Initially, the dilemma seemed to be centered on how to respond to the bad news about delayed building renovations due to government red tape, which would continue to have a negative impact on the museum. However, this was a mere symptom of the real dilema of how to further develop an institution within a society lacking institutions or with very weak institutions. The case then proceeds to outline the major periods in the museum's institutional development: Building a Past: 1954-1968 The museum was founded within a specific social and historical context which served as the foundation from which later developments emerged. Its mission was identified, a network of trustees was established, the building was secured, and perhaps most importantly, its permanent collection was acquired. Storm and Stress: 1968-1993 Major benefactors suffered economically, left the country, or both. In the 1980s, political violence and economic instability added to the challenges. During this time, the museum adapted itself to the context. Starving for revenues, it offered art classes, which contributed to its economic survival (at worst), and enabled it to achieve a modicum of self-sufficiency (at best). MALI´s Rise and Institutional Questioning: 1993-2002 The museum began to emerge in fuller form in the 1990s under the leadership of Walter Piazza, drawing support from a younger generation. In parallel with the country's rising fortunes, the museum began to broaden its support and diversify its revenues. In addition, foreign companies joined in to sponsor activities. Institutional Strengthening and the Next Five Years: 2003-2013 New activities were started and the museum gradually revived, culminating in its rebranding as MALI. However, this institutionalization process occurred within a healthy economic context. With a slowdown on the horizon and its potential subsequent pressures, would MALI as an institution be able to withstand the strain?
This B case takes up the story of the Afghan female entrepreneur Kamila Sidiqi between 2009 and 2015. The case opens with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praising her achievements at a State Department dinner in March 2015 for the newly elected President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani. It describes the growth of her Kaweyan firm, which diversified into dried fruit processing and a cab service, against a background of some economic and social progress, but also continuing economic, social and security challenges in the country. In October 2014 President Ghani asked Kamila to become Presidential Deputy Chief of Staff, a position which she accepted. The B case can be used in conjunction with the A case to explore the issue whether entrepreneurship alone can significantly overcome the many challenges faced by post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan, or whether improvements in institutional frameworks are a pre-condition.
In 2016, the respective heads of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. (SeaWorld) were trying to reach a mutually beneficial resolution to their dispute over orca whale breeding. The HSUS opposed SeaWorld's practice of breeding captive orcas and each leader was facing challenges. SeaWorld was experiencing growing negative publicity and a decline in park attendance and revenues, while the HSUS was in the process of publishing a book encouraging business leaders to join the animal protection movement and incorporate HSUS values into their strategic plans. After a decades-long antagonistic relationship, how could SeaWorld and the HSUS find common ground? Could SeaWorld continue operating in a way that was financially beneficial for the parks and entertaining to guests, while also being respectful of the welfare of the orca whales in their care? Could they meet the HSUS's goals of animal protection?
Virsto, a storage virtualization company, was founded in 2007 by Mark Davis, Alex Miroshnichenko, and Serge Pashenkov. Davis founded Virsto after managing a series of technology startups, many of which were ultimately acquired by big name players such as Dell and HP. Virsto represented the first venture Davis built from the ground up, and it was intended to do for storage virtualization what VMware had done for server virtualization. At the beginning of Davis' journey, he and his cofounders faced a daunting decision: slow the pace of product development to wait for the market leader, VMware, to develop the functionality whereby Virsto's product could "plug in" to VMware's hypervisor, or go to market immediately with Microsoft Hyper-V, a new entrant with a still uncertain future. Davis gambled on immediate commercialization via a second-tier player vs. waiting around for VMware. While his decision brought Virsto to market more rapidly, the team soon found that Virsto's product far exceeded the needs of Microsoft's audience. Therefore, in 2011, Virsto was poised and ready when VMware announced the capability to integrate with external products, and Virsto quickly saw its market potential explode. VMware, which had been working on its own storage product that had yet to gain traction, saw the tremendous potential of acquiring Virsto to accelerate its storage solution. As VMware's interest to acquire Virsto crystallized into an extremely low-ball offer, Davis faced the difficult decision of whether he could negotiate a price with VMware that would make his investors, employees, and stakeholders happy, find another higher-paying acquirer, or allow the company to continue to build market value as the clear leader in storage virtualization.
Virsto, a storage virtualization company, was founded in 2007 by Mark Davis, Alex Miroshnichenko, and Serge Pashenkov. Davis founded Virsto after managing a series of technology startups, many of which were ultimately acquired by big name players such as Dell and HP. Virsto represented the first venture Davis built from the ground up, and it was intended to do for storage virtualization what VMware had done for server virtualization. At the beginning of Davis' journey, he and his cofounders faced a daunting decision: slow the pace of product development to wait for the market leader, VMware, to develop the functionality whereby Virsto's product could "plug in" to VMware's hypervisor, or go to market immediately with Microsoft Hyper-V, a new entrant with a still uncertain future. Davis gambled on immediate commercialization via a second-tier player vs. waiting around for VMware. While his decision brought Virsto to market more rapidly, the team soon found that Virsto's product far exceeded the needs of Microsoft's audience. Therefore, in 2011, Virsto was poised and ready when VMware announced the capability to integrate with external products, and Virsto quickly saw its market potential explode. VMware, which had been working on its own storage product that had yet to gain traction, saw the tremendous potential of acquiring Virsto to accelerate its storage solution. As VMware's interest to acquire Virsto crystallized into an extremely low-ball offer, Davis faced the difficult decision of whether he could negotiate a price with VMware that would make his investors, employees, and stakeholders happy, find another higher-paying acquirer, or allow the company to continue to build market value as the clear leader in storage virtualization. Part B describes the challenging negotiations that Davis went through with VMware to finally arrive at a price before both sides reached the dreaded "deal fatigue." After presenting the price to his board, one board member
The case tells the story of a product manager within Intuit who develops an idea for a new product that spans two of the company's existing business units-professional tax software, sold to accountants, and the consumer focused TurboTax product. The new product -TurboTax Personal Pro-connects consumers with professional accountants online, allowing them to have their taxes prepared by a professional. The cycle of product development transpires within the larger, corporate context of Intuit, where founder Scott Cook has been attempting to transform the enterprise into a leaner, more innovative company. The case describes in detail the lean startup methods used by the new product team, and how their attempts bump up against the existing, entrenched systems and processes of the larger enterprise.
