RideAlly, a ride-hailing platform headquartered in Bangalore, India, catered to the business-to-consumer and business-to-business segments. It operated in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Hariprakash Agrawal, the chief executive officer and founder, needed to devise a plan to sustain the business in India’s highly competitive ride-hailing market. It was time to think about scaling up the business, which needed significant investment and the right strategy to gain a solid foothold in the industry. Agrawal’s team needed to prepare a pitch for investors and present a strategy for penetrating the market and expanding the business.
<p align="justify">Acen Haitao Jiang, founder and chief executive officer of Aomi, faced a dilemma. Founded in 2016, Aomi was an online food delivery platform in Macao with a local market share of over 90 per cent. Nevertheless, Macao was a small market with a population of about 680,000 and an area of 32.9 square kilometres, which was becoming a bottleneck for Aomi’s growth. Jiang was considering a Y-strategy, composed of three business development strands: food delivery (i.e., maintaining the core business); business diversification (e.g., livestream commerce and online supermarket services); and international expansion to new, larger markets (e.g., Hong Kong). With limited resources and potential risks, however, Jiang was struggling to choose between diversification and market expansion. June 1, 2022, would mark Aomi’s sixth anniversary and Jiang had to decide on a growth strategy before then.
How would Cummins Inc., a global leader in internal combustion engines, map out a strategy for the great energy transformation ahead-one that would grow the company while addressing the twin challenges of climate change and the world's insatiable need for power? Cummins Inc., founded in 1919, had become a leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of internal combustion engines, power generation systems, and related parts and technologies. The case study discusses the strategic thinking behind Cummins' goal of Destination Zero, the company's zero-emissions target for 2050, and the interim steps, partnerships, innovation, and customer education needed to reach that goal. Cummins technology was integral to light-duty trucks, medium-duty trucks, heavy-duty trucks and buses; the company's engines were widely used in industries such as construction, mining, marine, and oil & gas. Major customers included original equipment manufacturers such as Daimler Benz, Navistar, Volvo, Paccar, and Tata. Evolving the Cummins product portfolio would require a series of interim goals, and juggling continual improvements to core engine products while building out zero-emissions solutions.
In May 2021, Discovery, Inc. announced the acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T, with David Zaslav to become the Chief Executive Officer of the new consolidated media giant, which would be called Warner Bros. Discovery. Now, the company and new leadership face the simultaneous issues of immediate debt servicing concerns as well as longer-term trends leading to the decline of demand for cable television. With the consolidation, there was also organizational restructuring, which included a steep reduction in headcount as well as brutal, decisive cuts of less profitable business lines.
Sigma Ventures is a venture capital (VC) firm that invests in technology, intelligent manufacturing, healthcare, and consumer services companies in their early and growth stage. In late 2017 Li Yuan, Sigma Ventures' founder and managing partner, needed to decide whether a startup called Isolimit was worth investing in. If so, then Isolimit was to be valued. The case describes how Sigma Ventures assessed Isolimit's team, market, and technology and shows how Sigma used the venture capital method to evaluate its potential investment. Specifically, the case discusses three aspects of early-stage venture capital investments: (1) How should venture capital firms evaluate early-stage startups? (2) What is the logic of the venture capital method? (3) How should venture capital firms apply the venture capital method to determine the percentage stake they should receive in exchange for their investment?
Sigma Ventures is a venture capital (VC) firm that invests in technology, intelligent manufacturing, healthcare, and consumer services companies in their early and growth stage. In late 2017 Li Yuan, Sigma Ventures' founder and managing partner, needed to decide whether a startup called Isolimit was worth investing in. If so, then Isolimit was to be valued. The case describes how Sigma Ventures assessed Isolimit's team, market, and technology and shows how Sigma used the venture capital method to evaluate its potential investment. Specifically, the case discusses three aspects of early-stage venture capital investments: (1) How should venture capital firms evaluate early-stage startups? (2) What is the logic of the venture capital method? (3) How should venture capital firms apply the venture capital method to determine the percentage stake they should receive in exchange for their investment?
In March 2020, the German online travel experience platform GetYourGuide faced an abrupt drop in revenues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the drop, the company had been thriving, grown from a simple idea thought up by a group of friends in a student dormitory into a market-leading company in the travel experience industry with a valuation of over US$1 billion (a “unicorn” start-up) and more than 600 employees across fifteen global offices. Co-founder Johannes Reck and his team needed to determine a path forward—but how to prioritize responses to the crisis? What would the impact of any responses be on the company’s longer-term strategy? And how could the responses be aligned with the company’s values, which centred on entrepreneurial vision and commitment to employees? Whichever action plan was chosen, decisions would have to be made swiftly.
Dabba Chetty Shop was a small unique retail shop in Chennai, India that had been in operation for four generations. For more than a century, the shop had sold natural and processed materials to customers who used alternative medicines for well-being. The shop’s strong reputation was based on the quality of the materials sold. Key factors for success included the ability to identify and reliably procure materials, having an intimate knowledge of various natural ingredients and processed goods, providing appropriate quality, and maintaining strong customer relationships. The continued success of Dabba Chetty Shop over four generations was primarily attributable to the family’s emphasis on customer service and wellness, rather than on increasing profits. During the pandemic, Koonala Badrinath, the shop’s current owner, used the Indian postal service to fulfill customer orders. With the growing demand for his shop’s products from consumers outside the region and across the world, he was considering expanding the shop’s services to customers in different locations, especially the numerous Indian diaspora consumers residing abroad.
