The case, set in January 2019, deals with how KTZ Express (KTZE), wholly owned subsidiary of National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Joint-Stock Company (NC KTZ JSC or "KTZ") which is the national railway company of Kazakhstan, handles its dry port operation. KTZE provides logistics services and multimodal transport using its network of warehouses, terminals and airport infrastructure and operates the largest dry port in Khorgos, Kazakhstan. The dry port was designed to serve as a logistics hub between China and Europe that allowed sorting cargo coming from different origins to its destinations by trains. Following the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2013, there has been significant increase in KTZE's business in Khorgos. Despite a general increase in business since the announcement of BRI in 2013, the dry port is only operating at 25% of its designed capacity of 540,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units of standard size containers) in 2018, and the momentum of traffic growth has been slowing down from the previous years. Students take on the role of Ms. Gaukhar Akasheva, Managing managing Director director of KTZE, to explore how the dry port could possibly impact supply chain management in the region, the possibility to change the pattern of logistic flows between China and Europe for some industries, and too firmly establish Khorgos as the major logistics hub in the region. Students are required to devise an action plan on how to attract new traffic and business, and to develop an operating model for optimizing the utilization of the facility in the next four to five years.

This note describes a collection of 26 teaching case studies and 5 expository notes on the history of financial crises from 1720 to 2008. The note also summarizes a semester-length course design based on these materials. The purpose of this collection is to advance pedagogy and research in the field of financial crises.

During the 1980s, leveraged buyouts (LBOs) and the private equity (PE) firms responsible for carrying them out revolutionized both investment and management in the U.S. Between 1980 and 1989, buyout activity in the U.S. surged from $1 billion per year to $60 billion. There was widespread agreement that the PE industry created enormous value, but who exactly was it creating that value for? PE firms claimed that LBOs not only benefitted investors, but also the target companies, which became leaner and more focused as PE firms turned them around. But critics argued that on balance, the PE industry left target companies foundering under mountains of debt as investors realized huge returns. In this case study, students will grapple with PE's complex legacy while learning its history. The case will trace PE's two main ingredients (the limited partnership and the LBO), examine the auspicious conditions of the 1980s that brought them together, and discuss the experiences of two very different early players in the PE field-KKR and Bain Capital.

Set in January 2021, the CEO of SafeGraph, a four-year-old startup that sold Data as a Service, looked to the future. His aim was to become the most trusted source for data about a physical place. The company provided points of interest (POI) and foot traffic data on nearly 7 million businesses in the U.S. and Canada from a variety of providers, then labelled attributes of the data such as the brand affiliation and how long consumers remained at the site. The company sold this data to nearly one hundred customers in advertising tech, retail, and financial services. Clients such as Verizon, Sysco, and Goldman Sachs used it to better understand rapidly changing patterns of consumer behavior. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company offered free access to its data through the COVID-19 Data Consortium to government agencies to help them understand pandemic behavior and make policy decisions. Nearly a year into the health crisis and with a vaccine rolling out, SafeGraph needed to decide how to evolve the COVID-19 Data Consortium. Perhaps the data offered for free should soon be converted to a paid model, albeit on a subsidized basis? More broadly, how should the team prioritize the government sector into its enterprise customer segment mix and how would this impact the business model and pricing?

Tayo Oviosu founded Paga in 2009 to make life possible for the millions of Nigerians who operated in a cash-first environment. Paga helped users send money through peer-to-peer transactions, pay utility bills, and store money in a digital wallet. Paga launched a valuable human agent network throughout Nigeria, which enabled the company to build trust with customers and grow its user base significantly. By November 2020, Paga had over 26,000 agents in its network. Oviosu hoped to build on Paga's success by scaling to other countries with similar regulatory and cultural environments to Nigeria, beginning with Ethiopia and Mexico. To do so, Oviosu understood that he would have to be intentional about building a team that both understood Paga's culture but was also authentic to the new market the company was trying to enter. Paga's goal of reaching one billion users globally loomed in the distance, and Oviosu was keen to do his part to help end cash's reign in emerging markets.

