In 2020, the chief executive officer of Abelana Game Reserve in South Africa was considering the arrangement between the game reserve and the Mashishimale community, who owned the land. He had promised to provide added value to the land by highlighting four pillars of focus: land, community, business, and investors. Two lodges were formally opened to guests in March 2020, but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic stopped all business activities-until September 2020, when the government began easing lockdown restrictions and the shareholders met to discuss tourist bookings and expansion plans. The management team had an ambitious and exciting overall vision for the game reserve, but there were more pressing challenges to consider, including a collaborative cross-sector partnership, training and developing workers, creating jobs in the community, and supporting local businesses. Were there other shared value ideas to consider for more employment opportunities and growth within the community?
Deborah Lovich, Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to join the firm's Executive Committee as its youngest member and only current woman, as well as just the second woman in its history. Encouraged by her mentors, she saw this role as an important platform to help shape BCG's future. Yet, she had family to consider. Taking up the opportunity would add an additional five to six weeks of travel per year, on top of an already hectic schedule that kept her from home and her four children most days of the week. Her husband Mark, who had finished a grueling 12-year MD-PhD program one year earlier, decided to put his career on hold to be a stay-at-home dad because of her many commitments. Now, with the possibility of even further time away from the family looming, and the kids wanting more time with her, Mark made a serious demand: that she not only decline the Executive Committee role, but also scale back her commitments so that he could relaunch his career. Lovich must weigh how to balance her responsibilities to her family without sacrificing the career she had worked so hard to build.
This public-sourced case describes the lapses in board oversight that led to the dramatic rise and fall of collaborative office space company WeWork and its charismatic leader, Adam Neumann. The case is set in September 2019 and follows board member Mark Schwartz into a critical board meeting to discuss many of the issues facing the company as it tries to raise billions through an IPO: lapses in governance oversight and fiscal discipline, CEO Neumann's erratic behavior, and perhaps even fraud. The case offers an opportunity to evaluate WeWork's strategy and path to future profitability; the board and other stakeholders' role in WeWork's hypergrowth and rapid fall from grace; differences in corporate governance in private versus public companies; and the governance changes that occur in preparation for an IPO. With WeWork on the brink, students are put in Schwartz's shoes in the board meeting and challenged to answer the question: What would you do and why?
Julia Madeline-Coho has decided to start a business-Uptown Hound-that will entertain pets while their owners are away from their homes in the medium-sized mid-Atlantic city of Greenwood. Madeline-Coho's dog Louis (or Lou, as she preferred to call him) was her motivation, along with a dinner guest, Tara Holmes, who she met in her family's house. Holmes was a Darden School of Business graduate concerned about her dog, Winnie, being home alone all day while she was working. Madeline-Coho has been doing research for her potential business and has some decisions to make, such as what services to offer these dogs and what to charge for them, and if and when she should hire any employees. Another decision was whether to expand her services to include cats as well as dogs.
In October 2020, Google LLC (Google) found itself involved in a controversy with both the Indian government and the country's developers of mobile applications (apps). Google announced that it would be enforcing its global policy that required app developers to pay a 30 per cent commission on all in-app purchases of digital goods bought on Google Play, the company's digital distribution platform for app purchases. Google's announcement drew particular opposition in India. With 500 million smartphone users in India, of which 95.85 per cent operated on Google's Android operating system, the app market was heavily skewed in favour of Google. In its goal to dominate the Indian app market, Google had to resolve several key issues. What advantages to users and developers could the company emphasize to justify imposing what India's start-ups and app developers were calling a Google tax? Could a new competitor, such as the proposed platform from India's government or from the technology start-ups, replicate those same advantages? How should Google respond to the complaints against the policy and the threats of antitrust action against the company?
