This case follows Attijariwafa Bank, a leading Morocco-based commercial bank, giving insight into its risk management practices and its international expansion over time. In particular, the case focuses on its planned acquisition of Barclays Bank Egypt in 2017. At this time, Mohamed El Kettani, Chairman, and Ismail Douiri (MBA 1999), General Manager for finance, technology and operations of Attijariwafa Bank, have to decide whether or not to pursue the acquisition. While they are keen to enter the Egyptian market, they also recognize this expansion would be markedly different from those they had done in the past; both in terms of its nature and size.
In late 2019, San Francisco-based electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) maker JUUL Labs (pronounced "jewel") faced intense pressure. Sales of JUUL products exceeded $1 billion in 2018, dominating the e-cigarette category. While JUUL Labs' stated goal was to help current smokers switch from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes, the company's products had become popular with high school and even middle school students, among whom "vaping"-the use of e-cigarettes-was rapidly spreading. Some advocacy groups and policymakers speculated that JUUL Labs had purposefully marketed its products to minors, an allegation the company strongly denied. The debate over JUUL Labs' marketing and products had made 2019 a difficult year for the company, with a number of states and municipalities imposing bans on the sale of flavored e-liquids, and in some cases, on all e-cigarette products. Given that the company was ostensibly founded to reduce the harm of smoking, what more could JUUL Labs do to prevent misuse of its products, restore its reputation, and grow its business more successfully?
In late 2017, senior management staff at New Flyer Industries Inc. (NFI) were reflecting on the recent growth of their company. NFI was an automotive company that specialized in heavy-duty transit buses and motor coaches. It had been over a year since it had acquired Motor Coach Industries International Inc., and the leadership team was pleased with NFI’s performance; however, they wondered why the company’s stock price had become stagnant in recent months. NFI had a long history of operational excellence and innovation and had exhibited growth through acquisitions. Had NFI reached the limits of its current strategy? What opportunities and threats existed in the industry? Which resources had enabled the firm to achieve market success? The management team needed to analyze the business and its environment to identify a way forward.
Japan's number-one apparel brand and retailer, Uniqlo Co. Ltd. (Uniqlo), built its business by delivering high-quality basic casual clothing at low prices. Uniqlo's founder and chief executive officer of Uniqlo's parent company, Fast Retailing, stated that his goal was to become the world's number-one apparel retailer. He argued that success in the U.S. market was crucial to meeting this goal; yet, Uniqlo USA was not doing well. In mid-2017, after more than a decade of efforts, Uniqlo USA had relatively few stores and continued to lose money. As the gap between its goals and performance continued to diverge, the company needed to re-examine its U.S.-based business and potentially its globalization strategy altogether.
In early April 2018, Spotify Technology SA (Spotify) had planned a rare direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Unlike typical initial public offerings (IPOs), which used investment banks as underwriters to help set an IPO price, Spotify’s direct listing would allow market participants to determine the initial price. In a typical IPO, investment banks shopped the potential offer to various clients and, in the process of book building, determined a range for the offer when it started trading. They also often provided support for the issue on the day it started to trade, limiting the downside for shareholders if demand was low. In Spotify’s case, the investment banks were only being paid a nominal fee, and Spotify was not raising capital in the offering. The stock simply started trading on the prescribed day. A portfolio manager with a hedge fund that focused on growing technology companies was considering investing in the firm, but faced a challenge: how could she estimate Spotify’s value when it started to trade?
In 2016, the newly appointed president and chief executive officer of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), an alcoholic beverages retailer and a Crown corporation of the province of Ontario in Canada, was weighing his options in developing and executing a strategy for organizational transformation. The trigger for transformation was external. The provincial government, which fully owned the LCBO, had decided to allow grocery stores to sell alcoholic beverages. What strategy should the chief executive officer use to ensure the LCBO would be relevant to its existing and future customers and therefore remain a competitive player in the market?
SINGAPORE, SEPTEMBER 2018. A Unilever internal venturing effort, UI was started in Singapore by Unilever veterans to substitute the rather inefficient operating companies' (OpCos) export units with a dedicated group focused on exploiting the group's "white spaces" - non-core brands, consumer segments (such as diasporas and religious sub-groups), new channels (such as airports and cruises) and geographies - not big enough to merit attention from the Unilever OpCos. The group proved quickly its value proposition, doubling the turnover it inherited in less than four years, with higher margins and growth rates than the mother company. By 2016, Aseem was entrusted with organizing the marketing function, setting up a 15-person team based at HQ. The team managed 10,000+ brand/country cells remotely and had to rely heavily on digital marketing, using 3rd party resources, including open talent platforms, to gain leverage, cut costs and grow faster. It conducted 250 launches in the previous 18 months, while reducing advertising and promotion costs by 20%. Now Aseem had to take digital marketing to the next level. Should he increase spending limits per brand/country?
Managers have long been obsessed with improving business processes, and a host of initiatives, such as lean production and Six Sigma, have gained traction in recent years. But a new study shows that the gains from such initiatives often fade quickly. Examining 204 lean projects launched at a European bank, the researchers found that just one-third held on to their gains after two years, and only about the same number were still showing continuous improvement. They identify several factors that can lead to sustained improvements: visible support from the board and senior leadership; consistent measuring and monitoring; communication in a clear narrative that aligns with organizational purpose; directing efforts toward pain points whose easing would clearly benefit employees; and ensuring that senior leaders act as coaches. Includes a Q&A with Helen Bevan who oversees change initiatives at England's National Health Service.
