Making decisions is the most fundamental “thought” activity we engage in every day. The consequences of our choices, at work and in our daily lives, can range from trivial and fleeting to momentous and far-reaching. Increasingly in our fast-moving world, we need to make decisions quickly, even intuitively. The “Tough Choices” exercise is designed to guide readers through the decision-making proces
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 at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business parallels the movie’s theme in a contemporary setting: how to confront and manage disruptive change—today driven by information technology and a
By 2023, the global electric vehicle (EV) market wasn’t the future, it was the present—and competition among automakers was accelerating. In China, the battle for primacy was shaping up between the local Build Your Dreams (BYD) company and Tesla, the fast-charging American firm. This case centers on an investment proposal a young financial adviser is preparing for a client considering a major inve
Janice Greer works for NVX Pharmaceuticals, a US firm with increasing global operations. Not long after Greer’s promotion to country head for Japan, their boss suggests that widespread layoffs will be needed to help bring performance of the international units in line with domestic operations. Cultural differences between US and Japanese work practices and traditions complicate the decisions Greer
Paul Waddle works for Tripod Capital (Tripod), a venture fund focused on investing globally in fintech start-ups. Ambitious and a self-starter, Waddle is in pursuit of fast-growing the Nigerian payments platform DigitApt. As he enters the final stages of closing a deal, he is confronted with cultural differences between US and Nigerian work practices and traditions. Understanding and appropriately
Mei-Ling Liu has come a long way from her humble beginnings in a small town on the coast of Taiwan. She is in New York City to interview for an assistant professor position at Columbia University’s business school. After completing undergraduate studies in Taipei—and following much soul-searching—she had departed for the United States to earn her PhD. Now, six years later and against long odds, sh
Abdullah “Abe” Al-Multaq works in the acquisitions team of a large and ambitious US tech company. As his team undertakes due diligence at a target company he had identified in Saudi Arabia, cultural differences between representatives of the two firms flare up, chilling relations between the groups. Being from Saudi Arabia originally and brought up in an Islamic home, Abe feels responsible to act
Colleen Burton has taken over the account of a Swiss client for her New York–based financial-services company. Landing the account, after a long courtship, had been a coup for her midmarket firm. The investor, however, has expressed his disapproval and unease with his new manager, and Burton’s best efforts have failed to win him over. On a trip to Switzerland, she learns of a personal conflict of
Blake Cody is a consultant who has been brought in to optimize and increase efficiency at a manufacturing plant mired in a market slump. He identifies divisions between two groups of employees—salaried (permanent) and hourly (temporary)—as a central challenge. Are misaligned values, incentives, and work practices at the root of the problem? Resolving the tensions could lead to significant improvem
This case follows Caroline Lee, a first-year student at a prestigious East Coast MBA program. After going through a grueling round of interviews for a summer internship at an investment bank, she finds herself worn out and stressed with the MBA experience.
This case follows Andy, a second-year MBA student who has just received a job offer and is looking for guidance on how to leverage his remaining schooling to become a successful manager upon graduation. Not sure whether the case method is the best approach to learning about business, or how to translate it into real-world abilities, Andy reaches out to almunus Jason for advice.
At many leading business schools, cases are written only by professors or professional case writers. At the Darden School of Business, however, MBA students may also write cases.
Case writing helps students to gain tangible business writing and communication skills, to sharpen their business acumen, to understand better the key concepts learned in the classroom, and to prepare for the practical r