitie... Read More
Leading Organizational Design
OB-0657 | Published May 27, 2001 | 19 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note presents an overview of some fundamental characteristics of organizational design, and builds on Peter Senge's notion that effective leaders must also be effective designers of organizations... Read More
Inventory Flow Problems
OM-0832 | Published August 05, 1996 | 3 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Designed to be used with the technical note "Inventory Flow Analysis" (OM-0835), this problem set provides practice in applying concepts described in the note. Consisting of seven problems constructed... Read More
The Pricing of Warrants
F-1430 | Published October 03, 2007 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note covers the pricing of warrants. The note derives the basic formula for the pricing of warrants and offers a simple example to demonstrate the underlying concepts.... Read More
Note on Postmerger Integration
BP-0539 | Published February 19, 2009 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Approximately 65% to 85% of mergers fail. That's a startling statistic. While there are myriad reasons why mergers are not successful, in many cases the reason is simple: a failure to develop and exec... Read More
A User’s Guide to BPM6-Based BOP and IIP Accounts
GEM-0154 | Published February 19, 2018 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note presents a short description of BPM6-based balance of payments (BOP) and international investment position (IIP) data. It works through examples using data for the United States and Mexico w... Read More
A Managerial Primer on the U.S. Bankruptcy Code
QA-0633 | Published September 09, 2004 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note offers an introduction to reorganization procedures within the U.S. bankruptcy law from a business perspective. It can be used to explore the strategic dimensions of bankruptcy procedures an... Read More
Valuing Late-Stage Companies and Leveraged Buyouts
F-1846 | Published August 23, 2018 | 17 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note replaces "Valuation of Late-Stage Companies and Buyouts" (UVA-F-1639). This note focuses on the valuation of late-stage companies with a particular emphasis on leveraged buyouts (LBOs). In ... Read More
Return-On-Investment And The Operations Manager
OM-0521 | Published April 10, 1984 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides a brief history of the origins of return-on-investment measurement at Du Pont and its close link with operations management. The Du Pont chart approach to calculating return on asse... Read More
Project Management and Transparency for Capital Projects
QA-0899 | Published June 12, 2018 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Program- and project-management best practices are typically implemented when a corporation aims to work efficiently and effectively to deliver its projects to the customers on time and to maximize sh... Read More
Product and Process: The Focused Factory
OM-1655 | Published September 22, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on product and process considerations, including product and process life cycles, the product–process matrix, the focused factory, and factory physics... Read More
Current State: Capacity 1
OM-1647 | Published September 18, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on on understanding and learning how to describe the current state of a process, including resource availability, cycle time, and an introduction to c... Read More
The Basics Of Financial Derivatives
F-1258 | Published September 05, 1999 | 9 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes the basic elements and pricing of financial derivatives. Financial derivatives are contracts whose value is derived from the value of some other underlying asset, such as a share o... Read More
Derivation Of The Black-Scholes Option-Pricing Model
F-0945 | Published March 29, 1991 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note derives the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. It covers the basic assumptions necessary to derive the equation. In addition, it presents the arbitrage conditions used by Black and Scholes ... Read More
Accounting for Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold Expense
C-2474 | Published February 21, 2024 | 11 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for inventory and cost of goods sold expense. It discusses accounting for the purchase and sale of inventory, periodic and perpetual inventory sy... Read More
Bottlenecks and Utilization: Resource Utilization
OM-1649 | Published September 25, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on understanding bottlenecks and learning how to identify one, and on measuring resource and capacity utilization. While designed to be used together,... Read More
The Basics of Multivariate Regressions in Excel
BC-0311 | Published August 26, 2024 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a comprehensive guide to conducting multivariate linear regressions using Excel. It covers essential concepts such as setting up the regression model, selecting variables,... Read More
Current State: Resource Availability
OM-1645 | Published September 18, 2025 | 1 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on on understanding and learning how to describe the current state of a process, including resource availability, cycle time, and an introduction to c... Read More
Conjoint Analysis
M-0686 | Published February 11, 2002 | 22 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces students to the basic techniques of conjoint analysis.... Read More
Accounting for Property, Plant, and Equipment and Depreciation Expense
C-2477 | Published March 05, 2024 | 10 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for property, plant, and equipment and depreciation expense. It discusses determining what costs related to the asset should be capitalized and w... Read More
Management of Financial Policy Decisions: Capital Structure Policy
F-1743 | Published December 04, 2015 | 18 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of capital structure policy. Through a series of hypothetical situations and real-world examples, students will gain an understanding of the benefits and costs... Read More
Measuring Consumer Price Sensitivity
M-0567 | Published June 28, 2002 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note describes several methods for measuring consumer price sensitivity.... Read More
Accounting for Owners’ Equity
C-2476 | Published February 26, 2024 | 8 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for owners’ equity. It discusses the concepts of common stock and preferred stock, as well as authorized, issued, and outstanding shares. It cove... Read More
Product and Process: The Product–Process Matrix
OM-1654 | Published September 22, 2025 | 4 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on product and process considerations, including product and process life cycles, the product–process matrix, the focused factory, and factory physics... Read More
Team Success—The Result of Team Partnering
OB-0766 | Published November 20, 2002 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note offers five stages of teamwork. The premise is that no level of teamwork is necessarily better than another. What is most important is whether the level of teamwork meets the needs of the te... Read More
Bottlenecks and Utilization: Capacity 2
OM-1650 | Published September 25, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on understanding bottlenecks and learning how to identify one, and on measuring resource and capacity utilization. While designed to be used together,... Read More
Strategic Capacity Management: Capacity Growth Planning—Make or Buy?
