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?
In late 2015, the chief executive officer of Extraordinary Journeys, an African safari tour operator, faced a rare opportunity to buy a smaller competitor, Safari Specialists Inc. The chief executive officer worried that her firm's strong organic growth would slow, and she was interested in examining alternative growth strategies. The smaller company was offered at a reasonable price and had a remarkably similar organizational culture. On the other hand, it relied heavily on outside contractors, not employees, creating potentially difficult human resources challenges. Further, it was located in rural Georgia, far from the Extraordinary Journeys home office in downtown Manhattan. All things considered, the chief executive officer was wondering if she should buy her competitor.
In late 2015, the chief executive officer of Extraordinary Journeys, an African safari tour operator, faced a rare opportunity to buy a smaller competitor, Safari Specialists Inc. The chief executive officer worried that her firm's strong organic growth would slow, and she was interested in examining alternative growth strategies. The smaller company was offered at a reasonable price and had a remarkably similar organizational culture. On the other hand, it relied heavily on outside contractors, not employees, creating potentially difficult human resources challenges. Further, it was located in rural Georgia, far from the Extraordinary Journeys home office in downtown Manhattan. All things considered, the chief executive officer was wondering if she should buy her competitor.
The case covers the ongoing Wang family dispute over the inheritance of YC Wang, the billionaire founder of Formosa Plastics Group, one of Taiwan's most prominent industrial conglomerates, who died in 2008 at the age of 91 without leaving a will. Within six months of his father's death, his eldest son Winston Wong filed a lawsuit in the US to uncover the whereabouts of his father's hidden assets, most of which he believed were unaccounted for in the inheritance settlement in Taiwan in 2009. He discovered that his father had transferred huge blocks of FPG shares to offshore trusts in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands (where they remain to this day). Having three wives and nine children, YC Wang took pains to maintain the family's control over FPG after his death and to protect his vast fortune from inheritance taxes in Taiwan. He also went to great lengths to ensure that his philantrophic activities in education and healthcare would endure. The case explores these and other options open to founders who plan ahead to ensure their wealth is not squandered by succeeding generations.
The case describes a complex problem faced by the Indian Railways (IR), a more than 150-year-old public sector enterprise, in India. During the summer of 2009, IR was under tremendous public pressure to address the problems of its age-old toilet disposal system. The train toilet problem was complicated as it touched on all three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. After examining a few technological options, Sanjeev Kishore, the Executive Director of Mechanical Engineering of the Ministry of Railways, had to decide whether to choose the most suitable solution from among the ready-to-use options available, or adopt a grounded approach to designing an alternative bio-toilets solution, using the Defense Research and Development Organization's (DRDO) inoculum bacteria. The search for a solution led to a collaboration between IR and DRDO that gave birth to a customized bio-toilet design. After successfully testing a prototype, the IR team implemented 245,775 bio-toilets in 68,694 coaches over a 10-year period. Students are encouraged to use their critical thinking and decision-making skills to address the business situation.
New England Baptist Hospital (NEBH), a national leader in adult orthopedic care, has the lowest rate of complications and 30-day readmissions in New England, but gets paid 30% less for its surgeries than nearby institutions. NEBH introduces, with several large employers, bundled payment plans that cover the patient's surgical treatment from day of surgery until discharge from the hospital and subsequent post-discharge care, including eight physical therapy appointments and treatment for any complications during 60 days post-surgery. But the new payment plan, even with a much lower price than the fee-for-service payments being paid to competitive institutions, has not led to increased patient volumes from employers. The case, in addition to facilitating discussion about design features for bundled payment plans, illustrates the challenges of a hospital leader trying to benefit from its better patient outcomes and lower prices when its payers - employers, health plans, and the government - change only slowly.
This case describes the rise of Sarah Breedlove, who later called herself Madam C.J. Walker, from the cotton fields of Louisiana to the head of a successful, nationwide beauty company providing opportunity and hair care products to Black women. The case describes how Breedlove started her business, recruited sales agents, and built a strong customer base across the United States. Students will learn how Sarah Breedlove navigated life's choices to leave a lasting impact on the world.
Leading European manufacturers are adopting circular business models, whereby they identify and collaborate with business-ecosystem partners to achieve environmental benefits while still meeting profit targets. The authors analysis of how 15 large companies are making the transition reveals challenges in aligning incentives and motives among partners, identifying new partners, involving customers, and planning for extended implementation.
In 2018, Marsh USA Inc. (Marsh), an insurance company based in New York, launched an innovative pandemic insurance product called PathogenRX. However, until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there was no demand for the product. During the pandemic, some US businesses attempted to claim benefits for business interruption losses from their insurers but were denied because their policies did not cover pandemic losses. Unlike other catastrophic events, pandemics seemed to be uninsurable. In May 2020, industry experts estimated that US small businesses could lose up to US$431 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marsh's chief executive officer wrote a letter to the United States Congress and president requesting that a state-backed pandemic insurance plan be developed to help cover extremely high potential claim amounts. The federal government could act as a reinsurer and prevent the US insurance industry from collapsing due to increasing claims from US businesses. However, there were several lingering questions: What challenges could be faced in selling pandemic insurance and how could these be resolved? Was it preferable to partner with a government or a private reinsurance partner? How could pandemic insurance modelling be improved to better forecast potential premiums and claims?
