In June 2021, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Peruvian-based Austral Group S.A.A. (Austral), one of the six largest producers and traders in marine-based foods and ingredients in the Republic of Peru, was concerned about two major ongoing challenges: gender equality and cross-generation employees. In May 2006, Austral merged with and became a subsidiary of Austevoll Seafood ASA (Austevoll), the world-leading Norwegian conglomerate in the fishery and seafood industry. After the merger, Austral improved its foundations of human resources (HR). The newly merged entity built a common organizational culture and created a bond to engage workers in its new culture. In 2007, the company introduced a 10-year plan to drive structural changes in human resource management (HRM). The CEO’s current issue is how to overcome the two outstanding challenges to move the company forward and make it sustainable for the future.
Perfect Day was a rising cellular agriculture company specializing in lab-based milk. Its founders had created and patented a formula for an ingredient that could produce authentic-tasting non-dairy products. At the beginning of 2020, the US-based firm received US$140 million in funding, and the founders had to navigate a complex operating and stakeholder environment to map out a growth strategy. The complex situation required them to answer related questions that were easy to understand but difficult to answer. First, the founders would have to chart the expected evolution of the lab-based milk industry as it moved to the full roll-out of products. The founders would next have to decide on Perfect Day’s positioning in its changing industry. Finally, they would have to assess the myriad players, both as stakeholders and as potential alliance partners, in order to support the strategic positioning decision.
This exercise puts students into the role of an associate at a marketing and sales agency. They are asked to develop specific recommendations to present to some senior leaders about how the firm can and should become more truly inclusive and just. They also must be specific about the objectives and metrics they believe must be agreed to, and who should be accountable for them, in order to insure progress.
Business leaders are turning their attention toward building prosperity at home, in the communities where they live and work to tackle complex local issues, including health care, early childhood development, and housing. Initiatives that produce results demonstrate five tenets: They tell a clear, purposeful story; combine community priorities with institutional goals; are led inclusively; typically influence the member organizations' own internal policies; and impel company leaders to acknowledge difficult truths.
Women and members of other marginalized groups are often excluded from informal professional networks which are critical to gaining access to opportunities for learning and advancement. Based on their analysis of the organizational networks of dozens of companies, surveys of thousands of employees, and interviews with senior executives, the authors have identified specific ways leaders can improve inclusivity at their organizations.
This note provides background on Title 47 US Code § 230, the section of federal law that protects internet companies from liability for the content shared by users, and for the moderation and even removal of that content if considered objectionable. So central is this law to the debate over online speech and content policy that it is commonly referred to simply as ""Section 230,"" even though nearly every one of the 54 titles in federal law also contains a section 230. Passed as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Section 230 ended a ""moderator's dilemma"" that resulted from a 1995 court decision. If that decision had not been overturned, it would have meant internet companies that restricted access to objectionable content became liable for any and all content on their platforms. This technical note is particularly useful when used to facilitate discussion of the case ""Trump v. Twitter, et al."" (UVA-S-0360). The case explores the period in 2020 in which the social media activity of Donald Trump, then president of the United States, started to be moderated by some social media companies, receiving warning labels and even being removed for violating content guidelines.
During a 30-day window between late May and late June of 2020, President Donald Trump earned international attention not only for the content he posted to social media sites such as Twitter, but also for the ways in which social media companies responded to his posts. For the first time in history, social media posts from a sitting president were receiving warning labels, and in some instances were even deleted for violating Twitter's content guidelines, "The Twitter Rules." The substance of a debate over online content that began 25 years earlier had come full circle as a host of social media platforms-initially imagined to help people share group text messages and photos with friends-were now being referred to as the 21st century equivalent of a public square. Had Twitter's executive team gone too far by placing a warning notice on the president's tweets? Would social media companies be able to adapt if the Trump administration's recommendations led to meaningful changes in the law that made "The Twitter Rules" actionable? How will companies prepare for an environment within which content policy is not simply a legal concern but a strategic decision?
