LifeNet International was a social conversion franchise concept aiming to provide basic, quality and sustainable healthcare to poor and underserved populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The founder and president had relied on the assistance of others to help bring about his idea of affordable healthcare. In 2012, the executive director for LifeNet International's operations in Burundi, began focussing on developing the company in Burundi. She was excited to see LifeNet International's presence expanding into Uganda. Her vision for LifeNet International, however, was much bigger. She envisioned LifeNet International as a sustainable organization that could provide quality healthcare and medicine to millions of people around the world.<br><br>If it planned to expand internationally and bring healthcare to more of the world's population, LifeNet International needed a solution to tie its services together to further scale, replicate and measure its social impact. How could LifeNet International bring its social conversion franchising model to other African nations and internationally? Would LifeNet International's model work logistically, financially and culturally? What adaptations would LifeNet need to make and what legal challenges would it face in the process of expansion? Furthermore, what structures would LifeNet need to put in place to manage the complexity of its growing network of partner clinics and operations?
Walid Hajj (HBS '95), CEO of Dubai-based restaurant franchising company Cravia considers how best to expand his business in the fast-growing Gulf region. Should he add more American brands, expand to nearby countries, or open more of his current lineup of restaurants?
Supplement to case IMD724. Case D looks at the sustainability challenges in the airline industry, given that aviation emissions have more than doubled in the last 20 years and are a significant contributor to climate change. The industry has adopted voluntary carbon reduction targets but discussions on a specific market-based regulatory policy at the global level are still at a standstill. As the industry remains under the environmental spotlight, in 2013/14 Singapore Airlines developed a new sustainability strategy and has to decide whether its current efforts are sufficient to address the magnitude of the sustainability question and how it should fit within its overall strategy. Learning objectives: To illustrate how sustainability programs, when not aligned with current external forces or existing strategic priorities, result in marginal or insignificant outcomes.
LifeNet International was a social conversion franchise concept aiming to provide basic, quality and sustainable healthcare to poor and underserved populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The founder and president had relied on the assistance of others to help bring about his idea of affordable healthcare. In 2012, the executive director for LifeNet International’s operations in Burundi, began focussing on developing the company in Burundi. She was excited to see LifeNet International’s presence expanding into Uganda. Her vision for LifeNet International, however, was much bigger. She envisioned LifeNet International as a sustainable organization that could provide quality healthcare and medicine to millions of people around the world.<br><br>If it planned to expand internationally and bring healthcare to more of the world’s population, LifeNet International needed a solution to tie its services together to further scale, replicate and measure its social impact. How could LifeNet International bring its social conversion franchising model to other African nations and internationally? Would LifeNet International’s model work logistically, financially and culturally? What adaptations would LifeNet need to make and what legal challenges would it face in the process of expansion? Furthermore, what structures would LifeNet need to put in place to manage the complexity of its growing network of partner clinics and operations?
Erin Jones' ridesharing startup in her mid-sized hometown is finally picking up. She's hoping to reach a sustainable scale so that she can sell to a large player such as Uber in a year. But suddenly, she hits political roadblocks - the local Democratic mayor, facing a tough reelection and urged by the local taxi association - calls for more regulation of her business. Erin's board urges her to actively back the opposition Republican candidate through direct PAC giving, a Super PAC, and indirect lobbying. Erin, a lifelong Democrat, is opposed to the Republican on a number of personal issues. She must decide whether and how to engage in this election.
Just after 8:00 p.m. on a Monday evening, Catherine Russell, senior vice president and director of business development at Western Banking Group, arrived at one of the branches she oversaw to catch up on some work. She saw movement inside the locked building and was taken aback-it was Rachel Dwyer, the branch manager; her son; and her boyfriend. "Why is she...why are they all in the branch after hours?" Russell wondered. This was yet another item on a list of curious situations Russell had encountered at that particular branch in the past several weeks. Maybe it was nothing, she thought, but that little voice inside was not so sure.
The day after Catherine Russell, senior vice president of Harbor Community Bank (HCB), discovered one of the bank's branch managers in the bank after hours, cleaning, she continued to second guess how she should manage the situation. The manager, Rachel Dwyer, had an explanation that made sense, yet Russell was still uneasy about this and other instances of strange behavior from Dwyer. After consulting with her boss, Russell decided to ask Dwyer about the situation at a previously arranged meeting. This case is preceded by the A case.
