In August 2023, Akriti Gupta, the founder of Canfem, a for-profit social enterprise based in India, faced a critical decision regarding the future direction of her business. Established in 2020, Canfem specialized in providing high-quality products and services for cancer patients and survivors, including mastectomy bras, breast prostheses, hair wigs, and emotional healing therapies. Despite the initial limitations of COVID-19 restrictions, Gupta successfully introduced a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model, leveraging personalized video consultations to build customer trust and loyalty, primarily among women. This approach allowed Canfem to gather valuable customer data, enabling repeat and cross-selling opportunities. With pandemic restrictions lifting, Gupta contemplated whether to continue with the D2C model or to expand Canfem's reach through large e-commerce platforms and online pharmacies. Each expansion option presented unique opportunities and challenges that could shape the company’s growth. Understanding the importance of making the right choice, Gupta sought to assess which path would not only foster Canfem’s growth but also maintain the personalized, high-quality service that had been central to the brand’s success and mission.
The Indian Women Pilots’ Association (IWPA) was a non-governmental organization founded in 1967 by trailblazing women in Indian aviation. The association, sustained through membership dues, sponsorships, and donations, provided interest-free loan scholarships to help women pursue advanced training. It also organized seminars, educational programs, and international collaborations to promote aviation awareness and training. IWPA had been instrumental in promoting women’s participation in the aviation sector in India, but despite its early successes and government support, IWPA was facing significant challenges in 2017. The association was grappling with stagnant membership growth, financial constraints, and a shortage of volunteers. IWPA's president, Dr. Harpreet De Singh, was tasked with revitalizing the organization. Could she help IWPA overcome these obstacles and continue its mission effectively? She and the founding members had to strategize to determine how to manage the association more efficiently, attract new members, and secure the necessary resources to sustain and grow IWPA.
The major challenge of the 21st century was climate change. The goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement (PA) were to curtail global temperature increases this century to below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The PA included the 20/20/20 targets: to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent, increase the renewable energy market share by 20 per cent, and improve energy efficiency by 20 per cent. Green bonds served as essential financial instruments to help countries meet the targets set by the PA. While the PA provided the impetus for a green bond market, in late 2023, many investors were still unaware of green bonds and their key characteristics. A critical question was whether investors could expect returns on their green bond investments comparable those of conventional bonds.
Founded in 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam, Selex Motors emerged with a vision to propel Vietnam toward sustainable development through electric motorbikes and renewable energy. The company’s founder and co-founders aimed to overcome the challenges of electric vehicle (EV) ownership—mainly charging inconvenience and high costs—by introducing an innovative ecosystem comprising electric motorbikes, compatible battery packs, battery swapping stations, and an internet of things (IoT) management platform. As the industry evolved, Selex found itself at a crossroads, contemplating a strategic focus between deepening its B2B penetration or revisiting the B2C market to drive transformative change in the EV motorbike sector.
Unity Health Toronto (Unity Health), a pioneer in the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in Canadian health care, had leveraged advanced analytics and big data from electronic health records to improve patient care. However, much of the value from AI had been generated within Unity Health. In January 2024, the organization needed to determine the strategic alignment, governance, and investment required to scale its internal AI solutions for external health-care partners. Michael Page, the director of AI commercialization at Unity Health, was tasked with making a proposal to the in-house AI advisory committee on how the hospital network could 1) attain potential economic benefits through AI technologies to further expand the health system at Unity Health and 2) help other health-care organizations improve health-care quality and outcomes through AI.
Griffin Gale, an advertising professional and hockey enthusiast, was dedicated to growing the sport of ice hockey in Lincoln, Nebraska, through his work with the Lincoln Ice Hockey Association. He had to decide how to overcome the challenges of growing the sport in a city dominated by other sports, ensuring its future in the region.
The chief marketing officer of Yindii, a food rescue startup focused on sustainability, was tasked with decisions on various growth initiatives that the company was set to chart for itself. She grappled with key decisions on Yindii’s expansion strategy, including whether to launch the platform in other cities in Thailand or to look at international expansion. The decision was complicated by several variables, such as a similar startup in Hong Kong that was up for sale, an emerging local Thai startup that was challenging Yindii on its home turf, the lucrative Singapore market where Yindii looked to raise the next round of capital, and a looming threat of the global market leader, which might penetrate the fast-growing Asian markets.