In 2018, Marsh USA Inc. (Marsh), an insurance company based in New York, launched an innovative pandemic insurance product called PathogenRX. However, until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there was no demand for the product. During the pandemic, some US businesses attempted to claim benefits for business interruption losses from their insurers but were denied because their policies did not cover pandemic losses. Unlike other catastrophic events, pandemics seemed to be uninsurable. In May 2020, industry experts estimated that US small businesses could lose up to US$431 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marsh’s chief executive officer wrote a letter to the United States Congress and president requesting that a state-backed pandemic insurance plan be developed to help cover extremely high potential claim amounts. The federal government could act as a reinsurer and prevent the US insurance industry from collapsing due to increasing claims from US businesses. However, there were several lingering questions: What challenges could be faced in selling pandemic insurance and how could these be resolved? Was it preferable to partner with a government or a private reinsurance partner? How could pandemic insurance modelling be improved to better forecast potential premiums and claims?
In May 2020, Scenic Floral Inc. (Scenic), a Beamsville, Ontario start-up that sourced fresh cut flowers from Colombian farms and the Niagara Peninsula, was aggressively looking to expand the business. The company’s Mother’s Day sales had started out very slowly in 2020 as the floral industry in Canada and worldwide began to recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While a flurry of last-minute orders from Scenic’s two largest customers meant sales for the holiday had been strong overall, the company’s manager and partners knew they would have to strike a careful balance in growing their business—continuing to focus on their main customers while considering whether to expand the current product line, add retail customers, perform processing services, serve as a sub-supplier, export to the United States, or launch into e-commerce. Capacity constraints meant they might need to make trade-offs between growing the core business and appropriately timing new opportunities. With so many opportunities available, how could they maintain their existing customers while planting the seeds for growth when the timing was right?
The case introduces a classic digital disruption process applied to a secular sector, wealth management. It explains the current challenges of this industry, which has undergone severe changes following the recent financial crisis. It shows that even an industry for which the main key success factor has been the personal relationship and trust between the client and its advisors, is not resilient to digitalization. The change is driven by technology and rapidly changing consumer habits. Based on the story of Personal Capital - one of the companies on the very forefront of these changes, the case shows how Fin techs can play a part in wealth management and in the long run changes the landscape of the industry thereby disrupting large and well established incumbent players. The case goes in detail to understand if the strategies pursued by Personal Capital: -to position itself as a tech augmented human platform. -To aim at mass affluent market and sizeable accounts; -To consider adjacent sectors such as provision of mortgages and insurance as the next expansion opportunities; are the right strategies to pursue in this market. Furthermore, it researches the financial implications of the strategies also in comparison with the competition in that field. At the same time the case tries to position the financial performances of the companies into a broader development of the industry and competitive forces. The case concludes with multiple dilemmas translated into imminent decisions that need to be taken: What is the right strategy for further market expansion and growth? Should Personal Capital be sold to a large incumbent based on current valuation or go for another round of financing to stay independent? The underlying fundamental question being: do we believe that the new players can take the space of the traditional player and or will they lose the battle against those powerful institutions?
After a rocky start to the 2020/2021 season of the UEFA Champions League and the Serie A, things were finally getting better for Juventus Football Club in December 2020. The new trainer, Andrea Pirlo, was beginning to prove he was up to the job, leading the team to good results. The latest was the triumphant win against Barcelona FC. In an empty Camp Nou stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions, Juventus made history on 8 December 2020, becoming the first Italian team ever to score three goals against the iconic Spanish team in its home stadium in a UEFA competition. As the end of a disruptive 2020 approached, Andrea Agnelli, president of the club and a member of the family that owned it, pondered the future of Juventus. At home in Italy, the club had become the best on the field and business-wise, but in Europe other clubs were still ahead. Agnelli was keenly aware there were important challenges to address if Juventus was to lead internationally in 2021 and beyond. Which strategic priorities should he focus on to ensure the club would be fit for the future? How could he further diversify the club's revenue stream in the face of the high uncertainty to be expected going forward? COVID-19 had accelerated the shift to digital. How could Juventus take advantage of the opportunities that emerged post-pandemic?
Toronto-based financial technology (fintech) start-up Koho Financial Inc. (Koho) offered millennial consumers a new way to manage their money with no fees. Koho challenged traditional banking institutions by providing typical banking services digitally. In November 2019, the company had recently secured its series B funding round, bringing the total amount raised to US$57.5 million. Now, with expectations from its investors and growing competition, Koho had to develop new strategies to ensure its leading position. Should Koho continue competing directly with traditional banks, or should the company invest in new technologies and compete with other fintech start-ups? How could Koho acquire more customers? How would the changing fintech regulatory environment affect Koho's strategy?
The Sydney Opera House, an iconic architectural landmark and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site, was officially opened in 1973. The project cost AU$102 million and took 14 years to complete-AU$95 million and 10 years more than originally estimated. The challenges with the construction of the opera house included a brilliant and visionary architect who lacked project management experience, team collapse due to misalignment, bureaucratic and political issues that hindered work, and a rush to begin construction without proper planning. What could have been done at crucial crossroads to facilitate the project? What could today's project managers learn for future construction?
In April 2020, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (Jio), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, announced an alliance with social media giant Facebook Inc. (Facebook). This was the biggest foreign direct investment for a technology firm in India. The association between Jio and Facebook offered both firms many opportunities, and the strengths and core competencies of the two organizations promised to create value for Indian consumers and businesses by meeting their technology needs. However, the differences in the two organizations in terms of culture, expertise, business models, and management styles would need to be dealt with effectively to create the desired synergy. How could Jio ensure a co-operative and complementary partnership (despite their differences with Facebook) in order to succeed and set a precedent for future international alliances?