A principal at the hedge fund GBR Capital needed to determine how best to vote her fund’s shares in the upcoming annual shareholders' meeting for Canadian Pacific (CP). For the previous decade, CP’s shares had underperformed compared to its key Canadian rival, Canadian National Railway (CN). The key difference appeared to be CN’s chief operating officer, who later became CN’s chief executive officer. He was able to cut costs, which boosted CN’s profits. In October 2011, Pershing Square, a hedge fund, acquired a 12.2 per cent stake in CP, investing a total of CA$1.1 billion, and proposed appointing CN’s chief executive officer as CP’s new chief executive officer. The principal at GBR Capital needed to investigate and quantify the extent to which an activist investor could unlock value in an under-performing firm.

In 2017, management at Poppy, which matched families that required occasional childcare with thoroughly vetted caregivers, was formulating plans for the Seattle-based seed-stage startup's next phase of expansion. One option was to grow using the same business model through geographic expansion to cities beyond Seattle. Another option was to deepen penetration within Seattle by recruiting caregivers with less experience and by broadening the range of services caregivers could provide, e.g., driving children to appointments.

In July 2017, Jorge Salcedo-Benitez was reflecting on his first decade as president of Solubles Instantaneos C.A. (SICA). Under his leadership, SICA had retained ownership of two leading brands of instant coffee in Ecuador: Don Café and Café Oro. As his descendants prepared to take the helm, Salcedo-Benitez wondered whether the company was still headed in the right direction. Giants like Nestlé S.A. dominated the markets elsewhere, in part by consolidating small, family-owned operations such as his own. Salcedo-Benitez wondered whether it was time to seek new markets, develop new products, or update the brand image; yet he was hesitant to make large strategic moves while his sons were still preparing to take the helm.

In 2010, Salil Pande founded VMock, an online product that helped MBA students prepare for job interviews. Students could upload their video interviews and get feedback from mentors and peers. Four years later, VMock pivoted from an interview feedback product to a "Smart Resume" product that focused on improving resumes. The pivot was based on the insight that job candidates first needed help fixing their resumes before they could obtain and prepare for interviews. Further, the interview feedback product was difficult to scale as it relied on human feedback. The Smart Resume product, on the other hand, was powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence technology, making it more scalable and allowing VMock to evolve its offering from a product to a platform for managing careers. VMock had forged strong relationships with top business schools in the United States and Europe and its Smart Resume platform had been well received by the market. Now Salil and his wife (and head of product development), Kiran, had to determine the next step in the company's evolution. They realized that the time had come to take their business to the next level. But they were faced with several options on how to go about scaling VMock. Should they market directly to consumers or should they use partners to scale their user base? Should they create a solution for employers to help them recruit and manage talent? What revenue streams should they focus on to maximize growth and profitability? These strategic decisions would be key to the survival and growth of VMock.

In July 2017, Jorge Salcedo-Benitez was reflecting on his first decade as president of Solubles Instantaneos C.A. (SICA). Under his leadership, SICA had retained ownership of two leading brands of instant coffee in Ecuador: Don Café and Café Oro. As his descendants prepared to take the helm, Salcedo-Benitez wondered whether the company was still headed in the right direction. Giants like Nestlé S.A. dominated the markets elsewhere, in part by consolidating small, family-owned operations such as his own. Salcedo-Benitez wondered whether it was time to seek new markets, develop new products, or update the brand image; yet he was hesitant to make large strategic moves while his sons were still preparing to take the helm.

On November 8, 2016, the Indian prime minister announced that in an effort to counter corruption, black money, and counterfeiting, high-value currency notes of ₹500 and ₹1,000 denominations would be withdrawn from circulation. The currency to be removed in the demonetization exercise was worth ₹15.4 trillion, or 86.9 per cent of the total value of currency in circulation. The old currency would be replaced with new ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes, but the transition would limit cash liquidity for 50 days in the Indian economy, which was heavily dependent on cash to facilitate both consumption and production. How would this process affect India, which had been identified as the world's fastest-growing economy? Would demonetization have the desired effect of purging the economy of black money and moving India toward a cashless economy with increased growth? Or would it simply bring India's remarkable growth story to a grinding halt and discourage investments?

James Jones and William West started a company to make what they considered the ideal gym bag, one that would incorporate the features they both desired and that would be of a sufficient quality to withstand a regular workout schedule for several years. They each made a modest investment to start their new company-JW Sports Supplies-and began operating on the side while they continued their respective professional careers. In this case, the owners attempt to better understand the impact that alternative decisions they could make about managing costs, changing prices, and different sales volumes would have on the company, so that they could better determine whether pursuing their venture full time was even a possibility. They both agreed that if they could see annual profit climb to around $300,000, they would consider making this a full-time endeavor. The case focuses on concepts related to cost behavior and cost-volume-profit analysis.

Supplement to case UV7380. In this case, James Jones and William West's company, JW Sports Supplies, has begun to offer a second product line-a customized gym bag. The owners consider the topic of overhead allocation in determining the cost of its basic gym bag and the new customized gym bag. The company currently uses a traditional overhead allocation system, with one cost pool being allocated based on units. Noticing that the custom gym bags tend to be ordered in small batch sizes and require more time from the sales staff to sell, the owners consider the implications of an activity-based cost system. After allocating overhead costs based on an activity-based cost system, students must consider potential alternative courses of action that they could explore.

