The "Moral Complexity in Leadership" series of cases and teaching notes help business instructors harness the power of fiction to prepare students for the moral and ethical dilemmas they will face throughout their careers. Meaningful fiction challenges students intellectually and emotionally; it reveals the inner worlds of human players and enables learning that can be difficult to access through case studies, commentary, or reporting. Through literature, students will wrestle with the kinds of problems they will face as leaders looking to make courageous decisions aligned with their moral codes. The works in this series represent a wide range of settings, viewpoints, and cultural frameworks; the characters are complex and contradictory, and the systems within which they operate (whether family, organizational, or cultural) influence them in varied ways. They have been taught to executive, full- and part-time MBA student audiences for many years. The series aims to increase students' understanding of moral frameworks and enhance their skills in facilitating and participating in healthy and productive dialogue about complex and provocative issues. In this installment of the series, "Empathy," we examine Ken Liu's short story "The Paper Menagerie," in which the biracial son of a Chinese immigrant mother and a White native-born American father internalizes the racist attitudes and comments of those around him and tries to fit in with the majority cultural norms by rejecting his Chinese heritage and his mother--and his subsequent realization of their value. The story highlights issues of dislocation and pressures to conform that can mean a loss of identity; the personal impact of racist attitudes and remarks; and lack of empathy and curiosity about others' points of view and background.
The "Moral Complexity in Leadership" series of cases and teaching notes help business instructors harness the power of fiction to prepare students for the moral and ethical dilemmas they will face throughout their careers. Meaningful fiction challenges students intellectually and emotionally; it reveals the inner worlds of human players and enables learning that can be difficult to access through case studies, commentary, or reporting. Through literature, students will wrestle with the kinds of problems they will face as leaders looking to make courageous decisions aligned with their moral codes. The works in this series represent a wide range of settings, viewpoints, and cultural frameworks; the characters are complex and contradictory, and the systems within which they operate (whether family, organizational, or cultural) influence them in varied ways. They have been taught to executive, full- and part-time MBA student audiences for many years. The series aims to increase students' understanding of moral frameworks and enhance their skills in facilitating and participating in healthy and productive dialogue about complex and provocative issues. In this installment of the series, "Empathy," we examine Jhumpa Lahiri's short story "Mrs. Sen's," about an 11-year-old American boy who spends his after-school hours at the apartment of his babysitter, an Indian woman married to a university professor. The author's frequent theme of what she has called the "tension between alienation and assimilation" are highlighted here, as well. The story gives students the opportunity to discuss deep themes such as sacrifice for one's own or a partner's career; coming to terms with a bicultural life and managing the expectations of one's home family and friends; facing a lack of empathy and curiosity about one's points of view and background; and how the simplest of human connections can transform an individual's experience.
The case covers a specific instance of state-led innovation in the provision of financial services to Indian citizens: through the the "Common Services Centres" (CSC) scheme. The CSC scheme engages a vast network of rural entrepreneurs to drive the delivery of a variety of services, including - in collaboration with banking organisations and bodies in the country - financial services (banking and insurance). This is particularly relevant since India has long suffered from extremely limited financial inclusion of its citizens, especially in rural areas and among marginalised groups and communities. Banking penetration as well as financial awareness too have historically been low. The present scheme has been an effort to combat these (and other related) challenges to bring hitherto underserved regions into the ambit of the formal banking system in India using a combination of locl social networks, innovative use of digital technologies, and iterative policy design.
This note can be used in any case class. A strong analysis should be followed by a solid action plan. Unfortunately, a lot of action plans are not worthy of the solution they are meant to support because they are vague and open-ended. A beautiful action plan is specific and clear, with lots of detail. This note offers careful instruction on how to build a beautiful action plan. For instance, action plan builders should ensure the action plan flows from the analysis; be specific, especially in the early stages; make steps realistic; plan on overcoming natural resistance to change; state and justify assumptions; address the short and long term; define critical steps; and outline ways to measure progress. Examples of good and poor plans are included.
