Paulo Ferreira, the president of Luna Brazil, has an ambitious plan to turn around the dismal performance of the plant he oversees in Campinas. The wrinkle is, he needs the buy-in of the powerful local union, which is still smarting from a 10-year-old labor conflict and lately has begun to step up its demands and picket outside the factory. Headquarters, running out of patience with the dispute, wants Paulo to consider converting the plant to a distribution center. But that would mean hundreds of layoffs, which would decimate the local community that Paolo loves.

Paulo Ferreira, the president of Luna Brazil, has an ambitious plan to turn around the dismal performance of the plant he oversees in Campinas. The wrinkle is, he needs the buy-in of the powerful local union, which is still smarting from a 10-year-old labor conflict and lately has begun to step up its demands and picket outside the factory. Headquarters, running out of patience with the dispute, wants Paulo to consider converting the plant to a distribution center. But that would mean hundreds of layoffs, which would decimate the local community that Paolo loves.

This case is about a fictional French-born golfer (Philip Lévy) who first achieved success on the European Tour. After qualifying to join the PGA Tour, the world's most prestigious golf circuit, for the 2018 season, Philip migrated to the U.S. After a series of setbacks on and off the course, some of which were related to adaptation and discrimination issues, Philip had to decide whether to play in the second division of the PGA Tour or return to the European Tour. To complicate matters, Philip was contemplating filing a formal complaint with the governing bodies of the PGA Tour about what he considered to be the discriminatory treatment of foreign players. If such a complaint were leaked to the press, it could seriously damage both Philip's reputation and that of the PGA Tour, which relies on the participation of foreign athletes and international corporate sponsors.

This four-part case outlines the transformation of Alexa Translations triggered by its acquisition of an AI firm. The preface sets the stage, providing information about founder Gary Kalaci's vision and motivation. It also explains Alexa Translations' business model prior to the acquisition of Yappn Inc. Chapter 1 begins with Kalaci's 2016 decision to acquire Yappn Inc. and ends in 2018, when the deal was finalized. Chapter 2 covers 2019 to 2022, a period when Alexa Translations experienced significant growth following the launch of Alexa.ai; it ends with the prospect of a new vision. The third and final chapter provides an update on Alexa Translations as of October 2023. Just one year earlier, the translation industry had braced for yet another significant disruption: the launch of ChatGPT. However, that new technology had benefitted Alexa Translations, positioning it for further growth. Second, in keeping with the strategic role of Alexa.ai, the company would be restructuring its AI side to create a product team consisting of the organization's top talent, who would be tasked with ensuring that the platform remained competitive. Although this news appeared to have been welcomed by most employees, a new junior translator had his doubts.

This four-part case outlines the transformation of Alexa Translations triggered by its acquisition of an AI firm. The preface sets the stage, providing information about founder Gary Kalaci's vision and motivation. It also explains Alexa Translations' business model prior to the acquisition of Yappn Inc. Chapter 1 begins with Kalaci's 2016 decision to acquire Yappn Inc. and ends in 2018, when the deal was finalized. Chapter 2 covers 2019 to 2022, a period when Alexa Translations experienced significant growth following the launch of Alexa.ai; it ends with the prospect of a new vision. The third and final chapter provides an update on Alexa Translations as of October 2023. Just one year earlier, the translation industry had braced for yet another significant disruption: the launch of ChatGPT. However, that new technology had benefitted Alexa Translations, positioning it for further growth. Second, in keeping with the strategic role of Alexa.ai, the company would be restructuring its AI side to create a product team consisting of the organization's top talent, who would be tasked with ensuring that the platform remained competitive. Although this news appeared to have been welcomed by most employees, a new junior translator had his doubts.

This four-part case outlines the transformation of Alexa Translations triggered by its acquisition of an AI firm. The preface sets the stage, providing information about founder Gary Kalaci's vision and motivation. It also explains Alexa Translations' business model prior to the acquisition of Yappn Inc. Chapter 1 begins with Kalaci's 2016 decision to acquire Yappn Inc. and ends in 2018, when the deal was finalized. Chapter 2 covers 2019 to 2022, a period when Alexa Translations experienced significant growth following the launch of Alexa.ai; it ends with the prospect of a new vision. The third and final chapter provides an update on Alexa Translations as of October 2023. Just one year earlier, the translation industry had braced for yet another significant disruption: the launch of ChatGPT. However, that new technology had benefitted Alexa Translations, positioning it for further growth. Second, in keeping with the strategic role of Alexa.ai, the company would be restructuring its AI side to create a product team consisting of the organization's top talent, who would be tasked with ensuring that the platform remained competitive. Although this news appeared to have been welcomed by most employees, a new junior translator had his doubts.

