A new managing director of Microsoft South Africa was appointed in 2007 at a low point in Microsoft South Africa's dominance of the software industry. He set out to address the issues by focusing on four pillars: people (employees), partnerships, revenue and local relevance. The latter included regulatory compliance requirements regarding social transformation and meeting the stringent Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment codes. The managing director knew that targets had to be met in order to build the relationship with head office and that once this was in place, it would be easier to manage the requests that were to come related to local relevance.

A new managing director of Microsoft South Africa was appointed in 2007 at a low point in Microsoft South Africa’s dominance of the software industry. He set out to address the issues by focusing on four pillars: people (employees), partnerships, revenue and local relevance. The latter included regulatory compliance requirements regarding social transformation and meeting the stringent Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment codes. The managing director knew that targets had to be met in order to build the relationship with head office and that once this was in place, it would be easier to manage the requests that were to come related to local relevance.

The Broadway Angels investment group represents one of the few women-run angel groups in Silicon Valley. The group was founded by some of the most illustrious investors and operators with the mission to generate strong returns to members and inspire women in tech and investing. The case begins during the April 2014 investment meeting of the Broadway Angels. The members are evaluating an investment in Other Machine Co (OMC) and contemplating the structure of the angel group. Through the lens of these two key decisions, the case illustrates the factors that impact the angel fund's success and its ability to support entrepreneurs.

Codecademy, an open-platform, online community for learning computer programming, launched in 2011. By 2014, the company had raised a total of $12.5 million in funding and was, on many fronts, an overwhelming success. However, there were still no revenues. The founders decided it was time to experiment with different monetization strategies before deciding on a way forward. Although they wanted to avoid being prematurely pressured into decisions that went against their open-platform philosophy, they also knew that in order to fulfill their mission to democratize education, they had to eventually build a revenue-generating business. But what business model should they pursue and what monetization experiments should they run?

Two groups of orthopedic surgeons form a joint venture with a community hospital to establish Hoag Orthopedic Institute, a for-profit hospital and two ambulatory service centers. By controlling and integrating all aspects of the patients' medical treatment, the physicians deliver superior outcomes, which they communicate with an annual public outcomes report. They also introduce bundled payment contracts with three insurers for orthopedic surgeries, and join a multi-hospital study for applying time-driven activity-based costing to identify process improvement and cost reduction opportunities. The case concludes with HOI leaders examining several options for expansion and growth.

In 2014, the owner of a family business that includes two fast-food restaurants, a highway restaurant and a catering services operation located in Pune, India, is confident that his business is at the cusp of taking off on a path that will make it significantly larger in scale. He is evaluating three alternatives: setting up a chain of small restaurants with a central kitchen facility, creating a couple of large restaurants similar to those that he has at present or investing in new highway restaurants. He also must consider whether he is ready to expand to other cities in India or globally and whether to develop family-owned land, buy new property or lease facilities for his planned ventures. He needs to come up with a strategy that best meets the needs of a changing business environment and also leverages his company’s existing resources and capabilities. Before the next management meeting, he must decide what to do, in what sequence to take up the opportunities available, how to go about operationalizing the plan and also what design fallback options can be designed in case things go wrong.

Yantra Harvest Energy Private Limited (YHEPL), an energy service company, has sought a term loan of INR100 million to fund its growth and expansion. The Small Industries Development Bank of India, though convinced of the company’s credit worthiness, is concerned about the fact the loan will be used to create assets at the premises of YHEPL’s clients and YHEPL has mortgaged all its existing assets to the Urban Cooperative Bank towards working capital. Considering the nature of YHEPL’s cash flow and other issues, the bank wants to design an appropriate financing product and determine whether or not financing energy efficiency projects like YHEPL’s is a good business strategy.

Vizio has grown in the U.S. flat-screen television market with a focused low-cost strategy. The roles of Vizio and its partners along the value chain are described to understand the sources of its competitive advantage. Vizio's fast growth in a dynamic industry raises the question of what its strategic priorities should be going forward.

The focus of the case is on Enterprise, a firm operating within part of the UK facilities management industry. Set in 2012, the focus is on how Enterprise should respond to changes in market conditions, including the ongoing effects of the 2008 financial crisis, and competitor strategies.

