Tokio Marine, Japan's leading insurance company, has spent nearly two decades building a global footprint in different insurance businesses around the world. As the company becomes majority non-domestic it has to make a choice of what organisation structure to adopt to best manage the global footprint. Should it separate the domestic and international businesses, or should it attempt to integrate the two organisations in meaningful ways?

Updates the Tokio Marine (A) case by providing information on the organisation structure adopted by the Japanese insurance firm as it moved to integrate its global operations, along with changes in HR policies that sought to balance traditional Japanese practices with those of its foreign subsidiaries.

Facing a significant decline in revenues in 2016, David Gwilliam, Head of Transformation at PepsiCo UK introduced a new way of working ("Responsive Working"), which encompasses a set of work practices and some new team structures. The work practices comprise a set of 9 codified practices that employees can be trained in to use as part of their daily work. The team structures-called SLAM teams-are put together following strict procedures to tackle key strategic or operational challenges. They are typically cross-boundary, time limited teams. Through these interventions, PepsiCo UK managed to turn the business around (back to growth) by late 2017. At the time of the case in December 2019, PepsiCo UK seems poised for continued success, while Gwilliam contemplates whether or not to authorize employee requests to initiate modified SLAM team for less urgent and strategic issues.

Facing a significant decline (downward trend) in revenues in 2016, David Gwilliam, Head of Transformation at PepsiCo UK introduced a new way of working ("Responsive Working"), which encompasses a set of work practices and some new team structures. The work practices comprise a set of 9 codified practices that employees can be trained in to use as part of their daily work. The team structures - called SLAM teams - are put together following strict procedures to tackle key strategic or operational challenges. They are typically cross-boundary, time limited teams. Through these interventions, PepsiCo UK managed to turn the business around (back to growth) by late 2017. At the time of the case in December 2019, PepsiCo UK seems poised for continued success, while Gwilliam contemplates whether or not to authorize employee requests to initiate modified SLAM team for less urgent and strategic issues.

Subway had been a dominant player in the submarine sandwich category since its inception in 1965. By 2011, the company had surpassed McDonald's as the world's largest restaurant chain. However, the emergence of strong competition and a number of issues-mostly related to its products, place, and price-had caused the company to struggle since 2014. The company's franchise system was poorly designed and operated, product quality had slipped, the company had not kept up with industry and dietary trends, and the arrest of the company's key spokesperson had a negative effect on the company's profits. Revenues declined from 2014 to 2019, and 2,376 stores were closed between 2016 and 2018. Subway needed to turn itself around. How could Subway's chief executive officer resolve the company's product-, place-, and price-related issues to help reverse its fortunes?

In 2020, Falabella, one of the largest Latin American multi-format and multi-country retailers, faced increasing competition from the online world. The growth of online giants posed significant challenges for Falabella's senior executives, who needed to decide how to allocate investments in this highly competitive environment. There were also growth opportunities in the brick-and-mortar business in many Latin American countries. Falabella needed to assess how to compete in the dual online and off-line world. The COVID-19 pandemic had created additional challenges for Falabella's management team, as most shopping malls and stores were obliged to close for a long period of time, and the lower off-line sales were not expected to be fully compensated by increasing online sales. Should Falabella's executives continue to focus on the historical strength of Falabella, fuelled by horizontal, vertical, and international expansion? Should they focus their efforts on the online business and divest some of their current business units.

In August 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev, president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, confronted one of the most difficult dilemmas of his career: how to improve the country's economic performance. This case set highlights Gorbachev's reform efforts from 1985 to 1990. Numerous measures of economic performance had declined, and the USSR faced serious crises of economics (declining productivity and financial insufficiency), federalism (challenges to the primacy of the Soviet Union), and separatism (ethnic and nationalist agitation). Three groups of advisers offered competing plans. One plan focused on economic revolution toward a market economy; one on reform of the existing centrally planned economy; and a third on economic retrenchment and reinforcement of socialist discipline that had prevailed over the previous 73 years. Students must evaluate the benefits and risks of each alternative and recommend a course of action.

In August 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev, president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, confronted one of the most difficult dilemmas of his career: how to improve the country's economic performance. This case set highlights Gorbachev's reform efforts from 1985 to 1990. Numerous measures of economic performance had declined, and the USSR faced serious crises of economics (declining productivity and financial insufficiency), federalism (challenges to the primacy of the Soviet Union), and separatism (ethnic and nationalist agitation). Three groups of advisers offered competing plans. One plan focused on economic revolution toward a market economy; one on reform of the existing centrally planned economy; and a third on economic retrenchment and reinforcement of socialist discipline that had prevailed over the previous 73 years. Students must evaluate the benefits and risks of each alternative and recommend a course of action.

