Fresh Routes, a not-for-profit social enterprise with the mission of advancing local food security, was focused on creating new and innovative ways of providing healthy and affordable food to as many people as possible in the Canadian cities of Calgary and Edmonton. As the global COVID-19 pandemic raged in 2020-21, Fresh Routes found itself questioning if it could still provide its much-needed services. Demand was exponentially increasing as more and more people experienced food insecurity due to the pandemic's impact on their employment status, mobility, and health. Would Fresh Routes be able to find a new way to operate, or would the company need to shut down its operations?
Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited defaulted on repayment of its financial obligations in June 2019, and in December 2019, shortly after the Reserve Bank of India superseded its board, it was subjected to the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process of India's Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Because it was the first financial services provider to be subjected to the resolution process, the lenders-known as the committee of creditors-of the troubled company had to select the most appropriate resolution plan among the multiple bids they received. The poor financial position and high level of risk owing to exposure to the wholesales/corporate sector made the lenders' prospects of recovery bleak and rendered the company less valuable for any prospective takeover or merger. The resolution of the first financial services provider subjected to the resolution process provided a test case for how a committee of creditors could deal with complex issues and still salvage the interests of the different stakeholders, including the secured and unsecured lenders and retail deposit holders.
Regulated utilities are required to file an integrated resource plan (IRP) with their state regulators for power plants they want to operate, shut down, or build. Traditionally, the focus of electricity providers' IRPs has been to ensure adequacy of supply at the lowest cost of delivered power. In the United States, coal and gas plants have historically dominated the generation mix. Nuclear, which is a non-carbon alternative, has been only moderately successful due to frequent cost overruns and safety issues (i.e., Three Mile Island and Fukushima). Almost all utility plant decisions are long term in nature (at least 30 years), so picking the right set of options is very important. Renewables-solar, wind, storage, etc.-have not been deployed widely in the generation mix until now because (1) they typically don't run 24/7 and thus cannot guarantee power to be available when needed, and (2) their installation costs have been higher than alternatives, although have decreased over time. This case examines how one regulated utility, Duke Energy, deals with these challenges in North Carolina. Company leadership has committed to exiting coal plants by 2030 and achieving net zero-carbon by 2050. The specifics of which coal plants should be shut down and when, what types of plants replace these coal plants, how much these new plants cost to build, and who pays for the transition are all questions students must address in this case.
The case is about the Hoshi Ryokan, a hot springs hotel in Japan established more than 1,300 years ago, that is among the world's oldest family enterprises. Owned and managed by a descendant (or adopted son) of the founder for 46 generations, it is a popular with domestic and international tourists alike. The current owner will almost certainly pass the baton to his daughter, thus making her the first female to own the legendary inn. This gender re-balancing act, coming after 1,305 years of male ownership, coincides with efforts by the prime minister of Japan to create a more balanced and diverse business climate. The case also covers the intangible assets that have ensured the longevity of this unique family-owned hotel.
The HH.ru case series tracks the development of a respected NASDAQ-listed Russian technology company as it struggles with the fallout of the Russian invasion ("Strategic Military Operation") of the Ukraine. While the senior leadership team at HH did not welcome the invasion, they face the nearly insurmountable challenges of maintaining the company's values while defending their business in the highly stressed environment of post-invasion Russia. The case series includes five separate linked cases. The HH (A) case is the most comprehensive and covers the company's history and reviews its values. It ends just before the start of the Russian invasion. The (A) case helps students appreciate that HH is a well-run, Western-oriented technology company with values fully consistent with those in the West. The (B) case captures the events in the company immediately after the invasion and raises important questions for how leaders should engage employees on potentially contentious issues. The (C) case jumps forward four months and reviews the company's efforts to bring order and calm to employees who are in trauma. It also captures the actions of an HH leader who has seemingly broken with company protocol and brought the company into potentially direct conflict with State security forces. The (D) case focuses on the impact of Putin's partial mobilization order of September 21, 2022, with the consequence that many of HH's more talented employees are now fleeing the country. The (E) case provides an epilogue and update and reviews some of the lessons learned by HH leaders.