Industrial agriculture feeds the modern world but its practices, such as monocropping and use of chemicals, have caused significant damage to the environment and food supply. Regenerative agriculture, in contrast, is a set of holistic farming practices that is gaining in popularity as a method for not only increasing crop yields but also renewing the land. Business inputs vary greatly between the two: industrial production requires more complex machinery and external inputs, while regenerative agriculture relies on the Earth's natural processes, but is dependent on additional labor costs. This case explores a U.S. farm founded in 1866, White Oak Pastures, and the business acumen of current proprietor Will Harris III. Students will analyze the organization's financial costs and risks, environmental impacts, change management, and potential for growth with innovative revenue streams.
In 2016, Reliance Jio Infocomm (R-Jio) was a late entrant in India's overcrowded but growing telecommunications (telecom) market. By 2019-20, the wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was India's number-one telecom company in terms of both profits and market capitalization. The industry's incumbents were expected to retaliate against the new entrant; however, they could not compete against R-Jio's heavily discounted offerings. Within six months, R-Jio had achieved its goal of attracting a subscriber base of 100 million. Although R-Jio intended to remain a leading player in India's digital future, could it sustain its run of success? Would R-Jio be able to leverage its present and future investments and manage risk sufficiently to achieve its optimistic objectives? India's telecom industry faced a dynamically changing and technology-driven future. How could R-Jio ensure it continued to play a leading role in India's telecom industry?
In 2016, Reliance Jio Infocomm (R-Jio) was a late entrant in India’s overcrowded but growing telecommunications (telecom) market. By 2019–20, the wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was India’s number-one telecom company in terms of both profits and market capitalization. The industry’s incumbents were expected to retaliate against the new entrant; however, they could not compete against R-Jio’s heavily discounted offerings. Within six months, R-Jio had achieved its goal of attracting a subscriber base of 100 million. Although R-Jio intended to remain a leading player in India’s digital future, could it sustain its run of success? Would R-Jio be able to leverage its present and future investments and manage risk sufficiently to achieve its optimistic objectives? India’s telecom industry faced a dynamically changing and technology-driven future. How could R-Jio ensure it continued to play a leading role in India’s telecom industry?
In October 2020, Google LLC (Google) found itself involved in a controversy with both the Indian government and the country’s developers of mobile applications (apps). Google announced that it would be enforcing its global policy that required app developers to pay a 30 per cent commission on all in-app purchases of digital goods bought on Google Play, the company’s digital distribution platform for app purchases. Google’s announcement drew particular opposition in India. With 500 million smartphone users in India, of which 95.85 per cent operated on Google’s Android operating system, the app market was heavily skewed in favour of Google. In its goal to dominate the Indian app market, Google had to resolve several key issues. What advantages to users and developers could the company emphasize to justify imposing what India’s start-ups and app developers were calling a Google tax? Could a new competitor, such as the proposed platform from India’s government or from the technology start-ups, replicate those same advantages? How should Google respond to the complaints against the policy and the threats of antitrust action against the company?
Conceptual frameworks like the BCG growth share matrix and SWOT analysis have had an enduring impact on business strategy and practice. The author provides seven evaluation criteria comprehensiveness, utility, validation, clarity, memorability, integration, and differentiation leaders can use to create more effective frameworks for their businesses.
Twenty five years after it was initially proposed, Clay Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation continues to be a major reference for entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, and investors. However, the term "disruptive innovation" is often used in ways and contexts that are not consistent with Christensen's original theory, which argues for initially accessing the market from the low end. For example, there has been controversy as to whether a firm like Tesla, which clearly accessed the market by targeting high-end consumers, should be thought of as having "disruptive" potential. Should all disruptions start at the low-end of the market or from unserved segments who can't afford the incumbents' current solutions (a "new market" foothold in Christensen's terminology)? Is it possible for an innovation that will ultimately disrupt and displace incumbents to start off by serving high-end segments that are currently participating in the market and are willing to pay top dollar? In this note, using several examples, including the emerging market of cultivated meat, a distinction between High-End Access Disruptions (HEAD) and Christensen's original Low-End Access Disruptions (LEAD) is proposed. Both strategies support innovations that have the potential, at scale, to dominate incumbents, but that are not able to do so initially due to a "handicap," i.e., a product shortcoming that mainstream consumers aren't willing to accept. The exposition analyzes similarities and differences in the disruptive processes implied by these two strategies, and provides practical guidelines to help entrepreneurs, innovators and investors choose the approach that best fits their situation.
