Between 2001 and 2011, iSoftStone Holdings Ltd. grew from a small information technology services firm operating out of Beijing with 40 employees into a global IT consulting and services company with 11,000 employees, effectively competing with established Indian outsourcing IT providers such as Tata and InfoSys. The case discusses the particular go-to-market and growth strategies of iSoftStone and its evolution as a global player. The focus of the case is on addressing how iSoftStone approached the management of its human capital and intellectual property as both the vehicle for its rapid and successful expansion and as a differentiating factor between the enterprise and its competitors. The iSoftStone story also demonstrates the importance of enterprise-wide measurement of performance and the use of lessons learned in refining internal business processes and in developing project and service delivery teams.
In 2003 Harry Pearson and James Daye established - along with three other equity partners - a boutique investment banking firm with an entrepreneurial, informal office culture that delivered high quality customer service. In so doing, they offered a streamlined compensation plan that, in their view, would directly and fairly reward their employees' performance. However, as the firm grew, some members of their staff sought a more transparent process by which to measure their progress and the associated financial benefits - as well as the possibility to acquire equity in the firm. What compensation scheme would allow Pearson and Daye to reward their valued employees without losing sight of their initial goals? And how much would the five original partners consider diluting their holdings?
This is a fictitious case in which Universal Studios, a major US theme parks and resorts company, has to negotiate with China's central government to build its first theme park in the country. Students are divided into groups, and each student is assigned a role as one of the negotiators or as an observer. The topics covered in the negotiation include the new theme park's location, ownership structure, size, nature of theme zones, local employment and hospitality training programmes. The case allows students to experience the difficulties of conducting negotiations in a cross-cultural setting.
This note is intended to provide students with a basic understanding of how to evaluate empirical research papers. While reading both case studies and empirical research require close attention and scrutiny, evaluating empirical research requires a different "lens"-this note briefly outlines how to adopt this mindset. It includes a review of the major sections of an empirical research paper (Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion), as well as guidelines on how to evaluate each section.
The vice president of operations for Acpana Business Systems Inc., a Canadian software development and backup-as-a-service provider located in Toronto, Canada, is concerned that the recent appreciation of the Canadian dollar is significantly affecting Acpana’s revenue and undermining the company’s organic growth. The case focuses on understanding and quantifying the risks associated with exchange rate fluctuation and its impact on a firm’s revenues and costs. The case introduces instruments available to hedge risk, including forward contracts and put and call options.
Impulsesoft Private Ltd (IS) was a Bangalore-based information technology that was engaged in developing Bluetooth (BT) middleware. The founders had wanted to build a software product out of India that targeted a global market. This desire was verbalized as an idea “to build a Sony or HP (Hewlett-Packard) out of India” and “build a world-class products company.” In its infancy, IS undertook different kinds of development projects for third parties and considered several other options until it discovered BT middleware as an area of focus. The company eventually became profitable, with 52 employees by 2005 and a branch office in Silicon Valley. Impulsesoft’s BT software was in 50 per cent of all BT stereo headphones being shipped at the time. The market for BT-embedded accessories grew rapidly, but chip manufacturers began to incorporate BT features in their chips and gave away the technology for free, and the long-term outlook for IS deteriorated. There were also doubts about the scalability of a technology licensing business model. At this juncture, the president and CEO of Impulsesoft received a proposal from the CEO of TEN Technology, a customer of IS and a $20 million company, suggesting a merger of the two companies. The CEO of Impulsesoft needed to make a decision.
The case is set in mid-2009, about six months before the scheduled worldwide launch of Microsoft Azure. The group director of cloud computing for Microsoft India was considering the pros and cons of launching Azure simultaneously in India with the rest of the world. Cloud computing was a paradigm shift in the information technology (IT) industry that fundamentally changed how software and services were delivered to an end-user’s desktop. Cloud computing enabled shared resources — software, hardware, and information — to be provided to consumers on demand, charging them based on usage. Azure was Microsoft’s offering in this space, providing software and infrastructure as a service, and was also a platform to develop new applications on a pay-per-use model. Microsoft had always made its products available to users in the traditional license model, and Azure would be a paradigm shift not only in terms of technology but also in terms of the business model.<br><br><br><br>The director had to decide whether the nascent Indian market was ready to adopt this new technology and business model, and which segments to target. There were many reasons why the Indian market looked very lucrative, including presence of a strong IT development community, increasing IT adoption across Indian industries, and presence of a very big potential customer base in terms of small and medium enterprises. Conversely, there were concerns such as poor current IT adoption, rampant piracy, low availability of infrastructure in India (such as electricity and broadband penetration), and the “do-it-for-me” attitude of Indian businesspeople, which meant significant initial costs in terms of time and effort required to increase awareness.