This four-part case outlines the transformation of Alexa Translations triggered by its acquisition of an AI firm. The preface sets the stage, providing information about founder Gary Kalaci's vision and motivation. It also explains Alexa Translations' business model prior to the acquisition of Yappn Inc. Chapter 1 begins with Kalaci's 2016 decision to acquire Yappn Inc. and ends in 2018, when the deal was finalized. Chapter 2 covers 2019 to 2022, a period when Alexa Translations experienced significant growth following the launch of Alexa.ai; it ends with the prospect of a new vision. The third and final chapter provides an update on Alexa Translations as of October 2023. Just one year earlier, the translation industry had braced for yet another significant disruption: the launch of ChatGPT. However, that new technology had benefitted Alexa Translations, positioning it for further growth. Second, in keeping with the strategic role of Alexa.ai, the company would be restructuring its AI side to create a product team consisting of the organization's top talent, who would be tasked with ensuring that the platform remained competitive. Although this news appeared to have been welcomed by most employees, a new junior translator had his doubts.

This case discusses the creation of Montreal's BIXI bike share system. Just one year after its official launch in the summer of 2009, the service had been sold to Ottawa, Gatineau, and Toronto, as well as to cities in the U.S., Great Britain, and Australia. Despite this remarkable success, it had quickly run into major financial difficulty. The Public Bike System Company (Société de vélo en libre-service, or SVLS, in French), the non-profit organization that managed it, had posted a $5 million loss. In 2011, the auditor general's report highlighted serious problems with BIXI's financial management. After just two years of operation, it had racked up $37 million in debt. In early 2014, faced with legal proceedings, the PBSC had declared bankruptcy. To save BIXI, Montreal's city council had approved a $108-million bailout package, and a few years later, it was deemed by Montrealers to be a resounding success at both the national and international levels. In 2023, BIXI had 10,000 bikes - including 2,600 electric bikes - in service at some 830 stations throughout Greater Montreal. After declaring bankruptcy, how did Quebec's experiment in urban mobility become a source of immense pride for Montrealers?

No one doubts ChatGPT's ability to generate lots of ideas. But are those ideas any good? A recent real-world experiment showed that teams engaged in a creative problem-solving task saw only modest gains from AI assistance for the most part-and some underperformed. Surveys conducted before and after the exercise showed that the teams using AI gained far more confidence in their problem-solving abilities than the others did, but that much of their confidence was misplaced. But don't blame the technology, says Kian Gohar, CEO of the leadership-development firm GeoLab and one of the study's authors. "Brainstorming with generative AI requires rethinking your ideation workflow and learning new skills," Gohar says. This article offers guidance for approaching the exercise as a structured, ongoing conversation, opening up a staggering capacity to develop better and more-creative ideas faster.

Announcing that your firm has set out to make the world a better place can help you recruit employees-if your company is large and established. For new ventures, a social mission may actually be a drawback, making job candidates perceive that they offer fewer opportunities for success.

This case study revolves around China's rapidly evolving catering industry, specifically focusing on the compound seasoning sector. It details the business practices of Chongqing Juhui Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as ""Juhui""), which adopts a customized approach to provide reliable and personalized compound seasoning products to chain restaurant clients. Juhui operates a business model of customized solutions for B2B hot pot base ingredients nationwide. As the number of customized clients and products grows, the case explores how Juhui adjusts its business model to strike a balance among large, medium, and small B2B clients and implement a differentiated development strategy. After a decade of rapid growth and accumulation, Juhui faces challenges related to production efficiency, capacity improvement, resource utilization, and internal management due to the substantial demand for a wide range of product categories. The case poses the question of how Juhui can sustain its growth amidst these challenges.

In 2023, Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson was contemplating her growth strategy at a leading U.K.-based cybersecurity venture, launched in 2013 by a group of anti-terror cyber specialists, University of Cambridge mathematicians, and artificial intelligence (AI) experts. Darktrace was also one of the few technology companies built around AI from the start prior to Generative AI, and it offered AI-powered solutions to protect customers from a variety of complex online threats. Two years earlier, Darktrace had gone public on the London Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of $2.4 billion. In the wake of the IPO, in 2022, both the chief marketing officer and chief revenue officer had approached Gustafsson to tell her they wanted to step down from their roles. They were cofounders, and Gustafsson had worked with them from the start. Gustafsson and her team were weighing the decision of whether to bring on external hires or to promote from within for the CRO and CMO roles. The goal was to scale Darktrace from $500 million in revenues to $1 billion. The decision to recruit externally had significant investment implications, given fears of recession, high inflation, and layoffs faced by many companies in the second half of 2022. Recruiting talent from the outside would change the organization's hiring model, compensation structure, and incentives. But there were other concerns. Would newly recruited talent from the outside mesh with the culture and organization that Gustafsson and her cofounders had built at the company's U.K. headquarters? She knew she would have to manage sensitivities on both sides. What was the best way to ensure a smooth transition, and what qualities should she be looking for in the two new C-level executives? Was this a necessary step to realize her ambitions for growth?

Supplement to 824092.

Student spreadsheet for case 823079.