The case examines the factors that influenced the founders' decision to establish Bayt.com in Dubai, and how the online job site transformed recruitment practices in the Middle East by facilitating access to skill and talent throughout the MENA region. Among the locational drawbacks the company had to overcome were low internet penetration rates, cultural barriers, and diverse legal and regulatory systems.

The focus is on the flat-screen television industry from the early 2000s to the early 2010s. Aspects considered include consumer purchase behaviour and the role of retailers, diverse approaches taken by TV manufacturers, examples of entry and exit, and changing sourcing arrangements, which supports discussion of the industry structure and dynamics.

Yantra Harvest Energy Private Limited (YHEPL), an energy service company, has sought a term loan of INR100 million to fund its growth and expansion. The Small Industries Development Bank of India, though convinced of the company's credit worthiness, is concerned about the fact the loan will be used to create assets at the premises of YHEPL's clients and YHEPL has mortgaged all its existing assets to the Urban Cooperative Bank towards working capital. Considering the nature of YHEPL's cash flow and other issues, the bank wants to design an appropriate financing product and determine whether or not financing energy efficiency projects like YHEPL's is a good business strategy.

In 2014, the owner of a family business that includes two fast-food restaurants, a highway restaurant and a catering services operation located in Pune, India, is confident that his business is at the cusp of taking off on a path that will make it significantly larger in scale. He is evaluating three alternatives: setting up a chain of small restaurants with a central kitchen facility, creating a couple of large restaurants similar to those that he has at present or investing in new highway restaurants. He also must consider whether he is ready to expand to other cities in India or globally and whether to develop family-owned land, buy new property or lease facilities for his planned ventures. He needs to come up with a strategy that best meets the needs of a changing business environment and also leverages his company's existing resources and capabilities. Before the next management meeting, he must decide what to do, in what sequence to take up the opportunities available, how to go about operationalizing the plan and also what design fallback options can be designed in case things go wrong.

In the summer of 2014, the founder and sole owner of F.P. Journe, a maker of luxury watches, sat in his Geneva headquarters and wondered about the future. Founded in 1999, the private company had 125 employees and a strictly limited production of 850 to 900 watches per year. It was a well-respected brand that was distributed globally through a network of company-owned boutiques and third-party jewellery stores. Its exclusively designed and individually manufactured products were prized by collectors and had won many awards and distinctions. However, the "haute horology" market had become increasingly competitive. Was producing 95 per cent of all watch components in-house a good idea? Should he scale up his business through mergers and acquisitions or by increasing the company's online presence? Or should he rest on his laurels and preserve the status quo?

In December 2014, Brad Hirsch stood on the gaming floor at Harrah's Metropolis Casino and Hotel in Metropolis, Illinois, where he had recently been assigned the position of General Manager and Senior Vice President. The property was part of Caesars Entertainment, the world's most geographically diversified provider of casino entertainment. Evidence from customer surveys and data on loyalty-card usage patterns, as well as competitive pressures across the casino industry, indicated a general need for process improvement at the Metropolis facility. Hirsch had successfully led employee-centered efforts to apply LEAN operating principles to improve customer service in three of his company's casinos in Tunica, Mississippi. He believed what he learned from those experiences would be applicable in the Metropolis location, but wondered if he should consider a modified approach that could potentially produce results more quickly with the help of a team of internal experts.

The case considers the evolution of the Indian pulses market and the ensuing opportunity in the branded pulses segment. India was the world's largest producer, importer and consumer of pulses because of the high percentage of vegetarians in the local population. The Indian food industry is expected to reach US$65.41 billion by 2020 owing to the rise in middle class income, changing urban lifestyle and modern retail trade. Agro Tech Foods, the Indian arm of ConAgra Foods, USA has an opportunity to enter in the Indian branded pulses sector. The decision that Agro Tech has to make was whether to go ahead and gain the prime mover advantage or wait for the other players to cultivate the market and reap the benefits later. Company also required to see whether the Indian market was demographically, economically and psychologically ready to make investments in branded pulses and to pay a premium for the same.