American Taxation Association

Mary Margaret Frank, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, received the 2007 ATA/Deloitte Teaching Innovation Award for her course design and teaching materials entitled “How to Put More Strategy in Your ‘Taxes and Business Strategy’ Course: A Case-method Approach.”

The components of the award-winning package are available to ATA members FREE OF CHARGE through August 31, 2008, at http://www.dardenbusinesspublishing.com.

Dr. Frank’s package includes the course design and a collection of other materials developed for her MBA course entitled “Taxation and Management Decisions.” Dr. Frank teaches the entire course using the case method. If you have not used the case method, these materials offer an excellent opportunity to try it. But they also can be used with other teaching methods to create a more discussion-oriented classroom environment. Descriptions of the materials included in the curriculum are included at the end of this e-mail.

HOW TO ACCESS THE MATERIALS

"Inspection Copies of the Course Design, Cases and Technical Notes"

To view inspection copies of the components of Dr. Frank’s package, log on to http://www.dardenbusinesspublishing.com. You can find her curriculum featured at the top under the subheading “Featured Products” or search on the components that interest you.

"Classroom Copies of the Course Design, Cases and Technical Notes"

To obtain copies for use in your classroom for free, simply click on the link "Yes, I would like to teach this case free of charge". Just fill in the e-mail and send it to Darden Business Publishing every time you plan to use it and let them know how many students will be participating. Darden will verify your ATA membership and send you the materials.

"Teaching Notes"

To obtain teaching notes, you will need to log in to the Darden Business Publishing Web site with verified faculty access. If you do not already have faculty access, see below.

To obtain faculty access to Darden Business Publishing
1. Go to http://www.dardenbusinesspublishing.com
2. Click “Log In” at the top right corner of your screen.
3. If you already have faculty access, simply log in.
4. If you are new to Darden Business Publishing, click “New User (faculty, bookstore, or corporate).”
5. Complete the form provided.

Within two business days, Darden Business Publishing will verify your faculty status, which will allow you to download the teaching notes.

MATERIALS INCLUDED IN THE AWARD:

1. “How to Put More Strategy in Your ‘Taxes and Business Strategy’ Course: A Case-Method Course Design” (Technical Note UVA-C-2265). This note provides the course design and syllabus.

2. “A Guide to Taxation and Management Decisions” (Technical Note UVA-C-2185). This technical note is used on the first day of the course and discusses key issues in tax planning and the tax system that pervade the entire course.

3. “Compensation Planning at Stanford University in the 21st Century” (Case and Teaching Note UVA-C-2187 and UVA-C-2187TN). This case introduces students to a framework for analyzing the effect of the three major tax factors (rate, timing, and deductibility) on the negotiating position of two parties in a strategic decision: whether to pay compensation as salary or deferred compensation.

4. “Microsoft and the Tax Reform Act of 1986” (Case and Teaching Note UVA-C-2186 and UVA-C-2186TN). This case provides students with another opportunity to analyze the negotiating position of two parties in another strategic decision: whether to issue incentive or nonqualified stock options.

5. “DuPont’s Patent Donations” (Case and Teaching Note UVA-C-2224 and UVA-C-2224TN). This case requires students to decide whether a company should engage in a patent donation program that could be considered an aggressive tax position.