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
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
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
Multiple Regression and Marketing-Mix Models
M-0855 | Published October 07, 2013 | 10 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
In this technical note, the concept of regression using a single independent variable is first introduced and then some of the practical challenges associated with it, including multiple independent v... Read More
Designing Channels of Distribution
M-0769 | Published April 21, 2009 | 11 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note addresses the issues that arise and the complexities that must be addressed when designing a channel of distribution. Content includes the definition of a distribution channel, the steps in ... Read More
Methods for Producing Perceptual Maps from Data
M-0665 | Published January 27, 2003 | 12 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note is designed for use in an MBA-level marketing research course. The note provides students with an overview of how to construct perceptual maps from data. It concentrates on the attribute-rat... 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
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
Note on Optimal Ordering Strategies and Supply Chain Coordination
OM-1371 | Published January 12, 2009 | 14 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note examines a firm’s decision about its optimal order quantity. It describes the famous newsvendor problem, which is the basis for inventory theory and how it can be used to find the optimal qu... 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
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
Internationalization Analysis
S-0398 | Published October 05, 2022 | 6 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
How do firms decide where to compete internationally? What challenges arise when competing across borders? What are different ways to enter a new foreign market? How should the firm compete in that ne... Read More
Logistic Regression
M-0859 | Published November 20, 2013 | 10 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note presents the reason for using a binomial logic regression in marketing applications. It is used in Darden's "Big Data in Marketing" course elective. The issues surrounding the use ... Read More
The Influence of Social Media on Purchase Decisions in High Involvement Categories
M-0786 | Published August 09, 2010 | 9 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses how social media marketing can be used to influence the consumer decision process for goods and services. It links social media's influence to the different stages of the purchase ... 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
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
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
Customer Segmentation in Business-to-Business Markets
M-0792 | Published March 18, 2011 | 26 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
The purpose of this note is to help students better understand the concept of customer segmentation in a business-to-business (B2B) context, focused on such topics as the role segmentation plays in th... 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
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
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
Carbon Credit Markets
F-1583 | Published April 07, 2009 | 20 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note discusses issues related to carbon markets: Emissions Trading Approaches (Cap-and-Trade, Baseline-and-Credit, and Offsets), Regulatory Framework (Kyoto Protocol), and two key mechanisms of c... Read More
Consumers' Mental Accounting
QA-0908 | Published December 17, 2018 | 6 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
When a consumer purchases an item, the presumption is that the benefit obtained from it exceeds the price paid—we can think of this difference as the consumer profit. How do consumers calculate this p... 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
Using Social Media in the B2B Context
M-0778 | Published July 27, 2009 | 12 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Business-to-business marketers have begun to appreciate the value social networks -- specifically, the use of social media -- to nurture relationships with current customers and to reach one's potenti... 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
Google AdWords
M-0817 | Published August 16, 2011 | 6 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This note introduces search engine marketing as presented by Google's popular AdWords advertising program and as monitored by Google Analytics. ... 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
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
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
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
Bank Valuation Issues
F-1582 | Published April 07, 2009 | 9 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note describes some of the key issues that bank analysts, ratings agencies, and the market broadly examine to understand the financial health of a bank and ultimately to estimate its va... Read More
Virginia Investment Partners Optimal Portfolio Allocation
F-1598 | Published August 25, 2009 | 10 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides a simple, yet powerful, optimization exercise to demonstrate the benefits of diversification in a portfolio and the importance of asset allocation. While the note is targe... 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
Developing a Superior Strategic Marketing Plan
M-0890 | Published February 11, 2016 | 17 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
While both management and marketing courses detail the importance of having a strategy, there is a dearth of tools available that can help students understand how to create a strategic plan—as well as... 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
A Note on Market Definition, Segmentation, and Targeting: Three (of Four) Steps in Developing Marketing Strategy
M-0895 | Published January 14, 2016 | 13 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Marketing strategy, part of the marketing planning process, flows directly from a company's goals and helps define how the marketing organization will help the firm achieve its objectives. Marketing ... 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
Creating Value for Stakeholders
S-0169 | Published January 11, 2009 | 5 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Brief discussion of managing for stakeholders and the role this plays in achieving value creation and competitive advantage.... 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
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
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
Self-Focus versus Mission-Focus Mindset
OB-1449 | Published December 20, 2023 | 8 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note explores the "self-focus" and "mission-focus" mindsets based on two of the Arbinger Institute's books, The Outward Mindset and Leadership and Self-Deception. Future business leader... 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
Corporate Branding
BC-0203 | Published December 29, 2005 Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This technical note provides an introduction to corporate branding, including a brief history, a discussion of differences between corporate and product branding, and some strategic implications for h... 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
Using Binary Variables to Represent Logical Conditions in Optimization Models
QA-0786 | Published April 11, 2012 | 5 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
Logical conditions that link different elements of a business decision are very common in managerial practice. For example, a firm can ship only to and from warehouses that are open; patients needing ... 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
Marketing Analytics Instructor Manual
M-1014 | Published June 14, 2021 | 173 pages. Technical Note
Collection: Darden School of Business
This instructor manual is designed for use with Marketing Analytics: Essential Tools for Data-Driven Decisions, by Rajkumar Venkatesan, Paul W. Farris, and Ronald T. Wilcox (2021), available at https:... 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
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