In this article, the Dean of Western University’s Ivey Business School offers reflections on what business leaders should do as AI embeds itself in our day-to-day working lives. This article offers timeless advice because it is about how businesses should adapt in the face of technological change. Externally, leaders have a strategic imperative to create and maintain a distinctive value proposition in the face of strong AI-enabled forces for convergence. Internally, leaders have a moral imperative to ensure that workers continue to have worthwhile, meaningful jobs in an increasingly algorithm-controlled working environment. To ensure their organizations remain competitive, leaders need imagination, unreasonableness (the capacity to believe they are right and everyone else is wrong), and imperfection (i.e., authenticity). It is essential for leaders to ensure humanity remains in the workplace and, based on self-determination theory, this article suggests that autonomy, belonging, and competence should be emphasized. The AI revolution poses a possible schism between consciousness and intelligence, which creates risks for society in terms of inequality and a loss of social cohesion. As this article argues, leaders have the agency and responsibility to prevent this from happening within their organizations. Their job is to recouple consciousness and intelligence, ensure there is a human quality to their products and services, and safeguard the features of work that make it worth doing.
The successful integration of information systems (ISs) in any merger and acquisition (M&A) was crucial for achieving the expected synergies of the transaction. This case described the journey of the merger of two telecom giants in India, Vodafone India Limited and Idea Cellular Limited, into Vodafone Idea Limited (Vodafone Idea), India’s largest telecom services provider at the time of the merger in August 2018. The case invited students to understand the varied dilemmas that Vodafone Idea’s chief information officer faced in conducting large-scale application-integration exercises and making decisions that would have a long-term impact on the IS operating model for the merged entity.
This case introduces students to McLuhan’s tetrad model through a structured learning experience. Before class, students read a mini-case exploring the Zoom videoconferencing software as an example of how to apply the tetrad’s four dimensions—enhancement, obsolescence, retrieval, and reversal—and listen to the author’s podcast about the use of algorithmic control in digital labour platforms. In class, students engage in a team-based exercise using the tetrad to predict the future of algorithmic control in digital labour platforms and gain a deeper understanding of McLuhan’s model. This approach will equip students with systemic thinking skills and a structured framework for analyzing the hidden and unforeseen impacts of AI-based technologies.
A junior associate at a consulting firm is startled to realize that she may have accidentally sexually harassed a colleague during a passing conversation. She wonders if she was in the wrong and is left worried that her reputation and relationship with the person may be damaged. The case explores what to do when a workplace interaction goes awry, from both the victim and perpetrator perspective. The theoretical basis of the discussion relies on the importance of sense-making, perspective taking, interactional framing, and identity threat. Users of the case will learn techniques to reduce the likelihood of offending others, and how to respond effectively if offence is indeed taken.
On June 16, 2024, the chief executive officer (CEO), founder, and director of V21 Group of Ventures (V21), a real estate conglomerate based in Pune, India, was preparing to meet with members of a housing society in Mumbai to finalize the agreement for a residential reconstruction project. While the CEO had successfully built five real estate ventures, this was V21’s first project in the challenging field of real estate development, and it presented distinct challenges, including navigating complex regulatory environments, establishing credibility in a competitive market, and securing substantial funding in an industry known for its high entry barriers. The move into real estate development represented a pivotal moment in this entrepreneurial journey, one that could elevate the V21 Group to new heights, and the CEO was facing several critical decisions: He needed to decide how to visualize the business model for this development venture. What should be its key elements? What key strategies should he develop for market entry, funding, and marketing, and how could he tailor these to both the external environment and his available resources? Most importantly, as the Mumbai market was dominated by established players and strict regulatory hurdles, how could he overcome the credibility gap he faced as a new developer in this market?
By August 2024, Snapchat had surpassed 850 million monthly users and expanded its daily active users to around 397 million. Yet its parent company, Snap Inc., grappled with profitability challenges. Renowned for its ephemeral messaging, Filters, and Stories, Snapchat had carved out a distinct niche in the social media sphere and garnered significant popularity among younger demographics. Despite its appeal and cutting-edge features, the company faced hurdles in achieving profitability. This case provides an opportunity to discuss Snapchat’s financial difficulties, evaluate the effectiveness of its revenue model, and contemplate the strategic decisions required for the company to achieve long-term sustainability.
This exercise includes 10 well-known US-based companies, all but one with international operations, from a variety of industries, and 10 financial profiles that must be matched. The companies included are Alaska Airlines Inc., Amazon.com Inc., The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated, Merck & Co. Inc., Netflix Inc., Pacific Gas & Electric, Ralph Lauren Corporation, Starbucks Corporation, Tesla Inc., and Uber Technologies Inc.
Car manufacturers offered car subscription programs, allowing customers to access cars for a flat monthly fee that covered the vehicles’ cost, maintenance, and insurance. Unlike traditional leasing or financing options, these subscription programs provided an appealing alternative for customers who wanted to avoid long-term ownership commitments and appreciated the all-inclusive convenience. Since 2017, several car manufacturers had launched subscription programs with both successes and failures. As of the summer of 2023, only Porsche and Volvo continued to offer subscription programs in the United States. The case examines the continuously evolving Porsche Drive subscription program and explores its development, supply chain and pricing strategies, and future challenges.