OM-1658 | Published September 18, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on strategic capacity management, including economies of scale and scope, the make-or-buy decision, and dynamic capacity expansion. While designed to ... Read More
A Theory of GATT/WTO
GEM-0153 | Published February 07, 2018 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides a few basic facts about the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its successor, the World Trade Organization (WTO). We also investigate why we need those institutions f... Read More
Accounting for Revenues
C-2478 | Published March 06, 2024 | 9 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for revenues. It discusses the five-step process to revenue recognition outlined in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606 and applies those... Read More
The US News Media Ecosystem
BC-0321 | Published August 15, 2025 | 12 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of trends within the US media industry. It covers the origins of the newspaper, radio, and television industries and profiles how they evolved over time. The n... Read More
Product and Process: Factory Physics
OM-1656 | Published September 22, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on product and process considerations, including product and process life cycles, the product–process matrix, the focused factory, and factory physics... Read More
Feedback
OB-0746 | Published August 28, 2001 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note outlines the core skills needed to give and receive feedback effectively. It is most appropriate for helping managers practice ways of dealing with feedback. These solutions minimi... Read More
Lean Manufacturing
OM-1661 | Published September 04, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on Lean manufacturing and just-in-time (JIT) production. While designed to be used together, these two notes can also be used as stand-alone documents... Read More
Designing Digital User Experiences
OM-1739 | Published June 02, 2023 | 17 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Over the last two decades, no design job in tech has grown more than user experience (UX) design, the process of creating increasingly better user interfaces for a particular product experience. The e... Read More
Matching Capacity and Demand: Load Balancing
OM-1652 | Published September 04, 2025 | 4 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on basic techniques for matching capacity and demand, including shifting resources and reducing cycle time by changing the work content of the tasks. ... Read More
Methods of Intellectual Property Valuation
F-1401 | Published October 10, 2002 | 13 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note addresses the methods used in valuing intellectual property, with a particular focus on patents. The note defines intellectual property and explains its growing importance. It also describes... Read More
Binomial Option Pricing
F-0943 | Published March 29, 1990 | 12 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is designed to introduce the binomial option-pricing model. It covers the basic concepts using a one-period model and then provides an example of a two-period model. The note focuses on a co... Read More
Developing a Marketing Technology Blueprint
M-0906 | Published December 08, 2016 | 8 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note introduces the concept of a marketing technology blueprint (MarTech Blueprint), instructs students how to create one, and gives real-world examples of how a MarTech Blueprint might be used.... Read More
An Introduction to Cost Behavior
C-2510 | Published April 14, 2025 | 11 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note provides an introduction to cost behavior, or how a cost changes in response to changes in activity. It covers variable costs, fixed costs, mixed costs, and step-fixed costs and discusses s... Read More
Six Sigma: A Basic Overview
OM-1339 | Published December 10, 2007 | 10 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In the nearly 30 years since it was introduced, Six Sigma has evolved to mean different things in different circumstances and in different organizations, so that now it is difficult to identify a sing... Read More
Public Speaking: Tips for Getting Off to a Great Start
BC-0298 | Published March 09, 2023 | 4 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Speaking with groups of people is a critical leadership skill. During their careers, leaders need to engage with stakeholders including employees, investors, and members of the general public. This ... Read More
Leadership and Choice Theory
OB-1052 | Published July 24, 2013 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explores leadership through the framework of choice theory. As human beings, we actively engage in four strongly interconnected domains of choice: our activities, our thinking, our... Read More
Just-in-Time Production
OM-1662 | Published September 04, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on Lean manufacturing and just-in-time (JIT) production. While designed to be used together, these two notes can also be used as stand-alone documents... Read More
A Leader's Guide to Understanding Complex Organizations: An Expanded "7-S" Perspective
OB-0659 | Published November 23, 1998 | 22 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
An updated version of the classic McKinsey "7-S" Model, this note is designed to help MBA students and practicing managers understand the dynamic relationship among an organization's superordinate goa... Read More
Accounting for Accounts Receivable and Bad Debt Expense
C-2473 | Published February 21, 2024 | 13 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for accounts receivable. Students will learn how to account for sales on account, record write-offs and recoveries of accounts receivable, and es... Read More
What Exactly Is Lean?