Ho Chi Minh Securities Corporation (HSC) was established in April of 2003. At the time, it was the 11th securities company to be founded in the Vietnam. From the outset, HSC provided a full range of securities trading and investment banking-related services. HSC was established to help restructure SOEs and to raise capital for development projects. That is, it was founded as a joint-stock company with the largest of the original investors being the Ho Chi Minh City Investment Fund for Urban Development (HIFU). In May of 2007, the Dragon Capital Group (Dragon Capital), a UK-based fund manager that had already established a foothold in Vietnam, took on just under 30% of HSC's shares. That change in ownership structure of HSC prompted a change in the composition of the board of directors and of the management team. The new team took a range of steps to strengthen the company and help distinguish it from rivals. They articulated a set of organisational values and took steps to shape an organisational culture. They shored up the financial foundation of the firm. They deepened and broadened the expertise embedded in different departments of the company. They introduced new products and services in order to penetrate new market segments. Despite a turbulent external environment, at the end of 2008, the team charted a strategy which called for HSC to increase market share.
"The case is set in mid-2009, about six months before the scheduled worldwide launch of Microsoft Azure. The group director of cloud computing for Microsoft India is mulling over the relative merits and demerits of launching Azure simultaneously in India with the rest of the world. Cloud computing is a paradigm shift in the information technology (IT) industry that fundamentally changes the way software and services are delivered to an end-user's desktop. Cloud computing enables shared resources - software, hardware and information - to be provided to consumers on demand, charging them based on usage. Azure is Microsoft's offering in this space, providing software and infrastructure as a service and also a platform to develop new applications on a pay-per-use model. Microsoft has always made its products available to users in the traditional license model, and Azure would be a paradigm shift not only in terms of technology but also in terms of the business model - from a one-time license fee and periodical maintenance contracts to a pay-as-you-use flexible model. The director had to decide whether the nascent Indian market was ready to adopt this new technology and business model. He also had to decide which segments of the Indian industry Microsoft Azure should target. There were a lot of reasons - presence of a strong IT development community, increasing IT adoption trends across Indian industries and presence of a very big potential customer base in terms of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - why the Indian market looked very lucrative. On the flip side, there were concerns such as poor current IT adoption, highly rampant piracy, low-to-average availability of infrastructure (essential to the success of Azure), such as electricity and broadband penetration in India, and the unique 'do-it-for-me' attitude of the Indian businessperson, which translated to significant initial costs in terms of time and effort required to increase awareness."
The case describes the challenges that Ultimate Fighting Championship faced as a result of regulatory opposition and loss of the license to operate. The genesis of the business idea, the subsequent growth, and the fall of the UFC are described. The case concludes with Lorenzo Fertitta deciding whether to invest in the company.
The general manager of environmental and engineering services in London, Ontario, is preparing a recommendation regarding the implementation of green bins to collect organic waste from city households. When making this decision, he must consider the costs to the taxpayer to implement this program along with other qualitative issues. The case is written for an engineering economics unit in a general business course for engineering students as an introduction to public-sector decision making.
A marketing manager at an RV park developer wants to update the company’s online presence in preparation for a new product launch. Lacking any website design skills himself, he must address various issues, such as where to find potential web design agencies, and how to select an agency. Soon after selecting an agency, the marketing manager begins to doubt his decision. The agency does not seem aligned with the marketing manager’s strategic vision for the website, and has wasted valuable time producing work that must be discarded. The marketing manager, now too close to the new product launch to hire a new agency, must determine how to ensure the agency’s work adheres to the project’s strategy, budget, and timeline.