Employers used to take a dim view of job candidates with body art. But times have changed. New research shows that there's no longer any labor-market penalty for tattoos--even if they're large, visible, and offensive.
The case begins with a brief biography of Dr. Askwar Hilonga, and background on the myriad problems created by insufficient access to fresh water. Having grown up in rural Northern Tanzania, Dr. Hilonga observed first-hand the difficulties and devastation caused by this problem, such as disease and death; lack of water for toilets and for bathing and cleaning; and difficulty delivering pre- and post-surgical care, for example. These challenges are especially dire in sub-Saharan Africa. After obtaining Master's degrees in Chemistry and in Public Health and a Ph.D. in Nanotechnology, Dr. Hilonga developed and patented a water filtration system designed to purify drinking water at the point of use. Users provide samples of the local water they intend to filter. Dr. Hilonga tests the water and customizes a nanofilter, which, working in conjunction with two standard filters, comprise a three-tiered system standing about six feet tall. The filtration efficacy rate is 99.99%. Water is periodically re-tested and filters are replaced to ensure quality. With his wife Ruth, who has Master's degrees in Business Management and in Accounting, Dr. Hilonga formed Gongali Model Company, Limited ("GMC") in 2010. With some funding and an interest-free loan, he developed prototypes and worked in the Arusha, Tanzania area to educate communities and provide demonstrations of the product. GMC works with local entrepreneurs ("LEs") who operate one or more filtration stations with the goal of attaining 100 customers each. Most LEs rent the station and, after an initial $15 installation fee, they pay $3 per week rental charge and keep everything they collect over this amount. They are required to provide data six days per week to the GMC headquarters on the number of liters filtered and sold. This information is essential for GMC to determine when to replace filters to maintain quality. A small staff work at GMC headquarters in Arusha.
How important are virtue and character when the future of a company is on the line? How does the leader decide between two pressing options? Set in 1981, this case examines decisions taken by Hussamuddin Yaacub, co-founder of the Malaysian publishing company Karya Bestari at a time when the company was in deep distress. The company's future was in doubt thanks to an unsuccessful partnership with Omar, a printer, who had earlier bought a 50% stake in Karya Bestari. This case suggests the managerial usefulness of the concepts and practice of "character" and "virtue," which are little employed in Western management but are central to some Asian companies and cultures. The case also illustrates the paradox that the most effective way to use virtue in business is not to use it for a business purpose. Virtue can be most profitable when it is practiced for its own sake, not for the sake of profit.
How important are virtue and character when the future of a company is on the line? How does the leader decide between two pressing options? Set in 1981, this case examines decisions taken by Hussamuddin Yaacub, co-founder of the Malaysian publishing company Karya Bestari at a time when the company was in deep distress. The company's future was in doubt thanks to an unsuccessful partnership with Omar, a printer, who had earlier bought a 50% stake in Karya Bestari. This case suggests the managerial usefulness of the concepts and practice of "character" and "virtue," which are little employed in Western management but are central to some Asian companies and cultures. The case also illustrates the paradox that the most effective way to use virtue in business is not to use it for a business purpose. Virtue can be most profitable when it is practiced for its own sake, not for the sake of profit.
The financials that are common in the business world are those that track past performance. With these statements, if we know past performance, we can better predict future performance. For a prospective business that has not previously existed, on the other hand, preparing financial statements is much more difficult. There is no past history to build on, there are no real numbers to start with, and it is not certain how the venture will materialize. It is not likely the numbers will be correct, so why do this? The main reasons for creating financials fall into internal and external arguments: 1. Your numbers reflect your positioning and business model. They can inform you about the viability of your business and help you determine whether and how to move forward. While some numbers are likely to be wrong, your initial approach to the business is also likely to be wrong in some aspects. If these numbers can help put you on a more viable path (sooner rather than later), this information is undeniably valuable. 2. Investors and other stakeholders will want to understand the viability of your business and how you intend to pursue the opportunity. They want to know that you have thought through the economic representation of your business model and that you have done your homework in crafting logical financials. While most sophisticated investors and other experts often believe entrepreneurs are overly optimistic with financial projections, they also want to see how ambitious you are in your thinking about launching the business.
Our Call for Papers focused on breaking established patterns and models and showcasing management innovation in a world in which Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA) reign. VUCA is both an outcome of disruptive innovation and a driver of it; and frequently VUCA is used as an excuse to avoid planning and action. While research has pursued the four elements independently, interaction and integration have been lacking. This article introduces three papers and offers 15 challenges as well as implicit and explicit recommendations to manage in the unpredictable and challenging VUCA world.
The world in which today's businesses operate has become not only riskier but also more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA). Organizations that hew too closely to traditional ways of operating will be hampered in their ability to succeed. In contrast, those that focus on new product and process developments coupled with business model innovation will leverage their dynamic capabilities. An essential overlay is entrepreneurial leadership from top management teams. Strong dynamic capabilities are impossible without it. This article examines how business model innovations, dynamic capabilities, and strategic leadership intertwine to help organizations thrive in VUCA worlds.
Technology is rapidly changing, and customers are seeking not just products and services but experiences. Traditional approaches to strategic planning using product and technology roadmaps are no longer sufficient. This article describes the emergence of what the authors call "design roadmapping" approaches that are grounded in the creation of customer experiences, and which drive the choices of features, functionality, and technology. Design roadmapping provides stability for the future, even as technologies are changing, and keeps organizations more focused on the customers they are serving.