MobilePay, a popular mobile payment system in Denmark, set new records in 2021. Danes had used the app more than 424 million times and transferred about DKK 160 billion (USD 22.6 billion), an increase of 29% from the previous year, which had also seen record growth. Every day, more than one million transactions were carried out through a customer's "swipe" on a mobile phone. While these numbers looked impressive, Claus Bunkenborg, MobilePay's CEO, knew that the coming years would be challenging. He thought about the DKK 208 million (USD 29 million) in losses that MobilePay had incurred in 2021. "We have high growth but we are not profitable. Our business model is not viable in the long run. Getting paid to facilitate transactions is not viable because the price that the merchants are paying to use our service is just going down, down, down. Are we in the payments business or something else? If we want to do more of the same, we need more scale. However, we also need to look at the business model. How can we create revenue streams? How can we monetize our brand, our user platform, our merchant base? It's easy to say we want to be a platform, but what does that actually mean in our case?

This case focuses on Maersk Tankers' efforts to achieve a better gender balance in an industry that struggles to attract and retain female talent. The case begins in 2021 with Annelise Goldstein, the Chief People Officer, and Christian M. Ingerslev, CEO, discussing the gender imbalance in the industry and the company, and wondering what additional steps could be taken to address the gender gap. The case then describes the global shipping industry and the Danish shipping industry, and provides relevant data on gender based on a Women In Shipping report published in 2021. Thereafter, the case describes Maersk Tankers' efforts to transform the organization's culture into one that is inclusive of diverse talent. The case ends with a description of the opportunities and challenges the company faces as it moves towards greater gender parity.

Pharmabrew manufactured and distributed generic medicines to third-party pharmaceutical companies. Anna Nielsen, the company's CFO, had long been listening to unit managers complaining about the budgeting process, as they found it time-consuming and believed it did not add value to the business. Anna decided to change the process and hoped the unit managers will complain less. Unfortunately, John Christensen, the head of sales, fell ill during the budgeting process, and Martin Andersen, his assistant, had to take over. A few weeks into the year, Pharmabrew was in trouble. Deliveries were late, raw materials needed for production were unavailable, and clients were angry. What led to this situation?

Pharmabrew manufactured and distributed generic medicines to third-party pharmaceutical companies. Anna Nielsen, the company's CFO, had long been listening to unit managers complaining about the budgeting process, as they found it time-consuming and believed it did not add value to the business. Anna decided to change the process and hoped the unit managers will complain less. Unfortunately, John Christensen, the head of sales, fell ill during the budgeting process, and Martin Andersen, his assistant, had to take over. A few weeks into the year, Pharmabrew was in trouble. Deliveries were late, raw materials needed for production were unavailable, and clients were angry. What led to this situation?

Swedish brewer Mikael Larsson finds himself in a conundrum. By chance, he has come across an extraordinary opportunity: Contacts with North Korea's dominant brewery open up new possibilities for getting into business with a company producing a truly exotic premium beer. That would dovetail with his own beer business. However, as the partner brewery is located in Pyongyang, North Korea it opens a can of worms: How to proceed given the political, economic and legal issues any actual collaboration would entail? First, he needs to sort out the context of having a potential partner in a reclusive country currently under international sanctions. He needs to understand the overall environment in which the prospective partner operates. Second, Mikael needs to figure out what Taedonggang brings to the table. Third, what practical steps would be required if he decides to proceed, or are there any creative alternatives? All the while when considering the future, he is dogged by ethical and legal concerns as well as by the economic opportunities beckoning if this could be pulled off.

The Transocean (A) and (B) cases provide snapshots of two points in time in the company's history - the first in 2009 after a period of superior earnings and the second in 2023 after several years of poor performance. The two cases describe the same public company [NYSE: RIG] at two points in time characterized by vastly different financial and economic circumstances as well as different sets of senior executives. The cases highlight how different the same organization can appear within a relatively short 20-year period marked by the global financial crisis in 2007-2009, a major oil-rig explosion in 2010, a waning outlook in 2014, the slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and a potential economic recovery.