In November 2016, the secretary of Mannarkkad Rural Service Co-operative Bank Ltd. (MCB) based in Kerala, India, learned that the prime minister of India had announced that large-denomination currency notes would be invalid as of midnight November 8. This demonetization move was to eradicate unaccounted for “black money” from the nation. Co-operative banks like MCB were excluded from the purview of India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, and as a primary agricultural credit society providing short-term credit to rural borrowers, MCB stood out from similar institutions by providing best-in-class banking services and constantly innovating to meet its vision of providing “the pleasure of personal banking” to its customers. MCB was the only bank in India to provide 24/7, 365-day banking operations through its overnight counter, and through a series of innovations, it had successfully pushed the boundaries of a rural co-operative bank to provide maximum convenience to its customers. The secretary of MCB now had to make some critical decisions: How should MCB handle the demonetization crisis with its existing and potential customers? Should MCB keep its overnight counter open? Should the secretary alert the bank’s micro-ATM agents? Would MCB’s parent bank provide funds? How could he address these concerns in a way that would maintain the goodwill MCB had built up among its customers over the past 27 years?

The case discusses how cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin posed a threat to Visa Inc. (Visa). In March 2019, the Kroger Co., a leading retailer in the United States, was planning to accept cryptocurrencies from consumers as a mode of payment. According to Alfred F. Kelly, the chief executive officer of Visa, cryptocurrencies were an inefficient means of retail-related financial transactions, though the company invested in the research and development of cryptocurrency for corporate transaction purposes such as cross-border payments. Should Kelly consider cryptocurrency as a disruptive force in the retail sector? Should she focus more on the retail or the business to business sector for cryptocurrency-based transactions?

This case explores how the retail customers of the Bank of China lost an astounding RMB10bn (USD1.27bn) by investing in a structured product. The product, Crude Oil Treasure, was linked to West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures. These crude oil futures were traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange and were used as a benchmark in oil pricing. The negative futures price of -USD37.63 per barrel on 20 April 2020 was a "black swan" event. Never before had the price of oil futures plunged into the negative. Through the case, students will grapple with the practical questions of how to identify the characteristics of a structured product by reference to the traits exhibited in a standard futures contract. Students will also be asked questions on finance theories about contango, extreme contango, backwardation, extreme backwardation, normal contango, and normal backwardation.

Intartic, an Indian mobile accessories manufacturer was incorporated in 2015 by two ex-colleagues from Nokia who sought to explore the mobile phone accessory market in India, building initially on designs, parts and components imported from China. The case traces the evolution of Intartic and the various challenges it faces as it transitions from the mobile accessories business to the IoT-based safety wearables business. The case involves the study of technology management processes followed within the company and the imminent decision on the organizational and structural changes amid the changing business contexts and aspiration of the company. Starting by outlining the overall environment of the mobile accessories industry in India, the case introduces readers to the events leading to organizational change and transformation in ownership of assets by the corporate leadership. The case captures the transition of Intartic, from a commoditized mobile accessories manufacturer to a technologically challenging space of IoT-based safety wearables market. It also essays Intartic's vision to segue into the service business of developing software IP for a connected ecosystem across wearables, connected homes and automobiles, along with the challenges that it is likely to face in its transition and its potential solutions. This transition provides scope for learning various aspects of organizational development such as building organizational and technology capability, creating processes, managing portfolio of varied product development projects, and also educates readers about the evolving investor ecosystem.

Anand Saboo Foundation (ASF) is a philanthropic organization set up by an industrialist, Anand Saboo, with the aim of transforming poor people into entrepreneurs. Saboo focused on helping women living below the poverty line to become independent and sustainable small business owners. Saboo is himself a self-made entrepreneur, currently in his 70s, who set up Saboo Foundation in 1991. After experimenting with several different philanthropic models, he settled on the "Saboo Foundation Model", which relies on multiple stakeholders, focuses on equipment rather than cash, and links participating women to a customer base and a supply chain. Initial results show that the 362 women who availed a loan during October 2018 to January 2019 had zero default-rate. Participating women reported an average income of Rs. 7000 (93.3 USD) to Rs. 24,000 (320 USD) per month (3 to 4 times higher than their previous earnings). Saboo Foundation's approach is novel and shares more similarities with a venture capital investment model rather than a traditional lending model. Multiple philanthropic, government, semi-government, and non-profit organizations have worked in this space for decades, and the Anand Saboo Foundation, a relative newcomer in this space, so far, has enjoyed extraordinary success. This case study helps students understand the key facets that make a successful philanthropic model, with a focus on how to develop and support micro-entrepreneurs at the bottom of the pyramid.

The primary objective of this case is to introduce the concepts of sustainability and its operationalization in practice. To achieve this objective, the case makes use of a manufacturing firm in an emerging market, from one of the most polluting industries, namely, cement production. With the help of this example, the case demonstrates (i) the criticality of setting aggressive sustainability targets, (ii) role of top management in setting a long-term sustainability strategy to achieve these targets, (iii) creating a culture of sustainability, and finally, (iv) operationalizing the strategy on a day-to-day basis. The case also provides detailed description of carbon pricing and its role in promotion and adoption of various green technologies. The case narrates the sustainability journey of Dalmia Cement, which is part of a well-respected business group in India. The case begins with a detailed description of the cement production process, which along with the main raw material input (limestone) is the major contributor to the carbon emissions. The efforts of senior management towards creating a sustainability culture and instilling the appropriate values are discussed next. The case summarizes the various commitments made by the management towards environmental and social sustainability and the respective initiatives adopted to fulfil these commitments. The case finally ends with a dilemma regarding how the company will fulfil the pledge that their CEO had made at the Global Climate Action Summit-2018, that they would become Carbon Negative by 2040.

