Can an innovation model be used to solve seemingly intractable problems consistently, reliably and effectively? In 2011, Bloomberg Philanthropies founder and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced a $24 million initiative to fund innovation teams in five U.S. cities. The innovation team program was created to advance government innovation by increasing innovation capacity within municipal government-by helping mayors design and implement solutions to their most urgent problems. Bloomberg Philanthropies developed 4-prong Innovation Model that drew on cutting-edge innovation practices from the public and private sectors and selected five large cities to use the model to solve problems ranging from high murder rates to blighted neighborhoods. This case illustrates the use of Bloomberg's innovation model in two of these cities-Memphis and New Orleans-allowing students to compare and contrast each city's use and application of the model. Students will consider the challenge of creating sustainable capacity for problem-centric innovation. Case number 2053.0
The case is set in 2015 and follows Angela Toh, the founder and director of AJA Enterprises (AJA), a Singapore-based company established in 1999. The business began as a distribution company for silicone sealants and aluminium cladding for windows. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Toh was inspired to focus on building security services and products. Expertise in this area led to the launch of Enerzorb in 2014, a patented AJA blast mitigation system for glass building facades designed to absorb, diffuse and transfer blast energy away from the impact area. The company has always pursued a cautious growth strategy, but now Toh must bring her company's patented Enerzorb technology to the international market in order to continue growing her company. A more aggressive approach may therefore be required. Creating greater awareness for her branded product remains a key challenge. AJA needs an effective strategy to not only grow new business beyond Singapore, but also attract serious investors and partners that can help the organisation scale up.
John Muthee and Justus Paul are recent graduates of medical school and a unique program in clinical inforamtics. They return to Nairobi, Kenya with a passion to make a difference in their community. They have a team they know well, but need to find a project concept for a new company. Eventually, they focus on what they believe to be a significant opportunity-supporting health insurance with an electronic eligibility verification and claim submission. They develop a business concept, but have challenges breaking into the market and attracting investment. They finally land a grant (non-dilutive financing) from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and build their product. Having proven that the technology works, can they scale their solution?
CEO David Kenny led the transformation of the Weather Company from a television business to a Big Data technology company from 2012 until 2016, when IBM acquired its digital assets. This case discusses major decisions taken by Kenny starting in 2014 as he sought to reorient the company amidst changes in media, digital, and mobile technologies. Kenny balances promoting new stream digital business growth with managing difficult legacy television industry realities. He faces key strategic decisions about whether to integrate businesses or separate them completely; whether to pursue business partners, and if so, what those partners should look like; and whether IBM, a large, established technology company, is the right partner for Weather Company. Finally, how would Weather Company's fast, innovative culture fit in at giant IBM?
In 2015, COFCO, China's state-owned agribusiness giant, was working to protect China's food security (a key national security priority) by extending its control of the global food system through overseas acquisitions. At the same time, COFCO sought to grow its market share in China's fiercely competitive branded foods market. To help achieve these goals, COFCO Chairman Frank Ning was driving internal reforms to make COFCO's management more competitive, innovative, and globally experienced. This case allows for a discussion of the Chinese marketplace and the evolving approach to business structures taken by the Chinese government. COFCO is the leading food company in China, and we can see through the case the hurdles faced in transitioning a company from pursuing mostly social objectives to mostly profit making. Finally, the case is a useful vehicle for discussing the question of whether and how China can feed itself. Efficient and reliable sourcing of food from abroad is evidently an increasing, and urgent, priority.
Cyberdyne Inc. was a Japanese technology venture that wanted to commercialize a hybrid assistive limb (HAL). HAL was a robotic exoskeleton system for people who had difficulty walking due to nervous system disabilities resulting from stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), and intractable neuromuscular diseases. In a person with neuromuscular disorders, signals transmitted from the brain to steer muscle movement had become weak, causing ambulatory difficulty. HAL could noninvasively read faint signals that leaked to the skin's surface and amplify them, which drove actuators to assist limb movement. Thus, HAL enabled the person's brain to relearn how to walk, as HAL could reinforce the neurological system's transmission. To market HAL in the U.S., the world's largest medical device market, Cyberdyne submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was eagerly awaiting approval. The case concentrates on Cyberdyne's go-to-market strategy to market and sell HAL in the U.S. once it had obtained FDA approval. The case considers sales channel structure-a choice between a direct vs. an outside sales force-and other accompanying marketing-mix elements-in particular, price-as well as target-market selection, to understand ways to bring a technologically innovative product to market in a business-to-business (B2B) context.