Kalahut: The House of Arts (Kalahut) was an Indian e-commerce site that connected instructors specialized in traditional Indian arts and cultural forms with customers interested in these services. Since its launch in July 2020, it had mainly served customers in India; however, it had also seen modest engagement on social media platforms and its website from individuals outside of the current customer pool. As the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in both increased web traffic to e-commerce sites and an increase in the number of people looking for new activities while in lockdown, Kalahut hoped to take this opportunity to expand into a new market. In late 2020, Kalahut’s co-founder needed to decide which of three potential market countries to enter. Which would be the most suitable avenue for expansion?
Kalahut: The House of Arts (Kalahut) was an Indian e-commerce site that connected instructors specialized in traditional Indian arts and cultural forms with customers interested in these services. Since its launch in July 2020, it had mainly served customers in India; however, it had also seen modest engagement on social media platforms and its website from individuals outside of the current customer pool. As the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in both increased web traffic to e-commerce sites and an increase in the number of people looking for new activities while in lockdown, Kalahut hoped to take this opportunity to expand into a new market. In late 2020, Kalahut's co-founder needed to decide which of three potential market countries to enter. Which would be the most suitable avenue for expansion?
The case revolves around a critical incident that took place at an Indian pharmaceutical company, in which various stakeholders had very different perspectives regarding the nature, causes and consequences of the incident. By illustrating the contrasting perceptions of the same event, the authors have shed light on the nature of perception and perceptual processes, including cognitive biases and errors in human judgement. The case provides insights into how these manifest in the organisational context and how managers could be made more aware of them to avoid errors in judgment and make choices that are more informed.
The SuperApps series of cases presents student-entrepreneurs with some of the difficult non-operating problems they are sure to confront in their startups. This fictional case features Clara Ladoucette, a recently graduated startup CEO who is struggling to raise her next round of capital. The case is built around a relatively simple storyline and case facts but includes quandaries around ownership, control, and the fraught transition from bootstrap to business. It makes students think about just how hard this process is, and anticipate questions they must answer to attract big money into their small startup. It is a "Mini Case" in three parts, with all of the essential facts and financial information to judge the characters and company but without gratuitous detail. Though short, it captures many of the most difficult questions confronting early-stage entrepreneurs. SuperApps was written for graduate and undergraduate business school students who are exploring their own entrepreneural ideas or simulating the startup experience. It is an appropriate addition to courses in entrepreneurship, business law, startup legal documents, and early-stage corporate finance. With student assignments beforehand, the three segments of the case can be taught in two ninety-minute classes.
The SuperApps series of cases presents student-entrepreneurs with some of the difficult non-operating problems they are sure to confront in their startups. This fictional case features Clara Ladoucette, a recently graduated startup CEO who is struggling to raise her next round of capital. The case is built around a relatively simple storyline and case facts but includes quandaries around ownership, control, and the fraught transition from bootstrap to business. It makes students think about just how hard this process is, and anticipate questions they must answer to attract big money into their small startup. It is a "Mini Case" in three parts, with all of the essential facts and financial information to judge the characters and company but without gratuitous detail. Though short, it captures many of the most difficult questions confronting early-stage entrepreneurs. SuperApps was written for graduate and undergraduate business school students who are exploring their own entrepreneural ideas or simulating the startup experience. It is an appropriate addition to courses in entrepreneurship, business law, startup legal documents, and early-stage corporate finance. With student assignments beforehand, the three segments of the case can be taught in two ninety-minute classes.