To work effectively in the global business arena, managers need a strong set of intercultural management skills. When dealing with clients, co-workers, and other stakeholders at home or abroad, managers with cross-cultural competence have a distinct competitive advantage in the multicultural marketplace. Although generally accepted as a valuable asset for doing business, cross-cultural competence defies easy definition. This study attempts to conceptualize the complex term from the practitioner's point of view. What does cross-cultural competence mean to global managers? From their perspective, which aspects of culture do business people need to understand? From the universe of cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, and country-specific information, what should an executive, with limited time, focus on to develop a basic level of cultural competence? This study asked Mexican managers what they needed to know about culture to do business with the U.S. In the process, they consistently identified certain basic components of cultural competence. Responses were surprisingly similar among the managers, indicating they had a clear picture of which cultural essentials were most important for global executives to learn. The results of the study reveal a working definition of cultural competence for global managers. This research also provides trainers and business educators a content framework for a short-term training program, based on the global managers' perceptions of cross-cultural competence.
Managerial decisions and behaviors in the international business arena have ethical implications across cultures and countries. The need for ethics and core values in business practice has been heightened by continued business scandals and ethical managerial lapses that have violated public trust. Global businesses can offer practical guidance and set ethical examples for others to follow by establishing corporate values beyond written business codes. Four key work values (Honesty, Fairness, Concern of Others, and Achievement) known to be present in businesses across cultures, are put forth as a baseline start for multinational corporation leaders. Offered is a process for making the core values unique to an organization, and for adopting and training managers in the use of core values. Presented is evidence of managerial implementation of the core work values, and managers' alignment of work values with organizational strategies. By addressing the values and principles of their workplaces, international businesses can achieve cross-cultural ethical practices, managerial alignment, and global social responsibility.
As the dynamic global business environment continues to force organizations to be agile and adaptive, international business (IB) education pedagogy is transforming. Building on previous literature describing gaps in IB pedagogy, as well as unaddressed stakeholder needs, we first use our institution-the United States Air Force Academy-as an example of IB program development. In examining our program's evolution, we develop five questions that may provide insight regarding more generalizable IB pedagogy trends. To assess this possible generalizability, we explore questions related to the development of our program using self-reported, publically-available websites of the top full-time MBA programs throughout the United States. Our questions focus on the role of foreign languages, study abroad opportunities, integrative courses, capstone/thesis projects, and faculty development. Our exploration indicates that these five questions are important not only for educators developing future programs, but also for students examining potential IB programs. Additionally, our research examines a sixth question focused on the development of competitive positioning and program differentiation in IB programs. We hope to motivate future inquiry into IB pedagogy, which could inform more effective means of improving IB education.
Appropriate for courses in operations management and process improvement. Hundreds of prospective students visit the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration throughout the academic year to interview for admission and gain a better understanding of the Darden educational experience. In anticipation of these visits, the Darden Admissions Office coordinates a typical schedule of events with the first-year (FY) and second-year (SY) student hosts, the faculty members who will be teaching the MBA case discussion classes that all prospective students will attend, Abbott Center personnel, and of course the prospective students.
In July 2007, Scripps Networks acquired Recipezaar, a user-generated recipe and cooking Website with a captive community of 2.3 million visitors. By September, Deanna Brown, president of Scripps Networks Digital, grappled with how to best integrate the recent acquisition into Scripps Networks Digital and its affiliated Website, FoodNetwork.com. Should monetization efforts trump the interests and aesthetic tastes of Recipezaar's members? Would restructuring the Recipezaar team dampen the enthusiasm of its five crucial employees and adversely affect the community they had built? What effect would a rebranding have on the community at large?
Professor Gupta faces three major problems in teaching cases: 1) his students, accustomed to lectures, don't know how to conduct a case discussion; 2) the students are using the Internet to discover the outcome of managerial dilemmas posed in the case; 3) he wants to share the theory he learned as a doctoral student, but can't figure out the appropriate way to integrate theory into the case-based discussion. He seeks advice, particularly about the students' use of the Internet.
Professor Gupta has imposed two new policies on his class, midway through the term: 1) No use of Internet to locate additional information on the company in the case; 2) an increase in the percentage of grades attributed to class participation. He meets with rebellion from the class members.