When we think of human behavior, especially from a moral perspective, we often rely on explanations based on character. We think that good decisions and responsible behavior require people with integrity and strong character, and immoral behavior originates with people with little integrity and weak character. However, important research in recent decades strongly suggests that situational factors often dominate character in ethical decision-making - for leaders and for members of their organizations. This note summarizes the recent research, shows its implications for the basic steps in ethical decision-making, and provides a basis for in-depth discussion of the character-versus-situation question.
EcoWash is an all-in-one system that can be used to clean the interior and exterior of a vehicle in an environmentally friendly manner. A soon-to-be business school graduate has been approached by the inventor of EcoWash to embark on a partnership and to market the product. The opportunity looks promising, but a careful examination of the product and the market place - specifically through the lens of the lean start-up methodology - is needed before a final decision can be made.
EcoWash is an all-in-one system that can be used to clean the interior and exterior of a vehicle in an environmentally friendly manner. A soon-to-be business school graduate has been approached by the inventor of EcoWash to embark on a partnership and to market the product. The opportunity looks promising, but a careful examination of the product and the market place — specifically through the lens of the lean start-up methodology — is needed before a final decision can be made.
For many firms it is time for an image checkup, especially if their budget, direction and markets have changed along with consumer attention trends. Everyone knows how important it is to make a good impression. But understanding how little time there is to do so is equally crucial, especially if firms want to ensure that their marketing materials are sufficient. Research suggests that firms have just a matter of seconds to attract the average person’s attention — and that’s assuming the targeted eyeballs in question are even looking their brand’s way. Firms should understand how best to reach target customers. Most users navigate digital media through sustained attention, selective attention, or alternating attention. Companies should examine their marketing materials and discard anything outdated. They should reflect on their culture and current approach to marketing. If they have made any changes to the company (new names, new slogans, new approaches, etc.) and not informed the market, then they need to make some announcements. Ultimately, they must think long and hard about their future vision and direction and communicate these to their audience.
Scott and Ally Svenson, the founders of MOD Pizza, had to make a number of decisions in planning how to scale their small company. They wanted to grow MOD from 45 stores as of May 2015 to 200 stores by the end of 2016, and while the two believed that MOD could manage this growth from an operational standpoint, they wanted to make sure that MOD's culture was sufficiently strong to survive this rollout. The company had developed a strong culture, and the Svensons did not want MOD's core values and philosophies to be compromised as it rapidly expanded. To that end, they considered what the company needed to do in order to protect its core culture. Should it put rigid safeguards in place or trust that MOD could successfully scale its culture by hiring the right people and helping them develop as employees? The Svensons also discussed the possibility of an IPO at some point in the near future; what would this mean for its ability to stay true to its core values?
The weather team at Nephila Capital Ltd. (Nephila) was in the midst of the weather market's busy winter renewal period. The list of weather risk transfer contracts that needed to be analyzed and priced seemed to be growing by the minute, and one team member is devising a plan to price each deal on its own merits of risk/reward. The counterparty's bid would reflect the willingness of the contracting party to pay for a weather hedge, and none would pay more than the bid amount. Nephila wanted to meet the needs of each counterparty, but only if Nephila earned a requisite return on capital. If the bid amount were not high enough to be attractive to Nephila, the team would need to convey that news to the counterparties. Did these new deal opportunities offer something more to Nephila beyond their individual numbers?
In 2009, a former engineering student set out with some like-minded friends to create a unique fast food service in Bangalore. Hungry Hogs Private Limited adapted a classic western favourite - hot dogs - to the local palate. The company went on to experience substantial success with revenues in excess of INR 7 million in 2013. The founding partner who set the business in motion must decide between expanding his successful business through franchising options or through the continued establishment of company-owned stores. He is concerned about maintaining the integrity of his products, keeping control over his business and maintaining the brand's favourable image.
In 2009, a former engineering student set out with some like-minded friends to create a unique fast food service in Bangalore. Hungry Hogs Private Limited adapted a classic western favourite — hot dogs — to the local palate. The company went on to experience substantial success with revenues in excess of INR 7 million in 2013. The founding partner who set the business in motion must decide between expanding his successful business through franchising options or through the continued establishment of company-owned stores. He is concerned about maintaining the integrity of his products, keeping control over his business and maintaining the brand's favourable image.