Catherine Russell, senior vice president of Harbor Community Bank (HCB), had lunch with one of her branch managers, Rachel Dwyer, to confront her about violating bank opening and closing procedures. When Russell had asked about the situation earlier, Dwyer had boldly lied, as had the two HCB branch employees who worked under Dwyer. What would be the most appropriate resolution? This case is preceded by the A and B cases.
This technical note explains what corporate governance is and why it is important. It examines how corporate governance is practised within developed and developing economies by identifying four distinct models of capitalism in which corporate governance is embedded: liberal market economies, coordinated market economies, family-led market economies and state-led market economies. Depending on the model of capitalism in which they operate, governance actors — owners, managers, directors and employees — engage distinct governance practices. The note concludes with a discussion of the corporate governance challenges facing multinational firms.
By 2014, Tencent Holdings Limited, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, had become one of the most innovative companies in Asia. It had created several leading Internet platforms to form China’s largest Internet community. WeChat (or Weixin, as known to Chinese users) was one of the company’s most popular mobile platforms, having grown to 200 million active users in the first two years after its launch in 2013. Shortly thereafter, WeChat rolled out a payment platform that sought to capitalize on its customer base across China. However, its president was concerned about how to expand WeChat Payment in the country’s emerging mobile payment industry. Where was the next major opportunity? Tencent had to be highly creative in navigating the world’s largest economy.
In early March 2012, an investor sat at home in Gurgaon, India examining the latest financial information about Apollo Tyres Limited, India’s leading tire manufacturer. Over the past decade, the company had significantly diversified its product and geographic mix through organic investment and strategic acquisitions and had experienced superior growth opportunities. Yet, after almost doubling between 2007 and 2010, its share price had not seen any significant appreciation in the last two years, delivering only 12 per cent return between 2010 and 2012. Would this be a good investment? He decided to use the free cash flow discounting valuation technique to identify and value this high growth but undervalued stock.
Mid-India Construction Private Company Limited (MICC) was awarded a refurbishing project for INR30 million from the National Institute of Management. The project had to be completed in eight months. MICC’s project manager observed the dismal pace of work execution and the limited resource deployment on-site in the first monthly review meeting for the project. This situation warranted the manager’s immediate attention to acquire more resources and to find ways to fast-track the project. Given the nature of the project site and the project work, MICC began to explore the possibility of running parallel work-fronts to expedite the project while considering various financial and operational implications.
In early March 2012, an investor sat at home in Gurgaon, India examining the latest financial information about Apollo Tyres Limited, India's leading tire manufacturer. Over the past decade, the company had significantly diversified its product and geographic mix through organic investment and strategic acquisitions and had experienced superior growth opportunities. Yet, after almost doubling between 2007 and 2010, its share price had not seen any significant appreciation in the last two years, delivering only 12 per cent return between 2010 and 2012. Would this be a good investment? He decided to use the free cash flow discounting valuation technique to identify and value this high growth but undervalued stock.
Mid-India Construction Private Company Limited (MICC) was awarded a refurbishing project for INR30 million from the National Institute of Management. The project had to be completed in eight months. MICC's project manager observed the dismal pace of work execution and the limited resource deployment on-site in the first monthly review meeting for the project. This situation warranted the manager's immediate attention to acquire more resources and to find ways to fast-track the project. Given the nature of the project site and the project work, MICC began to explore the possibility of running parallel work-fronts to expedite the project while considering various financial and operational implications.
For many years, GE has been held up as the exception to two arguments: (1) that related diversification strategies outperform unrelated diversification strategies, and (2) that conglomerates are no longer a viable organizational form in an era of outsourcing, focus, and shareholder value maximization. Whereas many formerly diversified firms have become narrower and more focused with their corporate strategies, GE continues to buy and sell businesses and operates an extremely complex set of businesses. This case provides a vehicle for examining the strategic rationale behind GE's corporate strategy and complex diversification. The core arguments for and against unrelated diversification can be linked to the GE strategy.
In 2014, Tim Hortons Inc., a powerhouse in the Canadian quick service restaurant industry for 50 years, has a number of strategic choices to make if it is going to address increasing competition and shifting consumer trends. To have an international presence, it needs the financial resources, organizational capabilities, store saturation, product innovation and brand recognition to compete with Starbucks, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, the world's largest and best known providers of fast food such as coffee, donuts and sandwiches. However, while the brand is almost synonymous with Canada, it is far less known beyond that country's borders. In mid-August, the company announced its potential acquisition by 3G Capital, the Brazilian parent of Burger King, but this still has to be approved by its shareholders and likely by Canadian and U.S. regulators. The potential merger might help the company move forward, but will it be enough to create a competitive advantage on a global scale?