In May 2021 Ranjit Dodiya, owner of Dodiya Farms in Gujarat India, realizes crop farming brings many risks. Much of the 2018 harvest was ruined due to heavy rain, the 2019 harvest was hurt by a drought, and a 2020a locust attack caused further losses. Seeking a reliable second income stream, he considers whether to launch an egg-laying business. Is this a good idea? How much time will it take to recoup his initial investment? What if sales are not as high as he hopes? What if chicken feed or other operating costs are higher than planned? If he takes out loans, will the business be sufficiently profitable to service them? How likely is it that he will be able to set aside some profits from this business to insure against future floods, droughts, and other crop calamities? The case gives students an opportunity to analyze a current agribusiness operation and a proposed new operation (a Go/No-Go decision). Based on financial and operational analysis, including consideration of foreseeable adverse events that threaten crops and other foreseeable adverse events that threaten egg-laying, how attractive is this proposition? The case gives students an opportunity to analyze the case through both quantitative and qualitative technique, debate the business implications of their analyses, and offer recommendations.
The case features Tyrone Wilson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of iCreate Limited, a creative training institute aimed at offering skills training and work experience to young creatives and talented university students. Since its inception in 2018, iCreate raised equity through listing on the Jamaica Junior Stock Market and had also borrowed funds to finance its operations. It since accumulated huge losses which led its auditors to raise significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern. In response Wilson proposed a turnaround strategy in which a rights issue would be offered to shareholders to raise additional funds. The proceeds would be used to acquire an outdoor advertising company to improve the iCreate's bottom line. The plan also included restructuring the company into five divisions: Training, Advertising, Media & Entertainment, Tech & E-Commerce and Real Estate. How should Wilson go about convincing the Board to accept the turnaround strategy. Wilson proposed a turnaround strategy centered on restructuring and diversification through acquisition. The acquisition of Visual Vibe.com, a company offering high impact video board advertising in Jamaica, which would be funded by way of a rights issue to iCreate's existing ordinary stockholders. How is he going to convince the Board to accept his proposed turnaround strategy since some were skeptical that the rights issue would not solve the company's problems? Should Wilson convince the board, would he next need to convince shareholders to subscribe to the rights issue?
In January 2021, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey knew he would be asked to testify before Congress about Twitter's role in propagating false news and misinformation. Dorsey described Twitter as a "digital public square" and was a vocal supporter of the U.S. Constitution's first amendment (which protected freedom of speech). Central to his testimony was a controversy involving Internet neutrality: Was the Twitter social media service a neutral platform? If so, each user was responsible for his or her content; Twitter could not be held accountable for slanderous, hateful, or untrue information that users propagated. Was Twitter a publisher? If so, Twitter, akin to news organizations, was responsible for content its users propagated. Section 230, an amendment to the Communications Decency Act, further complicated matters, permitting platform hosts to restrict offensive content while shielding them from user-generated content liability. Given this ambiguity, how should Dorsey prepare for the next hearing?
Dr. Wehrheim Winery, a family business located in the Palatinate region of Germany faced a critical decision. While the business was controlled by the third-generation owner, Karl-Heinz, his son, Franz, had come up with a plan of launching a secondary line of wines exclusively for the retail channel. Because of the winery's limited supply of grapes from its vineyard, Franz wanted to source grapes from the market for the proposed new line. While Karl-Heinz was reluctant to support the idea because of the risks involved, Franz saw this as the opportunity to showcase his leadership skills as a prelude to becoming the fourth-generation owner of the business. Franz had a month to come up with a sound rationale to get his father's support for the secondary line.
In March 2020, the Philippines government announced the first month-long lockdown in Manila and its surrounding regions to curb COVID-19 transmission. The lockdown measures, including the closure of non-essential businesses and stay-home orders, were sudden and drastic, leading to the urban poor's loss of employment and income. Putting food on the table would become a challenge in a city with millions living below the poverty threshold. But while their hunger would not wait, a new relief law needed time to take effect. That was when the private sector took immediate action. Responding to the hunger crisis was Project Ugnayan, a consortium including Ayala Corporation, one of the earliest conglomerates in the Philippines, together with some of the largest private companies and non-profit organisations such as The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) and Caritas Manila of the Catholic Church. In a record time of a few days, the private sector-led initiative raised over PhP 1.7 billion (US$33 million) that went into sponsoring a feeding programme for 2.8 million impoverished families (equivalent to some 14 million individuals). Over four weeks, Caritas Manila mobilised over 1,000 parish priests and 10,000 volunteers who went door-to-door distributing grocery vouchers, food packs, and in-kind donations in the Greater Manila Area. As Project Ugnayan ended, the team reflected on the meaningful and impactful contribution the initiative had made to the lives of the vulnerable poor during the tumultuous times of the pandemic. What lessons could be drawn from this collaborative effort of the private sector that can be replicated for future initiatives?