It was April 6th, 2020, and the management team at Drizly-an online alcohol marketplace where consumers could browse and purchase alcohol from local liquor retail stores via Drizly's app for immediate home delivery-were thrilled to see record-breaking sales from the demand surge brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 10th straight day, gross merchandise value (GMV) sold through Drizly's online alcohol marketplace had surpassed Drizly's GMV on New Year's Eve-typically Drizly's busiest day of the year. But their excitement didn't come without serious concerns. The average delivery time well-exceeded the 60-minute customer promise, the void rate-the percent of orders that were subsequently canceled by either the consumer or retailer prior to delivery-was experiencing a five-fold increase over pre-COVID-19 levels, and the number of customer complaints were on the rise and not being answered in a timely manner. What should Drizly do to ensure the long-term success of the company?

More than one third of Americans were said to suffer some type of behavioral health ailment at some point in their lifetime, with many people requiring chronic therapy or intervention. Despite significant clinical needs, access to reliable treatment has been difficult due to shortage of providers, stigma, and poor reimbursement. Marvin's primary offering was online teletherapy via video chat. They hoped to bring Marvin's solution to a wider audience and thought that the race belonged to the swift. As they considered the market opportunity and the complex landscape of digital mental health, they wondered what to do?

In 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook debuted the iPhone 6S with enhanced security measures that enflamed a debate on privacy and public safety around the world. The iPhone 6S, amid a heightened concern for privacy following the 2013 revelation of clandestine U.S. surveillance programs, employed a default encryption system that prevented both Apple and government authorities from accessing data stored on the device. Law enforcement officials warned that the encryption hindered investigations for criminal cases and international terrorism and called on Apple to build a backdoor, a way to bypass the encryption. But Cook maintained that any backdoor would compromise customers' privacy and security. In 2016, a federal judge ordered Apple to provide technical assistance to unlock the iPhone used by one of the two mass shooters who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. Apple refused to comply with the order and asked the government to withdraw its demand. This refusal highlighted Apple's stated policy of supporting consumer privacy. Meanwhile, in China, Apple removed various VPN apps from Apple's Chinese App Store. This action elicited strong negative responses from civil rights activists and members of the U.S. government. In 2019, Apple again faced criticism for removing the HKmap.live app from the App Store, which had been used by protestors in Hong Kong. As these situations unfolded, Cook considered his responsibilities to global governments as well as to Apple's customers, employees, and shareholders.

This case focuses on a board director of a diversified holding company. The firm's longtime CEO had always exhibited a cautious, methodical approach to growth. Now, the CEO is raising the idea of joining with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to spin off part of the business as a separate company. This strategy shift-a spinoff, use of a SPAC, and accumulation of cash for larger acquisitions-was a dramatic shift for the company, and the board director must consider how to respond.

This case focuses on a junior partner at a private equity (PE) firm who sits on the board of one of the firm's portfolio companies. In the case, the board member asks the CEO to accelerate a cost-cutting initiative and looks to a seasoned industry veteran who is also a PE-appointed director for reinforcement. When the second board member sides with the CEO instead, the young director must consider how to respond.

PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, is one of the heaviest users of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in the public sector. As of 2020, it had awarded seven PPP contracts for a total of five desalination and three NEWater plants. Among the key features of PUB's PPP projects were the adoption of the Design, Build, Own and Operate (DBOO) project structure; a 25-year concession period; and small-sized project teams. The main benefits which arose from these PPP projects were value for money, the introduction of new technologies and knowledge transfers, the expansion of Singapore's private water industry, and the blossoming of Singapore into a hydro hub. However, despite letting the private sector have a hand in running the water plants, PUB was of the view that its own officers had to obtain these companies' expertise, so that it could evaluate whether they were technically competent, and, in the event of a default, step in to manage the plants. To further mitigate against risks to Singapore's water supply, PUB also carried out regular operations audits, and engaged the plants' senior management regularly.

Innovations by front-line workers are a significant source of competitive advantage in manufacturing industries. New research shows that when managers send these employees to other plants within the organization on short assignments, the value of their innovations increases.