The HH.ru case series tracks the development of a respected NASDAQ-listed Russian technology company as it struggles with the fallout of the Russian invasion ("Strategic Military Operation") of the Ukraine. While the senior leadership team at HH did not welcome the invasion, they face the nearly insurmountable challenges of maintaining the company's values while defending their business in the highly stressed environment of post-invasion Russia. The case series includes five separate linked cases. The HH (A) case is the most comprehensive and covers the company's history and reviews its values. It ends just before the start of the Russian invasion. The (A) case helps students appreciate that HH is a well-run, Western-oriented technology company with values fully consistent with those in the West. The (B) case captures the events in the company immediately after the invasion and raises important questions for how leaders should engage employees on potentially contentious issues. The (C) case jumps forward four months and reviews the company's efforts to bring order and calm to employees who are in trauma. It also captures the actions of an HH leader who has seemingly broken with company protocol and brought the company into potentially direct conflict with State security forces. The (D) case focuses on the impact of Putin's partial mobilization order of September 21, 2022, with the consequence that many of HH's more talented employees are now fleeing the country. The (E) case provides an epilogue and update and reviews some of the lessons learned by HH leaders.
The HH.ru case series tracks the development of a respected NASDAQ-listed Russian technology company as it struggles with the fallout of the Russian invasion ("Strategic Military Operation") of the Ukraine. While the senior leadership team at HH did not welcome the invasion, they face the nearly insurmountable challenges of maintaining the company's values while defending their business in the highly stressed environment of post-invasion Russia. The case series includes five separate linked cases. The HH (A) case is the most comprehensive and covers the company's history and reviews its values. It ends just before the start of the Russian invasion. The (A) case helps students appreciate that HH is a well-run, Western-oriented technology company with values fully consistent with those in the West. The (B) case captures the events in the company immediately after the invasion and raises important questions for how leaders should engage employees on potentially contentious issues. The (C) case jumps forward four months and reviews the company's efforts to bring order and calm to employees who are in trauma. It also captures the actions of an HH leader who has seemingly broken with company protocol and brought the company into potentially direct conflict with State security forces. The (D) case focuses on the impact of Putin's partial mobilization order of September 21, 2022, with the consequence that many of HH's more talented employees are now fleeing the country. The (E) case provides an epilogue and update and reviews some of the lessons learned by HH leaders.
The HH.ru case series tracks the development of a respected NASDAQ-listed Russian technology company as it struggles with the fallout of the Russian invasion ("Strategic Military Operation") of the Ukraine. While the senior leadership team at HH did not welcome the invasion, they face the nearly insurmountable challenges of maintaining the company's values while defending their business in the highly stressed environment of post-invasion Russia. The case series includes five separate linked cases. The HH (A) case is the most comprehensive and covers the company's history and reviews its values. It ends just before the start of the Russian invasion. The (A) case helps students appreciate that HH is a well-run, Western-oriented technology company with values fully consistent with those in the West. The (B) case captures the events in the company immediately after the invasion and raises important questions for how leaders should engage employees on potentially contentious issues. The (C) case jumps forward four months and reviews the company's efforts to bring order and calm to employees who are in trauma. It also captures the actions of an HH leader who has seemingly broken with company protocol and brought the company into potentially direct conflict with State security forces. The (D) case focuses on the impact of Putin's partial mobilization order of September 21, 2022, with the consequence that many of HH's more talented employees are now fleeing the country. The (E) case provides an epilogue and update and reviews some of the lessons learned by HH leaders.
