The founder of Zentein Nutrition Inc. needed a short-term plan for 2023 to maximize his goals for business growth and customer reach. The company was based in London, Ontario and provided natural, simple, healthy, and nutritious food alternatives to an affluent, health-conscious, and health-knowledgeable customer base. Its competitors included many large companies in a highly competitive and fragmented market, but the company had a competitive edge by offering a simple and sustainable ingredient list, use of collagen as a protein source, and made-to order protein bars. With demand outpacing supply, the founder paused all promotional efforts but the company continued to grow exponentially with only word-of-mouth promotion and a social media presence. The founder was now wondering which sales and distribution channels he should pursue for the rest of 2023, and also for the future, after supply would be increased with automation. The three sales channel options—the company website, the Amazon online platform, and traditional retail stores—each offered specific benefits and drawbacks, but the founder had to make a decision that would deliver both quantitative and qualitative results.

In 2021, Hitachi Limited was reconsidering its ownership of Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM). The decision about HCM’s future was one of the last steps in a more than decade-long effort to reorient Hitachi from a manufacturing conglomerate to a service-oriented company. HCM was a global player in the construction and mining equipment business, and although it no longer relied on Hitachi for product technology, Hitachi’s technological capabilities might once again become more valuable to HCM as automation and electrification of construction and mining equipment gained importance. Would there be greater synergies from more closely integrating HCM with Hitachi’s other businesses, or would both sides be better off if HCM was completely independent?

<p align="justify">In 2023, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV leadership faced a developing crisis in the United States after conservative backlash to a Bud Light promotional campaign in partnership with a transgender influencer led to a boycott of the brand. The promotional campaign aimed to appeal to a more diverse and inclusive audience but ultimately resulted in Bud Light losing significant sales and market share. This put the brand at risk of losing its competitive advantage, brand value, and long-standing position as the leading beer brand in the United States. This case is the first in a continuing A-B case set.

<p align="justify">In response to the boycott of Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV leadership attempted to placate dissatisfied consumers by reaffirming their support for conservative values and distancing the company from both the executive in charge of the promotional campaign and the transgender influencer it had partnered with. This course of action, however, not only failed to repair the company’s relationship with conservative consumers but also drew further criticism from liberal consumers who felt that the company’s response contradicted its core values of equity and inclusivity. This is the continuing B-case for product W36313.

On May 5, 2020, Karen Ball assumed the role of president and chief executive officer for the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO), based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, following her predecessor’s departure. With board approval of the 2021–2024 strategic plan, Ball and her team were preparing for a board meeting on January 10, 2021, to present their options to diversify revenue streams and leverage social enterprise opportunities. Since the strategic plan’s approval, however, considerable change had occurred. Alberta’s economy was in a significant downturn, while the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was making a devastating impact on the province, including the nonprofit sector. As Ball finalized her analysis, she had to determine and present to the board the option or combination of options that would best address CCVO’s new strategic direction.

<p align="justify">In July 2017, the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations in Tofino, British Columbia, Canada, grappled with mounting conservation costs, inconsistent and unreliable funding, and the erosion of their cultural identity within their Tribal Parks. Some of the community’s past knowledge had also been lost due to ongoing colonial impacts, and the sacred protocol for visitors to the land was often disregarded. The community also had to contend with the significant expenses required to sustain the lands, aggravated by inconsistent support from tourism operators and the government. Julian Hockin-Grant, a senior consultant with responsibilities spanning the entire Clayoquot region, faced a daunting challenge. In an average year, the Tribal Parks hosted approximately a million visitors engaging with the community in various ways. Managing funding was an arduous task, as donations and grants fluctuated annually, making budgeting and project planning difficult. Relying on volunteers and a limited crew of Guardians only stretched resources so far. Hockin-Grant’s mission was twofold: to secure greater funding opportunities and to ensure that financial progress remained within the operations of the Tribal Parks. He also had to craft strategies to strike a delicate balance between sustaining the Tla-o-qui-aht culture from extinction and coping with the influx of tourism that would generate support for the area.