The Apple's Electric Vehicle case provides an interesting context for discussion in which participants can explore whether a very successful global company with a powerful brand should enter a new emerging product market such as Electric Vehicles (EVs) that may represent an attractive opportunity. Specifically, the questions faced by Apple are 1) whether EVs represent an attractive opportunity, 2) whether Apple has an opportunity to be successful in this industry, and finally 3) how Apple should participate in this industry. The company had to make key strategic decisions regarding the competitive positions of its proposed product offering and the scope of its participation in the industry while recognizing the uncertainties of customer demand, competitor actions, and government regulations.
Preparing and strengthening the developing world for the 4th Industrial Revolution is a challenge that Computer Aid is tackling head on. Founder Tony Robert's vision is "Empowering the developing world by providing access, education, implementing technology and supporting environmentally responsible solutions." The case discusses the extent of digital divide gaps and challenges in the developing world. It traces Computer Aid's evolution from operations in a single African country to regionalization in Southern Africa with operations in many countries, and South-South expansion to Latin America and other developing country locations. Regionalization efforts focus on localization of operations within a region for creation of a mutually beneficial context for local businesses to become part of the digital divide solution through processing obsolete donated technology that Computer Aid then recycles and matches with beneficiary needs. The company has built a regionalization hub in South Africa. While they have had some success, questions remain-Is this the best approach for leveraging their service delivery, technology refurbishment and education? Will regionalization be effective in Latin America?
"Patagonia has long been a revered company in the world of outdoor gear, and environmental and social sustainability. Known for pushing the bounds of what it means to be a mission-driven organization, the company has challenged the status quo of consumerism. A key initiative early on in Patagonia's journey was its now-famous Common Threads Initiative and accompanying ad campaign to inspire customers to reduce unnecessary consumption. (Ironically, the extraordinary "Don't Buy This Jacket" ad was followed by increased sales.) Patagonia followed that with another program contrary to the typical clothing business: the company began providing significant resources for responsible care, repair, reuse and resale, and recycling at the end of a garment's life. Patagonia further questioned consumerism with a form of refusal. In April 2019, it stopped co-branding apparel with companies and organizations in certain industries, including finance. In April 2021, Patagonia took this policy one step further and announced it would no longer allow any companies' logos to be embroidered on its clothing. The company said non-removable logos reduced the lifespan of clothing because such garments are less likely to be worn beyond the time of employment, regifted, or passed on to someone else. This case takes place in May 2023, a few years after the new logo policy was announced. Students assume the role of the fictional vice president of global sales to develop a sales strategy based on the impact of Patagonia's business model that includes a unique refusal strategy."
This note can be used in any case class. A strong analysis should be followed by a solid action plan. Unfortunately, a lot of action plans are not worthy of the solution they are meant to support because they are vague and open-ended. A beautiful action plan is specific and clear, with lots of detail. This note offers careful instruction on how to build a beautiful action plan. For instance, action plan builders should ensure the action plan flows from the analysis; be specific, especially in the early stages; make steps realistic; plan on overcoming natural resistance to change; state and justify assumptions; address the short and long term; define critical steps; and outline ways to measure progress. Examples of good and poor plans are included.