Emerging markets often are portrayed as dysfunctional and are characterized by weak institutions. Such environments can expose foreign direct investment to myriad challenges, including the demand for bribes, regulatory obstacles, government and business partner hold-up problems, macroeconomic meltdowns, and even civil war. This case underscores how non-market risk factors can have powerful implications on the success or failure of a business and must be monitored continuously and addressed with deliberate strategies. The case features SOCO International, a British oil and gas exploration and production company fighting in February 2015 to maintain its license to operate in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amid a worldwide backlash against its practices. Students will step into the shoes of SOCO, the DRC government, the local community, and the international community as they develop a 360-degree view of the situation. Discussions should highlight how to diagnose and address challenges on multiple fronts.

Having just moved from the sales department to the marketing team at a start-up, Lisa is confronted with a dilemma. Part of the reason she switched departments was to improve the strained relationship between the two departments. Her first assignment is to call competitors, pretending to be a customer, to get their pricing information. Lisa doesn't want to lie, but feels a responsibility to her new boss, her old boss who advocated for her, and both her new and old departments. The B case describes her decision and its consequences. Lisa recognizes that she actually had more options to act ethically than she had thought, and decides to be more thoughtful and prepared for similar dilemmas in the future.

Having just moved from the sales department to the marketing team at a start-up, Lisa is confronted with a dilemma. Part of the reason she switched departments was to improve the strained relationship between the two departments. Her first assignment is to call competitors, pretending to be a customer, to get their pricing information. Lisa doesn't want to lie, but feels a responsibility to her new boss, her old boss who advocated for her, and both her new and old departments. This B case describes her decision and its consequences. Lisa recognizes that she actually had more options to act ethically than she had thought, and decides to be more thoughtful and prepared for similar dilemmas in the future.

This case describes the rise of Marie Curie from a poor family in Poland to the pinnacle of scientific fame. The case describes how Curie, as a young woman interested in science, found a way to earn a doctorate at the Sorbonne and perform pathbreaking research on radioactive materials that won her two Nobel Prizes. Students will learn how Marie Curie navigated life's choices to leave a lasting impact on the world.

Can Brainlab, a privately held firm, compete with giants like Medtronic and Amazon in delivering the Digital Operating Room of the future? The CEO is pondering solutions for secure exchange of medical information, pricing a new robotic imaging device, and reorganizing the firm. Thirty years have passed since the self-taught computer programmer Stefan Vilsmeier founded the firm and achieved dominance in many fields. How can he maintain it in the face of this new, powerful, and well-funded competition?

After integrating the relevant CSR literatures, the case demonstrates the common challenges for companies in the development of CSR, including CSR strategies and writing CSR reports.

In 2016, a summer intern at Bombay Hospital Indore, in India, was tasked with evaluating the hospital’s patient discharge process. Two types of insured patients required different discharge processes for the payment of outstanding balances. The intern needed to map the respective processes and project the outcomes of (1) moving from the current two parallel systems to one centralized, or pooled, system; and (2) adding a third staff member to process patient discharges and collect payments. Would these suggested solutions resolve the problem of wait times? Would one be more effective than the other?

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, was launched in 2012 around a simple idea - helping users entertain themselves on their smartphones while on the Beijing Subway. In less than a decade, it had become one of the world's most valuable private companies, with investors confident that it could replicate a rapid ascent in China in country markets around the world. By May 2020, TikTok operated in 155 countries and, together with Douyin (its China app), it had engaged roughly a billion monthly active users, placing it in the top ranks of digital platforms globally. Some industry experts argued that it was the first consumer app operating at scale where artificial intelligence (or AI) was the product. TikTok had drawn the attention of competitors, regulators, and politicians, especially in the U.S., where commercial success was considered critical to ByteDance's long-term enterprise value. Both success and controversy raised a number of critical questions: What kind of platform was TikTok? How rapidly should TikTok's leadership attempt to validate and scale its monetization model outside of China? What effect would the COVID-19 pandemic have on TikTok's momentum and trajectory? Would TikTok become the first "Super App" with a global footprint? Or, if it moved too fast, did it run the risk of becoming "the next Vine" - a supernova that shone brightly only for a passing moment?