Thoughtworks, a global software consulting organization, had received tremendous success and appreciation for its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) culture, policies, and enabling practices. While the progressive DEI policies had increased gender representation, the percentage of women in technology continued to be skewed and not be representative of the larger gender composition in society. To address this gap, Thoughtworks initiated a comprehensive program to help support women returning to work after a career break. Titled "Vapasi", the program was initiated in 2014 and included identifying suitable women and selecting and inducting them for structured technology skills and holistic training. Training over 16 batches across multiple cities, covering 3,500+ registrations, and with less than 4.5% dropout, the program was seen as a progressive and successful step in helping build and sustain women in their careers. The HR and marketing teams of Thoughtworks helped identify potential candidates for the program through multiple sources, before screening and selecting the final cohort. The trainers for the technology skills were mostly volunteer employees from Thoughtworks, while soft skills, mentoring, and psychological support building were offered by external experts. Women who successfully completed the training could apply for appropriate jobs within Thoughtworks or anywhere else in the industry. Thoughtworks had recruited 130 such women from the Vapasi program. The investments in the program did not yield a significantly large number of women joining Thoughtworks. Despite all the support, progressive policies, and best-in-class inclusive environment, there appeared to be multiple barriers hindering women from returning to work. The case presents eclectic perspectives and challenges that learners need to understand as they engage with diversity and inclusion

This case describes how Shanghai Quicktron Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. ("Quicktron"), a tech startup with a vision of establishing itself as China's Kiva, broke into mobile robotics at a time when the business had not garnered much attention from investors; went through strategic transformations to overcome the lack of systematic knowledge, workforce, and material and financial resources; and finally evolved into a leading mobile robotics provider in China, under the leadership of the founder Yang Wei. Against the backdrop of the rise of industrial artificial intelligence (AI) and rising labor costs worldwide, more and more factories and warehouses began to use robots to carry loads and pick and sort parcels. Quicktron was among the first Chinese companies to venture into mobile robotics, profiting from the first-mover advantage. Also, it innovated its technology and products constantly, as evidenced by its first-generation product, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and third-generation product, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). But as competition got more intense, how could Quicktron meet the needs of customers from different industries and of different sizes to sustain its rapid growth and market leadership?

The Solidarity Fund (the Fund) was established in March 2020 by a business group in South Africa to support the South African Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By September 2022, the Fund had proven highly effective and helped stabilize the healthcare system, provided economic support to the most vulnerable, and also encouraged the population to get vaccinated. Gloria Serobe, the Fund's chairperson, was happy to have seen it succeed and complete its objectives. She pondered its future as lockdowns eased and the initial hardships of the pandemic slowly dissipated. The President of the Republic of South Africa personally contacted Serobe and asked that the Fund not be closed so that it could be maintained for future crises. Serobe and the board of directors needed to determine what options were available for the Fund-should it remain dormant or be closed?

Luke Thomas, owner and operator of Healthy Eats (HE), was considering the future direction of the business following an inflow of cash from a silent investor. HE was a meal prep delivery service located in London, Ontario that focused on fueling healthy lifestyles with locally sourced ingredients. Having proven the business model in London, Thomas was considering two distinct growth alternatives: opening a second kitchen in Hamilton, Ontario, or doubling down on securing new corporate clients. Regardless of his decision, Thomas also wanted to revisit HE's fiscal 2023 marketing strategy to ensure sales projections were met despite a limited budget.

Facilitated by hot Diablo winds, dry weather, and combustible vegetation, the Camp Fire in November 2018 almost destroyed the town of Paradise in Butte County, California. The fire also led to the demise of Merced Property and Casualty Company (Merced), a small property and casualty insurer based in Atwater, California. Following the Camp Fire, homeowners' insurance claims exceeded Merced's ability to pay out their insurance claims, and in December 2018, Merced was put into liquidation by the California Insurance Guarantee Association. In September 2021, Jessy Picado, chief executive officer of Insuredhouse, a small property and casualty insurer in Alberta, Canada, decided to scrutinize the case of Merced in a bid to restructure Insuredhouse's climate risk management plan. Picado appointed Dany Voisin, chief risk officer, to identify the reasons for the downfall of Merced and draw lessons from it. Voisin had to determine what available information and financial ratios would have been indicators of Merced's business vulnerability and use them in his analysis before making recommendations to Insuredhouse.

<p align="justify">Natalie Jung, amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, transformed her newfound passion for handcrafted jewelry into Radiant Sun Shop (RSS), a thriving Etsy business with 3,100 transactions as of February 2023. Initially launched during her virtual undergraduate studies, RSS flourished with her dedicated time. As Jung approached the end of her master’s degree and subsequent graduation in April 2023, uncertainty loomed regarding the future trajectory of her business. Contemplating the role of RSS in her post-graduation life, Jung grappled with pivotal entrepreneurial questions, unsure of where to commence her introspection. Balancing academic milestones and entrepreneurial aspirations, Jung embarked on a critical self-examination to navigate the evolving dynamics of Radiant Sun Shop in her life ahead.