Set in 2022, the case follows the sustainability journey of Jiu Zhen Nan, a 133-year-old Taiwanese pastry brand headquartered in Kaohsiung, the southern city of Taiwan. Jiu Zhen Nan specialises in gourmet traditional Chinese Han pastry, often consumed during major festivals, weddings, and religious celebrations. The century-old brand has an established stronghold at domestic airports, high-speed rail stations, and upscale department stores. Eric Lee, Chairman and the fourth-generation owner, had been at the helm of the family firm since 1996. Given the increased focus on sustainability issues in recent years, he had aligned sustainability priorities with the baked goods business, its core values, and its long-term purpose. Since the mid-2010s, he had led the firm to achieve considerable progress on several aspects of sustainability - food ethics, environmental sustainability, social participation, the promotion of Han pastry culture, and talent cultivation. Those efforts were duly recognised, winning the firm an Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility award from the CommonWealth Magazine twice, in 2019 and 2021. Lee conceded that realising sustainability goals needed time, given that it would not be a short-term pursuit but rather an ongoing commitment. As he mulled over the options for navigating the prevailing challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he recognised that, at the same time, there was mounting pressure to take even more action toward reducing the business impact on climate change. What more could a food manufacturing business like Jiu Zhen Nan do for the good of the planet, the good of society, and its future success?
A new client portfolio manager at a quantitative investment management firm must explain why her firm, Optimalen Capital, has rebalanced a client portfolio with a set of trades that seem unintuitive. In particular, Optimalen has added to its position of Walmart (ticker = WMT) and reduced its position in Tesla (TSLA) despite the latter having a much higher forecast return. She also must compute breakeven returns for two other stocks, Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Duke Energy (DUK).
Remote work can present unique challenges for individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But managers can implement simple strategies to tailor remote work to the needs of employees with ADHD. The authors provide a primer on ADHD and, based on their research, share five evidence-backed ways to make virtual work practices more inclusive of neurodivergent team members.
Ice Cool was a Singaporean brand that produced and distributed beverages and canned food in the off-trade food and beverage retail industry. While the brand, owned by Sheng Sheng F&B Industries Pte Ltd (SSFB), had been in use for more than 30 years, it was not a household name. This was even so for its top-seller, coconut water (aka coconut juice), which accounted for more than 70% of sales revenue within SSFB's house branded beverage products. The company has invested limited funds in branding and marketing. The main promotional tool the brand utilised was point-of-sale instruments. Company management hypothesised that Ice Cool's lack of strong brand identity and awareness were important factors contributing to stagnant sales. Thus, SSFB believed that the key to increasing sales revenue was improving the brand's image and identity. This case can be used to explore how brand architecture, brand hierarchy, and brand reinforcing strategies might influence brand performance. In addition, how should SSFB meet the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities from ecommerce to grow the Ice Cool brand?
Crurated, a start-up founded in 2019, combines various technologies to address previously unmet needs in the fine wine market through a bold marketing approach. The innovative ecommerce marketplace enables high-end consumers to connect with and purchase wine from renowned producers. Stepping into the shoes of founder Alfonso De Gaetano, students analyse how value is created through status-building across the product life cycle, identify opportunities to fix market failures and address unmet customer needs, combine technological solutions to articulate an effective value proposition, and formulate approaches to product, pricing, placement and promotion.
The case discusses the development and implementation of a unique - and indeed, one of the world's largest - telecenter scheme, the "Common Services Centres" (CSC). The CSC scheme engaged rural entrepreneurs to meet the twin goals of ensuring last-mile delivery of e-governance services as well as supporting the development of indigenous entrepreneurship. The former has been a long-standing element of the government's plans to create a "Digital India", while the latter is geared towards serving as a source of employment generation and income growth to drive nation development. While highlighting contrasts between the different kinds of entrepeneurship that exist (specifically necessity/subsistence vs innovative entrepeneurship), the case also discusses in detail the unique challenges faced by subsistence entrepreneurs, which are likely to be common to all emerging economies, and how this scheme sought to address them through the deployment of innovative technologies. The case offers a high-level view into the creation and implementation of the CSC scheme, the processes of iteration and improvement it underwent, and the broad challenges it continues to face.