<p align="justify">In 2020, the Indian film industry witnessed a significant rift between producers and exhibitors (cinema owners and multiplex chains) when the producers of the highly anticipated film <i>Gulabo Sitabo</i> opted for a direct digital premiere of the film on Amazon Prime Video, thereby bypassing a theatrical release. The decision angered exhibitors, who viewed over-the-top (OTT) platforms as threats to traditional cinema distribution. Concerns arose that other studios would soon follow suit, jeopardizing their businesses. Although the producers cited COVID-19-related challenges and the increased popularity of streaming services as reasons for their decision, exhibitors accused them of being selfish. Exhibitors emphasized their investments in world-class screens and urged co-operation, threatening retaliatory measures. The rising tension brought up a number of questions: How much of a threat were OTT platforms to traditional film distribution? How could disagreements between producers and traditional distributors be resolved? Might OTT platforms and traditional distribution methods coexist, and if so, how?

In June 2022, two MBA students from a post-secondary institution in India were asked by their professor to build a valuation model for HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited to assess the company’s stock price for investors. The students understood the importance of the task and tracked the company’s historic stock price. They found that its share price dropped considerably in 2021, as the company’s profits decreased due to a high number of claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, however, the company witnessed a rise in profits mainly due to a high number of premiums, as fears from COVID-19 infections led more people to buy insurance coverage. Given that the company’s profits and performance had been fluctuating, the students wanted to know whether the stock was undervalued, overvalued, or fairly priced. Their task was to determine the ideal stock price and whether to recommend the stock to investors.

Student Spreadsheet to accompany product W34075.

Instructor Spreadsheet to accompany product W34076.

In August 2020, Schneider Electric India (SE), a major Indian low-voltage switchgear company, pursued a strategic growth plan by acquiring Larsen & Toubro’s Electrical and Automation business from its competitor. This unprecedented deal involved two organizations that had previously competed for the same markets and customers but would subsequently operate under one parent company named Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd. The new company would have two brands of the same product and different sales models. The merger would also have wide-ranging implications for the stakeholders on both the sides, which included customers, suppliers, employees, and regulators. The timing of the merger was further complicated with the integration taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent nationwide lockdowns. The acquisition brought together an Indian company and a global organization, with stark differences in terms of culture and employee policies. Therefore, the integration of two competing businesses with disparate employee policies and cultures, amid pandemic-led challenges, seemed like a herculean task for the integration team. Rachna Mukherjee, the chief human resources officer of SE, was heading the integration plan and was contemplating the many challenges that she would encounter. She knew that she would need the right approach to overcome these challenges and ensure a smooth integration of the two companies.

This epilogue accompanies, "Fallen Idol? Aung San Suu Kyi & the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis," HKS Case Number 2139.0. Soon after Myanmar's longtime democracy crusader and opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was released from a long house arrest and elected to the country's parliament in 2012, intercommunal violence began to escalate in the western state of Rakhine between local Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. Over the next five years, the long-persecuted Rohingya minority faced increasingly violent waves of attack, culminating in a humanitarian catastrophe in August and September of 2017 characterized by indiscriminate killing, mass rape, and the wholesale incineration of villages. To the shock of her many admirers around the world, Suu Kyi did nothing to try to prevent or stem the military-led attacks, nor did she condemn the military after-the-fact, instead accusing international monitors and fact-finders of spreading false reports. This case explores the evolution of anti-Rohingya sentiment in Myanmar and details the escalation of intercommunal violence against the Rohingya between 2012 and 2017. It describes Suu Kyi's reaction to the growing Rohingya crisis in these years and ends with assorted theories about why a leader long revered as an icon for democracy, symbol of peaceful protest, and crusader for human rights-having finally become her country's civilian head of state-would choose not to take a stand against the brutal campaign against the Rohingya. This brief epilogue-an acknowledgment of the changed political situation-describes Suu Kyi's sweeping electoral win in Myanmar's 2020 election, the military coup d'état that followed in February 2021, and Suu Kyi's prison confinement from that point forward, virtually incommunicado, as she faced trial and conviction on some 19 criminal charges, a process roundly condemned as illegitimate by the United Nations, many international organizations, and many heads of state.

VALR, a cryptocurrency platform and South African financial technology (fintech) company, was experiencing scaling challenges in August 2021. Launched in 2018, the start-up took on the market incumbent-a company trading in 40 countries. Within 18 months, VALR had become the market leader in terms of locally traded volume. However, this created growth pains and presented the issue of how the company could scale successfully. The company's chief executive officer, Farzam Ehsani, believed that entrepreneurial orientation (EO) was a core strength and an instrumental factor in VALR's success, but he was faced with the dilemma of how to scale it. The founding team had been able to sustain an organizational culture that advanced autonomy and risk-taking to that point, and maintained high levels of competitiveness and service. However, as the business entered a new phase of maturity, Ehsani faced the challenge of how the organizational culture could be scaled to continue fostering EO. In addition, Ehsani worried about the regulatory uncertainty that characterized the cryptocurrency industry.