The Transocean (A) and (B) cases provide snapshots of two points in time in the company's history - the first in 2009 after a period of superior earnings and the second in 2023 after several years of poor performance. The two cases describe the same public company [NYSE: RIG] at two points in time characterized by vastly different financial and economic circumstances as well as different sets of senior executives. The cases highlight how different the same organization can appear within a relatively short 20-year period marked by the global financial crisis in 2007-2009, a major oil-rig explosion in 2010, a waning outlook in 2014, the slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and a potential economic recovery.

In May 2015, ExxonMobil announced the discovery of oil off the coast of the small South American country of Guyana. In the years following, more discoveries were made by ExxonMobil and other oil companies. It looked certain that Guyana would receive billions of dollars in oil earnings, possibly making it the largest oil producing country in the world on a per capita basis. The earnings and the growth of the oil industry would have dramatic impacts on Guyana, one of the poorest countries in South America. The standard of living in Guyana could improve but would the country become a victim of the oil curse? Guyana's cultural demon, the baccoo, was indeed out of the bottle.

Negative emissions of carbon dioxide will likely be needed to meet the <2°C warming above the pre-industrial level goal of the Paris Agreement. A major technology option is combining Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) in the industry and power sectors. The case of Exergi centers around the company's strategic shift towards creating a business model for negative emissions. Established initially as a traditional district heat and power provider to the citizens of Stockholm, Exergi had succeeded to change its production from oil and coal to renewable energy sources. The case traces Exergi's journey from its conventional energy roots to its transformative decision to invest in bio-energy carbon capture and storage technologies (BECCS). It delves into the complexities of navigating market uncertainties, regulatory changes, and technological advancements. The case also explores the internal and external pressures Exergi faced in balancing profitability with environmental responsibility. In focusing on Exergi's strategic pivot, the case provides insights into how traditional energy companies can adapt and thrive in the new era of sustainable energy, highlighting the critical decisions and innovative approaches that shape the future of the energy sector.

The case focuses on the corporate-governance challenges facing a high-growth, small to medium-sized firm (SME) active in the gig economy. It addresses board roles and responsibilities as well as issues related to board recruitment. The case is set in the Nordic context, where many small tech firms have been able to attract funding from private investors and private equity funds, and eventually become "unicorns" undertaking successful IPOs. Although the case is fictitious, it builds on the author's personal board experiences with several Nordic firms.

Natalie Wilson, a human resources administrator at League Plastics, a manufacturer of parts for the recreational vehicle industry, was worried that she would be blamed by her supervisor for an increasing number of workers’ compensation claims. After gathering data on the ever-worsening safety record in the facility and taking notes about where injuries were occurring, Wilson knew she would need to act before the company’s workers’ compensation policy came due for renewal. She needed to put together a plan that would start reducing injuries for the rest of the year, and she needed to persuade her supervisor to implement it.

In August 2022, a student pursuing his master of business administration degree in Mumbai at one of India’s top business schools found himself in a despondent situation as he prepared his curriculum vitae (CV) to apply for an internship position at Golden Tobacco Company. He had written an email to his former project supervisor (a senior fellow of the MIT Media Lab at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay), requesting him to approve the project the student had worked on under his supervision as relevant experience for the internship position. In response, the student received an email from his supervisor with one terse line: “Is this an order?” With a deadline that very evening to submit the CV, the student was in a tizzy. Where had he gone wrong in his email to prompt the terse reply from his former supervisor? How could he fix the situation? And how could he prevent such a situation when writing emails in the future?

Nora is an intelligent, hard-working employee in her first managerial role. As she attempts to move from a role as a contributor to that of a leader, she struggles to effectively manage her workload, her boss, and her team. While she is prepared to do what it takes to be successful, the characteristics that got her to her current level are not those that are needed in her new position. In other words, while she is technically adept, motivated, and customer-focused, this is no longer enough. Nora needs to identify what she can do—and what resources and support she should ask for—to fulfill her potential in this new role.