The HH.ru case series tracks the development of a respected NASDAQ-listed Russian technology company as it struggles with the fallout of the Russian invasion ("Strategic Military Operation") of the Ukraine. While the senior leadership team at HH did not welcome the invasion, they face the nearly insurmountable challenges of maintaining the company's values while defending their business in the highly stressed environment of post-invasion Russia. The case series includes five separate linked cases. The HH (A) case is the most comprehensive and covers the company's history and reviews its values. It ends just before the start of the Russian invasion. The (A) case helps students appreciate that HH is a well-run, Western-oriented technology company with values fully consistent with those in the West. The (B) case captures the events in the company immediately after the invasion and raises important questions for how leaders should engage employees on potentially contentious issues. The (C) case jumps forward four months and reviews the company's efforts to bring order and calm to employees who are in trauma. It also captures the actions of an HH leader who has seemingly broken with company protocol and brought the company into potentially direct conflict with State security forces. The (D) case focuses on the impact of Putin's partial mobilization order of September 21, 2022, with the consequence that many of HH's more talented employees are now fleeing the country. The (E) case provides an epilogue and update and reviews some of the lessons learned by HH leaders.
This case describes the challenges faced by Thoughtworks China (hereinafter ""Thoughtworks"") and Yuelong Automobile (hereinafter ""Yuelong"") while working together on the development of a digital tool for Yuelong car owners: What did they aim to achieve through innovation-beat the competition or meet consumer needs? Was this digital transformation project beyond the purview of Yuelong's New Retail Department, with General Manager Wang Jie championing it directly? Was market research needed to explore innovation opportunities? Should they consider all users' pain points and needs or focus solely on key issues? What issues should be prioritized-high-value or high-risk ones? Should the company adapt to market change after the launch of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs)? Which department should manage this innovative digital product? How should they transcend temporal and spatial boundaries to replicate such an innovation product?Clues can be found in Thoughtworks' agile innovation process. As described in the case, only one month after release, the app co-developed by Thoughtworks and Yuelong, the result of intense debate between the pair, was well-received by the market. In January 2021, Zhang Min, Chairperson of Tengfei Group, Yuelong's parent company, invited Wang Jie, Yuelong's General Manager, Li Chuang, Yuelong's Director of New Retail Department, and Zhao Xin, Thoughtworks' Chief Project Manager, to discuss how to replicate the app's development process and apply it to other Tengfei subsidiaries. While the digital age continuously demanded innovation from carmakers, Zhao knew these subsidiaries needed to understand their market position and priorities before introducing new tools rather than simply following the latest digital trends. This case may spark further discussions about the difficulties with product innovation, helping students understand the characteristics and applications of Thoughtworks' agile innovation methodology.
This case introduces Schneider Electric's 15-year-long exploration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), aimed at providing "equal opportunities to everyone everywhere and to ensure all employees feel uniquely valued and safe to contribute their best." Through various approaches to initiate DEI, Schneider Electric has seen a shift from employees questioning DEI to accepting it and asking how to implement it. This case ends with a tough decision for Charise Le, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Schneider Electric. As a Chinese woman leader, Charise appreciated the Group's DEI strategy and culture, allowing her to assume a global role in mainland China. Early in 2022, she had to make her own choice and lead the recruiting panel on a final decision between two candidates (John Carney and Lucy Chiang) for a country president position at Schneider Electric. Both John and Lucy were outstanding from a business perspective. Lucy's expertise seemed to meet the business strategy needs better, but she had issues with managing people. Comparatively, John had a weaker impact on leading newly formed decarbonization initiatives but acted as a more inclusive leader who enjoyed wide acceptance among all his prior subordinates. This decision kept Charise up at night. Appointing Lucy will make the Group's country presidents more diversified but Charise worries whether it is a "fair play" to John. That is, does focusing on diversity lead to sacrificing "equity" in this case? How should Charise and the recruiting panel practice the Group's DEI principles in this decision?
This case explores the leadership change and corporate revitalization of legendary Silicon Valley corporation Intel, as incoming CEO Pat Gelsinger seeks to rebuild the company's leading edge capabilities, revise its product strategy, and embark upon an ambitious capital plan.