This case explores the opportunities and challenges associated with expanding the operations of a complex entrepreneurial business model. It highlights how cultural aspects of different geographies impact a startup's operational and economic models. The case also debates the considerations of expanding operations internationally versus penetrating new customer segments within a company's existing market. Lastly, the case presents the tensions that may exist between investors and entrepreneurs in deciding the desired course of action.
Jill Herzog founded Caring@Work Support Services (Caring@Work) in 2014 with a desire to give back to the community. After running a successful plastics recycling business for many years and building goodwill in both her community and in the recycling industry, Herzog saw an opportunity to start a second business dedicated to social impact, one that focused on providing both paid work and support services for clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Herzog expected that her team members would be highly engaged in their work, which involved helping people with disabilities live healthier and happier lives. However, she was shocked to find out that the opposite was true. Herzog noted several instances of Caring@Work employees lacking motivation and spreading gossip. Even more problematic was the fact that the service provided to the clients was being compromised, and employees frequently failed to complete the required note taking for Medicaid reimbursements. Herzog wondered if her goal of giving back to the community while earning a modest profit would ever be realized. Were the problems due to her leadership style? Were there larger, more systemic problems precipitating the counterproductive workplace behaviour? Clearly, something had to change. After eight years in business, Caring@Work had yet to earn a profit. Herzog knew that her business could not grow to the point of being financially sustainable without a committed workforce that shared her passion for the company's mission. When one of Caring@Work's top performers, Sylvia Ward, threatened to leave due to the toxic work environment, Herzog knew she needed to act fast. Over the weekend, she drafted a speech to deliver at the next staff meeting on Monday, but she wondered if this was the right approach. Would the speech alienate her workforce even further? Or might it urge them to take their jobs more seriously?
Dabba Chetty Shop was a small unique retail shop in Chennai, India that had been in operation for four generations. For more than a century, the shop had sold natural and processed materials to customers who used alternative medicines for well-being. The shop's strong reputation was based on the quality of the materials sold. Key factors for success included the ability to identify and reliably procure materials, having an intimate knowledge of various natural ingredients and processed goods, providing appropriate quality, and maintaining strong customer relationships. The continued success of Dabba Chetty Shop over four generations was primarily attributable to the family's emphasis on customer service and wellness, rather than on increasing profits. During the pandemic, Koonala Badrinath, the shop's current owner, used the Indian postal service to fulfill customer orders. With the growing demand for his shop's products from consumers outside the region and across the world, he was considering expanding the shop's services to customers in different locations, especially the numerous Indian diaspora consumers residing abroad.
This case examines a fictional hedge fund manager's decision about whether to maintain his fund's position in bitcoin. It provides an opportunity for students to develop an investment thesis for or against bitcoin, evaluate alternative ways to gain exposure to bitcoin, and consider bitcoin's economic function (e.g., as a currency or commodity). The case can be used in an MBA elective course on fintech, capital markets, or investments.
In this field-based case, the City of Philadelphia's Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability is deciding how best to improve safety and move more people and goods in a way that would provide economic opportunities on a major corridor. The problem-solving opportunities in the city's repaving process set the stage for an exploration of creative problem-solving and introduction of the concept of subtraction neglect. The case opens with the director of the Office of Complete Streets thinking about all the options for the major corridor and considering tensions around how each stakeholder might perceive change on Washington Avenue. The director's team engages with numerous city departments, businesses, and community members for input around potential changes that would culminate in proposed lane reconfiguration options to present publicly. The team starts going through the transportation planners' toolbox of what is possible: What are the priorities? What will each cost? Will they be easily incorporated into the paving project? And if the team had play money to put toward the different improvements, where would it put it? This case is suitable for MBA and undergraduate organizational behavior or strategy courses. It could be used at the end of the module about problem-solving, making change, and removing complexity. This case can also be used to teach students about managing stakeholders with different interests and goals. Firms across industries seek managers with skill in problem-solving, and as such, this case could also be used in a broader introductory organizational behavior, innovation, design-thinking, creativity, human resources, or strategy course.
In this field-based case set, the City of Philadelphia's Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability is deciding how best to improve safety and move more people and goods in a way that would provide economic opportunities on a major corridor. The problem-solving opportunities in the city's repaving process set the stage for an exploration of creative problem-solving and introduction of the concept of subtraction neglect. The A case opens with the director of the Office of Complete Streets thinking about all the options for the major corridor and considering tensions around how each stakeholder might perceive change on Washington Avenue. The director's team engages with numerous city departments, businesses, and community members for input around potential changes that would culminate in proposed lane reconfiguration options to present publicly. The team starts going through the transportation planners' toolbox of what is possible: What are the priorities? What will each cost? Will they be easily incorporated into the paving project? And if the team had play money to put toward the different improvements, where would it put it? This B case includes relevant images. This set is suitable for MBA and undergraduate organizational behavior or strategy courses. It could be used at the end of the module about problem-solving, making change, and removing complexity. This case can also be used to teach students about managing stakeholders with different interests and goals. Firms across industries seek managers with skill in problem-solving, and as such, this case could also be used in a broader introductory organizational behavior, innovation, design-thinking, creativity, human resources, or strategy course.