OM-1631 | Published July 02, 2019 | 1 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This brief, one-page note provides multiple definitions of Lean. The purpose is to show that Lean programs can and should be addressed on multiple levels, including detailed operations, the entire val... Read More
Strategic Capacity Management: Capacity Growth Planning—Dynamic Expansion
OM-1659 | Published September 18, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on strategic capacity management, including economies of scale and scope, the make-or-buy decision, and dynamic capacity expansion. While designed to ... Read More
Exchange Rate Models
BP-0496 | Published March 27, 2006 | 15 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note describes parity conditions (PPP, UIP, and CIP) and develops a model of exchange rate determination.... Read More
Accounting for Intercorporate Equity Investments
C-2464 | Published January 18, 2024 | 16 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an overview of accounting for investments in equity securities. It discusses passive investments and fair value accounting, investments resulting in significant influence ... Read More
Fundamentals of Operations Strategy: The Balanced Scorecard
OM-1639 | Published September 25, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the fundamentals of operations strategy, including basic competitive dimensions, productivity measurements, understanding productivity as a relativ... Read More
Forecasting: Moving Averages
OM-1664 | Published September 04, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on the basics of forecasting, including demand forecasting basics, moving averages, and fitting a curve. While designed to be used together, these thr... Read More
A Brief Introduction to Macroeconomics
GEM-0125 | Published September 02, 2014 | 17 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note sets the groundwork for a module on macroeconomics by introducing concepts and definitions that will be revisited in subsequent technical notes. The note begins by introducing nati... Read More
Product and Process: Product and Process Life Cycles
OM-1653 | Published September 22, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on product and process considerations, including product and process life cycles, the product–process matrix, the focused factory, and factory physics... Read More
An Introduction to Cost Allocation
C-2506 | Published March 24, 2025 | 14 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses the concept of cost allocation, focusing specifically on allocating overhead, or indirect, costs to products and services. It presents a four-step process to designing cost-allocat... Read More
Bottlenecks and Utilization: Bottlenecks
OM-1648 | Published September 25, 2025 | 2 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note is part of a set that focuses on understanding bottlenecks and learning how to identify one, and on measuring resource and capacity utilization. While designed to be used together,... Read More
Module Introduction: From Ancient Chinese Wisdom to Contemporary Competitive Dynamics
S-0471 | Published August 04, 2025 | 12 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Strategy may be studied at the bird’s-eye, industry level, or by examining the competitive actions exchanged between rivals. It is this exploration of “on the ground” interfirm rivalry, known as compe... Read More
The Forward Interest Rate
F-2126 | Published October 15, 2025 | 12 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Some interest rates begin immediately; these are referred to as spot rates. Rates agreed upon today but starting at some future date are known as forward rates. The forward rate recognizes that while ... Read More
Frameworks for General Management and Operations Consulting
OM-1242 | Published February 17, 2006 | 6 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note addresses a number of different frameworks that general managers and consultants use to address problems. A general framework for addressing Operations Management is presented that can be us... Read More
Accounting Guidance for Stock Awards
C-2514 | Published August 13, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces the accounting treatment of employee stock-based compensation, with a focus on awards subject to service, performance, and market vesting conditions. It guides students ... Read More
The Position and Slope of the Yield Curve
GEM-0238 | Published January 08, 2026 | 22 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The slope and position of the US Treasury yield curve are of fundamental importance to households, investors, banks, and governments. This note explores the determinants of the slope and position, foc... Read More
Approaches and Resources Supporting Impact Measurement and Management
E-0523 | Published July 29, 2025 | 17 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note introduces students and practitioners to the frameworks, methodologies, and tools that support effective impact measurement and management (IMM) within social enterprises and impac... Read More
Doing Without the Middleman: A Primer on Funding for Entrepreneurs
ENT-0235 | Published January 07, 2025 | 8 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
It’s widely believed that entrepreneurs need formal funding to start a venture, but that’s not always the case. In fact, the majority of companies that go public don’t raise any venture capital at all... Read More
Adverse Selection in Businesses
GEM-0248 | Published June 23, 2025 | 3 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Adverse selection is a concept in economics and finance that arises from information asymmetry between parties involved in a transaction. It occurs when one party has more or better information than t... Read More
Process Performance Measures
OM-0833 | Published September 25, 1996 | 5 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note defines a variety of performance measures that are useful in process analysis. It explains the meaning and usefulness of these concepts through a list of definitions followed by examples. Th... Read More
Managing Customer Lead Time
OM-1660 | Published September 03, 2025 | 4 Pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note focuses on managing customer lead time, including presenting a basic definition of throughput time and then working in detail through two examples of how to calculate throughput ti... Read More
Supply Chain Coordination and Contracts
OM-1442 | Published May 31, 2011 Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note addresses the dynamics of supply chains as they affect profits--how profits may be both maximized overall and equitably distributed across the supply chain. Influences of pricing and stockin... Read More
Developing a Superior Positioning Concept for a Product, Service, Idea, or Experience
M-0919 | Published September 05, 2018 | 12 pages Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
While there are a number of courses focused on helping students create and perfect innovative new products, there remains a gap regarding how to create and perfect the idea—or the positioning behind t... Read More