Winsol, located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was a company that manufactured solar charging products for farmers in rural Ethiopia. The company could not keep up with demand, and its founder wanted to move to an industrial park to expand operations. However, Winsol needed to meet the following qualifications within one year of moving into the park: have more than 30 employees; produce import substitutes or exportable products; and have registered business capital of US$450,000. Winsol had three options: expand using model farmers, partner with microfinance institutions, or expand to neighbouring countries. Before the founder could decide which option to pursue, he needed to fully understand the external environment and competition, and his company's strengths and weaknesses.
DMI Finance (DMI) was formed and registered as a non-banking financial company in 2008. The enterprise utilized a technology-driven process comprising application programming interface (API); algorithms; and data points captured using Aadhaar, a unique identification assigned to Indian residents, to disburse loans to individuals and firms. As a digital lender, DMI initially operated in personal loans, SME loans, and housing finance. After 2018, it shifted focus to the digital consumer portfolio. Despite growing revenues, in March 2024 DMI was facing challenges from existing and new players, and the co-founder sensed it was time to decide on a strategic change. To better serve its customers, should DMI add a new business model or should it continue with the existing one? How could it maintain its competitive advantage in a fast-changing industry?
Tongwei Co. Ltd., founded in 1995, initially focused on producing and selling aquaculture and livestock feed. In 2006, the company entered the photovoltaic (PV) new energy industry. Since then, it has consistently maintained leading production volumes in high-purity silicon and solar cell modules. Tongwei adopted a specialized, decentralized, and differentiated development model, concentrating on three key segments of the PV industry chain. In early 2023, facing increasing competition and a growing trend towards industry integration, Tongwei considered whether to fully integrate its industry chain, pursue partial integration, or continue with its specialization strategy.
In March 2024, an ethical dilemma was presented to The Clueless AIGENCY (TCA), led by founder and chief executive officer Ruben Cruz, surrounding Aitana, the agency’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven virtual influencer. While Aitana’s lifelike appeal and effectiveness had garnered significant attention, her rise was raising serious ethical concerns regarding potential manipulation, consumer deception, and the impact of such virtual influencers on transparency and authenticity in marketing. The TCA team would have to consider that such concerns might affect the future of Aitana and TCA’s approach to AI-driven marketing and that it might be wise to develop a strategy that balanced innovation with a commitment to integrity and social responsibility.
On January 16, 2023, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (Cognizant) appointed a new chief executive officer who was a former president of a key competitor. The US-based major multinational information technology company, with 70 per cent of its workforce in India, provided global consulting, technology, and outsourcing services with a focus on digital transformation across various industries. At the time, Cognizant was experiencing a high employee attrition rate, decreasing client base, and diminishing profile as a key services partner. The new chief executive officer faced several key challenges. The high rate of attrition was causing a shortage of senior executives, lower growth than competitors, and delivery constraints. Cognizant had to intensify its efforts to retain and attract leadership team members, and focus on recuperating its commercial impetus, with a focus on talent management and employee retention. How would the company address the talent gap caused by the mass exit of Cognizant executives and stabilize the market’s confidence in the company? How could Cognizant attract, engage, and retain top-level talent, and nurture intellectual capability in the workplace?
Zhejiang Ideal Technology Co. Ltd. (ZITC), a high-tech enterprise affiliated with Zhejiang University and Zhejiang University of Technology, was dedicated to system integration and software technology. Founded in 2005, ZITC provided informatization solutions for government and city agencies and design and engineering services for buildings with intelligence. As China’s health care informatization path became apparent, accompanied with strong policy support and a change of demographic, ZITC’s founder, He Xiongxiong, realized it was time to make a change. Now the key question was, as a new entrant into the health care information technology (IT) market, what was the most focused business strategy for the company?
Chaitsi Ahuja, founder and CEO of Brown Living, was discussing the firm’s future with her teammates. Ahuja started Brown Living in 2019 with a vision for a zero-waste lifestyle and used a marketplace model to partner with other brands and artisans and offer sustainable products for consumers. It strove to maintain a 100 per cent green supply chain and was guided by its Brown Lens method to ensure accurate green assessments of every product. But it faced challenges, not only from e-commerce giants like Amazon but also emerging sustainable product platforms in the Indian market. Ahuja and her team were contemplating expanding into electrical and electronic products, where the scope of green products was restricted and ways of reducing carbon footprints were limited. Could Brown Living remain sustainable while scaling up the business?
In 2024, Infosys Limited was the second-largest company in India’s information technology software industry. Its software services offerings were diversified across different sectors, with a large part coming from exports. As required by India’s government, Infosys Limited applied Indian accounting standards in its preparation and presentation of financial statements. A senior analyst with an investment advisory firm in India, was asked to evaluate how the new Indian accounting standard, Ind AS 115, impacted the performance of Infosys Limited and its competitors by reviewing financial performance in recent years and results for the last three quarters of fiscal year 2023–24. Which specific ratios will provide an indication of prudent revenue recognition? What was the impact of Ind AS 115 on Infosys?
This primer accompanies W39421. It is designed to provide essential background information for students, and should be read prior to the case discussion.