At Investor Day 2022, Block announced a new vision for its businesses: creating an ecosystem of ecosystems. Outside the norm for many public growth companies, Block had recently acquired a variety of new business streams in the creator economy and Bitcoin despite a volatile macroeconomic outlook. At the same time Wall Street was growing concerned about slowing payment volume growth in Block's core business streams and the new initiatives' added expenses. Would an 'ecosystem of ecosystems' strategy again build upon the company's strong track record and enhance its business model as promised? How could the company balance reluctant investors and Wall Street skeptics while investing in its new initiatives?
The leadership team at QNB Alahli, Egypt's second biggest private bank, looked back on their efforts to create a brand-new, fully digital banking platform since 2019. A digital-only banking service was unprecedented in Egypt, a country where over 90% of financial transactions still involved cash. If successful, QNB Alahli would enjoy the first-mover advantage and help improve the level of financial inclusion in the Egyptian society. The bank had developed comprehensive financial projections for the new platform, and its confidence was bolstered by the successful launch of a similar platform by its sister bank in Turkey. Before the proposal could be approved by the central bank, QNB Alahli needed to carefully consider various strategies for this venture, as the decisions made could significantly impact the bank's profitability, marketing efforts, and internal competition.
In 2022, the U.S. Congress examined the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, the latest in a long series of campaign finance reforms. According to its authors, the law would be the "most consequential overhaul of federal campaign finance" in 20 years. In addition to prohibiting campaign spending by foreign nationals, the reform would require organizations to disclose their major political donors in order to curtail the rise of "dark money" following the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC. The emergence of new online conduits also spurred an increase in small campaign contributions, which some hoped might counterbalance the influence of large donors. Overall, significantly more money entered politics in the U.S. than in any other democracy: $17.20 per capita in 2020 (case p. 5). Beyond changes in campaign finance, electoral campaigns have undergone dramatic changes in the last two decades, from the revival of campaign strategies focusing on the mobilization of non-voters to the increasing reliance on social media, such as the unprecedented use of Twitter by Donald Trump in 2016. While campaign activities had long been determined by culture and habit, modern campaigns were informed by the latest advances in social science. They used rich individual-level data to choose which voters to target with outreach efforts. Campaigns have made dramatic gains in efficiency. However, scandals such as the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data breach led observers, regulators, and many concerned citizens to wonder whether candidates were abusing the vast resources available to them to manipulate the electorate. As they were discussing DISCLOSE, members of Congress debated whether 1) business involvement in campaigns had been a force for good; 2) campaign contributions should be encouraged or curtailed; and 3) regulations of other dimensions of electoral campaigns should be reformed.
Alzheimer's Disease is a devastating condition affecting millions of Americans. At this time, there is no cure. In 2021, Biogen's Aduhelm (aducanumab) received FDA approval under the accelerated approval pathway after a controversial approval process. This case explores Alzheimer's drug development, Aduhelm's clinical trials, FDA regulatory processes, the impact of the disease on payors and the broader healthcare system, the valuation of an Alzheimer's therapy, and the valuation of the company that produces it.
In 2023, Detroit-based Barton Malow completed the first high-rise building in the U.S. built from the top-down using LIFTbuild, a patented methodology that aimed to make construction safer and more efficient. By completing building work at ground level and then automatically lifting and locking floors into place, the new process eliminated many of the dangers and inefficiencies of constructing buildings at height. The century-old construction firm hoped its novel methodology would pave the way for a better way to build but found that innovating a well-established industry was challenging. CEO Ryan Maibach must determine how to grow the business and increase adoption of LIFTbuild.
This case traces the rise of Albert Einstein from a small town in Germany to a towering intellectual leader who revolutionized the field of physics. The case describes his early education and his penchant for individual thinking and non-conformity. A committed pacifist, he changed his views during World War II and urged President Roosevelt to build an atomic bomb to defeat Nazi Germany. He then spent the rest of his life advocating nuclear arms control. Students will learn how Albert Einstein navigated life's choices to leave a lasting impact on the world.
Fama Technologies is an online screening company that uses AI to analyze job applicants' publicly available online content for signs of risk and culture fit. The case opens with Ben Mones, founder and CEO, looking to secure funding from venture firms. He is running into resistance: public opinion of the product, and social media screening in general, is mixed, and HR technology in general is considered a tough sell to VCs. Could he prove the value of the tool on his next pitch?
Fama Technologies is an online screening company that uses AI to analyze job applicants' publicly available online content for signs of risk and culture fit. The case opens with Ben Mones, founder and CEO, looking to secure funding from venture firms. He is running into resistance: public opinion of the product, and social media screening in general, is mixed, and HR technology in general is a considered a tough sell to VCs. Could he prove the value of the tool on his next pitch?