Looks at the development of the competitive actions between Airbus and Boeing from 1992 to 2006. Begins with the question of whether Airbus and Boeing should collaborate on the development of a VLCT (Very Large Commercial Transport) or whether Airbus should develop their own. The case series moves through to the events thereafter of Airbus' decision to pursue the A380 and Boeing's decision relating to developing a stretch 747.
Dr. Julia Connors has a busy, successful cataract clinic and wants to expand to meet demand. She is considering two alternatives: keeping her physical facility as it is and extending office hours, or renting additional space within her current building. The first appears to be less disruptive to operations but risks alienating her workforce. The second is more disruptive to current operations during construction and will require more capital investment. This case is designed to be taught in a single class session with students who have practiced process analysis.
By 2014, the Walton Group, an electrical goods manufacturer based in Bangladesh, sold its products in over 20 different countries. A decision to utilize the advantages of low labour costs in the company's home country was made in the early 2000s, which led to an increase in value and permitted rapid international expansion. To achieve Walton's mission of "Walton at every home," the company established various specialized support units both inside and outside Bangladesh. Government tax incentives in Bangladesh had boosted Walton's cost competitiveness, but how else could Walton compete with other international brands to achieve is goals and become a household name worldwide?
It is July 2015, and Lembu Dairy, the fourth largest dairy producer in Malaysia, faces stiff competition in its retail production business. Although it performs well the in wholesale milk trade, it lacks its rivals' extensive and long-standing marketing prowess. Patrick Heng Meng Loh, a seasoned investor, is thinking of partnering with Lembu Dairy to develop a new line of dairy products for the company. He believes that a strategic investment into Lembu Dairy could be worthwhile and wants to leverage his expertise to recommend a unique new product line to Lembu Dairy that would increase the company's ability to value-add while improving the bottom-line. However, before Loh can take an equity stake in the company, he must first make a strong business case for developing a new retail product while also positioning himself as a more strategic partner for Lembu Dairy.
ThinkAlike, a fictitious marketing consulting firm, was asked by TiVo to segment the market for its new digital video recorder (DVR) product. Students are asked to analyze realistic data and generate segments that will be useful for TiVo's marketing strategy.
In 2008-09, Toyota Motor Corp. became engulfed in a perfect storm: oil prices spiked, the global financial crisis brought car loans to a halt, the dollar tanked against the yen, and millions of Toyota vehicles in North America were recalled. Toyota posted its first loss since 1950. The case describes how Akio Toyoda, scion of the dynasty behind the Toyota empire, ascended to the top job in 2009, and turned the struggling carmaker around. It also tells the story of the Toyoda family, whose 8% ownership stake has enabled it to maintain control of one of the world's most successful companies and steer it through one of the most difficult periods in its history.
This case explores the difficulties involved in commercialising vaccines in low-income settings. The focus is the dengue vaccine, launched at the end of 2015, which was first commercialised in emerging markets. It considers issues of affordability and distribution, higlighting the need for business model innovation in all industries.
This case explores the difficulties involved in commercialising vaccines in low-income settings. The focus is the dengue vaccine, launched at the end of 2015, which was first commercialised in emerging markets. It considers issues of affordability and distribution, higlighting the need for business model innovation in all industries.
This is a 1-on-1 first interaction negotiation between John, a senior sales manager of high-end, state-of-the-art laptops (Boost computers), and Cindy, a procurement manager of a business consulting firm. Cindy has invited John to discuss his proposal to sell 50 of the latest technology computers.
This is a 1-on-1 first interaction negotiation between John, a senior sales manager of high-end, state-of-the-art laptops (Boost computers), and Cindy, a procurement manager of a business consulting firm. Cindy has invited John to discuss his proposal to sell 50 of the latest technology computers.
Case A explores the career trajectory of Eike Batista, CEO and founder of EBX, a Brazilian conglomerate focused on mining, oil & gas, shipping and other industries, who is already looking to expand into new markets while his existing businesses are only just moving into an operational phase. His success comes from his strength in exploiting the institutional void in Brazil to uncover new market opportunities; operationalizing these new businesses is quite another challenge. Case B charts the extraordinary debacle of EBX Group and Eike Batista, who loses US$30 billion in one year.
Supplement to case IN1389. Case A explores the career trajectory of Eike Batista, CEO and founder of EBX, a Brazilian conglomerate focused on mining, oil & gas, shipping and other industries, who is already looking to expand into new markets while his existing businesses are only just moving into an operational phase. His success comes from his strength in exploiting the institutional void in Brazil to uncover new market opportunities; operationalizing these new businesses is quite another challenge. Case B charts the extraordinary debacle of EBX Group and Eike Batista, who loses US$30 billion in one year.