On January 5, 2015, the chief executive officer of the Beijing Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corporation (Ameco) was busy reviewing the company's annual report. Overall, the company's performance in 2014 had been good: eight foreign airlines had become new customers of the company, which meant that more than 70 international customers had signed contracts for airline maintenance-related business. The growth trend in labour costs had been contained to a certain extent, thanks in part to the implementation of the Direct Control of Personnel Cost monthly performance evaluation program. Over the previous four years, the implementation of this program had generated many positive influences on Ameco. However, new challenges created by changes in the external environment resulted in sharp conflict among departments, raising questions such as how could Ameco set up indicators to motivate the employees and keep talented personnel in the company; minimize the impact of external factors; and avoid the phenomenon of "unmerited" workers being rewarded. How could Ameco use performance appraisals to increase the overall performance of the company?

In 2013, the Indian government passed a new Companies Act that mandated a two per cent spend on corporate social responsibility (CSR). This amount needed to be spent on activities over and above the normal course of business. As a result, the senior vice-president of corporate affairs for Nestlé India was facing a complex problem. He needed to revisit all existing programs-the ones covered under the normal course of business and the ones that had no relationship with the normal course of business-and then decide which ones to extend further. Any decision to discontinue programs would have an adverse impact on the company and on the many people who had come to depend on them. What was he to do?

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.

Paytm Payments Bank Limited (Paytm) was the leading firm in the digital wallet (also known as the "mobile wallet" or "e-wallet") industry in India; yet, the company had reported a loss of more than INR15,485 million for fiscal year 2016. Paytm's resources were stretched further when, on May 23, 2017, it started its long-awaited payments bank operation. There were also doubts about the viability and sustainability of the online payments industry in general as a result of; India's demonetization exercise in 2016; the introduction of the uniform Goods and Services Tax in 2017; and a general slowdown in the economy's growth rate. In the highly competitive and crowded banking sector, how could Paytm survive, grow, and achieve continued success in this complex business landscape?

Since its founding in 2011, Art With Impact (AWI) had one precise goal-to enable young people in Canada and the United States to talk about mental health issues through art and media. The foundation enjoyed great success. However, like many other charities and non-profit organizations, AWI was struggling with the challenge of raising adequate funding. In 2017, AWI was looking ahead and wanted to design a sophisticated social media to attract numerous smaller donors. Was there an ideal strategy to achieve high levels of funding and high numbers of donors? Or would it be best to focus solely on raising the number of donors to build a database, collect data, and refine a strategy to collect more funding from AWI's donors in the future?

It was July 2017 when the co-founders of Fitpass Business Ventures Private Ltd. (Fitpass), an online platform providing passes to fitness establishments in the Delhi-National Capital Region, were reflecting on the need for continuous innovation to stay relevant to their users. Launched in June 2015, the company intended to satisfy the unmet market need for flexible workout options at an affordable price for fitness-conscious Indian youth. The company's application, FITPASS, had been downloaded 100,000 times, and the company had gained 60,000 registered users and created a partner network of 1,500 fitness establishments in the region. Generating 100 per cent growth in month-on-month revenue, the company was among the leading platforms in this region. However, the online marketplace was becoming crowded with look-alike competitors, and the founders faced some tough questions: How could the company sustain its position in the current market? Was the company ready to move into other similar markets using the current business model and innovative capabilities?

Wilderness Safaris sees itself as a conservation company that is built on a business model of providing high-end, premium-priced wildlife safaris in various locations in Africa. Dependent on functioning, healthy ecosystems for its long-term survivability as a business, it invests heavily in conservation efforts, both directly, with communities and governments, and with partners and competitors. It may be reaching saturation of the high-cost, high-priced, low-volume, luxury travel product in its existing locations, so to continue its growth it is now trying to expand into East Africa, where the traditional safari approach by most providers has been a high-volume, low-cost, low-priced product. As a publicly- listed company, can Wilderness Safaris find a sustainable growth path that will allow it to profitably expand its business and meet its shareholder's interests while still achieving its priority purposes of protecting and investing in the ecosystems and communities on which its services are based?

In 2009, the owners of Mobile Joint Stock Company (Mobile World) were struggling to manage the challenges of rapid internal growth in a fast-changing and competitive industry. At the same time, private equity firm Mekong Capital was considering its role in the company and how to guide future growth. There was some dissension between the two parties; how could they resolve their differences and add value to the company?

In late 2009, Mobile World consulted with the former chief executive officer of Best Buy about its operations in Vietnam. Should Mobile World take his advice? Should Mobile World's senior management team visit other companies with more experience in the electronics industry? How could Mobile World and Mekong Capital conquer the challenges they faced in 2012? Use with 9B18M078.

In 2016, with success in its two main business lines, mobile phones and electronics retailing, Mobile World Joint Stock Company (Mobile World) faces the challenge of expansion. It is considering geographic expansion into the nearby markets of Cambodia and Myanmar. It is also considering business line expansion into either pharmaceutical or mid-market fresh produce. The founders of Mobile World and the partners of its private equity investor, Mekong Capital, are debating the chances of success of entry into one or more of these new geographic or product areas. Use with 9B18M078 and 9B18M079.

In October 2016, the chief executive officer of Bidcorp Baltics, a food services company operating in the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, faced a dilemma. He needed to decide whether to expand the warehouse depot in Lithuania or in another location, and whether the company should diversify into products other than fresh fish and seafood. Because the company was part of the larger Bid Corporation Limited group, headquartered in South Africa, he had scheduled a teleconference with the head office. His challenge was to present a persuasive case for the parent company’s capital investment in Bidcorp Baltics. What contextually relevant factors did the chief executive officer need to consider?

The factory manager of John Deere Reman, located in Edmonton, Canada, was preparing for a meeting in September 2017, with the general manager of Global Reman Operations and Marketing at the company's head office in Springfield, Missouri. John Deere’s remanufacturing operations had been steadily improving over the last decade. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss opportunities for changes to John Deere’s remanufacturing operation that would provide value to the company, improve customer service, and support the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

Presentation to accompany product 8B18C013.

CRISIL Limited (CRISIL) was a pioneer in the ratings business in India and a market leader in the industry. However, the company was facing a high level of competition in attracting and retaining talent not only from ratings companies but also from other sectors such as start-ups, banks, and financial institutions. Against this backdrop, one of the major strategic tasks for the president and head of Human Resources was to identify the main dimensions of an employee value proposition that could be used to position CRISIL as a strong employer brand in the minds of current and potential employees.

On June 21, 2016, Tesla Motors, Inc. announced its offer to acquire SolarCity, bringing CEO Elon Musk one step closer to completing his goal of moving the world from a hydrocarbon-based economy to a solar-electric one. Markets and analysts were mixed in their reaction to the announcement; some thought the deal would be a distraction to Tesla management at a critical time; others thought it was a "bailout" of SolarCity. Following weeks of due diligence, Tesla and SolarCity finalized their merger agreement and worked to justify the transaction. Joan Banister, a financial advisor, must prepare to address her clients' concerns about their various financial positions in Tesla and SolarCity.

CRISIL Limited (CRISIL) was a pioneer in the ratings business in India and a market leader in the industry. However, the company was facing a high level of competition in attracting and retaining talent not only from ratings companies but also from other sectors such as start-ups, banks, and financial institutions. Against this backdrop, one of the major strategic tasks for the president and head of Human Resources was to identify the main dimensions of an employee value proposition that could be used to position CRISIL as a strong employer brand in the minds of current and potential employees.