Set in 2019, this case explores Tata Steel's journey in utilizing digital technologies to enhance customer engagement. Tata Steel, founded in 1907, had emerged as the ninth-largest steel conglomerate globally, with major production facilities in India and overseas. With a focus on B2B, B2ECA, and B2C markets, the company established a task force on digital strategy to drive innovation and stakeholder experiences. They prioritized initiatives such as reverse mentoring and the Digital Enthusiasts Exploration Program. The company aimed to "Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast" in delivering digital projects in the Marketing & Sales division. By creating a digital roadmap and filtering initiatives based on value and execution feasibility, Tata Steel identified opportunities in each market segment. The division successfully embraced digital transformation and overcame challenges during Phase 0 and Phase 1. The case explores future considerations, including regional expansion, exploring new technologies, and upskilling the team or hiring consultants.
The emergence of new technologies and the threat of economic challenges are just two of the factors affecting the future prospects of businesses and employees alike. In such an environment, a skills-first strategy to hiring and retaining workers can benefit both companies and workers, according to data from LinkedIn. The authors explain how investing in a skills-first approach to bringing in new talent and helping employees upskill and reskill can set their workforce up for long-term resilience.
In May 2022, Sri Lanka faced its worst economic crisis since its 1948 independence from Britain. The crisis led to skyrocketing prices, double-digit inflation, a more than 100 per cent increase in fuel prices, multi-hour power cuts, depleting foreign exchange reserves, an acute shortage of food and medicines, a dramatic collapse in incomes, mounting government deficits, devastating government policies, record debt defaults, and a downgraded currency rating. This was a dramatic shift, since Sri Lanka had once been the fastest-growing nation in the South Asian region with the second-highest per capita income in terms of purchasing power parity. It had the highest Human Capital Index among countries in South Asia. After the end of the civil war in 2009, Sri Lanka had accessed borrowings from the international market for infrastructure investments and earned the reputation of being a disciplined borrower that had never defaulted. By 2019, the World Bank had classified Sri Lanka as an upper-income country. The country’s economic crisis of 2022 resulted from politically motivated inefficiencies in government finances caused by unproductive spending. An unsustainable current account deficit, along with a large fiscal deficit, led to high and unsustainable government debt. Two black swan events—the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the 2022 intensification of the Russo-Ukrainian War—sparked the crisis. Though the International Monetary Fund (IMF), G7 countries, and India and China facilitated Sri Lanka’s bailout and prevented the country from defaulting on its loan repayments, an action plan to bring about structural changes was the only real remedy that could bring the country out of crisis and allow it to sustain itself over the longer term. This case highlights the factors that led to the crisis and the dilemmas faced by Sri Lanka’s new prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as he worked to draw up a restructuring plan and bring Sri Lanka’s economy back from crisis.
In May 2022, Sri Lanka faced its worst economic crisis since its 1948 independence from Britain. The crisis led to skyrocketing prices, double-digit inflation, a more than 100 per cent increase in fuel prices, multi-hour power cuts, depleting foreign exchange reserves, an acute shortage of food and medicines, a dramatic collapse in incomes, mounting government deficits, devastating government policies, record debt defaults, and a downgraded currency rating. This was a dramatic shift, since Sri Lanka had once been the fastest-growing nation in the South Asian region with the second-highest per capita income in terms of purchasing power parity. It had the highest Human Capital Index among countries in South Asia. After the end of the civil war in 2009, Sri Lanka had accessed borrowings from the international market for infrastructure investments and earned the reputation of being a disciplined borrower that had never defaulted. By 2019, the World Bank had classified Sri Lanka as an upper-income country. The country's economic crisis of 2022 resulted from politically motivated inefficiencies in government finances caused by unproductive spending. An unsustainable current account deficit, along with a large fiscal deficit, led to high and unsustainable government debt. Two black swan events-the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the 2022 intensification of the Russo-Ukrainian War-sparked the crisis. Though the International Monetary Fund (IMF), G7 countries, and India and China facilitated Sri Lanka's bailout and prevented the country from defaulting on its loan repayments, an action plan to bring about structural changes was the only real remedy that could bring the country out of crisis and allow it to sustain itself over the longer term.