Titan Company Limited (Titan), one of the largest companies in the gems and jewellery sector, derived roughly 80 per cent of its revenues from the sale of jewellery. Jewellery buying was discretionary and prices were largely dependent on the price of gold. In India, jewellery sales were also seasonal, with a spike in demand during annual festivities and traditional events like marriages. A research analyst intern has been tasked to analyze Titan’s finances from 2014 to 2022. She had already completed a DuPont analysis, which is presented in the case, and now she must analyze the stock’s return and risk to help investors better understand whether Titan with its heavy dependence on jewellery sales is a wise investment. Interestingly, the analyst discovers that as Titan’s reliance on jewellery sales increased, its overall risk dropped. Students thus have an opportunity to also consider what other factors, such as a strong business model, good financials, and customer-friendly policies, contribute to the risk–return paradigm.
As head of the Technical University (TU) of Brunswick, Professor Schmitz faced demands from the Ministry of Education to accept the appointment of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as professor at the university. The proposal had exclusively political objectives, specifically to fulfill a legal precondition for Hitler to be able to stand in the forthcoming presidential elections of the country. The professors of the university were appalled by the proposal because it conflicted with their values, but they had no formal power to prevent the appointment. Left formally powerless, the professors need to consider what actions might be possible and appropriate and what informal means they might use to influence the decision.
In February 2024, the general manager and vice-president of Audi Seattle found himself having to consider the future challenges that could be in store for traditional automotive retailing. Despite having faced numerous challenges in the automotive industry over the years, such as recessions and factory strikes, he had remained dedicated to the car business in an ever-changing industry. Now, however, he was all too aware of the imminent threat posed by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) selling directly to consumers. Franchise laws had historically shielded auto dealerships from such threats, but Tesla Inc. had bypassed these laws and was selling directly to consumers, altering the industry landscape. With franchise laws under threat and with some competitors already adapting to the shift, the general manager would have to act quickly in determining how to pivot to avoid revenue and market share losses. How should Audi Seattle adapt to the rapid changes taking place in the industry and secure its future?
In 2019, Corus Entertainment Inc. (Corus), a Canadian television and media company, faced significant challenges from the rise of over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These services disrupted the traditional television value chain, leading to declining cable subscriptions, increased content costs, and reduced bargaining power with broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs). Content owners further complicated Corus’s position by launching their own direct-to-consumer platforms, bypassing intermediaries.<br/><br/>This industry shift placed Corus in a precarious position as an independent content distributor. To adapt, Corus considered partnering with Amazon.com Inc. to launch STACKTV, an OTT service offering 12 of its premium channels via Amazon Prime Video. How might this decision have affected relationships with content owners, BDUs, and competing OTT platforms?
<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> FINALIST - 2024 Fox International Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br/>In April 2024, ZenOnco, known for its successful integrative oncology platform in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, launched a new cancer hospital in Varanasi, India, led by its chief executive officer (CEO) and her co-founder. This expansion brought ZenOnco into the realm of medical treatment in Varanasi, where the company encountered unexpected cultural challenges. The CEO aimed to address these challenges by advocating for early cancer detection, treatment, and supportive care, while positioning ZenOnco as a trusted partner. The question remained: How could ZenOnco effectively bridge these cultural gaps and ensure patients could access necessary care with dignity and support?
Nolan Anderson, chief technology officer of Auxe, a service-based tech company, needed to identify profitable growth opportunities following sluggish performance. Auxe operated a two-sided marketplace, like Uber Technologies Inc. or Zomato, connecting technicians with customers for TV installations. Contractors were used to drive growth, which led to some quality control issues. Anderson was considering three strategies: expanding products by offering home camera installations, targeting a new customer segment by bidding for the digital signage needs of 7-Eleven Inc., or expanding into the US market. Anderson had until the end of the week to develop a recommendation and action plan to present to the executive team.