In April 2023, Tage Rita, the founder and chief executive officer of Lambu Subu Food and Beverages, contemplated the company's ambitious goal of achieving a revenue of ₹100 million by 2025. There was a positive trend in demand for the company's popular kiwi wine, Naara Aaba, particularly in key markets. However, Rita had concerns regarding supply chain issues that had impeded fulfilling significant orders in 2022 due to the remote location of the production unit. In addition, the company's product portfolio solely had wines in the lower-price segments (₹250-₹700), and Rita was considering the launch of a new range of wines in the mid-price segment (₹1,090-₹1,990). The question looming was whether this was the right moment to introduce a higher-priced product. Additionally, she pondered the ideal target audience for these new wines and how their positioning should be differentiated from existing offerings. Furthermore, Rita sought to explore alternative growth strategies for the company.

In August 2020, Schneider Electric India (SE), a major Indian low-voltage switchgear company, pursued a strategic growth plan by acquiring Larsen & Toubro's Electrical and Automation business from its competitor. This unprecedented deal involved two organizations that had previously competed for the same markets and customers but would subsequently operate under one parent company named Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd. The new company would have two brands of the same product and different sales models. The merger would also have wide-ranging implications for the stakeholders on both the sides, which included customers, suppliers, employees, and regulators. The timing of the merger was further complicated with the integration taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent nationwide lockdowns. The acquisition brought together an Indian company and a global organization, with stark differences in terms of culture and employee policies. Therefore, the integration of two competing businesses with disparate employee policies and cultures, amid pandemic-led challenges, seemed like a herculean task for the integration team. Rachna Mukherjee, the chief human resources officer of SE, was heading the integration plan and was contemplating the many challenges that she would encounter. She knew that she would need the right approach to overcome these challenges and ensure a smooth integration of the two companies.

In February 2020, a real estate developer from Montreal, Quebec, Canada was pursuing the development of a new residential rental tower of over 200 units in a popular Montreal suburb. As the founder of the real estate development firm Legacy Development Group, the developer had to revise and adjust his development plan several times. He faced several obstacles in the process, including work stoppage due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, zoning and regulatory issues, and changes in the real estate market. In September 2020, the developer had to re-evaluate his revised development plan in preparation for a meeting with his two partners, when the group would determine whether or not to pursue the project.

Spreadsheet Supplement for Exercise W27680.

In 2023, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) faced a pivotal choice: whether or not to enter India's expanding shampoo hair colour market, which was valued at US$82.72 million and projected annual growth exceeding 17 per cent until fiscal year 2026. HUL's assistant brand manager, Sabhayata Singh, grappled with the absence of a hair colour offering in HUL's portfolio. The dynamic market landscape, coupled with the absence of this product, intensified the decision-making process. HUL faced the strategic dilemma of extending existing brands or creating a new one to meet consumer demands. Pricing strategies became crucial in a market where most products were priced under half a dollar. The decision not only influenced HUL's local market position but also carried implications for potential international expansion.

In January 2023, Adam Pierce, co-owner and operations manager of Lambton Custom Flooring (LCF), eased back in his home-office chair in Sarnia, Ontario, after another day installing flooring. He looked at his calendar: In one week he would meet with his business partner, Marlin Jervis, to discuss the coming year's strategic vision for LCF. Last year's decreased profits concerned Pierce. He questioned whether a change was necessary to offset this trend, and, with the ever-present economic turmoil, he wondered if lower profits were here to stay. Pierce was uncertain if investing in advertisements would be enough, or if he should take more drastic measures, such as expanding the business's installation services or even buying out his partner. Whatever his decision, Pierce would have to lay the groundwork for the following week's meeting.

Between 2016 and 2019, Jijihong Catering Management Co. Ltd. (Jijihong)-a well-established company in Jiangxi Province, China-encountered a plateau in its development as the number of its chain stores consistently stagnated at around 80 and never surpassed 100. To address this growth challenge, in January 2019, the general manager of Jijihong led her team to proactively adjust the company's strategy. They decided to discontinue various company sub-brands, focusing instead on a single brand (Jijihong) and a single business (spicy hot pot) within a single market (Jiangxi). Before the new strategy could produce significant results, however, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 completely altered the competitive landscape of and set new development trends in the hot pot industry, disrupting Jijihong's development plans.