The makers of the Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner, connected the latest version of their product to the Internet. This new feature opened up a wealth of new opportunities and challenges for the company.

This case explores the sustainability efforts at Novozymes, the world's largest and oldest producer of industrial enzymes. In 2015, the Danish company became the world's first company known to have crafted a new corporate strategy based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since then, the company used the SDGs as a lens to screen products, business models and partnerships, and prioritized innovation decisions that could deliver extraordinary societal and business impact. This case study asks students to evaluate the success of those efforts and to outline what the company should do going forward.

When faced with the increasing accumulation of its stock by activist investors led by Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC and the activists' stated objective to replace management and at least some Sotheby's Board members, Sotheby's, the world's oldest auction house, responded with the adoption of a rights plan, also known as a poison pill. Third Point then sued seeking to overturn the plan. The case presents excerpts from the Delaware Chancery Court's opinion on Third Point's motion to enjoin Sotheby's shareholder meeting until the viability of the rights plan could be determined.

Taking over as the CEO in 2014, Mr. David Abney announced that expansion in the emerging markets was his number one priority and the company would make acquisitions to build capabilities overseas. This goal meant deeper penetration of the growing Southeast Asian economies. India represented a lucrative opportunity as one of the largest economies in the world with a GDP of over $2 trillion. Not only was the market large, it was growing fast at a rate of over seven percent annually-despite the global slowdown. UPS had already entered the Indian courier service market, although a period of neglect had allowed DHL to enter, partner with Blue Dart, and win three times the market share of its next largest competitor. UPS with its renewed global strategy was returning to India but now faced intense competition. Despite the competition, India offered a huge opportunity to established organized players in this segment as the country sought to build roads and infrastructure at a record pace. In 2017, the Goods and Services Tax law converted India into a single market rendering the state borders irrelevant, aiding the seamless movement of goods across the country. The new government, which won the general elections on a development mandate, had also brought in crucial reforms to improve the ease of doing business in India. Given these changed circumstances, what should be UPS's strategy to expand in India? Which lessons from those other markets could be leveraged in India?

In 2013, Eastern Health Alliance (EHA) launched the Neighbours for Active Living programme to reduce hospital readmissions among seniors in eastern Singapore. At its core, 'Neighbours' addressed the health care and social needs of high-risk residents within their homes, while building social support systems around them through community outreach. The case discusses the asset-based approach that inspired the concept as well as challenges such as measuring its effectiveness and the impact on patient outcomes.

In 2002, the telecom industry in France witnessed changes in regulation of internet service providers. This enabled internet service provider Free.fr to challenge a crystalized competitive landscape using a combination of technology, business model innovation and focus on the bottom of the pyramid. The case describes the market environment, the strategy to the bottom of the pyramid and the impact of this market entry.

Supplement to case IN1408. In 2002, the telecom industry in France witnessed changes in regulation of internet service providers. This enabled internet service provider Free.fr to challenge a crystalized competitive landscape using a combination of technology, business model innovation and focus on the bottom of the pyramid. The case describes the market environment, the strategy to the bottom of the pyramid and the impact of this market entry.

The case tells the story of the turnaround of Unilever Philippines (ULP) between 2013 and 2016. The Philippines Leadership Team (PhLT) set a vision to rediscover the greatness of the Philippines by achieving a growth rate of at least 10% a year, becoming a disciplined execution machine so that it could generate consistent results, and connecting with the hearts and minds of the Filipino consumer. The case discusses the key factors that led to the success of the turnaround including the cohesiveness of the PhLT, empowering the extended leadership team, and focusing on the core. ULP crossed the billion euro revenue threshold in 2015 after two years of double digit growth. The case ends with Rohit Jawa, the Managing Director, reflecting on two key questions. First, what needed to change to sustain the growth of the company since "what got the company here may not get it there"? Second, how could he ensure that the positive changes made would outlast the current PhLT?

StockX is the world's first "stock market of things", a consumer marketplace for high-demand, limited edition products that operates exactly like the stock market. The underlying concept is to allow participants to buy and sell authenticated products in a live marketplace where they trade anonymously (with stock market-like visibility). The StockX exchange offers buyers and sellers historical price and volume metrics, real-time bids and offers (asks), time-stamped trades, individualized portfolio tracking and metrics, as well as in-depth market analysis and news. A partnership with Eminem, a native of Detroit, got StockX off the ground by creating exclusive content and access to rare sneakers from the rapper's personal collection. To build on this momentum, StockX needs to develop a growth strategy.

This three-part case covers the history of Samsung from its origins as a small trucking company to one of Korea's largest conglomerates. Part A, "Drivers of Success, Family Assets and Business Strategy", charts the growth of Korea's the export-led economy after the end of Japanese occupation in 1945, driven by a handful of family-owned 'chaebols'. Founder Lee Byung-chull's trucking business, set up in 1938, diversified in the aftermath of the Korean War, as he forged a strong political network that enabled him to embed his family's influence and assets in the business strategy. Part B, "Heart Attack Puts Succession Planning at Risk", describes how the ill health of the second-generation leader Lee Kun-hee deprived the firm of a clear succession plan. As the de facto leader of Samsung, his son had to build up his power base to assume the role in the context of a complex ownership structure. Part C, "Court calls time out on Lee Jae-yong", examines how the de facto heir was convicted of bribery and given a five-year prison sentence, prompting speculation that he would run the Samsung empire from his cell.