Sekar Group (Sekar), based in Surabaya, Indonesia, started in 1966 as a small business purchasing fish and shrimp. Led by its founder Harry Susilo, Sekar grew into a large holding company with several business divisions in the global market. Sekar's achievements were closely linked to Susilo's moral leadership, which was greatly influenced by Eastern culture. As the eldest of a large family, Susilo had cared for his siblings as his own children. Some of these siblings were involved with Sekar, and the last of them was preparing to retire. Susilo, as the company's patriarch, was facing the challenge of ensuring lasting success. A new leader from the next generation needed to be chosen to assume Susilo's moral leadership and to sustain family business management and corporate ethics. Who should become the new leader and how would Susilo pass down his ethical framework to a generation largely raised with Western values?
This case series allows students to examine the dynamics of an organization-wide operating system change that was implemented over a decade from 2007 to 2017. The change was initially introduced at Fortis Healthcare Limited in a single hospital and later successfully scaled up to multiple locations. The system worked well for some years before it fell victim to gradual degeneration and defocus. At some stage in the journey of change, this degeneration and defocus was noticed, and a fresh effort was made to revive the change at different locations. Thus, the case series gives students the opportunity to examine the different stages of a change journey-the introduction of change; transferring it to multiple locations; sustaining change; possible .degeneration or defocus, leading to ritualization and loss of spirit; and the rejuvenation of change. In Implementing Fortis Operating System (A), the president of strategy and organizational development at Fortis Healthcare Limited had to decide on a plan scale up change quickly and effectively.
Supplement to case W18383. This case series allows students to examine the dynamics of an organization-wide operating system change that was implemented over a decade from 2007 to 2017. The change was initially introduced at Fortis Healthcare Limited in a single hospital and later successfully scaled up to multiple locations. The system worked well for some years before it fell victim to gradual degeneration and defocus. At some stage in the journey of change, this degeneration and defocus was noticed, and a fresh effort was made to revive the change at different locations. Thus, the case series gives students the opportunity to examine the different stages of a change journey-the introduction of change; transferring it to multiple locations; sustaining change; possible .degeneration or defocus, leading to ritualization and loss of spirit; and the rejuvenation of change. In Implementing Fortis Operating System (B), the chief executive officer at Fortis Healthcare Limited had to create a strategy to ensure that standard operating procedures continued to evolve over time.
In January 2017, the owner of Exotic Caribbean Mountain Pride Ltd., based in Trinidad and Tobago, was trying to decide on a strategy to ensure the continued growth of her business in the face of increased competition from other local manufacturers. She wondered whether the timing was right to expand operations and enter the export market. The growing demand for her chocolate products also made her question whether she should increase her prices. The entry of her two daughters into the family business further complicated her decision-making. She wanted them to become more involved in running the business, but she was having difficulty adopting a less active role in the business.
Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (HMCL) was the largest two-wheeler company in India, a country with one of the highest rates of road accidents in the world. HMCL realized that a cause marketing campaign around road safety could benefit the company in two ways-it could raise issues around road safety to benefit the greater society, and it could create a unique positioning for the company. HMCL created a multi-level campaign that created visibility and worked at the ground level to create behaviour change. HMCL's multi-level cause marketing campaign reached a large section of the population, but challenges lay ahead in measuring the success of the road safety campaign. The head of corporate social responsibility at the company had to determine how to measure the success of the campaign and whether to continue it.
A businesswoman owned two franchised stores of Carpenter Tan Handicrafts Co., Ltd. (Carpenter Tan) in Panjin City, China. Carpenter Tan was a leader in the wooden crafts industry. When the first franchised store was set up in 2012, she was excited by and satisfied with Carpenter Tan's franchise model. However, after her second franchised store was set up in 2014, she felt that this franchise model was restricting her development and autonomy. In 2016, Carpenter Tan suggested that the businesswoman open a third franchised store in Panjin, where the wooden crafts market was close to saturation. The businesswoman, who had become dissatisfied with Carpenter Tan's franchise model, faced a tough choice about whether she should set up the third franchised store.
Business has become increasingly globalized, interconnected, and disrupted by the unceasing progress of technology. As markets span ever-larger geographical areas, the war for talent among companies continues to heat up. As businesspeople enter the workforce, they seek not only challenging and stimulating roles with competitive compensation, but also organizations dedicated to people development. To attract the best and the brightest, companies are finding that they must demonstrate a commitment to training, coaching, and career planning. At the heart of people development is performance management, and this note does a deep dive on how performance management systems are wound into the fabric of our companies, how to leverage effective tools for evaluating and coaching employees, and how to look to examples of best-in-class organizations for creating a strong performance feedback culture.