In June 2021, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Peruvian-based Austral Group S.A.A. (Austral), one of the six largest producers and traders in marine-based foods and ingredients in the Republic of Peru, was concerned about two major ongoing challenges: gender equality and cross-generation employees. In May 2006, Austral merged with and became a subsidiary of Austevoll Seafood ASA (Austevoll), the world-leading Norwegian conglomerate in the fishery and seafood industry. After the merger, Austral improved its foundations of human resources (HR). The newly merged entity built a common organizational culture and created a bond to engage workers in its new culture. In 2007, the company introduced a 10-year plan to drive structural changes in human resource management (HRM). The CEO's current issue is how to overcome the two outstanding challenges to move the company forward and make it sustainable for the future.
Perfect Day was a rising cellular agriculture company specializing in lab-based milk. Its founders had created and patented a formula for an ingredient that could produce authentic-tasting non-dairy products. At the beginning of 2020, the US-based firm received US$140 million in funding, and the founders had to navigate a complex operating and stakeholder environment to map out a growth strategy. The complex situation required them to answer related questions that were easy to understand but difficult to answer. First, the founders would have to chart the expected evolution of the lab-based milk industry as it moved to the full roll-out of products. The founders would next have to decide on Perfect Day's positioning in its changing industry. Finally, they would have to assess the myriad players, both as stakeholders and as potential alliance partners, in order to support the strategic positioning decision.
Launched in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2018, Praava Health ('Praava') delivered high-quality in-clinic primary and specialist care, backed by its own high quality diagnostic laboratories, imaging and pharmacy. Praava was founder Sylvana Sinha's response to what she saw as a broken healthcare system in one of the world's most populous countries, unable to provide efficient, reliable medical attention to the majority of its population. Centered on the patient, it had a flagship state-of-the art medical center in Dhaka, and digital channels, including Bangladesh's first patient app, telemedicine, and e-pharmacy. Behind all this was a highly qualified medical, technical and management team, made possible by equity investments of $11.1 million. But raising funds had been a difficult and arduous process, even as Praava's revenues were growing at around 20% a month. As Sinha proceeded to plan her next steps in Series B fundraising, she wondered if there were modifications that she needed to consider. Were there any changes-in the Praava business model, in the financing structure or in her messaging-that would allow her to break through in the capital markets?
Good governance supports an ecosystem's ability to create value, manage risk, and optimize value distribution among its partners. Based on the governance models of more than 80 business ecosystems, the authors outline five building blocks of an effective governance model and share four foundational recommendations for using ecosystem governance as a source of competitive advantage.
One of the first local manufacturers of screw caps in Chile, INESA expanded rapidly in the region. By 2015, the company had achieved almost 55% market share in the domestic wine sector and 21% in South America, focusing on Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. After more than 40 years in screw cap manufacturing and technical customer support, INESA was acquired in 2017 by RMD Group, which forged a new path to consolidation in the international market. Inspiral was established in 2018 to represent the company's strategy regarding innovation and internationalization. Along with Ramondin (an RMD Group capsule manufacturing brand), Inspiral was a specialist in designing, manufacturing, and packaging a complete portfolio of fastening products for wine, champagne, and spirits bottles. By the end of that first year, two challenges confronted Inspiral: (1) Rapid expansion in the national wine market had seen a similar rising need for quality and low-cost screw caps. As a leading manufacturer of screw caps in Latin America, Inspiral had to create additional value through its strategic positioning and operational excellence. (2) Although Inspiral had the dominant market share, its position was threatened by the possible entry of the Polish company Zakretka, a major international player, into Chile, Inspiral's home market. The case study asks students to compare the competitive and operating strategies of the company and its rivals. In addition, it requires a competitive trade-off analysis of the two companies and the specific operational changes Inspiral needs to remain competitive in the international market.