In April 2023, Maxwell Cutler, director of marketing and sweet potato sales at Race-West Company (Race-West), faced a daunting challenge of high demand for produce in the week leading up to Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. With a responsibility to ship 35–40 truckloads per day, Cutler was under pressure to ensure timely deliveries to satisfy and retain customers. Despite his best efforts and collaboration with his cousin Rachel Pisarz, who managed onion sales, multiple incidents disrupted the transportation process. Cutler received phone calls and emails reporting missing drivers, misloaded shipments, late deliveries, truck breakdowns, and extreme weather conditions. These disruptions resulted in significant financial losses for Race-West as well the loss of some customers. Determined to resolve the situation, he wondered what steps he could take to address these challenges and implement measures to avoid encountering similar issues in the future.

For this exercise, students are asked to assume the place of the two founders and owners of a web-based company called Good Authority. The venture was launched one year earlier and has been successful, although the two owners are finding it difficult to continue operating the company during their spare time while working full-time hours at their day jobs. Recently, an investor offered to fund the salary and payroll expenses for one employee, allowing the two owners more time to grow and expand the business. The students are tasked with effectively designing a job for the new employee to allow the two owners time and energy to focus on the future and success of the business.

In this exercise, students are asked to assume the role of a project manager for Kaymak Consulting, a 210-employee management consulting firm located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Students must work in groups to determine how much of a merit increase each of six analysts should receive during their next salary review. They make their decisions while considering the values that the organization would like to encourage. Background information on each analyst, along with current salary, are provided in the exercise. The task is to determine the most fair and effective method for dividing the pool of funds for salary increase among the six analysts.

Rodolphe Saadé was the chief executive of the CMA CGM Shipping Co., Ltd. a giant in the maritime industry that was long criticized by customers for its lag in digitalization. Realizing the importance of digitalization, Saadé defined digitization as a key strategic priority for CMA CGM’s development. This case traces CMA CGM’s digital transformation process and discusses how Saadé and CMA CGM successfully addressed different challenges to gradually launch a series of digital innovations to the company’s processes, products, services, and business model. However, as new waves of technology, from autonomous vehicles to smart data continued to emerge, how could CMA CGM leverage the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the shipping industry? How could CMA CGM make full use of big data to optimize business operation decisions?

Nicole Rotumah, chair of the Tweed Aboriginal Co-operative Society Limited, which ran the Minjungbal Museum and Cultural Centre (MMCC) in Tweed Heads, Australia, and the museum manager, Tina Pidcock, were standing in the middle of their beloved museum looking at the worn flooring, dusty artifacts, general state of disrepair, and stark absence of visitors. It was August 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic had brought tourism to a standstill. However, both Rotumah and Pidcock knew that the museum’s problems ran far deeper than the absence of visitors during the pandemic, and that something had to be done to revitalize this Australian cultural treasure. The question was what. Was MMCC functioning in the museum, tourism, or cultural experience industry? Who were its main stakeholders and competitors? Was it correct to measure success according to revenue or the number of visitors, or was protecting cultural heritage a sufficient goal?

This case traces the life of Robert McNamara from Harvard Business School to Ford Motor Company to the U.S. Department of Defense. McNamara excelled in every job along the way: becoming the youngest-ever professor at Harvard Business School, the first non-family president of Ford, and Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy. He achieved these successes by using quantitative techniques he learned at Harvard to drive goal-oriented efficiency. Unfortunately, his tendency to manage by the numbers had dire consequences when he ran the Vietnam War. Many blame McNamara, who relied on incomplete and inaccurate performance measures, for 58,000 American deaths in a war that the United States ultimately lost. Studying the life choices of Robert McNamara will be a cautionary tale for all leaders and students of business.

Organizations that practice open innovation draw on external resources to develop new ideas for products and services. Since the term’s introduction 20 years ago, open innovation has had many proven successes, but organizations must recognize and address a potential barrier: an inability to move knowledge across internal functional, departmental, or geographic silos. Author Henry Chesbrough suggests ways to overcome the obstacles imposed by these organizational boundaries.