Clever, a high-growth EdTech company based in San Francisco, had grown quickly in market share (Exhibit 1-2) and headcount (Exhibit 3). As with many high-growth companies, however, early employees (many of whom had never managed people before) had been given the opportunity to manage teams, and they had done so with mixed success and consequences for both company success and employee retention. Reflecting on Clever's progress as of early 2017, co-founder and CEO Tyler Bosmeny proposed investing in developing effective managers, such that others wanted to work for them and grow under them. Premised on the belief that providing high-quality feedback was a critical function of effective managers, he launched a Radical Candor initiative, based on tech veteran Kim Scott's book "Radical Candor," that sought to develop managers by helping them master the art and science of developing others.
In May 2017, IKEA India's chief executive officer (CEO) was facing a dilemma. The company had decided to start its business operations in India by opening an experience centre in Hyderabad in November 2018, followed by furniture retail outlets across India by 2025. Key target segments were young, middle-class price-conscious consumers. IKEA India aimed to sell its products at a low price, aligning with its vision. However, the CEO was challenged with developing a strategy for business growth at a time when major global retailers were going bankrupt. He needed to figure out the appropriate pricing and supply chain strategy for India's complex and diverse environment, while offering value to consumers.
In late 2017, the newly appointed chief executive officer of Blue Apron, a pioneer in the subscription-based meal kit delivery service in the United States, faced several operational and revenue growth challenges. Since its inception in 2012, Blue Apron had invested heavily in marketing to acquire new customers, but rapid growth had led to challenges, and efforts to resolve those issues had led to further problems. Blue Apron also faced several operations and human resources challenges that had resulted in late and missed deliveries. Competition was fierce from both other start-ups such as HelloFresh and established retailers such as Amazon Inc. Could the new chief executive officer ensure that Blue Apron became profitable, or was the company destined to exit the market or be acquired by an established retailer?
In 2017, Macy's Inc. (Macy's), one of the world's largest and oldest premier department stores, announced it would close 100 stores and make other significant strategic changes to try to return the brand to its former glory. Macy's sales had fallen for eight straight quarters, causing investors to fear that the company was continuing to lose market share. The firm had been pursuing an aggressive strategy to optimize all facets of its business, but had its chief executive officer addressed all of the company's challenges in an optimal way? The department store industry was still experiencing an overall decline, and competition from online companies and off-price retailers was particularly severe. Could Macy's overcome these obstacles, refocus its strategy, and turn itself around?
In late 2017, the newly appointed chief executive officer of Blue Apron, a pioneer in the subscription-based meal kit delivery service in the United States, faced several operational and revenue growth challenges. Since its inception in 2012, Blue Apron had invested heavily in marketing to acquire new customers, but rapid growth had led to challenges, and efforts to resolve those issues had led to further problems. Blue Apron also faced several operations and human resources challenges that had resulted in late and missed deliveries. Competition was fierce from both other start-ups such as HelloFresh and established retailers such as Amazon Inc. Could the new chief executive officer ensure that Blue Apron became profitable, or was the company destined to exit the market or be acquired by an established retailer?
In May 2017, IKEA India’s chief executive officer (CEO) was facing a dilemma. The company had decided to start its business operations in India by opening an experience centre in Hyderabad in November 2018, followed by furniture retail outlets across India by 2025. Key target segments were young, middle-class price-conscious consumers. IKEA India aimed to sell its products at a low price, aligning with its vision. However, the CEO was challenged with developing a strategy for business growth at a time when major global retailers were going bankrupt. He needed to figure out the appropriate pricing and supply chain strategy for India’s complex and diverse environment, while offering value to consumers.
In 2017, Macy’s Inc. (Macy’s), one of the world’s largest and oldest premier department stores, announced it would close 100 stores and make other significant strategic changes to try to return the brand to its former glory. Macy’s sales had fallen for eight straight quarters, causing investors to fear that the company was continuing to lose market share. The firm had been pursuing an aggressive strategy to optimize all facets of its business, but had its chief executive officer addressed all of the company’s challenges in an optimal way? The department store industry was still experiencing an overall decline, and competition from online companies and off-price retailers was particularly severe. Could Macy’s overcome these obstacles, refocus its strategy, and turn itself around?
This technical note offers students a definition of brand activism (as contrasted to corporate social responsibility) along with an explanation of the different forms that this corporate practice can take. Specifically, students are introduced to the concepts of both progressive and regressive brand activism, in addition to the different causes the activist efforts may champion, whether social, legal, or environmental, to name a few. In order to illustrate these different categories and the sensible ways for managers to approach brand activism, examples of both successful and unsuccessful brand activism initiatives are provided, including those of Benetton Group, Dove, Patagonia, and Pepsi. While these companies' moves were intentionally designed to resonate with consumers, students are also presented examples of companies that unwillingly elicited activist customer responses (including GrubHub, Uber, Nordstrom, Starbucks, and Papa John's). Finally, the examples of Jack Daniels and Chick-fil-A illustrate deliberate corporate decisions not to communicate their values, while an explanation of boycotting and buycotting helps students understand the impact that brand activism initiatives can have on the bottom line.