Since its beginning in 2021, Stitchwheel LLC (Stitchwheel), a needlepoint canvas painting service, had seen immediate success. From the company’s inception, the co-founder of Stitchwheel had been assessing the advantages and disadvantages of an expansion strategy and wondered what barriers she might encounter. She was also assessing the viability to expand beyond painted needlepoint canvases to achieve substantial growth. Within a short time frame, the company had enjoyed strong brand recognition and offered a meaningful unique selling proposition, but there were still many questions about the company’s next steps, including which growth strategy would be most suitable. Did the company have the necessary resources and skilled management team to adequately monitor and support growth? What marketing and operational issues was the company likely to encounter with expansion?
In February 2020, Peter Maxwell received his share from the sale of the Australian property development company he had co-founded in 2002: US$115 million. He began organizing his reflections on four of the most significant company decisions that had occurred at the company in recent years and how they had impacted the business. They focused on installing effective board governance; rejecting a move into resort development; maintaining ownership and control; and considering the personal health of the senior executives. Having been invited to speak at his alma mater, Maxwell was planning to ask the students to rank these decisions in terms of importance.
Manuel Hernandez, mill manager at Duoro Mine (Duoro), located near Arequipa, Peru, was considering options for increasing output to take advantage of a recent spike in commodity prices. It was Wednesday, January 25, 2023, and prices for copper and gold, the main products of Duoro, were trading at historical highs compared to their five-year average. The mine manager had asked Hernandez to make recommendations about increasing production, and Hernandez had identified three options. Students are expected to evaluate each option and decide which, if any, would address Diaz's objectives of increasing output and minimizing financial risks.
Transportation plays a key role in Canada's economy. The principal objective of this note is to provide a Canadian perspective on transportation. The first part deals with Canada's transportation network, providing an overview of the transportation services sector and the economic importance of transportation. The second section examines the role of government in Canada's transportation sector, including government policy. The third section describes the characteristics of each of the six main modes of transportation: air, rail, truck, marine, pipeline, and intermodal. The final section addresses the key challenges facing the Canadian transportation sector, including environmental and safety issues.
In early January 2022, as speculation about an impending Russian attack on Ukraine swirled, the leaders of Ralabs, a Lviv-based software-development company, started working on a business continuity plan, or BCP. They outlined various scenarios, each representing a different level of Russian action and Ukrainian response. They monitored the news to better understand the challenges the company and its employees might confront and talked nonstop to customers to gauge their nervousness about doing business in Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Russia did invade Ukraine, and the company's advance planning paid off. Its leaders had already relocated some employees, allocated budget for BCP-related activities, developed HR policies for a range of emergency situations, and conducted a number of educational programs to help employees feel prepared, on topics ranging from managing in a crisis to being drafted into the army. As a result, just a few weeks after the invasion Ralabs was back to 90% of typical performance, which has more or less continued if not improved over the past year. The lessons it learned-around the importance of scenario planning, flexibility, decisive decision-making, and managing customers and employees through uncertainty-may be helpful both to other Ukrainian organizations during this war and to leaders around the world faced with navigating any crisis.
There is tremendous apprehension about the potential of generative AI-technologies that can create new content such as text, images, and video-to replace people in many jobs. But one of the biggest opportunities generative AI offers is to augment human creativity and overcome the challenges of democratizing innovation. In the past two decades, companies have used crowdsourcing and idea competitions to involve outsiders in the innovation process. But many businesses have struggled to capitalize on these contributions. They've lacked an efficient way to evaluate the ideas, for instance, or to synthesize different ideas. Generative AI can help overÂcome those challenges, the authors say. It can supplement the creativity of employees and customers and help them produce and identify novel ideas-and improve the quality of raw ideas. Specifically, companies can use generative AI to promote divergent thinking, challenge expertise bias, assist in idea evaluation, support idea refinement, and facilitate collaboration among users.