Set in January 2020, this case describes the entrepreneurial journey of Hayman Microfinance (Hayman), which provided financial solutions to the low-income strata and rural population of Myanmar who had limited or no access to banking services. Over 2015-2020, Hayman grew to become a 25-branch strong company with a loan portfolio of US$29 million, 129,000 active borrowers, and 155,000 depositors. Besides its product attributes, targeted marketing approach, trained work force and effective delivery, Hayman's success could also be attributed to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) thrust in the areas of health, education, safety, and the environment. Over 2017-2019, many international players had entered Myanmar. While some of these entrants had big spending budgets, they lacked first-hand experience of the country's rural poor, and had limited knowledge of the demanding bureaucratic processes followed by the Myanmar government in the financial sector. Sultan Marenov, the Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Hayman, believed that Hayman would be an ideal partner for such investors; however, he was yet to clinch a satisfactory deal. Would highlighting Hayman's CSR program as a core element of its business model strengthen the company's value proposition to potential investors? How much did the social activities contribute towards building the company's brand equity among its key stakeholders, and a sustainable competitive advantage?

Social commerce is a new trend in e-commerce that leverages individual relationships and affiliations to drive growth in online sales. The case compares two companies, Pinduoduo and Facebook/Instagram, and their different social commerce business models, notably social network based vs. social group based models. Social network platforms (like Facebook/Instagram in the US) generate supply-driven commerce ecosystems that leverage the social graph of individual relationships to drive sales through highly-connected influencers in an ad-based business model. Social group platforms (exemplified by Pinduoduo in China) generate a demand-driven commerce ecosystem based on rich, gamified interactions that don't depend on prior relationships in a direct sales business model. The case describes the recent evolution of social commerce such as the launch of Facebook Shops and Instagram Shops that resemble Pinduoduo's model.

For most of her career, Lucinda Stewart was a woman working in contexts-investment banking private equity, venture capital-largely dominated by men. Nonetheless, Stewart had been able, virtually from the beginning of her career, to obtain allies and mentors and, as a consequence, accelerate her career progress (e.g., she was a VC partner in her late 20s). The case describes Stewart's life, upbringing, and career trajectory, with a focus on the personal qualities/attributes and strategies she has used to attract allies and supporters. Attracting supporters is something crucial to building power, because allies are crucial for getting things done.

Set in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020, the case illustrates Pinduoduo's agile response to the crisis and its corporate social initiatives on rural revitalisation in China. Established in 2015 in Shanghai, Pinduoduo's meteoric rise to become the third-largest shopping platform in China (after Alibaba and JD) was fuelled by its unprecedented growth within the first three years of its founding. Valued at an estimated US$63 billion in May 2020, the Nasdaq-listed tech giant was not only adept at pivoting its business model during its early days, but had also pursued an innovative concept of team purchase, coupled with social sharing, viral marketing, and gamification as its growth and user engagement strategies. A key part of Pinduoduo's initial user acquisition was targeting the untapped rural market of nearly 600 million people in China. In giving back to society, it aimed to create meaningful impact on farmers' livelihoods. The firm's "Internet + Agriculture" model enabled growers to bypass unnecessary intermediaries to reach the consumers' markets more quickly and profitably. Poverty-stricken farmers who participated in the Duo Duo Farm programme had the opportunity to attend entrepreneurship training, and obtain subsidies, resources and advice. Through these collective social initiatives, farmers could benefit from improved productivity, higher quality products and most importantly, increased incomes. During the Covid-19 outbreak, Pinduoduo stepped in to support farmers' sales of agricultural produce on its livestreaming channels as well as the spring planting season. As the country gradually emerged from the crisis, how could Pinduoduo strike a balance between its sustainability efforts and the pursuit of its core business as an e-commerce platform?

Business leaders who intend to address racial equity in their organizations need strategies that are systemic, race-explicit, and outcome-oriented. Using a data-driven racial equity framework can help. This begins with collecting, disaggregating, and analyzing data related to race and ethnicity in order to identify racial disparities in workforce outcomes.

Arconic Inc. was a lightweight-material engineering firm that supplied the aerospace, automotive, and commercial transportation industries. Elliott Management Corporation was an activist investment firm that held a minority investment in Arconic Inc.. The two companies were locked in a public disagreement on how to generate acceptable financial returns for investors. At a shareholders' meeting on May 25, 2017, all shareholders would be able to vote on the four nominees that would become members of Arconic's new board. In the weeks leading up to the annual shareholders' meeting, the tension between the Arconic board and Elliott Management continued to build.