The case illustrates Zhu Jing's entrepreneurial story from three stages: aspiration, action, and determination. The case presents the challenges that Zhu Jing faces as a female entrepreneur in the real estate industry and how she addressed them. At the beginning of 2022, Zhu convened key executives to recap on business operations of the past year. They needed to discuss and decide the rewards and punishment for executives. Zhu gave up a comfortable life out of a love for architecture and art and founded Sunkwan Group in Shanghai in 2010. The real estate industry is male-dominated. Resource acquisition is a huge challenge for female entrepreneurs as the sector is typically resource-driven. Enthusiasm and passion are the genuine motivation for Zhu to persist in the industry. With her keen business sense, she quickly identified business opportunities and made Yueshan project a successful case. The case laid an essential foundation for the expansion of the company nationwide. She always focuses on improving product capabilities to win fair returns from the market and simultaneously makes up for weak resources and capabilities with cooperation. Empathy, trust, empowerment, and other features of Zhu's leadership and the company's business philosophy give birth to a united executive team. China's real estate industry has experienced dramatic changes since June 2021. With shrinking market demand, increasingly stringent regulatory policies, blocked financing channels and sluggish property sales, and frequent outbreaks of epidemics across the country, many real estate companies spiraled into a crisis. In June 2021, Sunkwan re-designed a reward and punishment system for all executive members to overcome these challenges and motivate the team for better performance. The 2021 performance, however, fell short of expectations and Zhu hesitated on whether to punish executives according to the rules or administer a light punishment. The decision mirrors Zhu's traits and leadership
Voestalpine, the Austria-based global leading steel manufacturing division of High Performance Metals, has made a bold commitment. It would achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with chief sustainability officer Philipp Horner leading the charge. Horner and his strategy team must review its entire manufacturing process to find opportunities for decarbonization, including learning about completely new methods for production and reevaluating its existing blast furnace technology. At a time when competitors are also vying for market share while evaluating their own sustainability efforts, it is critical that Horner and his team consider the downstream effects of any strategic change they make. In this case, students will learn about the steel / industrials sector and examine the critical operational points that affect a company's carbon output and efficiency.
Rituals, founded in the Netherlands in 2000 by Raymond Cloosterman, has had double digit growth over the last 15 years. It had taken the European beauty industry by storm, opening two to three stores weekly. At its current pace, Rituals would soon be opening over 150 new shops per year and expanding to new markets on an annual basis. In addition to having its own stores network, Rituals' sales channels included franchises, travel stores, various partners such as luxury hotels and an online shopping platform in multiple languages. Cloosterman's ambition was to double his business from €1 billion to €2 billion over the next 5-10 years. Part of that plan was a very strong footprint with brick-and-mortar stores, and an online share of 25% to 30%. Offline and online experiences had to become a seamless kind of operation. Cloosterman believed that it would be difficult to reach a €2 billion target without expanding his brand into Asia.
Established in 1979, Dayang Group Ltd. (Dayang), has become the world's preeminent made-to-measure garment manufacturing enterprise. It was among the first Chinese manufacturers to integrate into the global value chain using an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) model. What began as a small workshop with just 85 rural women has blossomed into a top-tier international apparel enterprise boasting assets of RMB 4.3 billion. As of 2019, Dayang's yearly integrated garment production capability reached 11 million pieces/suits, with suit exports hitting 6 million pieces/suits, consistently leading the national charts for several years. Its annual production capacity for customized attire stood at 1.3 million pieces/suits. With over 1,000 global collaboration custom storefronts, Dayang has established a global marketing network spanning four continents and more than thirty countries. Centered on Dayang's Chairwoman, Li Guilian, this case delves into the debate between OEM and own brand manufacturing (OBM) as well as between "mass production" and "mass customization." It retraces Dayang's journey from OEM to achieving global customization on the international stage. Furthermore, the case highlights Dayang's intricate decisions and balancing acts between "domestic focus" and "international reach" amidst the dual challenges posed by the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing China-U.S. trade tensions.
The disruptive potential of artificial intelligence (AI) has been on the minds of many professionals since the public launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. AI is seen as a potential disruptor in areas such as law, science, education, and training—and of decision making at the middle to upper levels of organizations. This article explores how AI (in this case, ChatGPT) might affect the challenges faced by strategists in leading management teams through a key part of strategic planning exercises: scenario planning. Scenario planning is an essential part of any strategic planning exercise. After all, most strategic plans aim to give a roadmap for success in three to five years’ time. As a “case study,” the author used ChatGPT to help him move quickly through the scenario-planning process in order to explore how environmental issues affecting the Canadian mining industry might change in the near future. He started by asking ChatGPT to identify the 20 forces that would shape the environmental issues of the mining industry in Canada in the next three to five years. From this experience, the author learned various lessons. First, ChatGPT can contribute enhanced data and new ideas and can serve as a powerful reality check and challenge to groupthink. Second, ChatGPT can allow us to do things previously unthinkable, but it can also become “the centre of gravity” as opposed to simply a powerful tool used for specific activities. Finally, the value of having teams work together to generate scenarios in messy, sometimes tense conversations cannot be overstated.