In January 2011, China-based Joyson Automotive Group (Joyson) acquired Preh GmbH (Preh), a German manufacturer of high-end automotive components. While Joyson had lower capabilities in areas such as management and engineering, it was able to ensure a successful acquisition of the more competent firm Preh after years of careful planning and relationship building. Joyson had grown over 14 years to become a US$10 billion manufacturing company by continuously acquiring more capable firms. The acquisition of Preh would make the two companies powerful players in the global automotive parts supply market and promised to provide Preh with financial resources and access to the lucrative Chinese automotive market, but only if the Chinese and German companies could be integrated successfully. How could Joyson’s management team ensure a successful integration of a firm with superior management, soft skills, and technical capabilities?
In October 2020, the managing director of Laurs & Bridz Pharmaceuticals Private Limited was considering changing the company’s sales strategy to reflect the challenges that India’s pharmaceutical industry was facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company was also considering launching a new antiviral drug. The COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted many routine sales practices, such as in-person meetings with customers, and had also affected drug distribution. Consequently, the sales team had managed to achieve only 87.4 per cent of its sales targets in the first three quarters, with a mere 9.3 per cent growth over the previous year against a targeted growth rate of 25.1 per cent. The managing director had to consider all factors affecting his company’s sales performance during the COVID-19 crisis. What strategies could he devise to motivate sales managers and representatives facing uneven growth across different zones? Should he revise sales targets this late in the year? What were the pros and cons of launching a new product during these times of market uncertainty?
In January 2011, China-based Joyson Automotive Group (Joyson) acquired Preh GmbH (Preh), a German manufacturer of high-end automotive components. While Joyson had lower capabilities in areas such as management and engineering, it was able to ensure a successful acquisition of the more competent firm Preh after years of careful planning and relationship building. Joyson had grown over 14 years to become a US$10 billion manufacturing company by continuously acquiring more capable firms. The acquisition of Preh would make the two companies powerful players in the global automotive parts supply market and promised to provide Preh with financial resources and access to the lucrative Chinese automotive market, but only if the Chinese and German companies could be integrated successfully. How could Joyson's management team ensure a successful integration of a firm with superior management, soft skills, and technical capabilities?
In October 2020, the managing director of Laurs & Bridz Pharmaceuticals Private Limited was considering changing the company's sales strategy to reflect the challenges that India's pharmaceutical industry was facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company was also considering launching a new antiviral drug. The COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted many routine sales practices, such as in-person meetings with customers, and had also affected drug distribution. Consequently, the sales team had managed to achieve only 87.4 per cent of its sales targets in the first three quarters, with a mere 9.3 per cent growth over the previous year against a targeted growth rate of 25.1 per cent. The managing director had to consider all factors affecting his company's sales performance during the COVID-19 crisis. What strategies could he devise to motivate sales managers and representatives facing uneven growth across different zones? Should he revise sales targets this late in the year? What were the pros and cons of launching a new product during these times of market uncertainty?
The Washington Post (The Post) is one of the world's most respected news-media organizations. After joining The Post as CEO and publisher in 2014, Fred Ryan worked with owner Jeff Bezos and The Post's executive team to bring about an extraordinary digital transformation at the global news organization. Despite all its success, The Post faced several significant business challenges in 2021, including new competitors, a growing number of channels through which readers consumed news, and rapidly changing consumer behavior. In response, The Post developed a digital-product mindset, rebuilt its newsroom, redesigned core business processes, built a software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology platform that functioned as a very profitable "business within a business," and announced the creation of Next Generation-a new initiative to accelerate the acquisition of younger and more diverse audiences through new products, practices, and partnerships.
The COVID-19 crisis has underlined the need for accelerated innovation to rapidly help business solve social problems. These problems require access to capabilities and knowledge that no single organization or existing supply chain possesses. Drawing on the experience of the open innovation and rapid-scale-up achieved by the VentilatorChallengeUK to address a shortage of ventilators required by patients seriously ill with COVID-19, this article develops a framework for accelerated innovation and delivery that crosses traditional industry boundaries. It offers a series of important lessons for how open innovation, exaptation, and ecosystem strategies - backed by a set of enabling initiatives - can be used to solve multi-faceted social and business problems at speed.